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Apparently I'm a geek.. Who knew?
I recently came across Scarlet-Devil's attempt to make a playlist and liked the idea. So here I go, making my own. A deal of the music here is scammed off of that thread. Suggestions and additions are very much welcomed. And requested. Seriously people, I need more music.
Neat! More appropriate for fantasy than my current campaign (modern horror), but i'll use some of these if I end up running a fantasy campaign anytime soon, which I probably will.
I used to come up with quite a few of these for my D&D games, but this is better than what I came up with.
I especially like the Japanese Music Box, it's rather enchanting (but in a mopey way), and Kansas's Carry On Wayward Son is something that I've always found fits for action-oriented or heroic games.
Lux Aeterna A more tragic version of the well-known Requiem for a dream. Good for a somber (no necessarily dark) adventure, awe inspiring and tragic at the same time.
The Shire Celebratory/Peaceful in music. Good for PCs returning home after completing a trying quest, or to highlight the beauty/peace of a location, like a forest.
Lux Aeterna A more tragic version of the well-known Requiem for a dream. Good for a somber (no necessarily dark) adventure, awe inspiring and tragic at the same time.
The Shire Celebratory/Peaceful in music. Good for PCs returning home after completing a trying quest, or to highlight the beauty/peace of a location, like a forest.
Before I post anything, I will say this. Two Steps From Hell makes nothing but epic music. Seriously. I'll post a few of my favorites, but I recommend looking up everything of theirs, because it's amazing.
Heart of Courage The MOST EPIC battle or reveal you will ever make. Unfortunately, it's kind of short, so some may prefer the fan-edited (and well done) longer version. It takes longer to get to its most epic, though.
Into Town The town theme from Diablo, and it rocks. Works in pretty much any town or while traveling.
Divine Intervention More Two Steps From Hell, this one is definitely an "Epic reveal" kind of song, maybe for the amazing ancient city you designed.
Minas Tirith Somebody already posted half of the RotK soundtrack, but somehow missed this one. Good for a chase scene or something.
Night Ride Across the Caucasus Loreena McKennitt is a great Celtic-style musician. This could be if you want a really entrancing bard to be at your tavern, or perhaps if the party is spending a night among elves.
EDIT: Just a thought, maybe go through and sort the songs into categories. General Epicness, Battle, Travel, Town, etc.
Wow. Going through those, I think all will be added. And given the length I'm up to, organization will likely be coming soon. Too hard to find the right thing.
I've got a few for you. These are things actual bards might sing rather than background music.
Rime of the Wanderin' Seafarer by zyko. Male vocals, guitar and percussion focused instrumentation. The singer's voice cracks at a few points--I really wish he had made this a collaboration with a woman whose voice could actually hit those notes. As-is the high quality of the rest of the song makes the parts where he slips up stand out a bit. Still, any setting that includes an ocean could have bard troupes performing this.
The Rose General by katethegreat19. Female vocals, string and percussion focused instrumentation. Awesome song for any setting; I have no complaints.
Hymn of Aveh, again by katethegreat19. Again, female vocals, string focused instrumentation. Thy lyrics aren't in English this time, so you get the added bonus of being able to say they mean whatever you want. In general, Kate's youtube channel has some hot material, but those are the two that stand out most to me.
Dragon Song by Harmony. Male vocals, guitar and keyboard focused. The percussion might be a bit too modern sounding for your tastes and there are obvious electronic sounds that don't really work in a fantasy setting (unless you're going with Ghost Sound I suppose), but otherwise it's quite pretty.
Devil's Workday by Modest Mouse. Male vocals, horn/string focused instrumentation. Might sound too contemporary for your tastes. A friend had an actual devil sing this song, and it fit the occasion really well. It has an unsettling sound to it: the singer's voice just drips with hate and malice.
Theme of Frog's by Select Start. No vocals, flute/wind focused with a very ren-fair vibe to it. Again, this slides right into any medieval setting.
Credens Justitiam - Mami's theme from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Not entirely sure what a good use for it would be, but it's awesome and epic so I'm sure someone experienced in using music for games can see something.
Septette for Dead Princess - Remix of the original by Ezel-Ash. Epic instrumental piece suitable for grand fights or as a leitmotif for someone powerful. Given the name it would be especially useful for female undead and it was originally the theme of a vampire.
Evening Dies on Dendara Field - Original composition by ZUN for the album Ghostly Field Club. Just kinda haunting and suitable for any sort of foreboding scene before anything actually happens.
Can anybody suggest some ominous marches (besides, of course, The Imperial March, AKA Vader's theme). I'm planning ahead a villain who keeps around a Dominated and/or undead bard just to play theme music for his entrances, and trying to work out the best music.
Can anybody suggest some ominous marches (besides, of course, The Imperial March, AKA Vader's theme). I'm planning ahead a villain who keeps around a Dominated and/or undead bard just to play theme music for his entrances, and trying to work out the best music.
I have a fondness for using Romantic German composers for villains. As a bonus, they are especially effective with history buffs due to the association with...well, I hate to Godwin the thread, but the point is relevant.
One of my personal favorites:
Siegfried's Funeral March from Wagner's Götterdämmerung. A version played at a faster tempo may or may not suit your villain better, but I couldn't quickly locate a recording that wasn't of horrible quality.
And if you happen to have a villain that falls under the creepy child trope, Mahler put something perfect in the third movement of Symphony No. 1. Yes, that is what you think it is.
Complete Shadow Magic! updated into the Pathfinder System.
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Much of Loreena McKennitt's music is up on YouTube and is perfect for any area of the game world with a Celtic or fey theme.
Also, there's a band called Nox Arcana that exists entirely to create ambient music for horror. A lot of their stuff is obviously trying too hard, but there are a few gems.
Second, so I'm not saying just that, I thought I'd throw a couple personal favorites out. Both of these are from the movie The Man from Snowy River, which has great music and would probably slip the mind of anyone thinking of good geeky stuff.
That song always makes me think of this song: rural, calm, peaceful tune (if anyone knows where to find the original of this, please tell me!)
Hazo - Ride: very fast-paced song, travel through hostile lands on urgent business sort of thing (NOTE: you should all listen to the whole thing anyway just because it's a great song).
Octavarium: the solo at the beginning of this song (first 4 minutes) have a very ethereal, slightly threatening sort of dreamlike feel.
If you look for something like March of Cambreadth, then this is worth hearing. Turisas might by for you as well. It's more metal, but a similar attitude is maintaned. Apart form that, scottishbagpipesrock should work - it even comes in a hilarious/crazy variety.
If you actually consider making a training montage during your campaign, then Scarface had just the tune for it. Or go with a well-known classic.
If I ever introduce Fae in my games, they will be supported by Elfman's music: 1, 2, 3. Other eerie themes to consider: 1, 2, 3.
Can anybody suggest some ominous marches (besides, of course, The Imperial March, AKA Vader's theme). I'm planning ahead a villain who keeps around a Dominated and/or undead bard just to play theme music for his entrances, and trying to work out the best music.
This has a nice buildup at the beginning. This is a fairly good march, but it would require a whole hoard of bards instead of a single one.
Kilar's music from Dracula might be an interesting choice as well.
If you want to confuse your players, then the villain in question might have a taste for more upbeat music: 1, 2.
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Just posting to say Im glad the Atlantica Online theme made it in. The rest of tracks from the game are pretty neat both for battle and enviromental uses.