Your best unique homebrew magic bow

[BDRook]

So I had a 4e game that I'm converting into a 5e one. I have an 11th level party who is decked out with magic weapons. I told them not all of their magic stuff will carry over to the new edition, but I figure at level 11, and after all of their adventuring up until that point, all of them would at least have magic weapons.

So I'm looking through the DMG for cool magic weapons, and I can't believe that the only magical bow is a legendary +3. I guess WotC really didn't plan on anybody actually playing the ranger class. I do plan on giving her that bow as a reward for finishing a backstory mission for her, but I'll need a less powerful one in the meantime. So I'm reaching out to you creative people! What would be a cool +1 bow to give to my Beast Conclave Ranger?

[Shining Wrath]

Suggestion: take the elven Moonblade. Call it a bow. Add bonus features until you think it's a good match power-wise to what others get. A sentient bow (if you wish) gives you some role-playing opportunities.

[Gastronomie]

I am not a fan of +1 weapons, those sorts of stuff are too bland as well as potentially game-breaking in 5e.

Since you said beast conclave:

Bow of Animal Spirits, or whatever you want to call it, because I couldn't think up a good name at the moment
Rare weapon (any bow), requires attunement by a Ranger
This bow has 7 charges. When you miss with an attack done with this bow, you can expend 1 charge to re-roll the attack roll (without advantage nor disadvantage), and use the new result.
Also, when you hit an enemy with an attack done with this bow, you can expend 1 charge to mark him with the magic of animal spirits. Until the start of your next turn, all creatures except you gain advantage on attack rolls against the target.
When you take a short rest, recharge 1d4+3 charges.

It's tactical, probably fun to use, and also synergetic with both Sharpshooter and your beast companion. But if the Beast Ranger's pet is a wolf, consider something else, because by RAW advantage does not stack.

[Nemenia]

The howling tooth.
requires attunement, any class

This +1 bow functions as a regular bow, but once per day, the creature attuned to it can speak the command word upon firing, and the next arrow fired will take the appearance of a leaping wolf. The bow will do an extra 1d8 bonus damage, and the spirit wolf will give the user's allies (Pack Tactics), giving anyone in melee range advantage on their attacks until the start of the user's next turn. This power recharges at dawn.

[Nemenia]

I am not a fan of +1 weapons, those sorts of stuff are too bland as well as potentially game-breaking in 5e.

Since you said beast conclave:

Bow of Animal Spirits, or whatever you want to call it, because I couldn't think up a good name at the moment
Rare weapon (any bow), requires attunement by a Ranger
This bow has 7 charges. When you miss with an attack done with this bow, you can expend 1 charge to re-roll the attack roll (without advantage nor disadvantage), and use the new result.
Also, when you hit an enemy with an attack done with this bow, you can expend 1 charge to mark him with the magic of animal spirits. Until the start of your next turn, all creatures except you gain advantage on attack rolls against the target.
When you take a short rest, recharge 1d4+3 charges.

It's tactical, probably fun to use, and also synergetic with both Sharpshooter and your beast companion. But if the Beast Ranger's pet is a wolf, consider something else, because by RAW advantage does not stack.

Wow, beaten to it. Yours took out the +1 and you made it much more powerful though

[lunaticfringe]

Flame Tongue seems like an awesome weapon to convert into a bow. The arrow tips burst into flames when knocked and shed light in a 10ft radius instead of a 40ft radius (like Produce Flame).

+1 Bow with the Javelin of Lightning special ability would be fun for an Archer.

The is a Dagger in RoT that I use for a base for Bows. It deals Acid originally but I swap that out.

Rare
+1, +1d6 Damage of your Choice
Against X these bonuses increase to +2 & 2d6

[Gastronomie]

Wow, beaten to it. Yours took out the +1 and you made it much more powerful thoughI supposed it's fine since it's level 11, but on second thought it might be too strong. I dunno... need help from others to be sure.

But your image of an arrow turning into a leaping wolf does seem badass.

