New Tool: Phonograph

Phonographs are a minor staple of the Zelda franchise, and serve as a useful shorthand for showcasing how technologically advanced a Zelda game world is: the more advanced their record-playing technology, the more advanced the world itself is.

Appearing in Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Oracle of Seasons, and The Minish Cap, Phonographs have been used to teach Link the notes for Magical Songs, to entertain visiting guests, and to serve as a relaxing way to pass the time with some nice tunes. In Reclaim the Wild, Heroes are sure to find clever uses for Phonographs above and beyond these. Perhaps they’ll secretly record a corrupt noble’s meeting with a dark wizard, or play a recording of themselves shouting and cavorting to distract a guard while they slip into a fortress.

Below, for use in your own Reclaim the Wild games, we present a new Mundane Tool, the Phonograph, and its Ammunition, Discs.

Phonograph: (Wood) A device that records and produces sound. A Phonograph might be cranked by hand, powered by a hand-wound spring, or they might be powered by an internal mechanism (such as a magical gem, electricity, or powered by wind or water), depending on the technology level of your game’s world. Phonographs play Discs; without a Disc to play, the Phonograph makes only white noise.

A Phonograph’s maximum volume is dependent on its Rank. It can be clearly heard in either a Burst (2+(Rank/2)), or a Cone (5+Rank), and faintly heard at twice those distances. Phonographs can play music while carried; this requires two hands, and Slows the carrying creature.

Disc: (Monster Parts) Discs are blank until they’re recorded on, using a Phonograph. Once they’ve been recorded on, a Disc cannot be re-used for recording. However, once recorded, a Disc can be played repeatedly. A single Disc can record up to 5 minutes of speech, music, or other audio.

A Disc only requires 2 Monster Parts to craft. Depending on the Rank of Monster Parts used, you can create multiple Discs. Treat this like crafting normal Bombs, using the same chart and rules as in the “Crafting Bombs” section of the Core Rulebook. Most Discs have a Market Price of 20 Rupees, whether or not they are blank, but some valuable or rare recordings may be worth more.

Discs go in the Ammunition pouch of your Pack, and are considered Ammunition for Phonographs. Discs do not stack with one another, unless they are of the same recording.

Phonographs and Magical Songs: While Discs can record mundane music with high fidelity, they cannot duplicate the arcane power of Magical Songs. When a Magical Song is played from a Disc, it does not produce any magical effects. However, a skilled Performer may be able to learn a Magical Song by listening to a Disc of it; consult your GM.