Whispering Wind Blowgun

Lore: The Whispering Wind Blowgun was crafted by a tribe of forest-dwelling elves who wished to hunt silently without alerting their prey. The blowgun is made from a rare wood that is said to absorb sound, allowing the user to fire without making any noise. The darts are coated with a potent poison made from rare plants found only in the deepest parts of the forest.

Stats:

• Type: Ranged Weapon
• Damage: 1d4 piercing + 2d6 poison damage
• Range: 120 feet
• Common
• Level: Tier 1
• Properties: Ammunition (20 darts), Loading, Special
• Tags: Elven-crafted, Silent, Deadly, Forest-born, Shadowstrike, Whisper-quiet, Poison-tipped, Ambusher’s Weapon, Nimble, Hunter’s Friend
• Weight: 1 lb.

Special: The Whispering Wind Blowgun makes no noise when fired, and the user has the advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to remain hidden after firing it.

Use: The Whispering Wind Blowgun is an excellent weapon for assassins or anyone who needs to take out enemies quietly and from a distance. The special property of the weapon makes it ideal for sneaking around and taking out sentries or other targets without alerting nearby enemies. The potent poison on the darts ensures that even if the target survives the initial attack, they will suffer significant ongoing damage. However, the weapon’s loading property means that the user must take an action to reload after each shot, making it less effective in combat situations with multiple enemies.

The Whispering Wind Blowgun, with its unique blend of craftsmanship and deadly efficiency, would likely be found in specialized shops catering to a discerning clientele in Saṃsāra:

• Possible Shops and Sellers:
  • Hunter’s Guilds: Organizations dedicated to the art of hunting and tracking often have their own shops or outfitters where members can acquire specialized equipment. The blowgun, with its silent properties and potent poison, would be a prized item for experienced hunters seeking to take down elusive prey.
    • Cost: 200-300 gold pieces. The price would be reasonable for guild members, reflecting the craftsmanship and the rarity of the materials used. Non-members might face a higher price or restrictions on acquisition.
  • Exotic Weaponsmiths: Skilled artisans specializing in unusual or rare weapons might offer the Whispering Wind Blowgun among their wares. These workshops, often found in secluded locations or within bustling marketplaces, would cater to adventurers and assassins seeking an edge in combat.
    • Cost: 250-400 gold pieces. The price would reflect the weapon’s unique properties, the craftsmanship involved, and the rarity of the wood and poison used in its construction.
  • Tribal Traders: Nomadic tribes with a deep connection to nature might occasionally trade or sell Whispering Wind Blowguns to outsiders. These encounters would likely occur in remote settlements or along well-traveled trade routes, where the tribes converge with the wider world.
    • Cost: Highly variable, potentially involving bartering, favors, or rare goods in exchange for the blowgun. The tribe’s respect for the weapon and its connection to their traditions would influence the transaction.
  • Black Market Dealers: Operating in the shadows of society, these dealers cater to those seeking illicit or dangerous items. The blowgun’s silent and deadly nature would make it attractive to assassins and those who prefer to operate from the shadows.
    • Cost: 300-500 gold pieces. The price would be inflated due to the risk involved and the weapon’s potential for clandestine activities.
• How it might be bought and sold:
  • Direct Purchase: The most straightforward method, where the buyer pays the seller the agreed-upon price in gold or other valuables.
  • Bartering: Exchanging goods or services of equal value for the blowgun. This is more likely when dealing with tribal traders or in less formal settings.
  • Commission: A skilled artisan might be commissioned to create a Whispering Wind Blowgun, though the cost would be significantly higher and the process time-consuming, requiring the acquisition of rare materials and specialized knowledge.
  • Rewards and Inheritance: The blowgun could be passed down through generations of hunters or assassins, or offered as a reward for completing a dangerous task that requires stealth and precision.

The Whispering Wind Blowgun, while not an overtly powerful item, holds a certain allure for those who value stealth and efficiency. Its cost and acquisition method would vary depending on the circumstances, but its ability to deliver silent and deadly strikes makes it a desirable weapon in the world of Saṃsāra.

The Whispering Wind Blowgun, with its silent operation and potent poison, offers unique roleplaying opportunities for both offensive and defensive actions in Saṃsāra. Its strengths lie in stealth and ranged attacks, making it ideal for characters who prefer a subtle approach.

