Hey there Beyonders! I'm preparing a special bow for the Arcane Archer in my homebrew campaign, but I currently have a couple of different ideas. The main gist of it is this:
You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. Any damage this weapon deals also reduces its target's hit point maximum by that amount until they take a long rest or are targeted by greater restoration or similar magic. This includes damage dealt to its user.
Whenever you hit a creature with an attack made by this weapon, your hitpoint maximum and current hitpoints each increase by an amount equal to half the piercing damage dealt, rounded up. This change lasts until you finish a long rest.
Curse. This bow is cursed, and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to you. This sinister, ebony bow does not use normal ammunition. Instead, when you draw its string back, an arrow of your own blood forms, which you may then fire as normal. When you make an attack roll with this weapon, you also take 1d4+1 necrotic damage. As long as you remain cursed, you are unwilling to part with the bow, keeping it within reach at all times. Furthermore, you drift slowly in alignment towards chaotic evil, moving one step along either the law-chaos or good-evil axis every 1d10 days you are attuned to this weapon. A chaotic evil creature afflicted by this curse also gains the following flaw: “I love causing other people’s suffering, and I take every perceived slight against me as an act of hostility.”
Firstly, I'm torn on whether it messes with the user's HP max or if it just damages and heals, with over-healing resulting in Temp HP. Secondly, I also have another thing to add to it, and here's where the differences lie. Whenever it kills a creature (or scores a crit, i'm not sure yet), it gains a charge. I have three different ideas for how these charges would be used:
It can hold one charge. A charge can be spent before you make an attack with the weapon to ignore the damage from the curse. Instead, you can have the bow deal any amount of necrotic damage to you, and the attack deals an additional amount of necrotic damage equal to twice the amount of necrotic damage dealt to you if it hits. If you spend a charge in this way and the attack reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the Bloodbow does not gain a charge. (If i decide it gains charges on crits, the last sentence is no longer necessary).
It can hold up to 3 charges. A charge can be spent when you hit with an attack with the weapon to spend and roll any number of hit dice, to a maximum of half your character level; the attack deals extra necrotic damage equal to the number rolled on the hit dice. If you spend a charge in this way and the attack reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the Bloodbow does not gain a charge. (As above)
It can hold up to 4 charges. A charge can be spent before you make an attack with the weapon in one of the following ways:
Negate the necrotic damage dealt to you for this attack.
Deal an extra 2d8 necrotic damage to the target if the attack hits. If you spend a charge in this way and the attack reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the Bloodbow does not gain a charge. (As above)
Could you amazing people help me decide which effect to go with? I'm trying to balance it out to being a Rare item. Also, if anyone has any ideas on how to word these effects to better reflect the language used in the books, I'm all ears!
Most items don't reference alignment, as it has no mechanical effect. Instead of Furthermore, you drift ... gains the following flaw: I think you can just put You gain the following flaw
I love the theme of the weapon, but I feel like there will be a lot of extra book-keeping involved. I would probably do something with more fixed values or triggers that happen less often to reduce the die rolling. Also, max HP drain on the wielder could be devastating. I would just do damage and healing / temp HP.
+1 Attack and Damage rolls
When you deal damage with the weapon, the target's max HP is also reduced Note that since this is a weapon for a PC, this probably won't effect that much, as NPCs do not recover HP as often Also, possibly give the target a saving throw to resist, like the wight life drain attack
Wielder gains temp HP equal to half the damage dealt
Wielder takes damage that cannot be reduced equal to their proficiency bonus for the blood arrows (does not reduce max HP)
I feel like adding in charges would start to push it into Very Rare. Thoughts on your charge options
Maybe, though that could be quite the game theory experiment. I might let the user choose on hit whether they pay the damage cost or not
That is too good for a rare weapon.
I like this the most, though I would just have it with the second option, +2d8 necrotic damage.
Most items don't reference alignment, as it has no mechanical effect. Instead of Furthermore, you drift ... gains the following flaw: I think you can just put You gain the following flaw
I love the theme of the weapon, but I feel like there will be a lot of extra book-keeping involved. I would probably do something with more fixed values or triggers that happen less often to reduce the die rolling. Also, max HP drain on the wielder could be devastating. I would just do damage and healing / temp HP.
+1 Attack and Damage rolls
When you deal damage with the weapon, the target's max HP is also reduced Note that since this is a weapon for a PC, this probably won't effect that much, as NPCs do not recover HP as often Also, possibly give the target a saving throw to resist, like the wight life drain attack
Wielder gains temp HP equal to half the damage dealt
Wielder takes damage that cannot be reduced equal to their proficiency bonus for the blood arrows (does not reduce max HP)
I feel like adding in charges would start to push it into Very Rare. Thoughts on your charge options
Maybe, though that could be quite the game theory experiment. I might let the user choose on hit whether they pay the damage cost or not
That is too good for a rare weapon.