[lunaticfringe]

It's the charges regained at a Short Rest, that seems kinda broken to me. What other magic item does that? I like the 1/Day aspect.

[Shining Wrath]

Since it's for a Beast Conclave Ranger.

Bow of Beast Vision
When you take the Attack action, you may fire an arrow or arrows from the position of your animal companion instead of your own. This attack or attacks are treated as surprise attacks regardless of whether the target has acted yet in this combat. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a rest.

[BDRook]

The howling tooth.
requires attunement, any class

This +1 bow functions as a regular bow, but once per day, the creature attuned to it can speak the command word upon firing, and the next arrow fired will take the appearance of a leaping wolf. The bow will do an extra 1d8 bonus damage, and the spirit wolf will give the user's allies (Pack Tactics), giving anyone in melee range advantage on their attacks until the start of the user's next turn. This power recharges at dawn.

Oh man this is exactly what I was looking for, thank you! It's perfect, she's going to love it!

[some guy]

Bow of the Hunt +1
requires attunement
Once per long rest, as an action, the wielder can fire a shot and teleport to where the arrow lands.

Instead of dealing damage, the wielder can mark a target with a spectral arrow. The wielder can use an action to determine the direction, distance and general health of the marked target. There can only be one target marked at a time. The mark can be removed as an action by the wielder, or by remove curse (non-detection or higher magic also would work).

(this is for a pc with the bounty hunter background in my game, it might not fit your game)

[CursedRhubarb]

Bow of Snaring Missile:
Required attunement by a Ranger.

Arrows fired from this bow count as magical for overcoming damage resistance/immunity

This bow has a max of 4 charges, regaining 1d4 spent charges at dawn. When an attack is made with this bow a charge can be expended to ensnare the target in a magical web rather than deal damage. This charge can be spent before or after the attack roll but before confirmation of hit or miss.

An ensnared target is restrained and has movement speed reduced to 0 and can not cast spells with Somatic components. The target can use an action to make a Strength check (Athletics) to escape the web. The DC for this check is equal to the Ranger's spell save.

Wearing Gloves of Missile Snaring and wielding this bow has a similar effect to placing a Portable Hole inside a Bag of Holding.

[Gastronomie]

It's the charges regained at a Short Rest, that seems kinda broken to me. What other magic item does that? I like the 1/Day aspect.Oh s*** I completely miswrote it. I meant long rest. It seems I have too much Exhaustion levels.

@Topic Creator: While I do think Nemenia's item is thematic and cool, I personally think it could be weaker than general items level 11 characters get (of course, it depends on the number of magic items the characters get throughout the campaign though). Of course it's your game and it's Nemenia's item, but if I were to advice I'd make it 1/short rest or something.

[BDRook]

Bow of the Hunt +1
requires attunement
Once per long rest, as an action, the wielder can fire a shot and teleport to where the arrow lands.)

I really like this idea too, but instead of having the bow teleport them, I'll make it magic arrows!

[Aelyn]

Portal Bow :-D
Very Rare, requires Attunement.

Has 7 charges. In place of an attack, the attuned bearer may expend a single charge and shoot an arrow at a vertical surface. This is treated as an attack against an AC of 10, with any modifiers applying as though the targeted area was a creature.

An oval portal, 6ft high and 3ft wide, appears on the surface, and remains open for 1 minute or until it is dismissed. This can only be done of the surface has a flat area larger than the portal. If there would be more than two portals open at a time, one existing portal of the wielder's choice is automatically dismissed; alternatively, the wielder can dismiss one or both portals as a Bonus Action.

If there are two portals open at the same time within 120ft of each other, they are treated as adjacent. Any creature that fits can move between them freely, light shines through (allowing creatures to see through the portal) and so forth.

A single portal has no effect by itself. If a creature is partway between the portals when one or both is dismissed, it takes 2d6 Force damage and is pushed to either side of the portal (wielder's choice)

The bow recovers 1d4+3 charges at midnight each day.

