Music

Not only do musicians train to create perfect musical intervals, but they infuse their sounds with vibrations of the Great Song, the ancient sounds used by the Elder Gods for creation (and destruction). Most important is to find an instrument of quality to which they can bond, and as soon as a bard plays their instrument, it creates an immediate bond. The more an instrument is played, the better the individual musician can play it.

Practice	Inept	To master your instrument: practice, practice, practice!
BlankNote	Inept +25%	Only the deaf can hear the blank note.
MinorSecond	Inept +50%	Serious disharmony that can damage the body.
BardicPresence	Inept +75%	Enjoy increased ego and performance ability.
MajorSecond	Novice	Subtle disharmony that squeezes the ego.
MinorThird	Novice +33%	Sad, calming note that can soothe the savage beast.
MajorThird	Novice +66%	Harmonious tone that heals the body and mind.
PerfectFourth	Apprentice	Upbeat tone that attracts even the smallest of creatures.
Tritone	Apprentice +25%	A sound that harms the body when the mind is exercised.
PerfectFifth	Apprentice +50%	Whoever hears this sound cannot leave your performance.
MinorSixth	Apprentice +75%	Strangely creepy sound drains both mana and ego.
InstrumentBond	Capable	Choose one instrument above all others.
MajorSixth	Capable +25%	Sound that allows travel to various milestones.
MinorSeventh	Capable +50%	This disharmonic tone enhances magical damage.
Roulade	Capable +75%	A succession of tones to rouse your ego.
BlankChord	Adept	Similar to a blank note, but much stronger.
MajorSeventh	Adept +25%	Strong disharmony that is attuned to flows of power.
Fugue	Adept +50%	Change another musician's composition by joining in.
Octave	Adept +75%	A harmonic unity that holds spiritual vibrations in place.
Master	Master	Move on to a master specialization.

A Simple Songbird (by Anieli)

Practice

Practicing is done simply by playing an instrument. The more you play an instrument, the more adept you will be with that instrument. However, in order to establish a bond with an instrument, you must first purchase a "virgin" instrument (one never before played by another musician). As soon as you begin playing, that instrument will then bear your mark and practicing it will increase its bond to you. The greater your affinity to an instrument, the better you can play it (increasing the strength of some musical spells and decreasing the equilibrium it takes to play that instrument). Once an instrument reaches maestro level, practicing will not increase its strength. You may practice with any number of instruments.

Additional Notes:

Any Music skill that uses the PLAY or PERFORM command generally counts as practice. You can only gain a certain amount of aptitude (usually 1%) in a single game day, so it takes a while.

BlankNote

Syntax:

PLAY BLANKNOTE <target>

One of the most closely guarded secrets amongst musicians is the existence of a "blank note" which can only be heard by those who are deaf. Miraculously, any who hears the sound of this note will be cured of their deafness, though they will suffer the effects of an earache for a short time after hearing it. This also has the effect of dissolving the magical shields that protect your target.

MinorSecond

Syntax:

PLAY MINORSECOND <target>

Damage Type: 100% Magic Damage Source: Magical

This interval creates an extremely disharmonic sound, which can be sent offensively against opponents. Note that if it cannot be heard, it will do no damage.

Additional Notes:

This is the only Music attack that's used against denizens. Its strength depends on your intelligence and charisma, and its speed depends on your aptitude with the instrument you're using.

BardicPresence

Syntax:

BARDICPRESENCE

All bards have a special presence which when called upon increases the charisma.

Additional Notes:

Offers a weighted +2 to charisma.

MajorSecond

Syntax:

PLAY MAJORSECOND <target>

This interval creates a disharmonic vibration that creates a vice that squeezes the ego whenever it is used.

Additional Notes:

Whenever the victim uses or loses ego, they take health damage too.

MinorThird

Syntax:

PLAY MINORTHIRD <target>

This interval can only be played on denizens (not players). If they are hostile to you, there is a chance that the sound will soothe them. Note that some denizens are immune to this effect and you have to wait a short period of time before they will listen to it again.

MajorThird

Syntax:

PLAY MAJORTHIRD <target>

This interval produces a harmonious vibration which can heal. You can play it on yourself or on others.

PerfectFourth

Syntax:

PLAY PERFECTFOURTH

If the location you play this interval is home to rats or weevils, more will come in answer to the lively sound.

