<<Are fully metal instruments not affected by water damage? I have a pair of metal zills and I'm wondering if I can play them outdoor in the rain and snow without worry about their state of repair as much.
It depends. Some will, others will not.
There are several weather-proof instruments for Percussion and Wind. My favourites are the the whiskey jug from Hibarnhvidar which is ceramic (I think...) and does not get damaged by rain or snow, and the stamping stick from the same shop which metal and likewise immune to the effects of the weather.
There are a grand total of zero weather proof stringed instruments, so I just keep a throw away lyre around for the task, repairing it every so often if it needs it.
All that said, weather damage is not that big of a deal.
With enchantes, I don't think it can penalize you to a point below your mana level if there's even a penalty to them. It might offset the bonus you receive by playing on an instrument, but since that bonus seems to be pretty small to the point of being unnoticeable I don't think its worth worrying about. The main issue that might occur is that at some level of damage you won't be able to use it to play the enchante anymore. Just make sure to repair it every so often and you'll never reach that level of damage.
If you're just cycling instruments, that's easily done indoors or with CARE up, so again its a non-issue.
-Evran
The first slayer of Malik, may he not rest in peace.