When used as a weapon, the bow does an additional 1d6 Force damage.

[Citan]

So I had a 4e game that I'm converting into a 5e one. I have an 11th level party who is decked out with magic weapons. I told them not all of their magic stuff will carry over to the new edition, but I figure at level 11, and after all of their adventuring up until that point, all of them would at least have magic weapons.

So I'm looking through the DMG for cool magic weapons, and I can't believe that the only magical bow is a legendary +3. I guess WotC really didn't plan on anybody actually playing the ranger class. I do plan on giving her that bow as a reward for finishing a backstory mission for her, but I'll need a less powerful one in the meantime. So I'm reaching out to you creative people! What would be a cool +1 bow to give to my Beast Conclave Ranger?
A basic idea that I still love. ;)

Bow of Brahma (require attunement)
Named after a mythological creature, this bow is empowered with a mystical energy that guides your arrow to your prey, wherever it is hiding.
This bow has 5 charges, which recharge on long rest.
Once per turn, as a bonus action, you can consume a charge to designate a creature, either by fixing it with your eyes or, if you cannot see it, by naming it or describing it accurately. During this turn, you can make ranged weapon attacks against this creature even if you can't see it, as long as it is within range and not in a completely enclosed space, and these attacks ignore all cover.

This makes it very powerful in that you can still reliably attack an enemy that thought he was behind a total cover when you really need to, but still uses a bonus action to avoid making it too powerful.
The "describe it accurately" rewards a player that pays attention and gives some leeway to the DM if the player is too lazy to actually try and be precise.

I admit it would be more suited for a Hunter than a Beastmaster though. ;) But just removing the bonus action requirement could be enough (don't remember how the "new" Beast works)?

EDIT: thought about adding "third eye" fluff (in reference to the actual god), but would probably be overkill. Wouldn't it be?

[Hrugner]

I'll give it a shot.

Bow of the Absurd Marksman
This flimsy, rough, handmade bow is at its best when the target can't believe the shot could hit. When targeting a foe that is aware of him, the wielder of this bow can spend a bonus action to turn one source of disadvantage or half cover into a source of advantage. If the archer is able to ignore the cover or disadvantage through some other passive means, they can not convert that source to advantage. When not actively wielded this bow appears to be an unworked wooden staff with still green leaves growing from it.

[Cl0001]

In my first game I played a ranger and had that problem. There are basically no special bows, so my dm gave me the oathbow at 9th level. But as a result I made a couple custom bows

Threepeater +3
Once per round you may make an additional 3 attacks against one target

Dragons breath +1
Has 5 charges, recharge 1d4 +1 per day. Use one charge to imbue shot with elemental damage related to type of dragon. Use three to make a dragon breath attack 50 foot cone that does 3d8 of the damage. Proper saving throw DC 8+Dex+Prof

I also came up with attachments
Scope-
- 2x range
- Zero in- for every round spent aiming at a target add 2 to attack roll and damage and disregard Crit fails

Armor piercing arrows
-With a successful hit, target loses 1 AC

[Firechanter]

I dunno, something like a Forcebow would be cool. Something like a blend of archery and Eldritch Blast. It could come in different sizes and have a bigger damage die than a regular bow. You'd also never run out of ammunition. But it should also offer some kind of advantage over just dipping 2 Warlock levels and doing the same thing without a bow.

[MBControl]

I agree, the magic bows are thin in 5e. I have seen a lot more use of magical arrows, and even bow strings, as opposed to the bow being magical itself, so you could ease it up that way. Using magic ammo is a nice touch, because you can really create a "toolbox" in the quiver. The drawback here, is that you will lose these items at a rapid pace.

