TheFamilarRaven
2016-09-01, 05:32 PM
Hello playground! This is just me typing up some rules for throwing creatures that I created for my group. It consists of a large minotaur Barbarian who constantly wants to fling the Kobold rogue, so this comes up a lot more than I think most adventuring parties (and DM for that matter) have to deal with, so it'll be good to have something to reference if I can't remember the rulings I made. This may seem complicated and begs the question, "why the HELL would any sane party attempt this?" Well, i'm not dealing with a sane party unfortunately. Plus who knows? Maybe this will help someone else out there with their party member chucking needs!
I am running Pathfinder, so I will be referencing the rules for that system. I don't know how much was changed over the older 3.5 rules, but I thought I should let people know.
Throwing A Creature
Sometimes players, (or monsters), will want to throw creatures in a violent manner towards their opposition. This can be done, but with a few restrictions and special caveats.
Firstly, the thrown creature must either be willing to be thrown (a readied action), or helpless. A grappled creature cannot be thrown by their attacker as the creature is struggling too much to allow the attacker to get a proper hold. However, a grappler can toss a pinned opponent. Doing so requires a successful grapple check. If successful, the creature is thrown, if the grapple check fails, the creature is free from the grapple.
Second, the weight of the thrown creature (including equipped gear, if any) must not exceed the medium load of the thrower. Heavier creatures are too unwieldy to be thrown, as it takes most of the thrower's effort to just lift the creature in question.
When throwing a creature, make a ranged attack roll vs the target's Touch AC as a standard action. Much like a grapple, humanoids must have two free hands available to hold the creature they are throwing, otherwise they take a -4 penalty to the attack roll. Humanoids, (and other similar creatures), must have at least one hand free when throwing a creature. Treat the thrown creature as an improvised weapon for the purposes of the attack roll and range. Creatures that weigh as much as a medium load for the thrower cause the thrower to suffer an additional -2 penalty on the attack roll. Use the size of the thrown creature and the table below to determine the damage. Both the thrown creature and the target take damage. The thrower adds their strength modifier to the total damage dealt. The thrown creature is rendered prone after the attack, unless they pass a DC 15 Acrobatics check. If the thrown creature succeeds on the DC 15 Acrobatics check to avoid falling prone, they take no damage from being thrown provided the attack did not hit another creature or a hard stationary object (such as a stone wall). The acrobatics DC to avoid taking damage for a creature thrown from a pin is equal to the attack roll of the thrower. Whether or not they pass the check, thrown creatures may still take falling damage (See rules on falling).
If the attack misses, place the thrown creature in the square in front of the target, plus an additional 5ft away for every 5 points under target's Touch AC the total attack roll came out to be. The thrown creature still takes damage from being hurled. If the target was airborne, the thrown creature does not take damage from being tossed if the attack misses. The thrown creature immediately begins falling whether or not the attack misses or hits an airborne target.
Table 1-1 Thrown Creature Damage
Size
Damage [/th]
Tiny
1d4
Small
1d6
Medium
1d10
Large
2d6
Huge
4d6
Gargantuan
6d6
Colossal
8d6
The type of damage dealt is usually bludgeoning, unless under special circumstances (thrown creature has armor spikes). The attack may bypass DR/Magic, if the thrown creature is wearing magic armor, and may bypass other types of damage reduction if the armor of the thrown creature is made from the appropriate materials or has the appropriate properties.
Special Actions for Thrown Creatures
A thrown creature can perform very little actions when being thrown. They may either attempt to make a single melee attack, or use the force of the throw to knock down the target. Other actions may be appropriate, but are left up to the discretion of the DM. A thrown creature may not cast a spell with a casting time greater than Immediate, unless tossed in such a way that they fall more than 500ft. (See rules on falling). The thrown creature may only perform these actions if they were willingly thrown, i.e not helpless.
Making an Attack: If the thrown creature hits the target, they may make a single melee attack against the target of the throw. However, the thrown creature suffers a -4 penalty on the attack roll. The thrown creature cannot draw a weapon while being thrown, unless they possess the Quick Draw feat.
