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Dagger of Venom 5e: Once-a-Day Poison, Odds and 2024 Changes
A Dagger of Venom is a rare magic dagger with a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls and no attunement. Once per dawn you can coat the blade with poison: the next creature it hits makes a DC 15 Constitution save or takes 2d10 poison damage and has the Poisoned condition for 1 minute. Coating it takes an action in the 2014 rules and a Bonus Action in 2024. It's a good item for a Rogue, but the once-a-day poison does nothing to the undead, devils and constructs that are immune to poison.
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Dagger of Venom Rules Text
SRD 5.1 (2014), then SRD 5.2.1 (2024).
Dagger of Venom
2014 rules
Weapon (dagger), rare
RareNo attunement
You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
You can use an action to cause thick, black poison to coat the blade. The poison remains for 1 minute or until an attack using this weapon hits a creature. That creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 2d10 poison damage and become poisoned for 1 minute. The dagger can't be used this way again until the next dawn.
You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
You can take a Bonus Action to magically coat the blade with poison. The poison remains for 1 minute or until an attack using this weapon hits a creature. That creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 2d10 Poison damage and have the Poisoned condition for 1 minute. The weapon can't be used this way again until the next dawn.
All the time, it's a dagger with +1 to attack and damage rolls: 1d4 + 1 piercing plus your modifier, with the Finesse, Light and Thrown (20/60) properties. Finesse means Rogues can use it for Sneak Attack. In the 2024 rules a dagger also has the Nick mastery property, usable by a character whose class grants Weapon Mastery with daggers.
Coating the blade
Once per dawn you can coat the blade. The poison lasts 1 minute or until an attack with the dagger hits a creature, whichever comes first. A miss doesn't use it up, so you keep attacking until something gets hit.
The first hit uses the poison, whatever the target. Hit a Skeleton and the poison is gone even though the skeleton is immune to poison damage and the Poisoned condition. Choose your target before you coat it.
Thrown hits count. The text says "an attack using this weapon", so a coated dagger thrown at a creature 20 feet away delivers the poison on a hit.
The save and what it does
The creature hit makes a DC 15 Constitution saving throw:
•Fail: 2d10 poison damage (11 on average) and the Poisoned condition for 1 minute. The text offers no repeated save to end it early.
•Success: nothing. The text attaches both the damage and the condition to a failed save, so there's no half damage.
Poisoned gives Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks in both editions. On a boss that relies on weapon attacks, a minute of Disadvantage is worth more than the 11 damage.
How often it lands
Odds of a failed DC 15 Constitution save, using stat blocks from the SRD:
These Constitution numbers are the same in the 2014 and 2024 stat blocks. Against an ogre, the expected poison damage is 0.55 × 11 ≈ 6 per day, plus a 55 percent chance of a minute of Disadvantage on its attacks.
Dagger of Venom: 2014 vs 2024
2014 (SRD 5.1)
2024 (SRD 5.2.1)
Rarity / attunement
Rare, no attunement
Rare, no attunement
Bonus
+1 attack and damage
+1 attack rolls and damage rolls
Coating the blade
An action
A Bonus Action
Save and effect
DC 15 Con, 2d10 poison, poisoned 1 minute
DC 15 Con, 2d10 Poison, Poisoned condition 1 minute
Recharge
Next dawn
Next dawn
Value
No price in the SRD
4,002 GP (rare item + 2 GP dagger)
The action change is the important one. In 2014, coating in combat costs your whole turn's attack, so the practical move is to coat it before a fight you know is coming, since the poison lasts a full minute. In 2024 you can coat it as a Bonus Action and attack in the same turn. That competes with a Rogue's Cunning Action and with an off-hand attack, but it no longer costs a turn.
Is the Dagger of Venom Worth It?
For a dagger user, yes. It doesn't take an attunement slot, the +1 is always on, and the poison is a once-a-day debuff that any character can apply.
Rogues get the most from it: a level 5 Rogue with Dexterity 18 deals 1d4 + 5 plus 3d6 Sneak Attack, and the poison adds 11 more on a failed save. Dual-wielders can carry it as the second Light weapon, and anyone who throws daggers can deliver the poison at range.
Compare it with a plain +1 weapon, which is uncommon. The poison is what makes it rare. Against poison-immune enemies, the dagger is just a +1 dagger.
When it's a trap: in campaigns heavy with undead, devils or constructs. Every Skeleton, Ghoul and Imp in the SRD is immune to both the damage and the condition.
Dagger of Venom for DMs
Where it turns up. An assassin's belt, a poisoner's guild, or a noble's hidden armory. A rare item fits mid-level treasure.
What it changes. Not much. 11 damage a day is small by the time rare items show up; the Poisoned condition on a boss is the real effect. If the party's main threat is a single creature that attacks with weapons, the dagger gives the Rogue a strong opening.
Pricing. The 2024 SRD values rare items at 4,000 GP and adds the base weapon's price for magic weapons, so 4,002 GP. The 2014 SRD has no prices; a 2014 figure is from the Dungeon Master's Guide. The magic item rarity calculator helps when a player wants to trade it.
At the table. Track the minute (10 rounds); players forget whether the blade is still coated after a miss.
Hooks.
•A Dagger of Venom turns up as evidence in a poisoning. The victim had no wound; someone wants the party to find out why the dagger is being blamed.
•An assassin's dagger is found with the poison still wet. It was coated less than a minute ago, so its owner is close.
Who used the daily poison, and on whom, tends to blur between sessions. Loreify records the game and writes the recap.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much damage does a Dagger of Venom do?
1d4 + 1 piercing plus your ability modifier on every hit. Once per day the coated blade adds 2d10 poison damage (11 on average) and the Poisoned condition for 1 minute if the target fails a DC 15 Constitution save.
Does the Dagger of Venom require attunement?
No. It's a rare magic weapon with no attunement in both the 2014 and 2024 SRDs.
Is coating the Dagger of Venom an action or a bonus action?
An action in the 2014 rules and a Bonus Action in the 2024 rules. Either way, it works once per dawn and lasts 1 minute or until the dagger hits.
What happens on a successful save against the Dagger of Venom?
Nothing. The poison damage and the Poisoned condition both apply only on a failed save, and the hit still uses up the poison.
Can you throw a coated Dagger of Venom?
Yes. The poison triggers on an attack using the weapon that hits, and a thrown dagger attack counts.
How much is a Dagger of Venom worth?
4,002 GP under the 2024 SRD: 4,000 GP for a rare item plus 2 GP for the dagger. The 2014 SRD lists no magic item prices.
Item text: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Analysis, rulings and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.