The first Thorncaster was given as a corrupted gift from the god, Loki, and contained the spirit of a Vampire Lord in it. This one does not have the vampire curse on it.

When you first look at it, you can tell something is wrong: through the 6 ft length of the bow, the limbs do not look right because they are round and appear like thick thorny vines. Also, the limbs appear bent like they were strung, but there is no string on the bow. In the middle of the bow where you would normally place your grasping hand, is the only space on the entire body where there are no thorns. Instead of a notch, sight, or other spot to indicate where to shoot from, there is a strange looking ruby that cannot be removed. The head of the ruby faces the inside of the bow while the point faces outward. Strange pale red light pulses down the length of the bow along the limbs in a rhythmic fashion. The numerous thorns appear to move in response to this pulsing like grass moves in a breeze.

When you pick up the bow, regardless of hand placement, the ruby will recede into the bow and reappear in the correct spot. Switching from hand to hand will cause the ruby to move and reset correctly, as will turning the bow upside down. Each time the ruby has to reset, it takes a full action. Once you grasp the bow and it is ready, you can feel the connection with it. While the vampiric touch has been removed, it's dark desire is a stain that still holds sway and as such, the weapon cannot be knocked out of your grasp by anything less than the wielder being made unconscious or killed.

Should someone try to take the bow out of the wielder's hand by grabbing it, the thorns will visibly move and extend to stab that person doing 5d4 damage within 2 ft. Likewise, wielding the bow in a defensive manner similar to a staff will also cause the 5d4 damage attack. If the attacker is using a non-magical weapon to cause a melee attack and the bow is being used to defend, the bow will appear to take damage and begin secreting a green sap like substance that sticks to the attackers weapon. The sap will then begin to destroy the weapon as an Acid Splash (1d6) for every round that the attacker continues to attack. If the attacker backs off before the weapon is destroyed, the acid will immediately stop and the damage done will remain. If the weapon is magical, then the sap/acid will visibly travel down the weapon, climb into the glove of the attacker - bypassing all AC - and begin harming the attacker directly. Again, this stops as soon as the attacker backs off. Thorncaster will not actually be damaged in any way.

NOTE: Thorncaster is, in fact, immune to damage. It regenerates itself the same way it regenerates it's thorns. Should the wielder intentionally try to damage the bow by any means, the wielder will be hit with BOTH the 5d4 piercing damage AND the 1d6 acid splash. Also, intentionally attacking a target with the bow in a club like manner will cause the 5d4 damage against both the target AND the wielder. (It doesn't like being used in that way.)

If you go through the motions with the intent to draw the bow, you will see one of the many thorns slide down the limbs and sink into the ruby. Once it has done this, red light will blaze and fill the space where the arrow and string should have been. The red energy arrow, while appearing in your hand, can be seen entering the head of the ruby and the red tip of energy poking out of the point end of the ruby. Unlike a normal bow, you will not tire while holding this position, so taking your time to line up your shot is recommended.

Once the red energy arrow is loosed, you will see it emerge from the point of the ruby and fly to the target as a bolt of red energy, but upon making a successful hit, a real arrow briefly appears and then promptly disappears, leaving only the hole it made. Upon hitting the target, it does the standard 1d8 piercing damage with a +2 to hit and a +2 to damage, and if it is a living target, that target must save vs CON or take bleeding damage (2d4) for the next three rounds. Any form of healing will also stop the bleeding.

Because of the process involved in placing a shot, this bow cannot be shot quickly and is limited to one shot per round. Likewise, other than movement, doing anything else with your hands breaks the connection with the bow and takes a full action to reset. Because it generates it's own ammunition (unlimited), no other forms of ammo may be used.

While being proficient with a longbow does have it's bonus, the usual other bonuses will not apply. Being magical and, previously, vampiric means that only the bonuses from the wielder's CON may be applied. STR, DEX, and any other physical bonuses do not count.

Proficiency with a Longbow allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.

Notes: Bonus: Magic, Damage: Natural Attacks, Ammunition, Heavy, Range, Two-Handed, Slow