Ranged Thrown Weapons and Melee Attacks

[The.Vortex]

Hello,

Until recently I always thought that you could not make melee strikes with thrown weapons listed as Ranged Weapons (Javelin, Dart, Chakram, etc.).
But then I built a Thaumaturge with a Chakram (AoO-like reaction with a thrown weapon was something interesting enough to try out) and Foundry VTT listed a melee attack with the Chakram. I was confused and thought it must be an error in the Foundry ruleset - but the GM of the table (an experienced Society GM, like myself) was adamant that ALL thrown weapons could be used to make melee attacks.

I am coming here in the hopes that someone can shed some light on the situation and quote a rule that proves either him or me wrong once and for all :)

[Gortle]

Interesting question.

The Thrown Trait says You can throw this weapon as a ranged attack, and it is a ranged weapon when thrown. 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. Ranged weapons with this trait use the range increment specified in the weapon’s Range entry.

Almost all weapons with the thrown trait are melee weapons, but there are ranged weapons that are thrown, example the Dart.
Its a little hard to see unless you are looking at it in the table, where you can see melee or ranged.

[The.Vortex]

While digging into the issue deeper we seem to have foundry the error Foundry VTT seems to have made: There is the Chakram, a ranged thrown weapon, and the Tamchal Chakram, a melee weapon with the Thrown 20 trait. Somehow those seem to have gotten mixed up in Foundry and the Chakram has a melee attack it shouldn't have while the Tamchal Chakram doesn't have one but should. Issue with Foundry is already posted and will hopefully be resolved soon :)

[YuriP]

Yet if you want to use Chakram as melee many GMs including me treat this as Improvised Weapon with same damage of the ranged attack but with -2 item penalty to represent the difficult and/or the additional care when using them as melee.

This don't make the really useful as option to use at melee but is a good way to use them in a situation where you only have a ranged throw weapon at hand, risks to take an AoO and cannot move for some reason (like being immobilized).

And being honest. I don't know why the Paizo didn't make it as melee weapon with a Thrown 20ft trait. I can see a thematic problem to use it as a melee.

[The.Vortex]

Improvised weapons have the issue that it is up to the GM to decide which damage, etc. they do - and im PFS play that can be a problem. Also, as you said, an additional -2 is quite bad.

I can understand why it isn't a melee weapon with Thrown 20 balancing-wise: It is the only thrown weapon with a d8 for damage!