Really, what good are daggers?

[Emirikol]

After gaming for a bunch of years, I've really started to question why daggers even exist in D&D. They're pretty much worthless. Small characters shouldn't bother either, as there are smaller versions of any weapon they may use too.

Really, what good are daggers compared to a short sword or throwing axe?

jh

 

[TracerBullet42]

They're easy to conceal, for that last second "dagger to the eye when he leasts suspects it"....

 

[Emirikol]

Short swords are easy to conceal too.

 

[Umbran]

Short swords are easy to conceal, but you can't effectively throw them. And the base damage may not be great, for rogues freqently it's all about the sneak attack damage anyway.

 

[TracerBullet42]

Short swords are easy to conceal too.

Really? I suggest you try to conceal a short sword on your body and then try to walk or quickly retrieve it...then try with a dagger. I think you'll see a major difference.

Just please, please use dull ones if you do, lest you get cut.

And if you're really daring...try it while at the airport!

 

[nimisgod]

Short swords are easy to conceal too.

Not as well as daggers. A human-sized shortsword has a blade that is approximately 1 to 1.5 feet long.

Daggers can be thrown as well as used in melee. Any class can use them. Finally, they are useful for other miscellaneous activities in which shortswords and hand axes are too unwieldy for.

 

[Joshua Randall]

First of all since you know everyone is going to try to refer to these from memory, here are the weapon stats from the 3.5 SRD:

Weapon, type, cost, damage, range increment, weight, damage type

Dagger, simple-light melee weapon, 2 gp, 1d4/19-20x2, 10', 1#, P/S
Throwing Axe, martial-light melee, 8 gp, 1d6/x2, 10', 2#, S
Kukri, martial-light melee, 8 gp, 1d4/18-20x2, --, 2#, S
Short Sword, martial-light melee, 10 gp, 1d6/19-20x2, --, 2#, P

The most obvious difference is that a dagger is a simple, rather than a martial, weapon. Classes that can't use martial weapons can still use a dagger. Second, daggers are cheap. You can buy four daggers for the cost of one throwing axe or kukri, or five daggers for the cost of one short sword. Third, daggers have a good critical threat range: better than a throwing axe's and as good as a short sword's. Plus, unlike the kukri, the dagger can be thrown. Fourth, daggers are both piercing and slashing weapons, which is sometimes helpful against monsters with DR against one of those damage types. Fifth, daggers are more easily concealable than other weapons (check the Sleight of Hand skill description).

Finally, the dagger is a staple D&D weapon. If you've never used a dagger you're not a real D&Der.

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

Daggers. Small. Easy to hide in places where weapons are frowned upon. Easy to throw. Good backup weapons should your primary weapon get knocked away from you in battle. Lower level spellcasters can typically move a dagger to another PC in combat if they need one.

This happened to me once. The other spellcaster in the group ran out of spells. He carries no weapons as he normally hangs back and casts. So I used Mage Hand to get a dagger to him. Most other weapons would have been too heavy for Mage Hand to work.

 

[Omand]

snip

Finally, the dagger is a staple D&D weapon. If you've never used a dagger you're not a real D&Der.

I don't think I can add much more than that in terms of comparing the weapons.

I have always felt when playing that a dagger is good last resort weapon when everything else has been sundered, dropped, lost, etc.

In some games, daggers are about the only thing you may be holding on to if you are swallowed by a purple worm or the like.

Plus, if you have your dagger(s) silvered then you always have something to fight lycanthropes with.

Cheers

[edited for spelling]

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Daggers are the best tiny simple weapons in existance, at least in 3.0.
In 3.0 I think it was the best weapon a small Rogue could want, unless he wanted to spend extra levels or feats to get a better weapon.
It is a simple and a rogue weapon, so he could use it automatically.
It is tiny, so it is a light weapon even for him and thus finessable.
It has a critical range equal to a shortsword, and the damage of a tiny sized shortsword (which makes it as good as martial weapon of that size), and can be thrown (which makes it even better - compare Handaxe and Throwing Axe).

In 3.5, things change a bit, since a Halfling/Gnome Rogue would have to use a smaller dagger (dealing less damage) and would be better of using a Shortsword or Rapier appropriate to its size (though he can`t throw them without penalty). Well, but at least he is proficient in both (if i recall correctly), so it doesn`t matter that much.

Mustrum Ridcully

PS

Finally, the dagger is a staple D&D weapon. If you've never used a dagger you're not a real D&Der.

Hey, I might be a real D&Der. My OA Barbarian uses a dagger whenever he lost or was unable to use his primary weapon. The most exciting and fun adventure was when we were forced to cross water to get to a small isle, where a chest was hidden. Sun Di decided to cross over, without any heavy equipment (like weapons or armor, only a rope and a dagger ). He used his rage to augment his swim check (it wasn`t that great, but he was the only one who really could do it). On my route back, a shark attacked. Still raging, I fought against him, while the rest on land tried to attack it with ranged weapons and spells. I was swallowed by the shark, and continued my fight from within.

(It might lessen the story if I tell you it was not my last strike that killed that beast, but a spell or arrow that did it - so I won`t tell you it.)