So, I was DMing a one-shot test dungeon with some Vexgit Gremlins (backported from PF) in it, and the party mage (Wiz3, 0 STR mod, +2 DEX mod) grappled one of them easily as they're Tiny, then proceeded to hurl it 10' at a nearby door/wall. I treated it as a ranged attack roll (and then proceeded to blooper it by leaving the -4 improvised weapon penalty off, so he hit the door with the vexgit instead of the wall next to the door, oh well :), and then rolled for fall damage (1d6+1), which was more than enough to get the kill as untyped damage (such as fall damage) bypasses DR (Vexgits are DR5/cold iron), to the best of my understanding.
Is it correct to treat a thrown creature as an improvised ranged weapon, is there a different attack roll made to adjudicate what happens to the throwee, or is this covered by some type of check instead of an attack roll? Also, how should damage for horizontally projected (thrown, etal) creatures be adjudicated? Is it the same dice as falling damage? Is there a unique set of damage dice to use for this application? What type of damage is inflicted on a horizontally projected creature when stopped by an impact with a wall or other immobile object?
RAW is preferable, but experience-backed houserules are good to have as well — I'm not sure if this case is even covered in the 3.5 RAW to begin with.
Best Answer
The case is not covered in RAW. There is a feat in the Races of Stone (I don't remember what it's called) that has rules on throwing someone. Without that as a guide I would say a mix of RAW and experienced-backed house rule is the best option. Here is mine:
This rule works in my games because it leverages the rules the players have access to (Splash Weapon and Trip) and models a real world throwing situation on a simple progression chart. When throwing anything (animate or inanimate) getting it to go in the direction you want is not that hard (hence the use of the Splash Weapon rule). It's really about can you pick it up and how far are you throwing it. A PC could come across an extra-planar creature that is size category Tiny but weighs 1,400 lbs. It may be tiny but you're not throwing it.
Even people of exceptional strength can't generally throw someone their own size more than 10'. The personal being thrown is not inanimate while being thrown. They're trying to get away and will react to break their fall. If they were inanimate, they would be like a huge sand bag. Just as difficult to throw and doesn't land in a fashion that is generally harmful to themselves. This is why all the damage is non-lethal.
The greater your size to the person being thrown the more speed and distance you can attain with a throw and slightly more damage is done on impact. The greater the size of the person you are throwing the less speed and distance and thus less damage. In general, even with exceptional strength, you aren't going to be able to throw someone of greater size farther than a couple of feet (hence using the Trip rule).
The house rule also allows for balanced application by both the DM and the players without unbalancing the game.