It's been a bit since I last presented a map! Hell, if I'm being honest it's been a bit since I last did anything really creative at all. Life has kept me the perfect amount of stressed and busy to ensure that I have had little to no will to create anything, despite desperately wanting to be able to use my creative outlets.
Thankfully, today I've finally managed to break that cycle, and I thought I'd share with you the newest map I've created.
The Rough Draft!
Here I'm just getting down the basic shape of my dungeon, and getting an idea for how I want this all to interact.
Satisfied with the general layout, I introduce some ink, and lay the groundwork (pun intended) for some flagstones.
Time for some detail work!
I love folks like DysonLogos and PathsPeculiar on Twitter/Insta, so I've attempted here to replicate the way they do flagstones in their dungeons by adding some weight to random tiles, and just kind of messing up the flooring with cracks, chips, and stray rocks.
Lastly, I add in my preferred hatching style, throw down some shadows, and give the rooms some numbers so that it's easy to create a legend.
And... then it's time for a scan to finish it off!
I imagine this as a long-lost buried temple to some ancient forgotten god. The beauty of underground temples like this is that you can really place them ANYWHERE and get away with it. It could be found under a desert sand dune, or as an extension to some ruins in a jungle, or even just hidden under a cleverly hidden trap-door in a church, tavern, or other random building.
I chose this time to avoid adding any "dungeon dressings" or furniture, as I didn't want to push my newly returned creativity too far - but in my head I imagine that Room 1 contains a ruined staircase and is now accessible only by a recently added ladder, and would contain frescoes of ancient rituals or other art and iconography.
Room 2 has either 4 statues situated against the walls, OR - if you're going for something a little darker - four pools with blood/slime or another vile liquid. It's also a great place for a monster encounter or a trap, depending on how you want to play that.
Room 3 I imagine being something of a storage room, or perhaps a workshop or alchemy lab. Or, if you want to be dark again, it could be a dungeon or prep room for people that would eventually be ritually sacrificed.
Room 4 of course has the open space and vague shape to lend itself easily to be the central gathering point where rituals and worship used to happen. This room is another chance for an encounter with monsters or cultists or traps. A secret door hidden in the wall leads to Room 5, which would perhaps contain important holy relics, ancient secret magics, or treasure.
In the end, it really could be anything your imagination can fashion it into! Thanks for reading and browsing my photos! I hope you've found this enjoyable. I certainly enjoyed creating it!
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