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Magical Songs |
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Table of contents
{: .text-delta } - TOC {:toc}Not all magic is intended for use in combat, or attached to weapons or tools. When powerful, peaceful magic is called for, Heroes must set down their swords, and pick up an ocarina (or other instrument of their choice).
Magical Songs can create a variety of effects. They can be used to gather information, solve puzzles in innovative ways, or even bridge the gap between worlds.
Whether Magical Songs are available in your game may vary, based on the GM and the setting. Be sure to talk to them first, before assuming they exist, or attempting to compose your own!
All Magical Songs take 5 minutes to play, and can only be played when there are not significant distractions – thus, they cannot be played during battle, nor can they be played while moving.
A Hero may play each Song they know once before resting. Minor songs are recharged from a Short Rest, while Major songs are recharged only from an Extended Rest.
All Magical Songs require a musical instrument to be performed.
When playing a Song, you may be asked to consult your Musical Power to determine the effects. Your Musical Power is equal to ((Perform / 2) + Instrument Rank, rounded down).
The power of singing magical Songs is not an exceptionally common one, and even if the average person knows the tune, they will not be able to call forth the power of the song – only Heroes, royalty, wizards, and other persons strong of spirit can do so. In some stories, being able to call upon the power of a magical Song is a sign that one is destined to become a legend.
As such, Songs cannot be purchased from shops or forged from metal and monster parts. Rather, they are given to Heroes as rewards, for tasks both great and small.
Typically, Minor Songs are suitable rewards for small quests and exploration, while Major Songs require more heroic effort to learn.
Once a Hero knows a Song, they may freely teach it to other Heroes, for no cost, over the course of an Extended Rest.
Songs that are marked as “Composable” can be created by Heroes. These songs typically focus on a single person, place, or thing, and can be learned multiple times, each focusing on a different subject.
To compose a Composable song, the Hero must spend a full day (dawn to dusk) focusing on, and in the company of, the subject of their new Song. If the new Song focuses on a place, then the composer must spend their time in that place, undisturbed by combat or adventure. If it focuses on a person, they must spend their time with that person, and that person must willingly allow the Hero to do so. If it focuses on an object, the composer must examine, touch, and observe the object.
Composing a Song also consumes a certain amount of Materials, as measured by their Market Price: Minor Songs require 600 Rupees’ worth of Materials, while Major Songs require 1,200 Rupees’ worth. These may be any kind of Materials, of any Rank. (With GM permission, you may also directly use Rupees themselves.) You may also consume any Empty Books or Ink and Quill sets, at their Market price, to pay this cost.
The Materials are consumed as part of whatever Song-making process your Hero goes through – be it studious work, religious rituals, magical incantations, scientific experimentation, or other efforts.
See the below table for a quick reference of how many Materials of a given Rank it takes to Compose a Minor or Major Song.
| Mat. Rank | # for Minor | # for Major |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 60 | 120 |
| 1 | 30 | 60 |
| 2 | 15 | 30 |
| 3 | 8 | 15 |
| 4 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | 2 | 3 |
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Minor
When you play this song, all sleeping creatures that can hear it are awoken the moment the song ends. This automatically succeeds against any mundane slumber, no matter how tired the target might be. Against magically-induced slumber, you must make a Musical Power check against the curse�casting creature’s Arcana; you awaken the target only if you succeed – and even then, you might only temporarily rouse them before the magical slumber claims them again.
Minor
When you play this song, you catch the attention of all birds in the area. This song does not alter their disposition towards you – if a bird does not like you before the song, it will not like you after.
Most birds that are neutrally or positively disposed towards you will stop and pay attention to you. This allows you to pick them up and gently manipulate them, making this a prime opportunity to befriend the bird and make it a Companion, if that is your aim. If you attempt to hurt the bird, it will escape your grasp and fly off – and may become negatively disposed to you.
If a bird was (or becomes) negatively disposed towards you, it may attack immediately following the end of the song. Any such angry birds will prefer to attack the song’s performer, if possible.
If a bird was (or becomes) positively disposed to you, you may give it a simple command that it will follow to the best of its ability, based on your Perform Trait, from the list below. After performing the task, the bird will fly away and resume its normal life.
