Forgotten Realms Wiki
Forgotten Realms Wiki
Advertisement
Forgotten Realms Wiki

An Anstruth harp (pronounced: /ˈænstrʌθÆN-struth[6] about this audio file listen) was a masterwork magical harp and an Instrument of the Bards.[2][3][4][1]

Description[]

An Anstruth harp was slender and graceful of design, small and light enough to be played in one's lap. It was carved of teak wood engraved with designs of waves and fog, with silver wire for strings.[4]

Powers[]

Anstruth harps were superior in every way to ordinary harps.[1] Like other Instruments of the Bards, they could only be used properly by bards, and could be dangerous if anyone else—even lesser bards with insufficient skill—attempted to play or even carry them.[2][3][4][1]

Bards wielding an Anstruth harp had their charming abilities greatly amplified by their magic.[1]

Like all Instruments of the Bards, these harps had the capability of storing spells. A bard playing an Anstruth harp could invoke the spells fly, invisibility, levitate, protection from evil and good, control weather, cure wounds, and wall of thorns each once a day, until the instrument recharged its magic at the next dawn.[1] However, earlier Anstruth harps, those found after the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, could only cast cast control water, mass cure light wounds, and mind fog, each one a day.[2][3][4]

History[]

The first Anstruth harps were created by a legendary bard in the Moonshae Isles named Falataer. He used them to test and reward the students of the Anstruth level of his bardic college,[2][3][4] which came to be regarded individually as a legendary bard college in its own right.[1]

Over time, other bards copied the original design, while retaining the original name in Falataer's honor.[2][3][4]

Appendix[]

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (December 2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 176. ISBN 978-0-7869-6562-5.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Sean K. Reynolds, Duane Maxwell, Angel McCoy (August 2001). Magic of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 160–161. ISBN 0-7869-1964-7.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Richard Baker (November 2004). Complete Arcane. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 148–149. ISBN 0-7869-3435-2.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Andy Collins, Eytan Bernstein, Frank Brunner, Owen K. C. Stephens, John Snead (March 2007). Magic Item Compendium. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 150. ISBN 978-0-7869-4345-6.
  5. Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls, James Wyatt (March 2009). Player's Handbook 2. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 210. ISBN 0-7869-5016-4.
  6. Frank Mentzer (January 1985). “Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #93 (TSR, Inc.), p. 25.
Advertisement