I’ve finally finished off our latest map, it took a little longer than expected but hopefully it was worth it. This one is the final idea from our old map list, a giant snail shell. I wanted to create something a little different and decided on making a small village with a giant snail shell at it centre. I think it could be used as a humanoid settlement in a swamp, on the edge of a lake or the coast. It should work for kobolds, goblins, a few aquatic races or just some weird cult. I imagine encounters based around attack or defence would work equally well, saving the villagers from some external threat or fighting your way in for some reason.
As always thank you so much for your support, have a wonderful rest of the weekend and happy adventuring! Now lets get to the notes.
Interior
Introduction
The swamp is never quiet, it could even be described as oppressively noisy. Frogs croak incessantly, from low booms to high pitched squeaks. A multitude of flying, and often biting insects create a droning that fills the humid air. Water collects and drips from every surface, nothing is ever truly dry here. A low white mist begins to form above the murky water.
You glance down at your unlikely ally, the small lizard man leans against the giant snail shell that makes the centerpiece of his strange shabby little village. He looks up at you and offers a dirty cloth bag, inside you see something wet and glistening. You politely decline. The kobold shrugs, picks out a fat pale grey grub and pops it into his mouth, chewing noisily.
The evening progresses slowly, you watch the swamp, waiting for the inevitable attack. They have come every night for a week, at least according to the wizened old shaman. As you watch, you sense a change in the swamp. It’s as if the background noise changes pitch, dropping half a tone to a minor key. Out in the mist and darkness, beyond the torch light, you hear the sloshing of many legs wading through knee deep water. A gravely laugh drifts to your ears. Your little friend jumps up and bangs his spear on the snail shell’s exterior, a warning signal to the other watchmen.
Shadows begin to appear in the glowing mist, they are large and bulky, outlined in armour. As you continue to watch, more shadows appear, more than you were led to believe, far more. You curse under your breath, it turns out kobolds can’t count past three. Your small innumerate friend looks up at you expectantly, a mixture of fear and hope in his beady green eyes. Who could say no to a face like that?
Notes and Tips
- 30×30 Grid
- This map can be used as a swamp, coastal or river area.
- I like the idea of a village defence. Make the villagers weird! Kobolds are awesome little creatures that can be fun to use as NPCs. Give the ‘clan’ a few quirks.
- This could be a fishing village or it could be somehow connected with the snail shell itself, maybe they herd snails!
- Have ranged enemies on the upper shell, they will be harder to reach.
- There are multiple directions to attack the village.
- The water can be as shallow or deep as you like!
- Crocodiles and other swamp creatures can lurk in the water. Maybe the villagers have guard crocs!
- The wood could be slippery! Roll some dice!
- Reinforcements could come from the interior, remember there is more than one entrance.
- The village could be the home of some secret power. All the villagers are unnaturally healthy. If they are kobolds or some other normally ‘evil’ race maybe the influence has changed them somehow for the better, or worse!
Variants
Day/Night
Blood Cult (with weird heart like lump of meat in the centre)
Tropical versions (a few trees and a brighter colour pallet!)
