I posted about this recently in /r/dndnext/, but thought I'd get your input here.
I'm interested in making a dagger-based build, mostly because I like the visual/theme, but I can't really find a way to make one that couldn't be made "better" mechanically by using something other than daggers. From the Reddit post's replies, it became obvious that for such a build to work, I'd need to capitalize on all the dagger's qualities: finesse, thrown, light. If I'm not using finesse, then I might as well use a handaxe. If not using light, then I won't be dual-wielding, so I might as well use a rapier, or a quarterstaff if Monk; or I'll be dual-wielding non-light weapons (e.g. due to a Feat), and use those weapons anyway. If I'm not throwing the daggers, I might as well use shortswords.
So, given the relatively low damage of daggers, I guess I should be focusing on either Rogue or Monk, which to some extent ignore the weapon's base damage (Rogue because of Sneak Attack damage being the lion's share of their attacks, Monk because of Martial Arts die replacing the weapon's).
Now, a Rogue dual-wielding daggers can work, but, considering I'll be throwing them at some point, I either limit myself to throwing one per turn (so I can draw a fresh one and start out dual-wielding again), or get the Dual Wielder Feat to be able to throw two and draw them again... but at that point, I'm throwing away light, and might as well switch to rapier on my main hand, maybe even both hands, and rely on darts for ranged attacks. Seems like this is the best option, though, giving me the opportunity to attack at range without "switching" weapons, to attack at range using a bonus action (two-weapon fighting, with the caveat that I have to perform a melee attack before doing so), have a better chance of high damage (two-weapon fighting for more chances to land a sneak attack), etc. The damage output would probably be somewhat better by switching to shortswords in melee, but that limits my ability to react to ranged threats by attacking (would need to drop the swords, draw ranged weapon(s), leaving me w/o melee weapons unless I drop the ranged weapon and retrieve the swords next turn).
Regarding Monk... I can't find a way to make it work. Quarterstaff is just better damage at early levels, especially when used with two hands (and no reason not to). Sure, at late levels, the weapon ceases to matter... but I don't want to wait until level 11 to wield by daggers! :D Someone suggested Kensai, but the more I look at it, the more it seems I'm significantly limiting myself by picking dagger as a Kensai Weapon, when there's very little reason not to pick longsword for melee, longbow for ranged, or even handaxe for ranged, if I want to keep the ability to avoid weapon switching (hold melee weapon in one hand, draw and throw handaxe with the other). Again, sure, eventually the actual damage die of the weapon ceases to matter (for thrown melee weapons, anyway... not so much for ranged weapons), but that "eventually" can take a long time to get here.
So I thought I'd ask for opinions, maybe something I've missed? I'm not looking for a "perfectly min-maxed" build, I'm willing to sacrifice some combat effectiveness for "fun" or "theme", but I'd rather not play a significantly lower-powered character just for looks. =)
A dagger of venom is better for a monk than it is for other characters because of the monk's ability to get a higher damage die on monk weapons. For anyone else, the benefit of the dagger is offset by the low damage die. So there's that. It's not much, but it's something. A few other magical daggers have shown up in Adventurer's League materials.
For a rogue, it's really about the versatility of being able to throw it or stab with it and potentially get sneak attack either way. Doing things to get extra attacks is not worth as much for a rogue, because you only get the sneak attack once. It's better to use your bonus actions for other things. One cool way to get advantage over and over is to take the grappler feat, take expertise in athletics, and grapple enemies then spend the rest of your time stabbing them with advantage for sneak attacks and using your Cunning Action to dash and move them all over the battlefield. This can potentially be accentuated with Tavern Brawler (you could open by tossing a vial of acid on them then step in to get the bonus grapple and draw your dagger) or things like Elven Accuracy. All the while you can mitigate their retaliation with Uncanny Dodge. Yeah, technically this also works with a shortsword or rapier, but the dagger seems more thematically appropriate and you also have the option to throw it if you want. It becomes particularly potent if you somehow get the ability to fly.
