Afternoon Maps

Happy New Year Adventurers! Whatever time zone you are in, I hope you’re having a great New Year. I wanted to get The Hacienda map out before the end of the decade (that sounds weird) and I just managed it! Huzzah! I hope you like it.

I went with a somewhat tropical version of a Hacienda because I rather liked the vibe it gave off. I imagine this could work for a villa along a coast, a pirate hideout or a compound of some crime boss up in the mountains. Or simply a place your party comes across that can be used as a small settlement to protect or invade. I think I’ll make a desert version of this as well over the next few days, as I do remember I few of you were asking for alternative maps with that biome.

The next map on the list is The Man of War – Giant Galleon. I’m not 100% sure when that will drop, I’ll put out an update later this week with timescales and a new list of maps for January.

Have a wonderful New Year and now onto the map notes!

Introduction

The compound looks dark from the outside, but it is certainly not deserted. The gate towers loom above you, silhouettes of guards pace along the walls and stand idly in each tower. You see a new silhouette appear behind a guard, with a swift motion they are taken down, you hold your breath, waiting for an alarm to be sounded, but you hear nothing. One by one the guards are dispatched, your friend is very good at his job.

Finally you hear a faint sound, wood grating against wood and then slowly the gates crack open. You move forward beckoning the rest of your party to follow. You enter the compound, watchful for any guards your friend missed. The interior is open, covered with cobbles and terracotta tiles. All is quiet except for a fountain burbling at the centre of the courtyard. Towards the back of the compound is a large building, the targets residence according to your informants.

As you move across the courtyard a flame flickers into life within the dark archway ahead. You watch in horror as a torch is thrown towards you, illuminating your group in a pool of orange light. You look up as silhouettes appear along the roofs that surround the courtyard. In the dark archway you hear a chuckle. “Is this all they can afford to send against me? Pitiful! Guards! Dispatch our guests!”. You hear bow strings being drawn back as you dive for what little cover you can find.

Notes and Tips 

• 30×45 grid map
• There is an entrance to the main house from the roof garden.
• The flat roofs have small walls around them which can be used as half cover.
• Place enemies on the roofs to create threats which are difficult to reach.
• The red roof tiles can come loose if walked on, have your players make Dex checks.
• This could be used as a defensible location to fight off bandits.
• You could attempt to assassinate a crime boss which lives in this compound.
• I think flying creatures would work well here, the roofs can work well as perches for flying monsters such as harpies, wyverns or maybe some kind of giant insect.
• Talking of insects, how about a giant ant invasion? I love the idea of fighting off giant ants as they swarm over the walls like a scene from StarShip Troopers.

Variants

Day Outside – A roof version!

Nighttime lit and unlit versions

Hello Adventurers, happy holidays! I hope you are having a great time. Over the last couple of months many of the best creatives in this community have been working on something special as a thank you to the wonderful people that support us. I’m super excited to finally show it off to you all. Its completely free, I really hope you enjoy it, I had a blast working on my part. And yes, I chose to draw the Tarrasque Rectum map, I have no regrets! Other than maybe the google searches for reference material.

This post contains a full adventure with maps, music and minis all set inside a Tarrasque. This collaboration has been in the works for quite some time now, there are a bunch of map makers involved, including Cze who organised it, along with some other talented creators from the P&P gaming community. It was wonderful to be part of this and I’m hoping to work with many of these lovely people in the future. You can see a full list of creators in the Adventure PDF!

What you get in the files:

A full length dungeon adventure – written by the amazing DMDave.

Music and sound – created by the wonderful MusicD20 and TabletopAudio.

Miniatures – by the talented PaperForge and PaperMage.

Monsters – by the twisted mind of ItsADnDMonsterNow.

Items – by the creative TheGriffon’sSaddlebag.

Full interior map collection – You get a full set of maps for the interior of the Tarrasque with contributions from a ‘truck load’ of talented artists. Full list in the Adventure PDF and in the credits at the bottom of this post.

Butt map – The best rendition of a Tarrasque butt hole you’ll ever see.

