Blowgun

[Amaranthine]

Is a blowgun of any real use?

I think the best case scenario would be:

Use an action to coat a needle with poison.
Wait for your next turn
Use your action to shoot a single dart. Damage would be 1+Dex+sneak+1d4 poison (Con 10 negates).


Dex, sneak, and poison help, but they would be better used with a shortbow attack.
Dropping the poison entirely would likely be even more beneficial, since you would get an additional attack instead of applying the poison.

[JellyPooga]

Short Answer: No.

Long Answer:

Aside from a stylistic choice, the blowgun is trash really. An Assassin using Death Strike might get some use out of it as a slightly easier to conceal weapon/ammo than a bow/arrow or crossbow/bolts, I guess, but only because his Sneak Attack damage is so large at that point.

There's also an argument that it could be considered more silent than other Ranged (non-thrown) weapons and the ammunition is much smaller, so could be considered less detectable, but rules-wise, there's nothing to back either of these up, as such.

[RickAllison]

Besides concealment in smuggling (very important for assassins), blowguns require less movement and space to function. This makes for a very niche weapon, but useful. An assassin, especially one with proficiency in performance or who has levels in bard, could make a custom recorder/clarinet with the ability to function as a blowgun (it might not even actually play music!). Especially with an identical and functional instrument, an assassin could infiltrate as a musician, switch to the dart horn, and kill while looking like you are just playing. Additionally, a blowgun could be very effective for halfling or even larger assassins hiding in small spaces. Not enough room to justify drawing even a shortbow, but plenty to stick a blowgun to your mouth and fire. It is not a combat weapon, it is an assassination tool.

[SharkForce]

on a side note, thief rogues can coat the darts as a bonus action (3 at a time, i believe is the default, for anyone, not just thief rogues).

but yeah, most of the advantages will be pretty much things the DM will have to rule on, since skill checks (what you would presumably use to govern smuggling a weapon) have next to zero specific information on how they work except for a couple of specific cases.

[N810]

Maybe allow better poisons on the darts...?
or maybe allow poison application as a free action.

[RickAllison]

on a side note, thief rogues can coat the darts as a bonus action (3 at a time, i believe is the default, for anyone, not just thief rogues).

but yeah, most of the advantages will be pretty much things the DM will have to rule on, since skill checks (what you would presumably use to govern smuggling a weapon) have next to zero specific information on how they work except for a couple of specific cases.

Good point. I think a reasonable DM might have difficulty arguing how they could find the the darts hidden in hollowed candles, or similar. Now I find it an intriguing idea to smuggle the dart gun using a hollow cane in a cavity on the bottom, and then a hidden sword or dagger near the top. When you are searched for weapons, you take out the dagger and have a replacement handle ready so they check your cane's smuggling cavity. Unfortunately, that was just one >:)

[Amaranthine]

As some additional information:

A standard blowgun is generally about 4 feet long, with variants being 6-9 feet.
While useful in silent hunting, it is hardly inconspicuous when firing it.

[RickAllison]

As some additional information:

A standard blowgun is generally about 4 feet long, with variants being 6-9 feet.
While useful in silent hunting, it is hardly inconspicuous when firing it.

That's true, if you are going for a martial blowgun. Those weapons were specifically created as hunting weapons, not a reduced profile for assassinations. The blowgun variant I was considering would be for ranges more akin to a room rather than a forest or a battlefield. Those would be more suited for a martial build, however.