exit wound and a slaying arrow

[Torpin]

so one of my players has a bow with exit wounds special ability, and when were were randomly determining treasure last night we generated a slaying arrow. now i think when a exit wound bow fires a slaying arrow it gets one opportunity to slay and the rest of the attack is treated like a normal exit wound attack?

[Uncle Pine]

Weapons with the exit wound ability propel their ammunition entirely through living targets they hit. This effect deals an extra 1d6 points of damage. The weapon or projectile continues in a straight line beyond the original target. Targets in that path are attacked using the same attack roll as the original target; these additional targets gain a +4 bonus to AC for each previous target in the path. When an exit wound weapon or projectile hits an object, it stops. The exit wound ability can be applied to any ranged weapon; projectile weapons so enhanced bestow the ability on their ammunition.

The relevant text is quite straightforward and nothing in the description of slaying arrow in the DMG suggests any conflict with the above. Therefore, if you're have an exit wound bow and an aberration slaying arrow and there happen to be a bunch of mind flayers conveniently lined up in front of you, you can try to slay them all with a single attack roll.

[BowStreetRunner]

The relevant text is quite straightforward and nothing in the description of slaying arrow in the DMG suggests any conflict with the above...

Actually, it's not in the specific slaying arrow description, but in the overall Weapons description of the magic items section.

Magic Ammunition and Breakage: When a magic arrow, crossbow bolt, or sling bullet misses its target, there is a 50% chance it breaks or otherwise is rendered useless. A magic arrow, bolt, or bullet that hits is destroyed.

So if a magic bow with the Exit Wound property uses an arrow that is already magical, that arrow is destroyed with the first hit. However, if it uses mundane ammunition, it confers its bonuses and properties upon that ammunition, but the ammunition is only treated as if it were magical for very specific purposes (such as overcoming damage reduction as also managed no page 221) but not for determining if it is destroyed upon hitting.

Basically, you can use the Exit Wound property only with mundane ammunition because of this rule.

[Hackulator]

Actually, it's not in the specific slaying arrow description, but in the overall Weapons description of the magic items section.



So if a magic bow with the Exit Wound property uses an arrow that is already magical, that arrow is destroyed with the first hit. However, if it uses mundane ammunition, it confers its bonuses and properties upon that ammunition, but the ammunition is only treated as if it were magical for very specific purposes (such as overcoming damage reduction as also managed no page 221) but not for determining if it is destroyed upon hitting.

Basically, you can use the Exit Wound property only with mundane ammunition because of this rule.

I'm pretty sure this is a textbook case of the specific over the general. I would definitely say a magic arrow used in an Exit Wound bow is supposed to function against all the targets.

[Telonius]

A bow has to be +1 before you can add the Exit Wound special ability to it; so I think it's pretty clear that Exit Wound has to ignore the usual rules on magic ammunition breakage in order for it to do anything at all.

The only question I'd have would be about whether the Slaying Arrow would act like more like something that discharges once (like a spell-storing melee weapon), or if it's something that would carry over until it's finished hitting things. I could see an argument for either one of those.

[KillianHawkeye]

Actually, it's not in the specific slaying arrow description, but in the overall Weapons description of the magic items section.



So if a magic bow with the Exit Wound property uses an arrow that is already magical, that arrow is destroyed with the first hit. However, if it uses mundane ammunition, it confers its bonuses and properties upon that ammunition, but the ammunition is only treated as if it were magical for very specific purposes (such as overcoming damage reduction as also managed no page 221) but not for determining if it is destroyed upon hitting.

Basically, you can use the Exit Wound property only with mundane ammunition because of this rule.

That's literally the same rule they use for mundane ammunition. So no, you're wrong.

An arrow that hits its target is destroyed; one that misses has a 50% chance of being destroyed or lost.

A bolt that hits its target is destroyed; one that misses has a 50% chance of being destroyed or lost.

A bullet that hits its target is destroyed; one that misses has a 50% chance of being destroyed or lost.

[Segev]

Indeed, there is no reason to assume that magical ammo fired with the Exit Wound property (from itself or its launching aparatus) would fail to convey all of its magical effects to all targets that Exit Wound enables it to hit. This is a potent combination.

[Torpin]

Indeed, there is no reason to assume that magical ammo fired with the Exit Wound property (from itself or its launching aparatus) would fail to convey all of its magical effects to all targets that Exit Wound enables it to hit. This is a potent combination.

my thought is that it is a single use magic item, so the spell is used a single time, since the weapon is a vessel for finger of death, not chained finger of death, thus once the first target it can slay it uses slaying, with the rest of the attacks being resolved as normal

[Hackulator]

my thought is that it is a single use magic item, so the spell is used a single time, since the weapon is a vessel for finger of death, not chained finger of death, thus once the first target it can slay it uses slaying, with the rest of the attacks being resolved as normal

It's a single use magic item because once it's used successfully, it breaks. In this case we're saying that the exit wound property causes it to not break till it finishes hitting everyone it would hit.

[Torpin]

hows this for a thought, since every additional target gets +4n bonus to ac, each addition creature gets a +4n bonus to the save where n is the number of previous creatures hit by the arrow.

[animewatcha]

So here we come in with shenanigans and conflicting fine print.

So you are using this with a arrow, which means legal candidate for Arrowsplit and splitting enhancement. Which means multiple range attacks.

Option number 1:

Combine this with Penetrating shot feat ( and I think woodland tactics feat that adds 4 to attack roll for each missed shot in the same round). 60 foot line. Make attack roll against each creature in it hit or miss. So Resolving arrow number 1 of the machine-gun arrows.

Does it hit number 1? If so, attack mob number 2 per the exit wound enhancement and so forth all with attack number 1 of arrow 1 of penetrating shot. When misses....Move to attack mob number 2 of arrow number 1 of penetrating shot feat. Check that for exit wound and so on. Go through all that for each target down the line of penetrating feat for arrow 1. What done with that... Number onto arrow number 2 of arrowsplit+splitting enhancement.

Option 2:

Arrowsplit + splitting enhancement + arcane archer fireball. Each target successfully hit suffers that fort save vs slaying and gets NO SAVE versus fireball in that line. If arrow misses then, IIRC, arrow lands within 5 feet missed target which sets of fireball for reflex save. Repeat for each arrow of arrowsplit+splitting enhancement.

so pretty much.
Option 1 cause your d20 to say "I QUIT" from being rolled a billion times and drastically increases the chance that a mob rolls a nat 1 versus the slay arrow.

Option 2 does the Die Hard movie series justice and potentially opens a portal to the plane of fire.

[Hackulator]

RAW it should definitely work, Slaying Arrow says "This +1 arrow is keyed to a particular type or subtype of creature. If it strikes such a creature, the target must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or die". The arrow is clearly striking multiple targets, it should affect them all and then break after the attack is resolved.