Hunter's Debt
They say a great hunter once kept meticulous accounts of every wound dealt and every debt left unpaid, tallying grievances across years until the reckoning came due all at once. This bow passed from her collection to younger hands under unclear circumstances, and every archer who has carried it reports the same sensation: a quiet patience in the grip, as though the bow itself is waiting to collect. It does not rush. It does not miss the count.
Appearance
A longbow of dark hornbeam, three thin notches carved in ascending order near the grip.
Mechanics
A longbow that forces quarry to reckon with every wound already inflicted upon them.
Ledger of Wounds
When you hit a creature with this bow, the bow silently tallies how many times it has struck that creature during this encounter. On your third hit against the same creature in a single encounter, that creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become Stunned until the end of its next turn, as the cumulative shock of its injuries crashes over it at once. This effect can trigger once per creature per encounter, but the tally resets for any creature you target if you miss it three times in a row before reaching the third hit.
DM Notes
The Stunned condition is powerful, and the DC 15 Constitution save will fail reliably for low-Constitution creatures (beasts, many humanoids) while remaining a genuine threat against martial brutes. The three-hit threshold means the effect rarely fires in short skirmishes, making it most impactful in drawn-out boss fights or prolonged encounters with elite enemies. The miss-reset clause prevents the wielder from kiting a single target indefinitely to stockpile hits safely. DMs should note that the tally is per-encounter, not per-day, so against a single powerful enemy this may trigger exactly once and be decisive. Consider ensuring at least one high-Constitution enemy is in the session when this item is in play so the save feels meaningful rather than automatic.
Generated with: Level 5 · Ha yes Cather · Heroic · Rare