Dungeons & DJs



Need to find some new music to play under your D&D (or other fantasy role-playing) game, but you’re not quite sure what to pick or you want to expand your current library? This page collects suggestions first presented in the Dungeons & DJs series on Icosahedrophilia.

Battle Music
Track Artist Album/Source Notes
Achela’s Ritual Christy Carew Sonic Legends Tense, fast-paced music with percussion and ambient vocals set a great mood for a group of adventurers trying to stop a well-defended wizard from completing a blasphemous ritual
Attack of the Wyvern Erika Lieberman Sonic Legends Exciting, tense music supports sound effects like clashing swords, whooshing arrows, and the roar of a large creature.
Beowulf Main Title Alan Silvestri Beowulf Soundtrack Slower pace; good for a battle with methodical tactics, a fight with hulking brutes, or a mass combat scene; blends well with “What We Need Is a Hero” from the same collection
Beowulf Slays the Beast Alan Silvestri Beowulf Soundtrack Faster pace than the other Beowful tracks; pretty good fight music throughout; use under a climactic fight against the “big bad guy”
Forest Skirmish Christy Carew Sonic Legends Dramatic music and driving percussion combine seamlessly with shouts, groans, and metal-on-metal sound effects to make this track ideal for scoring almost any outdoor battle scene
Goblin Encampment Mike Worth Sonic Legends Tribal drums and high-pitched chittering suggest the titular goblins; suitable for use while reconnoitering a goblin camp—or attacking it
The Reaper Joe Matzzie Sonic Legends Low-pitched strings, vague vocals, and sound effects resembling the whooshing of batwings, the stomping of heavy feet, and the roar of a dragon or demon suggest a fight against a big bad evil monster
The Ruins of Black Spur Keep Erika Lieberman Sonic Legends Although the name implies exploration, this would be a great track for a battle against an undead boss monster and its horde of minions
Second Grendel Attack Alan Silvestri Beowulf Soundtrack A little bit quicker than some other Beowulf tracks; good for any battle, especially an ambush
War Party V Shane Enigmatic Quest Grunting, growling, pipes, rattles, and drums suggest an orcish or goblin war party on the move
What We Need Is a Hero Alan Silvestri Beowulf Soundtrack Slower pace; good for a battle with methodical tactics, a fight with hulking brutes, or a mass combat scene; blends well with “Main Title” from the same album

 

Exploration Music
Track Artist Album/Source Notes
Alchemy Phil Thornton Alchemy Slow and mysterious; good for exploring arcane locations
Ancient Archives Christy Carew Sonic Legends Dominated by harps and strings; good for the suggested setting of research in an old library, exploration of an ancient scriptorium, or even shopping for magical components or alchemical reagents
City of the Dark Elves Jonn Ollsin Sonic Legends Somber tones, light bells, and vague whispers suggest a deserted drow city, or a very quiet, somber quarter of the city, draped in intrigue
The Final Seduction Alan Silvestri Beowulf Soundtrack Slow, pretty, and a little spooky; works well under an incursion into the Feywild or even the Shadowfell
Hidden Places V Shane Enigmatic Quest Slow and a bit creepy, well-suited for underground exploration in caverns or dungeons
Journey’s Thoughts V Shane Enigmatic Quest Slow, introspective, and peaceful, with some nature/animal sounds (insects, maybe?); good for evoking a sense of peaceful, happy wonder
Lost Map V Shane Enigmatic Quest Slow, with wind, waves, and birds; some tempo oddities; appropriate for outdoor exploration, especially if the party is lost
Mannanin Mist Phil Thornton Alchemy More atmospheric than melodic, this track could set a nice mood in a mysterious but not necessarily threatening scene of outdoor exploration

 

Social Interaction Music
Track Artist Album/Source Notes
Pader Augustus’ Plea Christy Carew Sonic Legends Good backing track for interactions with an important NPC, perhaps a patron or someone who otherwise gives the PCs a mission or quest
Prosperous Tavern Erika Lieberman Sonic Legends Mingles crowd noises, clinking glasses, and so on with music performed by a bard or minstrel in the background form the perfect soundscape for a bustling tavern
Rumors Inn V Shane Enigmatic Quest Excellent background music for a tavern or inn scene; the music is more like a score or backing track than a peformance by musicians who are actually present in the scene

 

Specialty Music
Track Artist Album/Source Notes
A Hero Comes Home Robin Wright-Penn Beowulf Soundtrack “Bumper” music into a break when the PCs return from a day of adventuring

2 Comments so far

  1. cavalier973
    April 25th, 2010

    | 2:17 pm

    I would recommend the soundtrack to “Stronghold” for a more medieval (rather than “high fantasy”) feel.
    Example:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUmzkSmbKi8

  2. dreadgazebo
    July 26th, 2010

    | 7:22 am

    Another good source is the soundtrack from the game “The Witcher” the deluxe edition comes with a soundtrack. It contains some pretty varying atmospheres and I’ve found use for a handful of the tunes in my own campaign.

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