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Does anyone else have favorite songs to put you into the mood for one of your characters? For example, my evil charming urban barbarian's song is "I can't Decide" by the Scissor Sisters.
Just felt like a fun topic :)
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I do like to come up with theme music for my characters from time to time. Sometimes, I actually pick a theme song first and use that to influence the character development.
For instance, when I came across the song "Short Change Hero," by The Heavy, I just got an image in my head of a warrior walking down a dimly lit, muddy street towards a seedy-looking tavern. The view pulls back from his shoulder and we see the rest of the party walking with him, illuminated by flashes of lightning. As they near the tavern door, he draws his blade, magical energy flashing down its length. The mage levels his wand at the door and nods to the rogue, who slips into the shadows around the side of the building. The barbarian gives his greataxe a little spin as his eyes glaze over . . . Then all Hell breaks loose on some bandits.
Okay, so that's a whole party with a theme song. Maybe I'll use that during character introductions for the next game I run . . .
All the time. I rewrote the lyrics to Sympathy for the Devil for a character in an old Eberron game. I think of Would by Alice in Chains for my two-weapon fighter calmly walking into battle before erupting into violence.
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Does anyone else have favorite songs to put you into the mood for one of your characters? For example, my evil charming urban barbarian's song is "I can't Decide" by the Scissor Sisters.
Just felt like a fun topic :)
Yes. I have an undead psychic warrior that would claim this theme.
Cyber Six Theme.For my shapeshifting witch in an online game I'm in on Fridays, who is bound with the incestuous soul of her mentor (she's become popular enough in the group that I've started writing in-universe stories set in their downtime for them).
Clairitycraft / Perfect Enemy. Also Monster might be pretty decent.
My undead priest-wizard who was a failed lich after being revived against her will with a fractured memory for a Rappan Athuk game.
Breathe.
Lene Lovitch Cats Away is an instrumental that always seemed to me to be a 70's Saturday Morning urban superhero team theme song.
Johnny Cash' Thirteen
She's Come Undone
“The Magician” by Blood Ceremony - This would be a good song for my very recently retired Diabolist, who was a little like a cross between Vincent Price and Anton LaVey (though with a 26 Int, an imp on each shoulder, and a shadow which would go off and kill stuff on its own). Actually, I’d say that any of Blood Ceremony’s CDs make great background music for a gaming session. Their early sound was a lot like a mix of Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull with a female singer. Their latest CD has more folk elements but is still suitably heavy IMO.
“Wonderlust King” by Gogol Bordello - King Lubomyr Romanovych of our ongoing Kingmaker campaign is of mixed Varisian descent, so gypsy punk seems appropriate. He hates being cooped up in a castle all day and can hardly wait to set out in his purple and gold vardo to explore uncharted lands. He also happens to look a lot like Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz (I have a habit of describing PCs and especially NPCs as looking like actors and other celebrities so everybody can get a clear image of what they look like)
This may be a thread that hasn't been touched for over a year, but hey, I've been meaning to find a thread like this (I was about to make one, but decided to check first).
Although I can't figure out a character music for my existing characters, I do have an idea for my seductive, somewhat sexualized Chaotic Neutral female tiefling enchanter-as she would be basically a type of person who wants to do things her way, but isn't necessarily evil.
Her theme song, IMO, would be this. I really think this would be her theme, as, although she isn't keen on world domination, she is a bit power hungry (or attention hungry).
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When I need to get myself hype about playing Charles, I will often put this on in the background. It was a huge help when planning my build. Other than that...
Halfling spider-riding Summoner: Megalovania, Undertale soundtrack
Kitsune Rogue: Lady of Gorgon, Soul Eater soundtrack
Pirate Witch of Pharasma: Sea Shanty o'the One-Eyed No-Armed Wench
I don't give my characters themes, mostly since someone at my table has a habit of making them in her spare time because she likes it, but I do have a theme for when I start to panic. It's a remix that's known as Angry Dusknoir. It's tense, sure, but the connection to PMD helps calm me down enough that I don't make a horrible play.
The Charles Barkley video is kind of amusing though I'd rather listen to Gnarls Barkley. It seems like “Crazy” could be a pretty good theme for some PC or another. Also in the category of “potential theme songs” I think “The Ballad of Froggy McNasty” by the Voodoo Glow Skulls contains a whole character concept for a Boggard Brawler.
