[D&D] Magic Thrown Weapons

[Boomlaor]

Is there some sort of glove you can wear which can be enchanted and imparts its enchantment to thrown ammo like an enchanted bow imparts its enchantment to the arrows shot by it? It seems like there should be, for some parity between projectile weapons and thrown weapons, given the massive differences in range increments. Thanks in advance.

Boomlaor

[Doomsmile]

Nope, there is no such item. Thrown weapons have their own benifits compared to projectile weapons.
1) Strength. You don't need to make a mighty (+3) composite throwing axe to take advantage of your strength. This saves a lot of money and allows you to take advantage of strengths higher than what a mighty composite bow can handle.
2) Flexibility. You can use many thrown weapons (such as throwing axes, shortspears, and throwing hammers) without penalty in close combat.
3) Retrieval. You don't need amo for a throwing weapon. You can retrieve them after a battle, or even make them returning weapons so that they retrieve themselves!
4) Price. Thrown weapons cost a lot less than a projectile weapon. Not only do you not have to buy amo, but the weapon itself costs less. This advantage is only really meaningful at low levels, but it's my personal view that no close-combat fighter below level 8 should leave home without at least three good javilins.

Granted, I think a dedicated archer will often cause much more hurt than a dedicated thower (assuming no non-core books, at least), but thrown weapons have, and always will, make excelent secondary weapons for close combat characters.

[akiko]

I think there is a gauntlet out there like that, but expensive. I'll take a look. Though I agree with DS comments, that its not terribly shafted like you may think.

[hedgeknight]

Need one? Create one!
I have an NPC that has a gauntlet known as "Fangarth's Fist" - created by the Wizard Fangarth for his Baron. Among its other powers, the gauntlet imbues items with magic, allowing them to be hurled as +1 weapons.
It's a cool item.....even if I did create it myself. ;)
-g-

[Linklegacy77]

Throwers get much more useful when you start including non-core books. Especially with the incredible lack of archer support there is. (There are only three archer PrC's I know of in 3.5: OotBI, Arcane Archer, and that one from Races of Stone.) There's a PrC in the Tome of Battle that when it hits level 10 gets the ability to throw a weapon at every enemy in range. Powerful if you've got a bunch of distance throwing weapons.

[Doomsmile]

Arcane archer can do that, too, you know.

[Linklegacy77]

Arcane archer cannot. Arcane archer can 1/day make an attack against one target per level they have in the class. This class can do it many times a day with thrown weapons, and against every enemy, not just one per level.

[Doomsmile]

It you're fighting more than 6 or 7 enemies, you're better off using fireball. So, effectively, it is the same... except for the whole "at will" thing.

[Linklegacy77]

Not really, and the arcane archer can't exactly cast a fireball spell unless they are very high level. If the thrower has a lot of weapons, he can effectively kill armies. But you are correct, spells are more powerful. But since when are we comparing the power of weapon throwers to spellcasters? I thought we were comparing the power of archers to weapon throwers.

[Doomsmile]

I though we were talking about gloves of thowy death +1 and if we should invent them. I admit I got off-topic, but I'm willing to stay off-topic to clarify my point. Because I'm that stubborn.

Anyway, my point was that the effective diferance between "six targets" and "all targets" is effectively very little.

[nightinverse]

Well, it is a relatively small difference until you've got seven targets and can only hit six. As in an encounter with a large group, possibly swarming or military in origin.

[Linklegacy77]

I believe that the gloves should not be created, they would be incredibly overpowered and easily subject to abuse. Why buy magic weapons when every weapon you throw become +5 returning distance seeking keen and shocking?

[nightinverse]

This too is my position on the issue. The gloves would have to be so severely controlled if introduced as to make them worthless anyway, if one sought to avoid a terrible loss of balance.