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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 9656116" data-attributes="member: 58172">Musical Instrument proficiencies: heh, I hate it when something that is important in reallife is worthless in gameplay.My (Norse and Celtic) Bards typically do magic by using words to focus magical intent − via commands, impromptu chants, or spoken poetry. The Norse Bards never play music instruments (except some use a Sámi shamanic drum during a ritual). The Celtic Bards typically dont play instruments − they speak poems whether admiring or satirical − albeit some families are famous for playing musical instruments. I actually rarely deal with the mechanics of musical instruments in my games.The Performance check is generally for any kind of esthetic beauty. Normally, when crafting an item, the player rolls an ability check to determine technical skill then if high quality also rolls a separate Charisma (Performance) check to determine its esthetic value for artistic beauty (and defacto how many gp it is worth).The same principle applies to any kind of beauty. For example, performing a dance on stage rolls once for technical skill, here Dexterity (Athletics) check for rhythm coordination and high jumps, then if high quality, rolls again for the artistic beauty of the dance, Charisma (Performance). The Performance check determines the crowd pleasing and the sense that audience got their moneys worth for the ticket price. A gem cutter would make a Dexterity (Nature) check to cut the gem, and work around its irregularities, then the Charisma (Performance) determines its beauty, and gp value. Even magic items benefit from exquisite beauty − perhaps especially so, given the charm factor inherent in the feeling of magic.Back to musical instruments. The game mechanics of 'wasting' a tool proficiency on a musical instrument is outrageously expensive. Heaven forbid the character knows how to play two or three instruments! There has to be a better way!Musical instruments are more like knowing language. They arent actually 'worth' a skill proficiency, but normally characters shouldnt know all languages infinitely either. The idea is, the language is free but is gated behind some other game mechanic, and for languages it is the Origin design space, along with choosing Abilities, Background, and Species.Not sure what to do with music.Maybe 'Music' is a skill, that starts off with knowing one instrument per bonus from the chosen mental ability? So a player can take the skill, reasonably inexpensively, then choose whether Charisma, Wisdom, or Intelligence determines how many instruments one masters.Possibly, music can be a toolset proficiency, but only if the proficiency has actual mechanical benefits, plus one can use music as a tool to gain Advantage (or Expertise) during various kinds of skill checks. Even Medicine healing checks, Insight psychology discernment, Persuasion prestige benefits from townfolk, and so on.</blockquote>

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