In this blog post, I take up a recent Facebook post about special wishes from a player, and approach the request with the Rule of Cool in mind. If you are a Dungeon Master or a player, this post may be for you.
Never Forget: Say Yes!
Today, a poor fellow DM was treated harshly in a Facebook group for Dungeon Masters. Sadly, they have now left the group, so it’s pointless for me to post the following. However, here goes my reply, if someone else can use it:
First of all, remember the Rule of Cool. Say yes, and let’s see how things can play out as long as it’s not holding back progression.
The Rule of Whatnow?
The Rule of Cool. You may come across this from time to time. An expression that has existed for ages, through multiple revisions and across different roleplaying products. In short the Rule of Cool is about making the game flow, not getting bogged down by checking rules, even discussing rules. Roleplaying games are supposed to be fun – for everybody. By keeping the Rule of Cool in mind, you help keeping the game flowing
Muting the Bard
So, how could we go about creating a mute bard? How would a mute bard ever cast spells, that requires verbal – spoken – components? The obvious answer is, they can’t. They would – after all – be mute. But, following the Rule of Cool, how could we make this work?
Mechanically, to my knowledge, there are no direct rules in 5e to handle this in any of the rules-oriented books. Then let us make something up!
Exploring Other Sources in the Character’s Background
Perhaps something in the bard’s earlier life, perhaps during their infant or toddler years, something happened that took his voice. Perhaps the bard’s father made a deal with a devil? Perhaps the bard’s voice was lent out to a lesser evil deity, in favor for the parents? Could it be, then, that the bard _does_ have a voice, and in some corner of Avernus, the first layer of Hell, there’s a lesser devilish deity that _sometimes_ utters strange, lyrical sentences, while on the Material plane, the bard is simply shaping the words with their mouth – but they are uttered somewhere else.
Voiceless Spellcasting – It Can Be Done!
Some bardic spells do indeed require that the target of the spell can hear the bard. What if the story of the stolen voice was already resolved by the bard’s family, and the voice should have been given back to the bard, perhaps while in their teens, but something went wrong? And now the bard’s voice in bound to an object? To really stick to the bard being entirely mute, perhaps the bard can only speak words of magic, by plucking on their lute or harp, or banging their drum or blowing throw their flute?
True, not something mechanically supported by the 5e ruleset. Which leads us back to the beginning: The Rule of Cool. Would it be a fun gimmick for the bard, to still be able to cast their spells by using their instrument, and their voice magically would flow from it? Absolutely! Would it solve a mechanical problem? No doubt!
Roleplay – Don’t Just Roll-play
However, I would also, as a Dungeon Master, expect some intricate and engaging roleplay by the bard player. Of course, having a mute bard would, to a large degree, exclude them from the verbal part of roleplaying encounters – and I think it’s important that everyone can participate in this. For our mute bard, perhaps a quest to a powerful yet slightly mad magician could be the solution, to have a magical device magically inserted in the bard’s body, to be able to participate verbally – perhaps with a limited vocabulary, not unlike the first version of kenku’s – the bird race – in D&D.
How would you approach the above desire from a player? Have you experienced similar or related requests by a player?
Say Yes!
My point is: Say yes – I cannot stress this enough. Try to work with the player, the character and the party, to find a solution that everybody can accept, that does not break or limit play. Make it a part of the story – even if you are running a prewritten campaign. Take the players on journeys that involve their characters.
Did I remember to remind you to say yes?
1 Image by Midjourney, because I cannot afford an artist for the blog. Sorry. If you’d like to donate context relevant art to the blog, feel free to reach out to blog@casperhelenius.dk. You will, of course, be attributed for any donated art, with name/nickname mentioned, link to your blog, portfolio or whatever you’d like.
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