• Offensive Roleplay:
  • Eliminating Sentries: Tasked with infiltrating a heavily guarded compound, use the blowgun to silently eliminate guards from afar. Its whisper-quiet operation allows you to take down sentries without raising alarms, clearing the way for your allies or facilitating your own infiltration.
  • Hunting Dangerous Prey: Tracking a rare and dangerous beast through a dense jungle, the blowgun’s silence and range allow you to strike from a safe distance without alerting the creature. The potent poison ensures a swift and humane kill, minimizing the risk to yourself and maximizing the chances of a successful hunt.
  • Assassination Attempts: Hired to eliminate a high-value target attending a public gathering, use the blowgun’s discreet nature to your advantage. Blend into the crowd, observe your target’s movements, and deliver a precise, poisoned dart from a concealed location. The target will succumb to the poison’s effects without ever knowing where the attack originated.
  • Sabotage and Disruption: Seeking to disrupt an enemy’s operations, use the blowgun to deliver poisoned darts to key personnel or vulnerable equipment. The poison’s debilitating effects can cause chaos and confusion, hindering their efforts and creating opportunities for your allies to exploit.
• Defensive Roleplay:
  • Creating a Diversion: When cornered by enemies in a narrow alleyway, fire a poisoned dart at a nearby object or creature. The commotion caused by the poisoned victim will distract your pursuers, allowing you to slip away unnoticed or gain a tactical advantage.
  • Protecting Allies: While your companions engage in close combat, use the blowgun to support them from afar. Target vulnerable enemies, weaken powerful foes with poison, or create distractions to disrupt their attacks, giving your allies an edge in battle.
  • Warding Off Pursuers: While fleeing from a dangerous enemy, fire a poisoned dart at their pursuing mounts or companions. The poison’s effects will slow them down or force them to break off their pursuit, buying you precious time to escape.
  • Non-Lethal Subdual: If capture is preferred over killing, use darts with a non-lethal dose of poison. This will incapacitate the target without causing permanent harm, allowing for interrogation or capture.
• Additional Considerations:
  • Environmental Awareness: The blowgun’s range and silent operation are most effective in open spaces or environments with good cover. In close quarters or confined spaces, its effectiveness might be limited.
  • Poison Management: The blowgun’s poison is a potent tool, but it requires careful management. Ensure you have a steady supply of darts and poison, and be mindful of the potential risks of accidental exposure or misuse.
  • Ethical Considerations: The use of poison can raise ethical dilemmas for some characters. Consider the implications of using such a weapon and whether it aligns with your character’s moral compass.

By creatively incorporating the Whispering Wind Blowgun’s abilities into your roleplaying, you can enhance both offensive and defensive capabilities while adding depth and intrigue to your character’s actions in the world of Saṃsāra. Whether using it for stealthy assassinations or tactical support, the blowgun offers a unique and versatile tool for navigating the challenges and dangers of this world.

Perception of Activation:

• User’s Perspective:
  • Sight: The blowgun seems to shimmer faintly, its wood grain deepening in color and taking on an almost iridescent sheen. The darts held within quiver slightly, their tips glowing with a faint, venomous luminescence.
  • Sound: The world around you seems to fall silent, as if all ambient noise has been absorbed by the blowgun. You hear a faint whisper of wind passing through the blowgun’s hollow core, a sound that seems to resonate with your own heartbeat.
  • Touch: The blowgun feels cool and smooth to the touch, the wood strangely warm and alive in your hands. You sense a tingling sensation as you grip the weapon, as if energy is coursing through its fibers.
  • Smell: A faint aroma of damp earth and exotic spices fills the air, a subtle scent that speaks of the deep forest and the potent poison coating the darts.
  • Taste: A metallic tang lingers on your tongue, a faint echo of the blowgun’s deadly purpose.
  • Extrasensory:
    • You feel a heightened sense of awareness, your senses sharpened and attuned to the subtle movements and sounds of your surroundings.
    • A sense of calm focus washes over you, your mind clear and your instincts honed for the task at hand.
    • You perceive a faint connection to the spirits of the forest, a sense of harmony with the natural world.
• Observer’s Perspective:
  • Sight: The blowgun seems to blend seamlessly with its surroundings, its form becoming less distinct and harder to discern. The darts held within appear to shimmer faintly, their tips glowing with an almost imperceptible luminescence.
  • Sound: An unnatural silence surrounds the user of the blowgun, as if all sound has been absorbed by the weapon. Even the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds seem to fade away, creating an eerie stillness.
  • Touch: No noticeable difference.
  • Smell: A faint aroma of damp earth and exotic spices might be detected by those with keen senses, a subtle scent that hints at the blowgun’s connection to the forest.
  • Taste: No noticeable difference.
  • Extrasensory:
    • Those sensitive to magic might perceive a faint aura of energy surrounding the blowgun, a subtle indication of its enchanted nature.
    • With exceptional perception, some might glimpse fleeting shadows dancing around the user, whispers of the forest spirits watching over them.
• Positives:
  • The activation grants the user a heightened sense of awareness and focus, enhancing their stealth and precision.
  • The blowgun’s silent operation and potent poison make it a deadly weapon for both hunting and combat.
  • The connection to the forest spirits can provide a sense of calm and confidence, bolstering the user’s resolve.
• Negatives:
  • The blowgun’s reliance on poison can raise ethical concerns for some users, especially those who value a more honorable approach to combat.
  • The unnatural silence surrounding the user might attract unwanted attention from creatures or individuals sensitive to disturbances in the natural order.
  • The blowgun’s limited range and slow reload time can make it less effective in close-quarters combat or against multiple opponents.

