Pyramid of Shadows

[NeonKnight]

Ok, so I lied above, HERE are the final maps!

[Phantos]

Most excellent!

[DungeonMasterGaz]

In making the map, knowing I had a jungle with a 50 foot clearing area with jungle around it,

Absolutely superb set of battle maps there, Daniel. Great work. I was very impressed with the Palm Tree symbols in map A1.

WotC placed Pyramid of Shadows the Winterbole Forest in Nentir Vale (although they mention it does move around). According to the DMG:

"The Nentir Vale is a northern land, but it sees relatively little snow - winters are windy and bitterly cold... ...Summers are cool and mild..."

However, it goes on to say the forest is lush, and the artwork that comes with that particular encounter does indeed look more like jungle than a "northern" forest. A pyramid hidden in a steaming jungle? I actually think your interpretation of its location is a better setting than the one WotC have used, and was so inspired that I decided not only would the pyramid move, but so would the terrain surrounding it, capturing flora and fauna from wherever it visited and transporting them to "foreign" regions, yet sustaining them like it sustains the inhabitants. Just made a good adventure better IMHO. Maybe when the adventurers leave, they too will end up far, far from where they entered? Nice one.

DMG

[trellis]

Just wanted to say how appreciative I am of your efforts to create wonderful maps for the community. You're doing great work and myself and my party thanks you.

Huzzah!

[NeonKnight]

Absolutely superb set of battle maps there, Daniel. Great work. I was very impressed with the Palm Tree symbols in map A1.

DMG

The Palm trees are none other than our own RobA's design. I 'stole them' and put them into CC3 as a symbol set.:

http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=1298

Daniel

[DungeonMasterGaz]

The Palm trees are none other than our own RobA's design. I 'stole them' and put them into CC3 as a symbol set.

Thanks for that link, I just stole them too , and thanks to RobA for designing them. They're unbelievably detailed. I'd just love to be able to make symbol sets that good! Any chance of a few tips or a tut there, Rob?

Also, can ask how you are rendering your stairs? Have you created those as a symbol with a dropshadow and are gradually scaling them. Would love to know. Cheers.

DMG

[NeonKnight]

Thanks for that link, I just stole them too , and thanks to RobA for designing them. They're unbelievably detailed. I'd just love to be able to make symbol sets that good! Any chance of a few tips or a tut there, Rob?

Also, can ask how you are rendering your stairs? Have you created those as a symbol with a dropshadow and are gradually scaling them. Would love to know. Cheers.

DMG

If you are asking me, the way I make my stairs is in CC3, and is actually quite simple.

I make them on a separate sheet, and make them as a set of gradually shorter lines, and then apply a wall shadow effect to them. In an area with stairs going North & West, I make the North Stairs on a separate sheet from the WEST stairs, so i can apply the appropriate shadow to them.

[RobA]

Thanks for that link, I just stole them too , and thanks to RobA for designing them. They're unbelievably detailed. I'd just love to be able to make symbol sets that good! Any chance of a few tips or a tut there, Rob?

DMG

I have an old tutorial hosted at PBwiki (need to update it sometime...)

http://ffaat.pbwiki.com/TreeTutorial

-Rob A>

[DungeonMasterGaz]

Thanks for your advice, Daniel, and thanks for the link to the tut, Rob. I'll be sure to check that out.

Seeing as you guys have helped me out, I decided to have a play around with DD3 and created a stair symbol catalogue that you could use. Its a simple multi-sheet stair symbol in the same style as you've (Neon) been using. It forces the different elements onto the STAIR and STAIR SHADOW sheets. All you need do is add an adequate blur effect.

I hope you find it useful.

DMG

[jenniferabe]

Thank you for the maps! Our party loves them and I've been able to earn a little extra XP by printing them out. I'm really inspired to try my hand at map-making too. Thanks again!!