Black Tambourine

 

Black Tambourine by Beck!

 The VaM-style spell today is Black Tambourine- the title coming from this song by Beck!

I have listened to Guero so many times.

It is one of the most listened things between me and my immediate family - it got played so many car rides.

I love it to death.

I love all the tracks, even the one we skipped because it sounded like our cats asthma.

Many of them would be excellent spells.

E-Pro, Missing, Earthquake Weather, Broken Drum, Scarecrow, Go It Alone, Emergency Exit....

There are other albums full of great songs and great potential spells by Beck, all his music is fantastic.

 

Guero is incredibly important also due to the music video for E-Pro - which nearly ended Beck's career due to a debilitating injury, which would have been a monumental tragedy - we would have never gotten to hear Modern Guilt, Morning Phase, or Colors.

 

 

 

Here are definitions of Black and Tambourine!

 

of the very darkest color owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; the opposite of white.

(of the sky or night) completely dark owing to nonvisibility of the sun, moon, or stars.

deeply stained with dirt.

(of a plant or animal) dark in color as distinguished from a lighter variety.

(of coffee or tea) served without milk or cream.

of or denoting the suits spades and clubs in a deck of cards.

(of a ski run) of the highest level of difficulty, as indicated by black markers positioned along it.

of any human group having dark-colored skin, especially of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry.

relating to black people.

(of a period of time or situation) characterized by tragic or disastrous events; causing despair or pessimism.

(of a person's state of mind) full of gloom or misery; very depressed.

(of humor) presenting tragic or harrowing situations in comic terms.

full of anger or hatred.

very evil or wicked.

black color or pigment.

black clothes or material, typically worn as a sign of mourning.

darkness, especially of night or an overcast sky.

the player of the black pieces in chess or checkers.

a black thing, especially a ball or piece in a game.

a member of a dark-skinned people, especially one of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry.

the situation of not owing money to a bank or of making a profit in a business operation.

make (something) black; blacken.

make (one's face) black with makeup or another substance, as a disguise or to imitate the appearance of a black person.

refuse to handle (goods), undertake (work), or have dealings with (a person or business) as a way of taking industrial action.

 

a percussion instrument resembling a shallow drum with small metal disks in slots around the edge, played by being shaken or hit with the hand.

 

 

 Here are the Lyrics, which are fantastic!

 

 

Black hearts in effigy
We sing a song that was hated
All dressed in rag and bones
Sharks smell the blood that I'm bleeding
I know there's something wrong
Might take a fire to kill it
Might take a hurricane
Don't know what life that I'm livin'

Oh oh oh
Black tambourine
Oh oh oh
Black tambourine

My baby run to me
She lives in broken down buildings
Can't pay the rent again
These spider webs are my home now
And when the sun is down
We'll shake and rattle our bodies
To keep it warm at night
My tambourine is still shaking

Oh oh oh
Black tambourine
Oh oh oh
Black tambourine

Black hearts in effigy
We sing a song that was hated
All dressed in rag and bones
Sharks smell the blood that I'm bleeding
I know there's something wrong
Might take a fire to kill it
Might take a hurricane
Don't know what life that I'm livin'

Black tambourine
Oh oh oh
Black tambourine

 

 

 

Ok - here is the spell's effects!

 

 

Black Tambourine

Duration: As long as the tambourine is shaking

Range: The caster’s party

Dim light settles on the floor like cold air – bats swoop in and clouds loom – an eerie wind whistles through gaps and trees – hair stands on end and children and animals whine.

The caster must be wearing all black.

They must be playing a tambourine.

They may shake the tambourine with one hand, the other is free.

If they fulfill this criteria, as long as they are shaking the tambourine the following effects are ongoing:

No cleric magic functions in range of the spell.

All damage is doubled.

All foes of the caster are at disadvantage.

Side based initiative is in place, and the caster’s side goes first.

Anybody who dies during the shaking of the black tambourine is permanently dead.

If anybody is informed of this spell being cast or witnesses this spell occur – they will very likely send people to kill the caster and all parties present with them – this spell is forbidden by nearly all peoples and is of the utmost evil.

Miscast Table

1 – The inversion is supplicant: and a white tambourine is what occurs, the sky clears, and all clerics getting their full complement of spells instantly granted, all damage is halved, the caster and their party are at disadvantage, the foes go first, and anybody who dies while the tambourine is shaken is put to 0 HP instead, and cannot be damaged further that day – all of the caster’s clothing turns a brilliant white and they lose Black Tambourine as a spell.

2 – A giant black bat grabs the caster and flies off with them – from there, it is up to the referee.

3 – A thunderstorm brews and each round the tambourine is shaking the caster must dodge a bolt of lightning – treat this as a thrown spear +3 that deals 400 hit point damage.

4 – God is angry and will send a champion to hunt down the caster.

5 – Satan is angry that someone is doing better than them, and will send a champion to hunt down the caster.

6 – The caster screams and shifts, ripping their black clothes as hairy legs burst forth – a gigantic spider is birthed from their red husk.

7 – The caster screams and shifts, ripping their black clothes as spindly wings and sharp teeth burst forth – a gigantic bat is birthed from their red husk.

8 – The spell just polymorphs all people in hearing range into orphaned children.

9 – If there are any dead in the parties range – buried or just killed – they rise as undead bent on destroying the caster.

10 – The caster cannot stop shaking voluntarily – the tambourine must be wrestled from their grasp.

11 – When the tambourine stops shaking, the caster dies.

12 – When the tambourine stops shaking, the party dies.