afternoonmaps

Bathysphere Battle Map - Launch

Added 2021-11-30 22:32:00 +0000 UTC

Hello Adventurers! Here is our next map, a sturdy research ship that carries a deep-sea exploration vessel called a Bathysphere. I love sea-based adventures and this could be used for a simple encounter or a more lengthy adventure exploring the depths. I’ve created a map for the ship itself, and two Bathysphere maps (Sandy Bottom and Ocean Depths). This would work great as a sequence of encounters, from ship deck to hanging in the depths of the ocean.

Next Maps

December is here and with it comes more Holidays for many of us. I’ll be taking some time off at the end of December, but I’m still planning on getting a couple of maps done for you. I’m looking forward to creating the City Dump/Junkyard map next, with a new map suggestion coming later in the month, the Swamp Hags Hut. I added this one in as it's been a while since I created a Lair map and creepy huts in the middle of spooky forests/swamps are always useful.

Junkyard (City Dump)
A city or town dump. Lots of piles of refuse and detritus. An old shack for the caretaker with chains for whatever they use for guard duty, I imagine it’s more exotic than a couple of Dobermann :P
Swamp Hags Hut (Lair)
An old tumbledown Hut in the middle of some dank woods/swamps. Maybe this could have some underground component, a little mini Dungeon, or a half-flooded cave system the hag/hags do their rituals in.
Lords Chambers (Castle’s Private Quarters)
This one will expand on the castle set I’ve been planning on creating. This time I’ll be looking at a wing of a castle that consists of the Lord’s/Count’s private quarters. It will have bed chambers, a general lounge, and/or a reading room. I suspect there will be some secret rooms with weirder stuff, I’m thinking torture chambers, a mini-laboratory, or a shrine to some forbidden diety.

Thanks so much for your continued support, I hope your November was fun, and if you were celebrating thanksgiving last week I hope it was a success and not too stressful! Have a wonderful rest of the week and I’ll catch you in December with some more fun and hopefully useful maps! Now let's go all Jacques Cousteau and explore the wonders of the deep, on our trusty ship, Spelly McJammer Face! (never let the players name anything).

And the Bathysphere in the depths!

Along with a version showing the inside of the Bathysphere

Map Descriptions

The Ship

The Research vessel surges up, cresting each wave, then crashes down into the troughs between them. For those of you with a lesser constitution, the constant motion is nauseating, even the simplest tasks are difficult. While you suffer, the crew goes about their business with practiced ease, completely at home on the high seas. At the stern of the ship, a crane is attached to the Mizzen Mast. It hangs off the back of the ship, ropes, and pulleys covering its sturdy wooden frame.

The Bathysphere

A large bronze sphere hangs from the crane, its rivets and metal plating glistening with droplets of ocean spray. The bronze contraption hangs from thick hemp ropes, a dark rubber hose is attached to the top. Small round portholes ring the exterior, thick green glass distorts the view into the strange vessel.

The Bathysphere interior

The Bathysphere’s interior is cold, damp, and claustrophobic. Metal and glass instruments cover every surface, filling the interior with a constant ticking and whirring. Groups of canisters are fastened to the walls with brass and copper fittings. Around the outer wall are benches with belts to secure the passengers. In the center is a hatch that allows access to an airlock below.

Notes and Tips

30x45 grid map
Although this is a very specifically themed map, it should be fairly easy to incorporate into most settings. As long as you have a body of water, there will always be people looking to harvest or recover treasures from the depths.
The setup for an adventure like this could revolve around any number of organizations, from gnomes doing research to salvagers looking to find sunken treasure, to an undersea rescue operation.
Just because we have access to spells for breathing underwater doesn’t mean this kind of vessel couldn’t be useful. This could be a platform for exploration, transportation, or rescue that has benefits other than simply being able to breathe.
Use this map in conjunction with some of my other sea-based maps. Use the Excavation Site map as an underwater research lab, reached by the bathysphere. Or use the Kraken’s Garden map as an underwater location.
Consider giving the players access to the Water Breathing spell. They will need it to fight underwater, or give them some kind of breathing equipment that works in a similar way but may have some limitations. And remember, spells can be dispelled.
The bathysphere has been designed to attract sea creatures for study. After the first one was lost to the depths the gnome scientists are a little wary of using it without further testing. They have hired some willing adventurers to test the new and improved vessel.
Have the Bathysphere give off a vibration or sound that attracts and/or angers the local sea monster(s). This could be an accident or be designed to do this (with or without the party's knowledge).
The bathysphere is used by fishermen to harvest the famous ‘Crystal Squid’, which can only be caught at extreme depths. The Squid contains glowing crystals that are valuable to magical research. Unfortunately, some of the fishermen have not been returning to the Bathysphere and a sea predator is suspected. The party is hired for undersea guard duty.
The location of a sunken ship has been found buried beneath the sand of the ocean’s floor. The Bathysphere is being used as a platform for the excavation of the site, but there is the possibility of rivals stealing the treasure for themselves. Use the Kraken’s Garden map as a secondary location.
Excavation Site - Base - All
Kraken's Garden - Base - All