Battle of the Bards
A D&D Adventure Inspired by KPop Demon Hunters
This adventure is inspired by KPop Demon Hunters. If you haven’t seen my video on using cartoons for inspiration, it’s below along with a video by Ginny Di’s video on how to rip off KPop Demon Hunter for villains.
Adventure Hook: It's The Battle of the Bards
The annual Bardicpalloza – Battle of the Bards is the most anticipated cultural event in the the seven realms. Minstrels and bards from across the kingdoms gather in the city of Aurelion, the home to the Oslanann College of the Bard, to dazzle the masses with song, dance, and magical artistry. The highlight of this year’s festival is a performance by Starlight Harmony—a trio of luminous, near-legendary bards whose songs are said to heal broken hearts, banish curses, and strengthen the magical wards protecting the world.
The Setting: Bardicpalloza
Twice a year, Oslanann hosts the epic Bardicpalloza where bards from around the world are invited to perform and compete to see who is the best bard/band. This five day festival is open to the public and always draws thousands of revelers. Many an epic tale has been told about Bardicpalloza, and a few of them are even true.
This year, the attendance has surged to almost ten times its normal size due to the anouncement of a performance by Starlight Harmony.
Important Locations
Venue: City of Aurelion, Oslanann College of the Bard
- The Oslanann Grand Amphitheater: A Roman colosseum style performance arena. “Back stage” is actually underground.
Get tot know the Roman Colosseum
Important NPCs
- Allies: Starlight Harmony, the beloved bardic trio (NPCs who can serve as allies, patrons, or even backup in a climactic duet).
Villains: Lolth’s Boys, a spider-themed Drow troupe whose music is powered by shadow-magic and enchanted instruments.
Arriving at the Event
This adventure can be run as a one-shot, a quick encounter or as part of a larger campaign where The Lolth’s Boys are just one more set of minions doing the bidding of the BBEG.
Depending on your party makeup, the adventurers arrive as spectators, hired guards, stagehands, curious travelers, or even aspiring performers.
If you are looking for a longer session game, have the characters arrive on day one of the event. You may even want to start this off as a “shopping session.”
Arriving early provides the players with time to explore the event, college and the city. Aurelion is a large culturally diverse city with a large performing arts community. There are many shops, markets, theaters, museums, outdoor performance areas and all the normal “big-city” amenities… as well as tourist traps, scammers, pick-pockets and organize rings of thieves. If you need real-world inspiration, think of Orlando, New Orleans, Nashville or New York.
The biggest performers and the musical battle between Starlight Harmony and The Lolth’s Boys happens as the finally of the event. In the days leading up to the finally, there are four main stage areas, and a dozen more smaller stages at the event. There is literally no way for anyone to see all the performers competing in the first three days. As contestants are eliminated, the performances consolidate to the main four stages on the last two days. The final head-to-head battle takes place on main stage in the Oslanann’s amphitheater.
If you are looking for a quick, one-shot...
Your party arrives as spectators, hired guards, stagehands, curious travelers, or aspiring performers, depending on the party makeup.
It’s the final day of the event and the main event will begin soon. All the normal backstage drama and last minute flurry of preparations are in progress. Throngs of hopeful event attendees have surrounded the amphitheater in hopes of drawing a free ticket.
The Final Event
As Starlight Harmony takes the stage torches flicker, shadows stretch, and their rival troupe emerges from a curtain of black silk: The Lolth’s Boys, a band of sinister dark elves clad in spiderweb motifs, their instruments strung with glistening strands of phase-spider silk. They begin to play and their performance weaves a deadly enchantment that ensnares the minds of the audience; fans sway with vacant eyes as their souls begin to drift toward an obsidian idol of Lolth hidden backstage.
If The Lolth’s Boys song reaches its climax, the audience will be charmed and the protective wards of Aurelion will fail, opening a portal for Lolth’s minions to spill forth from the Underdark. Driders and Drow warriors will herd the charmed crowd into the Under Dark, where they will be sold in the slave market.
Can the adventurers can disrupt the performance, provide inspiration to Starlight Harmony, and save the crowd before the final note is struck?
If Starlight Harmony wins, The Lolth’s Boys are forced off stage and they use misty step to retreat back stage where they collect their artifact and teleport back to the underdark to face their master.
Running a Music Battle
Every round, the competing performers rolls a Performance Check and the winner of the round is the performer with the highest combined performance check.
The contest is best 5 out or 9.
PC’s Role in the Musical Duels: The PCs can assist or interfere with either band using Performance, Persuasion, or Intimidation to spend their action contesting the band’s magical song. They could also provide helping actions, bardic inspiration and any other action to either help or hinder one of the bands performances. Encourage them to be creative .
