Can an Icechucker fire a harpoon?

[Captnq]

Icechucker
- FROSTBURN (3.5)
Exotic Ranged Weapon
Cost: 150 gp
Damage (s): 1d10
Damage (m): 1d12
Critical: x3
Range: 30 ft
Weight: 12 lb
Type: P
Ammo: Ice, Javelin

Now, this thing can fire ice or javelins. So, does that make javelin's ammunition, and therefore able to be enhanced with and WSAs that cover Ammunition? Also, an icechucker takes a 1d6 thrown weapon and makes it 1d12. This is equal to increasing the size of the weapon 3 times.

Furthermore, I'm curious as to the implications of a crossbow that can fire javelins. Perhaps I could substitute another thrown weapon that has javelin qualities, such as a harpoon. At 1d10 damage, it's damage would increase only to 1d12 in an icechucker. However, I could make a strong case that if a javelin goes up 3 dice class of damage...

The harpoon is a broad-bladed spear forged with barbs.

This weapon is a light, flexible spear intended for throwing.

In effect, they are both variations on the spear, the only difference is the very cruel, over-sized barbed head. So would not the harpoon go up 3 dice class as well to a whopping 6d6 damage? As a DM, it makes me wince, but math-wise, I am uncertain as to where my inference is incorrect. Although as a player, I think I'd be happy with a Harpoon firing winch driven crossbow that did 3d6 damage.

A harpoon thrown by someone with an 18 strength does 1d12+4 damage, or an average of 10.5. A crossbow fired harpoon that did 3d6 damage would be... wait for it... 10.5 average damage. So, one would no be totally out of line with the harpoon firing icechucker if it did 3d6. The icechucker also has a much longer reload time.

So, can I do it?

[Jackinthegreen]

According to the size chart, weapons double in damage every two size categories once you get into multiple dice.  For a a medium 1d6 weapon it'd go 1d6 - 1d8 - 2d6 - 3d6 - 4d6.  .

I see nothing that explicitly says you can or can't do it.  It's almost certainly not intended, but as you've pointed out with the math it doesn't break the game at all, so you might as well go for it.

[Captnq]

According to the size chart, weapons double in damage every two size categories once you get into multiple dice.  For a a medium 1d6 weapon it'd go 1d6 - 1d8 - 2d6 - 3d6 - 4d6.  .

Ah, my math was off. Two size catagories, not three.

[Captnq]

On a related question

If it deals damage, the harpoon lodges in an opponent who fails a Reflex saving throw (DC 10 + the damage dealt). ... The harpooned creature can pull the harpoon from its wound if it has two free hands and takes a full-round action to do so, but it deals damage to itself equal to the initial damage the harpoon dealt.

And...

Weapons with the exit wound ability propel their ammunition entirely through living targets they hit. This effect deals an extra 1d6 points of damage.

So, what happens when I make my harpoon with Exit Wound and start shooting harpoons through people? Technically, if they fail a reflex save, the harpoon is "lodged", but it then proceeds right through them. It might be lodged for all of one nano second, but it still counts as lodged.

Before you state that you need to yank it out to do the damage, I would point out that usually, when you get harpooned, the only way to get it out quickly is to push it through and out the other side. The weapon description does not state if you pull to remove or push to remove, just that you remove it.

Would not every harpoon do double damage on a failed Reflex save?

Also, what happens to the trailing rope if I, say... hit four targets in a row? Do I have four targets with a rope sticking through them?

[Jackinthegreen]

I think the designers are assuming pulling the harpoon out means pulling it out backwards, hence the extra damage and no mention about what happens with the trailing rope if it got pulled through.

As for what would happen with Exit Wound and such, there are no rules much less clarifications on it.  Come up with a reasonable solution and work with it I suppose?

[Kasz]

Well, for one, you'd need to switch out the rope or chain for a longer one, as you're increasing the range quite significantly. Other than that I see no problems treating a spear / harpoon / javelin as interchangeable. Although a DM might cap the damage at 1d12, because that's just what the icechucker does, despite what you load it with.

In regards to Harpoon+Exit Wound I asked a very similar question recently.