Dragon	-	Magic Items	-	Dragon #115
Azler's Harp	Methild's Harp	Esheen's Harp	Nithanalor's Harp	Dove's Harp
Zunzalor's Harp	Jhantra's Harp	-	Valarde's Harp	Rhingalade's Harp

Many magical harps were devised by
elven, half-elven, and human craftsmen of
skill in the long-ago days of the glory of
Myth Drannor; a few of these instruments
still exist and retain their powers. Elmin-
ster the Sage has located descriptions of
nine such types of instruments in his
library, and I set them down here for
bards and other interested parties.

Harps of Myth Drannor resemble Irish
harps in appearance, having a roughly
triangular shape formed by carefully
crafted pieces of wood. A robust body arm
leans against the player?s shoulder and is
covered by a tapering sound-board, down
the center of which the harp strings are
set, knotted to pegs which fit into holes in
the soundboard. An upward-curving neck
of wood holds the tuning pins at the top
ends of the strings and stretches between
the top of the body outwards to form the
top of the harp, joining the outward-
curving, prowlike forepillar, which curves
down to the base of the body and com-
pletes the harp. Most Myth Drannan harps
are small, 2-3? in overall height, and have
copper, brass, and electrum strings,
twenty to thirty-six in number. These
harps require great skill to play pleasantly,
for the strings are closely spaced and very
resonant; half the skill of playing lies in
dampening the sound of certain already-
plucked strings but not others. Neverthe-
less, the magical properties of Myth
Drannor harps do not require the hand of
a bard or even a trained musician to be
unleashed. For this reason, they are
sought after by bards and nonbards alike,
Myth Drannan harps retain their powers
when restrung; the magic does not lie in
the strings. All were initially of finely
wrought appearance, with ivory and gilt
inlays on black and dark red glossy-
polished wood; all radiate a faint good and
magical dweomer. They may be used
without harm or penalty by all creatures
able to stir their strings (regardless of race
or alignment), and have powers and prop-
erties as described below. Bards who
employ Myth Drannor harps increase
their chances of charming as follows: a
base chance bonus of 9% plus 1% addi-
tional bonus per bardic level.

Azler's Harp
When struck, the tones of this harp
soothe  rage  of all sorts, and drive away
fear, hopelessness,  and  despair  of natural
or magical origin within one round of
being heard. The harp?s maximum range
about  8?, or more if played in caverns, in
a breeze (downwind only), or in a quiet
place. While it is played, all  charms  and
mental controls of any sort are blocked
(not removed or ended, but held in abey-
ance) in all creatures hearing the harp?s
tones ? and no new charms or sugges-
tions  can be successfully laid on those
listening to the harp, even by a bard using
the harp for such a purpose. The strings
of the harp glow with bluelight (as in the
magic-user  cantrip) while they are being
played.

Methild's Harp
The music of this harp parts all webs,
opens all locks, breaks all bonds, and
unties all knots within 1? of the harp (as
per multiple uses of  knock).  Magical locks
and knots gain a saving throw vs. breath
weapon to avoid being affected; anything
thus saving against such a harp is forever
immune to the effects of that particular
Methild?s Harp. All webs, bonds, locks, and
knots affected by the harp are outlined
with an orange  faerie fire  from the mo-
ment of their being affected (within one
round of being within effective range of
the harp?s playing) for one turn. Magical
barriers such as protective symbols and
pentagrams,  shields, walls of force, force-
cages,  and the like, having no designed
opening, are not affected by the harp. A
rope of constriction, rope of entangle-
ment,  or  rug of smothering  within 1? of
the harp when it is played cease to func-
tion for 1-4 rounds and release any crea-
tures they have entrapped ? although a
creature actually entrapped by such an
item could not itself play the harp to free
itself.

Esheen's Harp
The tones of this harp cause all glass and
metal within 3? to ring and resonate,
?singing along with? the playing of the
harp; this is an eerie and attention-
gathering effect. When the harpist plucks
the lowest string on the harp, all glass and
crystalline objects up to 3? distant which
face the harpist must save vs. crushing
blow or shatter instantly into tiny shards.
A single metallic object within this range
may be affected as well. Magical armor,
bracers, weapons, and other magical items
(note that the metal or glass vial containing
a magical oil, ointment, or potion is  not
itself magical) gain a bonus on their saving
throws of +1 or whatever their magical
?plus? may be to avoid being affected by
the harp. The harp can shatter items that
have saved successfully against its effects
on earlier rounds, but the harpist cannot
choose to affect some items in the harp?s
path of effect and not to affect others,
save for choosing the metallic item to be
destroyed. The harp can be so used once
per round.

