Thrown weapons need clarity

[Liir]

So I decided to make a Trident and Shield Fighter, and ran into many issues.

Are thrown weapons melee or ranged (or both)?

If they are melee weapons and a feat requires a melee weapon and calls for a “Strike”, can that Strike be a ranged Strike? (see Furious Focus, Combat Grab)

If they are ranged weapons and a feat requires a ranged weapon and calls for a “Strike”, can that Strike be a melee Strike? (see Incredible Aim)

If they are ranged weapons and a feat requires a “reload 0” weapon, what is their reload? (see Double Shot)

There needs to be a pass done on the rulebook to clarify thrown weapon usage.

[Gloom]

Here are some of the answers for you from the rulebook, though there was an assumption that had to be made with one of them.

Pg 179. Ranged weapons indicate how many Interact actions it takes to reload them. This can be 0 if drawing ammunition and firing the weapon are part of the same action.

Pg 183. You can throw this weapon as a ranged attack. A thrown weapon adds your Strength modifier to damage just like a melee weapon does. When this trait appears on a melee weapon, it also includes the range increment in feet. Ranged weapons with this trait use the range increment specified in the weapon’s range entry.

Pg 308. Strike: You attack with a weapon you’re wielding or with an unarmed attack, targeting one creature within your reach (for a melee attack) or within range (for a ranged attack). Roll the attack roll for the weapon or unarmed attack you are using and compare the result to the target creature’s AC to determine the effect. See Melee Strikes and Ranged Strikes on page 17 for details on calculating your attack and damage rolls.

Pg 17. Clarifications for Melee/Ranged strikes: If the weapon has the thrown trait, also add her Strength modifier. If it has the propulsive trait, instead add half her Strength modifier.

RAI Assumption. For attacks with thrown weapons you are able to make both Melee and Ranged Strikes. Melee Strikes would allow you to use abilities and effects that affect attacks with Melee weapons while Ranged Strikes would allow you to use abilities and effects that affect attacks with Ranged weapons. E.g. Ranger's Favored Aim action would only be usable by a Ranged Strike.

RAI Assumption. On the Fighter Feats that you mentioned for Incredible Aim, Furious Focus, and Combat Grab you could go either way on those. I'm leaning toward basing it on the weapon, and saying that you could use Furious Focus and Combat Grab but not Incredible Aim... However it could also be read that you can only use Furious Focus and Combat Grab as part of a Melee Strike with a thrown weapon and Incredible Aim only as a part of a Ranged Strike with a thrown weapon. That could use a bit more clarity.

[Liir]

Looking closer, there are both melee weapons and ranged weapons with the Thrown trait, and thus a melee weapon with the Thrown trait could (RAW) be used for any feat that requires melee weapons, for example: Double Slice to throw two daggers.

It appears they left out specifying if the Strike is melee or ranged if the feat requires a melee or ranged weapon, and I'd expect for simplicities sake that the rule or errata will be based on that at some point in the future.

I.E. if the feat requires a melee weapon, the Strike is a melee Strike, and if the feat requires a ranged weapon, the Strike is a ranged Strike.

.....and it gets worse looking at the magical items section.

VOID specifically calls out a melee or thrown weapon (this means ranged weapons with the Thrown trait??)

RETURNING specifically calls out a thrown Strike (this should be a ranged Strike with a weapon with the Thrown trait??)

Which makes me wonder.. if they have considered that you can make a ranged Strike with a VORPAL melee weapon (with the thrown trait -- like a Starknife), not sure if that is intended..