Anyhow, I've got a whole new crop of PCs since the last time this thread came around. Doing a little “Viking research” turned up a lot of pseudo traditional music like Wardruna and a Swedish death metal band called Amon Amarth. I guess that most people would find the singer’s death metal growl too silly or grating to endure, but my girlfriend and I kind of got used to it and have ended up associating songs of theirs with several of our current PCs.
Arnvarg Áskettil (Common - Eaglewolf Godhelmet) - Amon Amarth’s “Snake Eyes” is a “cover” of a Motorhead song which never existed - RIP Lemmy!!! It isn’t one of their more “Viking” themed songs, but since it is specifically about fate, rolling dice, and bad luck I find it pretty appropriate to the D&D/Pathfinder experience, especially “I trust the way I live my life, the choices that I make, to the rolling of the dice, no matter what’s at stake!!!” If you replace the words “snake eyes” with “nat 1” you pretty much have my typical gaming experience...
Anja Uglabjorn (Common - Anny Owlbear) - Anja (named after musician Anja Garbarek) is my girlfriend’s vaguely “Viking” PC (yeah, we watched too much of that show). She’s a Mountain Druid who recently gained the ability to turn into a giant, so AA’s AC/DC homage “Stand Up To Go Down” has become sort of a natural theme song for her.
Avernus the “Hell Orc” (LE devil worshipper) - They’re not exactly “theme songs”, but Blue Oyster Cult’s and “Career of Evil” (now a book by J.K. Rowling) and “Flaming Telepaths” have always made me think of the PC due to his Evil nature and tendency to conduct experiments on himself and others (Mutation Warrior)
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Be ready for this Pandora's Box to open, because matching characters with themes is kind of a hobby of mine. I even do it for other peoples' characters...
Anyway.
Aldrius Froidvoir (NG human water elemental sorcerer): "Undone by the Blood" remix by Alex Roe
Benedin (NE elf vivisectionist): "Dark Rebirth" from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3
Sakhbet (NE Kelish human alchemist): "Potion Shop" cover by the Hylian Ensemble
Hiram Desdalus VIII (LN tiefling magus): "Writhe in Pain" remix by The Legendary Zoltan
Barkhan Thine (N fetchling bounty hunter): "Serpent Dream" by Mike Oldfield
Melickaz AKA "Blacksaw" (CE gnome mesmerist): "Bogeyman Boogie" by Dr. Steel
I love finding songs for my characters, encounters, groups, everything. Many of my stories have actually soundtracks and I often create playlists even for stories I have played, not GMed. I cannot look for links now but I'm contributing to this thread later for sure ;-D
I use This for my PFS Fighter
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I don't tend to have theme songs for characters, but I have a very Desnan archaeologist bard in a RotRL campaign who considers herself a singer by profession. She's more of a busker "sing what the people want to hear" type than an artiste.
The campaign is PbP but I've been trying to insert songs into the campaign, less as themes than as commentary on the story or events, and to reveal the character's psychological or emotional reactions to them.
Of course it's PbP so really what I'm doing is posting song lyrics, so that's what drives the choices. I sometimes have to make some alterations to remove anachronisms but usually the changes are minor. I also go for well-known songs so when the lyrics are read you know the songs well enough to "hear" them rather than just reading the lines.
A couple that I'll be using soon are This as a group prayer before the final assault at the end of Book 1 of the AP.
I'm saving This for after the end of Book 2.
She's romantically linked to Rynshinn Povalli and I used This when that was starting to heat up. Apologies for the pun.
If she had a theme song it might be This and I'm heavily reworking the lyrics of These Boots are Made for Walking for her to use at some point.
As you can see I don't do grimdark characters so much.
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I'm sharing my Reign of Winter playlist, with both songs meaningful for my character and for events in the game or other characters.
You'll see a lot of songs of similar styles and the same artists, but I like making my playlists somewhat themed.
There aren't a lot of snow/ice/winter themed songs as I chose them thinking more of meaningful events than the basic theme of the AP. The only exception is Rasputin by Turisas. This song just had to be there!!!
Kileanna's songs:
Kileanna is a Changeling, who didn't know her real heritage at the start of the adventure and was receiving The Call. These songs reflect the progression she experimented as the story went on.
It's the Fear- Within Temptation- This is perfect for her at the start of the game, with some strange urges and dreams she couldn't explain.
Face Your Demons- After Forever- This would be at Artrosa, her encounter with her real mother, this would be from her hag's mother point of view.
