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Thanks. I try to stash something good into each map description, and this guy is how I thought a dwarven hermit in another adventure I ran SHOULD have been written up.
D&D General Maps, Maps, Maps! Dungeons, Ruins, Caverns, Temples, and more... aka Where Dyson Dumps His Maps.
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The Forsaken Grotto
Kaelith Marrowshade has gone missing. It isn’t that unusual for a ranger to wander off for a few months, but it has been two seasons now since they were last seen. Kaelith was known for their uncanny ability to navigate treacherous terrain and sense danger before it struck. Their last letter to the group before disappearing was pretty cryptic: “The shadows in the caves move… and they watch.”
Digging through Kaelith’s favourite haunts turns up a ranger trail map of the region with a few points of interest circled – but the most recent marking is a big red circle around a cave entrance marked “FORSAKEN”.
The entrance to the Grotto isn’t the southern cave – that leads further into the depths and is unlikely to be found by most adventurers unless they shrink themselves enough to fit through the smaller passages here. Near the middle of the map, there is a dead-end passage with steps leading down from it and four smaller tunnels. This chamber (or any other chamber of your choice, really) is open to the sky above, and a rope leads down into it, tied to a large boulder above.
Portions of the grotto almost feel like Swiss cheese – there are 2 foot wide and tall smaller caves and tunnels between the larger caves. These serve the guardians of this space quite well as they can travel through these small spaces to allow for hit and run tactics against intruders. Within the grotto is a cold biting draft that whistles through the smaller passages, carrying with it the faint metallic tang of ancient decay. The walls in some sections glisten with dampness, and any light source make the shadows leap and twist with every movement, turning ordinary rocks into sinister shapes.
The Grotto is home to the Crimson Shard – a blood red crystal that glows with a slow pulse going from the brightness of a match to the brightness of the setting sun and back. The body of the ranger lays on the floor reaching for the crystal. The guardians of the shard are the brightwraiths – semi-corporeal creatures that glide silently along the walls, ceilings, and fold themselves into the smaller caverns. Their touch drains warmth and courage – dealing necrotic damage and penalizing future saving throws. But worse, as shadows of the Crimson Shard, they can pulse incredibly brightly, blinding those looking at them (and being even more effective against those without light sources who rely on darkvision – the sudden transition from pitch darkness to the brilliant light of the shard gives disadvantage on the save). Once the shard has been secured, the brightwraiths all “slide” into it and stop trying to defend it.
But other creatures lurk down here also. The veilspinners are giant spiders (about the size of a medium dog) whose translucent webs trap not only the body of their victims, but their minds as well.
This map was drawn for the Gaxx Worx adventure “Wrath of the Sea Lich” (based on an earlier map from one of the Gaxx Worx Chentoufi adventures). The text and descriptions in this post are unrelated to that work, and are based on ideas that struck me while I was drawing it.
The 1200 dpi version of the map was drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and is 10,800 x 13,800 pixels in size (36 x 46 squares). To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) or 140 pixels (for 10′ squares) – so resizing it to 2,520 x 3,220 or 5,040 x 6,440 pixels, respectively.
The Forsaken Grotto
Illo by Mikołaj Ratajczak Kaelith Marrowshade has gone missing. It isn’t that unusual for a ranger to wander off for a few months, but it has been two seasons now since they were last seen. K…
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Dripstone Deep
Nestled in the depths of the Underdark, the tiny settlement of Dripstone Deep radiates an aura of unease and secrecy. The air is heavy with moisture, and the faint, rhythmic sound of water dripping from the ceiling seems to carry further than it should.
At the heart of the cavern lies the pool, its surface eerily smooth and glasslike. Fed by a constant drip from above, the water carries an unnatural clarity, though one might hesitate to test its purity. In the pool’s center stands an unsettling monument: a 10-foot cube of reddish stone. Its surface is polished yet rough to the touch. This psionic amplifier exudes a strange hum that reverberates in the minds of those who draw near, amplifying their thoughts, fears, and desires. For the settlers, this stone serves as both a sanctuary and a source of power, binding the community together in a chaotic harmony and allowing them to send emergency calls to each other.
Surrounding the pool are five ramshackle dwellings crafted from whatever materials could be scavenged from the Underdark. Chitinous exoskeleton fragments from dead creatures, fungal growth hardened into crude bricks, and broken stalactites make up the bizarre architecture. The houses lean precariously, as though the cavern itself might reclaim them at any moment. Inside, the spaces are cramped and humid, serving as more functional shelters than comfortable homes.
