D&D: Five of the Best Magic Items for Ranged Characters
Sometimes you want to stay very far away from your enemies but still kill them. And these ranged magic items will help.
Melee combat with magic swords might be one of the iconic images that springs to mind when you think of D&D, but it’s a sucker’s game. Sure, you’re able to deliver some powerful attacks, but the enemy is right there and that means they can attack you right back.
Often with the more powerful of a creature’s attack options too. But if you’re playing a ranged character? Someone who really wants to keep some distance between the enemy and their precious, fragile body?
Well, now we’re talking. And here are five magic items that are indispensable for any ranged character.
Dragon Wing Bow
Just make sure the dragon doesn’t mind you using their wing…
If you really want to keep your distance, you need a good bow. A longbow is preferable because with the Sharpshooter feat (which, as a ranged character, you’ll have) you can attack targets up to 600 feet away with absolutely no penalty. Truly remarkable.
And the Dragon Wing Bow is a great start. It adds 1d6 extra elemental damage of a type associated with whatever dragon it’s affiliated with. Besides this, the Dragon Wing Bow can also create ammunition out of thin air, so you’ll always have a means of attacking. Though you may want some magic ammunition…
Generic Magic Ammunition
This is one of the most underrated magic items for a ranged character. Yes, it’s very boring. Not at all flashy. But magic arrows give you a gift that few other things do.
They stack with your magic bow. So if you have a +3 bow, firing +3 arrows, you’ll roll to hit and damage with a whopping +6 modifier to hit and to damage. Add Sharpshooter to that and you’re tossing out 16 damage per attack before adding your Dexterity modifier or rolling any dice.
Bow of Conflagration
This is a more specific bow, introduced in the Book of Many Things. It’s fairly straightforward: it does 1d6 extra fire damage, and any object you target (so no accidental striking) immediately catches fire, taking 1d6 fire damage per turn. This fire then burns until someone decides to put it out and spends an action to do so.
This means you can now burn down someone’s house in D&D from 600 feet away! No one will ever suspect you.
Animated Shield
Ranged Characters make prime targets for mobile attackers. They’re oft perceived as squishier, likely because they wear light armor to get that full Dexterity bonus to AC, even if they’re packing a Fighter’s D10 hit die.
But even with a healthy hit-point total, getting hit is, as we have said, a sucker’s game. So an Animated Shield can come in handy, giving you the full benefits of wielding a shield while leaving your hands free to rain arrows down upon your enemies.
Wings of Flying
Of course, if they can’t get to you, they can’t even touch you. And Wings of Flying or Winged Boots or any of the other temporary flight items are a great way to keep your enemies from getting to you. Because when you can fly, you can be several hundred feet straight up and still hit your targets from well outside their ability to get to you and remain there.
Unless they can also fly, in which case, you’ve likely got more problems.
What do your ranged characters reach for?
