The great tank fortress is a monster on the battlefield- A mobile bastion claiming dominion over whatever region it storms through.
The Coalfrock minotaur do not have a homeland. In their quest to rid the world of magic they have developed a nomadic culture that is always on the move. Storming one end of the world to the other. However to unite under their flag their battalions required some kind of great gathering place. Thus the Tank Fortress was constructed. Today they have allied with the Palavier Republic in their war against the pyromancers of Dawnfire, their great mutual enemy.
Fond Departures: Skyliner Class, Civilian Transport Ironclad.
The massive, refitted military ironclad was built for war, a titan of the sky capable of transporting a small army and deploying it directly onto its target while withstanding horrendous amounts of flak. Today, it has been redesigned as a cruise ship, painted stark white and capped at the nose with a huge domed window. Fond Departures is the largest still-operational skyliner of its kind. Though it now only ferries celebrities and politicians from Grand Nostridan up to the Cirrus-on-High Casino.
The Luxury cruiser occasionally makes appearances at Nostridinian celebrations, its titanic bulk used as a symbol of national power and progress. Such propaganda is highly effective, especially when the skyliner is displayed beside more modest airships. However Fond Departures continues to belong to the billionaire Enchanté Cirrus, and it’s likely that none of the people it’s meant to inspire will ever even step foot aboard.
All across the lands there are taverns of every shape and kind. Really, what more is a tavern than a place you can get a drink? Roof and hearth optional.
This map is a collection of 9 taverns found across my setting, Crudilex. The adventurer, as an entity in the world, means taverns serve many different uses: gathering and forming parties, providing safe harbor for rest, and exchanging information, like what dangers lie between this and the next tavern!
Among the collection there are many rowdy places perfect for a brawl: mercenary and airship pirate taverns, Stinky Dukes, which is an old abandoned fishermen's wharf building, the mead hall of the northern Jarl, a brothel-cantina, the Witches Bar inspired by Howl's room, the Rootbound Tap, which is inside a ruin held together by the vines of a tree ant who also happens to be the barkeep, and the Emerald and Ivy, a fancy elven game hall where one can drink expensive wine while listening to a harp as two monsters tear each other apart in the pit below.
When you delved into the hidden dungeon below the academy you realized It wasn't the academy that had changed after the pulse- but you- transported into the far future.
Deep in the guts of the dorian academy of invention a secret arcane laboratory was hiding the dungeon of the Chronomancer. A meddler who’d combined the three major sciences, Arcana, Alchemy, and Engineering to invent the world’s first time machine. But the unstable device send itself and everyone delving there into the far future. Pulsing on and off, sending the adventurers trying to stop it back and forth between a time of ruin and the present.
No Man's Land, Blasted into oblivion by two sides deep in their trenches. Trying to cross this chaotic hellscape will only stir up the fighting again.
For this battlemap I wanted to jump back to WW2 and make a map for other kinds of wargames I don't see getting a lot of support in the VTT world, Like Warhammer and Bolt Action. I really have no idea if these can even be played online, But I’ve been super inspired by the scratch building community and terrain construction I see for war games, especially WW 1-2 games so I thought I'd take my VTT crack at it and make them a phased map!
If you dig it for your setting or there is actually an underserved community of Virtual Wargamers out there who don't have a lot of battlemap options let me know and maybe I’ll make a few more like this! Cheers!
Trench Crusade inspired battlemaps! Steel Necropolis, no man's land, the northern Hellmouth and more.
I actually made this map back when trench crusade had just hit the scene, but decided to circle back to it after the awesome art of the steel necropolis was dropped this month. So many awesome scenes for TC to explore, I do wonder if there is an audience for virtual play trench crusade- But sometimes you get inspired and gotta make the thing or it will keep begging to be made in the back of your mind! This map includes 7 variations, No man’s land, A plane crash, The Steel Necropolis, a normandy-style beach siege, the hell mouth, The crusader’s Trench which is inspired by the first art of TC, and Nin’s Trench from my own setting Crudilex!
We can survive the blizzard in here! Look, there is even a nice fire burning and strong sturdy doors!
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“You slam the door behind you, the roar of the furious wind in protest spraying a torrent of ice and snow in after you as you do. You’ve survived, but only barely. Another hour in that, and you’d be far less lucky.
Outside, a horrible blizzard threatens to end your lives in frigid isolation, hopelessly buried under bone-white snow. But inside, you are safe, for now at least. You find yourself in the mountaineer’s lodge, the place you ventured this far up the mountain to reach and meet with your contact who was to guide you across the treacherous, unmapped mountain chain. However, only one of your guides seems to be here, but he is slumped in a chair at his dining table. And as far as you can tell, he is in a near-death slumber.
You are cold. You are isolated. And something evil is hiding in this lodge.”
The map is a remake of my first ever published one-shot I made 5 years ago! It’s been updates and reformatted and the map itself is cleaned up and expanded into a full phased map! The One-shot is a 4 hour escape room themed adventure for 3-6 players at level 5!
The Derilict’s SoS was sent from the Helm over 1000 years ago, no lifesigns on-board. Just that signal- a last desperate plea from help only heard now as an echo, a millennium too late.
The signal broke through the Oroko particles, something our scientists believed impossible. It drifted, or maybe flew, into orbit, slowly creeping into Minimum Sustainable Altitude sending out an SOS signal that was first sent 1000 years ago. No one knew what the ship was or why it arrived until a few scavengers made it onboard and found data containing its name and mission, “the widdershins”.
A mythological colony ship that left earth more than 3000 years ago before it vanished.
I’ve had Sci-fi on my mind lately between seeing Project Hail Mary (amazing btw) and the Artemis mission launch, so It's time for another Lancer inspired map! This time it's a spaceship Helm inspired by the Ten, In lancer lore when earth fell to climate and nuclear disasters ten ships left the planet and launched out to form whole new civilisations completely removed from earth.
In my game one of these ships, “Widdershins” gets lost in Blinkspace. They instead experienced 5000 years onboard inside blinkspace while 2000 passed “realtime” trapping them inside endlessly warping all over space never able to exit. slowly over generations devolving and forgetting there ever was a destination to begin with, until eventually human life onboard went extinct. But- the mission continued on.
Secrets in the Bayou, out there in the swamps there are a million places to hide and twice as many things best left unfound.
While developing my Call of Cthulhu map a while back I was rereading the book and came to the chapter about the ritual in Louisiana. I thought that would make for a really awesome encounter with loose footing and lots of environmental hazards- on top of the cultists and whatever monsters they conjure up. This map has a handful of other variations. Quicksand, a stranded boat and crashed plane, a fey swamplands filled with massive bones and bugs, unicorn’s grove, a jungle canopy tarzan-like branch above.
I probably should have done something romantic for a valentines day release, but instead I made a big stinky bog.
The Phantom coachman never stops, his carriage rolls through the fog of purgatory to collect the spirits of the dead.
The moors of dolver are haunted, its few pine-lined roads crisscross between settlements draped in an oppressive gloom. Its reaching castles filled with what few stalwart souls choose to linger in the lands where the veil of purgatory and the world of the living grows the thinnest. It is here that it is sometimes said the phantom coachmen can be seen with the naked eye moving those whose time has come from the lands of the living to the darkness hereafter. Normally his hauntings pass us by unseen but in places like dolver he is said to roll with his ghostly steeds through walls of fog for the briefest of moments. It is best to ignore such things, they are not for the living to witness. And if his coach arrives for you it is best to climb aboard- no use running the phantom coachman never stops.
The Coachman is my setting, Crudilex’s grim reaper. I wanted to do a sort of gothic horror- carchase type encounter where the players are literally running from death. Something with that frakenstine-ravenloft sort of stink!
The Windchime Market, traveling in a choir of ringing bells, the flotilla of ballooning nomads venture through the skies together selling their goods along the winds.
The City of Yisa is more like a traveling band of ballooners. Their homes and vehicles are lifting and dropping like mobile camps all over the continent of Iarin. Landing at the edge of cities and opening up like a floating circus. Pilots zipping through the air doing stunts. Airships and skiffs offering rides to kids. But the most well known of all is the Windchime market. It began simply selling exactly its name sake but as more and more merchants joined Yisa this mercantile flotilla has become the primary place to make trade in the whole country under the gentle dings of the chimes above.
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For this map I wanted to make something for a unique culture I've been dreaming up. Yissans, a people who have taken to living in the sky, really connecting to it like many cultures in our world have with the earth. Yissian’s are semi-nomadic and live in hot air balloon huts that move all over the land but return to Windchime market and Yisa when conditions are bad, or they get too old for life in the air. This map includes a number of variations, two cyberpunk one downtown one a junk night market. A caveman times river tunnel, a necromancer market, and more!
The Rail Car, In the big city its difficult to quickly cross the terrain and get through traffic and the rail car quickly bypasses it, But that means you never know who you’ll cross paths with on it.
The city is dense and crossing it through traffic is never easy, And a city like grand nostridan is even worse. Its hundreds of miles across and reaching Jalova from Cull could take days of driving. Even worse on foot, navigating around the central bowl in the middle of the city is a nightmare or was until the Lerin brought a Cronoslide railcar. Now 500 miles feels like 10 minutes. For a small fee of course.
This collection of maps explores the railcar. I’ve been replaying Skies of Arcadia, one of my favorite games of all time and got to the scene where the sky pirates fight some imperial guards on top of a railcar crossing a city. It made me realize I don't think I’ve ever seen one in a battlemap. So I made a few versions. One with a deiselpunky vibe for my setting Crudilex. One in the open sky, maybe between some floating islands or mountain ranges? A cyberpunk monorail variation and a classic subway underground for something modern.
Steel Mill, The factory’s machines are predictable, always moving the same way. But combat is not. So keep your head down and don't get crushed.
The white-hot molten iron fills a giant house-sized crucible radiating enough that walking into the mill feels like passing into a solid wall of heat. The old steel mill kept almost everyone in town employed. You could tell where you were at night by looking for the orange glow in the sky coming off the factory making metal for guns and tanks on the front at all hours. No wonder it was such a target. When the Brazen crusaders advanced into palivier they targeted the factories before the outposts. Turns out that was their plan all aloung- quick decisive strikes at the republic’s manufacturing then retreat. Over and over until their machines and armor outnumbered paliveir’s.
I feel like every 80s-90s action movie had a fight scene in a factory. I wanted to make something industrial and looping for this week’s map. I thought the idea of an encounter in a factory where the map could change fairly quickly in the background but in a way that becomes predictable to the players so much so that they can use it to their advantage would be a really cool encounter.
The Airship Good Finch and its crew of longhaul couriers is relied upon for mail, cargo, transport, really everything coming in and out of the city of Yisa. Even the birds take advantage!
Once built for war, this airship has been completely retrofitted by Yisian Aeronauts to serve as the city's primary long-distance transport. It makes regular trips moving goods, cargo, passengers, mail, and trade up and down the Manderwind from Yisa. For decades this Ironclad was unnamed until birds began flocking around it as it made their migrations easier since as it followed the same routes during the same months the birds would. More and more birds began flying with and even nesting on the ironclad, eventually, even a Great Finch. After years of this the murmurations that would fly alongside the ship became Something of a symbol to the people of Yisa and a proper roost was built for them on the ship, this Ironclad was named 'The Good Finch' and decorated with a flag representing the Great Finch's Wing. The birds may make a mess on the ship but they are welcomed as pets and mascots for aeronauts who rely on The Finch
This is one of the first pieces for a yet-to-be announced project featuring all kinds of airship content. If that's something you dig in your TTRPGs follow along! This map is a collab with the fabulous artist @henturtlettrpg. See more of their stuff at henturtleportfolio.carrd.co
It can't all be combat, at some point every adventuring party has to grab trunks and towels and have a proper cannonball contest.
The fabled heroes have traveled to every corner of the kingdom, slain countless great evils. Battled dragons, liches, dark knights. But nothing has prepared them for this, their ultimate conquest. A 4v4 beach volleyball contest. No holds barred, TOO THE DEATH or first to three since we only rented the court until sundown.
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I made this map because where I live, in northern california its been 4 weeks of absolute gloom and the sun is a distant memory. As a summer-child I have been longing for some poolparty energy. And thus the Beach Episode map- I’ve kicked around the idea of writing a really extremely complex TTRPG with a 400 page rule book called “Beach Episode” where the whole bit of the game was the unbelievably crunchy rules used for a slice of life type setting. Then at the very back having one page of rules-lite combat rules for the “Combat Episode” Maybe someday I’ll commit to the bit. But for now this will have to do. Haha.
