The blowpipe's a martial weapon, and my character is a woodland paladin with a warhammer and potentially a ranged weapon. I was considering the blowpipe, but my concerns are:
1: I see no way to start with or even to buy the ammunition for it, nor how much you start with!
2: It does 1 damage, and whilst it could be poisoned, you can't poison more than 3 darts, you have to use them almost straight away, and poison is pretty rubbish anyway.
so, am I missing something or is the blowpipe actually pretty rubbish and not worth taking? The only reason I'd take one is as a sneaky weapon if I were a bard with a flute or something.
The blowgun is a martial ranged weapon, so you have that much right. I take it this means, as part of the starting kit, you're choosing it alongside the warhammer. And that's fine. Paladins don't need to have a shield. But now you're running into the same problem that every other character who chooses a martial weapon runs into.
When you're presented with the option to choose a weapon, and you choose a martial ranged weapon, you don't get any ammunition for it; unless the text says otherwise. For example, a fighter can start with a longbow and quiver of 20 arrows. But if they choose a heavy crossbow, they don't get a case of bolts to go with it.
You'll have to buy the needles separately. It's 1 gp for 50. But that information doesn't necessarily help because it uses your Dexterity modifier for the attack roll and damage. Yes, you can still add your Dexterity to damage, but if your Dexterity modifier is negative it won't matter. It's probably not the kind of thing a paladin should have.
If you use Strength for your attacks you would likely be much better of with a Thrown melee weapon for a distance attack rather than a ranged weapon (as ranged weapons use Dexterity). So Javelins and such.
I have yet to find a situation where a blowgun is actually any good. If you want one for a character concept you're much better off just using darts and reflavoring them as blowdarts. But I agree that a paladin isn't going to do very well at either of those things.
the blowgun is in every way worse than every other martial weapon, its only benefit is probably roleplay, in-game increased stealthiness, playing it with an high level rouge might be fun, taking it just for shits and giggles as a paladin might also be
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i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
the blowgun is in every way worse than every other martial weapon, its only benefit is probably roleplay, in-game increased stealthiness, playing it with an high level rouge might be fun, taking it just for shits and giggles as a paladin might also be
You don't use one to deal high amounts of damage with the weapon itself. It's a good way to administer certain poisons.
It definitely sucks for combat. But being the only ranged weapon not guaranteed to kill a commoner, it could be good for non-damage poisons and taking prisoners.
the blowgun is in every way worse than every other martial weapon, its only benefit is probably roleplay, in-game increased stealthiness, playing it with an high level rouge might be fun, taking it just for shits and giggles as a paladin might also be
You don't use one to deal high amounts of damage with the weapon itself. It's a good way to administer certain poisons.
mechanically it is no better or worse at delivering poison than any other ranged weapon tho, in fact a hand crossbow or longbow would be way better, in-game a blowgun dart is probably more stealthy and hard to notice but from a raw number standpoint it sucks and is bad at everything, other than potentially Dx's point of using it as a ranged nonlethal attack with drow poison or oil of taggit
It definitely sucks for combat. But being the only ranged weapon not guaranteed to kill a commoner, it could be good for non-damage poisons and taking prisoners.
you phrased this weirdly, the minimum damage of all ranged weapons is 1 + dex in most cases and this weapon's damage is always 1 + dex, so if your blowdart does not kill a commoner then any other ranged weapon is per definition not garanteed to kill a commoner, just more likely (i guess that is what you meant to say)
It definitely sucks for combat. But being the only ranged weapon not guaranteed to kill a commoner, it could be good for non-damage poisons and taking prisoners.
you phrased this weirdly, the minimum damage of all ranged weapons is 1 + dex in most cases and this weapon's damage is always 1 + dex, so if your blowdart does not kill a commoner then any other ranged weapon is per definition not garanteed to kill a commoner, just more likely (i guess that is what you meant to say)
Yeah, I didn't word that great. Should have been more like "could be guaranteed to not kill a commoner." If your DEX mod is 3 or higher it will, but in any case, the damage is consistently as low as possible, so is still the best tool for such a job.
