DnD Secret Crafts Musicologist

Dungeons and Dragons – Mystara

Secret Craft of Musicians

aka Masters of Music, Musicologist

This secret craft was developed by those who have a deep connection with music. These are abilities granted by the grace of the patrons of music.

Source Material: This secret craft was built from material gained from various editions of the game. Principalities of Glantri (gaz3), Ultimate Prestige Classes Vol 1 (Songomancer), Ultimate Prestige Classes Vol 2 (Grand Diva, Lamenter)

List of Practitioners of the Musicologist Secret Craft

• Initiate –
• 1st Circle – Shofa – Bard of Valour (Fri)
• 3rd Circle –
• 5th Circle –

Craft Magical Items – Musicologist

• Very Rare
  • Candle of Invocation – (Energy, Entropy, Matter, Thought, Time)

Ranks of the Musicologist Secret Craft

• Initiate (from 1st level)
• 1st Circle (from 6th level)
• 2nd Circle (from 11th level)
• 3rd Circle (from 16th level)
• 4th Circle (from 21st level)
• 5th Circle (from 26th level)

Musicologist Initiate

To become an initiate, one must be part of a Grand Theatre or Bardic College.

Secret Craft – Musicologist – Initiate

• Craft Bonus = Proficiency + Cha + circle +2 (Dragonkin, Elven)
• Craft DC: The Base DC of a secret craft abilities is: Base Craft DC = 8 + Prof + Cha mod + circle achieved +2 (Dragonkin, Elven).
• Bonus Language – Draconic or Elven
• Associated Sphere – Usually a Matter or Thought Immortal, Dragonkin Pantheon Immortal, Elven Pantheon Immortal, but any Immortal who is a Patron of artists is also valid.
• Expanded Magic: Characters gain extra spells to their spell list from this secret craft. A prepared caster gains them as spells in their spellbook, a spontaneous caster can swap out the spells with their known spells during craft downtime.
• Artefacts of Music (any) You can make a craft check to use a artefact of music without expending the items power by paying for it with your own life force instead. This avoids the chance of a penalty being activated. You can also steal power from an artefact to heal your soul burn. If you are attuned to the artefact, you can use its power to activate your secret craft features without a chance of a penalty being activated. Musical attuned magical items allow you to pinch their charges for the day using 1 charge to replace 1 soul burn, and for each level or rarity above common the magical item can replace an additional point.

Musicologist Additional Crit Effects

• Musicologist Additional Craft Mishap: In addition to the base critical failure effect you are vibrating with Thunder which causes the irreducible damage (from the standard mishap) as a punishment from your mentor, this hit point damage also affects everyone in your manifestation. You are unable to conduct performances until you finish a long rest and have disadvantage on rolls using instruments.
• Musicologist Additional Craft Boon: In addition to the base critical success effect you are resonating with supporting vibrations causing a Thunder effect but feel invigorated by the effect (from the standard boon), this hit point healing also affects everyone in your manifestation. Your grasp of performing is beyond your normal understanding, until you have a long rest you have Advantage on any rolls using performance.

Associated Classes: These classes can select this secret crafts as part of their level advancement.

Available Feats for an Musicologist:

Spell List – Secret Craft – Musicologist
(Audio, Music, Sound or Vocal based spells)

Cantrip – Detune (bls43), Dissonance (bls45), Prestidigitation (ph248), Thaumaturgy (ph283),

1st Level Spells – Dissonant Whispers (ph235), Enhance Oration – R (bls52), Sonic Boom (bls110), Unchained Melody (bls120)

2nd Level Spells – Death March (bls40), Harmony of Heroes (bls68), Keen Hearing (bls79), Magic Mouth – R (ph258), Phantom Accompaniment (bls93), Shatter (ph276),

3rd Level Spells – Barbaric Yawp (bls17), Blade Song (bls21), Cacophony (bls27), Dancer’s Grace (bls38), Dread Scream (bls48), Major Image – R (ph259), Musical Mural (bls88), Player Instrument (bls93), Resonant Imbalance (bls99), Sound Worm (bls110), Wailing Dirge (bls125)

4th Level Spells – Bead of Blasting (bls18), Crystal Wail (bls37), Faithful Hound (ph262), Harmonic Discord (bls67), Maligned Performance (bls84), Paean of Greater Glory (bls92), Paean of the Holy (bls92), Voice of Confession (bls124)