Additional Notes:

Increases the number of vermin that will appear in a single room, from three to five.

Tritone

Syntax:

PLAY TRITONE <target>

This interval unleashes a harmful vibration that causes the affliction known as manabarbs. Any who have this affliction will suffer a loss of health whenever they use mana.

Additional Notes:

Whenever the victim uses or loses mana, they take health damage too.

PerfectFifth

Syntax:

PLAY PERFECTFIFTH <target>

Power: 3 (any)

This interval creates a beautiful sound such that the person it is directed to literally cannot move away from the musician who played it. When played, it will briefly cause an earache in the listener, making them unable to eat earwort.

Additional Notes:

Stops voluntary means of leaving, like walking or tumbling away, but doesn't stop involuntary means, like being summoned or yanked away.

MinorSixth

Syntax:

PLAY MINORSIXTH <target>

This interval has a strangely creepy sound which can drain both the mana and ego of the person to whom it is directed.

InstrumentBond

Syntax:

INSTRUMENTBOND <instrument> INSTRUMENTBOND <instrument> BREAK CALL INSTRUMENT

Power: 10 (any) (to bond or break)

You can bond with one instrument that you can use at maestro level. You can never have more than one bonded instrument, and that instrument will have a greater strength than any other of your instruments. Further, you can call this instrument from anywhere in the realm.

So long as a bonded instrument is played on a regular basis, it will always be kept in pristine condition so that it will not be ravished by decay. Indeed, you will find your bonded instrument will actually slowly turn back time as you play it.

You may break the bond you have with your instrument. This will reduce your aptitude with that instrument to 50% (unless it has an artifact rune attached).

Additional Notes:

A bonded instrument will still decay, but will gain months when played, up to a maximum of 100 months. Bonded instruments are also significantly faster even than maestro.

MajorSixth

Syntax:

PLAY MAJORSIXTH <target> PLAY MAJORSIXTH IMBUE MILESTONES

Power: 1 (any)

This interval creates a sound that is attuned to the various milestones found throughout the land, affording musicians and bards a unique means of travel. Also, you may imbue a location with a personal milestone to which only you may travel - though you may only have one such milestone at any time.

MinorSeventh

Syntax:

PLAY MINORSEVENTH <target>

This interval creates a disharmony that can surround an opponent with an achromatic aura. This debilitating aura enhances all magical damage done against the target.

Roulade

Syntax:

PLAY ROULADE

The roulade is a rapid succession of tones played to a single syllable - certain to raise your ego to new heights with its bold, confident tones.

Additional Notes:

Heals your ego, but can't be used on others.

BlankChord

Syntax:

PLAY BLANKCHORD

Power: 4 (Any)

This powerful chord will affect all your enemies in the location, acting as though each has been played a blank note. However, if the enemy is captivated by another bard, it will be difficult to break their captivation if that bard is in their location.

MajorSeventh

Syntax:

PLAY MAJORSEVENTH <target>

Power: 2 (any)

This interval creates an intense disharmony that can attach itself to the power flows of an enemy. Whenever that person uses power, painful spikes will be driven into his or her aura.

Additional Notes:

Whenever the victim uses or loses power, they take health damage too.

Fugue

Syntax:

PLAY FUGUE <target> ADAGIO PLAY FUGUE <target> ALLEGRO

Power: 1 (any)

You can create harmonic fugues by weaving in your own music with that of another bard who is performing a song (i.e., songs composed through song specializations). Adagio will set the song back one stanza while Allegro will skip to the next stanza. If the song goes back too far or forward too far, the song will end prematurely.

Octave

Syntax:

PLAY OCTAVE SEMPRE (to build a maestoso) PLAY OCTAVE TACET (to remove a maestoso)

Power: 3 (Any)

This is an extremely powerful use of music, whereby a maestoso or a single perfect note is created that holds all spiritual and some magical vibrations in place. This is quite dangerous because it affects everyone in the room, including the musician and his allies. If the musician leaves the room, the note will die out or, alternatively, a rival musician can silence the sound by playing a counterpoint. Those who can hear will not be able to heal auric ailments of any type nor be able to focus spirit.

Master

At this point in your training of Music, you have progressed where you must specialize in an aspect of this skill to continue learning. If you have not yet selected a specialization, see SKILLCHOICE LIST to see what is available. There may be a choice between two or more specializations.