Another super niche rogue build would be to take the Healer feat then go thief and use your Fast Hands bonus action to use a healer's kit on wounded allies then throw or stab with a dagger every round as the situation requires. The option to throw gives you the best chance to maximize your attack regardless of where your healer duties leave you on the battlefield.
You're focusing on the lowest damage producing weapon in the game, of course other weapons will be more optimal.
Focus on daggers for flavor/theme/enjoyment, not for optimal weapon utilization. :) mi dos centavos
Well, the longsword does less damage than the greatsword, but that doesn't mean any build with a greatsword is more optimal than one with a longsword. =)
They're balanced because of their additional properties: greatswords can't be dual wielded, you can't use a shield with them, etc. Daggers are the lowest damage producing weapons, yes, but they also have the most beneficial qualities (finesse, thrown, light, and they're usable by everybody). I'm trying to work up a build that capitalizes on those qualities, to mitigate the downside of them having the lowest damage. (Similar to how you could use a shield with the longsword, instead of going for a greatsword.)
De todas maneras, gracias por los dos centavos, muy apreciados. :D
A dagger of venom is better for a monk than it is for other characters because of the monk's ability to get a higher damage die on monk weapons. For anyone else, the benefit of the dagger is offset by the low damage die. So there's that. It's not much, but it's something. A few other magical daggers have shown up in Adventurer's League materials.
Oh yeah, if I manage to find a nice magic dagger, that'd change the equation. But I don't want to build for a specific magic item I might not get. I don't play AL (sadly, no AL games that I know of near me), so I can't plan for a specific item.
For a rogue, it's really about the versatility of being able to throw it or stab with it and potentially get sneak attack either way. Doing things to get extra attacks is not worth as much for a rogue, because you only get the sneak attack once. It's better to use your bonus actions for other things. One cool way to get advantage over and over is to take the grappler feat, take expertise in athletics, and grapple enemies then spend the rest of your time stabbing them with advantage for sneak attacks and using your Cunning Action to dash and move them all over the battlefield. This can potentially be accentuated with Tavern Brawler (you could open by tossing a vial of acid on them then step in to get the bonus grapple and draw your dagger) or things like Elven Accuracy. All the while you can mitigate their retaliation with Uncanny Dodge. Yeah, technically this also works with a shortsword or rapier, but the dagger seems more thematically appropriate and you also have the option to throw it if you want. It becomes particularly potent if you somehow get the ability to fly.
Hm, I've always read bonus action attacks (or more attacks per round, in general) are good for Rogues not because of the direct extra damage they offer, but because they offer more chances of landing a Sneak Attack. For example, I'm dual wielding daggers, and I miss with my attack, I can decide to attack with my offhand for an extra chance of landing my sneak attack. If I land with the first (regular) attack, definitely attacking with offhand is probably not as useful as using Cunning Action.
Another super niche rogue build would be to take the Healer feat then go thief and use your Fast Hands bonus action to use a healer's kit on wounded allies then throw or stab with a dagger every round as the situation requires. The option to throw gives you the best chance to maximize your attack regardless of where your healer duties leave you on the battlefield.
Yeah, I've read about the healer thief build, hehe. Dunno, can't say I love it. Appreciate the input, tho!
Hm, I've always read bonus action attacks (or more attacks per round, in general) are good for Rogues not because of the direct extra damage they offer, but because they offer more chances of landing a Sneak Attack. For example, I'm dual wielding daggers, and I miss with my attack, I can decide to attack with my offhand for an extra chance of landing my sneak attack. If I land with the first (regular) attack, definitely attacking with offhand is probably not as useful as using Cunning Action.
I would say getting advantage is better than getting a second attack. While it's true a second attack gives you a second chance to land your sneak attack in case the first attack misses, it does so at the expense of bonus actions, potentially round after round. Whereas, with something like the grappler feat with expertise in athletics, you can potentially maintain advantage round after round for the cost of one action upfront (or bonus action if you are a Tavern Brawler), since maintaining a grapple is passive. Either way you're rolling two dice for a chance to land one sneak attack, which is where the majority of your damage is concentrated. Plus, having an enemy grappled offers other tactical advantages and has synergy with dashing as a Cunning Action.
