Shattered Kingdoms

I know the bard class was only recently added compared to the other classes of SK but to me, the bard class is still only part way completed as an instrumental part of making the class dynamic would be to allow instruments like flutes, guitars or ukuleles to be used as 'magical' weapons similar to the way their voices do. This would allow a greater amount of dynamism, not to mention role-play opportunities, for bard characters. Different types of flutes or harps could have innate spells/effects attached to them similar to a staff, potion or scroll or ukuleles could be played along with the singing and dancing for even greater effect of the played song with the offset that it would take more mental energy. For example, perhaps the songs of healing would not only increase all three energy levels but do so at 1.5x the rate of just singing and dancing alone. This would introduce another skill into the mix as well and possibly the need to learn the songs separately for voice and for instrument in order to achieve that effect. The learning COULD be done in a Meissan music school, perhaps placed in the theatre of Nerina where those different instruments can be taught along with the songs. Maybe it could even go so far as to have two or three different bards playing the same song with different instruments to achieve even stronger effects through a 'traveling band' than the sum of the three bards could achieve on their own. What do you think?

Are you talking about something like a consumable? Or something like that broomstick that grants flight?
Either way, I think it would be cool for bard-only instruments that grant spells.

I was thinking more like the broomstick but they wouldn't be cheap because of that. Something like 8 plat or 1 black per instrument was what I had in mind. Then again, consumables wouldn't be a bad way to look at it either with the magic being worn out after a use or two. Obviously that would bring the price down to more like 1 or 2 plat per instrument.

Here's what I think on the matter. There could be an "instrument" skill that bards learn. The instruments that are in the game won't deal any melee damage, like a stave, and won't have any magical abilities like a stave would have, BUT....they could be held and played while singing and dancing, and would amplify songs, not chords. Obviously store-bought instruments wouldn't be that good, but we could...how to say...each type of instrument would amplify a certain song. Violin might help with songs of magic, drum would help with songs of war, so on.

That was my first thought for instruments too but given how ' normal ' magic is in the world of SK then the Pied Piper concept of magical instruments came to mind. Still, either way of looking at it would add to the class without making them OP either. I'd be for either version that was implemented.

There have long been plans to introduce instruments on some level, but the plans for them were never really ironed out. This is a topic that I'm really interested in as well, and actually raised the subject during a recent admin meeting. I wouldn't encourage you to get your hopes up to see this introduced any time soon, but I wouldn't discourage brainstorming either.

It seems to me that instruments could be developed as a new object type, similar to "tool" or "weapon", and there are 4 generalized basic instrument types - horn, woodwind, percussion, string. Your different types could have different generalized kinds of benefits. You should be able to play any of the bard songs on an instrument, seems instruments playing songs would have similar effects to a duet, and/or some other interesting effects.

I wouldn't want to make them too similar to staves or other existing object types, so as to make them stand out as unique. But seems like they provide a lot of opportunity to explore some fun ideas.

Just as long as there is a "Music School of the Nightingale" in the realms to learn the instrument skill(s) from when it is eventually implemented, then I'll be happy!



Just don't forget that strings and drums would have the added benefit of being able to sing and play them at the same time while horns and woodwinds would need to have some different benefit from playing them that offsets the fact that the song can't be sung while they're played.

Dulrik, This is the thread for instruments enhancing bard songs.

Removing 'as weapons' from the title. I don't see instruments being usable as weapons at all. In fact, once we have instruments that do something, they would pretty much all be two-handed and prohibit you from making melee attacks in exchange for their other benefits.

The part that is up in the air is what type of benefits they should provide.

You can make them all do sonic damage, thus the sound from them worls just like a bards voice.