Mechanically, how does Ben's guitar work?

[Burpcycle]

I know of no charms that let you use sound-based attacks other than Silver-Voiced Nightengale Style, though I admit I didn't look very hard.

 

[Skycroft]

Shot answer: Custom Charms. Details unknown.


Long Answer: Did Ben ever use sound based attacks? I mostly recall him wielding his guitar like a club while doing fancy things with the strings, but he never attacked with music directly. He uses custom charms to channel his Resonance into hurting other beings from the underworld through his guitar. He also uses custom charms to enhance other peoples defense and attack, but never inflicts damage directly with music (well okay, there was this, but that's just dealing damage through loudness, not music. Its probably another custom charm.) For the most part, he and his band wield their instruments as blunt weapons.

 

[Moonstone Spider]

At a guess, and from what it's done so far, Ben's guitar is probably just a fine or better instrument that gives him a few extra dice on perform checks. It seems to hold up well to the kind of punishment that would destroy a normal guitar (you can't wield a guitar like a club normally and expect it to ever play again) so it's likely either incorporated some MM in it's structure for strength or been earth-enchanted (I find enchantment more likely because even a deathlord probably finds blowing soulsteel on a guitar extravagant).


But yeah, as Skycroft said, we already know Ben's using an entire custom charm tree he made, possibly an original martial art. That'll be where most of the power's coming from.

 

[ShadowDragon8685]

Jukashi has already answered this.

... His guitar is used in combat as a soulsteel grimcleaver, counts as a harmonic weapon, and for a cost of 3m will follow up an attack by detaching its strings and making a clinch attempt. The belt of soulsteel chains on Ben's waist is also an artifact; fed with essence, it will move to block attacks (adding to his DV) and will otherwise attempt to protect him (for example, by catching something if he falls off a cliff).

 

[veekie]

... inflicts damage directly with music (well okay, there was this, but that's just dealing damage through loudness, not music. Its probably another custom charm.) For the most part, he and his band wield their instruments as blunt weapons.

Look under Abyssals Performance charms, Withering Phantasmagoria provides several avenues of sound based damage, but with the issues of low damage per mote expended and mostly targets one of the highest defense values(probably why it was shrugged off) when used in the area version. Not a bad way to blow out eardrums if you have some persistent defenses up and some unliving minions to be fodder though


Probably the basis of his Resonance custom charms.