The Gravemines, treating ancient graves and their magical artifacts within like mineral veins to be stripped and sold. Cold and pragmatic, desecrating the dead for a fast payday.
The discovery of Sun Ivory ignited a frenzied rush of adventurers, miners, and fortune hunters, all eager to extract these rare and potent relics by any means necessary, strip mining for catacombs. What began as a small dig has now grown into a feverish race to unearth the crypts and mine their contents.
The practice of treating these ancient graves like mineral veins to be stripped and sold earned the participants the name "tomb dredgers." Originally an insult, the term has since become as common as "blacksmith" or "lamplighter" as the coin piles higher. The demand for Sun Ivory has surpassed that of any other resource in Crudilex. The Gravemines, the largest of the excavation sites, are now ruthlessly strip-mined in search of more tombs and artifacts, their cold and pragmatic efficiency leaving deep scars across the tundra.
Huge pieces of metal scrap are thrown all around you as you desperately scramble to shut down the out of control machine spewing fire and smog from it’s Scrapyard Incinerator.
Scrapcity is a sprawling junkyard metropolis where mechs are as common as cars. A rusted maze of broken war machines, salvaged armor plating, and makeshift dwellings welded together from the skeletons of giant long-dead constructs. Smoke curls from chimneys built into old missile pods. Streets are carved between the legs of toppled titans. Ruled by scavengers, tinkerers, and war profiteers, those who thrive on the leftovers of the stalemated conflict.
Nothing metal in the Scrap-City stays dead for long. If it could walk when it died, it walks again.
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Sometimes an encounter is more about avoidance and survival than combat outright. In this map I imagine players trying to avoid the claw and debris it throws around, the smoke and fire all while trying to shut the machine down and achieve whatever goal brought them there. Originally I was working on an airship battlemap with the claw here but I got really inspired, I think by watching Dimension 20’s Cloudward, Ho (best season yet, Imo)
City Backstreets, roads, alleyways, sewers. The city is filled with places one might find a fight.
The megastructures that fill the center of the 500 mile city of Grand Nostridan are crowned with parks and terraces, gardens and entire cityscapes perched atop their highest heights. Many citizens live their entire lives without ever wondering what lies at the bottom. But far, far beneath the city lies Lowside, a place crammed with people, homes, and factories built wherever there is space. There are no roads. There is no map. The streets are more like gutters. The suns above are distant and shine on the lowest levels for only an hour or so each day. There is no government here, no sanitation, no direction. And yet, countless people do. Lowside is the runoff of life. When the city has no further use for something it ends up down here.
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This collection of maps are all inspired by the depths and side streets of large cities. Deep allies and busy main streets far from the forests and dungeons most adventures take place in. I like to imagine a dense and confusing city adventure where skills to find your way like nature and survival might be useful in the same ways they’d be deep in the wilderness. It includes a few different settings, modern, fantasy, Cyberpunk, and three from my setting Crudilex.
This map was inspired by the idea of a boss fight where a villainous ringmaster stands in the center, Orchestrating a comical battle with the players and putting on a real show for the audience by making them look as foolish as possible during the encounter.
I like the idea of the ringmaster forcing the players to do minigames, Like Trivia about their last adventure, or Quickly solving a maze before too many rounds pass. And those who fail become charmed. This map is a redesign of one of my very old yet still quite popular maps that lots of new subscribers like, so I wanted to give it a new coat of paint and bring it up to my more recent standard while also adding in a handful of fun new variations! I tried my best to include the various flavors of the curious carnival trope as I could, Evil, Abandonded, ring of fire, human cannonball, Clown parade, and some that jumped off the idea of a the large tent, like the warcheif’s or nomad’s tents.
Castle of Cannons, a cathedral-fortress belonging to a militant sect of crusaders who worship artillery. making war as holy sacrament, Their doctrine teaches that anything reduced to ash becomes one with their goddess of fire.
Traditional Dawnfire scripture venerates fire as a purifier of both body and spirit, the Castle of Cannons extends this belief to an extreme. They believe that each foe struck down by a blade is a soul lost, wasted in purgatory. But a being obliterated by cannonfire is delivered directly to the goddess by sacred flames, their heresy turned to ash and left behind, their purest essence folded into the divine cause of Dawnfire. In death, they are saved. In fire, they are made holy.
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This map dives back into the Crudilex setting, Specifically the central reaches of the world where trench-style warfare and long stalemate wars are fought with seemingly no end. So long that whole structures like the castle of cannons are built along the back lines. I wanted the map to represent a push by the enemies very very close to the artillery cannons where they’ve had to blast their own trenches. Also- I just love making maps where shit blows up.
The entire northeastern quarter of Veirloh Island is covered by the Stone Forest, a vast, jagged expanse of sharp limestone outcrops that make travel nearly impossible on foot. These rock formations are the remnants of ancient fossils, worn away over thousands of years by relentless rainstorms. What remains are long, blade-like fins of stone that rise and fall across the land, forming a maze of stone sails. The dry riverbed that cuts through the center provides one of the only easy passageways through the stone forest but regular storms make it a gamble each time as the flash flooding in the region washes everything away.
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This map was inspired by the Shilin Stone Forest in China and Tsingy de Bemaraha in Madagascar. There are so many places like them in the world that feel straight out of a fantasy story, but funnily enough are hardly ever actually IN fantasy stories. I’ve been working on a series of maps that explores the more magical real-world locations like the stone forests!
Mouth of the Void, The Gates of hell; The passage to the bottomless pit where all hopelessness, paranoia, and anxiety originates, calling out to those who cast its shadows above, whispering the call of the void.
Hell has fallen, the betrayer demons have claimed the throne of the devil and declared the dark below as “the void”. Haunting paranoia and oppressive, unrelenting darkness choked out all the torment and cruelty that once defined “Evil”. The New Devil, Monodono, rules that bottomless pit and at its edge, the mouth of the void. Its gates, watched over by the skeletal titan, welcome countless souls who cannot bear the toil of life anymore and cast themselves willingly into the nothingness of Monodono, answering his call of the void.
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Decided to make the gates of hell in my setting, Crudilex, as this week's map. Did a bunch of other "Gates" from around the setting as well for the other variations and a cheeky little post apoc one because the inspiration struck. It is surprising how many big important doors you can squeeze into a fantasy setting, I guess there is just something evocative about a huge doorway and what protects whatever might be behind it.
Crosshaven is a well-known frontier town, with loads of adventurers passing through, which of course means parties butt heads or debate claims over who staked out a dungeon first. Typically these conflicts are resolved with a showdown; the last party member standing wins the rights for their group. However, lately a Dust-fey has become more and more annoyed with the constant parade of chaotic heroes traipsing around in its territory. Seeing the perfect opportunity for a little payback, it rode into town followed by a regular army of spiny dry tumbleweeds to drown all those damn adventurers and their stupid town in!
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Inspired by the tumbleweed storms that rolled through Texas and Utah, covering absolutely everything. Seemed like a perfect, unexpected freak nature event that would make an encounter for a D&D party to try and deal with, maybe while tussling with some nature-controlling foe blowing them around with high winds!
De Lune Moving Picture Theatre! Showing its very first ever talkie tonight!
A line around the block waits for their strut down the red carpet with celebrities of radio and screen out in force to see this miracle of technology! Rising starlet Avaleyssa enchants us with her beautiful voice, sure hope no ne'er-do-wells come in and try and ruin the show. If anything were to go wrong people might not take it too lightly, especially since according to some of this reporter’s sources a whole lotta crumbs went into baking this particular pie.
The base variation of map is set in the fantasy-noir setting of Grand Nostridan. A 30s-40s sort of environment but with healthy doses of whimsical magical D&D. Something along the lines of Mistborn, Dishonored, or New Capenna from MTG. It also comes with 10 total variations. An abandoned version for urbex, a 90s Wacky Pomo arcade, an airship bridge, a cyberpunk movie theatre with minecraft parkour and subway surfer on the sides, even a modern day movie theater. And a few more check them out!
The Orrery, calculating and mapping the movements of magic through the aether for the master wizards of the arcane university.
The Celestarium of the Mimsy is the foremost school for the study of the relationship between the ley lines and the stars, exploring the growing field that attempts to understand how the conditions one is born under shape the future of that person and the essence of their soul. The Orrery was developed to track the nexus of these arcane concepts and calculate them in a measurable way. Six ley lines were discovered, and so six spheres rotate below a map of the cosmos painted above.
There are those, however, who see this device as heretical—believing these wizards are attempting to understand the heavens and the realms of the divine. Fanatics have already attacked the Orrery three times since its creation, and they nearly succeeded in destroying it the last time. After three years of restoration, the study has at last been allowed to continue. The school has hired a small group of heroes to protect it until the important work can be completed.
The Boiler Room had been tinkered with by the repairman for decades. It was only after he vanished that the tenants realized they had never known who he was. Hissing, rattling pipes and hoses dripped hot water from the low ceiling. The network beneath the building was a strange kind of alchemy only the repairman understood. Without him, you’ll have to cross the mess he built and fix the boiler yourself before the pressure gets too high!
I made this map on a complete whim while working on another with pipes. The idea of trying to get into a maze-like boiler room and back out before being cooked by hot steam really sounded like a fun, non-combat challenge that could still be run with turn orders. Putting a complicated problem in front of the players and asking them to solve it with the tools they’ve built into their little murderers can be a fun change of pace!
Sky Pirates and aeronauts are generally mortal enemies but the few things they agree on should be headed by all who climb to the clouds. And among the many superstitions one stands above all others- That in the dark skies over crudilex is a horrible cursed vessel. A ash-black skiff hull what rests on the bones of an Arcwhale. Whose damned crew of phantoms kills and butchers any ship that comes into their line of fire and cannot be felled with a blade or gun.
The legends tell of a Cutlass of green phantom steel forged in the lands of the dead and smuggled back to the living. “Wake” they say its named. And who wields this cutlass commands the ship of lost souls, This power over death is yours while you live but once your time comes your everafter belongs to the Phantom Airship, The Frigid Gale.
Another map from my setting Crudilex, Airships are a key feature of the setting and the daring aeronauts who sail the skies make for many of the world's heroes and adventurers. And what's more troublesome for a sailor than a ghostship. This particular ship sails to and from the realms of the dead mooring in purgatory in the ghost city of Tanare, Which I’ll have a map set in coming out soon!
Wytch's Dale, A single narrow pass between towering frozen mountains. The laws of the coven here say passing through in complete silence is the only way to reach the other side.
Nestled at the eastern edge of the Algēre glacier lies Wytch's Dale, a forest choked by silence. This woodland valley is home to one of the oldest witch covens in all of Crudilex, a sisterhood of Blooded Riven who forged a pact with the Dryad personification of the season of winter in ages long past. Through this pact, the witches gained dominion over the Dale, ruling unchallenged and exacting tribute from all who pass through. Magic and secrets must be offered, and any who cross their territory must pay this tithe or pass their lands without speaking a single word. An unnatural silence hangs over the dale, not a birdsong and animal call to be heard within. Even beasts respect this dominion of the coven.
To loudly cross Wytch's Dale unwelcomed and without paying their tithe is to welcome disaster into your life, perhaps not right away, but well into your future. curses are grown right into the roots of the trees and those who fail to pay their due to cross will find the dale has a way of following you back to where you are going and getting what it is owed.
This map is another feature from my setting crudilex, the covens are a culture in the setting that gathers magic without any regard to its source, believing there is no evil in magic. Some covens align themselves with a single creature like the Coven of Winter here in Wytch’s Dale. The idea was one of those classic video game looping dungeons, where you have to successfully make it to the other side of an area perfectly or be sent back to the beginning.
The bridge fortress, Watching the comings and goings of each and every cart and merchant who crosses the city, sneaking past the soldiers to the other side of the river will be no simple thing.
The Historilogical Protectorate strictly controls the narrative and story surrounding the founding of the empire, and has been given imposing power and resources with-which to silence those who claim any contradiction to the government approved history. Moving around the reach of the imperial country they regularly move into cities and claim temporary rulership, setting up stations to observe, control, and censor. Stations like Fortaleza Protectorate
The imposing stone building spans across the bridges crossing the Delta which runs through the city of Tankren. Overlooking the goings-on of the region, maintaining a threatening presence over the people. Fortaleza Protectorate is the fortress that serves the occupying force in the city, Many of the secret police of the Protectorate serve from here under the orders of its shrewd and no-nonsense captain, Raphael Marina, a well-known mage-slayer.
The Hatchet of Hadar, dreaded airship of the villainous Captain Kane Rotlungs. Unleashing hell in the night over the Capital City.
