OPDC 2011 - Maestro of Cacophony

Well its been a year since I've posted something in the WIP forum, since I decided to try and squeeze an entry in for this year's One Page Dungeon Contest. Last year, I came very close to winning, but lacked enough encounter data in the legend/key - so I'll have to do a better job this year.

My plan is to create a ruined castle interior as my 'dungeon' owned by a particular Bardic Lich called the Maestro of Cacophony. This will have four or five chambers, one large chamber and a dungeon/cell chamber. I plan to have a grand pipe organ serve as the main piece and I just completed creating that. I plan to include a dead choir or orchestra, a demonic harp, a vampiric violin, a work bench, study and laboratory, bedroom and a downstairs dungeon.

This will be my normal hand-drawn styled map with beveled shapes, coloring, drop shadows done in Xara Xtreme.

Here's the pipe organ map object...

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PNG with Alpha Channel version

Next map object, the Dead Harper - the Maestro is going to have a full small orchestra of dead musicians that he animates to perform is ochestral masterpieces - its the way he controls magic. It might be difficult to see with the Alpha channel, but this object comes with a distinct double shadow of the harp and dead woman below it - you'll need to place it on light background to see better.

Unlike the last object, this one is a PNG file with Alpha channel - I might alpha channel the organ later.

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Both Awesome !! :)

great start... and great concept...looking forward to seing it :)

Next object - the Bone Violinist...

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'Half rotten tuba player and tuba' map object!

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Sam's attempts to impress Melanie by limbo dancing with a tuba led to tragic consequences.

Whoops another musical accident victim - the pierced celloist...

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This map is going to require heaps of sheet music strewn across the floor - this is the basic pile I've created.

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I figured out how I wanted to lay this out, what scale. Then I hand-drew the walls and floor stepping. The floors look currently very boring, but the colors are just place-holders for what I will hand draw next - looking at the possibilities of mosaics on the floor of the orchestra hall. Then I definitely want to put stone tile of some sort in the main outer chambers. Note the white blank hallway in the center going to the bottom - I plan to place a staircase going down here. On the far left upper center I placed a balcony, but I want to create an ornate rail before I hand-draw that part.

Now I have to consider how this place will be furnished. The two rooms south of the orchestra hall contains the Maestro's study and his bedroom (though why a lich needs a bedroom...?) The two upper left chambers will be storage and a prison cell for potential orchestra members, including someone the party was sent to rescue.

I still plan to create a clarinet player, a flutist and a trumpet player to add to the orchestra. Will probably create ornate comfy chairs to sit in the upper reaches (left side). I need to create and place doors. I might create a dead audience as well - so yeah, lots to do.

The area to the bottom right is where the intended map key will go.

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