The Hunter Weapon's Will Save
The Hunter (Bane Weapon) senses its designated bane within 100 feet and pierces invisibility and magical concealment on a +10 Will save. That is a generous bonus, high enough that most players assume it simply works. It usually does. The mechanic exists to answer one specific question: where is the thing when you cannot see it.
The common error is treating it as a passive buff, invoking the save against a bane standing in plain sight across the room. There is nothing to see through. The weapon’s tracking only alters an outcome when the target is actively hidden or running, which is exactly the moment players forget they have it. Reserve the save for pursuit and ambush, when a failed locate means the bane escapes or strikes first.
Spent on a visible enemy, the +10 is a formality. Spent on a vanished one, it is the difference between a chase and a corpse.
At the table: When the bane turns invisible and bolts for the exit, that is the Will save you were saving. Not the one against the orc standing six feet away holding a torch.
Related
- The Myth at the Table
- The Encounter Seed Reads the Room
- The Numbers Lie: Five Rules Myths That Cost You Fights
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