Moon Magic • Legacy Witch Spell
Moonbow
Moonbow shapes moonlight into a magical bow that fires immaterial arrows and strikes lycanthropes with particular force. It can only be cast where moonlight is available.
Moonbow at a Glance
| 5.5e / 2024 | No direct conversion published here |
|---|---|
| 5e / 2014 | No direct conversion published here |
| Pathfinder 1e | Not a default Pathfinder Witch spell |
| D&D 3.x Legacy | Witch 6, Moon 5 |
Spell Rules by Edition
5.5e / 2024
Status: no conversion is published here.
5e / 2014
Status: no direct 2014 conversion is presented.
Pathfinder 1e
Status: not a default Pathfinder Witch spell.
D&D 3.x Legacy
| School | Conjuration (Creation) |
|---|---|
| Level | Witch 6, Moon 5 |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Casting Time | 5 actions |
| Range | See text |
| Target | Caster |
| Duration | Until all arrows are fired or the spell ends |
| Saving Throw | None |
| Spell Resistance | Yes |
The caster forms moonlight into an opaque composite bow. It fires up to three arrows per round, with a total number of arrows equal to the caster’s level. Each arrow requires a ranged touch attack and deals 1d8 damage + 1 per caster level, maximum +15.
The arrows deal double damage to lycanthropes. Only the caster can use the moonbow.
Material component: moonlight. The legacy source allows captured moonlight if the campaign has a way to store it.
What Changed?
No modern conversion is assumed. The three-attacks-per-round cadence, ranged touch mechanics and double damage against lycanthropes are legacy rules.
Using Moonbow in Play
Moonbow is a prepared anti-lycanthrope weapon and a strong night-time ranged option. Its moonlight requirement makes timing and environment part of the spell rather than a cosmetic detail.
Related Magic
Counterplay and Rulings
- Moonlight required: the original spell cannot be cast without available moonlight, unless the campaign specifically allows captured moonlight. Keep the illumination requirement in play rather than treating it as a cosmetic component.
- Attack resolution: every fired arrow uses a ranged touch attack under legacy d20 rules; spell resistance applies as written. The spell grants no fifth-edition advantage, magic-weapon bonus or extra attack unless separately stated.
- Arrows and duration: track the total arrow supply equal to caster level and the limit of three fired each round; do not assume unlimited ammunition.
- Lycanthropes: apply the original spell’s doubled damage to its qualifying targets, including the rules for any relevant damage reduction and special defences.
- Counterspell and dispelling: an appropriate legacy counterspell can interrupt the casting; Dispel Magic can affect the ongoing magical bow according to the edition’s rules.
Mythical Context
Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, rides the night sky in a chariot. A lunar bow makes more sense as borrowed moonlight than as an ordinary weapon with silver decoration: it asks the caster to draw a weapon from the darkness itself. See the Roman sarcophagus showing Selene and Endymion.
Historical Context
The early-third-century CE sarcophagus of Arria depicts Selene descending to visit the sleeping Endymion. Its carved lunar imagery shows how the moon was personified in Roman visual culture, not evidence of actual arrows made from moonlight. See the Metropolitan Museum’s Selene sarcophagus.
Rules Sources and Licensing
Legacy source: Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks.
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