terrainmonkey map showcase

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terrainmonkey map showcase

Post by terrainmonkey »

hey, so i'm new here, and i figured i would put some maps up just to show off, i guess. also, i take requests, so if there are maps you need, and you are a less than average mapper, perhaps i can help.

follow the links below to see a few maps.

this one is an homage to the old blue map style module designs
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f127/ ... geondm.jpg

my son helped me make this one, that's why it's a little basic
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f127/ ... andung.jpg

because everyone needs a treasure map every once in a while
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f127/ ... uremap.jpg

heres a hideout for an evil cult
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f127/ ... zydung.jpg

this is a work in progress of a wizards dungeon i was working on before getting sidetracked on something else.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f127/ ... izdung.jpg

anyway, while not as great as omote's hand drawn, let me know what you think. there are more over at enworld on this thread:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=163663

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Post by Moorcrys »

Nice man!

Love the old school maps. On the ENworld thread you said you used CorelDraw. Do you still use that program? Have you tried Dunjinni or CC3?
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terrainmonkey

Post by terrainmonkey »

thanks

first off, dunjinni isn't that great, i've found. i have the software, but didn't really like it too much as the symbol catalog is so limited. cc3 is on my list of things to buy but right now there are other things more important than that. i have cc2, and still use that from time to time, but coreldraw is the main program i use right now, simply because i wanted to make maps that didn't have the CC2 style to them. if you go to porfantasy, there are quite a few maps there and all of them seem to have the same style after a while. i wanted to get away from that and creat my own look to the maps i designed. also, i'm waiting for the cc3 package to come otu with the cities and dungeon software before i actually go ahead and buy it.

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Post by Omote »

Hey TM, you got some great maps here! Don't sell yourself short, these maps are way better then in some professional releases. Matter of fact, your "blue dungeon" has already inspired me for a small side-quest in a my C&C campaign.

I hope you don;t mind if I use that very map?!
*snagged*

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Post by serleran »

See, this is why I'll never be posting my crappies again. You guys shame me. Meanies.

Nice work.

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Post by Treebore »

According to a recently released research study if you practice for 10 years you'll become a "master", no matter how bad our beginning skills and aptitude are.

Nice maps! Can I steal them? IE copy for personal use?
Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

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terrainmonkey

Post by terrainmonkey »

hey folks

i will allow the use of my maps by any player that wants to use them. the only thing is, just tell your players about where you got them. i am also available for personal comissions if you would like, PM me for details. i'm not wanting to advertise here or anything. just consider the ones i put up here freebies.

currently i am working on the Jendar maps for Ilshara. here's the map for the Jendar area at the bottom of the page:
http://johnwright281.tripod.com/id10.html

i am also going to have the maps for it done soon. thanks for all the praise, and if there is anything else you want to see, let me know. i've got dozens of maps online, in both corel formats and campaign cartographer.

jp

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Post by Treebore »

Do you have any exceptionally well done/extensive castles/temples/libraries/university type buildings? Palace complex?
Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

Grand Knight Commander of the Society.

Arioch

Post by Arioch »

nice stuff

ken
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Post by Rigon »

Those maps are awsome TM. I think I'm gonna haffta snag them.

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terrainmonkey

Post by terrainmonkey »

here's a town called Mariner's Bluff. Feel free to place it on the coast of a large body of water, or a river somewhere. this is one i've been working on off and on for the last few weeks. been tweaking here and there to get the style right. let me know what you think.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f127/ ... sbluff.jpg

terrainmonkey

kicking it old school

Post by terrainmonkey »

so someone above said they like the blue dungeon. i figured i would give this one a shot. sure, it's only the first two levels, but the other ones are being worked on. this is simply a work in progress.

i also redesigned the maps of Jendar in digital format for the Ilsharra website. take a look. as always, comments are welcome. i'm also doing the adventure description for this blue dungeon.

here's the intro:

"Theos the Mad mage was a worshipper of Andost, the god of deception. In his travels he found a cave system in a mountain pass and decided to make it home. He took on apprentices, students from all over the realms, and eventually hired an Architect to oversee operation of the catacombs he would eventually call home and be buried in.