Counter-Magic: Arcana/Religion checks can disrupt magical chords, suppressing a band member’s effect for a round.
Environmental Play: Encourage PCs to throw food, grab enchanted instruments, swing from rigging, or use stage fire/pyrotechnics to turn the tide. It’s not a concert, it’s a BATTLE OF THE BANDS!
Optional: Singalong
Want to add some extra fun? Have the party perform a singalong with songs from the KPop Demon Hunters movie! Anyone that does, gets inspiration on their performance role.
Final Battle: The Lolth's Boys
As the bands battle, they take turns performing. The Lolth’s Boys have advantage and go first.
Lolth’s Boys use music as magic and magic as a weapon. Each one plays an enchanted instrument (spider-dulcimer, venom-drum, shadow-flute). Their attacks are waves of psychic thunder, poison mist, or waves of spider filled shadows.
Lolth’s Boy’s Lair (Stage) Actions:
The stage is alive: illusions of spiders, purple worms and other Underdark monsters crawl over stage, striking at the opposing band and anyone on stage.
Mass Charm Person (3.5) – The band is using their song to cast a mass charm spell. Every round their charm affects more of the crowd. Creatures affected by Mass Charm perceive The Lolth’s Boys as their allies as trusted friends and will act favorably towards them and follow their reasonable commands.
Syphon – (homebrew spell) A spell exclusive to Elf Wizards & Drow Bards. The spell allows the caster to syphon the energy of a large group of people and channel it into a spell or artifact. Individuals in a 100 foot cube can be affected and save as a single group against the caster’s spell save DC. The crowd gets a +1 on their save for every 10 people over 50 in the affected area. For reference, standing room only is 166 people per 1000 sqft. Charmed targets automatically fail their spell save. The Lolth’s Boys are using the energy of the crowd to power an artifact they have hidden back stage. 5 performance checks will fully charge the artifact.
Dispel Magic – The Lolth’s Boys will cast dispel magic to sabotage Starlight Harmony’s performance. Magical instruments/items are entitled to a magic saving throw against the caster’s spell save DC.
Silence – Once per round, a member of The Lolth’s Boys will cast Slience in the area of the stage where Starlight Harmony is performing. Any member of the band in the silenced area during their turn does not contribute their performance roll to the group’s total Performance Check.
Final Battle: Starlight Harmony
As the bands clash in magical performance, Starlight Harmony rallies the crowd with dazzling harmony and radiant stage presence. Their powers come from song, light, and divine blessing. They perform second each round, giving the adventurers a chance to support or amplify their efforts.
Band Composition & Magic Flavor
Lead Singer: Pure bard, focuses on Inspiration & counter-performance.
Instrumentalist: Bard with illusion magic — creates dazzling visuals, aurora lights, and dancing illusions.
Priest-Bard: Dual-class bard/cleric who weaves divine hymns into the music, healing allies and breaking Lolth’s curse.
Abilities & Strategy
1. Anthem of Courage (Inspiration Aura)
Each round, Starlight Harmony makes a Group Performance Check. If successful, all allies (including PCs) gain advantage on saving throws against charm and fear until the next round. The crowd sways in their favor, giving them a +1 bonus on subsequent checks to resist The Lolth’s Boys’ charm.
2. Hymn of Restoration (Cleric-Bard)
Every other round, the cleric-bard casts Mass Healing Word or Mass Cure Wounds to mend audience members, band members or PCs and inspire the crowd. Whenever the crowd witnesses miraculous healing, they roar with approval granting temporary hit points equal to the caster’s Charisma modifier (+3) to all allies within 30 feet.
3. Break the Spell (Counter-curse)
During the final round, the cleric-bard uses Remove Curse woven into a climactic verse, targeting the obsidian idol fueling Lolth’s Boys. This dramatically weakens the artifact and cancels one “Syphon” charge if the Lolth’s Boys have accumulated 4 points; forcing the battle into a tie-breaker round, winner take all.
4. Counter-Performance (Musical Duel)
When the Lolth’s Boys cast Mass Charm Person, Starlight Harmony immediately counters with a radiant chord. Treat this as a contested Performance check; if Harmony wins, the effect on the crowd is halved (rounded down). If they win by 5 or more, that portion of the crowd is no longer charmed and is immune to future charm for 24 hours.
5. Divine Stage Presence
Once per battle, the band can unleash a Radiant Performance: beams of golden light, fireworks of holy energy, and a swelling chorus that grants:
Advantage on the next attack/check/Performance roll for all allies.
Forces Lolth’s Boys to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 15–17) or be blinded until their next turn.
