Poisoned Sheath

[Easy_Lee]

As everyone knows, once poison is applied to a weapon it loses its potency after one minute. It lasts for a single hit (errata) on melee weapons. But that isn't what this thread is about.

Supoose a player were to custom-made poisoned dagger sheaths. Each holds one dose of poison and the knife is sheathed in the poison and ready. That way, the first time that particular dagger is drawn, it already has the poison applied and ready to be used once. The advantage of this would be to save the action of poisoning the weapon in combat.

My question: as a DM, would you allow something like this?

[nickl_2000]

Given the challenges and cost of getting posion (plus considering the cost the fact that it really doesn't do all that much), I would absolutely allow this. That being said, I would require that the PC either have a criminal association where they can buy these are a fairly high cost, or make it themselves with a decent cost and time spent on each sheath. Also, I would make it a single use item since the act of drawing the dagger would need to break the glass vial that is keep the poison intact and useful. Once that small glass vial is broken it makes the sheath useless.


I also made a homebrew dagger in a campaign that I am writing that has a opening in the dagger pommel for a vial of poison. When you hit a special trigger on the dagger, it breaks open the vial and the poison comes out through specially made fuller in the blade of the dagger.

[War_lord]

I would allow it, but finding an artisan capable of making such a device would be a side-quest of its own. It doesn't strike me as being unbalanced since it's still limited uses and poison damage is pretty weak. (lots of immune creatures.)

[lunaticfringe]

I gave an archer with a poisoners kit a magic quiver they could 'feed poison' twice a day. The poison stayed fresh for 24 hrs. They could draw 3 poisoned arrows per dose. So yup I'd allow a sheath.

[Oramac]

Honestly, I'd allow it even if it gave the dagger unlimited poison doses (or just quite a lot). Poison is obscenely expensive and very commonly resisted/immune, plus it makes thematic sense for an assassin/rogue type character, especially if they're already proficient with a poisoner's kit.

[Findulidas]

I would allow it for reasons already mentioned.

If its a hard realistic and low magical campaign I wouldnt. Not only would the blades rust and become bad. Having them rust and get stuck in the sheath is NOT something you want. Its really horrible to try to get them out if they do. 5e rarely is ever played like that though.

[Beelzebubba]

It would be fine, but having one found on you in a city would probably be very, very bad.

Probably like a lot of 'gravity' knives and collapsible batons are in many countries now.

[Sariel Vailo]

Rule of cool its cool and its fine

[Koren]

Doesn't drawing a weapon take up a portion of your turn? I don't think it's an action but I feel like there's something about not being able to just infinitely draw weapons somewhere.

That in mind, you need to have/keep an empty hand for the daggers, special sheathes (costs munny at the very least), enough poison for all the daggers (a quick search says that's 100 G per vial), and if my above statement is right you are still only capable of throwing one per turn. That's kind of a lot for a DC 10 save-or-nothing chance at 1d4 damage more. Maybe if it were arrows, so you could consistently do multiple per turn and coat more per vial it would be a bit better.

Definitely not broken at least.

[Zman]

If they are spending a dose of poising, I'll let them do that for a weapon ahead of time which is effectively what you are asking. Prepoisoning a weapon. So, if they wanted to buy three daggers, and have all three poisoned ahead of time I have no problem with that, so long as they spent the money required for the doses of poison.

[Jama7301]

I'd allow this. Seems mostly harmless, and means that you won't waste a poison waiting for the right time to use a weapon, or to use a turn to get it.

I wouldn't say it could be done with any old scabbard, but I'd allow one to be designed for such a purpose. Reminds me of the Scabbard magic items from 4E that had effects the first hit after a weapon was drawn.

[nickl_2000]

I imagine with this a sheath that holds the dagger and has a special slot where you insert the poison. Right before you draw it you trigger a hammer that breaks the vial, dripping the poison into the sheath. The act of drawing coats the dagger fairly evenly.

Once used, it would need to be cleaned prior to being reloaded, a job that takes time and is somewhat dangerous.

[Zalabim]

As everyone knows, once poison is applied to a weapon it loses its potency after one minute. It lasts for a single hit (errata) on melee weapons. But that isn't what this thread is about.
The errata on poisons says about the relevant type: "Injury. Injury poison can be applied to weapons, ammunition, trap components, and other objects that deal piercing or slashing damage and remains potent until delivered through a wound or washed off. A creature that takes piercing or slashing damage from an object coated with the poison is exposed to its effects."

So to answer the thread's question: I'm currently fine with running poison with the errata, as that's one compromise between the potentially poor combination of potency and action economy exhibited by the basic poison.

[SharkForce]

tbh, i can't really even come up with a particularly compelling reason why you couldn't have a reservoir of some kind built into the dagger. probably enough to hold multiple doses. i'd try googling it, but i like not being on watch lists :P

[Easy_Lee]

tbh, i can't really even come up with a particularly compelling reason why you couldn't have a reservoir of some kind built into the dagger. probably enough to hold multiple doses. i'd try googling it, but i like not being on watch lists :P

A dagger like that showed up in the Drizzt series, Gauntlgrym IIRC and it was wielded by Artemis. So it would be lore-friendly within the Forgotten Realms setting, in the least.

[PeteNutButter]

It does devalue the thief's fast hands, being able to apply that poison as a bonus action...

[SharkForce]

It does devalue the thief's fast hands, being able to apply that poison as a bonus action...

well then give your thief some other objects to do stuff with. alchemist's fire trap mines. caltrops. bags of marbles. flasks of slippery oil/soap/whatever, smoke bombs, glowsticks, flour sacks (to detect invisible things), healer's kits, and so on. and, when they desire, applying poison to a weapon (including that enchanted dagger they found that doesn't have a built-in reservoir, or a couple of arrows that, again, do not have a poison reservoir, or which are at least a heck of a lot cheaper and more readily available than what is likely to be a single-use poison reservoir arrow). poison is one way to use an object. it is not the only way.

and consider having stuff in enemy's pockets (or wherever) worth swiping. the thief will feel a lot better if at the start of the fight, you mention the orc chieftain has two potions on his belt, and then halfway through the fight the chieftain goes to drink one to heal some damage... and then the thief gets to say "looking for this?" as he chucks a dagger into the chief's kidney while brandishing the potion.

(bonus points if the "potion" was used by the thief earlier and the flask was discreetly refilled with poison that the thief "accidentally" drops when the chieftain tries to get the "potion" back :P ).

[The Shadowdove]

As long as the sheath were a tool that's maintained as well, unless it's a magical item.

There was an old conversation about sheaths and quivers on here a couple of years ago that concluded with the players in ops game being allowed to have quivers that had a sponge at the bottom that held a dose of poison.

The catch being that it needed to be maintained as part of any long rest rp, so it didn't go stagnant due to neglect and exposure to bacteria present I'm blood, water, and air. This was just part of the logic behind poison drying up or going foul if not used within x amount of time.