Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Shojiteru Sep 06, 2015 11:02:53	Seriously, what is this good for? Only fighter can use it properly, but they can punch and do the same damage, not worrying about cover. The range is atrocious. Poisoning ammo would take a round just to do. Who uses this as a serious weapon? Is there something I missed? RAW says nothing about it being stealthy, only thing I can think of for it. Why add the worse weapon in history, in martial weapons, nonetheless. Net would be a better choice at 1/10th the cost
#2 AaronOfBarbaria Sep 06, 2015 12:31:01	That a weapon is a martial weapon means that it requires more training to use properly, not that it is "better" than other options.   As for what a blowgun is good for, the answer is simple: being a blowgun.   It's a weapon that is harder to use well than most care to bother with, but some tribes that make use of them are extremely dangerous because the substances they coat the darts with can paralyze or kill despite the wound itself being mostly insignifcant.   The D&D stats of this weapon do better to represent the real-world truth of the weapon than is the case with basically anything else on the entire weapon table.
#3 iserith Sep 06, 2015 12:34:19	Also useful as a snorkel.   Unless someone uses a funnel to throw bees down it while you're underwater.
#4 MechaPilot Sep 06, 2015 12:36:54	The unfortunate part about the blowgun is that the poison in the PHB is so pricy and so worthless.
(Reply to #4) AaronOfBarbaria	MechaPilot wrote:
#6 MechaPilot Sep 06, 2015 13:18:12	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
(Reply to #6) AaronOfBarbaria	MechaPilot wrote:
#8 BRJN Sep 06, 2015 14:13:33	alert - formatting issues - alert MechaPilot wrote:
#9 MechaPilot Sep 06, 2015 14:33:30	BRJN wrote:
#10 rgoodbb Sep 06, 2015 14:44:18	I remember in a long ago previous edition wanting to play a bard/monk type who played the pan flute on a mountaintop and had a few coated darts in his mouth (Immune) and used the pan flute to blow the darts at his unsuspectng enemies before thwacking them with his bo-stick.   Be more difficult to make that one now without a lot of homebrew. (Swapping for ranged stunning strike etc).   Nostalgia...........Stirrings..........must make............
(Reply to #10) Shojiteru	rgoodbb wrote:
(Reply to #2) Shojiteru	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
(Reply to #12) AaronOfBarbaria	Shojiteru wrote:
(Reply to #13) Shojiteru	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
#15 Chaosmancer Sep 06, 2015 21:32:57	I'd allow some sort of stealth bonus when using a blowgun, making it easier to use them from stealth. Maybe give them the benefit of the one skulker feat, that missing doesn't reveal you?   However, in regards to worst weapon, I'd say darts is the worst. They are literally daggers that can't be used in melee and cost less, and daggers are not expensive. So unless you are dealing with a game where no one gets gold, a dagger is always a better choice than a dart, so I don't know why they even exist.   end rant
(Reply to #15) Macv12	Chaosmancer wrote:
#17 Slagger_the_Chuul Sep 06, 2015 22:50:09	Chaosmancer wrote:
(Reply to #17) Shojiteru	Slagger_the_Chuul wrote:
#19 Shojiteru Sep 07, 2015 0:08:42	I want to houserule blowgun to be effective, but stealthy just means you can get 1 damage done before they find you. There has to be a way to boost it's damage. Maybe a d4? It's ammo comes in 50 packs so only reason I see it's better than a bow.. i guess? If cheap ammo is a benefit but I'd double or even triple the ammo price to quadruple the potential damage output
#20 FuelDrop Sep 07, 2015 2:52:00	In games that I GM I tend to rule that Blowgun users can coat 10 blowdarts per dose of poison, at the cost of -2 DC. My logic is that each dart uses a ton less poison than coating even a dagger, but since it delivers a smaller dose it isn't as effective.   I'm also inclined to give a stealth check to have the target not notice they've been hit for a round or so. Of course, I'll only let you do that if you forfeit any bonus damage from enchantments, dex, and the like (though not poison).   However, both of these are house rules. (I also allow rogues to switch hand crossbow proficiency with blow dart proficiency).
(Reply to #14) AaronOfBarbaria	Shojiteru wrote:
#22 jaelis Sep 07, 2015 6:09:49	My blowgun and trident wielding fighter puts on his ring mail and glares at you through his spyglass. Give him a little respect!
#23 Slagger_the_Chuul Sep 07, 2015 7:19:15	jaelis wrote:
#24 IdkwhatMyscreennameis Sep 07, 2015 9:21:41	Anybody with martial proficiency can use so barbarian, valor bards, certain clerics, paladins and rangers. (and anybody who is a entertainer can choose it as there alternate proficiency) As for what it is good for that is simple, drawing people into melee range. The barbarian could use a sling but that could kill them before you can run them though with your great sword. I can see a figher/rouge using a blowgun to great effect with or without posion.(assuming skulker and sharpshooter feats)
#25 awaken_D_M_golem Sep 08, 2015 16:08:25	Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon movie in the final fight scene, the Witch spits some uncountably massive number of darts at the hero/stud swordsman.   He uses something akin to the 3e Epic feat Infinite Deflection ... but one poison dart gets through, a harlequin misbegotten romance scene follows, and he dies.
#26 RCanine Sep 11, 2015 0:32:13	Just change it the damage. Some options:   1d6 poison and acid damage (good at avoiding resistance) 1d10 poison damage (high damage is OK because everything is immune to poison) 1d4 piercing damage and poisoned status, con save at the start of each turn to end, (DC = 8 + amount of damage done with the attack)