Dual wielding does let you throw two daggers a round, so there is that. It gives you a little range on your sneak attacks in case you don't want to be running up on people and grappling them.
Either route you take, another good option to consider is the Martial Adept feat. You could have trip attack as a maneuver. If you knock them prone, you could use your bonus attack to hit with advantage. Or if you're going the tavern brawler/grappler route, if you prone them with an improvised weapon attack, you could grapple them and have them prone and grappled. What's cool is you could make your first attack at range and only move in for the kill if you successfully knock them prone. Your other choice could be riposte to potentially get a sneak attack on a reaction without them having to provoke an opportunity attack to trigger it. Yes, you just get one use of this feat per short rest, but it also gives your rogue something to get back on short rests, which they don't really have.
Personally I like the thematic combination of rogue with 3 levels of warlock or shadow sorcerer so you can cast and see through magical darkness and be the knife in the dark. (Warlock's Imp can see through magical darkness as well if you take PotC). Otherwise homebrew is your friend if the DM is willing. As suggested above magical daggers can be useful, especially something like a dagger of throwing from previous editions that returns to your hand after throwing. 4e had a paragon path devoted to using daggers called Daggermaster that was pretty fun. There are several homebrew feats on DDB that attempt to recreate it Here
The difference between shortsword and dagger is 1 damage, it doesn't matter. On the other hand, dagger is a small weapon that is easy to conceal. For that reason, my character will likely end up with one dagger, even when I could have used a rapier for an average of 2 more damage. When you generally deal 30+ damage on an attack (sneak attack) you really do not care about that point of damage, but you really care about utility such as beeing able to bring your "gun" to any fight :)
The advantage that daggers have over other weapons is that they can be concealed. An urban campaign where visible weapons would draw unwanted attention would make a dagger build very useful.
It's also worth thinking about Shadow Blade as a "dagger" since it has the thrown and light tags and deals 2d8 psychic damage on top of whatever damage modifier you have for your weapons. It can be upcast to be stronger, has advantage in attacks in low light or darkness, and reforms in your hand as a bonus action. Since it is a weapon and not a melee attack spell, it can be used for a rogue's sneak attack.
you prettyy much summon up the best 2 candidate to do with it.
the biggest pro of dagger that it very versetile weapon it has alot option but the biggest con damage wise.
If you allow multiclass i would could recommend monk main with rogue dip. Reason for this both sneak and martial art limit your weapons to simple,shortsword with finesse attribute. You need 1 dagger for the sneak, ideally 2 incase you wanna trow them but it not that important that you need dual wield feats.
as for the rogue dip wil be either 3-4-5 depending what you sacrefice for the monk levels. as for archetype shadow monk/rogue swashbuckler allow you to treaten the squishier backling or even do hit and runs against slower enemies. With sentinel feat caster, archer gonna hate your guts.
Your strenght will be speed to threaten squishy target or outrun slower melee target. Darkness will increase you combat mobility or spy/stalk people.
Sadly the focus on 'theatre of the mind' has meant that in 5th a whole series of materials previously included in skills has simply been discarded, however theatre of the mind allows for some loose interpretations where the rules don't cover the effects - this is especially noticeable in skills. Daggers are small light weight and are not munitions so they aren't automatically destroyed at a 50% ratio after being thrown (although realistically a thrown dagger would be need specifically needed rather than a duelling dagger or an assassination blade to hurl as anything other than an improvised weapon)
So - sleight of hand - what does this skill do, well nothing actually, maybe pick pockets? but how about this, use it to draw multiple small munitions you can hold in one hand at the same time, like daggers and hurl them (using extra attack if you have it - no getting extra attacks for no reason, the rules cover that one!)
