Has anyone ever used hurdy gurdies in their pathfinder campaigns?


Gamer Life General Discussion


I always found it a shame that Perform (Keyboard) was seemingly always delegated to playing large, hulking, immobile fixtures like harpsichords and pianos, and never saw much time in the lime light as, say, a bard's primary performance in the heat of battle.

In my pathfinder campaign, I'm letting one of my players, a bard, use one of my favorite instruments, a good old wheel viola, aka hurdy gurdy or ye-olde keytar.

Anyone else like having bards with hurdy gurdies or other uncommon instruments? Any favorite examples?


Bard with Plush Marionettes who could magically animate the marionettes to deal static damage based on her puppetry skill and her charisma but each marionette counted as a single wielded weapon of a size proportionate to the size of the marionette


I've got a bard in a campaign I'm playing that's using a sot of "sound stick". It's a lance with a bunch of holes in it he swings around to make noise and perform. Cant remember the name at the moment.


Most of my bards tend to be dancers or singers, rather than instrument players. Though I have been tempted on multiple occasions to do the whole axe/guitar combo thing.


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Orthos wrote:
Most of my bards tend to be dancers or singers, rather than instrument players. Though I have been tempted on multiple occasions to do the whole axe/guitar combo thing.

I had the idea of a "morningstar mandolin" at a certain point; an iron mandolin the back of which would be covered in spikes.


williamoak wrote:
Orthos wrote:
Most of my bards tend to be dancers or singers, rather than instrument players. Though I have been tempted on multiple occasions to do the whole axe/guitar combo thing.
I had the idea of a "morningstar mandolin" at a certain point; an iron mandolin the back of which would be covered in spikes.

A friend from my old NWN server's days did a D&D based comic where the bard had an iron-plated lute. DULCET TONES!/EL KABOOOOOONG!


Orthos wrote:
williamoak wrote:
Orthos wrote:
Most of my bards tend to be dancers or singers, rather than instrument players. Though I have been tempted on multiple occasions to do the whole axe/guitar combo thing.
I had the idea of a "morningstar mandolin" at a certain point; an iron mandolin the back of which would be covered in spikes.
A friend from my old NWN server's days did a D&D based comic where the bard had an iron-plated lute. DULCET TONES!/EL KABOOOOOONG!

Personal comic or webcomic? I'm always looking for interesting webcomics?

But El Kabong is a parfect name.


williamoak wrote:
Orthos wrote:
williamoak wrote:
Orthos wrote:
Most of my bards tend to be dancers or singers, rather than instrument players. Though I have been tempted on multiple occasions to do the whole axe/guitar combo thing.
I had the idea of a "morningstar mandolin" at a certain point; an iron mandolin the back of which would be covered in spikes.
A friend from my old NWN server's days did a D&D based comic where the bard had an iron-plated lute. DULCET TONES!/EL KABOOOOOONG!

Personal comic or webcomic? I'm always looking for interesting webcomics?

But El Kabong is a parfect name.

Webcomic. I haven't read it in years though, but someone's kept the TVTropes page I started updated and there's some unfamiliar stuff so I know it's updated at least some since I stopped looking.

The art's not the greatest (especially the early strips, which are mostly black-and-white talking heads) but there are certainly some funny moments.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I'd suggest using an accordion, but that's something reserved for Asmodean bards. (The second strip.)

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Orthos wrote:
williamoak wrote:
Orthos wrote:
williamoak wrote:
Orthos wrote:
Most of my bards tend to be dancers or singers, rather than instrument players. Though I have been tempted on multiple occasions to do the whole axe/guitar combo thing.
I had the idea of a "morningstar mandolin" at a certain point; an iron mandolin the back of which would be covered in spikes.
A friend from my old NWN server's days did a D&D based comic where the bard had an iron-plated lute. DULCET TONES!/EL KABOOOOOONG!

Personal comic or webcomic? I'm always looking for interesting webcomics?

But El Kabong is a parfect name.

Webcomic. I haven't read it in years though, but someone's kept the TVTropes page I started updated and there's some unfamiliar stuff so I know it's updated at least some since I stopped looking.

The art's not the greatest (especially the early strips, which are mostly black-and-white talking heads) but there are certainly some funny moments.

That's one I still follow--good to see that a few other people do. And I agree re the art, but the writing is fun.


Thanks to a character my brother played years ago, I now associate orcish bards with bagpipes and kilts. That's a character concept I'd like to revisit someday.

An accordian or concertina is also a bard insturment I need to pull out one day. Probably for a pirate theme.


John Woodford wrote:
Orthos wrote:
williamoak wrote:
Orthos wrote:
williamoak wrote:
Orthos wrote:
Most of my bards tend to be dancers or singers, rather than instrument players. Though I have been tempted on multiple occasions to do the whole axe/guitar combo thing.
I had the idea of a "morningstar mandolin" at a certain point; an iron mandolin the back of which would be covered in spikes.
A friend from my old NWN server's days did a D&D based comic where the bard had an iron-plated lute. DULCET TONES!/EL KABOOOOOONG!

Personal comic or webcomic? I'm always looking for interesting webcomics?

But El Kabong is a parfect name.

Webcomic. I haven't read it in years though, but someone's kept the TVTropes page I started updated and there's some unfamiliar stuff so I know it's updated at least some since I stopped looking.

The art's not the greatest (especially the early strips, which are mostly black-and-white talking heads) but there are certainly some funny moments.

That's one I still follow--good to see that a few other people do. And I agree re the art, but the writing is fun.

Nice to hear =) Where'd you learn of it?

Grand Lodge

My Dirge Bard uses a small spin-drum (like the one in the final fight of Karate Kid Part 2) as his percussion instrument. It's the only one-handed persussion instrument I could think of (in case he needs the other hand free) but it seems thematically appropriate to me for some reason.

Plus GM's seem to think it's hilarious when I rub my thumb and first two fingers back and forth going "thub, thub, thub" when I use it as my percussion instrument to demoralize enemies with Haunting Refrain...


All hail the Hurdy Gurdy Man.


I've got a hurdy gurdy, which my dad made from a kit. I've only tried to play it once and do not care to repeat the experience. Might be good as an instrument of aural torture in a Nidalese campaign, or one set in Belkzen, where I imagine everyone's pretty much tone deaf.


To the OP, thanks for revealing to me the existence of the hurdy gurdy, it's an odd and particularly interesting sounding instrument.


We have a dwarven bard that uses a hurdy gurdy. Wait, no, he's not a dwarf. He looks like one, fights like one, drinks like one, but he's got the impulse control of a faerie. I'd go into more detail but I do not want to derail the thread.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Orthos wrote:
John Woodford wrote:

That's one I still follow--good to see that a few other people do. And I agree re the art, but the writing is fun.

Nice to hear =) Where'd you learn of it?

You know, I don't remember. I was following it at least four years ago; I may have run across it in a voter image on Topwebcomics, but it's been a while.

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