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View Full Version : 3.5 Magic Item Golden Fiddle PEACH [Esp. if Kellus is around]



Debihuman
2014-07-03, 01:19 AM
I designed a magic fiddle to go with Kellus' Golden Fiddle Prestige Class and Fiddler Devil. See here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=3736572&postcount=1

Golden Fiddle
Aura Faint Transmutation CL 5
Slot —; Cost 42,900 gp; Weight — as brooch (3 lbs. full sized)

DESCRIPTION
The golden fiddle is a solid gold brooch in the shape of a violin.

When the command word is spoken, the fiddle expands into an exquisite masterwork violin with gleaming wood and silver strings. When the command word is spoken again, the fiddle reverts to its brooch form. The violin adds a +2 competence bonus to anyone playing it, but in the hands of bard, its magical properties are enhanced.


Any devil (except fiddler devils) within 100 feet who hears the fiddle must succeed on a Will save (DC 20) or take 1d6 points of sonic damage each round that the fiddle is played. Devils with 9 to 16 HD gain a +2 bonus to their saves, and devils with 17 or more HD have a +4 bonus to their saves.
Bardic Music: When used by a bard to inspire courage, the golden fiddle increases the morale bonus on saves against charm and fear by 1. In the hands of bard with 5 or more ranks in Perform (string instrument), the morale bonus instead increases by 2. A bard who uses a fiddle for bardic music can cast spells while performing but only if those spells have no somatic, material or focus components.
A bard gains the Impromptu Bow feat as long as she meets the requirements and can use the golden fiddle to shoot arrows without penalty. The golden fiddle becomes a +2 evil outsider bane fiddle with a range increment of 10 feet and projectiles launched from it inflict 1d4 points of damage (+and additional 2d6 to evil outsiders).

CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, shrink item, sound burst; Price 21,450 gp, 1,716 XP

I haven't created many magic items so any help and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Boring Construction notes and background informationI am using material from Complete Adventurer page 126 for bardic music effect for fiddles and open content from Bastion Press' Ink & Quill (See below). A masterwork musical instrument gives you a +2 circumstance bonus on Perform checks that involve its use. See Perform Skill. Also, the base cost for a masterwork instrument is 100 gp and it weighs 3 lbs. Clearly this is a Wondrous Item or Minor Artifact.

Construction would include masterwork instrument, Craft Wondrous Item feat and shrink item spell and sound burst spell.

I figure the costs as such 100 gp for masterwork fiddle, Impromptu Bow feat is 10,000 gp. Basing the item off the shrink item spell costs 27,000 gp [Spell level (3) × caster level (5) × 1,800 gp as it is command word activated], and sound burst spell [2x 3x 2,700] 16,200 +8,000 for bane enhancement = 61,300 [plus 30% discount for needing to be a bard to get full use of it]. 61,300-18390= 42,900 gp.
Impromptu Bow feat from Bastion Press Ink & Quill OGC.
Impromptu Bow [General]
You can shoot arrows with a string instrument.
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +3, 5 ranks of Perform (any string instrument), Point Blank Shot
Benefits: You can fire arrows or bolts from a string instrument without penalty. Cellos, guitars, harps, mandolins, violas and violins can be used in this manner. Guitars, mandolins, violas and violins have a range increment of 10 ft., and projectiles launched from these instruments inflict 1d4 points of damage. Cellos and harps have a range increment of 20 ft., and projectiles launched from these instruments inflict 1d6 points of damage. A character must use both hands to properly fire the arrow. Unfortunately, because these items were not constructed for combat purposes, a natural “1” on the attack roll automatically destroys the strings, rendering the instrument useless until repaired.

Jormengand
2014-07-09, 08:35 AM
As written, it arguably doesn't affect devils with 9 to 16 HD because it never says it actually does, only that they get a bonus to the save if they did need to take it. In any case, 1d6 damage/round with a save is such a piddly amount that no-one's going to want to have to roll two dice just to find out that a devil took 2 damage.

Generally, it seems like an odd item to go out of your way to have. All it really does is add a +2 bonus to some very specific will saves and a +2 competence bonus to some skills, as well as acting as a really terrible bow. I'm not sure why you'd really want to have one of these?

Debihuman
2014-07-09, 09:31 AM
Yeah I tend to underpower magic items right now. Will figure out what I want to do with this. Thanks.

[Edit]
Decided it needed more oomph so added bane (evil outsiders) to it and changed it around to make it more powerful. I was trying to keep the cost down.

Debby

IllogicalBlox
2014-07-09, 01:10 PM
Were you inspired by the... I think it was Johnny Cash song in which a boy plays a fiddle with the devil and wins his golden fiddle?

Jormengand
2014-07-09, 01:21 PM
Were you inspired by the... I think it was Johnny Cash song in which a boy plays a fiddle with the devil and wins his golden fiddle?

I imagine you're referring to this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi13NxmjqLI) song.

Debihuman
2014-07-09, 04:31 PM
I suspect that the Charlie Daniel's song was the source of inspiration for the prestige classes (which was where I got the idea).

This goes along with with Silver John's silver-stringed guitar (and if you haven't read any Manly Wade Wellman, you should do so).

Debby