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D&D: Harpsichord in the Ballroom
Feb. 16th, 2026 09:50 amAs my D&D group continued playing through my adventure The Collector's Menagerie, aka Cursed Clue, they entered the mansion's Ballroom.
They were wary of giant spiders, having seen the empty cage marked Arinerum Magni, so the first thing they did as they entered the huge chamber with a smooth stone tile floor was look up at the ceiling. The second thing they did, since they were also worried about a mimic, aka Versipellis Furtivus, was bang with their fists on all the suits of armor posed along the walls as trophy decorations. Apparently they assumed the mimic would take the form of a warrior to bash them.
Well, they were half right. The mimic was hiding in plain sight, in disguise, in the Ballroom. But it wasn't a suit or armor. Or even a sofa. (There were several bench-like sofas along the walls of the ballroom.) It was... the harpsichord!
I passed a clue note (one of my favorite little techniques, no Clue pun intended) to the player of Ryuu-Han, who was closest to the harpsichord on the musicians' dais at the opposite side of the ballroom.
And then...
Okay, it wasn't as obvious as this pic (above). That's just something cute I found from Adobe Stock Photography when I searched for something like "evil harpsichord". Apparently Adobe keeps a library of pictures like that for when musical instruments go bad. 🤣
But this harpsichord didn't just give Ryuu-Han some side-eye. As Ryuu-Han tried to warn Leoghnie, the fierce warrior fighter, that the harpsichord might be about to start something... the harpsichord started something.
The harpsichord reached out 10' across the room with a tongue-like appendage and pummeled Ryuu. It badly wounded him and left him sticky with a glue-like slime. Ryuu found he couldn't move and had to struggle to wrest himself free, unable even to cast a spell.
The rest of the group swung into action. But the harpsichord already had Ryuu's number. It pummeled him again, knocking him unconscious. Then turned its... tongue... to Leoghnie. It gave her a wallop and stuck her in place.
Someone in the group remarked on the sticky slime situation, "We're not stuck here with it, it's stuck with us!" Except, I pointed out, the harpsichord just stepped toward the party. To make it harder for them to get away. The harpsichord was on a tear.
Herran, often the boldest one in the group, had stepped back to drink a potion to buff up. There's something to be said for the wisdom of recognizing when you're overmatched. Otonio rushed to help Ryuu, pulling him out of the monster's attack range and trying to see if he could revive him. Kiarana called out, "I'll heal Ryuu, you join the fight!"
In the next round the group managed to turn the tide of battle. Scrambling to form a plan and get people in the right places helped.
Leoghnie got herself unstuck and delivered a massive wallop to the mimic. It had been hitting hard... but she could hit harder. Especially when she was pissed and leaned in with Power Attack. Keys went flying.
"Is it looking badly injured?" Leoghnie's player asked.
"It just lost about 3 octaves."
Herran had stepped up to join the fight, and now, too, did Otonio. He bravely dashed right past the flailing monster to surround it in a flanking attack. The malign harpsichord lashed at him with one of its appendages but couldn't beat the young man's fancy footwork. (Mobility gives a +4 dodge bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity, y'all!) Otonio then skewered it from the side, finding a weak spot where the monster couldn't defend itself on both sides simultaneously. (Sneak Attack FTW!)
At that point it was all over except the crying. And lots more sticky slime. Herran slashed with his wakizashi. Ryuu, now back on his feet, lobbed in attack spells. Leoghnie unloaded another overhand attack with her greatsword— Striking the Spark, her latest tutor called it— and smashed the creature into a puddle. Kiarana finished it off with a Hammer of Light because... y'know... evil harpsichords totally might play 'possum.
They were wary of giant spiders, having seen the empty cage marked Arinerum Magni, so the first thing they did as they entered the huge chamber with a smooth stone tile floor was look up at the ceiling. The second thing they did, since they were also worried about a mimic, aka Versipellis Furtivus, was bang with their fists on all the suits of armor posed along the walls as trophy decorations. Apparently they assumed the mimic would take the form of a warrior to bash them.
Well, they were half right. The mimic was hiding in plain sight, in disguise, in the Ballroom. But it wasn't a suit or armor. Or even a sofa. (There were several bench-like sofas along the walls of the ballroom.) It was... the harpsichord!
I passed a clue note (one of my favorite little techniques, no Clue pun intended) to the player of Ryuu-Han, who was closest to the harpsichord on the musicians' dais at the opposite side of the ballroom.
Something's Off (Spot DC 23)
You’re no bard, but this harpsichord doesn’t look right. Like, it’s a fake? It looks like it’s made of rough materials, with misshapen keys and uneven sides
You’re no bard, but this harpsichord doesn’t look right. Like, it’s a fake? It looks like it’s made of rough materials, with misshapen keys and uneven sides
And then...
Harpsichord WTF? (Spot DC 23)
You could swear that harpsichord looked at you. Like, with eyeballs.
You could swear that harpsichord looked at you. Like, with eyeballs.
Okay, it wasn't as obvious as this pic (above). That's just something cute I found from Adobe Stock Photography when I searched for something like "evil harpsichord". Apparently Adobe keeps a library of pictures like that for when musical instruments go bad. 🤣
But this harpsichord didn't just give Ryuu-Han some side-eye. As Ryuu-Han tried to warn Leoghnie, the fierce warrior fighter, that the harpsichord might be about to start something... the harpsichord started something.
The harpsichord reached out 10' across the room with a tongue-like appendage and pummeled Ryuu. It badly wounded him and left him sticky with a glue-like slime. Ryuu found he couldn't move and had to struggle to wrest himself free, unable even to cast a spell.
The rest of the group swung into action. But the harpsichord already had Ryuu's number. It pummeled him again, knocking him unconscious. Then turned its... tongue... to Leoghnie. It gave her a wallop and stuck her in place.
Someone in the group remarked on the sticky slime situation, "We're not stuck here with it, it's stuck with us!" Except, I pointed out, the harpsichord just stepped toward the party. To make it harder for them to get away. The harpsichord was on a tear.
Herran, often the boldest one in the group, had stepped back to drink a potion to buff up. There's something to be said for the wisdom of recognizing when you're overmatched. Otonio rushed to help Ryuu, pulling him out of the monster's attack range and trying to see if he could revive him. Kiarana called out, "I'll heal Ryuu, you join the fight!"
In the next round the group managed to turn the tide of battle. Scrambling to form a plan and get people in the right places helped.
Leoghnie got herself unstuck and delivered a massive wallop to the mimic. It had been hitting hard... but she could hit harder. Especially when she was pissed and leaned in with Power Attack. Keys went flying.
"Is it looking badly injured?" Leoghnie's player asked.
"It just lost about 3 octaves."
Herran had stepped up to join the fight, and now, too, did Otonio. He bravely dashed right past the flailing monster to surround it in a flanking attack. The malign harpsichord lashed at him with one of its appendages but couldn't beat the young man's fancy footwork. (Mobility gives a +4 dodge bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity, y'all!) Otonio then skewered it from the side, finding a weak spot where the monster couldn't defend itself on both sides simultaneously. (Sneak Attack FTW!)
At that point it was all over except the crying. And lots more sticky slime. Herran slashed with his wakizashi. Ryuu, now back on his feet, lobbed in attack spells. Leoghnie unloaded another overhand attack with her greatsword— Striking the Spark, her latest tutor called it— and smashed the creature into a puddle. Kiarana finished it off with a Hammer of Light because... y'know... evil harpsichords totally might play 'possum.
