5e: Question about Improvised Weapons, Throwing and Carrying Capacity

[PangolinPie]

I’m sure you already know where this one is going but…

I have a player in a game I’m running in about a month who’s doing this Goliath grappler and thrown weapon/improvised weapon specialist. I have no questions regarding the build; already applied Tavern Brawler, Throw Anything, Thrown Weapon Master and Skill Expert (Athletics) feats and the build is pretty solid already I just have an obvious question.

As a Goliath with double the normal carrying capacity, I would like to think that if he lifted an entire horse drawn cart and smashed it over an enemies head that it would do more than the usual 1d4-1d6 damage specified for improvised weapons.

So my questions are:

- Are there expanded rules anywhere for different improvised melee/thrown weapons with differing damage increments based on like hardness or weight?

- Has anyone ever made a list of how much damage different items do?

- And what about throwing other characters/enemies? How would one calculate the damage of one enemy hitting another?

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/13M1u1mRhpk/hqdefault.jpg

- Or is this sort of thing more of a GM house rules kinda thing?

[Segev]

There are two rules recommended for improvised weapons:lthe one you reference, and the one that says improvised weapons can be mapped to existing weapons where they are close enough, allowing proficiency bonuses where applicable and using those damage codes. For hitting a guy with another guy, I would argue that a body probably qualifies as a flail or greatclub.

For dropping a cart on someone, I think you're in house fuel territory. Giving him Cantrip numbers of d12s may be a good option, adding his strength to it, perhaps.

[Derges]

For readily available items I'd suggest using the stats of weapons as Segev suggests.

For your cart, you can scale the damage based on cantrip damage as above, look at the action cost of what he's doing (ie his attack option may be 3 (1d6+str)) or treat the objects as traps.

Personally, I'd look at traps as they're well defined and it makes it easy for enemies to have the same options as him.