Goodman Games

Nekroborg is Highpoint's premiere heavy metal band! Formed by human bard Arn Guersson, the band really hit its stride three years ago when Arn met a gnomish coglayer by the name of Pobar Clankwhiddle. Clankwhiddle was amazed by Arn's vision, and devoted his considerable technical abilites to making Nekroborg a unique listening experience. Steam Music Monthly caught up with Nekroborg after their show in Edge last month, and Arn was kind enough to give us an interview.

SMM: Wow, that was quite a show. I've never heard anything like it.

Arn: Thank you. This tour has really been a great time so far.

SMM: Some people thought this tour would never happen after your fuzzlyre player was eaten by a lunar dragon. How have you overcome the difficulties that presented?

Arn: Well, we certainly miss Choffe, but it really hasn't slowed down our schedule much. Pobar just whipped up an animated clockwork puppet with a skill box, and we were back on the road the next week. We named the puppet Choffe Jr.

SMM: Of course you did! The mechanical aspects of Nekroborg's performance are what makes the sound unique. Can you tell us a bit about the instruments you use?

Arn: One of the key bits of technological wizardry Pobar came up with is a device called a distorter. It takes sonic input, such as from an instrument or voice, and changes its sound in a variety of ways. We most often use it to create our signature "fuzzy" sound, but it can do quite a bit more than that. We've been working on some new songs that will really push the distorter to the limit. It'll let me sing in octaves my voice normally couldn't reach, and we're doing an arrangement of an orcish folk song where I'll actually sound like an orc. We'll be using a translator on that one too.

SMM: And you use amplifiers, too, right?

Arn: Oh yes. A [bleep] load of amplifiers.

SMM: What else can we be expecting to see or hear on the next tour?

Arn: The next one will make this one seem small. Pobar's cousin Hoph will be joining us and using his considerable skills to put together a fantastic lightshow using imagemakers and some light prisms. Clockwork Symphony will be opening for us on that tour, too, and I'm looking forward to that.

SMM: With the addition of a clockwork member to your band, Clockwork Symphony doesn't feel you're stealing their gimmick?

Arn: Nah, Hector's a great guy. We'll probably be adding a couple more clockworks to the band in the near future, but nothing on the scale that Clockwork Symphony does. I mean, there's only so much me and Pobar can maintain, right?

SMM: Right. Well, I'll let you get back to the party. Thank you for the interview, and we all look forward to seeing the next Nekroborg tour!

Arn: Thanks. It'll be great.

Ha! When does their next album come out?

As soon as someone invents CD players that don't require steam powers.

I don't know whether to applaud or cry.

Goshawk's Noise Animator
Enchantment
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M, XP
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: 1 light object
Duration: 1 month/level
Saving Throw: Willing only
Spell Resistance: Yes
You enchant a noisemaker so that it will perform a simple set of functions. These include playing music or other recordings in different orders of play, pausing or resuming playback and skipping ahead or back. You can not modify the noisemaker once this spell is cast or the enchantment fails. (Additional recordings may not be added and current recordings may not be deleted.)

The noisemaker will opperate normally without maintenence for the duration of the spell. Anyone with basic knowledge of its opperation can opperate the device without difficulty.
Material Components: 10gp worth of parts for a noisemaker/caster level.
XP: 5xp/caster level


Sample Enchanted Noise Maker

Alternate Sample Enchanted Noise Maker


Mark Charke

Here is what my new coglayer/bard multiclass is using:

Masterwork lute:
Wavemaker: 1 lbs, 65 gp
Folder: 1 lb, 2000 gp
Noisemaker: 3 lbs, 300 gp (integrated)
Refined Controls: 3lbs, 280 gp

Amp:
Wavemaker: 1 lb, 65 gp
Amplifier: 1 lb, 200 gp
Amplifier: 1 lb, 200 gp

Headset:
Wavemaker: 1 lb, 65 gp

The wavemaker in the lute and the headset (hands-free microphone) both transmit sound (sonic energy) to the wavemaker in the amp, and the sound is then amplified to up to 3x the normal volume. The noisemaker records what she sings and/or plays, allowing her to do such things as sing harmonies with herself or record lute loops to play over. Add amplifiers according to taste.

That's great. But how will he record an acoustic album when that's in vogue again?