D&D 5E Magic Ranged Weapons and Magic Ammunition

LordEntrails

Hero

• May 5, 2019

• #1

(My search fu both in the books and online is very weak today)

RAW:
Ranged magic weapons, do they add their magic bonus to both the attack and damage roles?
Magic ammunition, do they? Do they stack with magic weapons?

 

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Satyrn

First Post

• May 5, 2019

• #2

The weapon +x entry says nothing about whether it's a melee or ranged, so yeah, a longbow +1 applies to attack and damage.

And the ammunition +x entry specifically says it applies to attack and damage.

I don't know about stacking those, but I would rule against it.

 

aco175

Legend

• May 5, 2019

• #3

It does make it slightly more dangerous to give out both magic weapons and ammo. I typically only make ammo that does special things against certain monsters. A giant killer arrow deals (+4d6) vs. giants, or the PC could waster it on a goblin for the normal (1d6) damage. Also, ammo is used up once shot and cannot be re-used. Not sure if that last part is RAW.

 

LordEntrails

Hero

• May 5, 2019

• #4

I think RAW says that ammo that hits is destroyed, and ammo that misses their is a chance to collect undamaged. I'll keep looking.

Maybe sage advice has something...

 

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BluejayJunior

Explorer

• May 6, 2019

• #5

I believe that they both stack. I wouldn't recommend giving out magic bows and magic ammunition with just straight pluses. Granted, I think that's somewhat boring anyway and would prefer more interesting magic weapons.
And I think that you can recover 50% of all ammunition used, whether hit or miss. But for magic ammunition, the enchantment is used up on a hit regardless of if you can recover it intact.

 

Satyrn

First Post

• May 6, 2019

• #6

LordEntrails said:

I think RAW says that ammo that hits is destroyed, and ammo that misses their is a chance to collect undamaged. I'll keep looking.

Maybe sage advice has something...

Click to expand...

Yeah, my DMG says "once it hits a target the ammunition is no longer magical."

 

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lowkey13

Guest

• May 6, 2019

• #7

*Deleted by user*

 

Satyrn

First Post

• May 6, 2019

• #8

lowkey13 said:

(Which is why you shouldn't give out both IMO).

Click to expand...

The is the easiest way to answer the question for a given campaign, certainly.

It's certainly better than the moment of idiocy I had when I introduced magic magazines for my campaign's guns. So now I gotta be real careful that some gunslinger doesn't wind up with a +3 rifle loaded with a +3 magazine holding +3 bullets.

 

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lowkey13

Guest

• May 6, 2019

• #9

*Deleted by user*

 

TwoSix

Dirty, realism-hating munchkin powergamer

• May 6, 2019

• #10

Satyrn said:

It's certainly better than the moment of idiocy I had when I introduced magic magazines for my campaign's guns. So now I gotta be real careful that some gunslinger doesn't wind up with a +3 rifle loaded with a +3 magazine holding +3 bullets.

Click to expand...

What boy doesn't remember when he found his dad's stash of +3 magic magazines hidden in the attic?