The inhabitants of this settlement are a strange and unsettling hybrid—degenerate crossbreeds of Drow and Kuo-Toa. These beings retain the slender, angular features of their Drow ancestors, but their skin is pallid and clammy like that of the Kuo-Toa. Their bulbous, pale eyes gleam with madness, a reflection of their tortured minds amplified by the stone’s psionic energy. They move with an erratic grace, twitching and murmuring to themselves as if responding to voices only they can hear.
The side cave that leads to the settlement is a muddy, treacherous path, littered with footprints from those who have wandered too close to the pool. However, the settlers have forged a secret route—a trail of hard stone, devoid of dirt, that remains imperceptible to outsiders. This path ensures their existence remains a hidden enigma, protecting them from wandering threats.
Where the side cave joins the main cavern, strange mushrooms sprout from the moist soil, their shapes grotesque and alien. Some glow faintly, others sway as if in response to unseen currents. A second set of tracks leads deeper into the Underdark along the main passage.
This hidden colony thrives in its isolation, sustained by the psionic stone and their own warped unity. To intrude upon their domain is to invite the overwhelming presence of the stone—and the unpredictable wrath of its unnerving inhabitants.
This map was drawn for the Gaxx Worx adventure “Wrath of the Sea Lich” (based on an earlier map from one of the Gaxx Worx Chentoufi adventures). The text and descriptions in this post are unrelated to that work, and are based on ideas that struck me while I was drawing it.
Dripstone Deep
Illo by Mikołaj Ratajczak Nestled in the depths of the Underdark, the tiny settlement of Dripstone Deep radiates an aura of unease and secrecy. The air is heavy with moisture, and the faint, rhythm…
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Graxworm Map 19 – Dungeons
The Graxworm is a massive dead dragon of mythic scale, several miles long and large enough to contain a town in the mouth. Creatures have set up here to “mine” the massive corpse for its valuable materials – leather, scales, ichor, tendons, and more. Practically every bit has some value to someone, and in the long term the expectation is that nothing will remain, not even the massive bones. After exploring the secret city at the heart of the beast, we are deeper into the corpse in the intestines where the servitors quarters and dungeons are. Today’s map is of the dungeons proper, a secure holding space for intruders, spies, and “persons of interest”.
This is one of the more “traditional” dungeon maps for the Graxworm. The entry to the dungeons is on the north side of the map, and the northern structures are for staff, storage, and administration. The next chamber is the heart of the prisons – where interrogations are handled, prisoners processed, and so on. From here you can get to the various sections of cells.
The majority of the cells are smaller cells meant for a single prisoner, but when needed they can easily fit six to eight. There are a number of bulk holding areas such as the one immediately to the west of the main chamber (the circular chamber with the ramp leading down into it). Ramps from the upper cells lead down to lower sets of cells and a disposal pit. The lowest cells on the left side are generally the oubliettes – where prisoners are left to rot and eventually thrown down into the disposal pit. And while the entirety of the Graxworm smells like death and decay, this area is particularly noxious.
Honeycombing this area are the tunnels of the immature giant maggots who cut their own paths through the corpse. These small tunnels (a foot to two feet wide and tall) are too small for most prisoners to use and are generally ignored by the guards – making them a potential escape or entry vector for shapeshifting characters or scouting familiars.
The Graxworm Megadungeon was proposed to me by Gallant Knight Games – a dungeon set within the corpse of a dragon some seven miles in length. If I were to map out the whole thing we’d be looking at a good 100+ maps, so instead we’ll be focusing on points of interest as a sort of “point crawl” megadungeon setting. We’ll be posting a few maps in the set every month for… well… quite some time!
The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 10,200 x 13,200 pixels in size (34 x 44 squares). To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to either 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) or 140 pixels (for the recommended 10′ squares) – so resizing it to either 2,380 x 3,080 or 4,760 x 6,160 pixels, respectively.
Graxworm Map 19 – Dungeons
The Graxworm is a massive dead dragon of mythic scale, several miles long and large enough to contain a town in the mouth. Creatures have set up here to “mine” the massive corpse for it…
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the Verdant Roost
Nestled against the towering oak, the Verdant Roost is a snug two-story retreat. The lower level, fragrant with drying herbs, serves as both living quarters and storage, while the compact upper level offers a humble sleeping space alongside additional supplies. The structure embraces the base of the tree – a ramshackle structure with moss-covered wood and creeping vines.