6. “Sing It” – Silence Breaker
If hit with Silence, a member of the band can channel their magic through the crowd itself: stomping, clapping, and pointing to the crowd for them to sing the verse, allowing their contribution to still count. The performance check for this will not receive any of the characters bonuses.
Starlight Harmony Role in the Encounter
They heal, inspire, and protect the PCs.
They contest the villains musically to keep the crowd from being drained.
They deliver the final cleansing blow by disrupting the artifact with Remove Curse.
Design Balance Note:
The Lolth’s Boys escalate tension by draining and charming; Starlight Harmony offsets it by inspiring, healing, and restoring. Together, the PCs are the deciding factor — without them, Starlight Harmony alone cannot outpace the drow’s artifact-charging ritual.
Stage Hazards
At the DM’s discretion, trigger these environmental stage (lair) hazards:
Falling Rigging: Stage ropes snap, weighted beams crash down (Dex save or take damage).
Wild Magic Surge: The competing magical energies cause people on stage or close by to roll on the Wild Magic table.
Crowd Surge: Enchanted fans are crushing the stadium seating all around the stage, creating a living obstacle. PCs must shove, charm, or protect them while fighting or navigating through the crowds in the stadium and back stage.
Spider Swarms: At round 3+, shadowy spiders spill from the idol backstage, harassing PCs with poison bites. Those failing their saving throw are poisoned (a debilitating status effect that imposes disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks).
Wild Magic Table: Theater & Music Edition
| d20 | Surge Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Applause Echo – Phantom applause and cheers echo around you for 1 minute, granting +2 on all Performance checks. |
| 2 | Spotlight Glow – You glow in a soft stage light for 1 minute, shedding bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for another 10 feet. |
| 3 | Curtain Call – A red theatrical curtain briefly appears, obscuring you; you gain full cover until your next turn. |
| 4 | Dramatic Flourish – You perform an involuntary, perfectly executed bow or curtsy, gaining one extra Reaction this round. |
| 5 | Echoing Voice – Your next spoken or sung phrase repeats three times, each echo delayed slightly. The echoes carry 30 feet and may distract nearby creatures. If the phrase is the verbal component of a spell, you receive advantage on your spell attack roll or +3 on the effect of the spell (i.e. +3 damage or +30 feet of range). |
| 6 | Costume Change – You and your worn clothing instantly swap styles (e.g., fine robes ↔ tattered minstrel outfit). You remain yourself. |
| 7 | Dancing Feet – You start an animated routine, moving 30 feet in a random direction unless you succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) save. |
| 8 | Stage Lip-Sync – Your voice mimes the next spoken or sung words; you can’t vocalize yourself, but your performance still registers. Lasts 1 round. |
| 9 | Masked Persona – A theatrical mask (comedy, tragedy, animal) appears on your face. Until removed, you have advantage on performance-related social checks. |
| 10 | Gender Flip – You temporarily shift gender presentation (appearance, clothing and voice) until the end of your next turn. This is strictly superficial. All AC and other stats remain the same. |
| 11 | Puppet Strings – Marionette strings descend; your movements become exaggerated for 1 round, you have disadvantage on all physical performance rolls and your speed is halved. |
| 12 | Stage Whisperer – A disembodied “stage manager” narrates your actions until the end of combat. The player must narrate their actions as part of their turn. No mechanical impact, just flair. |
| 13 | Choir of… You – 1d4 illusory copies of you appear, singing/acting in sync. They mimic your movements and fade after 1 minute. Treat this as the Illusory Double spell with up to 4 duplicates. |
| 14 | Impromptu Applause – An invisible audience erupts; everyone within 30 feet gains a +1 bonus to their next attack or skill check. |
| 15 | Colorful Confetti – Confetti rains on a 10-foot radius for the next 1 hour. Creatures making Charisma (Performance) checks in the area have advantage (joyous vibes only!). |
| 16 | Silly Props – A bouquet of roses or comedic prop (rubber chicken, oversized feather fan, etc.) appears in your hands. |
| 17 | Echoing Stage Directions – Phantom directions (“Pause here,” “Look surprised!”) guide you for your next 3 turns. If you follow them, gain advantage on your next Performance or roleplay-driven check. |
| 18 | Mimic Stage Pose – You strike a dramatic pose. While posing, you gain +2 on any social check tied to your posturing. |
| 19 | Song of Mirth – You burst into song. Choose one creature within 30 feet: it must succeed on a DC 12 (plus your performance bonus) Wisdom save or refrain from hostile actions until the player stops singing. The player must continue singing to maintain this affect. |
| 20 | Encore Invitation – The magic calls for an encore. You immediately take one free action (a brief Performance, minor spell, or gesture) as if answering the crowd. |