Rotlung’s infamous ironclad pushes the limits of what a Manabattery engine can keep skyworthy, Covered in layers of pigiron and scrap salvaged from the bones of ships he’s taken from the sky Rotlungs and his crew of mischievous Imps bombard cities into submission and make off with loot and weapons. His ever growing boldness has sent him for larger and larger targets deeper and deeper into Grand Norstidinian airspace. Until one dark night that hatchet of Hadar, silhouetted against the shattered moon, let free hell over the capital itself.
Something no Air Pirate has ever been crazy enough to attempt.
This map Is a Crudilex original featuring the great city below and one of the many famous airship pirates of the setting. Kane plays the part of a sort of Long-John-Silver type. An antihero who calls himself a freedom fighter but is really just a backstabbing treasure hound at his core- Kane himself cuts a broad silhouette for a tiefling, a mountain of a man with a horn littered beard and intelligent yellow eyes. I’ve made tons of airships but a nice scraped together-post apocy looking one just makes sense!
Online Cyber Cafe, For one low low (hourly) price guests can enjoy (Limited tiered subscription plans) to link into the local net from this off-grid cafe! (cash only)
The high-rises of the city, so packed with people, put a demand on the local intranet signal that is nearly as congested as the apartments themselves. But like any problem in the dark future, there is a solution available for the right price. The Online Cafes let customers access high-speed connections for the VR worlds they use to escape the late-stage capitalist hellscape they find themselves in, or to link into private business meetings with a need for a less personally connected connection address.
For this map, I wanted to zoom in more, working on a smaller, high-detail design. Not every encounter has to be a massive, dynamic battlefield—sometimes, as a player, it's fun to just scan the map, looking for inspiration in the details for those unexpected, off-the-cuff sort of moves!
All pilots report to Mech Hangar 01! High alert! Enemies detected within hangar. All hands battlestations!
The titanic machines require nearly constant upkeep. For every pilot there are 200 of us engineers. The damn things have countless moving parts, and they insist on them being bipedal for some god forsaken reason. Really it's a miracle of engineering these things work at all and then those damn hot shots take them out on the battlefield and blow them up, unbelievable. You’d think flash printing would have put us out a job but the easier they are to make the more those apes blow them up, we’re working more than ever!
This map is inspired by the Lancer TTRPG, and the long history of the mech hangar ready-up scene from mecha anime. If the battlefield is where the action takes place then the mech hangar is where the interpersonal drama shines! No reason one can’t leak into the other.
This collection has 10 variations, The Hangar, AI (NHP) Storage Facility, Air Drop Hangar, Space Cultists Lair, Modern Docks, Shamazon warehouse, A player character hangout hangar, and more!
“Most totemic troupes are quite poor. But to have so little and still perform is—I think—an even truer expression of Passion.” – Ida Holly
The magnificent Sperrowspot Revue. Pop-up traveling theater, one night only! Half off tickets if you bring your own chair!
The theatre troupe of the Sperrowspot Revue can have their whole stage set up in a day, and torn down in under an hour. A useful talent when your lead actors have a habit of causing a scene at the local tavern when your caravan is pulling out of town. They’d throw him in jail if not for his charm, a once-in-a-lifetime wit wasted on a complete ass of a man.
But the show must go on, and on it goes sundown tonight at the edge of town. One night only.
This map is inspired by the bohemian arts pictured in those early 2000s greats like Moulin Rouge and Dr. Parnassus. Victorian paper theaters, vaudeville. Turn-of-the-century pre-war circus art and occultism. Have a hard time pinpointing exactly what that style is called, but boy do I adore it. This map comes with a number of variations, most inspired by theatre in some sense.
“Your path to discovering Arjun’s Inn begins at the foothills of the Markehsha Mountains, a major crossroads of cultures. The majestic sight of Joramy volcano is just above the horizon.” - Ida Holly
Here lives a rich merchant, Arjun, who has fallen on hard times and has turned his large home into “Arjun’s Inn. The kind of boutique hotel that wealthier adventure travelers might seek out in Dawnfire. Traders, pilgrims, and crusaders have passed through this small, rural village, on a well-traveled road to Seagate snaking through the central north of the lands of Dawnfire. While travelers rest at the hotel, the owner and other families reside there. The décor, as well as the furniture, at Arjun’s Inn is an amalgamation of mismatched artifacts Arjun has collected through his years of travel across southern Crudilex.
Dawnfire culture believes that fire is sacred, The act of burning something is to send it into the divine realms to become one with their goddess. Ash and soot being the portion of that thing that are not sacred, unholy or deconsecrated. All that remains when every holy element is removed from a thing leaving behind only the portions the goddess does not wish to claim. Because of this many cultures throughout Dawnfire see touching of ash as a corruption, like staining your fingers with pure unadulterated unholyness.
The Getaway! You’ve loaded an airship up with your ill gotten coin, now all that matters is outrunning the cops!
“They say the heist of the casino was the boldest ever preformed in the whole of the world. But they forget to add the chase that came after was too” - Ida Holly
“Your listening to Rockthron radio:
This just in! The auction taking place at the cirrus on high floating island casino in Grand Nostridan HAS. BEEN. ROBBED! a grand heist has left the coffers of Enchante herself completely empty and- what’s this?
Breaking news!
A spellship loaded with countless coin come careening carelessly through the hot air balloon show off the side of the island, Roian police skiff in hot pursuit firing their force-chain cannons! Go get’m boys!
This has been Rockthorn Radio!”
The final map in my cirrus casino series. Starting with breaking in, Then the raceway outside, then hitting the vault, and now the getaway! All four maps will be released together in an up-coming One-Shot! Cirrus is a dear part of my Crudilex setting and now that this portion is done I’ll finally be moving to another part of that world to dive deep on!
“The Wilder, the Wilds. Home of the wolfking and his children. The land of beasts is no friend to man. The soil riots to our boots and the winds cry our passing. Wander ye weary through circles of the fey.” - Avara Luvo, witch of Dunwel
In ages long forgotten these portals served the beasts of the woods, connecting their burrows and warrens to the land of the fey. Today the fairy use them to prey on foolish mortals. There is a song, It goes:
"O tread ye not near fey-folk's ring,Where deathless spirits dance and sing.
By stone and root their charm is laid,Like snare for those who pass or stray'd.
They watch from warrens, from bush and sprawl,Where mortal boots must never fall.
For time turns foul and paths are lost,And kin who seek thee pay the cost.
Leave milk and bread, then walk thee wide—
And venture not to fey-folk’s side."
This time we’re diving into the lands of the fairy. With many variations on the fairy circle. With seasonal fey court versions and even the Unseelie. I think the one I like the most is the Faun's Labyrinth, Inspired by one of my all time favorite modern fairy tales, Pan’s Labyrinth. I could totally see a Feywild game in DnD where you're jumping between fairy rings and transporting through the various courts and seasons trying to seek something or escape.
“There are few monsters great enough to be mentioned on world maps by name, But it is critically important that the territory of Rahido, the Arcwhale, is known to anyone traveling the skies.” - Ida Holly
The Lost horizon is the fastest, Highest flying twin manabattery Iari class airship ever created. The Drakul Harpoon is the strongest most advanced airship harpoon constructed to date. The crew we’ve assembled is hand picked by Tankren Falstead who’s been hunting Rahido since he was old enough to become an aeronaught. There are no further preparations or equipment hitherto forth available to us. And somehow it still doesn't feel like enough-So, as your captain, best that the lot of you to pray to every devine whos name you know. That's an order. Good. Now- To stations! Full speed into the eye of the storm! Let's kill an Arcwhale!
This map is set in my setting of Crudilex high in the sky featuring the legendary battle between an one of a kind airship, The Lost Horizon, which I featured in a previous battlemap, fighting the world of Crudilex’s greatest airborne monster! I wanted it to feel momentous and epic! Like a clash between Captain Ahab and Moby Dick or an encounter with a leviathan but thousands of feet off the ground!
“I have seen the World Engine. Deep down underground in the Sunless Sea. Its miles across and Its core glows red in the darkness. Which is lucky, because it's very easy to get disoriented in that forest of Oil and pistons.” - Ida Holly
There are machinations we just weren't meant to understand. The surface above the world engine is so simple, human, strife but only on our mortal scale. Below the World Engine runs for the divine constructed by gods and put toward their ineffable goals. We scramble upon its artifice without the ability to fathom its purpose like rats in a wizard’s study. We can guess at the reason the divine built this machine, perhaps it is their means to bring about another devine of their kind, Deus ex machina, God from the machine? Perhaps it will run until the end of time, keeping hours like a great celestial clock. We can only guess. But there is one single consensus, if it should ever stop only upheaval can follow.
For this map I wanted to imagine the whirring insides of a super complex machine, Something like an airship or walking castle the players had to board and take down from inside! I even tried to make the lifts on the right and left move like they are the inside mechanics of a giant walking machine! I was really inspired by Steamboy and Dragonmech.
The city of the future, sterile and optimized, is beyond scarcity- but some things only huge fighting robots can settle.
This map is designed for my Lancer Actual Play, Star Progoney which just recorded its very first episode! www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLJDmsa9_Ro
It’s my first crack at making a battlemap set for the Lancer RPG. This location hasn’t been visited just yet, but it belongs to a faction known as the Algoric, a hyper optimized society of computer worshiping humans who love their lives in service of the AI who dictates their tasks and steers their lives. Likewise their cities are over-optimized, over-engineered clean- and devoid of any waste or mistakes.
The map also includes 9 other variations, Automated security, Active combat zone, a dieselpunk city, a dreamland city, an ancient ruins, cyberpunk downtown and a few other city-centric takes on the same layout for any encounters in your densely populated zones!
“Sometimes a quick getaway is more dangerous than just sticking around to fight!” - Ida Holly
Life in silkwind Junction is fast and cheap, Emphasis on the FAST! And the Tho mines are blasting all round the clock and wont even pause for a group of wayward adventurers and hurt their bottom line. Baron’s would say if you stopped for every band of misfits who ran down into the blasting tunnels you’d never have a full day’s work!
Danger, Blasting! This phased battlemap takes you on a minecart chase through the active canyon mines, past exploding dynamite, the edge of a canyon cliff, and into a dam-powered ore grinder! This map is my second minecart rollercoaster map, the last one was inspired by indiana jones, and TAZ 11th hour, this one is more in the flavor of Big Thunder railroad, or Looney Toons! Its a bit crazy, a bit goofy, but sometimes it's a fun time to run an encounter that… flies of the rails? Eh eh?
Silkwind Junction, The canyon mine is always rolling day and night, no time to slow down, cross the tracks at your own risk. Life in Silkwind Junction is fast and cheap, better to work the mines then tussle with the Tho Barons. The locals say If you don’t have a mind for invention then you better have a back for digging or fists for fighting. Down in the canyon it's all or nothing and switches between them mighty fast.
Inspired by one of my earliest maps that was a frogger sort of encounter on a busy street I wanted to set a similar kind of challenge in my canyon city of Silkwind, a gnomish desert city where inventors are celebrities and the rest struggle to survive. This is also a two part map! Next week we’ll see what happens if you jump aboard a minecart and ride down into the blasting tunnel!
The Saltpool Terraces separate the upper sea from the lower, The great geyser erupts with mineral rich torrents in the upper sea and slowly they flow over the mountain side depositing their minerals and forming countless pools and rivers. The people of the region believe among these sacred pools lie portals, windows into time where one can peer and see how their life might turn out depending on the choices they make. Divining Dowser Wizards make frequent visits to them they say to seek to glimpse their fate, but the public secret is that its really just to the region's best vacation spot.
This map is a collection of maps from the region of Rayion, in my setting Crudilex. Inspired by Pamukkale in Turkey, Yellowstone, the sulfur lake in Indonesia, the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, and various other unique hydrological regions in our world. I’m endlessly fascinated by ways water behaves and the extremes are so unbelievably beautiful to look at and so alien.
“Critical note: Just because Mimsy sometimes LOOK like stuffed animals doesn't mean they are cute and snuggly and nice.” - Ida Holly
In the dreamlands of Nocturne everything is steeped in whimsy, the theatrical world of sleep. Here the Mimsy, Jester-like personifications of various dreams and desires, live their lives. Their great dreaming city of Avu serves as an anchor point for all the waking world to visit when they are asleep and their minds wander to Nocturne, and at the heart of the city is the Carousel.
With its decorated sheep bouncing up and down as it spins, and its celestial patterned walls and roof, it is an Icon of the realm of Nocturne beloved by the Mimsy. And an ever present target of their enemy, Nod.
