"The Leap" | 40x30

Hello everyone, and happy New Release Monday! This will be the last map release of 2025, but I'll be ready to go by the new year with tons of new maps for all sorts of locations!

Today, I am sharing a location inspired by Ghosts of Saltmarsh called: The Leap

This marks the 23rd location I've mapped out for the town of Saltmarsh, with only seven more to go! I also plan on doing some map recreations from the adventures listed in the book as well, with Sinister Secrets of Saltmarsh already done (both part 1 and part 2) and Danger at Dunwater on the horizon.

The idea behind "The Leap" is that when someone in town loses a loved one, it is tradition for them to go to the beach, scale the cliffs (which is a 100-foot climb), and jump off the jutting rock into the ocean below. The waters here are fairly calm, and most folks survive the plunge...most folks. Legends have it that a grieving father made The Leap when he lost his son at sea. The locals warned him against making the jump in such a terrible storm, but he insisted. Fighting the wind and rain pounding into the creaking wooden planks that form the accent, he stood atop the jutting cliff, cursed the gods, and plunged into the pounding waves below, never to be seen from again. There was no body recovered, and the locals now say on stormy nights you can hear his mournful cries of anguish as his rage smashes the cliffsides. Some say it's a flock of harpies luring those to their doom and mimicking the sounds of a mourning father, while others say it's just simply the wind echoing from the canyon that leads to this location. What do you believe?

I wanted to create a visual queue of the accent to the highest rock on these cliffs, so I built a series of walkways and ladders into the cliffside. Folks would start at the bottom left near the brazier, light a torch if needed, and climb the stairs and cross the wooden bridges.

Halfway up, there is a stone altar with carved holes in the rock face for candles. Here, those mourning loved ones leave small momentos and light a candle to mark the vigil of their loved one's passing.

Upon reaching the highest point on the cliff, a short walk onto the jutting rock leads you to a ship bell attached to a fixture. As tradition holds, those who are about to make "The Leap" ring the ship bell, which is both symbolic, representing the signal bells on a ship, but also as a safety measure to let nearby townsfolk know that someone is making the plunge.

Fortunately for the jumpers, the water is relatively calm below on a clear day with some natural rocks in the ocean, which help dampen the incoming waves. The depth here is relatively safe, and there is a nearby shore to swim to. Additionally, there are a few row boats that are left here in the event townsfolk need to row out and help those get back to shore.

In addition to the core map, I also created an alternative version that removes all of "The Leap" specifics, such as the wooden walkways, shrine, and boats. This variant is just rocky cliffs by the ocean (or lake!), so you can use this for a number of shore-based encounters you might have.

For my VTT tier, I have also provided you with the bridge portion of the wooden walkway as a separate.png file so you can use this as an overlay tile to move tokens under it.

Click the download link below for your tier to download all the map files.

The Foundry / Champion Tier Download

The Foundry / Champion Tier Printable PDFs Download

The Grand Library Tier Download

The Grand Library Tier Printable PDFs Download

The Great Hall Tier Download

Well, folks, that's a wrap for 2025! I plan on writing a 2025 recap post soon where I review what's been accomplished this year and my project goals for next year.

I also want to let you all know that this week I'll be flying out of the country to ring in the New Year with my wife, so I will not be in front of my computer until I get home on Jan 3rd. Should you need any support on these days, just know my responses will be a little delayed until I'm back in my home office (hopefully all goes smoothly though!).

I want to wish you ALL a Merry Christmas for those who celebrate it, or a very happy holiday, no matter how you spend this season, whether it's celebrating with family or rolling dice with friends.

I want to wish you ALL a very happy New Year, and I am hoping 2026 brings us a whole new era of nerdy goodness, wonderful narrative stories, and great times shared with our friends around the gaming table.

Cheers friends,

DM Andy