I like this the most, though I would just have it with the second option, +2d8 necrotic damage.
My party is very roleplay heavy, and all love going along with their alignments, so alignment changes based on character actions and story developments actually mean quite a lot to them, so while I'd agree with you if I were just creating this to put it out there, this particular item is a little more personalized.
I'm aware that NPC healing is less common, but I really like it for the flavor of the weapon: a soul-sucking terror. I do think I'll add a DC 14 (15?) CON save to resist, though.
My concern with Temp HP is that you can only benefit from one amount of it at a time, so if you hit twice, you're only gaining the benefit once (though you could choose the higher).
I like the fixed amount, especially because, at their current level, that's the average of the damage they'd be taking anyway.
That was my thoughts exactly: an interesting experiment. You're right though, it's a little too strong
I agree: very strong; it was an idea I recieved from another round of feedback elsewhere and wanted to check it out.
Eh, I'll leave the first option there as well and still keep it as choosing before you roll to attack. That way it helps to balance the large amount of extra damage it deals while still offering a way to spend charges that isn't a total waste.
What if I altered it like so:
You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
Whenever you hit a creature with an attack made by this weapon, unless that creature is a construct or undead, it must a a DC 15 constitution saving throw. If it fails the save, its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage dealt by the attack, and you regain hit points equal to the amount of piercing damage dealt; if you would gain more hit points than you are missing, the remainder are added as temporary hit points. Additionally, whenever an attack made with the weapon reduces a creature to 0 hit points, it gainst one charge. It can hold up to 4 charges. A charge can be spent before you make an attack with the weapon in one of the following ways:
Negate the necrotic damage dealt to you for this attack.
Deal an extra 2d8 necrotic damage to the target if the attack hits. If you spend a charge in this way and the attack reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the Bloodbow does not gain a charge.
Curse. This bow is cursed, and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to you. This sinister, ebony bow does not use normal ammunition. Instead, when you draw its string back, an arrow of your own blood forms, which you may then fire as normal. When you make an attack roll with this weapon, you also take necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus. As long as you remain cursed, you are unwilling to part with the bow, keeping it within reach at all times. Furthermore, you drift slowly in alignment towards chaotic evil, moving one step along either the law-chaos or good-evil axis every 1d10 days you are attuned to this weapon. A chaotic evil creature afflicted by this curse also gains the following flaw: “I love causing other people’s suffering, and I take every perceived slight against me as an act of hostility.”
Design notes:
I made constructs and undead not have to worry about the soul siphoning for flavor
I added the save, and made the healing dependent on the target failing its save, but to account for the reduced chances of the healing happening, i made it the full amount of piercing damage dealt.
I added an overheal mechanic to replicate the HP increase of the previous design while reducing bookkeeping.
I went with the third charge option and kept both charge uses.
I decided to use your suggestion of the proficiency bonus being the self-inflicted damage
Given that your target rarity is Rare, I think giving straight up healing is too good. As temp HP, it still can be used to feed the wielder's life drain on attack, and can be replenished with the target life drain on hit.
Could you amazing people help me decide which effect to go with? I'm trying to balance it out to being a Rare item. Also, if anyone has any ideas on how to word these effects to better reflect the language used in the books, I'm all ears!
Most items don't reference alignment, as it has no mechanical effect.
Instead of Furthermore, you drift ... gains the following flaw:
I think you can just put You gain the following flaw
I love the theme of the weapon, but I feel like there will be a lot of extra book-keeping involved. I would probably do something with more fixed values or triggers that happen less often to reduce the die rolling. Also, max HP drain on the wielder could be devastating. I would just do damage and healing / temp HP.
Note that since this is a weapon for a PC, this probably won't effect that much, as NPCs do not recover HP as often
Also, possibly give the target a saving throw to resist, like the wight life drain attack
I feel like adding in charges would start to push it into Very Rare. Thoughts on your charge options
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My party is very roleplay heavy, and all love going along with their alignments, so alignment changes based on character actions and story developments actually mean quite a lot to them, so while I'd agree with you if I were just creating this to put it out there, this particular item is a little more personalized.
What if I altered it like so:
Given that your target rarity is Rare, I think giving straight up healing is too good. As temp HP, it still can be used to feed the wielder's life drain on attack, and can be replenished with the target life drain on hit.
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That's fair. Thanks for all your help! If you'd like to give it to one of your players, I have written it up here on DnDBeyond: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/1225613-bloodbow