He eventually contacted an emissary of his lord who promised him unending life for the sacrifice of certain individuals, and horrid rites perpetrated in the name of Andost. Thinking that his lord was going to turn him into a lich, he started teaching his students the path of unlife, and necromancy. He captured many creatures throughout the lands, including a minotaur, and experimented on them, turning them into zombies, wights, and other horrible constructs.

In the meantime, the Architect, upon seeing all of these horrible creatures, alerted some adventurers to come to destroy Theos. The adventuring band failed in their quest to defeat Theos, but wounded him mortally. Knowing he would never be able to become a lich, he decided to try for the best he could do and go about the process of mummification. His most able students practiced the rite and changed him into a mummy, yet he was able to keep his magical powers in undeath as he had in life.

For his betrayal, the Architect was also mummified. The students who survived knew it was only a matter of time before another group of heroes came to their master's catacombs, and committed suicide by poison made of horrid necrotic potency which would grant them unlife in the form of skeletons. At the appropriate time they would rise again, should the catacombs be entered again by any would be tomb robbers. The experiments and summonings were left, in order to aid in the defense of their master's tomb, and were set loose in their individual areas to watch and wait.

In the long years since the tomb was sealed, the Architect has been active on his level, attempting to create an artifact that could finally destroy his former master Theos. He is trapped on his level by foul sorceries and has had to wait in silence for any brave heroes that might come to defeat his former master. Perhaps soon, he will get his chance. Several months ago, an earthquake of mild severity shook the mountain pass, and unearthed a section of the catacombs that would eventually lead to the infernal crypt.

Rumors abound of the new discovery, of riches and wealth; for over the years, there has been much conjecture about what secrets the catacombs hold, and what magical treasures it might contain. Perhaps now is the time for a new group of heroes to find out the truth behind the depredations of Theos the Mad."

as always, comments are welcome

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Post by Tadhg »

The maps look real good, and especially the blue one!
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Inkpot

Post by Inkpot »

Just out of curiosity, how long does it take you to make a map on average? I don't have Corel Draw, but I do have The Gimp. I've been thinking about using it for maps for some time now....

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Post by terrainmonkey »

it all depends on the complexity of a design. a high texture "Christopher West" style map will take several hours to do, since it is more of an artistic style than just straigh lines and shapes. city and town maps take a few hours, but that is more just time copy/pasting. once i get a series of symbols for the map i am creating, it usually goes rather quickly. the "Blue Old Style" maps don't really take a lot of time because i have the symbols and it is only a 2 color untextured. i tend to create basic shapes and room types and then go back and forth working it up layer by layer.

this is how i tend to draw a map, and the basic principles remain the same:

1. i usually draw out a rough sketch on graph paper and throw a few ideas out as to what i want the map to look like. this can be anything from a pencil diagram with what appears as a flow chart with lines and shapes. i also put down what the title of the map is, city, dungeon, etc.

2. once i have the basics, i either scan them into the computer as a jpeg image and import that into corel draw. this is always the first layer. the great thing about corel is that you can turn layers off and on, and this allows you to see the base map and work off of that for most things.

3. then, i take a few minutes to name the layers i am going to be working with. for instance, with the blue map above, i went with Background, Rooms, Grid, Doors, Traps, Accessories, Text, and Blank. The blank layer is a working layer where i can move individual entities from one layer to that just to work on them without affecting anything in other layers.

4. The next step is to work up layer by layer one part at a time. this is when i do most of the symbols like doors, traps, etc. i usually do these larger than they appear on the map just so i can get the scale, add details, etc. then shrink them down to fit the map grid and room size. this gives them a uniformity.

5. the next thing i do is add a grid, and decide if it is going to be a 5 or 10 foot per square style. in the case of outdoor maps, i add the hex grid and decide how large i want that and what each one represents.

6. This is when the basics are done and i can get into the meat of the process. copy/pasting, moving, rotating, adjustments to rooms, etc. i also do final details on the rooms and any other details that i think would be cool.