Crafting Recipe: Whisper of the Wind — This recipe guides the creation of a blowgun reminiscent of the Whispering Wind Blowgun, though it may not possess the same potency or lore significance.

• Materials Needed:
  • Whisperwood branch (harvested from a tree in a secluded grove known for its unusual stillness)
  • Shadowsilk thread (spun from the webs of cave-dwelling spiders, known for its sound-dampening properties)
  • Venom sac (extracted from a venomous creature native to the deep forest)
  • Feather of a silent owl (freely given, symbolizing stealth and precision)
  • River stones (smoothed by the flow of water, representing the silent passage of air)
• Tools Required:
  • Carving knife and woodworking tools
  • Fine needles and thread
  • Mortar and pestle
  • Small cauldron or pot (for brewing poison)
  • Clean cloth
• Skill Requirements:
  • Proficiency in Woodcarver’s Tools
  • Nature (DC 15 check to identify and harvest the whisperwood branch)
  • Survival (DC 12 check to track and obtain the owl’s feather without harming the bird)
• Crafting Steps:
  • Prepare the Branch: Carefully carve the whisperwood branch into a long, hollow tube, ensuring it is smooth and free of obstructions.
  • Wrap with Shadowsilk: Wrap the blowgun with shadowsilk thread, securing it tightly and ensuring a comfortable grip.
  • Brew the Poison: Combine the venom sac with other poisonous plants and ingredients in the cauldron. Brew the mixture over a low flame, following a specific recipe or relying on your knowledge of poisons.
  • Craft the Darts: Carve small, aerodynamic darts from the remaining whisperwood. Dip the tips in the poison, ensuring they are thoroughly coated.
  • Attach the Feather: Attach the owl’s feather to the end of the blowgun, symbolizing its connection to stealth and precision.
  • Infuse with Silence: Hold the blowgun in your hands and focus your thoughts on the stillness of the forest. Channel your intent into the weapon, visualizing it becoming an extension of the silent wind.

Outcome: The resulting blowgun will bear a visual resemblance to the Whispering Wind Blowgun and may exhibit some faint magical properties related to silence and stealth. However, its powers will likely be less potent and less reliable than the original. The replica might grant a +1 bonus to Stealth checks made after firing or reduce the sound of the blowgun by a small degree. Its effects will vary depending on the crafter’s skill and the quality of the materials used.

Hunter’s Silence

In a time when the world was green and the forests whispered secrets, a tribe of silent hunters lived in harmony with the land. These hunters, they say, moved like shadows through the trees, their footsteps leaving no trace, their presence known only to the wind.

One among them, a skilled artisan and hunter, sought a weapon that would honor the silence of the forest, a tool that would allow them to take life without disrupting the delicate balance of nature.

With reverence and patience, they sought out a tree deep within the woods, a tree that stood still even in the strongest winds, its branches absorbing the sounds of the forest. From this tree, they crafted a blowgun, its wood imbued with the silence of the ancient forest.

They sought the venom of the silent viper, a creature that struck with deadly precision, its presence unknown until the poison took hold. With care and respect, they coated their darts with this potent venom, ensuring a swift and painless end for their prey.

The hunter, armed with this silent weapon, became a legend among their people, their hunts a testament to their skill and respect for the forest. They took only what was needed, leaving no trace of their presence, their blowgun a whisper in the wind.

Moral:  True power lies not in noise and force, but in silence and precision. Respect for the balance of nature and the sanctity of life allows us to wield even deadly tools with grace and humility. Let our actions be like whispers in the wind, leaving no trace but the memory of our passing.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Description: A strangely silent blowgun crafted from an unknown wood, its darts tipped with a potent, unknown poison.
• Skills: Stealth +20%, Pharmacy +10% (for identifying or creating the poison)
• Effect:
  • The blowgun grants a +20% bonus to Stealth rolls when used to attack.
  • The darts inflict 1D4 + 2D6 damage. The poison cannot be identified with a standard Medicine roll; a successful Pharmacy roll is required. If the poison cannot be identified, treat it as causing 1D4 CON damage per round for 2D6 rounds.

