Category: News

Our next map is ready to go! This time it’s the Fire Giant’s Forge suggested by you lovely patrons! This is the first lava style map I’ve created, the lighting was certainly something a little different to work with. Fire Giants are a great choice for a higher level party but could be swapped out for something a little less deadly without much trouble. The variants should give a little flexibility to the map. There is an extra cage variant which could work as a prison, a variant with smaller tools and anvils for Duergar Dwarves. There is also a green chamber variant with glowing water.

As always thank you so much for your support, have a wonderful week and happy adventuring! On to the notes!

Introduction

The tunnel shudders as another earth tremor shakes the mountain. You place a hand on the wall to stabilise yourself and quickly pull away, the heat radiating from the rock has becoming uncomfortably hot to the touch. Ahead you see a slight orange fiery glow. The sound of tools on metal can be heard ringing out ahead. 

Moving forward you reach an opening which leads into a huge chamber. Ancient stone tiles cover the floor, in places jagged cracks split them, spilling light and heat from the lava that boils away below. Channels of stone funnel a lava river across the chamber. Anvils, hammers, tongs and other metalworking tools litter the ground, ingots of dark metal are stacked around the work area. Towards the back of the chamber is a huge cage, a number of crudely made wooden beds inside. The perspective of the scene seems off somehow, maybe due to the heat haze. You see movement from a bed, it seems at least one of the captives still lives. 

Carefully you cross the chamber, it’s only as you get closer to the tools you realise what is amiss. The tools are huge, far larger than any normal man could lift, with a sinking feeling in your stomach you hear a low rumbling laugh erupt from a dark corner.

“What ‘ave we ‘ere? Little men come a’ tip toe’in into ma home, lookin to steal ma dinner? Tut tut. ‘Ow rude!”.

A huge figure, which you mistook as a boulder looms up from the shadows, at least sixteen feet in height, its frame stocky and brutish. The bard tries to stifle a pitiful whimper. The giant licks its lips, raises a huge cleaver and steps towards you.

Notes and tips

30×30 Map Grid 

• Although this is called a Fire Giants Forge it could be the home of many types of larger humanoids or monsters, it doesn’t need to be a working forge. Ogres, Hill Giants, Stone Giants or even Trolls could be used, plus any number of cave dwelling beasts.
• Fire giants are known to capture hostages for ransom.
• Fire Giants are immune to fire and lava, have it wade through the lava or splash it at the players.
• The lava cracks can ‘erupt’ making a flame wall, look at the Wall of Fire spell for inspiration. Make it a random event or controlled by the baddies!
• Have the giant throw iron ingots at the players.
• The cage doors are extremely heavy and require a strength check to open.
• The cage could house a monstrous pet instead of captives, or the lava could have some sort of creature/guardian in it, Fire Salamanders for example.
• There are three entrances, however only the bottom entrance is large enough for a giant to easy fit. The other two require swearing and grease.
• The beds could be used by Duergar smiths or guards which are allied with the giant, or dwarven slaves working under duress.

Variants:

Duergar Dwarf Forge (Regular sized forge)

The Green Vault

Extra cage (Prison chamber)

Well met adventurers! As promised I’ve been hard at work getting the Wilderness Pack ready. The pack contains three general use maps themed for travel encounters which take place in grassland and lightly wooded terrain. Each map has a number of variants which should help you fit them into your campaigns. All three have Day/Night variants, Tree/Treeless variants and two have Wilderness/Road variants. Take a look below for examples. You also get a few Camp assets to drop into your VTT if you need them. This is a free Patron exclusive pack.

Cliffs – Variants: Day/Night, Trees/Treeless, Wilderness/Road

Hills – Variants: Day/Night, Trees/Treeless, Wilderness/Road 

Stream – Variants: Day/Night, Trees/Treeless

I’m really happy to be launching our new map, this one based on the Patron suggestion a Desert City Plaza. I’m hoping it will work in most settings, as a desert city, a more tropical location like Chult or a coastal town you would find around the Mediterranean. I could even imagine this as a more unique quarter within a traditional fantasy city.

I took at look at places like Morocco for my inspiration here. Lots of flat roofs, tiles and sand blasted paint work. This became a bit of an experiment in urban map generation for me. A first step to providing you all with more urban maps in the future.

Introduction

The heat radiates through the soles of your boots as you wander along the street. The paving shimmers in the noon day sun, cracked and blasted by wind and sand. Most of the citizens are wisely sheltering in, at least subjectively, cooler archways, covered markets or what passes for taverns in this place.