7. With the main map done, i then start with the text, adding in room numbers, level names, etc. this is also when i start thinking of the occupants of the map, who they are, what they do, where they might be living, etc.

the entire process takes about an hour or so to do the basics, and then another hour or two to finish up the details. while i am doing the map, i am also writing other ideas about the background of the structure, history, etc. so i can design the adventure. this is a simultaneous process with the construction of the map, and i usually put myself into the mind of the dungeon's creator. why certain things exist where they do, what the dungeon is used for, why it was built, etc.

if you folks would like, i can post a step by step guide more involved than this one, showing the pics of each stage. i'm always of the mind that anything i can do to help create better maps is good for all. thoughts? ideas? comments?

as far as GIMP, i haven't actually used it because i got the Corel draw program a few months ago and have since ditched CC2 for this. it seems easier for me somehow, and creates more varied dungeons and maps than the cookie cutter style that you only get with CC2.

terrainmonkey

Post by terrainmonkey »

okay, here's the second part of the Catacombs of Theos the Mad. This is going to be a dungeon adventure for the lands of Ilsharra. It will be posted as soon as i am finished with the room descriptions. if anyone here would like to playtest this adventure prior to it being finished, let me know and i'll send you some of the ideas i have about where it is, and what the inhabitants consist of.

also, any other ideas as to what you may want, need, or desire in your own campaign and we can work it out. i'm in an old style "blue map" period so that's the basic style and we can work from there.

comments welcome, as i'm trying to break into the biz, and hope to get some attention of some publishers who like my work and want to use it for upcoming adventures. (hint hint)

terrainmonkey

Post by terrainmonkey »

so here's a troglodyte cavern system but done in black and white. i'll see about making it blue and see how that looks.

thanks for the comments folks. i often wonder if the maps i design are any good. i guess i'm my own worst critic huh.

terrainmonkey

Post by terrainmonkey »

hey folks

here's an update of a map i've been working on for a few days. it is still a work in progress, so if you have any ideas, let me know. i've kept the dungeon as vague as possible and without a key so you can decide what the squares represent either 5 or 10 feet. let me know what you think.

the red doors are secret.

Arioch

Post by Arioch »

nice and the secret door in red is a nice touch

ken
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Post by terrainmonkey »

here's another, getting better, i think
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f127/ ... rdung1.jpg

this is still a work in progress. i'm trying to get some water effects for it finished. and shadowing the numbers.

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Post by Treebore »

Looking good. Have you ever done one, like a temple or castle, that has a lot of secret doors/passages in locations that won't be obvious once you look at a map?
Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

Grand Knight Commander of the Society.

terrainmonkey

Post by terrainmonkey »

and the latest one finished.

meepo

Post by meepo »

WOW! I'd never seen this thread before. You make some really nice stuff.

I *HATE* making maps! (mostly because I'm terrible at it) Consider 'em "yoinked"!

Arioch

Post by Arioch »

yes this stuff is great

ken
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Post by Omote »

TM, good maps man. I like the elevation change in the natural cavern area very much. Good work.

..........................................Omote

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Post by Tadhg »

Wow, more great stuff, TM. Really high quality! 8)
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Emryys

Post by Emryys »

I think someone is bucking for a job!...
Nice quality!
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Post by terrainmonkey »

Emryys wrote:
I think someone is bucking for a job!...
Nice quality!

yeah, you think? i would love to do professional cartography for a major games company. (hint hint... )

angelius

Post by angelius »

Looks good, I think it would fit my dwarven forge really well.
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Post by terrainmonkey »

here's a work in progress for my son who is starting a new campaign. he has trouble drawing maps and stuff, so i figured i would take a few minutes a day and create a campaign world for him. it's going to be a basic world with knights and kings and dragons and things because that's what he likes. i'm also going to write about the world and put it into a gazeteer for him. it will probably be about 50+ pages when i get done. maybe i'll post the ideas i have here. he played 3.5 with me, but i'm going to show him the way to c&c.

comments are always welcome here. i'm toying with some new techniques.

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