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- I Cast...Brainstorm issue 38!
I Cast...Brainstorm issue 38!
A weekly newsletter of ideas and advice for D&D Dungeon Masters, players, and fans
Dave Palmer
December 26th, 2025
In partnership with
This week — A Magical Axe for Bards, and a Musical Puzzle
Thanks for reading I Cast…Brainstorm!, a weekly newsletter with ideas and advice to help make DM-ing and playing D&D (and other TTRPGs) easier and more fun.
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Let’s brainstorm some fun!
In this issue...
Happy weekend, everyone! It’s boxing day for us, since we celebrate Christmas — a day I usually spend relaxing, reading, and seeing family. This year my oldest also has a soccer tournament in the rain(!), and of course we’re all still coming off the high of our Stranger Things binge last night. I love it so much! A show about a lovable group of DnD players who help save the world? Yes, please and thank you!
Inspired by Eddie’s heroism in Season 4, (IFKYK), I created a fun bard instrument for this week’s newsletter, and a musical puzzle you can try on your players. Musical puzzles are tricky — if you game with a musician, it might be too easy, and if no one in your group has studied music theory, it might be too difficult. You know your players best, so adjust as you see fit.
As always, thanks for reading!
A Magical Musical Instrument for Bards
Ancient thunder gods, now lost to time, are said to have created this instrument for their priests to help bring heavy metal to the masses.
Axe of Metal Thunder
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement by any character with at least one level of bard)
The Axe of Metal Thunder is a +2 greataxe, strung with 6 metal strings, similar to a lute. The long wooden handle is flat on one side, with metal crosspieces that create the fretboard.
The Axe of Metal Thunder can be used as a musical instrument, or wielded as a greataxe +2.
When used as a weapon, any critical hit causes a loud power chord to burst from the instrument that can be heard 300’ away. Each creature within 5’ of the instrument when the power chord erupts must make a Constitution saving throw, (even if deaf). On a failed save, a creature takes 2d8 thunder damage, and is pushed 10 feet away from the Axe of Metal Thunder. Unsecured objects are automatically pushed 10’ by the instrument’s effect. On a successful save the target takes half damage, and is not pushed.
When attuned to the Axe, a bard can use an action to play heavy metal music on the instrument and cast one of its spells, listed below. Once the instrument has been used to cast a spell, it can't be used to cast that same spell again until the next sundown. The spells use the spellcasting ability and spell save DC of the attuned bard.
A creature that attempts to play the instrument without being attuned to it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take 2d8 thunder damage, (half damage on a save).
Spells Available, 1 each per day
1. Thunderwave (cast at level 1)
2. Knock (cast at level 2 — the door is blown open by a power chord)
3. Deafness (as the spell Blindness/Deafness cast at level 3, modified to affect all creatures in a 30’ cone originating at the Axe)
4. Shatter (cast at level 4 for 5d8 thunder damage)
5. Destructive Wave (cast at level 5)
(Spells are from 5th edition DnD — if you use a different system swap them for appropriate spells or powers as needed.)
A Musical Puzzle
This puzzle can be used to open a door, reveal a hidden vault, cause the Axe of Metal Thunder to appear in the room, or anything else!
The Bells
Along one wall of this room are a set of 10 bells, all in a row. Each is suspended over a wooden stand, on a brass hook, and on each stand is a rubber-headed mallet.
If a bell is struck with its mallet, (or anything else), a clear musical note rings out. The bell farthest left creates the lowest tone, and each one moving right creates a slightly higher tone — when played in succession the sound is quite pleasing.
On the stone wall opposite the bells is carved the following verse:
If one would gain this musical loot,
first two then five then to the root.
Each piece in order must be done —
Inverted, rolled, then all as one.
The bells are tuned to any musical key of your choice.
Each bell corresponds to a note in the key starting with the root, or 1, then 2, 3, etc through 8 (the last note of the scale, 9 which is the root but an octave higher, and 10 which is the second note of the scale an octave higher.
The solution is to play three chords in order — the 2 chord (inverted), the 5 (arpeggiated, or one note at a time), then the root chord.
The 2 chord inverted = bells 4, 6 and 10, played all together.
The 5 chord = bells 5, 7 and 9 and each bell should be played one at a time in that order
The 1 chord is bells 1, 3 and 5, played all together.
Brainstorming Links
You probably already know about the folks below, who are real inspirations to me, but if not, do yourself a favor and check them out.
The Arcane Library — masterpiece adventures, and Shadowdark, too!
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com
The Angry DM — so angry….so many great ideas….
https://theangrygm.com/
DMDave — on point analysis of D&D rules, and a ton of fun ideas
https://bsky.app/profile/dmdave.bsky.social
RPGBot — whip smart critique and explanations of 5e rules
https://rpgbot.net/
Sly Flourish — a DM’s best friend who is also a better DM
https://www.slyflourish.com/
Treantmonk — years of helpful advice and clever ideas
https://www.youtube.com/@TreantmonksTemple
If you like I Cast…Brainstorm!, you might also like these amazing newsletters with more great ideas, advice and news about RPGs.
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The original ideas in this issue of I Cast….Brainstorm! are covered under the Creative Commons BY-SA license — all content is free to use (including commercially) and change, with proper attribution.
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