04-Thursday – Maps, layout, Extras

Thursdays we will focus on the extra details such as maps, additional information or details and the layout of the adventure that the party will go through.

A Port to Call Home

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Welcome to Thursday night where we look at a port to call home for our pirate crew this week. The birthplace of a famous pirate may be romanticised in some instances but this week with Lamberk we aim to look at the darker nature of it. The encounters, to be covered tomorrow will likely involve a mixture of battlemap and theatre of the mind. This is one of my preferred methods as it gives a lot of flexibility for the DM. We don’t need a map every week but it can aid in tracking combat and positioning. So for this week I will scour my older posts and see if I have a ship and a house. For the eventual reveal, well you’ll just have to come back and see.

A Port to Call Home

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The Flying Owlbear is a massive ship that is rumoured to be able to travel across land as well as the seas. As the party look up at its ripped sails, ghostly lights and rotting wood as it rests in the middle of the town of Tarmak the rumours are true.

The Flying Owlbear – Created in Nightcafe.studio

The town of Lamberk has developed around a successful port. The majority of the infrastructure and commerce involve the sea and in the last few years after the installation of a naval guard the seas have become a safer place. Except for the rumours of ghostly sails that stalk the waters.

Due to its proximity of the water and the wealth that travels the sea its also the birthplace of many pirates, thieves and other criminals who prey on those that live or pass through.

Port Town of Lamberk – created in Nightcafe.studio

A rather short one tonight but its just the beginning steps to inspire this weeks adventure. So I do hope you will not forget to visit daily and, as always, don’t forget to roll it with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Research Outpost

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Tonight we expand our game with a map that looks to capture parts of the Research outpost. Whether the party is flying in their Kharadron ship or waiting at night for the right moment to dash for it there will be blood spilt here. So sit back, grab a coffee and let’s roll on with tonight’s map overview.

Research Outpost

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The outpost itself is set in a grassy yet sandy part of Ghur. Surrounded by tall hills the normally rough and primal landscape of the realm of beasts is broken up by valleys where grass grows. However these plains make of excellent grazing grounds for herbivore herds. And, for the predators that prey on these creatures.

This however also led to the first discovering of a Amberbone deposit – the realmstone of Ghur and the reason that the Stormcast eternals guard and protect the people of Ghur in researching the stone. Perhaps Sigmar is trying to find a way to stabilise his anvil of apotheosis or find a way to combat the threat of Kragnos.

Research Outpost – Map

Created in Inkarnate

The Zones

The immediate area around the central tent is the primary zone, zone one. The distance between the central tent and the cliffy-hills in any direction is the second, third and fourth zone (in any order and then the bottom, top left and top right parts of the map and beyond can have a line drawn from the hill to the to either the tent of cloth covered boxes is an additional zone each. This gives range, requirements for movement and versatility in how we run our encounters.

Thanks

A bit of a shorter one tonight as there isn’t much more to update. Come back tomorrow for our encounter of the week and a further glimpse into the Soulbound adventure. As we move onwards with the adventure I am creating don’t hesitate to send through questions or comments. I would love to discuss the adventure as it can be the best way to drive discovery and creation of the world. Don’t forget to re-roll those dice and come back soon,
The Brazen Wolfe

Reused and Recycled

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Welcome to a night filled with maps that I’ve dragged back from previous adventures, Reused and Recycled if you will. Part laziness but part emphasising the key part of creating maps for TTRPGs is that you can have a lot of variety and diversity in your world. But you can also say that the forest you are walking through today is similar enough to the one you walked through last week or last month even. This doesn’t make us lazy as Game or Dungeon Masters it makes us efficient.

So tonight I am going back to a few maps used in the past to give them a new take on life and to show that all maps can reused and recycled.

Reused and Recycled

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Road-Ambush (Surveying the Battlefield)

Something that could work for either a forest encounter heading to the manor, moving away form the manor or as part of a dream scape. It’s also an re-use of an older map because diversity is extremely important as a DM.

