Bugle
( 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | bugle |
| Appearance | bugle |
| Base price | 15 zm |
| Weight | 10 |
| Material | copper |
| Monster use | May be used defensively by monsters. |
A bugle is a tonal musical instrument. It can be used to play the passtune to enter the castle. Improvising with it will awaken, anger, and unparalyze all soldiers and watchmen on the level, and will abuse your wisdom.[1][2] It can also awaken or scare other nearby monsters, working exactly as a tooled horn. If you're non-chaotic, don't play one in Minetown. Vault guards are not affected by bugle improvisation.
A bugle can be a good substitute for a tooled horn, in that it has a good chance of scaring most monsters, as long as you are careful about the soldier effects described above. It cannot be safely used in Minetown unless you've neutralised the watch, and it's a good idea to find out if there are any barracks on a level before using your bugle. Sleeping soldiers in barracks will awake and ready themselves for battle on hearing the bugle. Any wandering soldiers will also respond, but that has less impact as they are already awake and trying to kill you. However it works just fine to keep the angry priests from surrounding you in the Sanctum, or the air elementals away on the Plane of Air. Since bugles are far easier to come by (and lighter) than tooled horns, this can be a very useful tool for the end game.
Sergeants, lieutenants, and captains have a 1⁄3 chance of being generated with a bugle. They can and will play the instrument, causing the same effects as when you improvise with it. This is not a significant issue except in rare cases, for instance if you were relying on a wand or spell of sleep to help you clear out a barracks. Despite the bugle awakening all soldiers on the level, mercenaries will only play it if they detect a sleeping soldier in a 7×7 square around them,[3] so it's possible to lure the mercenary away and dispatch them safely if you're worried about them waking up the others.
Encyclopaedia entry
'I read you by your bugle horn
And by your palfrey good,
I read you for a Ranger sworn
To keep the King's green-wood.'
'A Ranger, Lady, winds his horn,
And 'tis at peep of light;
His blast is heard at merry morn,
And mine at dead of night.'
References
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