Ahead you see a fountain, its crystal clear water pattering lazily into a wide, star shaped basin. A few ruffians lounge at its edge looking sullenly at the passing locals. An old woman, decrepit with age struggles up the tiled steps surrounding it, her staff in one hand making a dry thud as she walks, a bucket in the other swinging as she hobbles forwards.

As she reaches the top, one of the ruffians stands up, blocking her way. A sneer crosses his face while his friends look on in amusement.  “Back off old hag! Go fill your pail at the troughs with the animals”.

She stands stock still for a moment, and then with a quick movement whips her staff around in a wide arc, cracking the ruffian across the temple. His stunned expression goes slack as his eyes roll up into his head, his body collapsing at her feet. The other ruffians look on in shocked silence for a moment, then rise to their feet and as a group advance on the old crone. She blinks at them innocently “Oh my dear boys, you wouldn’t hit a poor defenceless little old lady would you?”

You’re not sure she actually needs your help, but as adventurers you feel obliged to at least offer your assistance.

Notes and Tips

Environment descriptors: 

• The heat is oppressive.
• The sun bakes the stone street until it shimmers.
• The plaster walls are cracked in places revealing red brick and mortar beneath.
• Palms sway in the light breeze, which is NOT refreshing.
• Incense and strange aromas drift from dark doorways.
• Brightly coloured spices sit in large terracotta pots along the side of the street.

Encounter ideas:

• Water rights – There is a dispute about who is and is not allowed to use the fountain. Maybe there’s a drought, or most of the towns water sources are contaminated.
• Gang turf – Drop some ruffians around the fountain. They do not let anyone approach. Have them shout insults at the party, or show them off as bullies.
• A wild water elemental appears – An elemental has taken over this fountain, and attacks anyone that walks past. The party have been hired to deal with it.
• The fountain defiled – The water spirit which ensures the fountain always flows is upset. Local thugs have been using the fountain as a latrine. They could have a few motivations for doing this, intimidation of the locals, wanting to drive the spirit off so the fountain runs dry for some reason, wanting to weaken the spirit so it can be captured and moved to a new location. This could help lead the party to larger plots with the cities underworld.
• Assassins up top – With so much elevation, this map is perfect for ambushes and assassination attempts. The party could be escorting someone through the city, or it could be an attack on them for some reason.

And I think that’s about it for this release, thanks again for your support and happy adventuring!

Variants:

Fountain Day/Night

Open Square Day/Night

Alleyway Day/Night

Hello brave adventurers! I’m happy to present the next map based on our Patron suggestions list, this time it’s the Amphitheatre!

I wanted to create a ruin for this map idea, an old abandoned stone structure which could be used as a general map for wilderness encounters, or something with a bit more story behind it. It could be a meeting place, a lair of some creature, or the entrance to a dungeon complex. Hopefully the different levels, cover and overall shape will help create a fun and dynamic battle ground 🙂

Introduction

As you step out of the forest, and into this most ancient of meeting places, the noises of the countryside die away. No more bird song or chattering squirrels, this place is oppressively quiet, only the low howl of wind blowing across shadowed archways breaks the silence.

This was once, and still is, an amphitheatre. A half moon of stone seating nestled against the base of high rocky cliffs. At one time it was a place for people to meet, for discourse and entertainment, but no more. The wilderness has retaken this place, grass now grows between the brickwork, rock falls litter the ground. And yet this place is not completely abandoned. The ranger crouches, pointing out the subtle signs, a broken twig, grass blades trampled underfoot and drag marks. You are still on the right track it seems. You gesture to continue forward.

You cautiously walk down the amphitheatre’s crumbling steps. As you reach the bottom a new sound begins, almost imperceptible at first but becoming clearer as you listen. A murmuring, chanting, low and ominous. From the dark entrances against the cliff walls hooded figures appear, no part of them visible beneath their heavy dark robes. They continue to file out, one at a time, positioning themselves around the outer edges of the amphitheatre. As each one reaches its position it turns to face you and stands motionless. And then for just a moment silence returns, a pause before the inevitable battle. In unison the figures raise their hands, drawing back hoods to reveal what you already knew. The bard vomits behind you… he’ll need to be replaced if you ever get back to town alive.