Made with Inkarnate.com

Inn in a strange town (Doorich Cottage)

The feat of waking up in a strange and unfamiliar place can be quite crippling. But what if your mind told you that this isn’t new, what if your allies around you acted like nothing was wrong. Running out into an unfamiliar street where people greet you like an old friend can send someone into a mild, or severe, panic attack. This could be another dream scape for us and another great example of a may being reused and recycled for a new purpose.

Made with Inkarnate.com

Hidden Waterfall (Welcome Rest, Unwelcome Guests)

I adore this map. Out of all my maps I think that this one is probably one of my favourites. A soothing camp fire, soft noises that lull you into a sense of security then something goes wrong. The perfect recipe for a nightmare and yet again another example of a map being Reused and Recycled.

Made with Inkarnate.com

Well I want to say thank you for joining me tonight for my lazy-Map night. When I first imagined the content I would bring up for Brazen Wolfe Tabletop it was about having variety, versatility and promoting reuse. That’s why I have a tag under each blog (i.e. 303ThReRe) so I can go back and refer to content I liked and want to reuse. Tonight I looked through the 50 or so Thursdays I have created a map for this blog and selected but a handful. There is a lot already here and any of them will make excellent maps for a diverse set of adventures.

Now we have the weekend fast approaching so don’t forget to plan some tabletop time and let’s not forget to roll with advantage while you’re at it,
The Brazen Wolfe

Dark Forest & Darker Crypts

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Welcome back to Brazen Wolfe tabletop where tonight I spend a fair bit of time creating the adventure maps for Dark Forest & Darker Crypts. This week we look at a forest setting, I know cliché for me but I just love them soo much! But to make it up to you I have created a Crypt map as well. So don’t go away, sit down and have a coffee while we look at tonight’s maps.

Dark Forest & Darker Crypts

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Dark Forest

Shaded and wooded areas provide great places for ambush by bandits and animals alike. A dense wood with flickering shafts of lights from the canopy of trees above make this map rather interesting.

The Dark Woods – Created in Inkarnate

Darker Crypts

Complete with a secret room, a few walls that can easily be broken through, chests for all your loot purposes and bones of the dead! This map took a while to try and get the shading on the tiles to where I was happy with them. Even now I think there are some rooms for improvement but I like the dark gritty nature of it that promises that it once was more. Evidence of many previous cave ins and a hidden altar (the top of the map) that pays homage to my first DM’s plot twist of an adventure complete this room.

Dark Forest’s Crypt – Created in Inkarnate

Well that’s all that I have time for tonight. As always feel free to use these maps in your own adventure, click the links to inkarnate and if you have an account you can remix the images! If you are playing along at home let me know how you go but make sure to come back tomorrow for some traps, secrets and the encounter! With the weekend fast approaching make sure you don’t forget to plan some tabletop time and don’t forget to roll with advantage while you are at it,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Cherpa Mill

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Thursday night has come and with it brings the map for the Cherpa Mill at night. Fireflies flitter across the tall grass and amongst the trees from this long abandoned building and despite the light it does indeed look haunted as the people of Cherpa warned the party.

The Cherpa Mill

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As the cold mist of the evening starts to settle down upon the long grass flickering pinpoints of light can be seen from the large, old window of the Mill. As fireflies flitter through the sprint night sky the unmistakeable apprehension of the outcome of the little boy in the mill starts to weigh on the party.

The mill is old with many of the boards and planks of wood having come loose and fallen down over the years. The tattered vanes of the windmill lay motionless as their damage renders them unable to move. But despite this there is a soft noise coming from inside the mill which draws the party in closer.

Broken barrels and crates surround the walls of the mill and a broken stairway leads to a second story where goods would have once been stored. However both the goods, the flooring and the stairs are broken and unreliable making passage across them dangerous at best.

Cherpa Mill – created in Inkarnate

Thoughts on the Cherpa Mill

Normally beneath the Mezzanine lies empty space and the remnants of old hay and straw bales. However presently it hosts dozens of cherpa hens as they huddle around the muffled cries of a young boy. The torches that were lit to guide the children in their mischief send dancing lights across the lower story of the mill. But there is a scratching and movement in the shadows that unnerves the hens and humans alike.

