Bow for around 3K?

[yoshi67]

During a particularly hard fight, I had to drop my darkwood bow into a pit or fall. I'm playing a hexblade with 18 Str and Dex so having a decent bow is useful to me. My group is also in a city that we saved in the fight, so we get a 25% discount. I'm thinking a darkwood composite longbow (430gp) with +4 strength (400gp) and Precise (2000gp) because I don't want to spend a feat to get it and in a group of fighters being able to negate the -4 penalty when shooting into fights is important.

So total its 2830gp, with the discount about 2100gp. Any ideas for an extra add-on or a better bow?

*3k just happens to be what I have in loose spending coin, I can probably get three times that so I'm open to slightly more expensive bows. I'm melee focused with an awesome sword so I don't need a crazy bow, just something to take advantage of my Dex when I can't engage quickly or have enemies (especially casters) at range.

[torrasque666]

Maybe Magebane?(MiC p38) It gets to count as a but higher against arcanes.

[yoshi67]

Maybe Magebane?(MiC p38) It gets to count as a but higher against arcanes.

I considered it and will probably add it with our next "payday". I just feel Precise is more useful now, since we are fighting an orc warlord and his army but there are hints sorcerers are manipulating him behind the scenes. Definitely something that would help.

[da_chicken]

I'm not sure you have any options here. Weapon abilities can only be added to weapons that are +1 or better, so the mimimum price of a bow with the precise ability is 8000gp + cost of the masterwork bow.

[Gildedragon]

So let's see:

Longbow (75)
Masterwork (+300) and if War of the Lance is allowed Weapon of Legend (+1200)
Elvencraft (+300, RoTW)
Dragonbone (+100, Draconomicon) +4 str (400)
Long Range (+100 Dr358)
Ornate (+400 ibid)
2 wand chambers (+200 Ds)
Has a base cost of 3075 for a: +5 to hit +4 str Composite Longbow with a range of 130' that acts as a quarterstaff with +5 to hit and a +2 bonus to diplomacy

Completely mundane.
If you have the feat to spare one can make it a Greatbow (to boost the damage die) and end up with a cost of 3250gp, 150' range, and a 1d10 damage die


Edit:
Going for an Elven Double Bow +925gp on Longbow price means that with EWP you can get an extra attack; else it works as a normal longbow

and for 200gp a piece you can add hilt hollows to both ends of the staff and get small storage spaces for miscelaneous things, such as 2 v. special arrows...

[Bullet06320]

Ornate (+400 ibid)
2 wand chambers (+200 Ds)

I don't recognize the 2 sources

nice BTW

[Gildedragon]

Ds: Dungeonscape

ibid, as above, ie: Dragon 358

[Sith_Happens]

Why darkwood? It only has any particular benefit for shields. Getting one made of dragonbone (Draconomicon, 300 gp IIRC) instead will give you a longer range increment, or there's a material in BoED whose name I forget that makes any arrow fired from it pierce DR/good.

You'll also want the bow to be Elvencraft (RotW, 600 gp) so it counts as a quarterstaff. In addition to the obvious benefits of having a melee weapon at the ready, this also means you can fit it with up to two wand chambers (Dungeonscape, 150 gp each). A wand held in a wand chamber is considered ready as long as you're wielding that weapon.

[Bullet06320]

Ds: Dungeonscape

ibid, as above, ie: Dragon 358

thanks, I should've recognize Ds

[Gildedragon]

Why darkwood? It only has any particular benefit for shields. Getting one made of dragonbone (Draconomicon, 300 gp IIRC) instead will give you a longer range increment, or there's a material in BoED whose name I forget that makes any arrow fired from it pierce DR/good.

You'll also want the bow to be Elvencraft (RotW, 600 gp) so it counts as a quarterstaff. In addition to the obvious benefits of having a melee weapon at the ready, this also means you can fit it with up to two wand chambers (Dungeonscape, 150 gp each). A wand held in a wand chamber is considered ready as long as you're wielding that weapon.

elvencraft is 300gp not 600, and wand chambers are 100gp, not 150

[Mandark]

I'd suggest splitting. Champions of Ruin.
Splitting (+3): Any arrow or bolt fired from a splitting weapon magically splits into two missiles in mid-flight. Both missiles are identical, sharing the nonsplitting properties of the original missile. Both missiles strike the same target. Make a separate attack roll for each missile using the same attack bonus. Requires the precise shot feat.
It might be too expensive, but you'll double your arrow output.

[yoshi67]

I'd suggest splitting. Champions of Ruin.

Yeah that's way out of my price range at the moment, and I don't want to spend a feat on Precise Shot, but it sounds very cool for later in our game. Does anyone know if the Precise enhancement can be used instead of the Precise Shot requirement? I know it would be very expensive, just wondering.

For everyone else, probably should have mentioned our DM has hard book restrictions. We can use PHB, DMG, all the Compendiums, all the Completes, and Guide to Faerun. That's it. I wanted darkwood because it's guaranteed to float in anything and in those books there aren't any other useful materials for a bow. For 30gp I think it's worth it.

