Veinblight, the Warden's Reckoning
Veinblight was carved from the heartwood of a tree that grew over the grave of an ancient warden who died betrayed by his own garrison, his body left to rot in poisoned soil for a century before anyone thought to bury him properly. The bow absorbed both his hatred and the toxins that saturated his bones, and those who loose its arrows claim to hear a low, wet rasp — like the last breath of a dying man — each time the string is drawn. No fletcher will touch it twice, and arrowsmiths who handle its grip too long report finding dark veins threading up their wrists by morning.
Mechanics
A blackened longbow steeped in ancient poison that curses its targets with spreading necrotic venom and punishes its attuned bearer with creeping toxin whenever they falter.
Venom-Carved Shots
This longbow's arrows are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical damage. When you hit a creature with a ranged attack using this bow, the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become Poisoned until the end of its next turn. If the target was already Poisoned when you hit it, it takes an additional 2d6 poison damage.
Spreading Blight
Once per turn when you deal the bonus 2d6 poison damage from Venom-Carved Shots, necrotic ichor spreads from the target. Each creature of your choice within 5 feet of the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 poison damage.
Curse of the Ancient Warden
This bow is cursed. Once attuned, you cannot voluntarily end attunement to this bow unless targeted by a remove curse spell or equivalent magic. Whenever you miss with a ranged attack using this bow, you take 1d4 poison damage as the bow's venom turns inward. This damage cannot be reduced or prevented by any means. Additionally, while attuned, your skin takes on a faintly greenish pallor and you have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks made against creatures that can see you.
Undying Toxin (3 Charges)
As a bonus action, you expend 1 charge to coat one arrow with a concentrated dose of ancient venom. The next attack made with this bow before the end of your turn, if it hits, forces the target to make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target is Poisoned for 1 minute and takes 1d8 poison damage at the start of each of its turns. The target may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. On a success, the target takes 2d8 poison damage and is not Poisoned.
3 charges
Recharges at dawn
DM Notes
Balance considerations: The Poisoned condition is strong in 5e because it imposes disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks, making the DC 14 Constitution save important to preserve — resist pressure to lower it. The 2d6 bonus damage for hitting an already-Poisoned target rewards target prioritization and combo play, particularly with a party member who can inflict Poison through other means. The Spreading Blight effect is intentionally limited to 1d6 in a small radius to avoid AoE abuse in dense encounters; DMs should note it only triggers once per turn. The curse's inward 1d4 damage on misses is the core dark-gritty tax and creates meaningful tension at low-to-mid levels where accuracy is not guaranteed — at level 5 a Fighter's attack bonus is typically +5 to +7, so misses remain real. The Undying Toxin charges are the item's power spike: a 1-minute Poison with sustained damage is potent, so the DC 16 save and the success condition (still taking 2d8) ensure the ability never feels wasted. Strongly recommend the DM enforce the Curse mechanic fully — its value is as a narrative hook and mechanical tension, not a trap.
Generated with: Level 5 · Fighter · Arcane Archer · Weapon · Cursed ancient theme · Dark / Gritty · Poison · Rare