Mastering Improvised Weapons in DND Adventures

Has your Dungeons & Dragons group ever found themselves waking up in a cell, stripped of their weapons and gear? Did your main weapon fail right in the middle of battle, leaving you defenseless? When you’re in a tight spot in D&D and need to keep fighting, improvised weapons can be a lifesaver.

If you’re new to Dungeons & Dragons or even if you’ve been playing for a while, you may not have had the chance to use improvised weapons before. This guide will equip you with everything you need to know about recognizing and effectively using improvised weapons in the game.

What Are Improvised Weapons?

Improvised weapons are items discovered during your Dungeons & Dragons adventure that you can use as makeshift weapons for combat.

Examples of improvised weapons include:

• A frying pan
• A chair
• A log
• A book

In short, an improvised weapon is anything used to make an attack that isn’t listed under the simple or martial weapon categories in the Player’s Handbook.

There’s an interesting twist to this rule: improvised weapons can also include simple or martial weapons when they’re used in unconventional ways or for purposes they weren’t originally designed for.

Take a look at the table below for examples of standard weapons that can be repurposed as improvised weapons.

Weapon	Image	Type	Unconventional Usage
Light Crossbow		Simple, Ranged	Using the blunt end in melee combat.
Pike		Martial, Melee	Throwing the pike at an enemy 20 feet away.
Greataxe		Martial, Melee	Using the flat side for non-lethal damage to incapacitate an opponent.

How Do Improvised Weapons Work?

Once you and your DM agree that something can be classified as an improvised weapon, you might wonder how they function in-game.

Here are a few basic rules to remember with improvised weapons; these rules imply that improvised weapons are usually more of an emergency solution instead of powerful game-changers:

1. Proficiency Bonus – Do not apply your proficiency bonus to attack rolls.
2. Range – If throwing the weapon, its default range is 20 feet, with a long range of 60 feet.
3. Weapon Equivalents – If you and your DM decide the improvised weapon resembles a simple or martial weapon, it may follow that weapon’s rules.

What Kind of Damage Does an Improvised Weapon Do?

Determining damage when using an improvised weapon is straightforward. When an attack successfully hits, the damage for all improvised weapons defaults to 1d4, with the type of damage based on the object’s nature as determined by the DM.

For instance, if you strike someone with the blunt side of your sword, the DM might rule that it inflicts 1d4 bludgeoning damage.

If you throw a glass bottle to attack and it connects, the DM may conclude that this results in 1d4 piercing damage.

Ultimately, the type of damage caused by an improvised weapon is up to the DM’s discretion, rather than the player’s choice.

Can You Become Proficient with Improvised Weapons?

By default, players do not have proficiency with improvised weapons. However, there is a way around this if you take a specific feat at your character’s first level.

If you choose the Tavern Brawler feat at first level, you gain several perks, including improvised weapon proficiency.

1. Enhanced Unarmed Strike – Your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage plus your Strength modifier.
2. Damage Rerolls – You can reroll any ones for unarmed strike damage.
3. Push – You can push targets five feet away when dealing damage with an unarmed strike.
4. Improvised Weaponry – You gain proficiency with improvised weapons.

With this feat, you can add your proficiency bonus to rolls when using improvised weapons.

If you’re looking to play a rough-and-tumble character who often relies on improvised weapons, consider selecting the Tavern Brawler feat during character creation.