[RPG] Are weapons with the “Thrown” property considered a “Ranged Weapon” for the purpose of sharpshooter

dnd-5efeatsranged-attackthrowing-thingsweapons

For example a Dagger is listed in the "Melee" section of the weapons list, but has the "light", "Finesse" and "Thrown" properties.

If I throw the dagger (assume I am proficient), can I use the sharpshooter feat to take -5 to hit for +10 damage?

Sharpshooter

  • Attacking at long range doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged
    weapon attack rolls.
  • Your ranged weapon attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters
    cover.
  • Before you make an attack with a ranged weapon that you are
    proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack
    roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack’s damage

Please be sure to quote any RAW with your answer.

Best Answer

No, you can't take the -5/+10 while throwing a dagger.

Thrown: If a weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon to make a ranged attack.

Throwing a dagger is a ranged weapon attack, so the first two benefits of the Sharpshooter feat will apply. However, the third benefit doesn't require a ranged weapon attack:

  • Before you make an attack with a ranged weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack’s damage.

It specifically requires that you attack with a ranged weapon. The thrown property doesn't change the fact that a dagger is a melee weapon. Throwing a dart, for example, would benefit from the -5/+10, because it's a ranged weapon. The thrown property isn't what's important here - what's important is whether the weapon is a ranged weapon or not.

If you prefer to hear it from the designers, Jeremy Crafowrd agrees that the first two benefits of Sharpshooter work with daggers, but not the 3rd. He also stated that a dagger is a melee weapon, even when you throw it, as well as including it in the official Sage Advice Compendium:

Does the Archery fighting style work with a melee weapon that you throw? No, the Archery feature benefits ranged weapons. A melee weapon, such as a dagger or handaxe, is still a melee weapon when you make a ranged attack with it.

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