Find all the files and a full credits list on my Patron here >

Its December and whether its hot or cold where you live, I decided for our first map of the month to create a winter map for a bit of a snowy festive theme. Hopefully this one will be useful for you all at some point, it should work well for general winter wilderness encounters and even locations in higher elevations.

Thank you all so much for your continued support, have a wonderful weekend, and as always happy adventuring! Now onto the map notes.

Introduction

The weather has turned deadly, what was a brisk sunny winter’s morning has transformed into a blizzard of monstrous proportions. The wind races across the landscape whipping up clouds of snow and draining whatever heat your bodies still maintain. It has been snowing for hours, dropped from thick grey clouds that blanket the sky. Once the sun sets, the temperature already freezing, will drop even further, to levels you know will be your deaths. You must find shelter soon or succumb to the storm.

And then you see it, a dark entrance, a cave opening against the cold stone of a cliff face. You stumble forward eyes blinded by snow glare and the relentless frigid winds. One by one you step into the mouth of the cave. The roar of the wind is cut instantly to a low rumble, darkness replaces the white of the blizzard outside. Your eyes, so used to the snowy whiteness take time to adjust. Behind you someone strikes flint to steel, lighting a torch. The flame flickers, guttering in the wind, they hold the torch aloft illuminating a circle of cave around you. Beyond the light’s reach is blackness, and something else, eyes reflecting the flame like red jewels in the night. You notice a strong musk in the air, a scent of animal and with that comes a noise, a low rumble that mirrors the wind outside. A growl of warning and menace. It seems whatever lives here is not happy to have guests.

Notes and Tips

• 30×30 grid map
• Winter themed maps don’t need to be used solely in winter settings, this could be a mountain pass or be some kind of magical weather.
• The pools and river can be flowing or be frozen depending on what you want to do with them.
• Frozen environments can have many environmental hazards, temperature, ice, deep snow and avalanches. Not to mention snow can reduce view distance and even blind a character.
• Winter animals can be driven to attack the party out of starvation. Describe their emaciated, skeletal appearance.
• Yetis, Owlbears and any number of forest or other wilderness beasts could inhabit the cave. Or some other travellers could be using it for shelter, they don’t have to be human, I imagine a hunting party of humanoid monster (goblins, bugbears) would make for a fun encounter here.
• Larger humanoid beasts could throw boulders at the party as they move along the trail, trying to prevent them from finding their cave.

Variants

Day/Night standard

Winter Crystal – Day/Night
I imagine this could be used for some kind of magical encounter where the weather has some magical origin.

Firelight – Day/Night
For those awkward encounter with someone or something you just don’t want to be encountering in a lonely cave in the wilderness.

Hello Adventurers! It’s the end of November and with Black Friday and Cyber Monday upon us it’s fitting that the last map of the month is a bank vault. I like the idea of setting an encounter in a Bank, running a bank heist with your players or foiling one sounds like a whole bunch of fun!

I went with a Victorian style layout with brass bars and cages all over the place for the cashiers and workers. The hall is open enough to have a standoff with some robbers, and I’ve made sure to keep the two level vault spacious enough for a range of encounters.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend and as always happy adventuring! Now let’s get onto the map notes.

Introduction

The Bank is full, the queue for deposits is long. You get in line and glare at people ahead of you holding long complicated looking forms, an old woman directly in front of you is carrying a bucket of copper coins. You swear under your breath.

The Cashiers sit behind their counters in brass barred cubicles, behind them notaries and clerks work at long desks counting money and tallying up figures. The huge metal vault door glints at the back of the hall, locked tight by intricate gnomish engineering and secured by magic.

With a sudden shout a scruffy looking man throws back his robes to reveal a silver rod in each hand. “Nobody move this is a robbery!” he shouts. Two hulking half orcs step in front of the doors, preventing anyone from leaving. A guard jumps to his feet, in an instant the robber points a rod his way and a flash of light erupts from its end. The guard drops to his knees and falls face first to the ground, his body smoking slightly.

