Last sessions my player's my players had their first real encounter with the BBEG, they came to a small tribal village in which the young girl (NPC) traveling with them was from. As they reached the outskirts of the village they realized something was wrong. The village was under attack, skeletal warriors and bowman crowded the streets and everyone in the village was killed. The BBEG was observing his work on the side of the village. (BBEG is basically a strong necromancer with really high dex and a frost blade) BBEG used magic to make the bodies of the dead form into a Bonelord.  He then set it against the party and in the ensuing confusion, kidnapped the young tribal girl. After this event, the players looted the village. A magical sheet of music was found among several other items. The bard being a bit of a loose cannon decided he would start playing the music without figuring out first what it did. In doing so he accidentally cast feign death on himself. His party assuming the instrument had caused it smashed his BONDED lute. After attempts to revive him failed the players had a funeral and buried him alive. (paralyzed and blinded, but alive) Luckily the feign death spell wore off in time and the gnome bard was able to dig himself out with mage hand and the help of the party once they noticed. The lute was basically the only thing the bard loved so when he got out he basically blew all his spell slots trying to attack the party (largely to no avail). The party then subdued the gnome, eventually managed to calm him down and are planning to help him repair it.

I am looking for ideas as to what type of quest I might make them do to repair it, and what sort of spell would be reasonable to put 1/day spell stored within the newly repaired lute for a level 8 bard. The party (Assassin Rogue, Ancients Paladin, Evocation Mage, Fey Warlock, Totem Barbarian, and Lore Bard, has no current way to revive the dead. They already have a lot of control spells but relatively few direct damage and healing spells.

Thanks! <3

What a wonderful story hook. Your players just set up their next few adventures and all you have to do it nudge them onto the path. The bard might recall that the college of music where he was trained had master instrument makers whose skills were more than conventional. It might be worth a journey there to repair the lute and restore its magical qualities. Along the way, you could drop hints at the components needed for this magical process. A few possibilities:

• Wood from a special tree found only in a particular haunted forest. When they get there, they fin the trees are sacred to a group of faeries who want to protect it.
• The intestines of a certain rare animal in order to make the strings. The party would have to track down this animal and then kill it.
• Inlay made of a metal whose ore is deep within a dwarven mine. The dwarves are not friendly and it's tough to convince them to trade some.
• The magic to enchant the lute requires special components possessed by the BBEG. Sneak in and steal them, or take them by force.

Then of course, you'd have to journey to the college of music and complete some sort of a quest to get the lute repaired and enchanted for your bard.  As for the reward, take a look at the Anstruth Harp and consider adapting that to your lute as needed.

For spell, how's about 1/ day you play a d minor chord and it casts spare the dying on anyone in range, you might not have to raise dead then and it might save half your party in one shot, you'd also need to find a cleric with the grave domain willing to donate their time to cast their version of the spare the dying cantrip daily while it was being enchanted,