The Best Bows in D&D

Highlights

Bows in Dungeons and Dragons are in short supply compared to swords or daggers.
Special arrows can enhance the damage and utility range of bows.
Legendary bows like the Dragon Wing Bow and Oathbow offer unique advantages in combat.

Interestingly enough, there is a surprising shortage of great bows in Dungeons and Dragons. Not to say that there aren’t fantastic options for characters that enjoy a bit of range, but compared to swords or daggers, the list of legendary weapons is rather short.

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Players that utilize bows or short bows should keep in mind that they can make great use of special arrows, of which there are plenty in the game. While a great bow can give a nice boost to damage and attack, special arrows can expand the player’s utility range, and allow for different types of damage.

8 Dragon Wing Bow

A Self-Loading Bow

Generic Variant (crossbow/longbow/shortbow), Rare

Every such weapon looks like the wing of a particular dragon, but it’s far more than just great visual design. Depending on the type of the dragon, the weapon gives an additional 1d6 damage, corresponding to the dragon’s breath. Lightning for Blue, fire for Red, cold for White, and so on.

If a character does not load an arrow, the bow produces one itself. After connecting with the target or missing, the projectile is immediately destroyed. It’s a great bow that shouldn’t be too hard to acquire, and a special damage type is always great to have.

7 Starcrossed Bow

Shoots Its Own Light Projectiles

Generic Variant (crossbow/longbow/shortbow), Rare

The Starcrossed Bow is a beautiful weapon that shoots its own projectiles made of light. It’s already neat not having to worry about ammunition, but the bow also comes with a nice +2 bonus for attacks and damage. For its rarity, this would already be great, but on top of that, the weapon has a special property.

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The bow has 3 charges, replenishable at dawn. Players can use up a charge whenever they successfully hit an enemy, and cause a flash of bright light. Enemies in the area have to make a saving throw or become blinded until the end of the player’s next turn.

6 Longbow of Melodies

A Musical Weapon with Special Powers

Martial weapon, Very Rare

This curious-looking bow has multiple strings, somewhat resembling a lyre. As a character loads an arrow, they can strum the strings, imbuing the shot with magical music and gaining additional properties.

If the wielder is proficient with Performance, they gain a +1 bonus to attacks. If they have Expertise, the bonus is increased to +2. Alternatively, the wielder can put a little extra into the shot, adding thunder damage based on their charisma modifier. Overall, this is a fantastic choice for a particular Bard subclass or a very expressive Ranger of Fighter.

5 Oathbow

Gives You An Advantage Over A Sworn Foe

Martial Weapon, Very Rare

The Oathbow is perhaps one of the most famous legendary bows among players and for a good reason. The weapon allows the wielder to pick a Sworn Enemy, and the bow will do its best to assist the owner in defeating their foe.

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Once a new Sworn Enemy is chosen, the wielder has advantage on attacks with the bow against that enemy and completely ignores any cover aside from Total. On top of that, every hit does an additional 3d6 piercing damage. It is a great offensive weapon, one that is specifically designed to let no one get away.

4 Longbow of Throne's Command

A Powerful, Spell-Casting Bow

Martial Weapon, Very Rare

As per the name, the Longbow of Throne's Command gives the wielder quite a lot of power over other creatures. While this might not be the most directly powerful weapon, it comes with a number of spells the wielder can use to control and command their enemies.

The bow does come with a +1 bonus to attacks and allows the wielder to spend the weapon’s charges to cast the following spells: Command, Zone of Truth, Compulsion, Banishment, and Dominate Person. It’s a great weapon to add to an arsenal, giving the owner quite a lot of utility on the battlefield.

3 Longbow of the Healing Hearth

Destructive and Restorative

Martial Weapon, Legendary

This is an incredible bow which has both incredible destructive power and effective healing capabilities. On their turn, players can choose whether to attack their enemies with a +3 bonus to attacks or use one of the few healing abilities that the bow has.

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Players can utilize a Curative Arrow, which automatically hits anyone within 150 range, and allows the target to immediately utilize a Hit Die, and add the wielder’s Wisdom modifier. The bow also allows the caster to spend the weapon’s charges and cast Create Food and Water, Warding Bond, or Guardian of Faith.

2 Ascendant Dragon's Wrath Longbow

Harness the Breath of a Dragon

Martial Weapon, Legendary

This is the final form of the Dragon’s Wrath Longbow, which starts out as Uncommon and grows all the way to Legendary rarity. At this point, the weapon becomes a draconic menace, allowing the wielder to channel and even mimic a Dragon’s Breath.

The bow has a +3 bonus to attacks, 3d6 extra damage of the dragon’s type, and an AOE 5 damage around the target on a critical hit. On top of all of that, once per day, the wielder can unleash the bow’s full power, dealing a devastating 12d6 damage in a massive cone.

1 Ephixis, Bow of Nylea

A Devastating Amount of Power

Shortbow, Artifact

At the moment, this is the only Artifact-level bow that exists within the official rulebooks. This is an absolutely devastating, nature-based weapon that comes loaded with extra abilities and features. Besides the +3 bonus to attacks, the weapon also has no disadvantage on the second range, and also critically hits on a roll of 19.

Aside from other randomly assigned beneficial properties, the bow also comes with its own quiver, with 4 special arrows that replenish at dusk. Every arrow is tied to a yearly season and has its own special properties and abilities.