D&D: Play an Enchanting Song on One of These Five Magical Instruments
D&D has a way of turning anything, even a panflute, into a magic item that could one day reshape the world. Here are five.
Dungeons & Dragons and magical musical instruments go back as far as the earliest days of D&D, when everything was a loot or a lyre. We’ve come a long way since then. Now there are drums and harps and pipes as well.
Whatever brand of vaguely “old-timey” musical instrument you’re playing, here are five of the best ones in D&D.
Siren Song Lyre
You might be playing the lyre, but everyone will treat your words as though you’re telling the truth. Sort of. Because with the Siren Song Lyre, you can cast animal friendship, charm person, enthrall, and suggestion all once per day. So if you want to make friends and influence people, or animals, this is the way to do it.
Lyre of Building
Another lyre. There must just be something about those cute little curved harp-like things that screams D&D. With the Lyre of Building you can fix almost anything. As long as it can be repaired with the mending spell.
But on top of that, you can play the lyre as a reaction when an object or structure within 300 feet of you takes damage, rendering it completely invulnerable to that damage (and further damage of the same type) until your next turn. This means you can play your lyre and keep the walls from falling.
And f that wasn’t enough, you can also use it to cast fabricate, move earth, passwall, and summon construct, making it perfect for building a structure to later render invulnerable.
Pipes of the Sewers
These magical pipes can be played to summon forth multiple swarms of rats. You conjure them forth from up to half a mile away, emerging from the environment with such speed that it’s intensely discomforting to think about.
In addition to summoning swarms of rats, if you happen to encounter a naturally occurring bunch of rats, you can use these pipes to charm them, making them friendly and obedient. This means that you can have swarms of rats do anything from attacking your enemies to preparing a fine-dining experience in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Reveler’s Concertina
This magical concertina does one thing and one thing only. When you play you can cause one creature to start dancing via the Otto’s irresistible dance spell, which admittedly, one can resist, but it takes a creature’s whole action to try and throw off the magic. So even if it only lasts a turn, it delays everyone, no matter who, for at least one round.
Instrument of Illusions
This magical instrument is the rare one that can be an instrument of any type. But when you play them, you create a harmless, illusory visual effect within a five-foot radius sphere. Unless you’re a Bard, in which case it’s anywhere within a 15-foot radius sphere. You can create pretty much anything within those bounds though, making for a one-of-a-kind show.
Happy adventuring!