Can a thrown dagger pierce wood? if so throw daggers in a pattern up a wooden wall and using acrobatics to balance, run up your new steps.
Are you a rogue? Can your opponent see you and is aware of your presence? Will sleight of hand quick drawing and throwing a dagger they cant see with sleight of hand allow you to benefit from the blindness condition - as they were blind to the attack?
As for daggers in general - in terms of maximum damage they aren't great, but again that depends on your GM and some calls - if you are in a tight space the rules state you are at disadvantage to hit, but if you have a light one handed piercing weapon - couldn't you attack unimpeded? So if your a halfling and enter the space of an opponent couldn't you then stab them in the undercarriage without disadvantage? if you were between their legs could they see you? would they lose track? if so that could be advantage to hit not disadvantage.
If your game has people swinging greatswords through doorways and overhead in a poor persons low ceiling home unimpeded then daggers aren't necessary. The moment environment restricts these attacks granting disadvantage is the moment daggers, spears and other weapons regain their purpose (Come on people why ever use a lance or a spear now they dont do anything on a charge or against one? Its encouraging everyone to use greatswords!)
Poison - if your game allows one dose of poison to cover three arrows or one melee weapon (as by the rules) then thats fine, but hear me out - one dose coating a twohanded sword or a dagger???? Nope thats nonsensical. Increasing or decreasing how much poison is neccesary to be expended depending on weapon size makes small surface area weapons more valuable as vectors of extra dice (although still at a ridiculously expensive cost - in the DnD world the poison dealers must be richer than narcotic traffickers.
Hope that helps Tonio! Daggers like any weapon are what you make of them, personally if your a rogue using a rapier, and there aren't musketeers running around it feels like you just went for max damage at the expense of flavour, but everyone should try to enjoy the game in their own way.
Two last tips - if your going for off hand weapon attacks then think about getting (magic initiate and) hex, that way for 1 hour (or until wounded you can add a cheap 1d6 to your attacks and grant a penalty to str checks (if you plan to grapple and enter their space and stab them with your close range weapon and they with there two handed weapon cant hit you - but again without a DM's call on that even a stirge which is attached to you can be attacked with a two handed weapon you wield without penalty - hilarious) Secondly ask if your offhand weapon could be a weapon breaker dagger - a duelling favourite - there are no rules for it but off the top of my head if you don't use a bonus action to attack with it in a combat round you could use your reaction to add 2 to you ac against one attack (much like some creatures attempt to parry - but again up to your gm and don't try to parry a giants sword or colossal purple worms sting with your metal toothpick - if you want some more combat realism don't then abuse it or the toys can get taken away!
Rogue is pretty much designed to be the iconic dagger-user. Throwing daggers from the shadows as you run around the battle field hiding is pretty iconic, and keeps you out of harms way. If someone does get close to you, you can still close range it, and if the monster's far away, you can toss it. Daggers also come with the benefit of being able to be coated in poison ahead of time and tossed out without caring for what happens to them, potentially increasing the damage dealt.
Just about every other class has issues with the one-turn-draw-weapon limit, so no one else can really take advantage of the thrown property. Even the kensei monk has issues without magic items to back it up. So, unless your DM wants to give you such an item around level 5 or so, and you're willing to base an entire character off an item that might potentially be lost or removed, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else.
The addition of the Thrown Weapon Fighting Style in Tasha's changes the landscape a bit. Now you can quickdraw daggers as part of an attack with them, even if it's a melee attack. Gives a dagger wielder a bit more versatility with their free hands. A Battle Master with Thrown Weapon and Quick Toss can fling a veritable storm of daggers or darts.
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
Actually I think a Dex focused Battle Master who takes the Thrown Weapon Fighting Style, the Quick Toss and Precision Attack maneuvers, and the Sharpshooter Feat could do fairly well using darts (throwing knives). A two level dip into Ranger for the Archery Fighting Style, Favored Foe, and Hunter's Mark would add a nice boost to damage and accuracy.
