Veilbane, the Rotting Draw
Veilbane was carved from the heartwood of a tree that grew in a mass grave during a forgotten plague war, its grain stained a deep, bruised green that never fades. The archers of that vanished civilization poisoned not just bodies but bloodlines, and the bow remembers. Those who draw its string report hearing a low, wet whisper — the last breath of something that died slowly and did not forgive it.
Mechanics
A cursed longbow that inflicts a creeping poison mark on its victims, building toward a devastating toxic collapse — but exacts a price on its wielder at the end of each day.
Venomous Brand
When you hit a creature with a ranged attack using this bow, you can choose to brand that creature with a Rot Mark (no action required). A creature can have only one Rot Mark at a time. The Rot Mark is invisible but can be detected with a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check if the creature is examined closely. The mark lasts for 1 minute or until the creature dies.
Festering Draw
Each time you hit a creature bearing your Rot Mark with this bow, the mark deepens. Track the number of hits against that marked creature (minimum 1, maximum 3 stacks). The creature takes additional poison damage on each such hit equal to 1d6 per current stack of the mark (so the 1st hit after marking deals 1d6, the 2nd hit deals 2d6, and the 3rd and any subsequent hits deal 3d6). This damage is dealt in addition to the arrow's normal damage and does not replace it.
Toxin Collapse
When a creature bearing a Rot Mark at 3 stacks drops to 0 hit points, or when you expend a charge as a bonus action while a marked creature is within 60 feet of you, that creature must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature is poisoned until the end of its next turn and cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn. On a success, the creature is poisoned only until the end of its next turn. Either way, the Rot Mark is consumed.
Curse of the Rotting Draw
This bow is cursed. While attuned to it, you cannot willingly unattune from it unless you are targeted by a remove curse spell or equivalent magic. At the end of each long rest, you must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion that cannot be removed until you succeed on this saving throw (though it can still stack with other exhaustion sources). Additionally, your skin slowly takes on a sallow, veined appearance that grows more pronounced the longer you remain attuned — purely cosmetic but unmistakably unnatural.
3 charges
Recharges at dawn
DM Notes
Balance considerations: The stacking Festering Draw damage is the item's primary combat output. Against a single target, total bonus poison damage over three hits is 1d6 + 2d6 + 3d6 = 6d6 average 21, spread across three separate attacks — roughly comparable to a +2 weapon's lifetime bonus damage against a single target in a concentrated fight, but only against one marked creature at a time. This makes the bow excellent against boss-tier single enemies and weaker against multiple enemies. The Toxin Collapse charge ability is best used as a closer or to punish a nearly-dead target's death surge. The curse is the critical balancing lever: the DC 13 Con save with exhaustion escalation should create genuine attrition pressure, especially for a level 5 Fighter with a +2 to +3 Con modifier. DMs should enforce the curse faithfully — the bow is balanced around its drawback. Consider having NPCs react to the wielder's worsening appearance as a roleplay hook. The attunement restriction to Fighter is maintained because the item's identity is tightly bound to the martial archer fantasy, but the compatible_classes list reflects that Rangers and Rogues could mechanically use its effects just as well if the DM relaxes the restriction.
Generated with: Level 5 · Fighter · Arcane Archer · Weapon · Cursed ancient theme · Dark / Gritty · Poison · Rare