Hey folks.

I recently lucked into acquiring a master quality instrument. It also happened to be a shawm, which is all I've ever used.

glance
You glance down to see a lily-carved cocobolo shawm in your right hand and nothing in your left hand.

Rich, dark grains decorate the curves of the cocobolo shawm, which is preserved beneath a clear lacquer. Mint green moth saewehnas have been inlaid into the piece around its multiple finger holes, creating a scrolling vine that trails from the double reeds to the bell-shaped end. Artistically carved to resemble a calla lily, the belled terminus is lined with silver.

She's a beaut.

It's from the recent raffles on FWI. Anyhow, is there any official doctrine about the benefits of master quality instruments? Are they mostly fluff/extra script/song related, or our there actual mechanical/spell benefits?

Finally, upon loresinging :

As you sing, you feel a faint resonating vibration from the cocobolo shawm in your hand...

The harmonics of your song probe deep into the shawm to determine that it is an instrument of master quality, capable of producing magnificent sound.

The shawm resonates with your voice, indicating that it enhances its owner in the following ways:
It provides a bonus of 5 to Harness Power Ranks.
It provides a bonus of 5 to Elemental Mana Control Ranks.
The shawm looks to have a lot of charges remaining.

You sense that the cocobolo shawm will crumble into dust after its last enhancive charge has been expended.


Crumbly? Really? . . .

-J

Yeah, Rhea came and fixed mine, it was just an oversight in the construction. Check out the thread in the Towns/Mist Harbor.

>Anyhow, is there any official doctrine about the benefits of master quality instruments? Are they mostly fluff/extra script/song related, or our there actual mechanical/spell benefits?

According to Krakiipedia:

http://www.krakiipedia.org/wiki/Instrument_learning

"Being Adept and a rank 19 Journeyman is indiscernible except when an Adept plays a Master quality instrument. They are able to evoke the Adept tune out of it. Other less tangible differences are the bonuses to 1001, 1020, and 1030."

Now, that is worded a bit weird. I could be read as the Master instrument in conjunction with being an Adept gives you the bonuses or just being an Adept does. I have not had a chance to do any testing to see, but I intend to in the coming days now that I'm not afraid that it is going to go poof on me while I'm playing with it.

As for the Adept/Master Instrument messaging, I have to admit I chuckle every time I type "play shawm joyful 11" now that I can get the 11th series of messaging. I keep seeing that clip from Spinal Tap in my head. "Most amplifiers only go to 10, this one, it goes to 11. It is one louder."

~Ifor, the tone deaf bard


p.s. You tap a portable guitar amp with knobs that go to 11 that you are wearing. (Shattered rocks!)

---

Give a man a torch, he will be warm for an hour. Light a man of fire, he will be warm for the rest of his life.

http://twitter.com/#!/gssiforget

>the cocobolo shawm

Am I the only one that totally read that as "the chocobo shawm" the first time through?

~ Lumi