Lost- Within Temptation- after the hag coven killed Argentea and before she was resurrected, this reflects Kileanna's feelings perfectly. Two times more in the adventure this song became perfect to describe her feelings, becoming the most defining song for her. It's a sad and desperate song but it also evokes strong feelings, so it perfectly fits her.
Pale- Within Temptation- After discovering her heritage and some more difficult events she went through a emotional crisis. This describes her again in a very accurate way.
Stand My Ground- Within Temptation- Right now she is fully grown up and all she has gone through has made her a stronger person. This song reflects better how she is now.
Another songs for the campaign:
Black Rose- Luca Turilli- Va'ardalia, another NPC that had an antagonistic role in an adapted version of the sixth book.
Replica- Sonata Arctica- Nigel Uth Berner, a NPC who helped the party and ended losing his faith and his will to carry on. He ended badly.
Let Us Burn- Within Temptation- Argentea's song.
Paradise- Within Temptation
Rasputin- Turisas
Frozen Star- Luca Turilli
Forsaken- Within Temptation
Attendance- After Forever.
Say My Name- Within Temptation.
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Kileanna, I swear, if you weren't spoken for and on another continent, I'd snap you up :)
I'm still looking for songs that suit my bard in the PbP I'm in (CG tiefling female arcane duelist). This is the playlist from the last game I played at the table:
Morag, the Gatherer of Souls
Within Temptation-Why not me?, Our Solemn Hour, Stairway to the Skies, Dark Wings (Played this a lot before playing the character to get into the mood), It's the Fear, Murder (combat theme music for the entire trip through the cathedral)
Nightwish-Nemo, 10th Man Down, Ghost River, Rest Calm, Away, Gethsemane, Last Ride of the Day (after meeting her cohort, the Epona)
Sirenia-The Other Side (after a climatic battle with the crazed lover of her murderer), The Path to Decay
Noir soundtrack-Salva Nos, Canta Per Me (personal theme)
Various Final Fantasy pieces: Liberi Fatali, Home Sweet Home
Xenosaga themes-Promised Pain, She's Coming Back (after being raised from the dead)
Blackmoor's Night-Ocean Gypsy, Sister Gypsy (these two while at the Rover camp), The Circle, Lady in Black (which she was)
Mortal Love-My Shadow Self
Planescape Torment themes-Fall from Grace's theme
Fate/Stay Night soundtrack-Lonely Pilgrimage (ending theme)
I have, no lie, used "Party Rock Anthem" as a theme for a character before.
I know (and love) many of them!
And I can tell a lot about your character just because of the choice of songs for her!
I used Nemo too on another playlist for another character in a former campaign. I think it's so meaningful.
Someday I'll gather together too some songs for that campaign and post them.
And S&S which is mostly Alestorm xD
I really love using music for characters. I have this character who was built for a PbP Hell's Rebels, going for Battle Herald Prestige Class. He's being revived for a face-to-face game that's going to be starting soon, and I've built a playlist for him as part of preparations:
Vox Populi - 30 Seconds To Mars]For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) - AC/DC
Livin' On The Edge - Aerosmith
Hold Your Head Up - Argent
Sabotage - Beastie Boys
Heaven And Hell - Black Sabbath
The Times They Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan
Like A Rock - Bob Seger
Have A Nice Day - Bon Jovi
We Weren't Born To Follow - Bon Jovi
To Be A Man - Boston
Peace Train - Cat Stevens
Simple Man - Charlie Daniels Band
Rock Of Ages - Def Leppard
Boycott Hell - DeGarmo & Key
Ten Thousand Fists - Disturbed
Heart Of A Dragon - DragonForce
Heroes Of Our Time - DragonForce
Cadence To Arms - Dropkick Murphys
Soldier - Eminem
The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy
This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race - Fall Out Boy
Remember The Name - Fort Minor
A British Tar - HMS Pinafore
Streets of Sarajevo - John McCutcheon
Lights - Journey
Fight Fire With Fire - Kansas
Do You Hear The People Sing? - Les Miserables
Uprising - Muse
All Fired Up - Pat Benetar
When The Foeman Bares His Steel - Pirates Of Penzance
We Will Rock You - Queen
Bulls On Parade - Rage Against The Machine
Raise A Little Hell - Trooper
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Oh, man... dotting this for when I'm not on a 15-minute break at work...
'Cause I've got a gang of these.
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Awright, IT BEGINS.
