Bard with a Drumkit?

[SnoopFrog350]

My friends and i were brainstorming if it were possible to have a drum set for a bard.

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

SnoopFrog350 wrote:

My friends and i were brainstorming if it were possible to have a drum set for a bard.

Who's going to carry it? Not exactly something you can stuff in a backpack.

[Dustin Heaton]

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

SnoopFrog350 wrote:

My friends and i were brainstorming if it were possible to have a drum set for a bard.

Who's going to carry it? Not exactly something you can stuff in a backpack.

That's what unseen servants are for. Or animated objects at a higher level.

[Surren Starr]

As long as they have a bag of holding, have small enough drum parts to fit (if the Bard is a Halfling or Gnome that'd help justify a smaller drumkit parts) and they are willing to spend time to setup & dismantle the kit I would say it'd be an accepted instrument choice.

Perhaps a simple hand percussion set would be more appropriate as it'd supply instruments that could be pulled out and used in the heat of battle?
I don't think anyone wants to stand around guarding the party bard while they spend a few minutes setting up while a band of Orcs cut into them.

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

Maybe the drum kit idea should be saved for street performances, and your dungeoneering be best done with a single drum. If you're just going for a visual joke, those get old fast. Even faster if the party has to wait several rounds for setup before they get their bardic buffs.

[SlimGauge]

You could do something like a cross between the marching band four drums in an arc in front combined with the one-man band bit of the big bass drum on your back and cymbals between your knees.

this plus this

Eventually, weight becomes an issue.

[PossibleCabbage]

I had a bard once that played the Djembe. This is a good choice because you can carry it on a strap and you can play it standing up.

You don't need a lot of different drums to buff the party with your hot fire rhythms, you just need to be able to carry the beat.

[Tusk the Half-Orc]

Summon Instrument is a cantrip, right? No Bag of Holding required.

[Surren Starr]

Tusk the Half-Orc wrote:

Summon Instrument is a cantrip, right? No Bag of Holding required.

Sadly that wouldn't work for a full drum kit, as the spell description states that you can only a single handheld instrument. It can't be too big to fit in two hands either so that adds to the limitation.

[The Sideromancer]

Evidently, someone needs to research a greater summon instrument.

[Korolan]

PossibleCabbage (emphasis Mine) wrote:

I had a bard once that played the Djembe. This is a good choice because you can carry it on a strap and you can play it standing up.

You don't need a lot of different drums to buff the party with your hot fire rhythms, you just need to be able to carry the beat.

I lost it at this point.

[GM_Beernorg]

This sounds like the perfect call for Craft (musical instrument) and Knowledge (engineering) to combine to maybe form the folding field drum kit.

steel frame, some articulated or ratcheting joints, a few wing nuts, holding together a small (for a drum kit) base, snare, tom, and high hat (which of course if you peddle up, can serve as a single ride cymbal)

Cost: I would go with something like base 250 gp, market 500, add +10 to the calculated standard Craft DC and Knowledge check DC

Weight: let us be honest, kinda heavy still 50 lbs for a Medium sized kit.

Setup Time: If in combat, 6 standard actions (thinking one to put the thing down carefully and in a stable spot, then one for each component to be unfolded and tightened in place).

Bonus points in my book if the bard used parts of the kit to fight, (improvised weapons bard!), and puts it back on the kit and goes back to laying down a steady beat(down).

But that is just my 2 cp on how I would handle such a request.

(I love using my RL djembe to counter obnoxious neighbors and bad loud music, great idea to play one as a bard! :))

[Saldiven]

My Dwarf Bard plays a timpani.

It rolls around on squeaky little caster wheels, and he dual wields the mallets he plays the timpani with. :P (Obviously, he's a buffer/support type, not a melee damage beast.)

[Tusk the Half-Orc]

Surren Starr wrote:

Tusk the Half-Orc wrote:

Summon Instrument is a cantrip, right? No Bag of Holding required.

Sadly that wouldn't work for a full drum kit, as the spell description states that you can only a single handheld instrument. It can't be too big to fit in two hands either so that adds to the limitation.

Whoops. Nice catch.

The Sideromancer wrote:

Evidently, someone needs to research a greater summon instrument.

Or it could be an alternate use of one of the “Hand” spells. Any instrument is “handheld” if you make the hand big enough.

[JonathonWilder]

Maybe someone can create a Summon Instrument, Greater spell? Maybe a minor magic item that you can 'store' an drumkit in which to summon as a swift action, a necklace perhaps.

[Azothath]

yes, luckily the bard is usually confined to his parent's basement or garage. ;o)
otherwise see SlimGauge's links. I believe you get Perform(percussion) so it goes from a triangle to kettledrums, xylophone, and church bells (ahem, "sanctuary!"*bong*... "sanctuary!").