Improvised Weapons

Sometimes characters grab whatever is at hand — a chair leg, a broken bottle, a dead goblin — and use it as a weapon.

Default rules:

• An improvised weapon deals 1d4 damage of an appropriate type (bludgeoning for a chair, slashing for a broken bottle, piercing for a sharp stick).
• You do not add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll (you're not proficient with improvised weapons).
• If the improvised weapon resembles an actual weapon closely enough, the DM may rule that it uses that weapon's stats and you can apply proficiency if you're proficient with that weapon. For example, a table leg might count as a club (1d4, simple weapon, light).

Thrown improvised weapons:

• Any object can be thrown as an improvised ranged weapon with a range of 20/60 feet.
• It deals 1d4 damage of an appropriate type.
• No proficiency bonus unless the object is similar to a thrown weapon you're proficient with.

Tavern Brawler feat: This feat grants proficiency with improvised weapons, adding your proficiency bonus to attack rolls. It also increases their damage potential when combined with the feat's bonus action grapple.

DM discretion: The DM determines the damage type and may adjust damage for particularly large or dangerous improvised weapons (e.g., throwing a boulder might deal more than 1d4).