Roadside Ruin Battle Map - Launch

Hello Adventurers! This release is a general-use travel map, a Roadside Ruin. The ruin is a single-story structure with a partially collapsed roof. Having structures like this on random encounter maps helps to add extra interest to even basic combat encounters.

Next Maps

I’ll be working on the Jousting Field next, with the Pit of the Beast to follow.

• Jousting Field (Tournament ground)
  The idea is to create a jousting field with stands and a place for the jousting to take place. I’ll see what else I can fit into the map. I may include tents for the knights and some fighting rings.

• Pit of the Beast
  I want to create an underground pit with a connecting tunnel and entrance that could be used as a lair during a wilderness encounter. It will have steep sides and a bottom full of bones, where some dangerous creature brings its prey to feast.

Thanks for your support and feedback! I plan to do at least one spooky map at the start of November, so please send me your suggestions soon! Have a fantastic end to the weekend, and as always, happy adventuring! Now, let’s do some ‘urban exploring’ in this old ruin. What's the worst that could happen? Do not answer that. It was a rhetorical question!

Downloads

The files, thumbnails, and tags can be accessed on the Map List Page. You must be logged in to Patreon and signed up to 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 road is rutted and rarely used, with thick foliage growing along its verges. Ahead and off to the right is a ruined building. The roof has long since collapsed, and its crumbling stone walls are only partially standing. Dark wooden beams balance between the walls, blackened by the fire that seems to have destroyed the structure. A smaller structure, maybe used as a workshop or storeroom, sits on one side of the main building.

Much of the building's walls are still intact, creating a shadowy interior. The ground is covered in piles of roof tiles and pieces of wood. Underneath, you can see the remnants of rotten floorboards. Unhealthy-looking plants grow among the debris, slowly reclaiming the building for nature. Dark doorways lead further into the ruin.

Notes and Tips

• 30x30 Grid Map

• It's not uncommon to find structures abandoned or destroyed on the outskirts of settlements. Take a moment to think about the issues your settlement may face:

  • Goblins raid the settlement each winter.

  • A retreating army burnt their farms.

  • A plague killed half the settlement, leaving many buildings empty.

  • The young people of the village are moving into the larger towns/cities.

  • Wolves from the nearby forests kill their livestock.

• You can pick and choose the height of the walls as you go. Combat in the ruin is heavily affected by the cover and separation of rooms.

• Mobs can jump onto the walls to get an advantage or reach players more quickly. There are also a couple of large trees that could be used to perch in.

• The rotten floorboards can break underfoot. Players have the choice of moving at half or full speed, moving quickly risks a fall, or temporarily trapping a foot.

• Abandoned buildings have histories! Imagine who lived there and why it was abandoned and link the encounter to that.

• A Familiar Witch: An old lady used to live in this house. She was a witch of some power and kept minor demons as her familiars. When she died, the familiars remained. They disguised themselves as Bats and Toads. If you play DnD, take a look at Quasits.

• Night Howls: At night, howls can be heard from the ruin. The villagers are too scared to investigate. They have also been losing livestock to ‘something’ at night. It turns out a pack of wolves has taken up residence in the ruin. However, the wolves are more aggressive than usual, their eyes glowing a ghostly green. They are being influenced by an evil spirit living in the house's cold cellar.

• It's Never Just Zombies: Zombies are a symptom of something worse. That's a given. In this case, the farmhouse was built on an ancient burial ground or maybe a ley line of corrupted power that lets nothing buried here rest. Whatever the reason, people don’t stay buried on this land.

Variants

Day/Night for all variants.

 A tropical location for pirate adventures or anywhere in or near rainforests!

A snow variant because even a shelter without a roof is better than nothing in a snowstorm.

 And a dark forest variant for when you need to hide from werewolves. It's a shame there are no doors!