Am I Playing?

Parent page Trappings of Power

Many instruments in this chapter, as well as some presented in Wondrous Consumables, give you a bonus or effect while you’re playing the instrument, sometimes improving you in ways not directly related to your performance, such as getting a bonus to Perception checks. Usually, the GM can easily determine whether you’re playing the instrument. If you need concrete rules, you’re considered to be playing an instrument as long as you spend at least 1 action each round playing it. This includes playing the instrument for Performance checks, playing it for material or somatic components of spells, or just spending a single action to play it. If you just want to play just to keep up the benefit, you can usually take the Perform action for this purpose and forgo your roll.