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
Soulknife works really well with this concept. It doesn't require heavy feat investment to effectively "dual wield" and the first attack is a d6 instead of a d4. Psychic damage instead of a standard non-magical type (ie piercing) is also icing on the cake. Just flavor them as materialized glowing daggers or however you want, i mean, they're psychic manifestations after all.
Soulknife works really well with this concept. It doesn't require heavy feat investment to effectively "dual wield" and the first attack is a d6 instead of a d4. Psychic damage instead of a standard non-magical type (ie piercing) is also icing on the cake. Just flavor them as materialized glowing daggers or however you want, i mean, they're psychic manifestations after all.
I actually just did that, yeah. =)
It's not a great solution, but it scratches the itch, for now. The biggest problem it fixes, I find, is the "throwing magic weapons" problem.
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I posted about this recently in /r/dndnext/, but thought I'd get your input here.
I'm interested in making a dagger-based build, mostly because I like the visual/theme, but I can't really find a way to make one that couldn't be made "better" mechanically by using something other than daggers. From the Reddit post's replies, it became obvious that for such a build to work, I'd need to capitalize on all the dagger's qualities: finesse, thrown, light. If I'm not using finesse, then I might as well use a handaxe. If not using light, then I won't be dual-wielding, so I might as well use a rapier, or a quarterstaff if Monk; or I'll be dual-wielding non-light weapons (e.g. due to a Feat), and use those weapons anyway. If I'm not throwing the daggers, I might as well use shortswords.
So, given the relatively low damage of daggers, I guess I should be focusing on either Rogue or Monk, which to some extent ignore the weapon's base damage (Rogue because of Sneak Attack damage being the lion's share of their attacks, Monk because of Martial Arts die replacing the weapon's).
Now, a Rogue dual-wielding daggers can work, but, considering I'll be throwing them at some point, I either limit myself to throwing one per turn (so I can draw a fresh one and start out dual-wielding again), or get the Dual Wielder Feat to be able to throw two and draw them again... but at that point, I'm throwing away light, and might as well switch to rapier on my main hand, maybe even both hands, and rely on darts for ranged attacks. Seems like this is the best option, though, giving me the opportunity to attack at range without "switching" weapons, to attack at range using a bonus action (two-weapon fighting, with the caveat that I have to perform a melee attack before doing so), have a better chance of high damage (two-weapon fighting for more chances to land a sneak attack), etc. The damage output would probably be somewhat better by switching to shortswords in melee, but that limits my ability to react to ranged threats by attacking (would need to drop the swords, draw ranged weapon(s), leaving me w/o melee weapons unless I drop the ranged weapon and retrieve the swords next turn).
Regarding Monk... I can't find a way to make it work. Quarterstaff is just better damage at early levels, especially when used with two hands (and no reason not to). Sure, at late levels, the weapon ceases to matter... but I don't want to wait until level 11 to wield by daggers! :D Someone suggested Kensai, but the more I look at it, the more it seems I'm significantly limiting myself by picking dagger as a Kensai Weapon, when there's very little reason not to pick longsword for melee, longbow for ranged, or even handaxe for ranged, if I want to keep the ability to avoid weapon switching (hold melee weapon in one hand, draw and throw handaxe with the other). Again, sure, eventually the actual damage die of the weapon ceases to matter (for thrown melee weapons, anyway... not so much for ranged weapons), but that "eventually" can take a long time to get here.
So I thought I'd ask for opinions, maybe something I've missed? I'm not looking for a "perfectly min-maxed" build, I'm willing to sacrifice some combat effectiveness for "fun" or "theme", but I'd rather not play a significantly lower-powered character just for looks. =)
A dagger of venom is better for a monk than it is for other characters because of the monk's ability to get a higher damage die on monk weapons. For anyone else, the benefit of the dagger is offset by the low damage die. So there's that. It's not much, but it's something. A few other magical daggers have shown up in Adventurer's League materials.