Also, I'm kinda new and the way I read enchantments was the price for Precise is *+1*. A +1 in the chart is 2000gp so I assumed the price for a bow with Precise would include the bow (100gp), masterwork (300gp), strength +4 (400gp), and the enchantment (2000gp for +1). Is this right?

Our Faerun is modified and is very practical. Most people don't have the strength to use a +4 bow so hardly any are made. We are in a town with a master bowyer and a few casters so this bow will be made to order. Any way to work around the price since I'm having it custom made? We saved the town from a dragon attack and with my high diplomacy I'm thinking about trying to pay for the material cost (400gp for masterworks bow and 1000gp for the diamond for the enchantment) and consider the labor a thank-you-for-saving-us gift.

EDIT: I'm dumb, I can't use Splitting later because I can't use the book.

[HalfQuart]

I'd suggest splitting. Champions of Ruin.
Splitting (+3):
Huh? He's asking for something that costs around 3,000 gp and you suggest something that costs ~32,000 gp?

If you're looking for something that's just a bit of a stretch, you can make it out of Serren from BoED for +4,000gp and get the ghost touch property, without requiring a magic weapon.

You could also see if you could get some Razorfeather ammunition (MM5 p169) -- they don't have a stated price, but say that the razorfeathers are worth 50gp each, and since the PHB crafting rules (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/craft.htm) state that the raw materials make up 1/3 of the final cost, so that would be 150gp each... probably plus masterwork costs, so that would add 300gp/50=6gp each, for a total cost of 156 gp each. That's pretty cheap to get adamantine + keen! [Good luck trying to get that cheese past your DM :-) ]

Edit: Never Mind; just saw your book limitations.

[HalfQuart]

Also, I'm kinda new and the way I read enchantments was the price for Precise is *+1*. A +1 in the chart is 2000gp so I assumed the price for a bow with Precise would include the bow (100gp), masterwork (300gp), strength +4 (400gp), and the enchantment (2000gp for +1). Is this right?
You can't add a magical special ability to a weapon unless it already has a +1 or better enhancement value. So to get a Precise weapon, you add it a +1 weapon, making it effectively a +2 weapon (costing 8,000 gp). You can read more about it here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicWeapons.htm), especially paragraphs 1 and 3, but the pertinent phrase is "A weapon with a special ability must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus."

[Gildedragon]

Also, I'm kinda new and the way I read enchantments was the price for Precise is *+1*. A +1 in the chart is 2000gp so I assumed the price for a bow with Precise would include the bow (100gp), masterwork (300gp), strength +4 (400gp), and the enchantment (2000gp for +1). Is this right?


Nope
You need the bow to have a +1 enhancement bonus and then you can add +1 special abilities.
So the minimum cost for a Precise Mighty+4 LongBow is 8800, and it comes with a +1 to hit and to damage.
Also Darkwood: doesn't do a thing to your bow, so unless you liking that for flavor drop it

Edit: Swordsaged!


PHB, DMG, all the Compendiums, all the Completes, and Guide to Faerun. That's it. I wanted darkwood because it's guaranteed to float in anything and in those books there aren't any other useful materials for a bow. For 30gp I think it's worth it.
Complete Scoundrel has a punching dagger you can add to your bow at 4gp, separately enhanceable. That's it.
Also what compendiums: There is Dragon Compendium and... thazzit with "compendium" in its name

[torrasque666]

Magic item Compendium, Spell Compendium.

[Gildedragon]

Magic item Compendium, Spell Compendium.

Oh yeah!

So there is Bow of the Winterymoon (Relic) for 3ish K, composite longbow so you might get to add the mightyness as normal

There is the Bowstaff at 4k... which is essentially an elvencraft bow

Then the swordbow at 6k...

[Feint's End]

I second guigarci's suggestion. I doubt weapon of legend is allowed but it is still very solid otherwise.

Your second option is of course to just take an elvencraft composit longbow +1 with str adjustment of +4.

[Gavinfoxx]

So let's see:

Longbow (75)
Masterwork (+300) and if War of the Lance is allowed Weapon of Legend (+1200)
Elvencraft (+300, RoTW)
Dragonbone (+100, Draconomicon) +4 str (400)
Long Range (+100 Dr358)
Ornate (+400 ibid)
2 wand chambers (+200 Ds)
Has a base cost of 3075 for a: +5 to hit +4 str Composite Longbow with a range of 130' that acts as a quarterstaff with +5 to hit and a +2 bonus to diplomacy

Completely mundane.
If you have the feat to spare one can make it a Greatbow (to boost the damage die) and end up with a cost of 3250gp, 150' range, and a 1d10 damage die


Edit:
Going for an Elven Double Bow +925gp on Longbow price means that with EWP you can get an extra attack; else it works as a normal longbow

and for 200gp a piece you can add hilt hollows to both ends of the staff and get small storage spaces for miscelaneous things, such as 2 v. special arrows...


The problem is you need to make each aspect masterwork or give the dragonlance stuff separately. So one for the bow, one for the main end of the quarterstaff, one for the secondary.

[Seerow]

Huh, I had never looked at Dragon 358 before. While most of what it does my homebrew generally does better, I do really like some of that stuff. The Ornate property in particular may end up being something a few of my characters buy on literally everything.