• 5th Level – Dance of Seduction (bls38), Discordant Chorus (bls45), Reverence (bls99), Shattering Cry (bls105), Song of Vengeance (bls110), Violent Scream (bls124), Voice of Memories (bls124), Wail of Fate (bls124)
• 6th Level – Dirge of the Victorious Knights (fkcc21), Nymph’s Aura (bls90), Song Barrier (bls109), Words of Thunder (bls129)
• 7th Level – Pocket Paradise (bls94)
• 8th Level – Harmonic Dissolution (bls67)
• 9th Level –

R – Ritual Spells.
Sourcebooks: bls, fkcc, ph

Musicologist 1st Circle (Apprentice)

Secret Crafts – Musicologist – 1st Circle

Secret Crafts – Manifestations (Replaces other active secret craft manifestation when activated) Each Manifestation uses a light colour based on the Sphere it is being drawn from Energy (red), Entropy (black), Matter (green), Thought (white), Time (Blue). Each manifestation lasts until the end of your next long rest, and you can spend 1 soul burn to keep it active until the next long rest without rolling or you dismiss it.

Musicologist Apprentice (Manifestation SB 1 DC 16): When you activate this manifestation, you radiate soothing hum and light 5ft radius. Your vocal and language dependant effects, powers and magic are extended by twice your musicologist radius.

Musicologist Apprentice Enhancements and Powers (Requires Musicologist Apprentice to be active)

• Countersong (Power SB 1 DC 16) As a reaction you can play discordant notes to interrupt the act of spellcasting. Acts as the spell counterspell.
• Deafening Thunder (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16): When your attack does Thunder damage, you can choose to cause the subject to make a Constitution saving throw or become deafened until they take a short rest or have an ability or spell used on them that removes the deafened condition.
• Music Specialisation (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16): Activate as part of a short rest. You can prepare one spell from the craft list as a known spell. You can reactivate this power to replace the known spell. Non-spellcasters can use this to gain a cantrip if listed.
• Song of Woe (Power SB 1 DC 16): As an action you can activate this power. Enemies within 60 ft have a -2 to Wisdoms saving throws and -1 to attack and damage rolls, you can maintain this with concentration for up to 10 minutes.
• Thunder Substitution (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16) Activate as part of a short rest. You can substitute the damage type of a spell you cast this round by using a reaction to that of Thunder.
• Tuned Ear (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16): You gain advantage on Perception check and saving Throws for Thunder or language dependent effects.

Downtime Activities: can require 1 or more soul burn points to activate and maintain. You do not require you to have the manifestation active to use. Use of downtime abilities cannot be offset by magical items or artefacts.

• Music Room (SB 1+) Must create a music room to use their abilities in at the cost of 5,000 gp per circle they have obtained.
• Reputation – Initiate (SB 1) You can spend a week in a town gaining reputation to have advantage on all social checks for the next year. You increase your reputation in that location to its maximum for your level and you become recognisable by locals by sight and sound.
• Composition (SB 1) You write a composition (musical, song, ditty) regarding a subject of your choice that is picked up in locations you have reputation. The details of what the composition is about is kept in going while you keep the soul burn loss. You may only have one per circle compositions going at any one time.
• Craft Specialisation (SB 1+) You gain a known or prepared spell from the list of spells in this craft for each level you can cast. If you know more than one craft you can only have this available for one. Repeat activations changes the these slots to the activating craft. Costs 1 point per level of the spell. This loss is permanent while you have access to these spells. Unlike regular spells, Cantrips cost 1 point per character level.
• Musical Familiar (SB 1+) You spend a week to training a familiar to perform music. This gives the familiar the ability to perform music with expertise. This will cost you 1 soul burn per character level (or 1 point if you have the familiar class feature or follow the Dragonkin or Elven pantheons). You cannot recover the soul burn while you retain the familiar.
• Musical Companion (SB 1+) You spend a week to training a companion to perform music. This gives the companion the ability to perform music with expertise. This will cost you 1 soul burn per character level (or 1 point if you have the companion class feature or follow the Dragonkin or Elven pantheons). You cannot recover the soul burn while you retain the companion.
• Musical Mount (SB 1+) You spend a week to training a mount to perform music. This gives the mount the ability to perform music with expertise. This will cost you 1 soul burn per character level (or 1 point if you have the mount class feature or follow the Dragonkin or Elven pantheons). You cannot recover the soul burn while you retain the mount.
• Musical Scroll (SB 1+) You can spend a week scribing any spell from this secret crafts list onto a scroll, with the craft DC equal to 10 + spell level. Success causes SB equal to the spell level, which remains until the scroll is used. Unlike other scrolls, this scroll requires no check to activate and always succeeds at being cast. The soul burn spent on the scroll returns once the scroll is used.