All that said. Poison is rare and expensive, so this will likely rarely be done.
the blowgun is in every way worse than every other martial weapon, its only benefit is probably roleplay, in-game increased stealthiness, playing it with an high level rouge might be fun, taking it just for shits and giggles as a paladin might also be
You don't use one to deal high amounts of damage with the weapon itself. It's a good way to administer certain poisons.
mechanically it is no better or worse at delivering poison than any other ranged weapon tho, in fact a hand crossbow or longbow would be way better, in-game a blowgun dart is probably more stealthy and hard to notice but from a raw number standpoint it sucks and is bad at everything, other than potentially Dx's point of using it as a ranged nonlethal attack with drow poison or oil of taggit
It definitely sucks for combat. But being the only ranged weapon not guaranteed to kill a commoner, it could be good for non-damage poisons and taking prisoners.
you phrased this weirdly, the minimum damage of all ranged weapons is 1 + dex in most cases and this weapon's damage is always 1 + dex, so if your blowdart does not kill a commoner then any other ranged weapon is per definition not garanteed to kill a commoner, just more likely (i guess that is what you meant to say)
You're missing the point. The weapon isn't the primary source of damage. The poison is. Needles are far smaller than any bolt, so they can get through gaps a normal weapon could not. And it's quiet. If you're hidden, anything else would give away your position.
You're not choosing a blowgun for its raw damage potential. You're choosing it because of what else it can do.
The blowgun doesn't have any special rules making it a silent weapon does it? Because if it doesn't - then you will reveal yourself when you attack with it regardless. It's not more stealthy than any other attack RAW. (Unless I missed something)
Some of that is to be abstracted. The blowgun is, comparatively, a silent weapon. The person being hit would certainly recognize the attack and turn to face that direction. Bystanders might not. But a miss might hit something, letting everyone know. By the same token, the low damage, shorter range, and preference for administering poison make this a weapon you don't use when others are around.
Or can you? Even if you reveal your location, you can always attempt to hide again. For a rogue-assassin, I could totally see this as being worth the Weapon Master feat. Picture wanting to kill someone, say a mayor or governor, who's leaving their fortress of a residence for a rare public appearance. Maybe they're on stage, speaking to a crowd. It's easily concealable, so you can slip past more stringent security with it. And it doesn't matter if your position is given away if you can just use Cunning Action to disappear into a crowd.
Like classes, some pieces of equipment have a story of their own. They accentuate roleplaying when used. And while a flail or morningstar might be considered inferior martial weapons when compared to a warhammer or rapier, they still have their place. Their presence says something about the world. Not everything presented is just for the players. They also serve as inspiration for the DM. Enemies might use them.
And a monk that's proficient with them now gets to use their martial arts die for damage, so that's something.
The blowpipe's a martial weapon, and my character is a woodland paladin with a warhammer and potentially a ranged weapon. I was considering the blowpipe, but my concerns are:
1: I see no way to start with or even to buy the ammunition for it, nor how much you start with!
2: It does 1 damage, and whilst it could be poisoned, you can't poison more than 3 darts, you have to use them almost straight away, and poison is pretty rubbish anyway.
so, am I missing something or is the blowpipe actually pretty rubbish and not worth taking? The only reason I'd take one is as a sneaky weapon if I were a bard with a flute or something.
Blowgun, whip, pike, all sub optimal choices for raw damage output. Oh well. Maybe they exist for enemies to use. Maybe a blowgun is easier to hide from or sneak through town guards in a town that doesn't allow weapons (I'm thinking of the scene in prince of thieves when they have to get weapons into the city). Someone already mentioned wanting to deliver injection poison without wanting to kill the target. Blowguns and darts can be made from natural materials (lizardfolk trait) and maybe the characters are suck in the jungle or underdark with all of their belongings stripped from them. A ranger could make a blowgun and darts, craft some poison from the plants and/or animals in the environment around them, add hunter' mark and colossus slayer, and really lay down the hurt while others are throwing rocks and sticks. But as a starting weapon, mechanically, it blows. LOL!