For this map I wanted to make something cute and fun, I went for that blue and gold celestial 90s motif that was once super popular. They call it whimsigoth these days. Perfect vibe for a magical counting sheep carousel I think!
“The Lost Horizon, Plague of merchants from Seagate to South Deitzeil, Yet somehow its crew manages to do good. Could there be such a thing as a hero pirate?” - Ida Holly
Airship Pirates, Really not too much of a threat. Most of the time a few broadsides is enough to keep them away. But if you see the flying skull of The Lost Horizon’s flag. Best to just surrender…
There are legends that Captain Tankren The Lost Horizon made a wish to fly an airship that would never go down, Always outrun, and come to rule the sky. That the Lost Horizon would dominate Crudilex and outlast all others- Today even Tankren himself has aged and died, But his old ship still flies. Who can say if the legends are true.
This map is my third in a series of large airship maps. The first two were more imperial style warships. Only made sense to give some representation to the noble airship pirates, legends of the flying port of La Gaviota. This map was very inspired by the Blue Rouge’s airship the Delphinus from Skies of Arcadia, one of my favorite games of all time.
This map is a feature in my most recent bundle of 14 other airship maps also! So if you have a airship heavy game now is the time to check out balatro.net/airshipbundle
“I’ve heard lots of tales of the adventurers who fly that airship, and really… It's no surprise it wrecked. Honestly, most adventurers shouldn't be allowed to fly.” - Ida Holly
The Affinity was an exceptional airship and it crashed in just as exceptional a wreck. Shattered to splinters hundreds of feet in the air when it tried a daring maneuver through a basalt canyon that was just a bit too narrow. Now it dangles from ropes in the frozen wastes, its treasure and secrets high and unreachable, but always tantalizing those who venture across the tundra.
But someone, someday will come along and make the climb up to the wreck. And they better come prepared. The icey cliffs are hardly safe, but there are rumors that something is roosting up there in that airship wreck.
There is something to be said about teleportation magic, And that something is "No thank you" - Ida Holly.
The Dunwel Fen is foreboding and dangerous, Unwelcoming and unkind to outsiders. Which makes it the perfect place for the Wizard Lorenzo Faberwall to build his tower and perform his dangerous and highly illegal magical experiments. Far from the prying eyes of the empire and their endless shortsighted magical laws.
But then again, NOT opening a portal to teleport a whole magical tower MAY have been one of their wiser laws...
That won't stop Faberwall however, And neither will you! It doesn't matter if all that makes it to the other side of the portal is his singed BONES this spell will be finished no matter your attempts to stop it!
By my patrons vote a portal collapse inside of a wizard tower was decided to be one of the featured encounters in my upcoming book Ida's Guide to Worlds Beyond our own!
With timeless lives and boundless intellect I am forced to wonder if our most brilliant minds were not consumed, would we too be this advanced? - Ida Holly, on elder brains.
“The hive was unlike others the historians wrote about, few if any Psyoniccally controlled minions. Its walls were reinforced like armor. Pipes and gaskets all around hissed and the air was thick with chemical smells.
When we reached Xzvel’s Brine pool it didn’t even seem startled. In our minds it welcomed us… and when a massive door behind it opened the dread machine inside- whatever that monster was building- it tore our party apart with fire and acid and light… You mustn’t venture down there, I beg you!”
This is the last map of my April boss fights only series! I did three others, a rotting heart, a pirate raid, and a frozen horror! For this one, I imagined “who led them all” and came up with the idea of a sort of Elder brain BBEG who has been testing the heroes up to this point! If you saw the others you’ll see in each of the vats is a small nod to them- implying this elder brain somehow created them.
As a cartographer, I must acknowledge that much of my trade is performed for military endeavors. I don't like it nor am I proud of it, We have all seen what devastation war is capable of. Some things of the past are better LEFT in the past.
~Ida Holly
In the final days of the Last War, House Cannith unleashed its mightiest creations: the warforged colossi. These enormous mechanical warriors thundered across Cyre, crushing everything in their paths and leaving ruin behind them. Meant to end the war decisively, the colossi pulverized hundreds of soldiers beneath their feet and incinerated whole legions with beams of fiery light that shot from their chests. This rampage was cut short on the Day of Mourning. The arcane cataclysm that engulfed Cyre destroyed most of the warforged colossi, causing them to collapse into lifeless heaps.
But some survived, and are still out there waiting to be awakened. Cannith artificers are eager to track them down. Powerful men in the world have a vested interest in claiming these wrecks for themselves because the possibility of having one under your command could change the face of Eberron.
This behemoth of a map is a sequel to "The Monster Factory" and is a commission by patron Bishop869 to grow his Eberron game. It is 16(!) phases, the most I've ever done. This battle sets the scene of a final encounter between a BBEG and the party, and as such, I tried my very best to make it feel cinematic and epic! It revisits the Colossus I had created in "Atop the Colossus" but imagines it in Eberron.
A classic battlemap of mine, while I still hold a special place in my heart for it this map no longer reflects my current skill level and so I’m offering a steep discount at more than half off! Please enjoy! If you really love it let me know and mabye I’ll remake it at a quailty more reflective of my current work!
~Bal
“Speaking from experience, Shipwrecking at sea isn't so bad when you’ve been shipwrecked in the sky. Though that's not one of my theories that I recommend testing.”
-Ida Holly
Our adventurers find themselves crossing a vast dryland on the HMS Affinity. A long journey cargo-merchant airship converted into a personal vessel by it’s captain. With many days of travel ahead they expect a fairly uneventful trip.
That is before they reach the Canyon that marks a border to a nearby Tyrannical empire. One who doesn't take kindly to whom they have declared as Airship pirates. Which, it just so happens, was once true of the Affinity’s captain. Must have slipped her mind, She gives a wicked smile, and recommends you hang on tight, Those new Empire Airfrigates are fast. Look at the bright side, at least it's not pirates!
A battle between two airships descends from high in the clouds and weaves through the narrow canyon below. Trading artillery, Smashing into walls, before ending in two crashes from a risky maneuver, allowing the battle to continue on foot. 9 Phased Battle map.
This map includes
- 9 phased Airship chase.
- Gridless Variant
- No Ship Variant
- Airship Transparent Png tokens (Both ships)
- Open sky tile, just in case.
A classic battlemap of mine, while I still hold a special place in my heart for it this map no longer reflects my current skill level and so I’m offering a steep discount at more than half off! Please enjoy! If you really love it let me know and mabye I’ll remake it at a quailty more reflective of my current work!
~Bal
Necromancy is gross, But have you ever seen an artificer try their hand at it... That's a new and exciting kind of Gross.
-Ida Holly
Monster Factory, our adventurers have followed leads of strange monsters all across Eberron centered around a factory nestled in a quiet north side factory district.
A mastermind calling himself Lord Cardillo has been Forging monsters of all sorts with foul alchemy, Forbidden Necromancy, and all the Mechanical wonders of Eberron than secretly sending them out into the world for nefarious enigmatic reasons. cornered now This villain would be happy to see this factory reduced to ruin before besmirching his good name, and will trigger all manner of havoc causing explosions throughout the factory from his well-protected control room all while taunting our heroic adventurers.
Monster Factory is a 7 phased battle map, It is chaotic and very goofy much like the namesake. Cheers to the good good boys. The green Ooze is inspired by "The Dip" from Who framed Rodger Rabbit, My hope is the encounter will become something of a The floor is lava sort of experience as the party fends off the factory's creations and tries and stop them from erupting out of glass chambers and reanimating from the conveyor belt.
“The city is completely locked down. There is no way in or out. I mean other than their supply trains but the airships guide them in from the farms… why are you looking at me like that?” - Ida Holly
riding atop a wartime cargo train, the skies turn dark, and a storm rolls in. The rain hits you like bullets due to the speed the train is traveling towards The Factory. Cardillo's forces close in boarding the train from small skiffs to stop you, monsters and soldiers alike, The distinction between them grows blurrier every day as the mad machinist experiments bring the dead back to life. Machine guns posted on bridges fire down the tracks as your train passes under.
The storm only grows more and more violent as from the clouds above a massive, black airship descends and casts the train in an ominous shadow.
The second time the blackiron frigate gets a feature in one of my maps! This one is pretty specific to settings but that's the joy of fantasy, It can really be whatever you like, no need to hold ourselves to medieval alone. I went with 11 phases on this one, which is over my normal amount but I had to get that climatic explosion in at the end, If you’ve followed my content you know I love to spend hours upon hours building the most beautiful settings I can than hours more absolutely destroying them!
If you dig this map check out my other maps Monster Factory and Clash with the Colossus, which are meant to be played in sequence.
“They say the ley lines of this world are what we use for magic- I wonder if the moon has ley lines…” -Ida Holly.
The red glow from the meteor was unmistakable. And all across dunwel fen the crash of it falling from the heavens scared the crows into flight. Followed by the immeasurable flash. Night instantly became day for but a moment. Then the stillness came as everyone in the land realized what had happened.
But after the moment passed a second thunder roared. The pounding of hooves and the readying of those who would seek their fortune. For the magical components of a moon fallen Noctrite meteor were more valuable than some small kingdoms. The race was on, and all around hundreds ran into the forest where the crash happened- Ignoring the glowing red smoke of the coming forest fire.
Another Variation style map, The meteor, the hill before it landed, the glow of the meteor from above, Also versions with other things crashing like a nuke, a spaceship. Some versions that play with the landscape, such as a portal and castle atop a hill. And even a version set on the moon! And more!
“The effects of a legendary beast taking a lair has on the land is not well understood. Perhaps it is a residual bleed from the potent magic within them? All we have is conjecture for now.’ - Ida Holly, On the Primal Beast
“It’s said the creature came from long ago, slumbering in the molten rock below the geysers. And one day the thunder of war roused it, with thousands of years of hunger it ate an entire army in one go before slinking off into that tunnel and making its lair.
Not comes out of that mountain’s maw but steam and the trickling river of rock-stained water. And not goes in but fools like you. There is no justice to be found for the ones who lost their lives to the Primal Beast. Best leave it alone or the river will turn from orange- to red.”
This map is inspired by geyser fields like Yellowstone! I love the idea of a monster layer set above a slumber caldera that slowly wakes up as the legendary effects of a lair grow more and more powerful, causing more geysers to form and eventually- possibly a big eruption the heroes have to prevent. That’s just how I’d run it anyway. What would you put in this monster-lair?
It’s fake. I mean just looking at it statically, if there are that many skiff crashes there shouldn't be any aeronaughts left to fly the darn things! - Ida Holly
The Cirrus Casino, constructed in a cloudy valley of floating island motes, hovers miles above the purple, sandy wasteland dunes below and serves as the playground for the most famous and influential figures in all of Crudilex. It is best known for hosting the Monoskiff Classic.
The casino's mysterious owner, the gorgon Enchante’ Cirrus, has run the Monoskiff Classic airship race four times now, and it only grows bigger and more extravagant with each event. Private booths are now worth a small fortune, and people flock from every corner of Crudilex to witness the spectacle and the renowned racers who fought their way through fierce competition to appear in this grand final. Winning this race makes legends, and from the most despised villains to the people's champions, the pilot-aeronauts are celebrated daredevils of the skies—assuming they put on a good enough show.
This map is my second set at the flying Casino of Cirrus on High in my campaign setting Crudilex. This time it features one of the main events the casino hosts, a high speed high octane airship race. The entire vibe of which is inspired a lot by pro wrestling with stories playing out between races and pilots being high energy characters and villains playing roles and building relationships for the audience to get behind all leading up to the last big race for the title!
Cabin Pressure Warning! Pull up, Pull Up! You know how to fly a plane right? The fuel has been dumped, The Engines are failing, were gliding into low altitude and there are no safe landing sights. So what do we do?!
Hang on!
For this phased map I wanted to do another Indiana Jones inspired map, specifically the plane crash escape scene from temple of doom. But I also was really inspired by the plane fight from uncharted and basically decided to just do both!
"I wouldn’t claim to know what sort of crime one could possibly commit that even the land of ultimate evil would want you imprisoned."
– Ida Holly, On the Void
Some souls, after passing on, are still too dangerous to exist even among the damned. In the deepest pits of the void lies a prison—solitary confinement for those who might seek to unleash their horrors upon the living once more. There, in the blackest depths, the Abyssal Dias houses these spirits for all eternity. Do not meddle in cosmic affairs, nor venture to those depths. If someone you love has been banished to the bottom of Hell—they deserve to be there.
At the tiered waterfalls where the river meets the sea hundreds of pirate crews gather in the bones of old shipwrecks. connected by rotting rigging and swaying rope bridges. Here no navy would ever dare sail, but still they live in fear of the kraken who sleeps below the bay.
