Shortbow (+1)
D&D 5e · 2024·Weapons·Uncommon·No attunement
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
+6
Average normal hit: 7.5 · Average critical hit: 11 · Critical chance: 5%.
- Category
- Simple weapon
- Damage type
- Piercing
- Normal / long range
- 80 / 320 ft.
- Magic attack bonus
- +1
- Weight
- 2 lb
- Attunement
- Not required
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Price
- Not specified
Magic: The displayed normal-hit damage includes the magic bonus, before any applicable ability modifier.
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 Shortbow does
- Dexterity can drive this simple 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 80 feet and the maximum is 320 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.
You have a bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. The bonus is determined by the weapon's rarity. This is the uncommon Shortbow (+1) variant. Its magic bonus is +1 to attack rolls and damage rolls.
Full item details & properties
Magic properties
- Activation
- Make attacks using this magic weapon.
- Consumable
- No
- Conditions & limits
- The displayed normal-hit damage includes the magic bonus, before any applicable ability modifier. Ammunition fired from this magic weapon is magical for determining resistances and immunities.
Weapon details
- Damage
- 1d6 + 1 piercing
- Weapon class
- Simple Ranged
- Range
- 80 / 320 ft. (normal / long)
- Ammunition
- Arrow
Properties
Ammunition(Range 80/320; Arrow)
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.
Two-Handed
A Two-Handed weapon requires two hands when you attack with it.
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
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
Shortbow (+3)6.83 expected damage / attack70% hit chance1d6 +3 piercing · +3 magic attack · 80 ft. rangeNot specified · 2 lbSame 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 lbUses the same attack ability; compare handling and damage
Heavy Crossbow (+1)5.98 expected damage / attack60% hit chance1d10 +1 piercing · +1 magic attack · 100 ft. rangeNot specified · 18 lbUses the same attack ability; compare handling and damage
Ordinary attacks only. Matching extra-damage conditions follow your input; alternatives keep their default bonus allocation.
Shortbow FAQ
Does Shortbow 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.