For a rogue, it's really about the versatility of being able to throw it or stab with it and potentially get sneak attack either way. Doing things to get extra attacks is not worth as much for a rogue, because you only get the sneak attack once. It's better to use your bonus actions for other things. One cool way to get advantage over and over is to take the grappler feat, take expertise in athletics, and grapple enemies then spend the rest of your time stabbing them with advantage for sneak attacks and using your Cunning Action to dash and move them all over the battlefield. This can potentially be accentuated with Tavern Brawler (you could open by tossing a vial of acid on them then step in to get the bonus grapple and draw your dagger) or things like Elven Accuracy. All the while you can mitigate their retaliation with Uncanny Dodge. Yeah, technically this also works with a shortsword or rapier, but the dagger seems more thematically appropriate and you also have the option to throw it if you want. It becomes particularly potent if you somehow get the ability to fly.
Another super niche rogue build would be to take the Healer feat then go thief and use your Fast Hands bonus action to use a healer's kit on wounded allies then throw or stab with a dagger every round as the situation requires. The option to throw gives you the best chance to maximize your attack regardless of where your healer duties leave you on the battlefield.
You're focusing on the lowest damage producing weapon in the game, of course other weapons will be more optimal.
Focus on daggers for flavor/theme/enjoyment, not for optimal weapon utilization. :) mi dos centavos
Perpetually annoyed that Eldritch Knights can't use Eldritch Blast, Eldritch Smite, and Eldritch Sight.
Well, the longsword does less damage than the greatsword, but that doesn't mean any build with a greatsword is more optimal than one with a longsword. =)
They're balanced because of their additional properties: greatswords can't be dual wielded, you can't use a shield with them, etc. Daggers are the lowest damage producing weapons, yes, but they also have the most beneficial qualities (finesse, thrown, light, and they're usable by everybody). I'm trying to work up a build that capitalizes on those qualities, to mitigate the downside of them having the lowest damage. (Similar to how you could use a shield with the longsword, instead of going for a greatsword.)
De todas maneras, gracias por los dos centavos, muy apreciados. :D
Oh yeah, if I manage to find a nice magic dagger, that'd change the equation. But I don't want to build for a specific magic item I might not get. I don't play AL (sadly, no AL games that I know of near me), so I can't plan for a specific item.
Hm, I've always read bonus action attacks (or more attacks per round, in general) are good for Rogues not because of the direct extra damage they offer, but because they offer more chances of landing a Sneak Attack. For example, I'm dual wielding daggers, and I miss with my attack, I can decide to attack with my offhand for an extra chance of landing my sneak attack. If I land with the first (regular) attack, definitely attacking with offhand is probably not as useful as using Cunning Action.
Yeah, I've read about the healer thief build, hehe. Dunno, can't say I love it. Appreciate the input, tho!
I would say getting advantage is better than getting a second attack. While it's true a second attack gives you a second chance to land your sneak attack in case the first attack misses, it does so at the expense of bonus actions, potentially round after round. Whereas, with something like the grappler feat with expertise in athletics, you can potentially maintain advantage round after round for the cost of one action upfront (or bonus action if you are a Tavern Brawler), since maintaining a grapple is passive. Either way you're rolling two dice for a chance to land one sneak attack, which is where the majority of your damage is concentrated. Plus, having an enemy grappled offers other tactical advantages and has synergy with dashing as a Cunning Action.
Dual wielding does let you throw two daggers a round, so there is that. It gives you a little range on your sneak attacks in case you don't want to be running up on people and grappling them.
Either route you take, another good option to consider is the Martial Adept feat. You could have trip attack as a maneuver. If you knock them prone, you could use your bonus attack to hit with advantage. Or if you're going the tavern brawler/grappler route, if you prone them with an improvised weapon attack, you could grapple them and have them prone and grappled. What's cool is you could make your first attack at range and only move in for the kill if you successfully knock them prone. Your other choice could be riposte to potentially get a sneak attack on a reaction without them having to provoke an opportunity attack to trigger it. Yes, you just get one use of this feat per short rest, but it also gives your rogue something to get back on short rests, which they don't really have.