Notes and Tips

• It would be fun to have a group of cultists file out in silence around the arena while the players stand in the centre regretting taking the quest. Hooded, they could be NPCs the party have already met, or something really horrible, or both.
• This could be a place where locals come to bet on fights, in whatever form that may take. Or a place for ritualistic duels.
• The Amphitheatre is haunted, ghostly figures sit around watching two spectral fighters duel. Or there could be some kind of ghostly play taking place.
• This could work quite well as a druid conclave or other natural meeting place.
• This can work as an entrance to a dungeon complex. There are three doorways into the cliffside.
• The party is taking part in a local summer festival. They get swept up in the revelry and end up in a procession to this ruin. The party watches as a young person wreathed in flowers is led up the steps to be left as tribute to the monster which resides within.
• A giant snake is sunning itself in the base of the amphitheatre.
• A lone figure kneels in the centre of the ruin, moss grows on its armour. As the party gets closer it stands up and shouts a challenge.

That’s about it for this release. As always thank you for your support, you really are the best! Have a great rest of the week and happy adventuring!

Variants:

Sand / Rocky day

Sand / Rocky night

Feywilds / Grassy night

I’m finally ready to launch my next map! This one is the Grand Laboratory patron suggestion from our map suggestions list, renamed ‘The Workshop’.

The original suggestion was some kind of lab, maybe a necromancer or alchemist. I also wanted it to have a super villain vibe, so it could work as a boss room/lair. In the end I went with a dark creepy feel and with enough bits of ‘technology’ to work as an alchemists workshop or some sort of Frankenstein ‘re-animator’ style necromancer/mad scientist lab.

I wanted to make sure there were as many story hooks sprinkled around this map as possible and overall I think it does the job quite well 🙂

As always thank you for your support, I hope you enjoy pitting your players against some version of Doctor Evil, Frankenstein or Captain Nemo. And now to the map Notes!

Introduction

Ahead of you two giant scaled creatures block your way. They hiss menacingly as they claw at the chains holding them at bay. From the dark entrance beyond you hear an amused voice.

“My pets will not harm you. Come, it has been long since I have had visitors.”

The chains are pulled back, dragging the creatures aside and leaving an uncomfortably narrow path forward. You tentatively move between the beasts, they watch you silently, drool dripping from their maws. As you drag your eyes away from the lizards to the room ahead, you let out a startled gasp. The room is large, lit with candles and arcane lights, book cases line the walls. A large vat of green liquid sits to the side, a huge shadowy shape twitches in the murky water. Ahead stands a man, dressed in fine but outdated clothes. His face is calm, his eyes bright with a fiery intensity. Just behind him, looming ten feet above, is a huge shape shrouded in white linen.

“Ah, I see you have noticed my masterpiece. They said it was folly. They said it couldn’t be done. They said I was mad. Mad to think to create such a thing. I’ll show them, I’ll show them all what folly is! And you dear visitors will be the first to witness the power of my creation! Behold!”

With a flourish he whips the cloth from the shape revealing an abomination beyond your worst fears. You hear the bard vomit behind you, that will be omitted from his tale, if he ever gets to write it. With a resigned sigh you draw your weapons. Time to go to work.

Notes and Tips

• This could work very well as a secret lair of some villain, a mad mage, a crazed Alchemist or Necromancer.
• I’ve left the centre free for you to add some type of monster. A Golem would work very well, or maybe magical armour or some large undead creature.
• Have the villain stand inside the golden sphere in the device at the back of the map. This device could protect the villain while he controls his creation. Each orb could absorb a spell or must be destroyed before the villain is exposed to the players.
• The Library is protected by a ‘guardian’ standing motionless within the large magic circle. Triggered by… well mostly anything the players do.
• The smaller magic circles could spawn spirits or wisps that move around the map doing unpleasant things.
• The large vat on the left could house some kind of electrical creature which is being uses to power something on the dais. 
• I’ve added an empty tank asset to the asset folder in the download post.
• The centre dais tiles can be replaced by a water asset (see asset folder) to create a pool full of… lets go with sharks.
• Magic could be absorbed by the conductors on the dais.
• This could be used as a magical research facility, or even the player’s base.

I think that’s about it for this release, thanks again for your support. Have a great week and happy adventuring!

Variants

The Library (lit and unlit)

Undersea Lair with moon pool

Our last map for March is a wild and rugged coastal theme with a classic cove and sandy beach, backed by a windswept cliff. Its inspired by some of the places I’ve visited along the south coast of England. Hopefully this will work for adventures along the Sword Coast and more exotic regions as well.

Introduction

The old druid told you to be there for sunset, and to ‘beware the cliffs’, but more than that she would not say. You stand on a lonely sandy beach, nestled in a crescent shaped cove, sheltered from the worst of the weather by high rocky cliffs. Looking far out to sea, you watch as a pale full moon crests the horizon, a ghostly silver coin in the evenings fading light.

