Map #15 – Hidden ruins, pt. II

Weekend of many maps continues with an simple dungeon map – see earlier here and here. You can think of it as continuation of a previous map that I’ve drawn, namely hidden ruins. If you want to tip me and get access to higher resolution versions and other perks, consider becoming a patron.

There isn’t much of a story to this map, but I’d like to highlight a couple of parts of it. Firstly, there is a circular ritual room that has partly fallen off facing a cliff. There are stairs that lead to the surface and that have been built more recently. One possibility is that cultist are trying to resurrect an ancient mage or demigod that has been buried in the chamber next to the ritual room.

Secondly, some of the prison cells are equipped with trapdoors so that prisoners can be extracted for more extreme questioning or even sacrifice. Also, one of the rooms has a collapsed floor that allows access to the secret part of the dungeon. There also was an elevator but the collapsed ceilings have rendered it useless. If you feel like it, it could also act as an entry point to the dungeon.

The customary version without the grid can be found behind this link.


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Map #13 – Keep in a Pass

I’m going to put up quite a few maps this weekend, so stay tuned.  If you want to tip me or get higher resolution versions, consider becoming a patron.

The first map is a simple keep in a remote mountain pass. I has room for only a handful of people and the pass itself rarely sees traffic except for when the supplies arrive. It also boasts quite a few holding cells, but nowadays those are almost always empty. However, here’s a related adventure hook: There is a dangerous or very high value prisoner transport that has stopped and made camp at the keep for a day or two. The task of the players is then to extract the prisoner from the keep.

If you want, the keep could also be taken over by bandits or monsters

As usual, here is a version without the grid.


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Map #12 – The Spire

Time for a scifi map. Higher resolution versions are available to patrons.

This map features schematics of a space station prison for exceptionally dangerous criminals. The layout is following: There is a main level and engineering underneath it and then a tall “tail” around which single prisoner pods are connected. So from the outside this would look like a disk with a long tail – a roughly similar setup as the cloud city from Star Wars.

Spire -class stations often orbit remote hostile worlds and employ a sophisticated array of sensors. If they detect an unauthorized vessel approaching, they often fire the prison pods on the planet surface. This usually hinders the rescue operation and gives the federation rapid response ships enough time to arrive. If your setting has no faster-than-light travel, these could be stationed to a remote area of a system still within reach of conventional travel. As a last resort, the pods could be equipped with a self destruct mechanism that destroys them unless disarmed in time.

Here is a version without the grid.


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Map #10 – Goblin Caves

This is not a very innovative map (or adventure hook), but classics are classics for a good reason, right? Right…? In any case, this a small cave for goblins (or other creatures/bandits) to launch their terrorizing attacks. The map should be mostly self-explanatory. There is a holding cell and a furnished room with a secret entrance (or exit if you prefer). As per usual, higher resolution and multiple versions are available to patrons.

Continue reading “Map #10 – Goblin Caves”

Dice Math III – Summing dice

It’s been a while since the last time (part I and part II). Besides dice pools and linear RNGs, a common way to get a random number is to roll a few dice and sum their results. This results in a curved distribution where some results are more probable than others. For example, rolling 3d6, you can only get result 3 by getting three ones but there are multiple ways of adding to e.g. 7 using numbers between 1 and 6.  Continue reading “Dice Math III – Summing dice”

Map #9 – Forgotten Libary

Time for another map. This is also my first patreon release!  This time I drew a forgotten library. The building above ground is small and simple and the collection there is mundane and not at all impressive. However, the two dungeon levels hold rare and forbidden books. Unfortunately, the lower dungeon got damaged and the librarian fell to a small cave, died from the fall and now haunts the remains of the library. This could be located as part of ruins of a small city or even in the middle of wilderness.

In game, PCs would have to locate information from the library’s collection, but the librarian should complicate things. Place other – possibly undead – foes in the library to represent previous adventurers who have fallen before the librarians wrath if you wish.

Edit: I forgot to include the gridless version in the original post. Here’s a link to it.


Check out my patreon if you want to access high resolution versions and support me.


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MAP #8 – Hall of the Underking

Initially, I thought that this would be a dwarven ruin, but there isn’t anything in the map to prevent it being built by someone else. A cataclysm in the past cracked the dungeon in half and since that, it has become a nest for monstrous spiders. The spiders will likely stay away from the intruders unless they touch the webs or eggs. If you want, the spider webs could be sticky and slow or halt movement completely. There is a “fake” treasure room that could be mostly empty except for a few trinkets. However, the real vault is hidden behind a secret door. Additionally, there are two rooms for royal guards and at the first sight of any trouble they would have assaulted the throne room to protect the king or whatever noble is in charge of the city.

I think this small dungeon could be inserted into almost any dungeon crawl if you need an encounter with a little added environmental hazard. In DnD terms, lower level adventurers would get the most out of this map.

Here is a link to a version with a grid. Although be warned, the alignment is really poor and the grid itself is quite a patchwork.


I’ve also started a patreon, so check that out, if you want to support my mapmaking efforts. Note, this isn’t yet a “patron map”. Stay tuned for the first patreon post in the next few days!


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