Oathbow
D&D 5e · 2014·Weapons·Very Rare·Requires attunement
Base weapon damage before your ability modifier. Use the calculator to include hit chance and critical hits.
Damage calculator
Hit chance
55%
Expected damage / attack
4.35
Attack bonus
+5
Average normal hit: 7.5 · Average critical hit: 12 · Critical chance: 5%.
- Category
- Martial weapon
- Damage type
- Piercing
- Normal / long range
- 150 / 600 ft.
- Magic attack bonus
- +0
- Weight
- 2 lb
- Attunement
- Required
- Rarity
- Very Rare
- Price
- Not specified
Magic: Attack 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 Oathbow 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 1d8 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 150 feet and the maximum is 600 feet; attacks beyond normal range have Disadvantage. The calculator lets you model the attack mode separately.
- This weapon needs two hands when you attack, so a wielded shield conflicts with that attack setup.
- This item uses one of your attunement slots. Compare its benefit with the other items you want to keep attuned.
When you nock an arrow on this bow, it whispers in Elvish, “Swift defeat to my enemies.” When you use this weapon to make a ranged attack, you can, as a command phrase, say, “Swift death to you who have wronged me.” The target of your attack becomes your sworn enemy until it dies or until dawn seven days later. You can have only one such sworn enemy at a time. When your sworn enemy dies, you can choose a new one after the next dawn. When you make a ranged attack roll with this weapon against your sworn enemy, you have advantage on the roll. In addition, your target gains no benefit from cover, other than total cover, and you suffer no disadvantage due to long range. If the attack hits, your sworn enemy takes an extra 3d6 piercing damage. While your sworn enemy lives, you have disadvantage on attack rolls with all other weapons.
Full item details & properties
Rules for this edition
- Proficiency
- A martial ranged weapon; proficiency allows adding your Proficiency Bonus to its attack rolls.
Magic properties
- Activation
- Attack with this weapon.
- Consumable
- No
- Sworn enemy
- Speak command phrase on a ranged attack; one sworn enemy until death or dawn seven days later. After death choose another only after next dawn. Against it: Advantage, ignore non-total Cover and long-range Disadvantage, extra 3d6 Piercing on hit. Other weapon attacks have Disadvantage while it lives.
Weapon details
- Damage
- 1d8 piercing
- Weapon class
- Martial Ranged
- Range
- 150 / 600 ft. (normal / long)
- Ammunition
- Arrows
Properties
Ammunition(range 150/600)
You can use a weapon that has the ammunition property to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire from the weapon. Each time you attack with the weapon, you expend one piece of
Heavy
Small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons. A heavy weapon's size and bulk make it too large for a Small creature to use effectively.
Two-Handed
This weapon requires two hands when you attack with it.
Tags & related references
Compare alternatives
Same edition, using your calculator inputs above. Special properties and character features can change the choice.
Same base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity
Longbow (+3)7.58 expected damage / attack70% hit chance1d8 +3 piercing · +3 magic attack · 150 ft. rangeNot specified · 2 lbSame base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity
Longbow (+1)5.33 expected damage / attack60% hit chance1d8 +1 piercing · +1 magic attack · 150 ft. rangeNot specified · 2 lbSame base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity
Longbow (+2)6.4 expected damage / attack65% hit chance1d8 +2 piercing · +2 magic attack · 150 ft. rangeNot specified · 2 lbSame base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity
Ordinary attacks only. Matching extra-damage conditions follow your input; alternatives keep their default bonus allocation.
Oathbow FAQ
Does Oathbow require attunement?
Yes. You need to attune to this item to use the properties that require attunement.
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.