Warforged Envoy Bard with Integrated Tool Musical Instrument

[Genoin]

Was looking over the Warforged Envoy and noticed they get an integrated tool that you get expertise with. I remembered that Musical Instruments are technically tools, and thought a Bard with an instrument that was part of their body sounds neat, but I am having trouble actually thinking of how that would work from an anatomical and physiological standpoint. Any cool ideas?

[RickAllison]

Remember that it doesn’t remove the need to have hands to use the item. So you could have a drum which pops out of your chest with drumsticks popping out like Altair’s hidden blades. Or a collapsible cowbell. Have a scene like Optimus Prime popping out his armblade, but it’s actually a trombone. Give a terrifying scream as a grand piano bursts out of your chest cavity and you play Mozart.

[BarneyBent]

Integrated bagpipes. Do it.

[PhantomSoul]

Integrated bagpipes. Do it.

Where the lower vocal tract -- lungs included -- go. It's perfect, and just wait for someone to say, "Listen to the pipes on them!"

[Rukelnikov]

Was looking over the Warforged Envoy and noticed they get an integrated tool that you get expertise with. I remembered that Musical Instruments are technically tools, and thought a Bard with an instrument that was part of their body sounds neat, but I am having trouble actually thinking of how that would work from an anatomical and physiological standpoint. Any cool ideas?

A French Harp, like Dylan used to play. Those are played by humans without using hands, im sure a warforged with an incorporated one wouldnt require hands either...

https://youtu.be/OeP4FFr88SQ?list=RDEMJb3J-B0DAs2mKfr-m2KXrQ&t=70

[Balyano]

Integrated One-Man-Band ... Looney Toons style.

[Genoin]

I know this concept really does lean toward comedy, and some of these mental images have been hilarious, but I am trying to think of a more elegant idea, something like her left bicep area having strings that she plays with a violin bow that pops out of her right forearm. Keep going though, by all means, these are hilarious.

[Rukelnikov]

Integrated One-Man-Band ... Looney Toons style.

Thats what I was going for :smallbiggrin:

[RickAllison]

I know this concept really does lean toward comedy, and some of these mental images have been hilarious, but I am trying to think of a more elegant idea, something like her left bicep area having strings that she plays with a violin bow that pops out of her right forearm. Keep going though, by all means, these are hilarious.

As a more serious one, I could see raising an arm with the right gesture producing a zither or hammered dulcimer board, which the other hand would then play. The triangular board is like a wing between the arm and the body.

[Bundin]

Fold out syntesizer in one arm. Create an 80s greatest synthesizer hits playlist with music for all occasions :D Your party wil... migh... should love you for this!

Elegance is overrated, you're an ex-battle bot!

[MikeRoxTheBoat]

Honestly, you're a robot. There are a lot of things you can do that wouldn't make sense, but would for something integrated.

Have your hands clap together, then pull the fingers out of your left hand to reveal strings of various sizes, like you're playing cat's cradle with guitar strings. Your left wrist opens up and little spider like mechanical appendages that end in 'picks' come out and strum the strings at various intervals like a weird self playing piano. The right hand fingers will move the strings further into or out of the left fingers to shorten or lengthen the strings to produce different sounds.

Could have the armor plating one of your arms be able to slide down to reveals holes of various sizes. Wind can be processed in the body to blow through the holes and the other hand can cover the holes in order to produce different tones. Could also do things like leave the plating open when swinging a sword or the like in order to create harmonic whistling effects, ghastly wails, etc.

Essentially, don't necessarily think "where do I hide a lute in my body?" Think, "what pieces of a lute could fit where that I could feasibly use the power of robotic nonsense to quickly put together when needed."

[Misterwhisper]

Built in tap shoes and play them like music.

You can build in jokes for it:

"Get jiggy with it."

[Grey Watcher]

I know this concept really does lean toward comedy, and some of these mental images have been hilarious, but I am trying to think of a more elegant idea, something like her left bicep area having strings that she plays with a violin bow that pops out of her right forearm. Keep going though, by all means, these are hilarious.

An integrated flute, recorder, or horn. Works like whistling, humming, or singing, but has the musical tone of a well-made instrument.

A hammer dulcimer or violin/viola whose strings run along your (apparently hollow) forearm (with a cover of course).

Basically, if you want to downplay or avoid any comedic elements, make sure it's really integrated. A minimum of things that have to fold out or deploy, as few visible moving parts as possible (beyond the ones with very obvious human analogues, like fingers). You want your character to just be able to do music elegantly and intuitively l, without having to resort to a big anime transformation cutscene every time.

EDIT: Oh, duh, a music box. The kind that uses a cylinder covered with bumps to pluck little metal tabs. Maybe you has a collection of compatible cylinders you've found or made. Or maybe you can directly raise or lower pieces of a permanent articulated cylinder to compose on the fly.

[MagneticKitty]

I had one where it was a metal drum (kaisen steel tongue drum)
And it clipped into their back panel

[LibraryOgre]

Glockenspiel. You have visible ribs... that you can play.

[Ventruenox]

Theremin. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6KbEnGnymk) Giving us spooky music since the '20s.

[Wildarm]

Small appendages sprout out of your back and start spinning a variety of different pitched whirly tubes. Can perform a dance at the same time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirly_tube

[Zalabim]

I can't resist the idea of a warforged bard that can seriously talk about their internal organ.

[NNescio]

I can't resist the idea of a warforged bard that can seriously talk about their internal organ.

Or a Jingling Johnny.

(Yes, it's the name of an actual instrument.)

[Concrete]

One elegant solution could be that by closing one, or both of your hands you can have them function as an ocarina, changing the tune by letting air out from between your fingers.

[Khrysaes]

Airships are also tools....