Weapon of Warning (Shortbow)
D&D 5e · 2024·Weapons·Uncommon·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
3.75
Attack bonus
+5
Average normal hit: 6.5 · Average critical hit: 10 · Critical chance: 5%.
- Category
- Simple weapon
- Damage type
- Piercing
- Normal / long range
- 80 / 320 ft.
- Magic attack bonus
- +0
- Weight
- 2 lb
- Attunement
- Required
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Price
- Not specified
Magic: Both benefits require attunement and the weapon to be within your reach.
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 Weapon of Warning 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 weapon damage averages 3.5 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.
- This item uses one of your attunement slots. Compare its benefit with the other items you want to keep attuned.
As long as this weapon is within your reach and you are attuned to it, you and allies within 30 feet of you gain the following benefits. Alarm. The weapon magically awakens each subject who is sleeping naturally when combat begins. This benefit doesn't wake a subject from magically induced sleep. Supernatural Readiness. Each subject has Advantage on its Initiative rolls. This is the Shortbow variant.
Full item details & properties
Magic properties
- Activation
- Attune to the weapon and keep it within your reach.
- Consumable
- No
- Advantage: Initiative rolls
- You and allies within 30 feet; while you are attuned and the weapon is within your reach.
- Effect range
- 30 ft.; You and Allies. Requires attunement and the weapon within your reach.
- Combat alarm
- Wakes affected natural sleepers when combat begins; does not wake magically induced sleep.
- Conditions & limits
- Both benefits require attunement and the weapon to be within your reach. The alarm wakes natural sleepers when combat begins; it does not wake magically induced sleep. This property adds no bonus to attack rolls or damage rolls.
Weapon details
- Damage
- 1d6 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
Vicious Shortbow7.95 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d6 piercing + 2d6 piercing · +0 magic attack · 80 ft. rangeNot specified · 2 lbSame base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity
Weapon of Warning (Hand Crossbow)3.75 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d6 piercing · +0 magic attack · 30 ft. rangeNot specified · 3 lbUses the same attack ability; compare handling and damage
Weapon of Warning (Heavy Crossbow)4.95 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d10 piercing · +0 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.
Weapon of Warning FAQ
Does Weapon of Warning 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.