Personally I like the thematic combination of rogue with 3 levels of warlock or shadow sorcerer so you can cast and see through magical darkness and be the knife in the dark. (Warlock's Imp can see through magical darkness as well if you take PotC). Otherwise homebrew is your friend if the DM is willing. As suggested above magical daggers can be useful, especially something like a dagger of throwing from previous editions that returns to your hand after throwing. 4e had a paragon path devoted to using daggers called Daggermaster that was pretty fun. There are several homebrew feats on DDB that attempt to recreate it Here
The difference between shortsword and dagger is 1 damage, it doesn't matter. On the other hand, dagger is a small weapon that is easy to conceal. For that reason, my character will likely end up with one dagger, even when I could have used a rapier for an average of 2 more damage. When you generally deal 30+ damage on an attack (sneak attack) you really do not care about that point of damage, but you really care about utility such as beeing able to bring your "gun" to any fight :)
The advantage that daggers have over other weapons is that they can be concealed. An urban campaign where visible weapons would draw unwanted attention would make a dagger build very useful.
It's also worth thinking about Shadow Blade as a "dagger" since it has the thrown and light tags and deals 2d8 psychic damage on top of whatever damage modifier you have for your weapons. It can be upcast to be stronger, has advantage in attacks in low light or darkness, and reforms in your hand as a bonus action. Since it is a weapon and not a melee attack spell, it can be used for a rogue's sneak attack.
you prettyy much summon up the best 2 candidate to do with it.
the biggest pro of dagger that it very versetile weapon it has alot option but the biggest con damage wise.
If you allow multiclass i would could recommend monk main with rogue dip. Reason for this both sneak and martial art limit your weapons to simple,shortsword with finesse attribute.
You need 1 dagger for the sneak, ideally 2 incase you wanna trow them but it not that important that you need dual wield feats.
as for the rogue dip wil be either 3-4-5 depending what you sacrefice for the monk levels.
as for archetype shadow monk/rogue swashbuckler allow you to treaten the squishier backling or even do hit and runs against slower enemies.
With sentinel feat caster, archer gonna hate your guts.
Your strenght will be speed to threaten squishy target or outrun slower melee target. Darkness will increase you combat mobility or spy/stalk people.
Nox - Adult Oblex - The Trials
Jartrin Ephok - Dragonborn - Zanoliv
Bunol - Grim Angel - The Floating Lands of Goriate
Ask your DM for a bracer of flying daggers from dragon heist.
Sadly the focus on 'theatre of the mind' has meant that in 5th a whole series of materials previously included in skills has simply been discarded, however theatre of the mind allows for some loose interpretations where the rules don't cover the effects - this is especially noticeable in skills. Daggers are small light weight and are not munitions so they aren't automatically destroyed at a 50% ratio after being thrown (although realistically a thrown dagger would be need specifically needed rather than a duelling dagger or an assassination blade to hurl as anything other than an improvised weapon)
So - sleight of hand - what does this skill do, well nothing actually, maybe pick pockets? but how about this, use it to draw multiple small munitions you can hold in one hand at the same time, like daggers and hurl them (using extra attack if you have it - no getting extra attacks for no reason, the rules cover that one!)
Can a thrown dagger pierce wood? if so throw daggers in a pattern up a wooden wall and using acrobatics to balance, run up your new steps.
Are you a rogue? Can your opponent see you and is aware of your presence? Will sleight of hand quick drawing and throwing a dagger they cant see with sleight of hand allow you to benefit from the blindness condition - as they were blind to the attack?
As for daggers in general - in terms of maximum damage they aren't great, but again that depends on your GM and some calls - if you are in a tight space the rules state you are at disadvantage to hit, but if you have a light one handed piercing weapon - couldn't you attack unimpeded? So if your a halfling and enter the space of an opponent couldn't you then stab them in the undercarriage without disadvantage? if you were between their legs could they see you? would they lose track? if so that could be advantage to hit not disadvantage.
