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UltimateKittyloaf

Constitution as the default ability modifier for Musical Instruments?

DMing

I think the next time I run a game, I'll make Constitution the default ability score for musical instruments for a couple of reasons.

  1. Con is very rarely a dump stat so it ends up being fairly class agnostic.
  2. Whether you've played until you've got calluses on your fingers or hauled a cello up a couple flight of stairs or learned how to expel more air than most people could reasonably fit in their lungs (canonically Con based), learning an instrument takes a fair amount of focus and stamina. I would never choose to throw down with someone in a marching band. They would run me down while pterodactyl shrieking the entire time.

I don't want to limit what the players do with their proficiencies. If a character wants to play an instrument using another stat, that's fine as well. I'm going to treat those checks as uncommon or something that took special training. Maybe they use Int to play beautiful technical pieces or Wis to pick songs based on the mood and location of the audience. Percussion makes a great case for Str based music (Taiko drum players are beasts), but there are probably other situations we could work in as well.

I'm mostly wondering if this would be something you might enjoy as a player. I always try to set up opportunities to use instruments, tools, and languages. I feel like this could be something I could apply to most Art oriented proficiencies since obsessive dedication to your craft seems to be the hallmark of creation.

Posted Oct 2, 2022, 7:49 AM UTC

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