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Given that Shalantha's delicate disk is a horribly awful spell which I try to avoid as much as possible, me and my group were wondering wheter or not one can use a disk as a thrown weapon.
In the spell's description it says that in order to activate the disk you need to shatter it in a specific way.

The disk stores an imbued spell indefinitely until it is shattered (a standard action requiring only 1 point of damage or a DC 5 Strength check).

Now, while this DM here would just rule that it depends and handle each situation accordingly (for example throw on a wall: it breaks, throw on soft ground/on a enemy: roll a d100 and see if it breaks), I was wondering about a more RAW interpretation of the text about shattering it.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Because it's beyond the question's scope, consider posing separately—and perhaps even self-answering—the question Is the spell Shalantha's delicate disk balanced compared to other spells of its level and other game elements that create a similar effect? (I say this as a DM who places on himself a bind against NPCs purchasing the spell off-screen!) \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    Jul 21, 2019 at 21:23
  • \$\begingroup\$ That would be too easy to answer i fear \$\endgroup\$
    – valepu
    Jul 21, 2019 at 21:38
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    \$\begingroup\$ You certainly need not pose such a question if you believe that—no matter how persuasive the argument—your mind couldn't possibly be changed about the spell's awfulness, but, seriously, this DM has found the spell powerful enough that his NPCs deliberately don't use it (and this DM has used against PCs the spell death by thorns!) \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    Jul 21, 2019 at 21:46
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    \$\begingroup\$ I went ahead and asked it myself because I'm curious how it broke @HeyICanChan 's game. \$\endgroup\$
    – A_S00
    Jul 21, 2019 at 21:57

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Rules as written, throwing it would not accomplish anything. Despite being “delicate,” it turns out to not really be delicate at all from this perspective.

The reason why is Shalantha’s delicate disk is triggered when it takes 1 point of damage, and being thrown just doesn’t do that. Thrown weapons do not take damage for being thrown, or more broadly, weapons aren’t damaged by attacking with them. You have to deal damage to the disk to trigger it.

You could try, maybe, to toss the disk at a location and then use a second attack to hit the disk; its dimensions amount to probably a Tiny object (Player’s Handbook gives a book as an example of a Tiny-sized object), so its AC is just 5 (which is bizarre since the AC to hit a given 5-ft. square is also AC 5, and hitting a 1-ft. diameter disk should, ya know, be harder than that).

As for throwing the disk into the air and letting it fall, to take falling damage... who knows? That isn’t something that happens in the normal course of throwing things (and I don’t think anyone wants it to be, as it would be an enormous headache to play), so it would seem very strange to me for it to do so here just because you want it to. But, of course, that is inconsistent with how falling objects usually behave.

It does suggest that a flying creature could drop the disks as bombs, which would actually be a free action, which is quite something.

Ultimately, the disk is supremely problematic for all these reasons, and it’s probably best to just ignore it.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Could one, as an attack, hurl straight up the disk effect 50 ft. as an improvised weapon then roll falling damage against it? \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    Jul 21, 2019 at 20:53
  • \$\begingroup\$ How far will a DC 5 check chuck the disk? If you chuck it further, then the disk should break immediately upon trying to chuck it due to exceeding the str 5 dc.... \$\endgroup\$
    – nijineko
    Jul 22, 2019 at 15:36
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    \$\begingroup\$ @nijineko To even make the Strength check to break the disk requires a standard action; making a Strength check for any other purpose is not a check to break it, and won’t do so regardless of whether or not the DC 5 is met. \$\endgroup\$
    – KRyan
    Jul 22, 2019 at 15:41
  • \$\begingroup\$ @kryan ○*blink*○ reminds self that magic doesn't follow the laws of physics right... technically so, ne. \$\endgroup\$
    – nijineko
    Jul 22, 2019 at 15:43
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Yes, you could.

You would accomplish this by throwing it 10 feet above the target location. This might require an improvised weapon attack vs AC 5, in order to hit the correct 5 foot “square”. It then falls, and takes 1d6 falling damage, setting off the stored spell.

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