Musical Power 0 – Perform Trick: The bird immediately performs a simple trick, much like a pet would.
Musical Power 2 – Carry Message: The bird can carry a letter or other written message to a location within a day’s flight from its current location.
Musical Power 4 – Act as Guide: The bird can guide you to a specific place you can name or describe, within a day’s flight from its current location.
Musical Power 6 – Fetch the Shiny: The bird can attempt to seek out, pick up, and return to you, with an item you can name within a day’s flight. The item must be unsecured and not inside a building or any kind of bag or container, and must be small and light enough for the bird to pick up.
Musical Power 8 – Extended Task: The bird can perform a task over the course of a full day, such as keeping watch over your camp.
Minor
Upon completion of the song, you cause all plant-based outdoor terrain within (Musical Power) squares of you to bloom with new growth, becoming difficult terrain.
In addition, the song causes crops, fungi, and fruit-bearing plants within range to yield food. When harvesting Food Ingredients, add (Musical Power) to the harvest roll.
Major
When you play this song, select one inanimate object or willing creature that you can see. For the next hour, you control it.
The size of the inanimate object or creature you can control depends on your Perform skill. By default, you can control creatures or objects of Small size or smaller. For every 2 Musical Power, you can control a statue or creature of one Size Category larger.
| Musical Power | Statue Size |
|---|---|
| 0 | Small |
| 2 | Medium |
| 4 | Large |
| 6 | Huge |
| 8 | Gigantic |
| 10 | Colossal |
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While controlling an object or creature, you must use your actions to make it move and act, much as if it were a Companion.
If you control an inanimate object, the object can animate by using any obvious joints, but does not gain any additional powers or durability. If the object does not have any suitable legs, it can still hop along awkwardly (treating all terrain as difficult terrain).
You can see through any obvious eyes on the object, or use any other senses that a creature of its shape or description would obviously have – for instance, if you took control of a wolf statue, you might be able to detect scents you otherwise could not.
The statue uses your Musical Power in place of Accuracy, Agility, Athletics, Combat, and Willpower. Typically, Statues have Health equal to ((Rank+1) x 10), Defense and Traits of (Rank x 2), and Guard Stats of (10 + (Rank x 2)), based on the Rank of the Materials they are made out of. You may use any weapons the statue obviously has (such as a stone sword, or a mouth with which to bite); treat these as weapons of the same Rank as the Statue.
The Rito wizard Mazili is in an ancient tomb, and finds a Marble (Rank 4) statue of some long-forgotten knight, standing next to a heavy door that she cannot open. She plays the Command Melody, and takes control of the statue. As her Musical Power is 6, she can control a person-sized statue with ease, and it has an Athletics of 6 to match her Musical Power. She tells the statue to shove open the heavy doors – and a fireball trap springs! The statue has a Defense of 8, and Health of 50; more than capable of taking the fireball’s damage, and surviving.
If you control a willing creature, you can use that creature’s abilities, equipment, Feats, Traits, Spells, and Techniques. You sense everything the creature does, using all of its senses. The creature’s original mind is still present, and may communicate with you while you possess it. It also senses and remembers everything occurring around it. The creature can end your control of it at any time, for any reason. If the creature ever reaches 0 Health, your control over it ends.
Minor, Composable
When learning this song, select a specific sentient being (such as a learned scholar, a Sage, or a dragon). Give this song a new name, signifying the target creature.
When played, the caster can communicate verbally with the song’s specified being, as if they were adjacent to the caster; both sides can hear anything that the other party can hear. The song does not provide any visual of the target, or any information about their current whereabouts, and does not allow the two parties to transfer items to one another or to cast magic on one another: it is, essentially, a phone call.
The conversation may last for as long as both parties like, up until the next Extended Rest. Either party may end the conversation at will. However, a given creature may only be party to a single Song of Communication at a time; if contacted by another caster’s Song, the target may choose whether to end their current communication or ignore the incoming one.
Major
When played, the caster and any allies near them may designate up to (Musical Power) Companions in total. Those designated Companions will then appear over the nearest ridge, just around the corner, or from behind some convenient obstacle, as if they had already been on their way, and merely happened to arrive just as the song finished.