“You heard me! I said nobody move!… Now everyone on the floor!”. The crowd of frightened bank customers collectively hesitate, unsure if they should move or not. “Floor! Now!” The robber screams, pointing his wands at random people. The crowd drops, leaving you and your companions standing amongst a sea of cowering civilians. A bucket of copper coins spills across the tiled floor, you sigh and draw your weapons.

Notes and tips

• 30×30 grid map
• When your players next need to deposit coin have them role-play the encounter and drop a few bank robbers into the crowd to mix it up a little.
• Banks need security, especially if they are temporarily protecting something unique. Have your party camp inside the vault to protect said item. Obviously someone will break in and find the party there.
• The party could try to perform a bank heist themselves. This will need much planning and some high explosives, or some explody magic!
• The Bank could be a cover for some kind of organised crime. Everyone working there turns out to be cutthroats and ninjas in disguise!
• You know bank managers are almost always evil, it’s a universal constant. They could be a devil and be trying to buy souls for money loans.

Variants

We have a day/night version of the Bank vault.

We also have a strange ‘cult’ variant with secret meeting hall under the public vault. This also comes in day/night variants.

Hello Adventurers! The Lumber Mill battle map is here! It’s a big one at 30×45 as I wanted to fit in a proper Mill pond as well as a full length building and lumber yard. I like the idea of fighting on the floating logs, or using the log and lumber piles for cover or elevation.

As with many of my maps I did some research into Lumber Mills to get a reasonably realistic layout and as always learnt a lot about the subject. So although the map may not be 100% practical it at least has all the elements you’d need to cut that lumber!

As always thank you so much for your support, none of these maps would be created without your help! Have a wonderful week and happy adventuring!

Introduction

The Lumber Mill is silent, abandoned for at least a week now. The open sides of the building offer a panoramic view of the surrounding trees. Sawdust covers the floor helping to dampen your footfalls as you pace back and forth, weapon in hand. The smell of resin and freshly cut wood lingers in the air, mingling with the damp, natural scents of the dense forest that looms at the edge of the camp. 

Something lurks within these trees, something dangerous. The Lumberjacks working here will not return until the creature is dispatched, not willing to lose anymore of their number. They tell stories of it prowling the borders of the camp at night, picking off anyone foolish enough to enter the forest alone, or even in small groups. You assume it’s some rogue bear, or big cat, maybe even a rabid Owlbear, although you haven’t seen one in these parts for years. Whatever it turns out to be you’re sure you can handle it, after all this land is far from the wilderness it used to be, civilisation has tamed its savage nature.

A noise catches your attention, a rustle of leaves and then a loud crack of a branch. You freeze, listening intently hearing more noise, this time from a slightly different direction. The sounds continue for a few minutes, slowly circling the camp. This creature doesn’t seem to care if you know its there, you get the impression it wants you to investigate, to step into the tree line. And for some reason you know, deep down, that would be a terrible choice. You stand stock still listening intently, focusing your senses on the circling creature. Then you hear it, a soft pad, a scuff of sawdust on wood, close and directly behind you. Your blood runs cold as once again a loud crack of wood can be heard off within the forest. ‘Clever’ you think to yourself as animal musk invades your nostrils and rotten breath warms the back of your neck.

Notes and Tips

• 30×45 Grid
• The log and lumber piles can be used for cover and elevation.
• The mill pond is a great place to have a fight, horrible for your players, really fun for you!
• Fire is bad here! Sawdust catches fire easily.
• The interior of the building is open on all sides, making for a poorly defensible location.
• Ents or other plant based creatures don’t take kindly to Lumberjacks cutting down their friends!
• The Mill could be illegally cutting down some kind of magical trees which incurs the wrath of scary forest spirits.
• Have the party come across this place already abandoned, whatever has driven the loggers away finds the party at rest and isn’t happy.

Variants

We have a night time version as well as a night time lit version.

I’ve also created a Feywilds variant which could also be used as a more exotic woodland location, say elvish or magical forest.

Hello Adventurers! I’ve been busy this week getting the Jungle Wilderness Pack ready to launch. This one is completely free to patrons as a major thank you for supporting me on my map making journey. I couldn’t do this without you all, thanks from the bottom of my DnD loving nerdy heart!