Thanks for visiting tonight to join me in looking over the two storied mill. I had a lot of fun with the map tonight as there is something soothing and fun when playing with light orbs. The Fireflies and trees help breakup the stagnant and plain outside of the mill and add more depth for the party. I hope you enjoy the map as much as I enjoyed creating it. Don’t forget to let me know how you go using it and if you do tweak it in Inkarnate please share!

Don’t forget to come back and visit me tomorrow. I will have more exciting encounters and a non-standard creature to reveal. I hope to see you back for the encounter tomorrow and for this weekend when I wrap the first adventure of the year up. Also, don’t forget that this year will be primarily focusing on one shots. I hope to bring one or more oneshots a month so you will just have to come back to find your favourites. And as always I will leave you with wishing you the best luck in your endeavours and remind you to not forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Frosted Forest

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Tonight I wanted to share some more maps for the dice-ember adventure where we look back at the snowmen within the Frosted Forest. Two maps were created, well one created and the second had the snowmen removed.

Frosted Forest

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Snowfields without Snowmen

The slope of the snowy fields from Snowtown heading towards the forest impedes movement. Small mounds of snow are littered with rocks that have rolled to near the surface. Some rocks have stayed there for longer than most of the townsfolk lives. Normally the forest is a cheerful place where birds and animals seek refuge from the day. But lately its been quiet and even the game that used to call the forest home have been found out in the snowy fields or further away from the town.

Created in Inkarnate

Snowman in the Forest Encounter

The same map but with snowmen hiding in wait. Although not hiding that well its hard to tell if they are the animated ones that have been seen in Snowtown or if someone has a sick sense of humour and has decided to create the festive creations amongst the shade of the trees.

Created in Inkarnate

Thanks for joining me tonight for some more snow maps. The Frosted Forest was a fun map to make and I think I managed to get the colouration of the snow pretty good this week. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow night for some statblock’s and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Descent under the Ice fields

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The twenty second day of Dice-ember we look at the maps that track our Descent under the Ice fields. These were once again created in Inkarnate!

Descent under the Ice fields

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The slippery steps and deep fall into the cave below lead for a harrowing adventure down. The Stalactites on the roof (and hidden creatures amongst them) also pose more threats that the party will have to face as they descend further down. This weeks adventure map(s) start with the stairs down where movement is considered difficult terrain so speed is halved. Over the rocky un-hewn icy-stone there lays the area for our party to rest or be ambushed. That parts up to us.

Frozen Quarry Steps – Created in Inkarnate

Workshop

Dark and gloomy with small motes of light that are left over from the enchantresses ritual the Ice cave where she conducts her rituals is far from welcoming. At the edges of the cavern is steep rocky walls that with small ledges that the athletic may be able to reach for a vantage point. Large slabs of ice-crystal litter the room and some of which glow with a light of their own. A large chair stands towards the back of the area whilst a small, flat slab of ice acts like a table near by.

In the centre of the room is a large alter table, old blood mottles the engravings that have been chiselled into the surface. The creation that could have been created here long gone, or perhaps just hiding.

Enchantress Ice Cave – made in Inkarnate

Thanks for joining me tonight for another night filled with maps as we track the descent under the Ice fields. These maps would suit many frozen caves (not just this adventure) and can be quite versatile. The stairs was definitely the hardest but its difficult to stress the steep drop either side of a narrow walkway. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the creature reveals and this weekend for the final adventure. So if you’ve joined me tonight, or have been reading along with me for some time now. I want to thank you for joining me for another year of Brazen Wolfe Tabletop. Don’t forget to rest up and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Snowtown Quarry

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The fifteenth day of Dice-ember I bring to you the Snowtown Quarry map. This is where we look to encounter some particularly nasty constructs and investigate further into where the constructs may be coming from. This map has a lot of layering work and the river was a bit of a harder one to do so it took quite a bit of time tonight. So I hope you enjoy and can find use of this snowy quarry map in your own games or this adventure!