Musicologist 2nd Circle (Journeyman)

Musicologist 3rd Circle (Adept)

Musicologist 4th Circle (Master)

Musicologist 5th Circle (Grand Master)

Secret Craft References

• Activation Costs: 1 SB point per circle for Manifestation, Enhancement, Power and Downtime Activity unless otherwise specified.
• Secret Craft Attempt = d20 + Prof + Abi mod + circle achieved.
• Craft Check: The craft check is a d20 plus your proficiency and the associated attribute modifier. This craft check must use the language associated with the craft as part of the check. You add your circle level to the roll with Initiates being +0. For every 5 points you exceed the target number you reduce the Soul Burn cost by 1. For every point you fail the roll by, you can choose to succeed by adding those point to the soul burn cost as long as it was not a critical failure.
  • Base Critical Failure: A roll of a 1 on the craft check is a curse from your patron, and you suffer a mishap. The standard thing that happens is that you increase your soul burn by the Crit Effect Modifier, then it reduces your hit point maximum by the Crit Effect Modifier, and lastly it causes hit point damage equal to the Crit Effect Modifier. Check each of the crafts for what additional effect happen during a mishap.
  • Base Critical Success: A roll of a 20 on this check is a blessing from your patron, and you are granted a boon. The standard thing is that you reduce your Soul Burn by the Crit Effect Modifier, then it can restore damage to your maximum hit points by the Crit Effect Modifier, and lastly it refreshes you repairing hit points equal to the Crit Effect Modifier . Check each of the crafts for what happens during a boon.
  • Crit Effect Modifier: This is 1 + circle ability level + character level.
    • So a 8th level character using a 2nd circle ability would have a crit effect modifier of 11.
    • A 4th level character with a 1st circle ability would have a modifier of 6.
    • A 12th level character with s 3rd circle ability would have a modifier of 16.
    • A 16th level character with a 4th circle ability would have a modifier of 21.
    • A 20th level character with a 5th circle ability would have a modifier of 25.
• Craft DC: The Base DC of a secret craft abilities is: Base Craft DC = 8 + Prof + Ability mod + circle achieved.
• Manifestation – Lasts until the end of a long rest, you expend it, or you dismiss it as a free action. You can extend a craft manifestation for 1 soul burn after a long rest to last until your next long rest without the need for a craft check. Manifestations gives you access to Manifestation Aspects, Enhancements and Powers.
• Manifestation Aspect – Selected as the version of the manifestation used when you activate the Manifestation.
• Enhancement – Lasts as long as the manifestation is active.
• Power – Has a limited duration, but needs the manifestation active to use.
• SB – Soul Burn. Each point of Soul Burn is a reduction to your maximum hit points. If your Soul Burn ever reduces your hit point total to zero your character is destroyed based in the craft and sponsor. Soul Burn can be recovered via downtime or other methods all with GM approval.

Content Updates

• 2022-03-13 – Updated the Initiate level abilities and wording. Update of the 1st Circle abilities and powers to bring them more in line with the changes made to the initiate level and through trial in play over the last year
• 2021-10-07 – Wording cleanup to finish transition from copy of Airologist to a Musicologist page.

Secret Crafts

Overview, Downtime: Secret Crafts, Spellcasters

Elemental Crafts: (6) Air, Darkness, Earth, Fire, Water – Combining Craft – Elements

Necromancy Crafts: (6) Blood, Devour, Grave, Reanimate, Shade – Combining Craft – Necro

Racial Crafts: (38) Alchem, Beast, Bureau, Celest, Chaos, Chrono, Craft, Crypt, Diplomat, Diviner, Dragon, Elven, Entertain, Fiend, Heal, Mech, Mental, Merch, Music, Nature, Portal, Preserve, Protect, Rad, Sail, Shape, Skald, Sky, Spirit, Spy, Star, Sumon, Tech, Void, Wagon, War, Weapon, Witch

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