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Ranged Weapons are capable of being used in Melee, as an Improvised Weapon as per P.268 in the Rules Compendium:

... A ranged weapon cannot be used with a melee power or a close power that has the weapon keyword, unless the weapon is wielded as an improvised melee weapon.

Improvised Weapons then state:

When a weapon is used as an improvised weapon, the weapon’s normal characteristics (such as properties, powers, bonuses, and critical hit effects) do not apply.

But, Belt of the Brawler changes how we view Improvised Weapons:

Belt of the Brawler: Make improvised attacks (included unarmed attacks) as if you were armed with a club.

Therefore, could a character with the Belt of the Brawler, effectively use a Ranged Weapon within combat for Melee Powers (as a Club)? And, if so, what attributes carry over for those attacks (i.e. Count as attacking with a Bow, maintain Magic Items Properties for the attacks, etc...)?

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Yes you can, and no properties carry over at all whatsoever. It's just a club now. You're using a Keranos's Crackling Crossbow of Incineration (not an actual item) as an improvised melee weapon? It's just a club as far as stats care, with 1d6 damage and no magical effects at all.

You were citing the Rules Compendium, let's reopen it to the Improvised Weapons section on page 272. This one makes it crystal clear by pointing to a table, saying (effectively): "these are your improvised weapon stats." The stats on the table have no properties at all. Nothing is special about them.

Because you have the Belt of the Brawler, you substitute that with an ordinary club, which also has absolutely nothing remarkable about it — other than the +2 Proficiency, and the upgrade to 1d6 one-handed and being counted as a mace if that helps.

In fact, this Rules Compendium section winds up stating more or less exactly all of this:

For instance, if an adventurer smacks an adjacent monster with his or her magic bow and scores a critical hit, the bow's critical hit effect does not apply, since the adventurer is using the bow as an improvised melee weapon.

... wherein "improved melee weapon" means "a totally unremarkable 1d4 one-handed 5lb weapon, or a totally unremarkable 1d6 club if you have the Belt of the Brawler".

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I guess my issue is that you are no longer wielding ""a totally unremarkable 1d4 one-handed 5lb weapon" but rather a "club". Unless my understanding of the wording/intention of the item is off, it would seem like you are now just regarding/replacing that item as a Club instead of the Improvised Weapon you were originally wielding. \$\endgroup\$
    – OmnifariousGrey
    Commented Apr 19, 2016 at 15:25
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    \$\begingroup\$ @OmnifariousGrey No, that's right. And that means everything it sounds like: it's a club now because of your belt, as I said so later in that same sentence. The specific weapon. (There isn't a club keyword - the club itself has the mace weapon type keyword.) It's nothing more or less than a club, regardless of what it was before when you were using it properly. \$\endgroup\$
    – doppelgreener
    Commented Apr 19, 2016 at 15:38
  • \$\begingroup\$ Ok, so it is now classified as a club and not an improvised weapon; and actually nullifies, but your statements, whatever it used to be as an item. If this is the case, would you then be able to augment the Club with a Ki Focus to access features of the Ki Focus, since previously Improvised Weapons could not get access to those (from my understanding)? \$\endgroup\$
    – OmnifariousGrey
    Commented Apr 19, 2016 at 15:45
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    \$\begingroup\$ You should ask that in a new question. Also, no, it's still an improvised weapon. You've got a thingy. You're improvising with it to use it as a melee weapon. There's no "improvised weapon" property to override here. It's improvised, it's a club, it's a weapon. \$\endgroup\$
    – doppelgreener
    Commented Apr 19, 2016 at 15:50

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