You begin to hear muffled chirping, and then below your feet the sand begins to churn. You jump back just as a stubby beak and scaly head emerges from the sand. Its large eyes blink open and as you watch a large turtle, maybe five feet across drags itself from the sands. Looking into the hole it crawled from, you see broken egg shells, and below more eggs, some of which are already showing signs of hatching.

The newly hatched turtle begins to pull itself towards the water. Its at this point you here a another sound, a series of clicks like claws on stone. Looking up you scan the cliffs and step back in shock as you see a number of huge creatures perched around the cliffs edge, their predatory eyes shining coldly. With a singular movement they unfurl huge dark wings and drop from the cliffs towards you and the defenceless newborns.

Notes and Tips

• The water could be quite shallow in the cove, allowing for a larger combat area.
• Sharks and other sea creatures could attack in the shallows.
• There is a route down to the beach on the right, but players can climb the cliffs if necessary with an Athletics check.
• Utilise the clifftops and the difference in elevation to allow for more tactical play.
• This could be just off a coastal road.
• Island turtle nesting grounds! This is a nesting ground for huge island turtles. They hatch at sunset and have to make a run for the open ocean before being picked off by predators which could be Wyrms, Manticores or Giant Vultures. In the sea you could have Giant Crocodiles or maybe a shark or two.
• You have been tasked to catch some smugglers by a local town.
• Someone has been luring ships onto the reef with a light on the cliffs at night. Investigate!
• A raiding band of orcs has landed in the cove hoping to avoid the attention of the nearby village. However they have been spied by the locals and you have been sent to defend against them.
• A ship has wrecked just off the shore leaving flotsam and sailors washed up along the beach. Scavengers have arrived to pick at the dead. Drive them off!
• Merfolk or other water based humanoids could have been raiding and sinking ships off the coast.
• Buried treasure! Pirates! A fight for the booty!

And I think that’s about it for this release! Have a great week and happy adventuring!

Variants

Deserted cove, Day/Night

Ship Wreck

Ghostly Wreck!

Smugglers at night

Updated! Ship versions!

This week’s map is another suggestion from our patron suggestion list, I’ve call it The Grand Theatre, but of course it could be used as an opera house, or some kind of private club or venue. I took a look around the web and couldn’t find any high quality theatre maps, so I think this will be a fun and quite unique location for an encounter or two. I’m also playing through Dragon Heist at the moment and I believe a Theatre map would really be useful for anyone starting that campaign.

As always thanks for your support, you’re awesome!

Introduction

The theatre’s grand opening is the talk of the town, everyone of note is here, local nobility, politicians, merchants and trades people. It’s unfortunate such a splendid event should be marred by tragedy. The deaths during its renovation were unfortunate to be sure, but more worrying are the numerous ‘accidents’ which have befallen the cast and crew. That is in fact why you, a lowly adventuring group have managed to acquire tickets. Your new employer Lord Feathermoor is worried about another incident, especially with so many of his peers in attendance. You have been hired to mingle among the guests and watch for anything untoward. Standing at the back of the auditorium you wait for the performance to begin, you’ve seen the cast in rehearsals, they are actually rather good.

Mostly seated now the audience murmurs in anticipation. The lights begin to dim, a simple enchantment to the buildings crystal globe lamps. Then without warning the lights wink out completely. In the dark you hear surprised gasps and the odd cry. You hear someone walking across the floorboards of the stage and then another sound, a laugh, starting low and slowly raising in pitch and volume. As it reaches a mad crescendo the lights blaze on to reveal a hooded figure, arms held to the heavens laughing maniacally. From experience you are expecting a monologue, and unfortunately for you and the audience you are not disappointed.

Notes and Tips

30×30 grid map

• There are three levels to this map, the auditorium floor, the stage itself and the boxes and balconies. Each area can be reached by multiple routes. Make sure to use these for surprise reinforcements if needed.
• Moving along the pews is full movement, moving towards or away from the stage is difficult terrain as you are climbing over them.
• It’s a bit cliched but having a phantom sabotage the performance seems like a fun scenario.
• An explorer has returned from some distant land bringing with him a marvelous and dangerous creature from the deepest wilds! The cage he is displaying the creature in is totally secure and will definitely not break as he taunts it.
• You are invited to a masquerade party with entertainment. Is everyone there evil? Are they doing and saying weird and unsettling things? Sure why not.
• One of the boxes is haunted and your players need to do a bit of ghostbusting. You could incorporate a worried manager and lots of destruction!
• Cultists have taken some theatregoers hostage and it’s your 
• players job to extract them.
• A black market auction takes place here, only the very worst people are invited, which includes your party.