Blades in the Dark

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Description: A silent and deadly blowgun, favored by assassins and hunters.
• Effect:
  • When used in an action involving stealth or assassination, the blowgun grants +2d to the roll.
  • The blowgun inflicts 2 harm (ignores armor).
  • Due to the poison, the blowgun inflicts the Dazed effect for 2 rounds, in addition to its normal harm.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Rarity: Uncommon
• Description: A blowgun crafted from a rare wood that absorbs sound.
• Properties:
  • Ammunition (range 120/480), loading, special
  • This blowgun deals 1d4 piercing damage plus 2d6 poison damage.
  • The blowgun makes no sound when fired, and you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to remain hidden after firing it.

Knave

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Description: A silent blowgun with poisoned darts.
• Effect:
  • Inflicts 1d4+1 damage, and the target must make a Save roll vs. Poison or suffer an additional 2d6 damage.
  • When attacking with this blowgun from hiding, roll with advantage.
  • The blowgun makes no sound when fired.

Fate Core/Condensed

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Description: A blowgun crafted from a rare, sound-absorbing wood, its darts tipped with a potent poison.
• Aspects: Silent Death, Forest’s Embrace
• Invokes:
  • Spend a Fate Point to gain a +2 bonus to overcome skill challenges when using the blowgun for stealth attacks or to remain hidden after firing.
  • Spend a Fate Point to create an advantage that allows you to target a specific weak point on a creature with the blowgun, increasing the poison’s effectiveness.
• Compels:
  • The GM may compel the blowgun’s aspects to draw unwanted attention from creatures sensitive to the forest’s magic or to cause the poison to have unexpected side effects.

Numenera & Cypher System

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Level: 2
• Form: Weapon (light)
• Effect:
  • The blowgun is completely silent when fired.
  • The darts inflict 2 points of piercing damage and inject a potent poison that reduces the target’s Speed by one step for three rounds.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Aura: faint illusion
• Price: 200 gp
• Effect:
  • This blowgun deals 1d4 piercing damage plus 2d6 poison damage.
  • The blowgun makes no sound when fired, and you have advantage on Stealth checks made to remain hidden after firing it.

Savage Worlds

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Trappings: Blowgun made from rare wood, with poisoned darts
• Power Points: 1
• Effects:
  • The blowgun is considered a Silent weapon.
  • The darts inflict 1d4 Strength damage. On a successful hit, the target must make a Vigor roll at –2 or be Shaken. If the target is already Shaken, they are Incapacitated instead.
  • Once per session, the wearer can spend a Power Point to activate the blowgun’s deadly poison power. This increases the penalty to the Vigor roll to –4.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Type: Ranged Weapon (Exotic)
• Reach: Medium
• Damage: 2S
• Accuracy: +1
• Availability: 10R
• Description: A blowgun crafted from a strange, sound-dampening wood, its darts tipped with a potent neurotoxin.
• Effect:
  • The blowgun is treated as having the Silenced modification.
  • On a successful hit, the target must resist the poison with a Body + Willpower Test. If they fail, they suffer 2 boxes of Stun damage.

Starfinder

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Level: 2nd
• Price: 200 credits
• Damage: 1d4 P + poison
• Critical: Bleed 1d4
• Range: 120 ft.
• Bulk: L
• Special: Operative, stealth
• Description: This blowgun is crafted from a lightweight material that absorbs sound. Its darts are coated with a potent paralytic agent.
• Effect:
  • The blowgun is considered a Silent weapon.
  • On a successful hit, the target must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 14) or be Staggered for 1 round.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• TL: 4
• Law Level: 3
• Damage: 1d6
• Range: Long
• Description: A blowgun made from a lightweight wood, its darts tipped with a fast-acting poison.
• Effect:
  • The blowgun makes no sound when fired.
  • On a successful hit, the target suffers 1d6 damage and must make an END test with a –2 DM modifier. If they fail, they are Stunned for one round.

Warhammer 40,000 (Wrath & Glory)

Name: Whispering Wind Blowgun

• Rarity: Rare
• Type: Ranged Weapon
• Class: Basic
• Damage: +2 ED
• Pen: 0
• Special: Silent, Toxic
• Description: A blowgun crafted with xenos technology, it fires darts coated with a debilitating poison.
• Effect:
  • The blowgun inflicts 2 ED. On a successful hit, the target also suffers 1 point of Shock.
  • Once per round, the wielder can spend 1 Wrath to inflict an additional 2 ED with the blowgun.