For the Ravenloft character I take my handle here from, who dates waaaaaaayyyyy back to 1999 and never got kilt off, corrupted, driven insane, or otherwise hosed: The Bobby Darin version of Beyond the Sea. He was a Bard back in second Edition when that was the best way to have a sword-swinging, lightning-bolt slinging guy with a decent skill array. Former Kargat agent, fell for a courtesan, only for the Mists to part them, and unlike so many Ravenloft stories, he wasn't trying to escape the Demiplane (since he'd been born there)- he was just trying to get back to her. He was a lot of fun.
For my Ranger PC in Rise of the Runelords, Alexander Weathermay, the Stalker of Xin-Shalast, killer of piles and piles and piles of giants: The instrumental version of "Cells", by The Servant
For my dedicated, ruthless, committed Rogue from Curse of the Crimson Throne (who I would totally make a Vigilante if I were to do him over): What is Eternal? by good ol' TSO.
My version of the Song of Silver: Non, Je ne regrette rien, by Edith Piaf
For the PCs my friends ran as I put them through Hell's Rebels:
Giovanni Cantemir, Male Human Slayer, Neutral, ex-Amodean- Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads
Ariel Morne, Female Human Fighter, Tactician Archetype, neutral good, Shelynite from Kintargo- Wild City, by The Pretty Reckless
Mimdel Boom, Female Goblin Alchemist from Isger(!), Chaotic Good- The Runaways' version of Cherry Bomb
Pascal Ionescu, Male Human Cleric of Pharasma, Neutral Good- Feeling Good, by Nina Simone
My most recent (and therefore most currently-fleshed out and fresh in my mind) PC, my rather troubled Occultist from Strange Aeons, Rose Blackburn's musical suite:
Another World- Poe
Eye in the Sky, by the Alan Parsons Project
Our Lady of Electric Light by Clutch
Tales of Brave Ulysses by Cream
The Regina Spektor take on While My Guitar Gently Weeps
An Emilie Autumn trifecta-
Let the Record Show
I Want my Innocence Back
Misery Loves Company
I have many, many more, but I'll try to rein it in on a post by post basis...
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Cool songs, Cole!!!
Yesterday the new album of Alestorm was released and Kiani and me were listening to it.
We couldn't do anything but laugh out loud with one of the songs.
In my S&S campaign, Sandara ended having a very filthy mouth, often including the F-word at least two times in a sentence.
So when we listened to this song we thought it was totally Sandara's song.
Soon, more Skull and Shackles songs!
I had a big collection of songs for my Werewolf campaign, as they were a rock band, but most of them are in Spanish. I might post them someday too.
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... I have a new favorite pirate song now.
Maybe.
It's hilarious!
I knew Alestorm because of Skull and Shackles and I am really enjoying their music.
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My war priest of Thor prefers Manowar to be playing while he thrashes his enemies.
I think for my soon to come oracle of dark tapestry it will be show tunes the most annoying one to three on repeat endlessly.
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Dot. Might come back later and share.
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Now some songs for some of the characters from WotW campaign.
One With the Mountain-Sonata Arctica- This is the song for Alric, Dalindra's character, tyrant antipaladin.
Ice Queen-Within Temptation- And this is the song for Elise Zadaria, a Winter Witch who was supposed to betray the PCs but Alric managed to seduce her into his dream of making a «better world» and now they are planning on conquering an empire and create a dinasty.
Planet Hell- Nightwish- And this is the song for their «perfect world».
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I know (and love) many of them!
And I can tell a lot about your character just because of the choice of songs for her!
It's been years, but I'm still proud of the Campaign Journal I wrote for that campaign, here on the boards, 'To Slay the Immortal' :)
Link. Now. ;-D
I'm satisfied on how my S&S journal is going too. And hoping to write RoW that I've played recently but it was the best thing I've ever played (thanks to a wonderful GM).
*Hugs Dalindra which is not in this thread so he's unaware of being hugged xD*
Link. Now. ;-D
I'm satisfied on how my S&S journal is going too. And hoping to write RoW that I've played recently but it was the best thing I've ever played (thanks to a wonderful GM).
*Hugs Dalindra which is not in this thread so he's unaware of being hugged xD*
If I don't, will you make me walk the plank? ;)
With a bottle of rum and a yo-ho-ho!
I don't know, that might be fun, I've never done that before! *laughs*
Check your inbox, I PMed you to keep this thread fromb being derailed more.
Why? Embrace the derailment!
