Klangfarben's Silver Baton
This silver wand has musical symbols engraved along its length. One end has a simple grip with a rough texture and the other end tapers to a rounded point.
When initially grasped, the baton will slowly shift its shape into all musical instruments the bearer is proficient in using, starting from least to most favored. Thereafter, the baton can be transformed into any musical instrument desired. Instruments having multiple pieces will have a fine silver thread connecting all parts. All forms will be made of silver, but have textures and resonance qualities of the materials of their normal forms.
Powers
The user is granted rudimentary proficiency for unfamiliar instruments and a profound mastery of any instrument for which he is already proficient. Further, a bard can shift between instruments and continue to play. For every 4 bard levels a new instrument can be added to the concert typically leaving repeating beats and melodies on background instruments while the player weaves his music on his primary instrument. The player can shift to previous instruments to change their beat or melodies, or add new instruments to replace those no longer needed.
In addition to transforming into normal instruments, the baton can become any standard magical instrument 3 times per month. Magical instruments can’t be repeated during the month. If the instrument has a short-term single-use effect, then it can be used once. If the instrument has a long-term effect, the magic lasts for one day (24 hours). After such use, the instrument will retain the shape but not the power of the form it had assumed. The following instruments are typical examples of those that can be assumed:
- Chime of Interruption
- Chime of Opening
- Drums of Deafening
- Drums of Panic
- Harp of Charming
- Horn of fog
- Horn of Valhalla
- Lyre of Building
- Pipes of the Sewers
While in baton form it can be used to conduct a band or orchestra. All members of the band or orchestra will gain rudimentary proficiency in their instrument, or an additional level of proficiency if they are already proficient in its use.
The following powers are available from any form:
- Sonic grenade 8/day
A 2 inch diameter ball of compressed sound is emitted having a range of 120 feet. The ball will appear to shimmer in the air. It will unerringly strike its target for 1d4+1 damage. Further, if the target can hear it will be stunned for the remainder of the current round and be unable to attack. The grenades can be cast through Nimbus Tongue which doubles their effectiveness to 2d4+2 damage.
- Wall of sound 1/week
The wall of sound spell brings forth an immobile, shimmering curtain of violently disturbed air. The wall is made up of a number of 12 10’x10’ sections. These sections can be arranged as desired as long as the resulting wall all lies in one plane (i.e., it must be flat) that stands up vertically. One side of the wall, selected by the caster, produces a voluminous roar that completely disrupts all communication, command words, verbal spell components, and any other form of organized sound within 30 feet. In addition, those within 10 feet are deafened for ld4 turns if they fail a saving throw vs. spell. On the other side of the wall, a loud roar can be heard, but communication is possible by shouting, and verbal components and command words function normally. Anyone passing through the wall suffers Id8 points of damage and is permanently deafened unless he rolls a successful saving throw vs. spell. Deafened creatures suffer a -1 penalty to surprise rolls, a +1 penalty to their initiative rolls, and they are 20% likely to miscast spells with a verbal component. A silence 15’ radius spell cast by a 13 level or higher caster specifically for this purpose will dispel the wall; the wall otherwise destroys all silence spells that come into contact with it.
History
Owned by: Naas