Guess it could be good for a rogue. At 19th level do 1+DEX+10d6 sneak attack damage.
that and monks since they can replace the damage dealt with their monk weapon with their martial arts dice and you can get blowguns as a monk weapon as soon as 2nd level using tasha's cauldron (although it is not really worth doing until like 11th or 17th level)
the blowgun is in every way worse than every other martial weapon, its only benefit is probably roleplay, in-game increased stealthiness, playing it with an high level rouge might be fun, taking it just for shits and giggles as a paladin might also be
You don't use one to deal high amounts of damage with the weapon itself. It's a good way to administer certain poisons.
mechanically it is no better or worse at delivering poison than any other ranged weapon tho, in fact a hand crossbow or longbow would be way better, in-game a blowgun dart is probably more stealthy and hard to notice but from a raw number standpoint it sucks and is bad at everything
You're missing the point. The weapon isn't the primary source of damage. The poison is. Needles are far smaller than any bolt, so they can get through gaps a normal weapon could not. And it's quiet. If you're hidden, anything else would give away your position.
You're not choosing a blowgun for its raw damage potential. You're choosing it because of what else it can do.
how is that not the same as saying "its only benefit is roleplay and in-game stealthiness"?
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i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
The blowpipe's a martial weapon, and my character is a woodland paladin with a warhammer and potentially a ranged weapon. I was considering the blowpipe, but my concerns are:
1: I see no way to start with or even to buy the ammunition for it, nor how much you start with!
2: It does 1 damage, and whilst it could be poisoned, you can't poison more than 3 darts, you have to use them almost straight away, and poison is pretty rubbish anyway.
so, am I missing something or is the blowpipe actually pretty rubbish and not worth taking? The only reason I'd take one is as a sneaky weapon if I were a bard with a flute or something.
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The blowgun is a martial ranged weapon, so you have that much right. I take it this means, as part of the starting kit, you're choosing it alongside the warhammer. And that's fine. Paladins don't need to have a shield. But now you're running into the same problem that every other character who chooses a martial weapon runs into.
When you're presented with the option to choose a weapon, and you choose a martial ranged weapon, you don't get any ammunition for it; unless the text says otherwise. For example, a fighter can start with a longbow and quiver of 20 arrows. But if they choose a heavy crossbow, they don't get a case of bolts to go with it.
You'll have to buy the needles separately. It's 1 gp for 50. But that information doesn't necessarily help because it uses your Dexterity modifier for the attack roll and damage. Yes, you can still add your Dexterity to damage, but if your Dexterity modifier is negative it won't matter. It's probably not the kind of thing a paladin should have.
If you use Strength for your attacks you would likely be much better of with a Thrown melee weapon for a distance attack rather than a ranged weapon (as ranged weapons use Dexterity). So Javelins and such.
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Highest 41: brocker2001 (#11,285).
Yahtzee of 2's: Emmber (#36,161).
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I have yet to find a situation where a blowgun is actually any good. If you want one for a character concept you're much better off just using darts and reflavoring them as blowdarts. But I agree that a paladin isn't going to do very well at either of those things.
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the blowgun is in every way worse than every other martial weapon, its only benefit is probably roleplay, in-game increased stealthiness, playing it with an high level rouge might be fun, taking it just for shits and giggles as a paladin might also be
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
You don't use one to deal high amounts of damage with the weapon itself. It's a good way to administer certain poisons.
It definitely sucks for combat. But being the only ranged weapon not guaranteed to kill a commoner, it could be good for non-damage poisons and taking prisoners.
mechanically it is no better or worse at delivering poison than any other ranged weapon tho, in fact a hand crossbow or longbow would be way better, in-game a blowgun dart is probably more stealthy and hard to notice but from a raw number standpoint it sucks and is bad at everything, other than potentially Dx's point of using it as a ranged nonlethal attack with drow poison or oil of taggit
you phrased this weirdly, the minimum damage of all ranged weapons is 1 + dex in most cases and this weapon's damage is always 1 + dex, so if your blowdart does not kill a commoner then any other ranged weapon is per definition not garanteed to kill a commoner, just more likely (i guess that is what you meant to say)
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Yeah, I didn't word that great. Should have been more like "could be guaranteed to not kill a commoner." If your DEX mod is 3 or higher it will, but in any case, the damage is consistently as low as possible, so is still the best tool for such a job.