Variant maps

Day/night

Stage lit

Summoning circle

Our first map in March is a port/harbour. I took a look around and couldn’t find any port maps with harbour walls and breakwaters in them so thought I’d give that a go. I remember going on holiday to Cornwall as a child and the Cornish fishing villages would often have cute little harbours and walls around them.  So I took my inspiration from that and put this together. I’ve left enough space for a larger ship to dock here on the left, but I imagine this is used by smaller boats normally. You could use this as a small village harbour, or part of a larger harbour in a big city like Waterdeep.

• 30×30 Battle Map

Assets

I’ve provided the small red fishing boat and the rowboat as PNG files. (Exclusive to Patrons)

Introduction

Carts trundle by, filled with fresh fish, glistening in the sun. A thousand different metallic hues shimmer across the scaly cargo. A Gull cries overhead, then dives towards a cart and snatches a fish before the irate cart driver can prevent the thievery. Ahead you hear a rumble of breakers hitting the outer wall of the small harbour. The wind is brisk and as you enter the harbour’s square you see fine mist and water crest the breakwater that protects the bay from the ocean. On the water before you bob fishing boats of all sizes and shapes, some masted, some not. On the wooden gangways hard faced fisherman unload their latest catch.

You hold up the note and read:

“The cargo will arrive on the morrow in the hold of the Scarlet Rose, it must be moved at all haste to the Shinfields refectory. Do NOT open it, it must remain sealed until the warding circle is ready.”

You notice a brightly painted boat moored at the nearest gangway, a commotion is drawing the attention of those nearby. It seems the Harbour master is insisting on taking stock of the boats cargo. Rushing forward you glimpse a crowbar in an officials hand prying open a large dark wooden box. “This can’t be good” you think, just before the screaming starts.

Notes and Tips

• The air smells of ozone, rotten seaweed baking in the sun, both fresh and old fish, as well as the underlying stank of the city in general.
• A harbour is a busy place during the day, make sure to have seaman and merchants running this way and that during any encounter. Some may feel they can help out, poor poor fools!
• I just love the sequence in Dracula where he arrives in England on the ghost ship, due to him eating everyone. Have an abandoned ship drift into harbour and then have something pop out when the party is asked to investigate.
• The carcass of a huge sea monster has washed into the harbour, it turns out to be infested with parasites.
• Smugglers get caught by the harbour master, they make a bolt for it and the party get to stop them.
• Pirates attack! The party defend the entrance of the harbour.
• Have the party fight their way towards a ship that is leaving, can they make it in time?

And I think that’s about it for this launch! Thanks for taking the time to read this and happy adventuring!

Variants:

• Tropical/Desert + no boat variants

• Nighttime variants of both

This weeks map launch is another one from our Patron suggestion list, the ‘Greenhouse, hedge maze, stately house gardens‘. In my research for the map I came across some really cool looking ‘glasshouses’, Kew gardens in London being a major inspiration for the actual building. Kew’s glasshouses also have different types of Biomes, desert, tropical, temperate. This really got the gears turning and I ended up deciding on this map concept based around the idea of some rich lord or wizard creating a ‘Collection’ of exotic plants and animals for their own amusement.

Introduction

You’ve heard the talk around town. Strange noises are said to emanate from the manor’s grounds. Servants have been rushed to the local temples in the dead of night with horrible injuries. The rumoured disappearances of guests has become local legend. And now here you are, waiting on the lord to appear, with a flyer in hand. The job request wasn’t specific, “Help wanted, must be fit, quick witted and have no ailments!” is all it said. The pay was suspiciously high, but not unheard of when dealing with the nobility, such people rarely understand the worth of coin.

Across the gardens you hear a scream cut short, replaced with an unnerving silence and then shortly hurried footsteps on gravel. A servant appears walking briskly along an avenue of manicured boxwood hedges and tall cypress trees. He calls.

“You are the next batch… I mean… the adventurers my Lord requested I presume? He will be seeing you now! Through the gardens yonder and into the large glass structure if you please, my lord has need of you post haste!”

Assets

I’ve created some assets for this map, to be used with Virtual Tabletops. I’ve tested them out and they seem to work quite well in Roll20 at least. They work on both the day and night variants of the map.

