Leviathan's Fall Battle Map - Launch

Hello Adventurers! I hope your February is going well, I’ve spent the last week drawing bones and so have finished off our next map, which I’ve titled Leviathan’s Fall. It's based on the concept of a ‘Whale Fall’, when a whale dies its body falls to the ocean floor and becomes a new ecosystem for the creatures that inhabit the depths. Millions of years later the ocean has receded and we are left with fossils/bones in a desert!

Next Maps

I’ll be creating a couple of simple terrain maps for the end of the month for our Into the Wilds map(s). Then I’ll be creating the Deep Warren afterwards.

• Into the Wilds
  It's been pointed out I’ve not made many true wilderness maps with no paths or trails, which is very true. So I’m going to make a couple of generic forest/grassland maps which can be used when your party goes completely off-trail.
• Deep Warren/Burrow
  I’ve been wanting to create a new mini-dungeon and was thinking a more natural animal/monster lair would be fun. And so with easter approaching, I’ve decided on a Warren with burrows, tunnels and chambers dug into the earth that could be used as a lair for lots of different monsters, including the most terrifying of all, the giant killer bunny rabbit.

Thanks so much for your support, both new and old Patrons. I’ll keep asking for new ideas from you all, so please do suggest a way! Have a great end of the week! And as always happy adventuring!

Now let's get moving, I’ve heard Leviathan bones are worth a fortune to the right alchemist. And Bob, if you make another giant bone joke you're out of the party!

Downloads

As always the files can be accessed on the Map List Page along with thumbnails and tags. You need to be logged in to Patreon and be signed up to the correct tier to access them. And remember you are only charged for map releases, you can download all the old maps at no extra cost!

Map Description

The walls of the canyon rise towards the sky, their surfaces banded with rich earth colours: deep rust reds, dusty ochres, and muted shades of brown. Above, the sky is a vast expanse of pale blue, not a cloud to be seen. A bone-dry wind whistles down the canyon, taking any moisture with it.

A giant skeleton rests between the walls of the canyon, its sunbleached bones glowing white in the blistering sun. The bones are massive, the ribs standing many feet into the air, creating natural archways you can easily walk beneath. The spine of the giant creature snakes its way along the canyon’s floor and at the end rests a monolithic skull, the size of a small building.

Notes and Tips

• 30x45 Grid Map
• This is based on the idea of a ‘Whale Fall’. When a whale dies its body sinks to the ocean floor and creates a habitat for scavengers that can last many years. I imagine this was one such creature but more massive, some monster of the depths, but in time the ocean receded and the skeleton is now resting in this canyon.
• This could be on the coast and be quite new, or it could be in a desert or desolate region and be fossilised.
• This does not have to be a whale skeleton, it could be any kind of sea or land-based giant monster, including a dragon.
• Use both the cliffs and the ribs as elevated areas. Have things hang off the ribs, or run along the walls of the canyon.
• Allow the players to use the ribs as cover and places to get to higher ground.
• Rippling Sands: Fossilised in the desert sun, a piece of a leviathan's heart is inherently magical and valuable. However, its skeleton is guarded by giant centipedes that burrow into the sands around the skeleton. Only when the party start to dig do the creatures attack, swarming out of the ground and up the ribs to rain down on the party below.
• Let Sleeping Bats Lie: Hanging from the ribs of this creature are giant bats (Vampire?). During the day they sleep here but at dusk, they take flight to hunt the regions around them. Have the party try to sneak through and maybe they succeed, but let's face it, it's more fun if they don’t. Or this could simply be a vulture roost, but really angry vultures ;)
• To Higher Ground: Have the party encounter some monster they must fight here, but during the encounter have them hear a rumbling noise. It's a flash flood which sweeps down the canyon. The cliffs are too crumbly to climb easily so the ribs are the best escape. However the enemy is also looking to not drown, so space is at a premium.

Variants

Day/Night for all relevant maps.

A simple Canyon is always useful!

A river crossing with a difference. Climbing over the ribs looks totally doable ;)

And an ocean variant for a true Whale Fall style map.

And because sometimes you just need a simple underwater map, I've added that as well.