This might be rather silly, but - as the title says - there is no mandolin in D&D as an instrument or bardic focus. Why?
I guess I'm just wondering why there isn't one because of the instrument of the bards that IS a mandolin. There's also a magic harp, lyre, and lute, which are in D&D as instruments/focuses, but there's also a bandore, cittern, and mandolin, which aren't in D&D.
And to make it show up in your proficiencies, just leave the selection blank in the editor In this case I am replacing one of the three instruments a Bard starts with
Then click on the Proficiencies and Languages box on your sheet and side panel should pop out Click on Add New Proficiencies and select Custom Tool
Then fill in the name and where you got it from (in this case, the Bard class)
If you must have a mandolin, have one. There's nothing to stop you.
Please keep in mind that, while DDB is restricted to what is in the sources for practical (and legal) reasons, DDB offers some ways to expand beyond the sources as allowed by D&D. You, the player or DM, are not bound by what DDB is able to offer. DDB is a standardized toolset. No standardized toolset will ever accommodate everything and should never be expected to do so. That also means the toolset does not set any official limits on what you're allowed to do.
You cannot rely on DDB or even the sources themselves to cover all possibilities. They facilitate, but they will never be able to do it all for you. You must make up the difference.
If you must have a mandolin, have one. There's nothing to stop you.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I mean there's like 100 kinds of RL swords too. They can't all be in the game. The magical mandolin is just an illustration that "lute" encompasses the whole family of similar instruments.
mandolin, also spelled mandoline, small stringed musical instrument in the lute family. It evolved in the 18th century in Italy and Germany from the 16th-century mandora.
I mean there's like 100 kinds of RL swords too. They can't all be in the game. The magical mandolin is just an illustration that "lute" encompasses the whole family of similar instruments.
Nunchuks are just 2 clubs tied together with string!
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This might be rather silly, but - as the title says - there is no mandolin in D&D as an instrument or bardic focus. Why?
I guess I'm just wondering why there isn't one because of the instrument of the bards that IS a mandolin. There's also a magic harp, lyre, and lute, which are in D&D as instruments/focuses, but there's also a bandore, cittern, and mandolin, which aren't in D&D.
F e a r m e
(says the small, insignificant worm)
I guess you could home brew any instrument you want.
I would go for bagpipes if I was ever a bard.
Add a Viol, customize to name it Mandolin.
Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
And to make it show up in your proficiencies, just leave the selection blank in the editor
In this case I am replacing one of the three instruments a Bard starts with
Then click on the Proficiencies and Languages box on your sheet and side panel should pop out
Click on Add New Proficiencies and select Custom Tool
Then fill in the name and where you got it from (in this case, the Bard class)
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Technically, a mandolin is a kind of lute... so take that as an option.
If you must have a mandolin, have one. There's nothing to stop you.
Please keep in mind that, while DDB is restricted to what is in the sources for practical (and legal) reasons, DDB offers some ways to expand beyond the sources as allowed by D&D. You, the player or DM, are not bound by what DDB is able to offer. DDB is a standardized toolset. No standardized toolset will ever accommodate everything and should never be expected to do so. That also means the toolset does not set any official limits on what you're allowed to do.
You cannot rely on DDB or even the sources themselves to cover all possibilities. They facilitate, but they will never be able to do it all for you. You must make up the difference.
If you must have a mandolin, have one. There's nothing to stop you.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I mean there's like 100 kinds of RL swords too. They can't all be in the game. The magical mandolin is just an illustration that "lute" encompasses the whole family of similar instruments.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
mandolin, also spelled mandoline, small stringed musical instrument in the lute family. It evolved in the 18th century in Italy and Germany from the 16th-century mandora.
Nunchuks are just 2 clubs tied together with string!