The Companions designated in this song must already be registered to that Hero at a Stable, or have sworn their service to either the caster or one of their nearby allies. The Companions must themselves not have been in danger at the time, such as being in the midst of a battle, a cell in a prison, or in a particularly high-stakes card game.
This song only works if the Companions in question could theoretically have safely travelled to the caster on their own, given infinite time: you can use the Song of Companions to call a favorite horse from halfway across a continent, but not to call it to a kingdom of floating clouds, or across the sea, where it could never walk to in a million years. Similarly, this song only works across Worlds if the Companions in question have their own way to travel between Worlds.
If no Companions designated in the casting can reach the caster, then the song fails, and the Song is not expended.
Major
When you play this Song, you create a zone of painful darkness around you, in a Burst of (Musical Power x 3). While in this zone, creatures are Distracted by you, and take (Musical Power / 2) damage whenever they enter or begin their turn in the zone. Evil or undead creatures are immune. You, your friends, and your companions are also immune, even if you aren’t evil or undead.
This Song’s effect does not begin until after you have played it through entirely (taking about five minutes). Once you’ve done so, you can continue to play this Song for as long as you like; otherwise, the Song ends at the end of your turn. While continuing to play this Song, you cannot take Standard Actions, and move as though Slowed.
Minor
When you perform this song, the location of secrets within (Musical Power) squares are revealed to you. Any objects that are hidden, locked away, buried, or invisible will glow to the caster’s eye, even if behind solid stone.
This song does not reveal what the hidden things are, nor how to get to them; just that there is something hidden or secret in that space. For example, if the object is in a safe, it will not reveal the combination, just that “there is something in the safe”; if there is a secret door, it will reveal that the door exists, and where in the wall it is, but not how to open it or where it leads.
Minor
When you finish playing this song, you step forward one square. In the square you left behind, a statue facsimile of you appears. (If you cannot step forward, the song fails.)
The statue facsimile of you is made of stone, is the same size as you, and weighs twice as much as you do. It can be pushed or picked up. At a glance, it appears to look like you, but any close inspection will reveal flaws and inconsistencies that clearly reveal its nature, both as a statue, and as not-quite-like-you. To discern the difference, the observer must roll Perception v. (your Musical Power x 2).
You may only have (Musical Power / 2) statues of yourself active at any one time. When you play this song again while at that limit, select one already-existing statue of you to make disappear. All statues created with this song disappear at the end of your next Extended Rest.
Minor
The first time Farore’s Wind is played, the user marks their present location with a beacon of green Dim Light. The beacon hangs in the air for a moment, and then fades from view. If the user attempts to mark a location that is not safe or stationary, the song fails, and the original marked location (if there is one) remains marked.
On subsequent playings, the user may choose to either change the location they have marked previously, or to transport themselves and up to (Musical Power) other persons with them to their marked location.
Major
When you perform this song, you enter a fugue state, where the mists of time envelop you and reveal insights into things that have not yet occurred.
While in this fugue state, you may ask up to (Musical Power) questions. These questions must relate to a specific action, event, or goal that has not yet happened, but may not be a question of simple knowledge. For instance, asking “What is the Weak Point of the sorceress Veran?” will get you nothing, but “What will happen if I shoot Veran with a Silver Arrow?” is valid.
The answers to your question do not have to be known by any living or dead creature – the Goddess of Time is answering your question, and nothing can hide from her. However, the event in question must be occurring within the next 10 days, or the vagaries of causality will be too vast to make out any information of use.
When a question is asked, the performer is treated to a vision of what will happen, or what is most likely to happen. However, even visions of certain doom should not be taken as a guarantee of failure – Heroes, in particular, have a long and storied history of thwarting the inevitable.
Once the performer has seen a vision, they may use their remaining questions to ask what might occur if they take a different course of action, or if they change the circumstances of the event. They may also ask to see what caused such an outcome to occur, or ask about a different event entirely.
Major
While you play this Song, all undead and evil creatures who can hear it are caused pain and annoyance by the song. Other creatures find it to be a jaunty, joyful tune.
You create a zone of joyful music around you in a Burst (Musical Power x 3). While in this zone, evil and undead creatures find you Hard to Hit, and take (Musical Power / 2) damage whenever they enter or begin their turn in the zone. They are Slowed if they try to move towards you, but they are free to move away from you.
