On Magic Users and Darts: What's Up With That?

[Eltab]

I played a Basic Rules Magic-User with 1 HP (my d4 was not friendly that day). He got a bunch of daggers because he could throw them while running away from whatever had been hit by his one spell and still wanted to chase him. Darts were not in my version of the rule booklet.
Eventually I learned to upgrade my characters by playing an Elf.

 

[Lanefan]

Over the years I've played a bunch of MUs and not one of 'em has ever - EVER! - taken dart as a proficiency that I can remember.

When picking the weapon at 1st level, if I don't have something specific in mind for the character, I'll look at the Dex score I've ended up with: low Dex gets staff, decent Dex gets dagger. Then at 7th level I'll invariably take the other one.

Staff has the advantage of reach and, in our system anyway, as a 2-handed weapon it gives an AC bonus of 1 when wielded in melee. (shields give 2) Dagger has the advantage of being both wieldable and throwable; and when you throw one you've a much better chance of getting it back after the combat than you do a dart. Either of staff or dagger have the advantage that magic ones come up way more often than do magic darts.

Even in 3e my Illusionist took dagger and crossbow as her weapons, but not dart.

 

[David Howery]

I can only remember running one MU who wasn't multi-classed... he survived up to 16th level or so. When he started out, I had him take dart as his weapon proficiency, but also carry a dagger 'just in case'... even if he had huge penalties using it, at least there was always a chance. Luckily, I don't think anything ever broke through the fighter/cleric front line to threaten him until he gained a few levels and could survive a round or two in melee. Later on, when his turn for another weapon prof came up, he took dagger, and had managed to find a fairly nice magic one before that. In the end, he was pretty successful.
Although, now that I think about it, this PC was also the one who got curse-changed into a girl, and got entirely too comfortable with it, but that's another story...

 

[Zardnaar]

Daggers do tend to turn up as magical versions more often.

 

[Prakriti]

I remember slings being much more prevalent in 1E/2E for low-level magic-users. I remember using slings in the early levels of Baldur's Gate as well, but ditching them at the earliest opportunity.

 

[GreyLord]

If you mage is in melee at low level, you are in trouble already.

AT low level you may be lucky to survive one round.

Reasons they may choose darts is that they are light and you can do more damage per round.

If you get melee type spells as a backup (for example, shocking grasp) and focus more on tossing darts, than you are a short ranged PC in most low levels.

If you have a bunch of +1 darts, the damage possibility goes up more than if you had a bunch of +1 daggers.

You get a bunch of +3 darts later on, you have a LOT more damage potential than simply using +3 daggers.

With darts you only have to worry about making mass missile weapons (like arrows or bolts, but darts instead) rather than all the magic making of a dagger.

It really depends on the design that you want.

In all my years I've only had (I think) two spellcasters choose darts as their main weapons, everyone else normally choose a staff or dagger.

 

[Todd Roybark]

I always found darts and slings demeaning. I might have blown my one spell on Read Magic, but pride meant I wasn’t throwing something from the Recreation room at an armored foe.

I however was quite willing to be shameless enough to Dual Class as a Dagger Specialized Fighter at first and the switch into single class Magic User once UA came out.
3/1 Thrown daggers per round if I remember correctly. ( of course 1-2 dmg Darts had 5/1 attacks but .... yet pride restrains).

Besides there is no Dart of Venom but Daggers of Venom killed in AD&D if the save against poison failed. My 3 hp, second level single class Magic User felled an Ettin, with a Dagger of Venom, preventing a TPK, as the Cavalier, the Paladin, and the Barbarian were already in negative HPs.

If I had only knew how to use Darts, we all would have died

Also Darts super sucked against armor on the great ole table of Yore, Weapons Against Armor

 

[Coroc]

Just for clarification

404 Not Found - GDFB 2003 re enactment shop for all periods from Greek to Late Medieval.

GDFB 2003 are trusted suppliers of re enactment goods since 2003. Supplying re enactors of all periods from Greek to Roman and Viking through to the Medieval periods with armour, weapons, clothing and camp equipment.

www.gdfb.co.uk

This is an example of a dart usable in historic combat.

Notice the specs:

Plumbata Roman Throwing Dart, Full Length Approx. 54cm, Weight Approx. 0.4kg

You will not carry around 20 of them, not even 10.

These weapons have almost nothing in common with the item your favourite recreation sports at the pub!

 

[Todd Roybark]

Yeah sure Coroc,

I know that now.

When I was 8 years old, however, Darts were lame. I did not know about the information in the link that somebody always posts , (even when the letters D A R T are not remotely close to each other, and not making the word - “dart” ).

To young me Darts and Stones did not sound so impressive. Only Later did I see pictures of weapons, did research, went to a good historical armoury etc to learn the truth.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

If you want to see dart wizard in action I suggest you play the Baldur's Gate CRPG. They are by far the most effective weapon a wizard can use (and not bad for other classes either). Several reasons:

• Baldur's Gate is a low level adventure, so wizards quickly run out of spells (no cantrips in 2e);
• darts are fast and very good for interrupting hostile spellcasting;
• high RoF compensates for poor thac0;
• Darts benefit from high dex, which a wizard wants anyway for AC purposes;
• Wizards need to stay out of melee range at all costs.

Come 3rd edition, darts are nerfed and wizards can use light crossbows.