[RPG] Do weapons looted from creatures that are larger than Medium in size retain their damage when wielded by Medium-sized PCs

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We know, thanks to the DMG (p. 278), that a creature has disadvantage with a weapon sized for a creature larger than itself – but the wording is less clear concerning the damage. Do weapons looted from larger creatures deal the same amount of damage as normal when wielded by Medium-sized PCs?

My reading is that the increased damage is considered (mechanically at least) to be due to the weapon being oversized, rather than the wielder, but I would like some second opinions. (RAW and RAI interpretations are both welcome.)

Would a Medium-sized creature, specifically a Monk PC, wielding an oversized (large) spear deal 2d6 damage on a successful hit? Furthermore, would a Large creature with a Huge spear deal 3d6? (And so on.)

Best Answer

Technically speaking, yes. The looted weapon will still deal extra damage.

Big monsters typically wield oversized weapons that deal extra dice of damage on a hit.

The "that" is pretty clear - the weapons deal extra damage, not the monster.

However, you should be extremely cautious in making these rules (and weapons) accessible to players. The rules on creature size are in the PHB, but these rules are in the DMG. They're not meant to be easily accessible to players.

A player who is making a conscious effort to gain advantage on their attacks can do so fairly easily. That makes wielding oversized weapons a pretty nice option for any player who wants to build around it. At the very least, if you're planning to allow this, consider implementing the suggested rule that it is impossible to use a weapon two sizes too big.