Notes and tips

• The glasshouse is meant to house exotic animals and plants. If you’ve always wanted to pit your party against a creature that inhabits the desert, jungle or Underdark but never managed to get them there, this is your chance.
• The Lord is in a panic. His creatures have escaped and are roaming the grounds. It’s your party’s job to incapacitate them and return his pets to their enclosures!
• You don’t need to keep the fight within the glasshouse, the animals could have escaped and be roaming around the grounds.
• Get the party into the glasshouse by some erroneous means and then lock them in with something horrible!
• The Lord could stand at the entrance and taunt the party while he/she watches the fun. It’s always fun to monologue!
• The walls of the glasshouse are enchanted and reflect spells. If a player misses with a spell it bounces off a glass wall and is reflected in a logical direction. Use your own devious mind to make this mechanic both fun and horrible for your players!
• I’ve provided bars, both magical and mundane, as assets for you to place around the arena. Remember that they can come back down, trapping the party inside the enclosures.
• The enclosures could be on a lower level than the arena.
• Each enclosure could house an animal with a key attached to it somehow, all three keys are needed for… something. Escape? A treasure chest? A secret entrance?
• All of the enclosures could have entrances into other areas below, sewers, old crypts, cave systems.
• The Desert enclosure could house some type of insect which has made a huge underground nest under the gardens. Huge insects have been marauding around town and this is the source. Use my Hive map as a secondary encounter location!

This week’s map was a combination of two Patron ideas, a multi-level desert cliff-side and an cliff-side with giant eagle nests. I think there is a lack of giant nest battle maps, so hopefully this will be useful for Griffin, Harpies and Roc encounters.

I love creating these organic, environment maps, I’m really developing my style with each one! Hopefully this will be useful for those running campaigns in the desert and if you need a more generic temperate version I’ve added one as a variant.

Introduction

The sun beats down on you, harsh and unforgiving, creating stark contrast between the pale stone and shadowy crevices along the rocky cliff path. The wind, dry and furnace hot, rushes across the desolate landscape and up the cliff side to blast your faces with sand and desert heat.

Below you is a bright ribbon of cool blue water snaking its way along the base of the cliff, lush green foliage sprouting from its banks. Looking out across the land you see nothing but sand rolling in waves across the world, an endless sea of dunes, only broken by the odd outcropping of rock thrusting up from the sand like islands on an ocean.

As you reach the next bend on the winding path you see a platform of sand and stone ahead. It is covered in detritus, sticks, branches and even small tree trunks, collected into huge circular piles. As you move closer you realise these are not simply piles of wood but huge nests skilfully woven together for strength and protection. 

And then you hear a cry on the wind, a high pitched, noble call. An alarm, a warning and a challenge! A shadow flickers across you, blocking the sun for an instant. You look up and then down. Lifted by the winds from the desert below, huge creatures rise slowly into view, their wings hardly moving but to best catch the thermals that keep them aloft. Their eyes are piecing and unforgiving, you have trespassed into their home. They continue to climb into the sun bleached sky, and then in an instant the wings snap to their sides and they dive at you, talons extended and maws open in a defiant call.

 Flavour text pointer

• The sun is: blinding, baking you in your armour, bleaching the landscape and is unforgiving to all living things.
• The rocks are: desiccated, crumbling and burning to the touch, you could literally cook an egg on them.
• The wind is: Hot and picks up sand that blasts your face. It leeches all moisture from your skin, drying out your lips and making them crack painfully.
• The air is: oven hot, bone dry with no scent at all.
• The Ground: has been so heated by the sun it can be felt through your boots.

Notes and Tips

• This could be an encounter with Eagles, Griffins, Hippogriff, Manticores, Harpies or even a Roc (or a few of them if you really hate your players).
• Use the open air section to have hovering mobs dive towards the party.
• The nests could be abandoned and something else now lives there!
• Nest robbers are stealing eggs, if the party help out the eagles maybe there will be a ride as a reward!
• The party needs a ride and the eagles/Griffins want them to prove their worth in MORTAL COMBAT! Eagle duel!
• Your party comes across some harpies raiding a griffin nest.
• Cliffs can be a pain to deal with, however if you don’t just want to kill a party member that falls off, just remember this cliff has multiple levels, have them drop 10-20 feet onto a ledge and then spend a round climbing back up.
• The nests could have parasites (giant ticks or fleas) that bit the party if they get within range.
• The nests could have bodies or trinkets that have been collected by the occupants. LOOT!

I think that’s about it for this week, good luck with your campaigns and as always happy adventuring!