Dragon Slayer (Hand Crossbow)

D&D 5e · 2024·Weapons·Rare·No attunement

Weapon damage

1d6 +1 piercing

Base weapon damage before your ability modifier. Use the calculator to include hit chance and critical hits.

Damage calculator

Hit chance

60%

Expected damage / attack

4.68

Attack bonus

Average normal hit: 7.5 · Average critical hit: 11 · Critical chance: 5%.

Category: Martial weapon
Damage type: Piercing
Normal / long range: 30 / 120 ft.
Magic attack bonus: +1
Weight: 3 lb
Attunement: Not required
Rarity: Rare
Price: Not specified

Magic: Hit with this weapon.

Calculator assumptions & rules

One attack against a creature. Natural 1 misses; natural 20 hits and doubles damage dice, not flat modifiers. Expected damage includes misses and critical hits. Advantage uses the higher of two d20s; Disadvantage uses the lower. Magic bonuses shown on the item are counted once.

Uses only the weapon’s ordinary hit and the listed on-hit extra dice, when enabled. Class features, Sneak Attack, fighting styles, mastery effects, damage on a miss, special critical-hit effects, ongoing damage, resistance and immunity are excluded. Check the full rules below for additional effects.

Changing calculator inputs does not change the item’s rules or create a new page URL.

What Dragon Slayer does

Dexterity can drive this martial weapon’s attack and damage rolls. Add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll only if you are proficient.
The base 1d6 +1 weapon damage averages 4.5 before your ability modifier and extra effects. Hit chance matters too: compare expected damage per attack rather than the die alone.
The normal range is 30 feet and the maximum is 120 feet; attacks beyond normal range have Disadvantage. The calculator lets you model the attack mode separately.
The extra damage is conditional: Target is dragon. Enable it only when that condition is met; otherwise compare the weapon’s ordinary hit.

You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. The weapon deals an extra 3d6 damage of the weapon's type if the target is a Dragon. This is the Hand Crossbow variant.

Full item details & properties

Magic properties

Activation: Hit with this weapon.
Consumable: No
Enhancement: +1 to attack and damage rolls, included once in displayed damage; add applicable ability modifier separately.
Dragon damage: Only on a hit against a Dragon: extra 3d6 piercing. No extra damage on a miss or against another creature type.

Weapon details

Damage: 1d6 + 1 piercing
Weapon class: Martial Ranged
Damage vs. Dragons: 1d6 + 1 + 3d6 piercing
Range: 30 / 120 ft. (normal / long)
Ammunition: Bolt

Properties

Ammunition(Range 30/120; Bolt)

You can use a weapon that has the Ammunition property to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire from it. The type of ammunition required is specified with the weapon's range. Each attack expends one piece of ammunition. Drawing the ammunition is part of the attack (you need a free hand to load a one-handed weapon). After a fight, you can spend 1 minute to recover half the ammunition (round down) you used in the fight; the rest is lost.

Light

When you take the Attack action on your turn and attack with a Light weapon, you can make one extra attack as a Bonus Action later on the same turn. That extra attack must be made with a different Light weapon, and you don't add your ability modifier to the extra attack's damage unless that modifier is negative.

Loading

You can fire only one piece of ammunition from a Loading weapon when you use an action, a Bonus Action, or a Reaction to fire it, regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.

Weapon mastery

Vex

If you hit a creature with this weapon and deal damage to the creature, you have Advantage on your next attack roll against that creature before the end of your next turn.

You need a feature, such as Weapon Mastery, that unlocks this property for you.

Tags & related references

PiercingVexRare →Attack Roll BonusDamage BonusDragon SlayerExtra Damage Vs DragonsMagicalMartial WeaponNo AttunementRanged WeaponAmmunition →Light →Loading →Weapon →

Compare alternatives

Same edition, using your calculator inputs above. Special properties and character features can change the choice.

Dragon Slayer (Hand Crossbow) · current4.68 expected damage / attack60% hit chance1d6 +1 piercing · +1 magic attack · 30 ft. range · Conditional extra damage; see rulesNot specified · 3 lb Giant Slayer (Hand Crossbow)4.68 expected damage / attack60% hit chance1d6 +1 piercing · +1 magic attack · 30 ft. range · Conditional extra damage; see rulesNot specified · 3 lb

Same base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity

Hand Crossbow (+1)4.68 expected damage / attack60% hit chance1d6 +1 piercing · +1 magic attack · 30 ft. rangeNot specified · 3 lb

Same base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity

Dragon Slayer (Heavy Crossbow)5.98 expected damage / attack60% hit chance1d10 +1 piercing · +1 magic attack · 100 ft. range · Conditional extra damage; see rulesNot specified · 18 lb

Uses the same attack ability; compare handling and damage

Dragon Slayer (Light Crossbow)5.33 expected damage / attack60% hit chance1d8 +1 piercing · +1 magic attack · 80 ft. range · Conditional extra damage; see rulesNot specified · 5 lb

Uses the same attack ability; compare handling and damage

Ordinary attacks only. Matching extra-damage conditions follow your input; alternatives keep their default bonus allocation.

Dragon Slayer FAQ

Does Dragon Slayer require attunement?

No. This entry does not require attunement; follow its activation and use rules.

Is the listed price a guaranteed purchase price?

The source does not specify a price for this entry. Ask your GM about availability and cost.