Rocborne Hand Ballista (Patreon)

Weapon (crossbow, heavy), very rare (requires attunement)

This massive, beast-hunting crossbow is carried with its two handles from above instead of by being held from beneath. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. This crossbow uses twice the normal amount of ammunition each time you fire it and deals an extra 1d10 piercing damage to any target it hits. The weapon emits a roc-like screech that's audible out to 100 feet each time it's fired.

This crossbow is blessed with the spirits of great ancestral hunters. The weapon has 5 charges and regains 1d4 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn. When you attack a Huge or smaller creature with with this weapon, you can expend 1 charge as part of the attack. If the attack hits, the creature must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, its speed is reduced to 0 and it can't take reactions until the start of its next turn.

The rocborne man rested peacefully upon the feathery ground he called home. He stretched out in the sun and enjoyed the crisp air, rushing breeze, and warming sun. From afar, he heard the tell-tale sound of a roc: one that he knew by heart.

He got up and brushed the blue down from his cloak before bounding headward, being careful to balance and adjust to the shifting ground beneath him. He was excited.

The man reached the head of the roc whose back he called home and shouted something that only they could understand. The giant roc's piercing eye swept back to acknowledge the man before before shifting its body to one side. As the roc turned, the man stayed standing by adopting a wide stance.

From the distance, the other roc's form came into view through the clouds. The tiny silhouettes of the buildings he once called home dotted its back.

While the rocborne may live to roam, there is always joy in returning home.