Phonograph in 3.5?

[Matrota]

There is a bard pc in a campaign I run, a circus owner who is extravagantly wealthy. The player recently inquired to me if there was any sort of way his bard could have a phonograph, and we were brainstorming for a little bit. He was wondering if a wondrous item could be enchanted with the spell choir as the basis. I think that, thematically, that spell could be adequate. After all, not every wondrous item has the exact effect of the base spell, so I figured choir might work in that sense, possibly altered so that it just plays sound without giving a bonus to perform, as the spell is, in its own modified way, the performer this time.

The issue is that choir has a duration equal to concentration + 4 rounds. The table in the DMG for custom magic item creation has no rules for enchanting spells with a concentration duration. I don't know how to calculate the price for it to be usable x number of times per day or even continuous due to the odd duration. Can this spell even be enchanted? If so, what might it cost? And if not, what may be an alternative?

[Luccan]

You're the DM and the creation requirements of any magical item is ultimately up to you (to answer "can choir be used to enchant items"). I think it's great you're willing to work with your player on this. Does he want any of the actual mechanical benefits of Choir from this, or does he just want a magic item that functions as a phonograph? If the latter, I'd certainly use the suggestion below, perhaps even lowering the price.

Ok, so it's a 4th level bard spell, minimum 10th level. I'd look at the rules for wand crafting. The price for crafting a wand of choir would be around 15,000 GP. Keep in mind, wands are limited use items, so basing it off this, you may want to raise the price. However, there are items with significantly more benefit than it seems your player will receive that cost only a few thousand more, so I'd keep it under 20,000 GP

[80sSkeletor]

You're the DM and the creation requirements of any magical item is ultimately up to you (to answer "can choir be used to enchant items"). I think it's great you're willing to work with your player on this. Does he want any of the actual mechanical benefits of Choir from this, or does he just want a magic item that functions as a phonograph? If the latter, I'd certainly use the suggestion below, perhaps even lowering the price.

Ok, so it's a 4th level bard spell, minimum 10th level. I'd look at the rules for wand crafting. The price for crafting a wand of choir would be around 15,000 GP. Keep in mind, wands are limited use items, so basing it off this, you may want to raise the price. However, there are items with significantly more benefit than it seems your player will receive that cost only a few thousand more, so I'd keep it under 20,000 GP

The only reason I want it is so that it plays music as a Phonograph would. Nothing mechanical about the spell is necessary, it's just that Choir is the closest spell to reach the effect. I purely want him to sit in his office and listen to music.

[Bronk]

The only reason I want it is so that it plays music as a Phonograph would. Nothing mechanical about the spell is necessary, it's just that Choir is the closest spell to reach the effect. I purely want him to sit in his office and listen to music.

If it doesn't have any mechanical use, I would think 'ghost sound' cantrip would work fine as a base.

"Thus, talking, singing, shouting, walking, marching, or running sounds can be created. The noise a ghost sound spell produces can be virtually any type of sound within the volume limit."

Then, maybe some extra cost depending on the quality of the performance.

[Anymage]

I'd use Ghost Sound as the base spell, if not have the character stumble across an odd little bit of gnomish engineering going for about a thousand gold.

The key point is that if it's just a little fluff item for the character, it shouldn't eat up too much WBL. A quick look at the magic item creation rules says that 2k base for a continuous item, x1/2 for being a cantrip, x1 for requiring a base first level caster, x4 for for being a continuous item when the base spell is 1 round/level. 4K honestly sounds a little high for me, so making it too bulky to move around easily (making it less useful as adventuring gear) should knock it down to a 1 or 2k piece of fluff.

[Thurbane]

The Ghostharp spell is kind of a basic version of this (SC p.104):

"You prepare an object that records and replays a song previously played or sung in its vicinity."

[Cicciograna]

I would eschew magic altogether and consider it an invention of gnomes, kobolds or whatever race is technologically gifted in you campaign.

Oftentimes technology is more quirky and extravagant than magic itself, in the world of D&D.