If your game has people swinging greatswords through doorways and overhead in a poor persons low ceiling home unimpeded then daggers aren't necessary. The moment environment restricts these attacks granting disadvantage is the moment daggers, spears and other weapons regain their purpose (Come on people why ever use a lance or a spear now they dont do anything on a charge or against one? Its encouraging everyone to use greatswords!)
Poison - if your game allows one dose of poison to cover three arrows or one melee weapon (as by the rules) then thats fine, but hear me out - one dose coating a twohanded sword or a dagger???? Nope thats nonsensical. Increasing or decreasing how much poison is neccesary to be expended depending on weapon size makes small surface area weapons more valuable as vectors of extra dice (although still at a ridiculously expensive cost - in the DnD world the poison dealers must be richer than narcotic traffickers.
Hope that helps Tonio! Daggers like any weapon are what you make of them, personally if your a rogue using a rapier, and there aren't musketeers running around it feels like you just went for max damage at the expense of flavour, but everyone should try to enjoy the game in their own way.
Two last tips - if your going for off hand weapon attacks then think about getting (magic initiate and) hex, that way for 1 hour (or until wounded you can add a cheap 1d6 to your attacks and grant a penalty to str checks (if you plan to grapple and enter their space and stab them with your close range weapon and they with there two handed weapon cant hit you - but again without a DM's call on that even a stirge which is attached to you can be attacked with a two handed weapon you wield without penalty - hilarious) Secondly ask if your offhand weapon could be a weapon breaker dagger - a duelling favourite - there are no rules for it but off the top of my head if you don't use a bonus action to attack with it in a combat round you could use your reaction to add 2 to you ac against one attack (much like some creatures attempt to parry - but again up to your gm and don't try to parry a giants sword or colossal purple worms sting with your metal toothpick - if you want some more combat realism don't then abuse it or the toys can get taken away!
Rogue is pretty much designed to be the iconic dagger-user. Throwing daggers from the shadows as you run around the battle field hiding is pretty iconic, and keeps you out of harms way. If someone does get close to you, you can still close range it, and if the monster's far away, you can toss it. Daggers also come with the benefit of being able to be coated in poison ahead of time and tossed out without caring for what happens to them, potentially increasing the damage dealt.
Just about every other class has issues with the one-turn-draw-weapon limit, so no one else can really take advantage of the thrown property. Even the kensei monk has issues without magic items to back it up. So, unless your DM wants to give you such an item around level 5 or so, and you're willing to base an entire character off an item that might potentially be lost or removed, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else.
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The longsword can be used in one hand for a shield or a spell or another blade it's just not the same as a great sword in my opinion.
The addition of the Thrown Weapon Fighting Style in Tasha's changes the landscape a bit. Now you can quickdraw daggers as part of an attack with them, even if it's a melee attack. Gives a dagger wielder a bit more versatility with their free hands. A Battle Master with Thrown Weapon and Quick Toss can fling a veritable storm of daggers or darts.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
Actually I think a Dex focused Battle Master who takes the Thrown Weapon Fighting Style, the Quick Toss and Precision Attack maneuvers, and the Sharpshooter Feat could do fairly well using darts (throwing knives). A two level dip into Ranger for the Archery Fighting Style, Favored Foe, and Hunter's Mark would add a nice boost to damage and accuracy.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
Soulknife works really well with this concept. It doesn't require heavy feat investment to effectively "dual wield" and the first attack is a d6 instead of a d4. Psychic damage instead of a standard non-magical type (ie piercing) is also icing on the cake. Just flavor them as materialized glowing daggers or however you want, i mean, they're psychic manifestations after all.
I actually just did that, yeah. =)
It's not a great solution, but it scratches the itch, for now. The biggest problem it fixes, I find, is the "throwing magic weapons" problem.