Looking for a music playlist for a D&D bard to Inspire Courage!
February 19, 2016 9:33 AM   Subscribe

I am now playing D&D on the site Roll20.com; the site allows you to upload and play music during the game. Since I am playing a bard, I'd like to have some inspiring FIGHT FIGHT WIN THE FIGHT music! Suggestions please?

(Thank you all for the help on my previous bard by the way!)

Now I am in need of HURRAH RAH GET UP AND FIGHT AND WIN MUSIC!!

I would really like to have either a single song, or a playlist, that I can loop while my bard is playing music in the game. It would be ideal if it's something he could actually really sound like (so-- some kind of wind instrument (trumpet? bagpipes? flute?) and/or male vocalist, with some backup (he can use magic to provide background percussion and a sort of harmonizing/echo effect that could be a backing track)).

However, having little luck finding these myself, I'd settle for something that just sounds awesome, courageous, and fast-paced, smashy-fight-fight (no long minor-key periods of sad-epic in the middle, more "in your face action" rather than "sweeping grandeur".)

Something that sounds sort of fantasy-ish would be best, but something that's at least not clearly, say, hip-hop or death metal, will do. Other than that, it could be anything from medieval-sounding to video-game-soundtrack modern.

Thank you!
posted by Pastor of Muppets to Media & Arts (20 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Follow me up to Carlow, maybe?
posted by Zalzidrax at 9:45 AM on February 19, 2016


Mmmmmaybe?
posted by lore at 9:58 AM on February 19, 2016


We used to adventure to the Gladiator soundtrack back when I had a regular gaming group. Strangely fighty-fighty-smash-kaboom inspirational stuff.
posted by kariebookish at 10:04 AM on February 19, 2016


The Ancient Forest of Elves seems tailor-made for your needs.
posted by Kreiger at 10:04 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


Decemberists The Soldiering Life -https://youtu.be/7Pd_nzOvgis
posted by crocomancer at 10:12 AM on February 19, 2016


Well, Finntroll obviously.
posted by humboldt32 at 10:14 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


You might want to check out the Witcher III soundtrack; the music gets a little big to be coming from a single bard, but it has that quality of being "music of the time" rather than something coming out of a sequencer.

Movie soundtracks to check out:
Conan the Barbarian (this is a classic go to for PnP groups)
Flesh + Blood (another Poledaris, has more of a medieval feel)
Willow (has a LOT of panflute, might work)
Kingdom of Heaven
posted by selfnoise at 10:18 AM on February 19, 2016 [2 favorites]


Flute? Male vocalist? vaguely-fantasy-ish?

I would normally never, ever say this to anybody, but what you want is some Jethro Tull. Maybe Locomotive Breath starting when it gets "good."
posted by bondcliff at 10:19 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


Early Genesis. The Conqueror, White Mountain, The Knife, The Fountain of Salmacis, Return of the Giant Hogweed, Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, Eleventh Earl of Mar, etc etc etc
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:34 AM on February 19, 2016


Seconding selfnoise's Conan OST suggestion. The Basil Poledouris Pandora station is a DnD favorite.
posted by rokabiri at 10:41 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


Smashy fight-fight but no metal. That's a tough challenge. If you're willing to go the metal route, there are thousands upon thousands of songs that 100% meet your description.
posted by gehenna_lion at 11:26 AM on February 19, 2016


I mean, my mind goes immediately to the boss battle music from JRPGs (Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy series, etc.). Orchestral versions of JRPG music have, on occasion, been recorded...
posted by duffell at 11:30 AM on February 19, 2016


Best answer: I've barded in D&D a few times, and my battle soundtrack is almost always folk-metal influenced. I do tend to multi-class into barbarian at times, mind. The following would be typical of my playlist:

Corvus Corax
Waylander
Cruachan
Primordial
Skiltron
Ensiferum

and always by popular demand, Turisas - Battle Metal.
posted by Bodd at 12:27 PM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


I'll second the Corvus Corax!
Dragonforce is pretty entertaining too.
posted by LegallyBread at 1:56 PM on February 19, 2016


What about Colin Stetson? If you went into battle and saw a dude play a sax like this , you'd be pretty intimidated.
posted by rollick at 2:57 PM on February 19, 2016


This doesn't fit your brief because it's a female singer, but in case of future need, Mary Epworth's "Saddle Song" is just bardy as hell.
posted by thesmallmachine at 3:07 PM on February 19, 2016


Best answer: March of Cambreadth. The chorus is "How many of them can we make die?". You should be able to find multiple versions of it online. Also, Battle Dawn should fit.
posted by Gneisskate at 5:44 PM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: The Corvus Corax is EXCELLENT, especially the instrumental stuff! The March Of Cambreadth is also EXCELLENT! The main reason I'd said "prefer not metal" is because my bard is a rather weedy elf and it doesn't seem likely that he'd have the typical deep RAAAARR COOKIE MONSTERRRR voice that most metal singers have... but, you know, he's a magic bard so he can get away with a lot. The movie soundtracks are great fallbacks as well, thank you!!
posted by Pastor of Muppets at 11:29 PM on February 19, 2016


I'll second DragonForce but only because (1) his voice is not Cookie Monstery and (2) their entire shtick is based on fantasy RPG video game battle music
...and not because I admit to owning several of their MP3s and even a CD, which I have never admitted. Here is an appropriate representative example complete with Badass Fantasy Art I Want on the Side of My Van.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 5:28 AM on February 20, 2016


I'm kinda surprised that no one has recommended Manowar, who are pretty much the purest archetype of D&D metal — check out Thor (the Powerhead), all about Thor's noble quest to totally smash a bunch of frost giants with his hammer. It's on my Zombie Fighting playlist.
posted by klangklangston at 11:26 AM on March 17, 2016


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