| Aaron Chusid |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
When I make a sound, any sound -
sshhhh
- I transfer energy from myself to the world around me.
My voice, my hands, my breath, my feet impart energy into the air, the ground, the water; when that energy reaches you, you hear it, feel it, absorb it.
What could be more primal as magic?
Have you ever listened to music that made your heart beat faster? That made you cry? That made you remember a particular summer day at the park, even though the song had nothing to do with it at all? Did you think it was just music that did that to you?
Watch Cyrano De Bergerac. The 1950 version with José Ferrer. He wins a sword fight by composing poetry at someone.
Drum, pipe, and horn were vital parts of pre-modern warfare. Why? They were the most efficient means available of conveying a message to all troops on the field, especially one the enemy couldn't easily decode.
If your bard whips out a lute or fife as the Ogre charges...you may have some mental issues to deal with. Of course, if he then uses the instrument to give his companions helpful encrypted warnings (Another one behind you! The one on the right has an injured foot!) he may be on to something smart.
Morale is important in a fight. Every fight is won in the mind before it is won in the body. Don't underestimate the positive impact that appearing so confident you can strike up a tune will have on your friends. Or yourself.
There are lots of ways to take this. Think of Banshee or Syren from the X-Men; maybe your bard's music is subtly disquieting to the enemy, and that is why your friends get a bonus. Counterspell? Absolutely! Wizard can't say his magic words right when you're singing at him in Gnomish! Maybe your music helps your friends relax and concentrate; panic and stiffness are major problems in a fight, and the right tune could dismiss those.
Or maybe it's just magic.
Design your bard sensibly, though. Wandering through a dungeon wielding a two-handed instrument is silly. But holding a sword in one hand and playing the small drum attached to your belt with the other? Could work. Singing, chanting, or proclaiming battle instructions works too.
Check out The Abhorsen books by Garth Nix: necromancy based on magic bells. Actually, based on use of magical notes; the bells just were best at making them.