Poison Dartgun

Legend of the Five Rings card from Gold Edition, The Dark Journey Home

Card Type

Item

Force

+0

Chi

+0

Gold Cost

4

Keywords

Ninja, Poison

Card Text

Will only attach to a Ninja.
Battle: Once per battle: Ranged 2 Attack that may target a Personality with attached Followers.

Focus Value

4

Legality

Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• The ranged attack originates from the Dartgun, not the Personality. It may be combined with other Dartguns or a ranged attack from the Personality. [DW, email, 19 February 1999] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 54

Rules Q&A

• Q: Just a quick two tonight. Can you really combine a Spearman or Ashirgaru Archers with the shot from a Poison Dartgun (on the one Gold legal Ninja that can have non-Ninja followers) to kill an even larger guy with attached followers?
  A: No. Ranged attacks can only be combined if they can all aim at the target (APC rulebook p. 63). Jeff Alexander, "post for 24 October 2001", 24 Oct 2001
• Q: a.. The ranged attack originates from the Dartgun, not the Personality. It may be combined with other Dartguns or a ranged attack from the Personality. [DW, e-mail, 19 February 1999] Now, the questions.
  Does this mean that if the personality is capable of producing a ranged attack, the personality can use the dartgun to increase the attack and allow him/her to "shoot past" followers?
  A: No. If card A can shoot at card X but card B cannot, then cards A and B cannot make a combined attack at card X. I'm honestly a little surprised this needs to be pointed out in a dedicated ruling, but from the frequency with which this issue arises, it obviously does. Jeff Alexander, "replies to 15-20 July", 26 Jul 2001
• Q: From the rules archive...
  Poison Dartgun a.. The ranged attack originates from the Dartgun, not the Personality. It may be combined with other Dartguns or a ranged attack from the Personality. [DW, e-mail, 19 February 1999] Now, the questions. Does this mean that if the personality is capable of producing a ranged attack, the personality can use the dartgun to increase the attack and allow him/her to "shoot past" followers?
  A: Technically, the Dartgun would be using the personality to hit a bigger target after it had already shot past the followers, but yeah, it's legal to combine the Ranged Attack from, say, a Ninja Mukami and the Poison Dartgun. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for", 19 Jul 2001
• Q: Okay...now I have to ask a follow on question. I've checked the rules, the ruling archives, etc. thoroughly, and can't seem to find this written down anywhere. If I temporarily give a personality, say, the Ninja trait (via "Know the Evil" or Ronin Dojo, for example), and while they have that trait, attach an item that only a Ninja can attach (for example, Poison Dartgun), what happens when the trait wears off? Does the Dartgun:
  3. Stay and can be used freely for the rest of game?
  A: That one. The Shugenja/Spell thing is a special case, ditto for Ancestors. The general rule is that once something has entered play or been attached, any conditions that were necessary for its initial play are irrelevant to its continued existence. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for July 3rd", 3 Jul 2001
• Q: Also in the category consistency: Poison Dartgun isn't a Weapon, but Blowdarts is... 🙄
  A: Poison dartgun has a better PR manager. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 8 May 2025
• Q: [Imperial-Jade] hi @Brook Cunningham I have a small discovery. I just read in an Anvil of Despair rulebook regarding Bayushi Togai under the Errata page. It reads:
  Bayushi Togai: In addition to being able to attach poison cards with out gold cost, he can attach any poison card regardless of that card’s restrictions. You must still pay any non-gold cost.
  Can this apply also to Poison Dartgun since it was printed after Togai?
  A: Unfortunately, this errata was superseded by Togai's Obsidian Edition MRP, which they clearly did not properly "future-proof" when applying that errata via actual text, and did so more narrowly than the AoD errata. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 14 Apr 2025
• Q: Or because Poison Dartgun is for Ninja only? Okay I get it now. Thanks Also, @Brook Cunningham by any chance did you have the time to check in on the 12th Black Scroll + Isawa's Helm clarification? Appreciate it
  A: Ah, yeah, I did, and it's a bit tricky and sticky. It seems from the research I've done lately that the Oracle Text may be wrong, and the 12th Black Scroll should in fact target. Unfortunately, it's been sitting there in the Oracle with its current, non-targeting text for over 10 years, and there was an official Ruling made in the Rules Forum based on that not-targeting Oracle text back in 2014. So, I've been reluctant to just flip all of that on its head in a singular fell swoop. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 12 Apr 2025
• Q: [Jade] Can Poison Dartgun be attached to Bayushi Togai for free?
  A: Not unless you give him the Ninja keyword somehow first. If you do, then yes. Also note that Togai is not Legal for Strict or Extended Jade formats.
  (Replying to a player: "Isn't is just the same as Dripping Poison, where he can attach to himself for free? Dripping Poison is for ninja only, and only has the Poison keyword in the oracle.") Togai has a special explicit exception for Dripping Poison itself only, not any Ninja-only Poison card. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 12 Apr 2025