Thalindor Greenleaf, its resident, is a guardian of nature — equal parts healer, warrior, hunter, and fierce protector. With keen amber eyes and a cloak of woven leaves, they offer sanctuary to those who respect the forest’s ways, though they remain elusive to outsiders unless truly needed.
But what brings adventurers to such a pastoral scene?
The Forgotten Path.
Legends speak of a hidden trail through the forest to a lost city long ago reclaimed by nature. It is believed that only the keeper of the roost knows how to find and travel that path.
Echoes in the Bark.
An ancient oak whispers secrets in the wind, but only Thalindor can understand its warnings.
The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 4,800 x 8,400 pixels (16 x 28 squares). To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) – so resizing the image to 1,120 x 1,960 pixels.
the Verdant Roost
the Verdant Roost (300 dpi promo) Nestled against the towering oak, the Verdant Roost is a snug two-story retreat. The lower level, fragrant with drying herbs, serves as both living quarters and st…
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Scavengers’ Deep – Map 18
The Scavengers’ Deep is a reminder of the amount of work that went into underground structures during the great war. Generally, the elves only built underground when hiding their breeding and research facilities, whereas the forces of the kingdoms, assisted by the dwarves, were constantly building underground as the elves were unrelenting and would completely raze any surface defences that they defeated.
But the structures now known as the Scavengers’ Deep are atypical, an elven complex mixing some (ruined) surface structures, natural caves, and significant sprawling underground complexes dedicated to research, training, and breeding their slave species.
This is the eighteenth map in the Scavengers’ Deep series – this sits directly to the south of last month’s Map 17, and to the east of Map 11 – the next two maps will continue to the south of this one before we start on a new row to the south of the existing set.
This area is the south end of the large defile that cuts into the mesa of Scavengers’ Deep on the northeastern side (in map 17 and the map that will go to the east of it). The large open area that starts on the upper right and fills much of the centre of this map is open to the sky above and includes a raised stone abutment that acts as a bridge between the complexes of Map 17 and 11. Behind this massive stone wall is a small reservoir filled by rainwater and where much of the runoff from the mesa plateau above drains to.
The “entrance” to the large open space at the end of the defile is bracketed by a pair of short turrets that have been cut into the mesa walls and watch over the entrance. A small stone blockhouse sits in the open space, quiet and abandoned, watched over by windows cut into the mesa wall to the east as well as a small cave that opens some twenty feet above on the west wall. The very end of the defile is spanned by a small stone bridge less than 10 feet above the defile floor. From the end of the defile, a cave climbs rapidly upwards to connect with Map 19, and also loops back to the cavern where the water from the outdoor reservoir begins a downward crawl towards the deeper caverns.
The complexes on this page extend outwards to each of the four surrounding maps. Caves extend north, south, and west.
If printed at miniature play scale (where 1 inch equals 5 feet), each of the individual maps making up the Deep would be 8 feet by 8 feet in size. This starts the fifth column of maps (so when this column is done, it’ll be a 7 x 6 grid of maps) making the current set 40 feet wide by 32 feet tall. Expect more maps of the Scavengers’ Deep over the coming months, probably at a rate of one map per month.
The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 14,400 x 14,400 pixels (48 x 48 squares) in size. To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to either 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) or 140 pixels (for the suggested 10′ squares that this is designed around) – so resizing it to either 3,360 x 3,360 or 6,720 x 6720 pixels in size, respectively.
Scavengers’ Deep – Map 18
Illo by Mikołaj Ratajczak The Scavengers’ Deep is a reminder of the amount of work that went into underground structures during the great war. Generally, the elves only built underground when…
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The Village of Millbrook (weird & boring versions)
Millbrook should be a quaint little village nestled along the banks of the Ashenford. The town has a palisade around the eastern side but no such wall along the west side of the river. On the west side, the town’s old water mill still turns, providing flour for the bakery – a favourite stop for locals and travellers alike. The town is bracketed by two fortified structures outside of the town walls. On the west side stands a grand church, its towering spire visible from miles away. Atop the hill on the east side of town is a small tower and attached wooden structure – built by a wizard/knight of some repute who has taken the defense of the village upon themselves.
The inn on the east bank of town, known as The Wandering Stag, offers hearty meals and warm beds to weary adventurers, with rumors always swirling around its busy common room. Nearby is the mayor’s house and a small orchard that the mayor maintains.
Up the hill from the church lies the village graveyard, its weathered headstones whispering of long-forgotten heroes and tragedies.
