- Type: Cypher puzzle
- Location: A village
- Difficulty: Easy
Background:
The players are traveling through a small village on the edge of a vast forest. As they pass through the village square, they notice a group of people standing around a platform, cheering and clapping. Upon closer inspection, the players see that a group of bards are performing on the platform, each playing a different instrument. As the players watch the performance, they notice that one of the bards seems to be struggling to keep up with the rest of the group.
The Puzzle:
As the performance comes to an end, the struggling bard approaches the players, looking embarrassed and frustrated. “I’m sorry,” he says, “I just can’t seem to get this new song right. It’s driving me crazy!” The bard hands the players a sheet of music and asks for their help. Upon closer inspection, the players see that the sheet of music is written in a strange, unknown language.
As the players examine the sheet of music, they realize that it is written in a code, specifically a code that can only be read when played on an instrument. By using their knowledge of music theory and their bardic skills, the players are able to decipher the code and translate the song into a form that the struggling bard can understand.
The party can decypher the sheet music by succesfully rolling performance checks while playing any instrument. They must decypher at least 7 out of 8 tones to decypher the music sheets.
- Do (Performance DC 10)
- Re (Performance DC 11)
- Mi (Performance DC 12)
- Fa (Performance DC 13)
- Sol (Performance DC 14)
- La (Performance DC 15)
- Ti (Performance DC 16)
- Do (Performance DC 17)
Solution:
The bard is overjoyed and thanks the players for their help. With their assistance, he is finally able to perform the song to the best of his ability and impress the audience with his musical talents.