“Keelhaul Falls is a den of horrors. Thousands of ships, more sailing in each day. Murderers, Monsters, and Pirates all living among each other in a bandit camp that grew unchecked to become its own terrible city. Its small wonder the bay is the nesting ground of the Kraken. A fitting throne for the king of horrors”
- Ida Holly, Regarding Triton and the Western Sea.
The Pirate Kings tout that the Kraken never strikes from it’s nest in the bay because they keep it so happy and fed with the sinking of merchant and Imperial ships. They rest easy and drink their rum, play their songs, and fight their fights sparing the growing- world ending monster- left unchecked just a few hundred feet below them.
But nothing is sure in Keelhaul other than chaos. And one day those wakes as the foot of the falls will become choppy. And the glowing yellow eyes will look up and see exactly what sort of prey the surface has to offer when whales and sinking ships stop being enough.
Until that day the pirate kings will continue to gloat about their favorite pet.
“Captain Goldfang. The legendary big boisterous cat-man pirate. I heard a tale that the guards finally caught him by employing a strategic use of Pspspspsps.” -Ida Holly
Here be the last will and testament of the dread pirate king Captain Goldfang Cronen, Terror of the seas and amasser of a horde of treasure that’d make a dragon blush. I lived a life of plunder and gluttony fat on the liquor of the land and never wanting for a single thing but now my time on this mortal land comes to its end-setting sail to unknown waters. Me father always said the Goldfang boys only die at the end of swords or the end of ropes.
So to whoever what reads this here massive I present to you my last dagger in the back of fate. Me treasure is out there at the end of the river rapids with rocks like teeth, through the bones of me old crewmen, and into the guts of me ship rotten now as the hearts of its swabbies. Should you whistle in the darkness the walls will fall and there too you can claim it be yours as I did. That terrible treasure of captain Goldfang.
Yarr! This map is a second shot at my river rapids map I made about a year ago now but this time inspired by pirate-treasure hunting adventures. Specifically, I was inspired by the goonies and one-eyed willie’s treasure, but more in tone and energy than anything else.
Sand Skimmer, an 11-phased battle map. Crossing the vast deserts poses numerous dangers – exposure, thirst, and, out in the dunes and canyons, the most formidable threat is the Bulettes. In the soft grounds, they can grow... quite large.
“If a Salt Dunes or Redwaste outlaw starts running while holding up your sand skiff, you run too. You’re on the same team now.” - Ida Holly
The dunes, though only 20 miles across, divide the kingdom so completely. No army can march through; no caravan can trade. Out there, it's an empire of monsters and vultures feeding on what they leave behind. That is, of course, besides the Sand Skiffs.
Officially deemed a crime by the crown, Skiffs are considered too risky. One in every 5 skiffs never returns, but that's exactly how the Skiffjocks like it. No oversight, no cargo checks. Just coin and speed. Smugglers, outlaws, bandits, criminals – they all make a good living taking anything and anyone brave enough to skim out under the oppressive sun and launch into the razor winds to outrun the Sandshark Bulettes to the canyon rocks at the desert's heart.
I'm sure you have your reasons for not taking the two-day trip around the dunes; hope it's worth it.
“One of the most fascinating things about Undrum’Kal. Even as I write these words I know that no Undrumian decedent will be able to read them.” - Ida Holly
The dwarves in crudilex constructed the most powerful city ever to stand in crudilex deep in the underdark, Named Undrum Kal alongside the Atlantiens. But in an act of treachery they turned on the merfolk and attempted to claim the city. After a long bloody war the King of the Atlantiens, Thrumm transformed himself becoming an Aboleth, and with this power banished the Undrumian Dwarves from the underdark entirely, this curse still lingers today, any dwarf who ventures deep into the earth, simply forgets everything they see, completely failing to retain any memories. Leading them to spend their days on the surface, unaware of history they have lost.
This map is my first toe dip into making a battlemap for a dwarven style. In Crudilex the city of Undrum’kal is supermassive. Thousands of miles of forgotten and flooded under-ruins below the surface. Someday I’ll bundle up all my sunless sea ruins maps into a Undrum’kal pack and put them all together on one big map. But for now we get a taste of some of the primary locations in the ruined dwarven city!
The Henge of the guardian of earth and lava has been completely forgotten, overgrown, and consumed by the jungle. Surely awakening a lava elemental won't cause any problems.
“Moldo Island filled with monsters, Pirates, and ancient forgotten angry elemental gods of land, sea, and sky. I can't wait to go!” - Ida Holly
The Elemental gods of Triton each have a champion. Though they haven't been summoned in the modern age. The myths say their altars can still be found and if they are defeated in battle they offer a gift from their respective patron god.
Deep in the jungles of Moldo, the lost island, the elemental guardian of the land, Arewanna, waits and waits. The throngs of orc who once paid homage to their patron devine of the land long have moved away from the pilgrimage to the island to worship and leave offerings. The shrine has become overgrown. The few elders who remember the guardians' visits grew fewer and fewer until they stopped completely. But Arewanna remembers… and its challengers will one day return. One day.
The Badlands! Deadly sun, dangerous creatures, Long cruel distances. And worst of all the Canyon. They say there are more who’ve died trying than actually made it one side to the other.
“The Vermontis are born with four arms and incredible strength, The greatest climbers alive number among them, even the average Vermontis has a mastery of climbing a human could only hope to reach. Even their cities lack ladders and stairs, they never needed them.” -Ida Holly
I have been inspired by deserts out here in california, Growing up with Zelda and I always associate sandstone and canyons with adventure especially when paired with that killer flamenco vibe from the Gerudo theme.
“And to think. These beasts aren't even the largest monsters can become.” - Ida Holly
Titan Elemental vs. Warforged Colossus: two god-like giants warring at the heart of the city. Could any power even hope to stop their clash now?
Above you, great giants clash, but the battle rages on! Their duel creates an ever-shifting battlefield as you face your opponents below their feet. You use whatever tactics you can to avoid their massive feet and awesome weapons, as everything in their path is reduced to rubble. Time is running out to end this encounter and escape before they unleash their true power.
Magic vs. Tech! This map is inspired by all the wonderful titanic robot anime I watched growing up, mixed with a bit of WWE and Pacific Rim. The warforged titan (nicknamed Alexander) is an old favorite of mine, and I really wanted to revisit him and give him a Crudilexian makeover—something a little more Dieselpunk. This map was really challenging; it took four sleepless nights in a row to complete. Even if no one sees it, I'm super proud of it. It was incredibly fun to make, and sometimes you have to create the kind of thing you love as an artist. And I happen to love big, huge mechs and explosions!
“The Outriders have fought against the Empire for one thousand years, while they have not won, They have never for a second considered stopping.” - Ida Holly, On Okugai
An Outrider druid lives among the plains, one with their mount and ever-present in their saddle. They practice ancient magic passed down for generations, originating from the Sky Giants. Proud, patient, strong, they make a formidable foe as a group and a dangerous challenge alone. If challenged, the arena will be formed with hundreds of hooves pounding at full speed in a circle around the combatants.
Legends say their hooves rumble the ground so loudly it calls out in the language of thunder to the sky.
This map of the Outrider's Arena is set in the world of Crudilex, where horses are fairly rare but prized among a culture known as the Outriders. Inspired by the khanate, ancient Mongolia, and the Eurasian Steppe, I imagine this scene where a single powerful foe stands against the party as hundreds of his men respectfully allow the challenge to continue, creating a storm of horses as a battlefield.
“Doom is too kind a word to describe the feeling this monstrosity impresses in me.” - Ida Holly
The skies grow dark as the great Ironclad flies over the city. Relentless Witness, the Blackiron flagship of the mad queen’s fleet, has already removed three entire populations from this world. Nothing can challenge it—not from outside the hull, anyway.
The creation of the Relentless Witness meant the end of the federalist revolution. Royalist soldiers rounded up every citizen in the free city of Saradross and forced them to build. And when their toil ended, the dark dreadnought emerged. Forged of blackiron, a material said to be completely indestructible, the flagship could hover above any city in Crudilex and bomb it out of existence. The only method by which the great airship is vulnerable at all is that it is piloted by mortal men.
This map is my second giant airship map. My setting of Crudilex has a lot of airships and ironclads, and so I wanted to make a few that were the tarrasques of the skies, such as this one! The Relentless Witness, which in my home game only flew for 6 rounds before the players dive-bombed it into the side of a mountain, where it still rests to this day, a permanent feature of my setting! Good thing too, because it was said to be completely indestructible.
“Khan Nimbus was known for two things: barbarism and cleverness. I shudder to think of a more dangerous combination of traits.” ~ Ida Holly, On the Skies of Okugai
Fortress of the Cloud Giants: The ancient keep built upon solid clouds miles above the surface using ancient runic arts that the giants themselves are slowly forgetting. Ancient magics and arts are sliding away generation by generation, replaced with primal fury.
Your party has been summoned to appear before the Khan of the Sky Giants. Guided by their minions and sherpas up the mountains to their peak, where a bridge lies extending into the foggy clouds. Crossing into the mists, a huge, logic-defying fortress is constructed right upon the clouds themselves. Silver-blue eyes watch as you walk in silence but for the howling winds.
You’ve heard their myths and legends: magical acumen, incredible poise, and riches. But now the Cloud Giant Khan’s son sits upon the throne and looks no different than a hill giant, if not for the setting. “My father has been banished. Khan Nimbus walks the ground amongst you smallfolk now. I—Khan Stratus—am Lord of the Sky Horde. Grovel.”
This map is my second shot at making a full dungeon phased map. It imagines a clan of Cloud Giants cut off from their kin and regressed to a primal state, forgetting everything that gave them their identity and following a might-makes-right leader who removes all ties to their past. It's inspired a lot by the ruined fortress dungeons from Skyrim, occupied mostly by bandits who had no relationship with why it was constructed, treating the once-noble castles as little more than a hideout or cave.
“Well, it's a bit of a fixer-upper. But if these walls could talk… I mean... they can. That's actually on the list of things you’ll want to fix.” - Ida Holly
Grand Estate: After a bit of hard work and a whole lot of gold, even a rundown haunted house can become a perfect home base for a group of adventurers! And it comes with secret passageways!
After a point, all heroes get over the murder-hobo life and look for a place to hang up the +2 full plate for the night. The Grand Estate awaits. Won from a quest for a local lord, taken as a secret squat, or cleared of creepy crawlies by the party themselves—however they got the keys, the party now has their very own place to call home! It's really nice to not have to sort out sleeping orders and night watches for once. Oh, and the kitchen has more than just trail rations!
A second crack at my old haunted house map, this one comes with a handful of variations, including a full cyberpunk warehouse club inspired by the Totentaz from Cyberpunk 2077, as well as a WWII requisitioned forward operating base, and a noir murder mystery variation!
The Totemic have been a nomadic culture for one hundred generations, Devoted followers of the god of travel and adventure. They see journey as a form of worship welcoming others into their caravans and sharing their sacred knowledge, the safe routes, and practices for navigating the roads of Crudilex to outsiders and followers alike. And at the center of this unifying spirit is the wandering church.
The Great Vardo serves as a traveling capital building, or religious cathedral. It is usually accompanied by a parade of other carts, wagons, and horseless carriage as it ventures anywhere and everywhere, only ever stopping during large ceremonies and Totemic Holidays. If the great green Vardo pulled by its team of great ox, hear the songs and smell the food you know the caravan is passing and many more are sure to follow.
“The Totemic served an important civil role, aiding travelers crossing dangerous stretches of the monster strewn grasslands of the plains of avarice between the countries of man. They were honored for ages until the train was constructed and today many have forgotten just how much the nomads served the people.”
- Ida Holly, the tragedy of progress
The Cloud City of Auran hovers in the skies over the dreaming lands of Nocturne. The city is a paradise where all earthly needs are tended to by conjured wind elementals and unseen servants. The people of the lofty city, called Eicio, have grown so completely bored with everyday things that they now indulge exclusively in the one interest they all have left: fashion.
Crudilex’s Air Eicio are elemental spirits of air tethered to a mortal body. They enjoy princely, pretty things; they see their bodies as their models and the world as their personal runway. Their culture is very hedonistic and disconnected from the world. While not all Air Eicio share these traditions, the majority live this way in the cloud city of Auran. Their natural ability to drift weightlessly has completely untethered them from the world below, both literally and culturally.
