Protean Bows

Protean Bows are a type of magic bows that can change size.
Most Protean bows also are enchanted to provide increased damage and/or increased accuracy, but it is certainly possible to make a Protean Bow with no other enhancements or a damage augmenting magic bow without Protean powers.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Some Protean Bows have a command word to allow a new person to handle them. Most do not and will automatically respond to any one who picks them up.
Protean Bows will automatically string themselves and the bows will change their grip, size, and required pull strength to optimize the strength and body shape of whomever picks them up be it a tiny gnome or burly orc or anyone in between.
Protean Bows normally form a long war bow. Most Protean Bows will reduce their size to a short bow if their bearer gets on a horse or enters a cramped space, but the grip and pull strength will remain personalized for the user.

Significance

Most magical weapons are intended to be used by multiple users for many years. This is harder to do with bows than with most other weapons. Bows are generally not as interchangeable as swords and axes.
Strong people can fire more powerful shots from a bow than weak people can but only if the bow has appropriate tensile strength. But if a Strength ●●●●● warrior picks up a child bow geared for Strength ●, if the mighty pull an arrow back with his full strength on such a bow, it will probably snap. Meanwhile, the child cannot string the mighty warrior's bow or even pull the string back more than inch. That is extreme example but it applies to almost any strength differential.
Generally the best bows are personalized to a specific person, or at least a specific level of strength and size. This is limiting if someone wants to make a magic bow, so many (though far from all) magic bows have protean enchantments placed on them.

Item type

Weapon, Ranged

Raw materials & Components

A fully Protean bow takes about 500 drams of reagents.
A Protean that only converts between long bow and short bow takes 300 drams of reagents.
A Protean long bow that only changes grip, size, and tensile strength takes 300 drams of reagents.
This is on top of any other magical enhancements to the bow. Very few magical item creators choose to make a protean both without enhancing other things at the same time.