Snowtown Quarry

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The rocky walls are extremely steep and over twenty feet tall. The ledge above the quarry itself is covered in trees that appear to be trying to take back the scarred land. In the middle of the quarry a large sinkhole or perhaps open mine has been left to be filled with the river that has cut its way through the land and into the quarry itself.

Bits of debris and the remnants of a ruined mine track and cart can be found in the quarry but the dark cave entrance lays next to the waterfall where a constant flow of frigid water flows down. The water itself is covered by a thin layer of ice and is reasonable deep above the quarry but shallow on the open rocky field.

Created in Inkarnate

Tonight I had another play around with Inkarnate. It was good to get back into more focused map making and spending more time and effort in trying to blend the chaotic elements of natural landscape together. Maps like these are quite versatile and this one can be used not only for D&D but also Soulbound, Openlengends RPG as well as other game systems, fantasy or otherwise. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the statblock of the creatures eluded to over the past weekAnd, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Avalanche and Snowtown

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The eighty day of Dice-ember where we look at evocative Avalanche and Snowtown. Tonight is looking at where the battlefield will be and instead of setting up a rigid battle map I wanted to run this weeks encounter in the theatre of the mind. So sit back, sip on a coffee and let’s roll on.

Avalanche and Snowtown

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The elevated edge of Snowtown gives a good view over the city. As more snow clouds appear above the area the buildings get darker as the smoke from chimneys starts to mingle with the blanketing snow.

Created in nightcafe.studio

The edge of the thick forest is creepy enough let alone at night or when the sun is hiding behind thick clouds. With the appearance of snowman amongst the branches this makes for a pretty tense encounter.

Created in nightcafe.studio

Thanks for joining me tonight for a short update to help with the battlefield in our mind. Don’t forget to tune back in tomorrow tonight for the revelation of the Snowball stat block as we flesh out this adventure. This weekend I will be looking at more setting expanding entries like last weekend so don’t forget to join me again for that. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Snowtown Town

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Hello and good evening all. Welcome to the the first night of Dice-ember! Tonight we look at one of the maps that I will refer to as Snow Town for the time being. Snowtown Town is where our party will find themselves looking into the nightmares of the night where snow constructs stalk

 

Snowtown Town

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Snowtowns Town Map

Created in Inkarnate

Now to set the scene yesterdays dice-ember post…

Dice-ember

The town up ahead looked peaceful in the distance with its slate roofs covered in fresh snow. The sun was high in the sky and the party was glad to be heading towards a town. Judging by their current pace, via back of a farmers wagon, they would make it there just before nightfall.

“A the town of Snowtown. A cosy little place” the man up front said as he urged his horses to go further up a hill. As they moved higher up into the hills towards Snowtown the weather changed with their progress. Soon snow started to fall and the weather outside made it necessary to put the canvas roof over the wagon for the party members to stay somewhat dry.

Night fall

The snow crunched underfoot as the party strolled into the town. The eerie quiet of the town only broken by the caw of a night bird or the squeal of a rusty sign. As they wondered around the city centre a shadow moved towards them. Raising the torch high the person, covered in snow shuffled towards them like a white ghost. It wasn’t until the figure was within ten feet that its true nature was revealed.

A creature made from snow, pitch black eyes and rotten fruit or vegetable was hanging from its nose. As it reached out towards them with shattered ticks and bones for arms a rock smashed through its head, sending the body tumbling to the ground. “Run!” a voice called from a building as the party ran towards the building.

Racing towards the building they dashed through the snow, through the door and slammed it closed behind them. “Don’t let those things touch you. They drain the warmth from you and you soon join them in their frozen march.” the old man said with a shaky voice. “They wont come towards the houses but don’t want anyone on the streets after dark”.

The party made to check the door when they heard the thudding of something heavy on the snow outside. “Shh. That’s the other thing. There is something else. It begs to be let into your house. It appears as a jolly, kindly man and those who let it within their homes are found dead.”

The party huddled around the fire as the creatures outside continued their frozen march.

Thanks for joining me tonight for the first night of Dice-ember! Tomorrow we look at the visitors we have seen in Snowtown town and what they could potentially mean for our party. So don’t forget to come back for this and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe