So I am playing a bard in a campaign, and I recently got the spell resurrection. It was an important goal for my character to resurrect his dead mother. I wanted the resurrection to be a quiet and somber scene so I mentioned that my character wanted to cast the spell by playing an instrument rather than speaking. I got a lot of pushback from the other players at the table who stated that because resurrection has a verbal component, that means that I HAVE to speak. I argued that it isn't the speech or the words themselves that are necessary but rather "the ability to make the right sounds"
Here is what the player's handbook says about Verbal Components:
Verbal (V)
Most spells require the chanting of mystic words. The words themselves aren’t the source of the spell’s power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. Thus, a character who is gagged or in an area of silence, such as one created by the silence spell, can’t cast a spell with a verbal component.
Notice how it says that it isn't the words themselves that are the source of the power of the spell. It is rather the sounds that those words produce.
Would It be reasonable to assume that a high-level bard would know how to reproduce those same sounds, pitches, and frequencies by using an instrument rather than speaking?
Could a mute person learn to cast verbal spells by playing the flute or the violin?
Could a mute person with a speech aid device be able to cast verbal spells?
What do you guys think? must verbal components necessarily be spoken words? can verbal components be any sound produced by the caster that matches the frequency, pitch, and tone required for a given spell?
It doesn’t have to be speech but you have to make the sounds yourself. Seems pretty obvious that many bards would sing their spells’ verbal components.
The instrument is the focus, so it provides a material component per those rules.
”Just sing” seems like the obvious compromise that satisfies both the rules and your dramatic intent.
I've certainly always assumed such. It makes sense that the audio components could be produced by the instrument. It's flavorful and doesn't give any mechanical advantage over the bard's voice being used, so I can't think of any reasonable cause for the DM to not allow it.
"Verbal, chanting, gagged" are all references indicating this component involve mouth to me so using a musical instrument to replicate the sounds wouldn't qualify.
Resurrection has somatic components as well. Can you play this instrument and also perform the somatic components?
A bard can use a musical instrument as a spellcasting focus. So as long as the spell has a non-consumed, non-valued material component, then the musical instrument can be used to perform the somatic component too.
I am years late to this discussion but what about bards who use wind instruments, such as flutes, horns, etc.?
If you're question is if a you can use a Musical Instrument as a Spellcasting Focus for your Bard spells in place of a spell’s Verbal components, the answer is no.
You can use a Flute or Horn as a Spellcasting Focus for your Bard spells in place of a spell’s Material components if those materials aren’t consumed by the spell and don’t have a cost specified. You must have a hand free to access it, but it can be the same hand used to perform Somatic components, if any
While any Verbal component must also be provided while accessing your Flute or Horn, nothing really say it must even be played, so simply holding it is enought.
From a rules perspective, the simplest solution would be utilizing an inexpensive common magic item. In the DMG 2024, Common Consumable Items cost only 50 gp—1/20th the material value of Resurrection.
Mind Crystal (Subtle)
Wondrous item, common
This gemstone contains a crystallized bit of spellcasting magic.
When you cast a spell that has a casting time of 1 action while holding the mind crystal, you can modify the spell in the way described below. You can use only a single mind crystal to modify the spell, and you can't use a mind crystal and a Metamagic option on the same spell. Once you use the mind crystal, it becomes a nonmagical gem worth 50 gp.
Modify Spell. You cast the spell without any somatic or verbal components for this casting.
Source:PaBTSO, page 218
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So I am playing a bard in a campaign, and I recently got the spell resurrection. It was an important goal for my character to resurrect his dead mother. I wanted the resurrection to be a quiet and somber scene so I mentioned that my character wanted to cast the spell by playing an instrument rather than speaking. I got a lot of pushback from the other players at the table who stated that because resurrection has a verbal component, that means that I HAVE to speak. I argued that it isn't the speech or the words themselves that are necessary but rather "the ability to make the right sounds"
Here is what the player's handbook says about Verbal Components:
Notice how it says that it isn't the words themselves that are the source of the power of the spell. It is rather the sounds that those words produce.
Would It be reasonable to assume that a high-level bard would know how to reproduce those same sounds, pitches, and frequencies by using an instrument rather than speaking?
Could a mute person learn to cast verbal spells by playing the flute or the violin?
Could a mute person with a speech aid device be able to cast verbal spells?
What do you guys think? must verbal components necessarily be spoken words? can verbal components be any sound produced by the caster that matches the frequency, pitch, and tone required for a given spell?
It doesn’t have to be speech but you have to make the sounds yourself. Seems pretty obvious that many bards would sing their spells’ verbal components.
The instrument is the focus, so it provides a material component per those rules.
”Just sing” seems like the obvious compromise that satisfies both the rules and your dramatic intent.
I've certainly always assumed such. It makes sense that the audio components could be produced by the instrument. It's flavorful and doesn't give any mechanical advantage over the bard's voice being used, so I can't think of any reasonable cause for the DM to not allow it.
"Verbal, chanting, gagged" are all references indicating this component involve mouth to me so using a musical instrument to replicate the sounds wouldn't qualify.
Resurrection has somatic components as well. Can you play this instrument and also perform the somatic components?
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
A bard can use a musical instrument as a spellcasting focus. So as long as the spell has a non-consumed, non-valued material component, then the musical instrument can be used to perform the somatic component too.
I would be ok with a bard fullfiling verbal component while using mouth-based music instrument such as flute or jaw harp
I am years late to this discussion but what about bards who use wind instruments, such as flutes, horns, etc.?
If you're question is if a you can use a Musical Instrument as a Spellcasting Focus for your Bard spells in place of a spell’s Verbal components, the answer is no.
You can use a Flute or Horn as a Spellcasting Focus for your Bard spells in place of a spell’s Material components if those materials aren’t consumed by the spell and don’t have a cost specified. You must have a hand free to access it, but it can be the same hand used to perform Somatic components, if any
While any Verbal component must also be provided while accessing your Flute or Horn, nothing really say it must even be played, so simply holding it is enought.
Apologies for the delayed response.
From a rules perspective, the simplest solution would be utilizing an inexpensive common magic item. In the DMG 2024, Common Consumable Items cost only 50 gp—1/20th the material value of Resurrection.