I had the idea of getting a character taken out by narcoject delivered with a blowgun.

Problem: the blowgun rules says: To deliver a toxin with a blowgun needle, use the rules for
targeting an area not protected by armor (see Called Shots)

There it says: The attacking character receives a negative dice pool modifier equal to the target’s armor.

Question: Which armor value determines the dice pool modifier? Ballistic or Impact?

I think it should be impact, because the whole taser weapon stuff goes against impact as well. Then it would be the question if it is full impact armor value or also halfed as again with the tasers.

Any clues?

Think your instinct about the impact rating being the penalty is correct because it's a muscle-powered weapon. And it wouldn't halve - that's the electricityness of the taser, doing that.

It could be argued either way, but it seems to me the book strongly supports using Balistic values for Blowguns.

You won`t tell me that a blowgun needle delivers high amounts of kinetic energy, won`t you?

I mean it is not superman blowing in that tube, right?

An argument can be made either way. On the one hand, bolts and arrows are resisted with ballistic armor, but on the other, flechette rounds, knives and shuriken are resisted with impact armor. If canon doesn't actually stipulate which one to use, then I would just pick the one I think most appropriate and then write it in the margin.

I think the energy cross-section of a blowgun dart is going to be much closer to a Shuriken than a longbow broadhead.

Me too. Consequently that's how they work in my games, or would if anyone ever uses a blowgun.

I agree with this.

A blowgun dart functions as a really little arrow. There are even broadhead darts.

I don't think anyone would dispute a STR 5 bow being resisted by Ballistic armor. How about a STR 1 bow? Wouldn't that also be vs Ballistic, despite being much weaker?

Well, bear with me, but if you imagine a blowgun functionally being a STR .25 bow wouldn't it be against ballistic armor too?

Iota has a valid point about the total energy from a blowgun, but a blowgun will have better damage and penetration than many may think. I have embedded darts in fire doors, and have had to use pliers to remove a dart from a dartboard.

Really though, unless you are attacking something smaller than a rabbit, a blowgun is really just a way to deliver poison. Humans just don't have diaphragms that impressive.

Well, the original question which armor to use came up because of this:

Problem: the blowgun rules says: To deliver a toxin with a blowgun needle, use the rules for
targeting an area not protected by armor (see Called Shots)

There it says: The attacking character receives a negative dice pool modifier equal to the target’s armor.


Since my NPC needs to find a spot not covered by armor to hit with his needle it might be more appropriate to just determine a modiefier (more like in SR 3).

Let`s say -6. Does this sound better?

That rule has always sounded weird to me. It suggests that a vest that will stop a .44mag is harder to shoot around than a vest that will stop a .38. The first vest is thicker, not bigger.

I would just use the target size mods from Arsenal.

2" or less, -6
12" or less, -4
36" or less, -2