Learn more about the Citizens of Auran in my book Ida’s Guide balatro.net/eicio
This map includes variations of Auran, Including a festival, Fire, Night and airship hover over the city. As well as a selection of other variations of cities I've created from the same setting as Auran, Crudilex. Also Venice, of earth, and Cyberpunk which feels like it's basically earth now also. lol.
“The Tipsy Tavern is a great place to hear a good tavern song. The best part, The clashing cultures sing the same song with the words slightly changed. Funny how a few shifted names can change a songs entire message.” - Ida Holly
The Tipsy is a quite famous sailors tavern and Inn roosted high above the Divwhim peninsula along the rocky bluffs. The tavern is home to all kinds of wayfaring travelers crossing the Fjords and serves as a very active crossroads between cultures all gathering for some respite up and down the coast.
Fights can be common in such places where morals and cultural taboos cross. What could be kind to one sailor could be a curse upon the ancestors to another. This is why the tavern is known as the Tipsy, Always sliding between standings right on the edge. Well that and the 700 foot drop down to the water below!
“The Red Waste is unforgiving, but the rewards for the persistent are great. Careful though friend. They call it Rattlesnake Gulch not for the creature, But for how it coils and winds and often rattles.” - Ida Holly
The mines belong to the Hellcat brothers now, But our outriders are nothing but fair. The Law of Rattlesnake gulch is clear- Who can hold it, is who keeps it. You want my mines to meet me by the river, high noon. No funny stuff, Me- and you- To the last in the chamber. Whoever stands after gets the gulch and the other rides out into the suns never to be seen again. Or gets the gulch forever, from 6 feet under it. What say you?
This map dives deep into the “Rocks fall everyone dies” scene. Nothing spices up a duel at noon more than a sudden rockslide. I guess mother nature wanted in on the action!
In the far off future of 1943, In a strange world not unlike our own! Stupendous Dieselpunk machines of war rampage through bombed out cities and lead the battle for the soul of the world! Punch a hole right through that enemy line! Go get em boys!
“I’ve seen many worlds, many cultures. At some point, everyone invents the tank.” - Ida Holly.
“Well, The Moonwell gasket is leaking. We only have 100 gallons of fuel to get us through this siege and drive it back to base. We're surrounded on all sides, the bridges across the river are bombed out and I haven't had lunch.”
Well… I can fix one of those problems right now.”
Captain Buck said, handing the engineer an MRE. "As for the rest, I leave that in the capable hands of the lord. Stations everyone."
“Cap there ain't no way, All the roads are blocked.”
“Well, We’ll make our own road then, Right through the mayoral Estate.”
This map is actually set in the city of Saradross in my setting of Crudilex. The setting is heavily influenced by Dieselpunk and WW2. While it may not seem like it from the map alone it is in fact a D&D setting just not rooted fully in a medieval world. Crudilex includes technology akin to what might be seen in our world up to the 40s, But is rooted more in fantasy. Experiencing an evolving technological timeline entirely separate from our world, giving it an Anachronistic flair which allows many kinds of stories to play out in the setting.
Like driving a tank through a building for instance!
Don’t be afraid to dream your worlds bigger, DnD can be anything!
The Water Temple, An ancient puzzle locks the submerged entrance to an underground temple. The party pulls a series of levers to block the river feeding the lake above, and eventually have access. But- that damn doesn't look all too reliable.
Across the nations of the world it’s denoted that many, even, most civilizations build along the sea, for trade and food. As a cartographer I can say without doubt over the ages the seas have crept closer and closer.
Leads one to wonder, What history of the ancient world sleeps under the tide, What volumes could we fill if only we had gills. - Ida Holly
Note: Ancient temple structures are unreliable. Especially puzzles, And double so for moving parts.
The map comes in ten phases; the first few are ideally done out of combat allowing the players to explore and use the levers to dam the water above. Then from phase 6 on the dam begins to burst. At this point the players have a choice where to go, into the cave below the lake or away from the wall of water crashing over the empty lake.
This map is inspired by the Wonderful movie Atlantis: Lost Empire, and the infamous Zelda dungeon from which the map gets its name, and is a Remaster of a map I made 2 years ago. One of my favorite and most popular maps, which I’ve lovingly recreated to keep it up to date with the skill level I have now!
At the edge of the frontier on the crossroads sits the last tavern for at least two weeks in any direction. The Crowcover Inn. Best to stop in and enjoy a drink and a hot meal because its bedrolls and jerky from here forward.
“Relius is such a unique family name. I’ve only heard it once before, belonging to one Saint Relius. But surely, this generous, happy-go-lucky host is not the self-proclaimed purifier of the dead and leader of the undead-hunting plague doctors. It would be a long journey from necromancer-hunting fanatic to humble barkeep.”
- Ida Holly. Ida’s Guide to Worlds Beyond Our Own.
The two-floor inn stands on a lonely crossroads — the only building for miles. It looks to have once been a vibrant, popular place, but now it is completely empty and just a step away from run-down. It has an open stable on the side, covered by the second floor overhang.
It is much nicer inside, with bright red drapes hanging over an open vaulted ceiling. Soft record music plays from a Gramophone, and a soft hum emits from three large industrial machines, which appear to be brewing different drinks.
At the bar, a single patron, a Fallen Elf, sits at the counter, behind which an elderly human man cleans a glass. Both regard the characters as they enter but otherwise pay no mind.
Crowcover Inn was once famous, as its founder was a well known adventurer. He had the tavern built many decades ago, out in the most isolated part of the world he could find so that people would have to “earn” its shelter. It has since become a local spot to escape the Phantom Rain and a popular place for hunters to meet up, but otherwise, it mostly stands empty.
“They say the Queen of Sirens spends her days lavishly lounging on her throne and reading her collection of messages in bottles that will never reach shore like letters from a lover.” - Ida Holly
The Siren's Throne is an inhospitable island chain in the distant stormy seas made up of jagged cliffs above the surf and tangled seaweed strangled around countless rocks and wrecks below. It's bad luck to sail within a mile of it- and worse luck to follow the songs into the heart of it.
Fog on the tide is generally considered an Ill omen in the Triton coast. Hides potential rocks in the surf, Drifting debris, but also- worst of all it covers anything that may wish to swim up close to your craft while you cross between islands.
And you best be careful out past Guillotine Point. Never sail where your chew could snag on rocks. Always wear a token to give to the lost lady of the tides to lead you back if you go over. And stay alert because that's where the Mara’Kahua and the Sirens hunt.
and take care and plug your ears in the cold hours of the morning.
“Tablrough, An entire town shrunken to the size of a tabletop, exists in The Glassway. For a fee you can speak to the wizard who runs it and get shrunken down to live forever as a mini-you. Best be sure thats the life you want to lead before you say yes” - Ida Holly on the Glassway
Borrowers, Hero mice, and Awakened toys alike find themselves sneaking into the bigfolk houses now and again, Generally they are best avoided but sometimes you gotta clamber up right onto their giant tables and get the loot you need!
Inspired by my recent game of Mausritter it occurred to me that “Tiny little guy in a big huge world” is a genre of adventure often explored in books but missed out on in battlemaps! So I tried to dream up a swath of various scenes all set on a table top in a world far bigger than the heroes! Various tones and settings both fantasy and modern, Some meta jokes like a table set up to play DnD on which would be a very funny and brainblasting level of meta layers deep. Also among the variants is a Giant’s table, if in a normal DnD game the players end up on the menu of a family of actual giants!
Cirrus Casino, The floating island playground of the World’s most wealthy, hand selected patrons! This “Impenetrable haven of decadence” is literally above it all and protected from the drab woes of the unwashed masses. So- lets rob it!
The Cirrus Casino, constructed in the cloudy valley of floating island motes, hovers miles above the sandy purple wasteland dunes below, backlit by hundreds of magical Illusionary symbols and light shows. The Cirrus Casino is the playground for the most famous and influential figures in all of Crudilex.
Cirrus is known for more than just its eccentric clientele or glamorous architecture. Its tyrannical master chef, Grelofishal, produces food sought after across all 4 nations. Its master Humunculmancer, Jakacoru Peel, creates prized familiars for the world's preeminent mages. Most of all, the casino's mysterious owner, the Gorgon Enchante’ Cirrus.
The Casino was commissioned by Enchante who serves as hostess and proprietor of all future events including the Monoskiff classic airship race, Sky Yacht shipshow, and the Premier Auction where all the greatest and most valuable artifacts of Crudilex are collected and sold to the affluent and hand-selected clientele of the world's most notable figures.
This map is set in the same setting as my book, Ida’s Guide, Crudilex, and is inspired by all the great heist movies! The entire thing is meant to evoke that feeling of executing the perfect plan with your crew during some kind of big fancy event, even Ocean's Eleven style. When I first ran this encounter, I included a handful of criminal organizations who were invested in the crime with a “Pick one to protect you; the rest are coming after you” sort of complication on top. Because the only thing better than pulling a heist is another crew also hitting the same casino at the same time!
“Agrakata is a well defended city. Only a fool would try any sneak into the palace of the Phoenix king. And such a fool would need these maps of the city's aquifers, hopefully such a fool has 250 gold.” - Ida Holly
The Sneaking Into the City, Rumor has it the main well connects to an underground river that flows out of the city. Guard patrols out in the dunes are infrequent, Once you're in you’ll need to creep your way to the Palace. Stay out of the light!
One little slip up in an otherwise perfectly defended city. An opening to get you behind the walls and not far from the palace where the crown, your target, is. Now here's the rub. You set off alarm bells and the whole operation is a bust, because we can't just steal the crown we need to REPLACE it with this fake and the royals can't be none-the-wiser. So this is a sneaky quest, in and out in silence, Got that, bard?
Designing the layout of this map I knew I wanted it to be a Mediterranean city, and for it to be beautiful and opulent, a city of plants and art filled with life and for the players to be sneaking in during a rare time of quiet through an otherwise very busy and lively city. For this map I wanted to pull from Turkish/Ottoman architecture like the blue mosque and the terraced houses in Mardin.
“The ancient city of A’taran is built upon the limestone Cenotes where the stairways lead to the depths. The dead are offered to the underworld in exchange for the pure life-giving water of its pools.” - Ida Holly, On the Triton sea.
The Underdark reaches below most of the surface world. But sun-dwellers will tell you it's all glowing mushrooms and Duergar. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are biomes of a thousand kinds most upper-folk have never even seen. In the west, we have the limestone caverns, a thousand times larger than those seen in the rest of the deep. Formed in the primordial eras from beds of bone and coral, the earth around is literally formed of fossils and death.
The Sunless sea there is brilliant, and the water is perfectly pure, cleaned by the stone. The death-granting life. They say there are windows to the surface where you can see the shine of your blinding sun through Cenote. But know when you drink from our waters down here, you are a guest in the underworld. And the drow are witnessing each trespass.
This map is inspired by a thread I did on Twitter a few years ago, discussing the incredible real-life locations of our world and how the settings might inspire us to be more creative in our fantasy world-building! So many amazing locations outside of just forests, mountains, and fields!
Deep below the castle dungeons the servants hear the cries of those who are taken. But the Duke of the castle continues to forbid anyone from investigating, and prisoners continue to vanish. Lich’s Lair! Also with 10 other variations from archeological dig to a Fallout vault!
The main map of this pack is a Lich’s Lair where a necromancer secretly prepares to preform the transformation, but this map collection includes 10 other variations as well! A pirate’s cove, sewer cistern, fallout vault, Yuan-Ti jungle shrine, a cloning facility, a red dragon’s horde, A graffiti covered buildsite inspired by Cyberpunk 2077’s Dogtown, a myconid colony, And a dinosaur fossil archeological dig site!
The lich’s lair variant map is part of a Noir-inspired murder mystery one-shot, Murder! At castle Kradsten. The 4 hour whodunit adventure places each of the characters at the scene of the crime with only a handful of suspects, including each other! Because in this One-Shot mystery the twist is- a member of the party is a PLANT!
Deep in the deadlands, Poisoned by decades of undeath. At the heart of this evil, barren place. Lies the forsaken steps. A stair climb to the top of a mountain above which hangs the heart of the curse, A mysterious dark star.
“Sometimes, There is nothing to magic missile BESIDES the darkness!” - Ida Holly
It cost so much to reach even just the first stair. The Plaguelands stretches from the mountain all the way beyond the horizon and all that can be seen is death. No plants, no animals. Just the undead waiting for the black star to awaken and their master to return from the darkness beyond.
The doom that has hung over the horizon threatening this world for a generation has at last found the heroes who can undo it. Hopefully.
After they ascend the Forsaken Steps.
This map is a location from my own setting, Crudilex. And was a location of immense historical importance to a nearly world ending plague. My thought is the location where a BBEG might be waiting for the heroes to come face to face can be just as dangerous or important to their wicked plot as the villain themselves!
