Swordbow, Light

Small and compact, this bow seems made of thin, but strong, metal sharp enough to rival the deadliest of swords.

This +1 shortbow changes into a +1 rapier (or vice versa) when activated. You can interchange bow and sword attacks as part of the same full attack action.

In sword form, the weapon features a bowlike grip and a pommel that resembles the curving tip of a bow. In bow form, the weapon is made of metal, and each limb of the bow resembles a sword blade.

In either form, a light swordbow has the same enhancement bonus. A light swordbow’s enhancement bonus can be improved as if improving two separate weapons (for example, improving a +1 light swordbow to a +2 light swordbow costs 12,000 gp, just as if you were improving two +1 weapons to +2). A light swordbow can have special weapon properties added to it (such as flaming); such properties cost twice the normal amount (again, as if improving two separate weapons) and apply to both weapons if possible. If a property can’t apply to both weapons (such as vorpal or distance), it applies only to the swordbow when it is in an eligible form (for instance, a +1 light swordbow of distance is a distance weapon only in bow form). If a property can apply to the weapon in only one of its forms, it does not cost double the regular price.

Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, shrink item, elf.

Cost to Create: 3,000 gp (plus 330 gp for masterwork shortbow), 240 XP, 6 days.

Source: Magic Item Compendium, page 61. Originally published in Races of the Wild, page 171.