All that said. Poison is rare and expensive, so this will likely rarely be done.
You're missing the point. The weapon isn't the primary source of damage. The poison is. Needles are far smaller than any bolt, so they can get through gaps a normal weapon could not. And it's quiet. If you're hidden, anything else would give away your position.
You're not choosing a blowgun for its raw damage potential. You're choosing it because of what else it can do.
The blowgun doesn't have any special rules making it a silent weapon does it? Because if it doesn't - then you will reveal yourself when you attack with it regardless. It's not more stealthy than any other attack RAW. (Unless I missed something)
Mega Yahtzee Thread:
Highest 41: brocker2001 (#11,285).
Yahtzee of 2's: Emmber (#36,161).
Lowest 9: JoeltheWalrus (#312), Emmber (#12,505) and Dertinus (#20,953).
Some of that is to be abstracted. The blowgun is, comparatively, a silent weapon. The person being hit would certainly recognize the attack and turn to face that direction. Bystanders might not. But a miss might hit something, letting everyone know. By the same token, the low damage, shorter range, and preference for administering poison make this a weapon you don't use when others are around.
Or can you? Even if you reveal your location, you can always attempt to hide again. For a rogue-assassin, I could totally see this as being worth the Weapon Master feat. Picture wanting to kill someone, say a mayor or governor, who's leaving their fortress of a residence for a rare public appearance. Maybe they're on stage, speaking to a crowd. It's easily concealable, so you can slip past more stringent security with it. And it doesn't matter if your position is given away if you can just use Cunning Action to disappear into a crowd.
Like classes, some pieces of equipment have a story of their own. They accentuate roleplaying when used. And while a flail or morningstar might be considered inferior martial weapons when compared to a warhammer or rapier, they still have their place. Their presence says something about the world. Not everything presented is just for the players. They also serve as inspiration for the DM. Enemies might use them.
And a monk that's proficient with them now gets to use their martial arts die for damage, so that's something.
The best reason to take the blowpipe (or any other item) is because you like the idea of your character using a blowpipe.
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Blowgun, whip, pike, all sub optimal choices for raw damage output. Oh well. Maybe they exist for enemies to use. Maybe a blowgun is easier to hide from or sneak through town guards in a town that doesn't allow weapons (I'm thinking of the scene in prince of thieves when they have to get weapons into the city). Someone already mentioned wanting to deliver injection poison without wanting to kill the target. Blowguns and darts can be made from natural materials (lizardfolk trait) and maybe the characters are suck in the jungle or underdark with all of their belongings stripped from them. A ranger could make a blowgun and darts, craft some poison from the plants and/or animals in the environment around them, add hunter' mark and colossus slayer, and really lay down the hurt while others are throwing rocks and sticks. But as a starting weapon, mechanically, it blows. LOL!
Any GM that doesn't give you ammo for your starting weapons is a jerk. I don't know of any here that would do that.
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Guess it could be good for a rogue. At 19th level do 1+DEX+10d6 sneak attack damage.
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If they aren't standard and don't say they come with ammunition, then I wouldn't.
Caveat emptor
Why take a blowgun?
- Easier to conceal and/or disguise than a bow (or especially a crossbow).
- Can be made from low-tech materials and low-tech tools.
- Can be used as a breathing tube for underwater activities.
- Can shoot through small holes (the bars of a window or cell, for example).
All very niche uses, to be sure.
While it is not supported by the rules, I would let someone use a blowgun without penalty while prone or when squeezing.
that and monks since they can replace the damage dealt with their monk weapon with their martial arts dice and you can get blowguns as a monk weapon as soon as 2nd level using tasha's cauldron (although it is not really worth doing until like 11th or 17th level)
how is that not the same as saying "its only benefit is roleplay and in-game stealthiness"?
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
If you like the flavor of the blowgun, talk to your DM. I have heard about daggers with a poison reserve inside them that can be magically released.
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