“What unspeakable doom lurks at the edges of our vision. Out where nothing can be known, and nothing can be understood. More terrifying than the danger is the complete lack of reason.” - Ida Holly
You arrive at the Chapple. A two-floored structure with an indoor garden at the center of which a large stone henge sits tended to by many quiet druids. It is not the terror you expected. When you were sent here to “Slay the aberrations”. For a moment you feel silly, Standing in this church in your full plate with a sword drawn.
When all at once the druid's eyes snap to you. In one shared voice from many mouths they say. “You were unwise to come here.” as the walls begin to crack and melt.
I made this map as an encounter in my own home game! I wanted to create an encounter where the environment was the enemy. Letting the players work against the tears into the far realms and try their best to close them as the heart of the challenge. With monsters and combat as a secondary challenge on top of that. I used Nothics as the creatures, But I think any aberration could fit the scene.
What would YOU have in this arena?
“Ghosts doesn't narrow it down. Shades, Haunts, Banshee, Hells even some LICHS are ghosts. I’m going to need you to be a lot more specific.” - Ida Holy
The Riverbend estate has been abandoned for decades, It’s previous lord was executed for toying with “Dark Magic”. And no one has so much as ventured there to trim the hedges. But when the lights in the tower started the locals became nervous. Shades began haunting all along the river and the woods around the estate.
If your meaning to head out there, Do it in a storm. Those shades don't much care for the lightning. That said, Best still be on guard, who knows what old evils got left behind in that haunted place. And worse still who knows WHO has gotten into them.
For this map, I wanted to try my hand at making a phased map that also had multiple floors. I tried a lot of different approaches but eventually liked this one the most. The idea being that as the players are exploring the dungeon The lightning storm is going off in the background. The monsters in the dungeon, ghosts of some kind, are only harmable in light. And as the players explore or in combat, they have to time their actions around the lightning!
Sort of a mini-game approach to a dungeon that I think would make for a very fun encounter and offer loads of creative problem-solving moments for players!
“You’ll always remember the day, That uhhh… that.. Hang on, it’ll come to me.” - Ida Holly
Your boots barely reach the trap door. The man with the black sack on his head checks the noose. And all through your mind hundreds of opportunities to right the wrongs you’d done in the eyes of the merchant lords play on repeat.
This is the end. The drummers ring out their drums. Wait… that's- not drums. The eyes of the crowd cast out to sea. A silhouette casts a long shadow over the rolling sunset tide, As if sailing out of hell itself there is a hush. Than chaos. The building behind you explodes as cannon fire blares all around you. The Adine’s Sorrow begins its raid and your new life as a pirate begins.
This map is a part of my April series of boss fight maps. For this one, I imagined what it would be like to have a boss encounter with a pirate ship! I treated the ship as I would any on-map boss monster, and included a version without the ship on it for DMs who prefer to have more control. I took a ton of inspiration from Disneyland’s Pirate’s ride, specifically the scene where Barbossa's ship is firing at the port.
The Druid circles are isolated far from the cities. But don’t get it wrong. Out in the woods, they are protecting us all from things we will never even encounter. - Ida Holly
“It grows every day.” the old fishermen says, lugging cages of sickly looking river-life up onto the dock where you stand. “Slow enough that no one seems to pay it much mind. But we notice. Those of us out there along the rivers. Something is making this whole forest sick. Half my haul comes back looking like this.”
“Black Dragon, I’d wager. Made its lair out there in the wetlands.” A fisherwoman chimes in from her own boat. “Neigh- its gotta be one of them Otyughs. You smell it out there?” “Otyuga-what now?!” The whole dock begins bickering back and forth leaving you with little to go on as you head out deep into the woods- following the rot.
This map is the 3rd in my April boss fight series. This time I went for something that doesn't move about- but creates loads of tough terrain and challenges for the players to navigate to reach the heart at the center of the tree.
I’ll never understand the desire of monarchs to build castles at the tops of mountains. Sure they are safe, but the cold is miserable. - Ida Holly
The climb along the icy mountain cliffs, the snowbanks hiding perilous cavern shafts, and the unyielding wind that leaves ice crystals stinging your skin are all left behind you as you breach the mountain’s top. There it stands- Iverholm keep. A towering forgotten castle left abandoned for nearly a century, its palisades still in place from the war that brought it to ruin.
As you pass the gates into the empty courtyard and begin scouting for a good place to set up camp you hear a voice in the winds. “You are not welcome here. Leave us to rest” The wind kicks up as your party all grabs for their weapons. In the silhouettes of the snow, figures begin to take shape. Frozen phantoms. And behind them growing ever closer. A massive- horrifying blizzard.
This map was originally made for my home game, I usually don't share the ones I make for my own players but I felt like this one was really great and wanted to give you all a crack at it! Originally it included a landed airship and some abandoned bi-planes (My setting is turn of the century themed) I figured I’d make it a bit more accessible but I DID include that version as an alternate in the files!
“Just a little snack, guys!” - Ida Holly
“The market attracts people from all over the kingdom, From well outside the city's walls, to come and view its lights and splendors and spend their precious coin. Listen, they came to lose the coin I don't think they’d much mind HOW they go about losing it. Call it a charitable donation to the poor and impoverished peoples of the city.
Just remember the plan. Snatch it and run down the alley, If the guards keep up we swing the crane. If somehow that doesn't slow’m down enough just get up on the rooftops. What could go wrong!”
This map was me NEMESIS. I worked on it for 5 days straight, right up until I'm posting it now. Really it's 9 distinct maps, Each with this semi-isometric perspective, I wanted to give the alleyways a sense of depth and keep climbing and running on rooftops a possibility for the chase. But boy oh boy don't think I’ll do something like THIS again. I still really love how it turned out, and I think phased maps have a lot to offer for chase rules encounters which are rare as it is. Chaser, or chase’ee I think all good TTRPG games should include a solid chase scene!
“It is the most peculiar thing that a creature 5 times my size would be so easily distraught. Who among the gods I wonder decided that the noble horse should be a prey animal.” - Ida Holly
“The beating hoofs of the stallion could trample an adult man to death, But a simple thunder wave spell sends it sprinting full speed away. Even a well-trained horse can get spooked and now what was a simple encounter with a group of roadside bandits has devolved into a highspeed chase all the while attempting to calm the panicking party steed before it flings us all down into the river!”
This map includes a variant with a Horseless Carriage featured as part of my book Ida’s Guide to Worlds Beyond Our Own. However, the setting is more advanced than the average dnd so I decided it best to include a be-horsed Carriage. Both are in the folder however if you have Model T’s in your setting. Haha.
“Did I say I wanted to explore the oceans? In that? Uh- I think that's a misquote.” - Ida Holly, Who definitely said she wants to explore the ocean.
It is the pleasure of the Submersible Integration Nautical Keepers corporation to announce our latest and most effective magical artifice! The Greater apparatus of the Crab, Unlike the 5-person model of ages past the greater apparatus, is capable of any depth, any pressure, an endless air supply, and still has plenty of room for the wife and kids!
S.I.N.K is proud to be the leading artificers guild building bridges between the merfolk and land dwellers! (All S.I.N.K brand Greater apparatus of the crab are in an invitation-only closed alpha, S.I.N.K is not held liable for equipment failure. Consult your cleric to find out if going to the bottom of the ocean is right for you.)
This map is inspired by one of DnD’s silliest magic items, the apparatus of Kwalish. I’ve personally only used it in a game once and only heard of a handful of people who have so I wanted to make a map imagining a GIANT one you could have an entire encounter in. And I mean I make phased maps so I had to make it sink, haha. The last phase imagines it after the water has settled and fully filled the apparatus allowing the encounter to become a struggle to the surface and a good old underwater battle.
“Abraham Dune, He calls himself “Snake eyes”. He’s a dwarf stricken with the Yuan-Ti’s curse and he runs that place. I need to talk to him. The thing is- The cost of admission is a bit…high for me. Help me and I’ll help you!” ~Ida Holly, During the events of Shrive Débauche
Infante’s Dice is already the unofficial town hall of Tankren. Ruling from up and down the river and draining the town of all their hard-earned chips. And that is made doubly true during the Week-long festival of indulgence that grips the town every year. Shrive Débauche. A high stakes 3 dragon ante with only the best players the world has to offer is held aboard the Riverboat and lit by magnificent magical light and fireworks!
The week leading up to The Tankren Ante is a special event in Tankren. The streets fill with parties, music, and people. Parades go down the River wharf tossing chips and trinkets to applauding crowds. The cultural saying is the week celebration and debauchery is done as a means to cleanse the spirit. The indulgence of gluttony and vice and seen as an act of release. This way the soul is ready to accept whatever fate has in store when the life is placed up for complete reset at the Tankren Ante, The final event of Shrive Débauche.
This map has been in the works for ages and ages. In the end, was about two weeks of daily work. It includes lots more little goodies than most of my maps. All the decks of the Riverboat, It sailing along the docks past a parade. And even a bonus with it out in a swampy river just to really capture the flair. It's also a Primary location for my Book Ida’s Guide and is featured in one of its big encounters! Hopefully, you can find it as inspiring and useful as I did
“You want me to go to an Island that moves throughput time. that can only be reached by those who wreck, and can only be escaped by those who know how. I didn't get YOU anything!” - Ida Holly
“it seemed finding something yet unknown was your fate. but fate, she is seldom so kind. Months into your nautical journey you heard murmurings from the crew. Moldo, they said, was the island you couldn't reach without first wrecking your ship.
The place where lost sailors wander in the untamed jungle forever. And isn’t that just the thing about legends? they all come from somewhere.
You washed ashore, the massive wave and the flash of lightning striking a shattered mast still burning into your closed eyes. You attempt to stand… sea water and sand rain from your half-buried body. you look up a climbing island mountainscape and back to the sea to see all around the Timbers of shattered ships you know it id true. And now you’re shipwrecked on Moldo.
This map is inspired by the One-Shot releasing at the same time for the 5$ tier members of my patreon. It’s a survival adventure where the players have to save their crew from a coven of sea hags hiding inside a treasure-filled ship using only what they can steal and scavenge from the ship. The catch is the hags are protected by a 5-mile-long stretch of open ocean guarded by an angry sea monster. Meaning our heroes will have to get pretty creative!
Mist Closing In, A 6 Phased battlemap. The players are lost deep in a swamp as an ominous and supernatural mist slowly closes in around them. With muck and water up to the knee and tangles of mangrove roots proving the only surface above the water. And someone or something is lurking… waiting for their moment.
“In the deepest mists, on cold nights in isolated parts of the world it is said the dead can peer through the threshold, and spy upon the world of the living” - Ida Holly, on The Haunted Shallows.
As if being lost and stranded in the Mangrove marsh wasn't bad enough the chill of night creeping in has brought with it a choking mist, for now it hangs low to the water, as if dredging through the muck was too easy, at least now if something jumps out you won't see it coming.
Hopefully it has the decency to make it quick, Dying in the mangrove swamps would be preferable to navigating them half alive.
This map is a variation on an encounter set in my book Ida’s Guide to worlds beyond our own! The world is a fantasy dieselpunk setting and features mechs, called automata. And the players come upon a crew of which is trying to make sport repairs as strange eyes watch in the encroaching mists. You can check out more about this scene and the rest of ida’s guide at balatro.net/lore/#Hauntedshallows
Well of the Golden Serpent: A legendary ruin, once the heart of a great city deep in the jungle. Abandoned and swallowed by overgrowth, only the bravest are said to accept the endless riches the myths promise. Surely without any sort of ironic twist.
“The Serpent god Nisi’Mammo is the patron of green and gifts. Anything you desire can be yours with a visit to her well. But you will forever be changed. Contorted to her likeness forever more.” - Ida Holly, reading ancient writing on the wall of the Well of the Golden Serpent.
Every adventurer has heard the legend, a well the size of a castle whose waters house a giant statue made of pure gold in the shape of a titanic snake - the Golden Serpent. Standing at the edge of the well and asking for eternal wealth is all the price that needs to be paid for more gold than one could carry.
Countless pirates, conquistadors, and adventuring parties have bushwhacked through the jungle in search of the well, and so far, those who return are fewer in number, or forever changed. But the one thing that defines every person who has seen the Well: they will speak nothing of it, no matter how persuasive the questions may be.
This map is made featuring the latest Early Access assets the EA team has gotten to play with, with a Jungle theme! I am very grateful to be among the chosen members to get to experiment with these assets and share them here in first looks with you!