Nithanalor's Harp
The music of this harp affects only its
player and all things held or carried by the
player (including the harp itself). The
player is instantly protected for as long as
the harp is played as though by a
stoneskin spell (as per the fourth-level
magic-user spell); the harp and all things
worn or carried, no matter how fragile,
are similarly protected, making them
almost immune to physical attack. In addi-
tion, a moving field of protection exists
about the harp and the player?s arms, so
that it is extremely difficult to physically
prevent or restrain the harpist?s playing.
Note that magical attacks are unaffected,
and the harp?s protection is ended by a
silence, 15? radius  or a  hold person  cast
upon the harpist. No other creatures or
items can be protected by the harp?s mu-
sic, even if touching the harpist.

Dove's Harp
The playing of this harp causes a gentle
soothing in the minds of all within 2? who
hear it. This soothing quells  insanity  while
it is being played, and instantly (and per-
manently) calms listeners, dispelling  fear,
despair discord, rage,  and  hopelessness  of
any sort, and lightening black moods or
grief for a time.

The music of Dove?s Harp can also cure
light wounds once on any listener within
2? who hears the harp?s song for at least
two full rounds in succession, such curing
being effective in that creature only once
every nine days. The harp cannot other-
wise combat the effects of poison. While
the music of Dove?s Harp is aiding a being
as described above, the harp and harpist
(not  the being aided, unless the harpist is
that being) radiate a faint white  faerie fire
or nimbus.

Zunzalor?s Harp
The tones of this instrument create a 3? -
radius globe of pearly-white continual
light  centered upon the harp. This radi-
ance lasts as long as the harp?s strings
sound, and within this radiance the follow-
ing effects are present: dispel illusion  (as
per the fourth-level magic-user spell),
dispel invisibility (all sorts except psionic),
and  reveal glyph or symbol.  This latter
power reveals things all magical or illu-
sionary runes, marks, or inscriptions,
including  wizard mark, illusionary script,
unreadable magic.  It also uncovers pro-
tected writings,  glyphs of warding, sym-
bols?  and the like, revealing them in
outline in a luminous blue so they can be
precisely located or even tentatively identi-
fied or drawn for later study. The harp?s
music does not trigger such magicks and
cause them to visit their effects upon
persons studying them. The harp does  not
prevent the normal operation of such
magical things, and they may be triggered
by being touched or in some other pre-
scribed manner). Shadows, tweens, and
other hard-to-see creatures are made
clearly visible, outlined in blue radiance, if
they pass within the harp?s globe of radi-
ance. A mage employing  duo-dimension
appears as a thin vertical line of blue
radiance in midair while within the sphere
of effect of Zunzalor?s Harp.

Jhantra's Harp
The playing of this harp causes the
harpist and any other creatures touching
him or her, up to a limit of four creatures,
to be concealed. This occurs after the
playing of the harp continues for one
round. Those hidden are invisible even to
animals, infravision, and ultravision, and
they cannot be scented or tracked. They
can also pass without trace  (as in the first-
level druid spell) and move and speak
while cloaked in silence, even though their
speech and movements are clearly audible
to one another. This protection lasts for as
long as the harp is played (its own music
can be clearly heard, but it always sounds
far off and as though coming from all
directions). Any creature losing even mo-
mentary contact with the harpist instantly
becomes audible and visible, and cannot
regain this protection even if touching the
harpist or other protected creatures again
until the harp has been stilled. When it is
so stilled, and playing begins anew, a full
round of playing must always occur be-
fore the harp?s concealment is renewed.
Spellcasting is possible when under the
harp?s concealment, but at the instant of
the spell?s taking effect, the caster appears
even if contact with the harpist has not
been lost: A creature cannot play the harp
and cast spells or cantrips of any sort
simultaneously, nor activate and control
magic items.

Rhingalade's Harp
The tones of this harp cause the harpist
to  blink  (as in the third-level magic-user
spell) for as long as desired, and the harp
is played. In addition, 1-4 mirror images of
the harpist are instantly created, and these
blink in the same manner as the harpist at
slightly different times, so that the harpist
(or rather, at least one image of the harp-
ist) is always in view. Such images vanish
forever when struck by a weapon (using
the harpist?s own armor class), but they
otherwise remain in existence until the
harp is stilled. The harpist cannot cast
other spells or make attacks during this
time, for when the harping ends, so do its
effects, and they cannot be recreated until
the  harp  rests unplayed for at least three
rounds.
 

Valarde's Harp
The player employing Valarde?s Harp
can, at will, cause either of two effects to
occur, each taking effect at the end of one
complete round of play: a gust of wind
moving outwards from the end of the
body piece of the harp, or a wind wall of
2? square, lasting for three rounds, al-
though the harper can end it sooner if
desired. Tiny points of radiance flicker,
dance, and wink out on the strings of
Valarde?s Harp, and about the brow or
head of the being playing it, while its
strings are in motion.