This weapon was the creation of the wizard Urlfire, a powerful lich from the time before the Great War. He created it in return for special favors from a greedy nobleman seeking to overthrow his king. Once the nobleman took control of the throne, the magic of the bow ensured that the new king remained under Urlfire's influence.

The king was defeated some years later by a group of adventurers, and the bow went missing shortly thereafter. Urlfire also mysteriously vanished in the days after the king's defeat. Though some believe he was destroyed by the adventurers along with the king, his ultimate fate has never been discovered.

Appearance

The bow is pitch black in color, with several bands of inlaid gold and 2 blood-red rubies inlaid into the front of the shaft. Except for its unusually dark color, this bow appears to be a short bow +3 when examined and identified. However, upon first use, the bow's primary power becomes evident to the user.

Primary Power

On a successful hit, the struck creature must make a saving throw vs. spell. If the saving throw fails, the creature loses an additional 1d6 hitpoints, half of which are added to the user's hitpoints (up to the user's max).

The bow must absorb at least 2d6 hitpoints each day in this manner, or it will drain hitpoints from the user to satisfy its hunger.

Secondary Powers

Though the item is not considered cursed, the bow places a spell of binding upon anyone who uses it. The user will become very possesive of the bow, using it almost exclusively when possible. The user will obsessively seek to re-acquire it should it ever become lost or taken forcibly. A Remove Curse or Dispel Magic spell will free the character of the weapon's binding magic.

Any creature or character that is slain by the bow has a chance of being resurrected as an undead creature of the same level or hit-dice. The chance of this is 2% for each point of damage the bow inflicted on the creature (including drained hitpoints).

The bow counts as a short bow -3 against undead creatures, and cannot drain hitpoints from them.

Stats

Rarity: Unique
Damage Bonus: +3 (-3 vs. undead)
Hitroll Bonus: +3 (-3 vs. undead)
Weight: 2
Speed: 3
Range: 50/100/180
Special: Drain 1d6 hitpoints (save vs. spell for none)