D&D General Please make suggestions for a remote but connected and interacting audience for a bard

[greg kaye]

It could be treated as the bard's familiar (a Tome Warlock can get one as a point of reference), if you wanted to go that route - which may cost the Bard a feat, attunement slot or the like if you wanted to "balance" it. Or, just leave it as a curse if you expect its something down the road the bard is going to want to get rid of.

Why would the demons that sought the destruction of Elterel, give a joke-telling bard a demonic familiar?

 

[jgsugden]

The way I'd handle this would be to tell the play that I have an idea and I'd like his blessing to run with it. I'll provide something, but your PC will not start off aware of it.

Then, during the session, I'd have a soundboard that I can access to pick sounds at the touch of a button. There are many available. Then I'd fill in many buttons with the basic sitcom sounds - clapping, howling laughter, ooooohhhhs, awwwwwws - and then some from horror movie audiences - screams, etc...

Then, I'd layer onto some of them one voice (a modulated version of my voice) that provides a combination of useful and misleading information delivered by a heckler. For example, you'd hear the sound of an audience laughing, but faintly inside of it would be a voice saying, "Check under the bed, idiot!"

I'd layer these in as the game goes along without explanation, beyond making it clear that the only one hearing anything is the PC. It seems to all be in his mind ... except for the fact that there are useful hints hidden away in some of the sounds.

Lore-wise, the explanation would be something along the lines of a curse, a haunting, etc... The idea reminds me of a 'broken jar' storyline I ran years back where a PC was carrying around an item hiding a 'Magic Jar' gem where the version of the spell used was faulty - and the attempts of the trapped being to take control resulted in sleep walking, hallucinations, and inexplicable knowledge bonuses. I might lean in that direction again and have the being trapped be a bard that has gone insane due to being alone for so long in the item.

 

[Stormonu]

Why would the demons that sought the destruction of Elterel, give a joke-telling bard a demonic familiar?

Mechanics for handling it in play (with dismissal/summoning passing to the DM instead of the player). It would probably have to be reflavored from the normal beneficial relationship to a semi-adversarial one - not a "I like you and here's an assistant to show my favor" but "You're stuck with me buddy, whether you like or not."

 

[greg kaye]

Mechanics for handling it in play (with dismissal/summoning passing to the DM instead of the player). It would probably have to be reflavored from the normal beneficial relationship to a semi-adversarial one - not a "I like you and here's an assistant to show my favor" but "You're stuck with me buddy, whether you like or not."

So, the imp would just be around doing the demon's bidding while not giving a naughty word about the party?

 

[greg kaye]

Then, during the session, I'd have a soundboard that I can access to pick sounds at the touch of a button. There are many available. Then I'd fill in many buttons with the basic sitcom sounds - clapping, howling laughter, ooooohhhhs, awwwwwws - and then some from horror movie audiences - screams, etc...

This kind or thing could really work, it's the kind of thing that might really appeal to an attention-seeking bard. The demon/s however would regularly be wanting to up the ante so as to increase their ability to cause influence in the material world.
Just in prestidigitation that could extend to lighting fires and writing messages, possibly relating to demon summoning.
The demons might also be using it as a means to spy on the material plane.

 

[Stormonu]

So, the imp would just be around doing the demon's bidding while not giving a naughty word about the party?

Possibly, though I wouldn't personally make it malicious to the point where the party would just flat-out kill it. The party might be able to convince the little bugger to be helpful when the demon "isn't looking" or its bored, for example.

Mostly I was just suggesting using the mechanics of summoning a familiar for handling the actual existence/dismissal/stats of the imp and the level of benefit it would provide. How it would actually interact with the party would be up to you and the bard player to work out. If it doesn't fit what you envision, I wouldn't use it.