I’ve put together three maps in this Pack, a simple Jungle Path, a River Crossing and an ancient Ziggurat/Alter/Shrine. Hopefully they will help with the more tropical locations you travel to in your adventures.

Thanks again for your support, have a wonderful weekend and as always happy adventuring!

All maps come in day/night variants. The  Ziggurat also has a touch lit version.

A quick tip for the Ziggurat. The top of the stairs could be an entrance to the inside, or simply the way to the top platform, DMs choice.

Here is the final map for October, it nearly killed me getting it done over the last few days but it’s here now and I think it’s turned out great! I went with a haunted house theme and created a manor house that could be used for a ghost/haunting encounter.

I love researching old house designs and architectural maps, there are some amazing blueprints around the internet. I got the idea to have an arboretum from one of those old designs as well as getting a good idea of what types of rooms are normally present in these manor houses.

Thank you all for your support and kind words. Have an amazing weekend (and Halloween if it’s not already over) and as always happy adventuring!

Introduction

The local children had been taunting you from the moment you entered town. Walking beside you making snide comments about the quality of your adventuring gear, your lack of magical items and general shabby appearance. It wouldn’t bother you so much if it wasn’t partially true. Maybe you shouldn’t have risen to the jibes, maybe you should have been the bigger person, the adult in the room.

Now here you are, breaking and entering, after being dared to spend a night in the local ‘haunted house’. The kids stand by the fence, as you glance back one of them sticks her tongue out at you, you hold back the urge to do the same back. The house is old, dusty and seems to have been abandoned for years. Some of the windows are broken, others are boarded up, the wood has taken on a silvery grey hue from age and mold. Most of the furniture remains, covered in dust sheets, waiting for their owner to return. As you enter the entrance hall the sun, already low in the sky, shines through the doorway illuminating the interior in a warm crimson light, before draining away as the sun sets behind the trees outside.

The interior is dark, the smell of mildew and rotten wood fills your nose. You decide to head upstairs, planning to wave at the brats from an upstairs window, when you hear a creak from somewhere deeper in the house. As you reach the top landing you could swear you hear a low chuckle, maybe an exhaled breath. The noises appear to be coming from a room at the end of a long dark corridor. It seems that you are not alone in the house, those nasty little goblins must be trying to unnerve you. As you move forward you begin to hear low mumbling and sobbing, if you didn’t know it was a bunch of snot nosed children it would be really unsettling. You reach the doorway to the room and with a triumphant ‘ah ha!’ you push the door open to reveal your pint sized tormentors, except it isn’t children you see standing (floating) before you, its something very much worse and before you can react it rushes towards you with a wail that you find yourself echoing as you scream in terror.

Notes and tips

• 30×30 Grid map (Each floor)
• I’ve left the outside of the house blank so it can be used in urban locations or in its own grounds.
• There are multiple ways to enter the manor. The main entrance, the arboretum and the kitchen backdoor. You can also enter through the many windows and the library and arboretum both have skylights.
• The house has two levels, which can be accessed by the main stairs and also through the library’s and arboretum’s upper windows. Both of these locations span both levels.
• Getting through a broken window can be tricky, use a skill check to see if its done silently and if its a significant failure there maybe some injury.
• If the party doesn’t move with care they could kick up dust that could make them sneeze, roll constitution not to sneeze!
• This house is perfect for the many cool ghosts and ghoulies in the monster manual of any setting. Remember you are not restricted to standard mobs. Try creating unique ghosts with specific goals and needs.
• Ghosts often appear to not notice a living person unless they interact with them. Have them float through walls, do mundane activities they would do in life, or just make them cry in a corner. 
• The whole point of this type of encounter is to creep your players out, so use every trick in the book. Get inspiration from horror films and books!

Variants

For those of you weirdos that want to run a haunted house encounter in the daytime! Or maybe you have your own lighting system 😉

A nice version of the Manor, all clean and probably not haunted.. Both day and nighttime lit versions.