Edit: Addressing your feedback
- First of all I agree that there are some inconsistencies with how DnD spells and items usually work, that should definitely be cleared up.
- I also agree with the fact that there is a bit too much going on and to keep track of, so a bit of decluttering and complexity reduction is needed.
- I actually hadn't thought about simply comparing the effects to spells or magical items to gauge where this items power level falls, so thank you for pointing that out, I will for sure keep that in mind for the next homebrew item/spell.
I assume there is exactly one good aligned ranger in the party, and the attunement restriction is instead of explicitly giving it to that PC
- While the attunement requirement might seem a bit odd as some have pointed out, I set it up this way mostly for lore reasons, as a way to emphasize who this item was made for and for what purpose. I appreciate the hint that usually only extremely powerful magical items have alignment or class based attunment requirements and will consider changing that aspect of it.
Is there a reason the player using a heavy crossbow is going to find a magical light crossbow? Or is that part of the balance concerns?
I will also reconsider the item being a crossbow at all. I made it a light crossbow, for lore reasons as well. Since this item used to be someones personal belonging, who had very specific requirements considering their tasks, a heavy crossbow would have made no sense at all. I might change it into some sort of bow however.
The overall concensus seems to be that the item is, in its current state, too weak and I will tune its powerlevel upwards.
In its current state the crossbow also looks "underpowered", but the exact appraisal is impossible without knowing the item's rarity.
- My goal was to create a decently powerful "rare" level magic item.
I would suggest letting every shot have one elemental effect.
The crossbow has its full potential only when fully charged, but charges can be restored only 1d4 per game day. If the Ranger gets 1, only 1 charge is restored. The imbued bolt can miss, and then she needs to wait for the next day. Until then, it's just a +1 crossbow.
- I can definitely see that giving the player the option to use a magical effect on every shot and tuning the effects towards that assumption would instantly get rid of a lot of complexity and also make it easy to tune. However I am a big fan of player agency and thus would really like to keep the charge system as part of the item, as just giving a flat 1dX on each attack might increase usability of the item, but I would argue it isn't nearly as satisfying as having saved the right thing for the right moment.
Thank you for all the feedback for now, I will present a revamped version of the item tomorrow, as it is getting pretty late for me.
