I'm almost afraid to ask...

[TwinPeaksGuy]

I've been working on a couple of character concepts for 4th season, and wanted some perspectives on one of them.

I'd like to do a variant human Gur ethnicity Bard. When he fights, he prefers to debuff and insult the enemy from the rear. Frequent use of the vicious mockery cantrip, think Don Rickles taking down a heckler.

Here's the weird part: his Entertainer routine is actually built around puppet shows and ventriloquism. This character is unlikely to ever draw a weapon, and if that ever happens it's a dagger or hand crossbow so motion economy is probably never an issue.

Is there really a hard requirement that the spell focus be a musical instrument, could a puppet or dummy be a substitute? I am really liking the twisted creepy absurdity of having spells seem to be coming from an angry abusive puppet.

 

[Cascade]

Just have a doll with a fife - you can ventriloquist his playing it...the fife and doll can be it.
It may make items difficult to find but how you're doing will be very difficult anyway.

A doll casting vicious mockery could be very entertaining...

You could even be creepier and make small dolls of each party member and when you cast buffs on them you use the appropriate doll.
Image true strike, healing word, cure wounds...message.

That's quite a cool concept.

Obvious Puppet Master horror comes to mind.

 

[TwinPeaksGuy]

The multiple dolls concept is do-able. I was going to give him proficiency in woodcarving so he could make his own puppets anyway.

Inspirations for this included "Trilogy of Terror," the Chucky movies, and the "Blood Brothers" Call of Cthulhu adventure book. And a dash of Gepetto.

This build is all about having fun with the concept, I could give a hang about doing damage and want the character to be just useful enough to the party that they keep him around.

 

[kalani]

Bards are not required to use a musical instrument - they are also able to use spell component pouches (as all spellcasters can use a component pouch for their material components). Personally, I think it would be decidedly creepy if you had your ventriloquist dummy have a harmonica or something that you used as a spellcasting focus (and you had a miniature bellows within the dummy that you used to push air through the instrument).

The main thing is that you either use a component pouch or an instrument for your SM and VSM spells, and that you need to manipulate the focus in some way. Since you are using your hands to operate the dummy, its not like you are trying to have hands-free material components or anything, so I don't see this as a problem.

YMMV

 

[Cascade]

The multiple dolls concept is do-able. I was going to give him proficiency in woodcarving so he could make his own puppets anyway.
.

This could be very fun...

Take actor feat so you know all the sounds and you can get .
Rituals can be cast by having the dolls all sit around in a circle.
1 level of Warlock would get you Hex for extra damage on VM.
You can also play a doll as a visage of your patron.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

You said it yourself - this idea is absurd.

Don't expect the DM to tolerate such absurdity, where it isn't explicitly allowed by the rules. You might chance into a game that is as ridiculous as your character, but don't count on it.

 

[Storyteller Hero]

You could have a function like a music box or automated toy instrument playing built into your puppet. Click the button to play the music as part of your spell casting...

 

[Steve_MND]

You said it yourself - this idea is absurd. Don't expect the DM to tolerate such absurdity, where it isn't explicitly allowed by the rules. You might chance into a game that is as ridiculous as your character, but don't count on it.

Man, you must be fun at parties.

Yes, the idea is absurd, but it's hardly ridiculous. Playing with puppets and such is classic real-world jester and entertainer stuff -- much less the idea of voodoo dolls and such -- and all of those fit quite nicely into the concept of a D&D bard. As long as the mechanics remain the same, if someone wants to 're-skin' the effects of things in a game, I'm fine with it. And if a DM does, just have that pouch of normal spell components and move right along.

And TwinPeaks, one of the bards at our regular table is an insane homeless man, and his version of the Song of Rest is a "saucy puppet show," (and no, not the Urban Dictionary definition type, you weirdos) so go right ahead. Just keep in mind that occasionally, you may end up playing at a table with a DM, well, with a DM like Saelorn, so keep that in mind and have your backup spell component pouch ready.

 

[TwinPeaksGuy]

You said it yourself - this idea is absurd.

Don't expect the DM to tolerate such absurdity, where it isn't explicitly allowed by the rules. You might chance into a game that is as ridiculous as your character, but don't count on it.

Your opinion has been noted and will be placed in our suggestion box.

Having a component pouch seems like a great compromise, he'd usually have a hand free anyway for a ventriloquist dummy or hand puppet. A marionette can often need two hands, but many don't. Operating the puppet *is* the somatic component, Ventriloquism is the verbal, and pouch if the DM du jour hates puppets.

It's not like I want him to have an axe in one hand, a shield in another, and a spell focus in a third hand. The musical instrument was just getting in the way as I thought about it. Re-skinning the focus as a puppet made sense, in a twisted way.


"Ugh! that bloody band of minstrels, Spinal Tap, they're on the bill AGAIN?"

 

[The Crimson Binome]

If you want to 're-skin' your effects, go play Fourth Edition.

There's a reason why such language was not included in the rules for Fifth Edition.