Arrows:
Magical damage: Fire, Cold, Lightning, Force etc.
Seer/Scout Arrow: Allows the archer to fire the arrow, and gain its visual point of view will the arrow is in flight
Loaded Arrow: Arrow that have spells stored in them, that "release" on a hit
Tinker's Arrow: This is less magical, but give the archer a reasonable opportunity to create specialty arrows, such as bola's, sticky arrows, explosive rounds
Escape Plan arrow: This arrow can be fired into a location. Within a 1 minute span, if the archer is within 60 ft of the arrow, they may "misty step like ability" to the location of the arrow. Once this is used once, the arrow loses this ability. If the arrow is retrieved, before the end of the 1 minute limit without "bamfing" to it, the arrow keeps it's ability.

Bow Strings:
Basically the same as the abilities above, but the string gives the arrows the abilities, and therefore, the loss of the arrow itself isn't a huge drawback. In my opinion, this might as well be a bow's ability, but if you are able to acquire multiple strings, you would be able to switch out effects. You would also apply 1/rest type of restrictions.

Bows:

*Favored Enemy* Bow:
+2 ATK, +2 DMG
There are already similar swords to this. You pick Dragon, Giant, Beholder or whatever, and that bow gives a strong bonus against it. I also like adding a DISADV ability to the target creature, against saves, or ATKs for a round.

Web Slinger:
+1 ATK, +1 DMG
1 per turn, you can attempt to cast the Web spell on a hit. You must declare before the attack is rolled. 3/rest, the spell doesn't resolve on a missed ATK, and does count against your limit.

Double Tap:
+1 ATK, +1 DMG
On a critical hit, you may take an additional attack with this weapon.

[Rerem115]

Our DM handed this out in one of the campaigns I was in, complete with its own subquest to find a bowstring for it :smalltongue:.

Bow of the Caverns
Bow, rare, requires attunement

This ebony bow is of archaic design and is engraved with a thin spiral pattern and strung with a strand of phase spider silk. When attuned, it provides a +1 bonus to damage and attack rolls. Additionally, the wielder of the bow always instinctively knows how deep underground they are and the direction to the nearest way out of a cavern.

As an action, the wielder can make a single shot from the bow. The arrow turns invisible as soon as it leaves the bowstring, and remains invisible until it hits an object or a creature. Unless creatures can see invisible objects, firing an invisible arrow from stealth does not break stealth.

[Afrodactyl]

Hawktalon
This bow of burned ebony is paired with a matching quiver.

This bow functions as a +2 longbow, with the following additional effect. Once per day, you can invoke the magic imbued within the quiver. This generates a number of arrows equal to 1d6+proficiency bonus. These arrows function as normal ammuntion, but add an additional damage die to your damage roll, after other modifiers (so it's applied after things like crits). Any remaining arrows dissipate once you invoke the quiver's magic again.


Giant's Greatbow
A colossal ancient weapon of war carved from the wood of an archtree. The arrows fired are more akin to a knight's lance.

This enormous bow requires either a creature size of large, or a minimum strength of 16 to be able to wield it. If the user does not move on their turn, they may add their strength modifier as well as their dexterity to the damage roll if they hit.

Martial ranged weapon, 2d6 piercing, 25lbs, heavy, ammunition (range 150/600), two-handed.

[Isidorios]

I agree, the magic bows are thin in 5e.

That's because stacking a bow with hit bonuses atop of ammo with hit bonuses begins to mess with bounded accuracy, which is why Bracers of Archery only add a bonus to damage.

Mountain Greatbow
Weapon, Very Rare, Attuned

Damage: 2d6 piercing Wgt: 5lbs
Properties Heavy, Two-handed, Ammunition, Range 150/4800, Siege (x2 damage vs objects)

A composite recurve bow master-crafted by the ancient heroine Petra Lion's-blood.
Fashioned from layers of grey yew and the horn and sinew of the Hunger Mountain Ibex.
Imbued with Anima by Lyander of Argyre, it has an almost effortless draw despite its size and immense power.
It launches arrows with incredible velocity, striking targets as distant as 1 milia.
Arrows shot from it are treated as Adamant against damage resistance, but normal arrows are automatically destroyed when they strike their target.