But strange things are afoot in Millbrook. A new extension off the north side of the church has been built since you last visited, and is already collapsing. Giant spiders have taken up residence in the trees along the river to the north of town. Some massive fish-like monstrosity is living in the mill pond. A huge sinkhole with SOMETHING reaching out of it is just outside the town walls… and something massive and tentacular is breaking free of the town guardian’s tower.
But, we don’t need all that weirdness all the time – so I’ve also included this “boring” version of the town map missing all the weirdness. I had drawn all the weird elements on their own layers so I can turn them on and off again. This gives you a “normal” village you can use, and even the possibility of having everything get weird between visits.
The Village of Millbrook (weird & boring versions)
The Village of Millbrook (weird version – promotional copy – no commercial license) Millbrook should be a quaint little village nestled along the banks of the Ashenford. The town has a …
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I didn't know I wanted boring and weird versions of your maps, but I sure do now!View attachment 404940
The Village of Millbrook (weird & boring versions)
Millbrook should be a quaint little village nestled along the banks of the Ashenford. The town has a palisade around the western side but no such wall along the east side of the river. On the east side, the town’s old water mill still turns, providing flour for the bakery – a favourite stop for locals and travellers alike. The town is bracketed by two fortified structures outside of the town walls. On the west side stands a grand church, its towering spire visible from miles away. Atop the hill on the east side of town is a small tower and attached wooden structure – built by a wizard/knight of some repute who has taken the defense of the village upon themselves.
The inn on the east bank of town, known as The Wandering Stag, offers hearty meals and warm beds to weary adventurers, with rumors always swirling around its busy common room. Nearby is the mayor’s house and a small orchard that the mayor maintains.
Up the hill from the church lies the village graveyard, its weathered headstones whispering of long-forgotten heroes and tragedies.
But strange things are afoot in Millbrook. A new extension off the north side of the church has been built since you last visited, and is already collapsing. Giant spiders have taken up residence in the trees along the river to the north of town. Some massive fish-like monstrosity is living in the mill pond. A huge sinkhole with SOMETHING reaching out of it is just outside the town walls… and something massive and tentacular is breaking free of the town guardian’s tower.
But, we don’t need all that weirdness all the time – so I’ve also included this “boring” version of the town map missing all the weirdness. I had drawn all the weird elements on their own layers so I can turn them on and off again. This gives you a “normal” village you can use, and even the possibility of having everything get weird between visits.
View attachment 404941
The Village of Millbrook (weird & boring versions)
The Village of Millbrook (weird version – promotional copy – no commercial license) Millbrook should be a quaint little village nestled along the banks of the Ashenford. The town has a …
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Index Card Dungeon II - Map 1 - Tower Base
My ten-map “Index Card Dungeon” from two years ago has been seeing a surge of interest lately, so I was inspired to start on a new set of Index Card Dungeon maps. Much like many classic dungeon complexes, the main way into this set of dungeons is a partially ruined tower on a hill. Alternately, there is a small cave at the base of the hill that in turn connects to the complex of dungeons and ruined structures beneath the ruins.
This is the first of ten index card-sized dungeon maps that all connect together. Each is designed to fit on a traditional 3 x 5 index card (at six squares per inch), and you can write up any notes about the level on the reverse of the card. I’ll be posting three maps per month in the set, aiming for a total of 18 maps or so.
The upper levels of the old tower are in ruins, but the base still has a solid enough roof and defenses and thus has been cleaned up to be used by a group of cultists following Eldrin Vaught, “Seeker of the Deep”. Eldrin was a brilliant scholar driven to madness by the forbidden lore of Ny’thraxa – one of the seventy-seven gods trapped between.
The cult of the Fractured Eye maintain this space and the immediate dungeons below for their use and rituals. They are growing panicky though, as Eldrin Vaught and their hand-picked disciples have gone into the deeps below the tower and have not been seen in almost a week. The cult is slowly fracturing without the leadership and guidance of Vaught’s disciples – they are trigger happy, fearful, and terrified of what they have been doing now that they are on their own.
The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 9,000 x 5,400 pixels (30 x 18 squares). To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to either 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) or 140 pixels (for the recommended 10′ squares) – so resizing it to either 2,100 x 1,260 or 4,200 x 2,520, respectively.
Index Card Dungeon II – Map 1 – Tower Base
Index Card Dungeon II – Map 1 – Tower Base (300 dpi promo, no commercial license) My ten-map “Index Card Dungeon” from two years ago has been seeing a surge of interest late…
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