"In the forests of Dolver, there is a city fallen to ruin before its completion, cursed to wait forever for its citizens to return." - Ida Holly.
Everyone perished before completion, building their new kingdom in the unexplored, mysterious pines without discovering the horrors that lurked among the needles. Every citizen either died or vanished, leaving the castle to fall into ruin.
The strange, haunting need to protect its people awoke something in the kingdom. Protective of its citizens who fell before the moat was dug, it lies in wait for their return and grows ever wearier as their homes overgrow and crumble. The castle finally arose when strangers sought to steal from the bones of its people.
As it rose, awakened as an elemental of the ruined kingdom, so too did the citizens. Their skeletons adorned with arms, they returned to defend their home.
Tidepool Shipwreck, Shattered against the unrelenting surf into the rocks and tidepools, this old wreck is slowly being reclaimed by nature. But for now it has had all manner of creatures and monsters move in and make themselves at home.
“There are those who say man never should sail. That we were born for the land. But exploration is so inherent in us. I’m convinced if there exists a means to venture, we humans will find it.” - Ida Holly
Waking up on the shore buried in a layer of sand. The crew, and more importantly the navigator who can guide you off the island, have gone missing. This island is a tropical paradise but if you don't act quickly it will become your prison.
Looking around you discover tracks. And in the distance you see the ruins of a ship.
It sits nearly on its side. Feet deep in tidepools. A massive cannon-blasted hole marks the entrance along the ship's underside and a welcoming glow of firelight spills over the damp rock-covered island. Inside a collection of eyeballs hang from the barnacle-covered wood. Some even turn to view you as you Approach… Sea hags have made this place their Lair.
This map was originally made for my One-Shot survival adventure Shipwrecked on Moldo. Where the players are trapped on a magical island and their guide- Their only hopes of escape- Is being held captive by Sea Hags! I wanted to explore more kinds of scenes where a shipwreck might feature with the variations and I’m in love with all the ones I came up with! I’m super proud of this collection!
Ruined Elven Kingdom, Driven to madness by the poison smog of invention the elves transformed into monsters. Corrupted, they tore apart their Treetop Castles with their bare hands.
“What happened to this sacred elven grove is horrible. At least In war you fight your enemies. Here the elves went to battle with themselves.” - Ida Holly, On Felshire.
Long have the elven houses sustained themselves on the powers of the feywild. But with the rift between worlds now closed- The fires of invention have become as poison. And just like innovation changes the land, so too has it changed the elves. And in one night the great Kingdom roosted high in the canopy of the elder elms fell to ruin.
What few elves survived the chaos of the feral elves have become refugees, without a home. Never sure if the curse they befell their siblings and turned them to monsters will befall them as well.
This map plays with the fallen kingdom trope, But more a wood elven kingdom roosted high in the trees! And it includes many variations including two straight from a location in my Book Ida’s Guide to Worlds Beyond Our Own. Which is what is described in the flavor text above! Fallen Elves are also one of the Unique Playable variations of existing D&D races from the book with the same history!
Other Variations on this map include the Pre-ruined Kingdom, A Beautiful waterfall, shrine to a river god, an elven Bridge, as well as The tree’s canopy above the Throne room, a Roc’s nest and a big old Redwood Tree Stump!
Ritual Summoning! Calling to planes beyond and pulling creatures into this one. Never once has it been a bad idea! A battle map set in a ruined castle during a forbidden rite with 9 variations!
“Little unknown fact. Most evil summoning rituals are actually just teleportation spells. They just are open for a few moments and the portals are right in the worst possible place. Or best I suppose. Depending on how into monster invasions you are.” - Ida Holly.
Rain pelts the cobblestones as the characters approach the crumbling castle on the hill. The glowing light off the magical circles coloring the falling rain. All round standing astride fallen stones the cultists chant all their voices combining into one horrid hum, a call into the slowly opening window into the other realm.
A call that is returned from the otherside.
This battlemap was originally inspired by the opening scene from Guillermo del Toro’s amazing 2004 Hellboy. One of my absolute favorite movies. The scene where Rasputin opens the portal seemed like it would make for an amazing D&D encounter. And I decided to make a whole series of maps inspired by similar Magical Evil Summonings! Including Calling to the Void, Demonic Resurrections, Eldritch far realms portals, Kraken Waking, And Fairy Circle rites. As well as a repaired version of the castle before it fell to ruin and a Dieselpunk Tank outpost!
“La Gaviota. Home of the Airship pirates who plague the skies from Prossporo to Daven. But you have to give it to them- Who wouldn't want a hideout that moves!” - Ida Holly.
The heart of the crews is the Covens. The mother matrons set the rules on the Mote here and all crews obey them. They may not have the mustering of our numbers or strength to fight us off but that isn't the point. Their power comes from the pirates, The hags set a rule and the crews all agree, That's the only way La Gaviota stays flying. That's the only way we stay free.
Aint nothing no merchant zep captain, nothing no Royal Areonavy admiral, and nothing no on the outs raff crew can do about it. On this crew mate, We respect the Hags. That or you take the short walk and the long drop to feed the hungry sky.
This map is a little bit of my own lore, The skyport of La Gaviota was invented for my setting Crudilex. It's a Floating Island mote “ruled” by a mysterious Hag called Granny who dotes upon her “Children '' the many superstitious airship pirate crews who call the island home. While it may not be how you choose to use the map I also included loads of variations, A flying Market on the backs of airships, An imperial Raid, The island ablaze, flying over seas, deserts, Two airships battling it out off the side of the island and more
“The baser instincts of humans to fight are so deeply ingrained even in times of absolute peace they still insist on beating each other up.” - Ida Holly
Below the tavern is a large whisky barrel that is actually a false door, behind it is an unused sewer path that leads to a cistern. Drained and rebuilt as its own little fortress the thieves guild had set up a hideout. For years they collected loot and spoils there but eventually had more than they knew what to do with. And so the Pit Fights were created, and what was once a useless cistern became the most popular attraction in the whole city.
It’s become something of a public secret, Hell even the guard captain comes in and bests on the fights off the clock.
This map is my transition to working variant maps into my rotation and not just doing phased maps. My maps generally have a narrative meant to inspire encounters, but I’d like these maps to be more applicable to more situations for DMs to use on the fly!
This map includes the following Variations.
Pit fight, Watching crowd, Thieves Guild Trial, Spot Light, Spikes 1-2, Flooded 1-2, Trash Covered, Collapsed, Beast Cage, and Fire.
Facing the villain who’s evil machinations are nearly complete on top of the very machine they have come to destroy as it’s being built! Dodging chains, sparks, and molten iron in this battlemap!
“The legends of the age of magic say an object with sufficient magic thrown into a Quicksilver Crucible emerges as a fully forged humanoid construct, with designs and purpose nearly identical to the intent of the artifact used in its creation.” - Ida Holly
Pouring molten metal overhead spilling from soot blackened Crucible, Sparks and fire leaping out of cooling casts. The factory hums with life and danger in equal measure. Your party arrives with only minutes perhaps seconds left to spare as the machines of industry make evil artifacts of simple slag.
And from under a shower of sparks your enemy walks, their blade dragging in the ash behind them. Standing between you and the completion of their dark work. Battling over the top of it as it’s constructed.
Be it a Mechanical dragon, a fire giant’s sword, or an army of warforged, this map imagines an ironworks the characters have come to shut down before it completes its task. Having them dodge molten metal and chains and smoke as the doomsday device is constructed around them as the battle rages!
Originally this was imagined as a phased map where the factory is alive, but I elected for variations on the map instead to allow for the widest possible array of things being constructed!
Towering apartments nearly 100 years old stand side by side almost like one massive beautiful building flanking the Canal running through the heart of this Parisian inspired city street.
“Adventurers are rarely called ‘Heroes’ even while they are fighting against evil. I think a big reason for this is the way some behave when left to their own devices in large cities.” - Ida Holly
I have always loved the architecture of Parisian apartment blocks and have felt like they would make an awesome battle map that plays more with verticality. With 10 Variations Busy, Empty, Ablaze, Lowtide, Dead of night, Post apocalyptic, Sinkhole, Cyberpunk (Inspired by Blade Runner), Pridemonth celebration, And Grand Nostridan, A location from my own setting of Crudilex.
Shipwreck Treehouse! Stranded on a remote island this village in the treetops was built out from the ropes and planks of the very vessel that betrayed you.
“Just look at it like a vacation! an extended, forced, no escape, starvation induced… horror filled VACATION!” - Ida Holly
The storm shattered the HMS Lillian against the rocks of the island. And for weeks you collected timber and rope, waiting for the fleet to notice the signal fires. But as time drags on and days march forward it feels more and more likely that there won't be an escape from this island.
So the crew begins to build a life here. Houses first, then bridges, soon leadership, protection, even a market.
Months become years, and somehow the life you left behind fades away. Of all the places and all the people you could have been stranded with, these ain't so bad.
This map is a variation collection with a few different takes. Most inspired by the Swiss family Robinson, Tarzan, Hook. All those good old treehouses. It also includes other variations, Includings An apocalyptic dry ocean outpost, Sky Islands, A treetop village, A waterworld-like floating fortress, a pirate lair, Even a Cyberpunk Ship Breaking yard! And more!
Glorious End. Said to be the greatest airship ever constructed. With a crew of 400, Including Aeronautic artificers and soldiers. Four artillery cannons and 20 auxiliary. Nations surrender when its shadow crosses their border. And YOU gotta sneak inside!
“The shots came from that direction, Understood captain- Eliminating that direction”
Stealth missions are one thing. It's another thing entirely to rescue a captured princess who is being held in a 20,000 ton flying death fortress. How do we get in when it never needs to land? How do we get OUT?! The thing has a small kingdoms worth of enemies aboard!
We're gonna need so many feather falls…
It’s Finished! This map, and all 6 of its decks, took me at least two full days of time to complete over the last few months. I designed it to be a flying dungeon, a crawl built into a vehicle! I’ve always loved airships and their maps and wanted to make the absolute BIGGEST one I could. At 75x75 with multiple floors, this has to be the biggest one out there. I applaud anyone who could make something bigger!
It also shows off lots of new Sci-Fi assets just made available to the Early access team of Inkarnate which I’m very lucky to be a part of!
The Cathedral of the Rose, A primary location that my book Ida's Guide centers around! (And 9 other variations like Cyberpunk, Gate to hell, Weddings, Funerals, a vampire lair and more!)
“A giant rose!? Does it come with GIANT CHOCOLATES!?” - Ida Holly
The Cathedral of the Rose stands as a towering ruin at the heart of the Bramblefen. Its majesty is marred by time and the echo of forgotten prayers lingers in the air. This ancient structure is now overgrown with the relentless embrace of the Bramblefen. Tall spires reach for the suns of crudilex, yet are anchored to the ground by the sinuous vines of the rose.
Inside, the cathedral retains a sense of solemn majesty. Stained glass windows, now cracked and shattered, still showers the space in a kaleidoscope of colors. statues of carved stone stand along the walls, etched with intricate patterns and symbols, perhaps of the faith that once thrived within these walls that is now forgotten by time. The white marble floors are now overgrown with a padding of dirt and tall grass. And the ancient pues are now petrified and blanketed with thick moss.
A heavy aura of reverence still hangs in this place where history and nature have woven together in an eerie dance of beauty and decay.
During my first time in The Glassway, I said, “sell everything? What does that mean?” Then I saw a store that sells stores. So, my first question was answered, and that was the beginning of many, many more. - Ida Holly
A mysterious demi-plane that is an alleyway between worlds. This location is a black market for all manner of strange, alien, and otherworldly beings, who sell and barter all manner of rare items and artifacts not seen anywhere else.
The Glassway is a narrow alley, tightly packed and crowded between looming buildings. Finding your way to The Glassway is a carefully guarded secret. Many outsiders sometimes accidentally get lost in the side streets of a large city and emerge in the Ninoten Loop, or the back door of the bashful Basana Tavern. Only once one has earned the trust of a shopkeep or vendor will the secret to locating the magical market be offered, usually only when they think you may come back for return business.
Also! You can explore the Live Map of the glassway right now at balatro.net/glassway
Clicking anywhere on the map will pull up the lore of the shopkeep or location of that area of the market!
Supplements for TTRPG games are usually about vast cities, or countries, and sometimes, even whole worlds, but Glassway introduces a new concept: what if we took a single street and examined everything about it? What if we met everyone on it, learned every story and visited every single market stall? The goal of The Glassway is to create a vibrant, entertaining hub with lots to explore and uncover, to add spice to the sometimes dreaded “shopping session” by making it more rewarding and suffusing it with more and better roleplay!
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