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Pipes of Haunting

Pipes Of Haunting
  • Category: Wondrous Item
  • Rarity: Uncommon

These pipes have 3 charges and regain 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn. You can take a Magic action to play them and expend 1 charge to create an eerie, spellbinding tune. Each creature of your choice within 30 feet of you must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or have the Frightened condition for 1 minute. A creature that fails the save repeats it at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. A creature that succeeds on its save is immune to the effect of these pipes for 24 hours.

Tactical Applications​

Psychological Warfare: Creates fear effects for crowd control and battlefield manipulation. Exceptional for intimidation tactics and controlling enemy movement through psychological pressure.

Class Synergies:

  • Bards: Perfect for performance-focused characters with musical expertise and crowd control abilities
  • Fear Specialists: Essential for characters building around intimidation and psychological warfare
  • Crowd Controllers: Excellent for characters requiring area denial and battlefield manipulation
  • Support Builds: Outstanding for characters providing tactical advantages through debuffing enemies

Build Considerations: Requires attunement and has limited daily uses. Most valuable for characters specializing in fear effects and crowd control strategies.

Acquisition Methods​

Crafting Requirements: Requires fear magic, haunting enchantments, and spectral essences. Creation cost 8,000-15,000 gp and takes 16 weeks.

Common Sources:

  • Necromancers and fear magic specialists with haunting expertise
  • Treasure hoards of legendary bards and musical enchanters
  • Commission from enchanters specializing in psychological magic
  • Found in the collections of intimidation specialists and fear practitioners
  • Sometimes discovered in haunted locations or obtained from spectral encounters

Alternative Acquisition: Often found in locations with strong connections to fear and haunting magic.

Value & Trade​

Estimated Value: 12,000-25,000 gp, with higher demand among bards and fear specialists.

Trade Considerations: Popular among characters requiring crowd control and anyone needing reliable fear effects.

Character Integration​

Roleplay Elements: Suggests experience with musical magic, psychological warfare, or professional roles requiring intimidation capabilities.

Character Concepts:

  • Fear specialist with haunting expertise and psychological warfare experience
  • Musical enchanter using sound magic for crowd control and battlefield manipulation
  • Character with extensive experience in intimidation tactics and fear-based strategies
  • Performance artist combining entertainment with tactical psychological effects

Adventure Hooks​

The Crowd Control: Adventures where fear effects enable crowd management and social control scenarios.

The Psychological Warfare: Military campaigns where intimidation tactics provide strategic advantages.

The Haunting Performance: Social encounters where musical fear effects advance plot objectives.

The Tactical Intimidation: Combat scenarios where fear effects enable tactical positioning and enemy control.

Variants & Customization​

Greater Pipes of Haunting (Very Rare): Enhanced fear effects and additional uses with improved psychological impact.

Pipes of Terror (Rare): Stronger fear effects with longer duration and broader area coverage.

Bardic Haunting Pipes (Uncommon): Optimized for performance with enhanced musical and fear synergy.

Specialized Variants:

  • Military Intimidation Pipes: Enhanced for battlefield use with tactical fear effects
  • Social Control Pipes: Optimized for crowd management with subtle psychological influence
  • Performance Terror Pipes: Specialized for entertainment with dramatic fear presentations

Lore & History​

Origins: Created by ancient bards who needed reliable methods for crowd control and psychological warfare during performances and military campaigns.

Historical Significance: These pipes enabled crucial military victories through psychological warfare and the control of enemy morale.

Cultural Impact: Represent the darker applications of musical magic and the power of fear in tactical situations.

Magical Craft: Demonstrates understanding of fear magic and the complex processes required for psychological manipulation through sound.

Balancing Notes​

Introduction Timing: Appropriate for levels 8-15 when fear effects become tactically important and crowd control is valuable.

Campaign Impact: Provides powerful psychological warfare balanced by attunement requirement and limited daily uses.

Fear Focus: Most valuable in campaigns featuring large-scale encounters and psychological warfare scenarios.

Encounter Design​

Recommended Challenges:

  • Large group encounters where fear effects enable crowd control and tactical advantages
  • Social scenarios where intimidation provides strategic benefits and influence
  • Military campaigns where psychological warfare determines battle outcomes
  • Performance situations where fear effects enhance entertainment and social impact

Tactical Adjustments: Large encounters may need fear immunity or resistance when pipes are frequently used.

Musical Items: Other instruments and items that enhance musical magic and performance capabilities.

Fear Equipment:

  • Items that improve intimidation effectiveness and fear-based abilities
  • Equipment for psychological warfare and crowd control
  • Tools for professional intimidation work and fear magic

Complementary Equipment: Items that enhance fear effects or provide additional psychological benefits.

Roleplay Opportunities​

Musical Mastery: Characters develop expertise in haunting music and fear-based performance techniques.

Psychological Leadership: Fear capabilities create opportunities for leading intimidation campaigns and psychological operations.

Performance Innovation: Musical fear effects enable creative combinations of entertainment and tactical advantage.