Knockdown: If the thrown creature hits the target, they may immediately attempt to knock the target prone. The thrown creature makes a trip attempt, provoking no attack of opportunity. The thrown creature may use their thrower's strength modifier when calculating their CMB. Creatures who cannot be tripped are immune to this attack.
I am running Pathfinder, so I will be referencing the rules for that system. I don't know how much was changed over the older 3.5 rules, but I thought I should let people know.
Throwing A Creature
Sometimes players, (or monsters), will want to throw creatures in a violent manner towards their opposition. This can be done, but with a few restrictions and special caveats.
Firstly, the thrown creature must either be willing to be thrown (a readied action), or helpless. A grappled creature cannot be thrown by their attacker as the creature is struggling too much to allow the attacker to get a proper hold. However, a grappler can toss a pinned opponent. Doing so requires a successful grapple check. If successful, the creature is thrown, if the grapple check fails, the creature is free from the grapple.
Second, the weight of the thrown creature (including equipped gear, if any) must not exceed the medium load of the thrower. Heavier creatures are too unwieldy to be thrown, as it takes most of the thrower's effort to just lift the creature in question.
When throwing a creature, make a ranged attack roll vs the target's Touch AC as a standard action. Much like a grapple, humanoids must have two free hands available to hold the creature they are throwing, otherwise they take a -4 penalty to the attack roll. Humanoids, (and other similar creatures), must have at least one hand free when throwing a creature. Treat the thrown creature as an improvised weapon for the purposes of the attack roll and range. Creatures that weigh as much as a medium load for the thrower cause the thrower to suffer an additional -2 penalty on the attack roll. Use the size of the thrown creature and the table below to determine the damage. Both the thrown creature and the target take damage. The thrower adds their strength modifier to the total damage dealt. The thrown creature is rendered prone after the attack, unless they pass a DC 15 Acrobatics check. If the thrown creature succeeds on the DC 15 Acrobatics check to avoid falling prone, they take no damage from being thrown provided the attack did not hit another creature or a hard stationary object (such as a stone wall). The acrobatics DC to avoid taking damage for a creature thrown from a pin is equal to the attack roll of the thrower. Whether or not they pass the check, thrown creatures may still take falling damage (See rules on falling).
If the attack misses, place the thrown creature in the square in front of the target, plus an additional 5ft away for every 5 points under target's Touch AC the total attack roll came out to be. The thrown creature still takes damage from being hurled. If the target was airborne, the thrown creature does not take damage from being tossed if the attack misses. The thrown creature immediately begins falling whether or not the attack misses or hits an airborne target.
Table 1-1 Thrown Creature Damage
Size
Damage [/th]
Tiny
1d4
Small
1d6
Medium
1d10
Large
2d6
Huge
4d6
Gargantuan
6d6
Colossal
8d6
The type of damage dealt is usually bludgeoning, unless under special circumstances (thrown creature has armor spikes). The attack may bypass DR/Magic, if the thrown creature is wearing magic armor, and may bypass other types of damage reduction if the armor of the thrown creature is made from the appropriate materials or has the appropriate properties.
Special Actions for Thrown Creatures
A thrown creature can perform very little actions when being thrown. They may either attempt to make a single melee attack, or use the force of the throw to knock down the target. Other actions may be appropriate, but are left up to the discretion of the DM. A thrown creature may not cast a spell with a casting time greater than Immediate, unless tossed in such a way that they fall more than 500ft. (See rules on falling). The thrown creature may only perform these actions if they were willingly thrown, i.e not helpless.
Making an Attack: If the thrown creature hits the target, they may make a single melee attack against the target of the throw. However, the thrown creature suffers a -4 penalty on the attack roll. The thrown creature cannot draw a weapon while being thrown, unless they possess the Quick Draw feat.
Knockdown: If the thrown creature hits the target, they may immediately attempt to knock the target prone. The thrown creature makes a trip attempt, provoking no attack of opportunity. The thrown creature may use their thrower's strength modifier when calculating their CMB. Creatures who cannot be tripped are immune to this attack.