Forest Boundary Battle Map - Launch

Hello Adventurers! Here is our third and final map for July, a wilderness map I’ve called Forest Boundary. It’s a pastoral location on the edge of a forest with a small watchtower at its edge. Inspired by the opening of Princess Mononoke I imagine this would work well for the outskirts of any small village or town, anywhere a farmer needs some help with something encroaching on their lands.

I’ll be posting a new map list for August in the next few days. For the coming months, I’ll be focusing on the map ideas and suggestions you gave me a few weeks ago. There are some amazing ideas there that will be fun to create. Thanks for your support and your kind words, I hope your weekend is going well and as always happy adventuring! Now let’s see what’s been spooking the farmer’s cattle.

Map Descriptions

The wind ripples across the pastureland and buffets the trees at the forest’s boundary. The fields are unnaturally quiet, the farmer having moved what livestock he has left away from the looming treeline. Near the edge of the forest is a rickety old watchtower, little more than a few tree trunks held together with roughly woven rope.

One or more of the party can climb the watchtower to get a better look at the area. Roll Dex/Str checks (Acrobatics or Athletics) to see how well they do. Higher difficulty for more people, as it sways more. Fall damage is 1D6 for every 10 feet, max 30 feet.

The watchtower is rickety and sways alarmingly as you climb. Reaching the top you find a small observation platform made up of roughly hewn planks and a ratty-looking grass mat. As you scan the forest’s edge, movement catches your eye. It’s difficult to make out, but something is slinking through the dense tangle of brambles and bracken that grow beneath the forest canopy.

Perception check to see if they can make out what it is. Give more away depending on the roll.

With a sudden burst of speed, the creature launches itself towards the treeline. You hear ragged panting as it runs, you glimpse fur, maybe feathers, it’s difficult to make out details. You draw your weapons and stand ready as the creature reaches the treeline and bursts into open ground. It howls in rage and charges towards you.

Notes and Tips

• 30x30 grid Map
• This can make for a simple wilderness encounter as the party makes its way along the edge of farmland.
• The farmland is split up into different levels, the paths are enclosed by stone walls.
• A farmer uses a domesticated monster to guard the boundary of his land. A Direwolf is a good choice for low-level parties.
• An Owlbear has been taking livestock, the party is told where it strikes and must stake out the fields at the edge of the forest. Weaken or strengthen its stats to fit the party, describe how these stat changes affect its appearance. It’s surprisingly large, has a wound that hinders its movement, that kind of thing.
• Some dark forest spirit has become upset with the humans cutting firewood in its forest. It is sending out blighted minions to defend the boundaries of its land. Blights hide at the edge of the forest ready to attack anyone that approaches.
• The farmer has dug up an ancient hoard on his land, but it is cursed. Now spirits walk his land at night, he will pay the party suspiciously well to rid him of these spirits, while not mentioning the hoard. The spirits will call the party thieves and bandits. If the party accepts payment from the cursed hoard…well, consequences :D
• The party hears calls for help, they follow the shouts to find a pack of wolves surrounding the watchtower, a lone man waves frantically from its top.

Variants

Day and Night for all map versions

A snow version

A misty version for added atmosphere

And when you need a ghostly fog sweeping across the countryside, I got you!

The Dig - Maybe someone has dug up something thing shouldn't have?