Bardic Tools Update - January 2026
Hello, and happy trip around the Sun!
I wasn't sure I was going to have time to write this update, but I woke up really early today, so here we are!
I'm happy to say that, while I haven't been able to do much to improve Bardic Tools, we have been far from idle.
Nayla, (my partner, whom you might recognize from the Discord), spent much of her winter break hard at work, sourcing amazing music and creating beautiful scenes.
In fact, The Library has grown more in January than in any other month since we started!
Here are some quick stats:
- Nayla has made 5 new scenes. Five!
- We have added 80 new songs, effects and ambiences.
- That brings us to over 500 hand-picked (or hand-crafted) sounds in The Library!
Too much stuff to explore at once? Yeah, for me as well. Here's a run-down of my favourite additions, in no particular order:
New Scenes & The Starter Kit
Let's start with the big chonkers: Nayla has made 5 new scenes for Bardic Tools. That's 5 whole-ass scenes with all the latest bells and whistles for immersive ambiances, most of them with new music!
Check them out:
Thanks to her effort, Bardic Tools has now what I'd consider a "Starter Kit" for most D&D-flavoured Fantasy TTRPG adventures, where no matter which adventure you're running, you're likely to find some scene that suits you and that you can use as a starting off point.
Enjoy!
(PS: There is one more scene in the works and almost finished, but we're waiting until the scene presets are available because it would be awesome with them)
Pew Pew! Whoosh! Boom! (those are Sci-Fi gun sounds by the way)
Yep, that's right. We finally have Sci-Fi sounds in The Library.
It has been one of the most requested features and, frankly, I'm ashamed that it took me this long.
In my defense, I just didn't know where to start. Sci-Fi can be so many things, and I don't personally run it, so I had no idea what sounds were really useful, and which ones were nice-to-haves that would be relegated to a forgotten slot in the Effects bar. Thankfully, a couple of very nice users gave me great suggestions of specific Sci-Fi sounds they wanted, so we got to work!
Turns out the great Mark S. from Lineout Studios (you may have enjoyed his work in the latest screeching monster sounds) has extensive experience creating sound effects for Sci-Fi videogames! So I sent him the initial list of 10 or so sounds that you fine folks had requested. And we got chatting. And we got excited. And one thing led to another, and... well...
The Sci-Fi tag now holds 29 new sounds, including 4 ambience loops.
Wanna be exploring a derelict space hulk? Sure:
Wanna be warping across the galaxy in your Firefly-class cargo ship? Check:
(Yes I'm perfectly aware that ships don't warp in Firefly. It's homebrewed.)
Wanna be shot in the face by a robot?
...
Really? Okay, suit yourself:
But where is the Sci-Fi scene? Well, community user @Unknwown has been great enough to assemble a really cool spaceship scene for us to use... But that gave me a couple of ideas for cool music, and so I want to find that music before I publish the scene. Nevertheless, thank you so much @Unknown for building the scene! I hope it'll be up soon.
Of course, this is only the tip of the Sci-Fi iceberg. I'm sure there are many, many sounds missing. For that, I need your help!
As you try to run your games, if you are missing a particular sound, let me know. I'd love to add exactly the sounds you need :)
Ahoow! (that's a Wilhelm scream)
Yes, that's right!
As GMs, we love a good, cinematic fight. We all want to feel like we're defending Helm's Deep against a rampaging horde of charging Uruks.
Or that we're desperately running away from a fallen Osgiliath, as we try to dodge the Nazgul picking at us from their dark beasts...
Yep. They used it. Now, thanks to Nayla, you can too!
Make your fights 100% more cinematic with a Wilhelm scream today. Now with 3 different flavours to spice up your games.
There's even a tag in The Library!
The Full List
I think "80 sounds" is too easy to read. I think it doesn't capture just how many sounds that is.
Plus, there are plenty of one-off sounds that can't go in their own sections, but they deserve to be mentioned.
So, here's the full list of recently added sounds, for your reading pleasure:
Oppressive Gloom
Crusade
Chee Zee Jungle
Desert City
Goblin Tinker Soldier Spy
Lord of the Land
Parisian
Rite of Passage
Lute Player
Mystery Bazaar
Miris Magic Dance
Tabuk
Still Pickin
Hidden Wonders
Fiddles McGinty
Duet Mussette
Hillbilly Swing
Angevin
Adventure
Tiki Bar
Tranquility Base
Unsafe Roads
Temple of Manes
Midnight Tale
Big Mojo
Tiny Bell
Goat
Busy Market Crowd
Church Bell
Constance
Morning
Evening
Torches Blazing
Torch Swinging
Rats Squeaking Ambience
Rats Squeaking (3)
Rats Squeaking (2)
Rats Squeaking (1)
Rats Rustling Around (2)
Rats Rustling Around (1)
Chains Rattling
Chains Rattling (Light)
Chains Rattling (Heavy)
Chains In A Dungeon
Heavy Metallic Door Closing
Wilhelm Scream Original
Wilhelm Scream Ouch
Wilhelm Screams Shorter
Wilhelm Screams Ow
Man Screaming No
Man Screaming Death Rattle
Black Vortex
Radiant Spell
Stealing A Soul
Minstrel Guild
Wedding March
Consort For Brass
Woman Scream
Spaceship Interior Ambience
Spaceship Door Open 1 (Short)
Spaceship Door Open 2 (Short)
Spaceship Door Open 3 (Long)
Deep Space Loop
Hologram Activate
Hologram Deactivate
Explosion 1
Explosion 2
Explosion 3
Power Down Spaceship Engine
Power Up Spaceship Engine
Portal Closing
Portal Opening
Laser Shot (Big)
Laser Shot (Semi-Automatic)
Laser Shot (Small)
Plasma Cannon Recharge
Plasma Cannon Shot (Miss)
Plasma Cannon Shot (Wall Hit)
Power Up Weapon
Power Down Weapon
Engine Humming Loop
Energy Force Field Loop
Warp Jump
Radar Beeping Loop
Alarm Loop
Robot Punch
Robot Stomping
That's It!
So, yeah! Lots of new stuff has come to The Library, mostly thanks to Nayla's tireless efforts.
On my end, I'm elbow-deep into my current project, working as hard as I can to make the plan come true.
I'm exhausted, but it seems to be working!
I can't wait until I can be fully on Bardic Tools again. Until then, thank you so much for your support and encouragement.
Stay awesome,
Borja