#maybe they can be performed recreationally with. like. intentional flaws. or with parts omitted

[herearedragons]

pillars of eternity chanter thoughts

fighting a group that has one chanter is tough. fighting a group that has two or more chanters working together is a nightmare. the power of a chant grows exponentially the more people are contributing, and the more complex it becomes musically (with harmonies, overlapping phrases, etc), the stronger the magic is

a group of chanters casting together is called a choir

however, you generally don't want to rely on chants that are too long or too complex in combat, because even one chanter falling leaves the others struggling to compensate for their absence. when armies make use of chanters, the optimal choir size is considered to be three to six (in rare cases it goes up to ten), with multiple choirs present on the battlefield

phrases from old lore make the best components for chants because they evoke concrete and intense imagery/feelings, but technically any combination of words can become a chant if it's appealing enough to the souls floating around. depending on the location, even a single spoken word can make a powerful chant if it carries meaning for the local spirits

sometimes a new chant can be created by a chanter composing it and then chanting it over and over for a time period somewhere between months and years, essentially teaching it to the spirits around them. there are rumors of chants that have been created overnight or in a matter of weeks, but whether that's actually possible is debated