This Song’s effect does not begin until after you have played it through entirely (taking about five minutes). Once you’ve done so, you can continue to play this Song for as long as you like; otherwise, the Song ends at the end of your turn. While continuing to play this Song, you cannot take Standard Actions, and move as though Slowed.
Major
When you play this song, all creatures who are awake and can hear the song, excepting yourself and (Musical Power) allies you designate, begin to get drowsy. Roll (2d6 + Perform + Instrument Rank) against each target’s Concentration; on success, they fall asleep, going Prone.
Creatures affected by this Song will remain asleep for at least (Musical Power) minutes. However, they can still be woken up by normal means, such as being splashed with cold water or hearing a loud noise.
Major
When you play this song, select a single curse, persistent magical spell, or other negative energy that you stand in the presence of. You attempt to end the effect in question. Make a Musical Power roll.
The DC and the effect of your Musical Power roll depends on the exact nature of the curse or spell you’re attempting to end. The number you need to beat might be an Arcana roll from the curse’s original caster, or it might be a static number, based on the strength and complexity of the curse or spell. It’s up to the GM to decide an appropriate DC for this Musical Power roll.
If you fail this roll, you still temporarily ease or abate the curse for (Musical Power) minutes. However, after this time, the spell returns to full force.
If you succeed the Musical Power roll, you break the curse, end the spell, or quell the negative energy. Depending on the curse or spell, this may have further consequences.
Minor
When you perform this song, you and up to (Musical Power) compatriots transform from your normal size, to the size of the fabled Minish – for every foot tall you normally are, you are now only an inch tall (1/12th your normal size).
While at Minish size, your attacks can only deal 1 damage to normal-sized foes. You may find that things that were non-issues at your normal size – puddles, Critters, the wind – might be terrible obstacles or deadly foes at Minish size.
You may also use this song to return to your normal size. This fails if there is not enough room to accommodate you and your compatriots at their normal size.
Major
When you learn this song, it is tied to a single powerful entity or group of entities (such as Farore, Goddess of Courage; the Giants of Terminia; or Eldin, guardian spirit of Eldin Province). It is also tied to at least one specific task, threat, or obstacle that the Divinity will help you overcome, of sufficient importance and difficulty as to warrant divine assistance.
When you play this song, that divine entity appears in a dazzling display, and sets about helping you conquer the obstacle, threat, or task that was specified. They may not be able to accomplish the entire task – often, even when the divine steps in, there is still call for Heroes – but the divine entity will do the best they can to ease the Heroes’ burdens and open a path to victory.
If played without need, or without profit to the divine entity, they may take the false summons poorly. Beware the story of the boy who cried Wolfos.
This song may be learned multiple times, each time targeting a different divine entity. If a divine entity wishes to pledge its help to more than one task, threat, or obstacle, it does not need to teach a separate song for the different tasks – the divine entity may expand the scope of the song’s designated tasks, but it cannot renege on promises already made.
Major, Composable
When learning this song, select a specific location. The location must be generally safe and free from enemies and hazards (though that may not be a guarantee). Give this song a new name, signifying its target location.
When played, the performer and up to (Musical Power) creatures, and their possessions, turn into motes of Dim Light, and drift into the breeze. They reappear at the song’s specified location five minutes later, reassembling from motes of light over the course of about fifteen seconds.
The caster must be in the same World as the target location for this song to work: if they are not, then the song fails.
Heroes may learn multiple versions of this song, each targeting a different location.
Minor
When learning this song, it is tied to a single group (such as a particular royal family, merchant house, or secret society). When you play this song, you clearly identify yourself as having the blessing of that group, both to creatures who work with or serve them, and to any doors, objects, or artifacts relating to that group. In short, playing this song at the right place, or for the right people, may open doors for you, both literally and metaphorically.
A curious feature of this song is its inimitability: even if one hears it a thousand times, they will not be able to replay it by ear. The song must be specifically taught to you, by someone who knows it and is ‘in the group’.
If a person loses the favor of the group the song represents, and the group formally revokes their membership, the offender will be unable to play the song properly – it will be off-key, poorly-timed, and otherwise obviously incorrect.
