Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Thomasyo4 02-26-06, 02:42 PM	Could you use a steel lyre (or any other bard instrument) as an exotic weapon?
Jenrock 02-26-06, 02:49 PM	I'd go ahead and rule yes. It has been done in many fantasy console games throughout the years, so why not?
Romanus_Mortus 02-26-06, 02:52 PM	hmm, I'd probably allow it. Unless it was magical it'd go out of tune all the time. Interesting side note - I have played a bard based on the wandering buddhist priests of song and tang-dynasty china. They carried large, heavy flutes that doubled as cudgels for self-defense when on the open road. This is very similar in concept. I just figured the flute was a club, mechanically. A lyre or lute or whatever might be a *bit* harder to use (and thus exotic). But a fine idea, I think.
ClementWillowbreaker 02-26-06, 04:40 PM	It would improvised, dealing crap damage with -4 to hit, and breaking 5% of the time like all other improvised weapons. So you can, but I wouldn't. As for making a lyre out of steel, it's not going to be a good lyre. Those things are built with the assumption of certain resonant properties of the material, which pretty much goes directly against your interests as a weapon. As for making a weapon that happens to be an instrument, that's a pretty lame attempt to get the masterwork bonus of an instrument without giving up hands for fighting with, which is supposed to be a tradeoff. If you want to be performing and fighting, focus in singing, and suck up the slightly lower Perform until you can get a Wonderous item to give you a competence bonus.
Romanus_Mortus 02-26-06, 05:13 PM	It would improvised, dealing crap damage with -4 to hit, and breaking 5% of the time like all other improvised weapons. So you can, but I wouldn't. As for making a lyre out of steel, it's not going to be a good lyre. Those things are built with the assumption of certain resonant properties of the material, which pretty much goes directly against your interests as a weapon. As for making a weapon that happens to be an instrument, that's a pretty lame attempt to get the masterwork bonus of an instrument without giving up hands for fighting with, which is supposed to be a tradeoff. If you want to be performing and fighting, focus in singing, and suck up the slightly lower Perform until you can get a Wonderous item to give you a competence bonus. Or its an interesting concept that has every right to exist in a fantasy setting and can be worked within the rules in a number of ways. And since the OP suggested making the 'weapon' exotic, then I think burning a feat to be able to use it is a fair trade-off for potentially gaining a double whammy from it being masterwork. And who is to say that a steel lyre isn't any good. Last time I checked D&D includes things like flying castles and dragons and such. Maybe people in the real world just don't know how to do it right :P And just FYI - when I made the character with the flute-club, I never even made the thing masterwork...so easy on the assuming everyone's a munchkin, ok? (even though these boards to tend to make one jaded sometimes)
quinnquillion quillacia 03-18-06, 06:13 PM	the warcordian not alot of damage just very anoying :P
Silverthumb128 03-18-06, 08:28 PM	It would improvised, dealing crap damage with -4 to hit, and breaking 5% of the time like all other improvised weapons. Unless it were built specifically to be a dual-use instrument/weapon, perhaps? Then its no longer an improvised weapon, but an Exotic Weapon. As for making a lyre out of steel, it's not going to be a good lyre. Those things are built with the assumption of certain resonant properties of the material, which pretty much goes directly against your interests as a weapon. Unless the item in question were magical, then anything's possible. Perhaps it can magically carry a tune and still be able to knock an orc senseless? Ghost Sound would be a good spell to enchant it with. Plucking the right strings, hitting the right note, etc, will produce the desired sound, but magically. And Ghost Sound is a 0 level Bard spell, hardly munchkiny, wouldn't you agree? :D
Vaelan 03-19-06, 07:39 AM	Why would any Bard not use a whip? The proficiency is free and it is the ultimate support weapon, aside from not granting your allies flanking bonuses.
Diet_Sunkist 03-19-06, 12:14 PM	Forget the lyre. Give that lazy bard a sword and tell him to "go have fun"
Diyon 03-19-06, 07:32 PM	You can probably create somesort of weapon that doubles as an instrument. The kender have them, so why not others?
Waterhammer 03-19-06, 07:43 PM	Some people play cross-cut saws. Of course, a cross-cut saw would be an improvised weapon, as well as an improvised instrument. There is the Songblade from Complete Adventurer.
Pandaemoni 03-19-06, 08:18 PM	Could you use a steel lyre (or any other bard instrument) as an exotic weapon? Are you building El Kabong?
WhiteHarness 03-20-06, 03:39 AM	Are you building El Kabong? Worse. He's building "Edward", the spoony bard from Final Fantasy IV. Just because you can in D&D doesn't mean you should. It was dumb in FFIV, and it'll be dumb in D&D. Fantasy needn't equal folly.
CaoSlayer 03-20-06, 09:03 AM	A lyre-bow rocks... yu could use the stats of a short bow. ;) also a steel mandolin would be more viable (Great club stats?) In the serious part, in the darksun 3e update manual there is an exotic weapon that consist in a couple of drumīs sticks, have the stats of a light mace and can be used like if you had the two weapon fighting feat.