Oh, OK, I'll use my powers for good, only in alignment conflict and falling paladins threads, where any derailment is a good thing.
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AM NOT "AM BARBARIAN," BUT AM DIFFERENT BARBARIAN, AND AM KNOW BARBARIAN "NAH-SHUN-UHL AHN-THUM". AM NOT SING THOUGH, AM DUMP "KAH-RIZ-MUH" AND NO AM HAVE RANKS IN PERFORM SKILL.
SO AM MAKE BARBARIAN COUSIN "SKALD" SING, OR BARBARIAN AM SMASH.
AM MAKE "DIHS-KLAY-MURR" FOR BARBARIAN SONG, AS AM NOT "UH-PROH-PREE-IT" FOR MINORS.
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Why? Embrace the derailment!
Oh, OK, I'll use my powers for good, only in alignment conflict and falling paladins threads, where any derailment is a good thing.
If you get the caster-martial disparity threads too, I'd be grateful.
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I'll do. I'm on a conspiration to make all the threads on the forum be about food.
Don't Stop Me Now is a song that really defines this character, a mage from the Cult of Ecstasy from Mage: the Ascension. She's a rebellious runaway from the Technocracy with an addiction to adrenaline.
And Only Everything from After Forever is my choice for another Ecstatic mage. I find it kinda appropriate for an archmage of Time sphere.
I'm always posting from a phone T.T
I GMed a story where the elven attendants to a banquet became gradually more and more hungry until they turned into ravenous cannibals. There were people playing background music, so I picked songs for each stage of the banquet, getting darker and more violent. This was my selection (to be played in order):
Old Age of Wonders- Rhapsody of Fire.
Attendance- After Forever.
Ravenous- Arch Enemy.
I remember there was a fourth song in the middle but I cannot remember which it was. Playing these songs at the session set the right mood.
Or maybe something inspired from Jim Sterling, son!
Linkified too!
Added links because I felt like doing it ;-D
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Melody Blake, a Euthanatos (who was a sort of kung fu nurse- a five foot-nothing pretty lady in really unsexy surgical scrubs dropping friggin' werewolves with atemi strikes and then deciding whether they live or die via a coin toss because MAGE IS AN AWESOME GAME) I ran during a pretty kickin' Mage Chronicle: The Dragonfly by Clutch.
"Could've been a swan on a glassy lake.
Could've been a gull in a clipper's wake.
Could've been a ladybug on a windchime,
but she was born a dragonfly."
Jack Bluehorse- A Pawnee Dreamspeaker ex-Marine who did terrible, terrible things with the Spirit, Mind, and Correspondence Spheres after some Technocracy operatives tried to lock him up in an asylum: Master of Light by Monster Magnet
Mac Case, A Homid Bone Gnawer Ahroun who focused his efforts on acting locally and actually trying to save some humans along with the planet: Harder Than You Think by Public Enemy
Charlie Steinbrunner, My Ratkin arms dealer in a multi-shifter Werewolf: The Apocalypse game: Hell in a Handbasket by Voltaire.
"Dave," a Call of Cthulhu character who was out of his friggin' mind from day one, and who laughed off Deep Ones and Mi-Go as only a veteran of the Harlem Hellfighters could do: Stagger Lee, ideally the Mississippi John Hurt version.
Solomon Locke, the world-weary pistol-friendly drifter I've used in various games from friggin' RIFTS (waaaaaay back when) to Fallout to Pathfinder to Star Wars, and who will almost certainly turn up in some form in Starfinder: Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones
Goes-Far, my first-ever Bloodrager, a Shoanti Half-Elf who was convinced his magical powers came from his ancestors, and who therefore prayed more than some clerics I've run, but whose prayers were... well. Listen. Space Lord by Monster Magnet
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Added links because I felt like doing it ;-DOr maybe something inspired from Jim Sterling, son!
Linkified too!
You don't know my life!
Thanks :P
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Oh yeah, this is a natural go-to for... well, lots of characters within a given trope-band.
EDIT: And this traditional tune is one I often use for subdued but capable martial types.
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I can't tell you the number of times my wife has walked on me listening to this NSFW little ditty, rolled her eyes, muttered "GM prep day," and walked out.
Hasta que el cuerpo aguante- Mägo de Oz.
This is the anthemn of my Werewolf the Apocalypse pack. They were all rock musicians who followed the Totem of the Muses.
It's in Spanish but I found one with subtitlea in English. A lot more songs from this band were taken to be the music our characters played.