afternoonmaps

Spring of Life Battle Map - Launch

Added 2025-09-30 15:54:59 +0000 UTC

Hello adventurers! This is a wilderness map featuring a small, ruined shrine with a pool of crystal-clear water, and a spring bubbles up from its centre. I imagine this is deep in a forest, a special place of ancient power and healing. It certainly could be a useful place for your players to find.

Next Maps

The Swarms Nest will be with you mid-mouth, and the Tidal Cave will come later.

The Swarms Nest (October Creature Feature)
OK, I’ve always wanted to create some kind of Wasp nest or Bee hive as a battle map. One of my first maps was a kind of Ant nest, so this feels like a good addition. I’ll definitely have the hexagonal-shaped chambers, a few levels and that cool paper wall construction you see in wasp nests. It should be a super interesting battlemap.
Tidal Cave
I have this vague memory of some sort of cave at the bottom of a coastal cliff, which is flooded by the tide. It may be at Tintangil castle in Cornwall, England. Something like that, which needs a rowing boat to enter and has an open cavern at its centre, should be a fun place for an encounter.

Upcoming Maps

These map ideas are on the short list for the next couple of months. You’ll see them soon, but other map ideas may jump in ahead of them.

Courtroom/Courthouse
Another one of those buildings your party may end up in, especially if they are bad boys and girls :) Now you’ll have a battle map to have a fun courtroom brawl in!
Boglings Mudpit (Bog)
I want to try a super swampy bubbling mud pit, with a narrow path leading through it. A place where some interesting monsters could call home. It's a lot of dank, muddy pools and sickly foliage.

Thanks as always for the support. I say it with each release, but I really do appreciate it more than you can know. You have kept the roof over my head and food on the table. If you’d like to suggest ideas, please leave your suggestions in the comments or send me a private message. And of course, happy adventuring! Now, let's take a drink from this fountain… Oh, look, they've left some cups for us. Weird, each one is made in a different style. No matter, I’m sure that can’t mean anything important. Let's have a drink to our health!

Downloads

The files, thumbnails, and tags can be accessed on the Map List Page. You must be logged in to Patreon and signed up for the correct tier to access them. Remember, you are only charged for map releases; you can download all the old maps at no extra cost!

Map Descriptions

The forest is dark and foreboding, but ahead, you can hear the babbling of water and catch a glimpse of a warm glow among the trees.

The glade is small and covered with thick, lush green grass. Trees crowd around the edges, their thick, shadowy canopies a stark contrast to the warm glow of sunlight on wind-tussled grass. At the centre of the glade is a circular ruin, with two concentric walls, the ground dropping each time towards a shallow pool of crystal-clear water. A spring bubbles up from the centre of the pool, creating a quiet, burbling sound that has an almost magical, calming effect.

Notes and Tips

30x30 Grid Map
This pool is obviously a place of power, someone recognised this and in ages past built a temple or shrine around the spring.
The waters could simply be extremely pure, a renowned place to collect water. Many places around the world have gained fame solely because of this. The water may be prized by nobles in the region, and expeditions are undertaken into the treacherous forest to retrieve it.
The pillars could be quite tall, making them a good spot for a monster to perch.
The water could have magical effects, its possible evil can not abide its touch, it could literally be holy water.
The shrine is likely connected to a minor or major deity or spirit. Is this a forbidden location, or is it a place of pilgrimage?
The pool gives off light, illuminating the glade, even at night.
The Lady of the Water - A nymph lives in the pool. She was once an oracle renowned in the region until the forest became dark and dangerous. Now she waits for the penitent to arrive and ask her questions, but none come. The beasts of the forest taunt her and will attack anyone who enters the glade.
The Water of Life and Death - This pool restores the health of anyone who drinks from it, or so the legend goes. However, at least for a short time, those who drink from the pool radiate light that attracts evil to them. Once the party drinks, they become monster beacons, remaining so until they can dispel the effect or until a certain amount of time has passed.
A Light in the Night - The party arrives at the glade while travelling through the forest at night. The creatures of the forest stalk them from the shadows, but seem to be reluctant to enter the glade. They know something the party does not. The glade is dangerous, home to wisps or other glowing monsters. Or the glade is enchanted, its light bewitching anyone who looks upon it.