Heroes may learn multiple versions of this song, each representing a different group.
Minor
When you play this song near a deceased body, the body’s soul returns to its corpse. The soul is bound to the corpse for an amount of time based on your Musical Power. After the time expires, the soul automatically leaves its body.
The corpse’s capabilities depend on just how old it is, how well preserved, and how much of it is left – the Song of Soul does not heal or restore the corpse in any way.
If the corpse still has muscle, it can move (and fight) as it did in life; if it’s not well�preserved, it may have less Health than when it was alive; if it lacks a head, the corpse will not be able to navigate very well, lacking eyes.
The sole exception is the ability to speak: so long as there is at least a skull, the soul within will be able to speak aloud.
| Musical Power | Time Granted |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 minute |
| 2 | 10 minutes |
| 3 | 30 minutes |
| 4 | 1 hour |
| 5 | 2 hours |
| 6 | 4 hours |
| 7 | 8 hours |
| 8 | 12 hours |
| 9 | 16 hours |
| 10 | 24 hours |
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The Song of Soul does not force the soul to take any actions or to obey any commands – it still has free will, and may need to be cajoled, convinced, or otherwise forced to answer your questions or act on your behalf.
Major
When you perform this song, you and your allies gain an audience with an innumerable host of mystic sages, each with a deep knowledge of their favored subject; some may still be living, and others might have passed. The sages appear before you as ghostly figures, unable to physically interact with the world, and will leave if attacked or ignored. You may ask the sages a number of questions equal to (your Perform rank).
For the sages to be able to answer a question, the answer must be known by at least one sentient creature, living or dead, who would be willing to share it with your or those allied with you. The sages do not know what will happen in the future, and cannot make predictions any more accurately than a normal, reasonable person could. The sages’ answers may not necessarily be easy to understand, but they will communicate to you in a language you know, and will attempt to make themselves understood – if a sage answers with something vague, it is because they themselves do not know the full answer, or because the vague answer is the most truthful or useful answer.
If your campaign has specific sages, or other mystical, scholarly, or powerful beings that the Heroes have met and allied with, you may instead use this song to ‘conference call’ them. In this case, no unknown host of sages appear; only sages you have met and allied with will answer your call, though they may also decline to participate if they are busy or indisposed. This allows Heroes to get specific insights from the sages, and allow them to speak with both yourself, your allies, and one another.
This song can only be played at the end of a Short or Extended Rest. When you play this song, select one of the following results.
Minor, Requires Musical Power 3 – You may determine the result of the last Weather Check: whether the weather gets more intense, less intense, or stays at its present intensity. In addition, you may also determine the direction the wind will be blowing, however strong it may be. The wind will continue blowing in this direction until your next Short or Extended Rest.
Minor, Requires Musical Power 6 – You may determine the result of the last three Weather Checks: whether the weather gets more intense, less intense, or stays at its present intensity. In addition, you may also determine the direction the wind will be blowing, however strong it may be. The wind will continue blowing in this direction until your next Extended Rest.
Major, Requires Musical Power 9 – You may select any Weather type, and any rank of that Weather. Over the next five minutes, the weather changes to match your selection, no matter how wild the change. If you chose a Weather type not normal for this area, then any Weather check that would result in the weather becoming more intense will instead keep it at its present intensity, and any Weather check result that would keep it at the same intensity will instead reduce its intensity. When the weather gets to Rank 0, it returns to the type of weather native to this area. In addition, you may also determine the direction the wind will be blowing, however strong it may be. The wind will continue blowing in this direction until your next Extended Rest.
Major
When learning this song, select a specific World (such as “Light World”, “Dark World”, “World of Twilight”, “Subrosia”, etc.). Give this song a new name, signifying that World.
When played, the performer and up to (Musical Power) creatures, and their possessions, turn into silhouettes of rainbow colors; the targets see the world change in much the same way. The targets fade from their current World, and fade into being in the song’s target World, at the same physical location.
The caster must not be in the same World as the target location for this song to work. The target location must also be free of rock and solid matter in the target world. Otherwise, the song fails, and is not expended.
Heroes may learn multiple versions of this song, each time targeting a different World.