D&D 5E Nonmagical arrows and magic bows
- Thread starter Vicar In A Tutu
- Start date
I can't imagine them not imparting the magic to the ammunition. One of the big parts of having a magic weapon is overcoming resistance.
Now I do doubt the modifiers to hit and damage will stack, so if you shoot a +2 arrow from a +1 bow, you don't get a +3 to hit and damage, you would just take the higher.
But yes this is just guessing, because a key book is not out yet. The key book covering magic items the DMG, I am sure a few things that should be known are not yet. You as the DM could make a call and reassure your player as to how it will work in your game no matter what the DMG says.
Now I do doubt the modifiers to hit and damage will stack, so if you shoot a +2 arrow from a +1 bow, you don't get a +3 to hit and damage, you would just take the higher.
But yes this is just guessing, because a key book is not out yet. The key book covering magic items the DMG, I am sure a few things that should be known are not yet. You as the DM could make a call and reassure your player as to how it will work in your game no matter what the DMG says.
Only some monsters that are resistant to non magical weapons are affected by silvered weapons, so not a great solution. Also the cost is prohibitive 10gp per arrow is expensive. So while an option to use on some monsters it is not an outright replacement for magical weapons or ammunition.
Dragongrief
Explorer
Unless a magic bow has been included in one of those adventures, they'll have had no reason to release how it works (and would have been whatever draft they were working on at the time, if they did).
If a decision is needed now for your game, just make the call on what you would like at your table. Personally, I hope that the bow covers the magical bonuses and the arrows hold the majority of special features (dragon-slaying, fire, etc.). Then you don't have to answer questions like "what happens when I fire +2 arrows from my +1 longbow?
If a decision is needed now for your game, just make the call on what you would like at your table. Personally, I hope that the bow covers the magical bonuses and the arrows hold the majority of special features (dragon-slaying, fire, etc.). Then you don't have to answer questions like "what happens when I fire +2 arrows from my +1 longbow?
Rabulias
the Incomparably Shrewd and Clever
5e Player's Handbook p.148 said:
A fair suggestion, but note the above quote (emphasis mine).
Just curious... which monsters that are resistant to non-magic weapons, are resistant to silvered weapons?
Secondly, some arrows can be retrieved. And if 10 gold per silvered arrow is a lot, how much are +1 arrows worth?
From a quick look through the MM angels, elementals (all types), most undead like vampires, plenty honestly the ones silver seems to work on the most are devils and lycanthropes.
Sure half the ammo is recovered so it is more like 100gp buys you 10+5+2+1 or 18 arrows, so 5gp 5silver each and in a world with nothing else to spend money on sure fill your quivers with silvered ammo, just it doesn't work against a lot of monsters.
The PHB states that some monsters that are immune to magic weapons are affected by silvered ones. No monster that I had seen specifically ruled out silvered weapons, and only lycanthropes ruled them in. If silvered weapons only help against lycanthropes, then they are not worth it. But if they work as magic weapons without a plus, then they are worth it. I would like to see an official explanation to this.
The official explanation is under silvered it says "some", then in the monster manual some of the monsters say under resistances "from bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing non magical weapons that are not silvered", while other monsters most of them with resistance vs weapons say resistance "from bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing non magical weapons."
So it seems pretty clear to me that the monster will call out if a non magical silvered weapon will bypass it's resistance.
Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
Wait, you're the DM? Then what's your problem? If it's important, then do your job and make the decision. You don't need the book to tell you - you're the DM, not a robot following a code laid down by a set of rules someone else wrote!
