Commented on the new "pick up and throw stuff" mechanic in the Patch 7 thread, might as well re-iterate it here as it's relevant to the topic:
The "creatures/objects as improvised weapons" thing may be a step towards properly implemeting grappling as a mechanic. Being able to just pick up and throw people (barrels) without actually getting a proper hold of them first is kinda ridiculously unbalanced, but if shoving were to be reduced to a mild poke mostly useful for moving an enemy (barrel) away a little or knocking 'em down as per the rules, the grapple + throw combo could then become your way to really chuck people/barrels around. There's risk involved as the grab could fail (always succeeding when used on allies and inanimate objects, though), but that would also make the whole throw-a-thon much less of a cheesy tactic, making it a tactical tool to use when it's *actually* relevant.
Throwing someone/something could work as a bonus action following the grapple on the same turn, kinda like how the Produce Flame toss is implemented, but if it's an inanimate object/you have high Strength you can carry whoever/whatever you grappled around. The objects like barrels and chests (except for the quest stuff) and boxes might as well have a "grapple only" flag ticked so that they can only be picked up and hauled around rather than pocketed into the whatever natural law-denying dimension that the inventory is at the moment.
