Waterfall Crossing Battle Map - Launch (Patreon)

Hello Adventurers! For the last week of the month I’ve been working hard on another map for you all, this time it's a travel map, with a river crossing and waterfall. I realised I could add something I’ve wanted to create for a while, an old medieval ferry crossing. All the versions of the map come with a ferry cutout, so you can have your players make the crossing while dealing with whatever horrors you fancy throwing at them ;)

Next Maps

The first map of July will be a Dwarven mine, and I think for the next one I want to create a Spelljammer ship. With the new supplement coming soon I wanted to get ahead of the game with that one!

• Dwarven Mine
  I have entirely missed creating a general Mine, so I’ll be making a Dwarven mine with cut rock walls, shafts, open caverns, mine machinery and a mine face or two.
• Spelljammer (Astral sea ship, or Airship)
  I want to create a weird ship that could be used as a Spelljammer, sailing the astral seas. It will have a couple of levels to it and should make for a good encounter or home for a group of spacefaring player characters. And could also work as an airship.
• Prison of the Old Gods (Ancient ruin with locked portal)
  I want to create a ruin with a weird arcane design that incorporates the entire structure. Something that locks away an ancient evil or prevents another dimension from spilling into our own. Think lots of strange architectural elements, circles and symbols. Should be great for a climactic battle or weird encounter with a tentacled horror.

As I say with every release, I couldn’t make these maps without the help of you wonderful people. Thanks so much for your support and Patronage. With everything going on in the world I hope you are still finding fun and respite in this wonderful hobby. Please do message me with your map suggestion and gaming stories, I love to hear how you used one of my maps in your campaigns, it's a real motivator for me :)

As always you can find the downloads in the posts which come along with this launch, but you can also now find the downloads in the Map List, the links will only work for patrons. I hope this helps with looking for and downloading the maps you need from my collection.

Now let's go boating! And remember to pay the ferryman…

Everyone gets this version and one without the ferry, along with the ferry asset:

Map Descriptions

Ferry Crossing

You have been travelling for some time when you begin to hear the roar of water ahead. It's not long before you crest a rise and see a wide river blocking your path. The road you have been travelling on stops at its banks. An old wooden ferry is moored at the nearest shore…

1. …an elderly man sits on its deck, his weathered face creased with age. As you approach he stands and lifts a hand in greeting.
2. …the ferryman is conspicuously missing, his belongings and ferry pole lay abandoned on the deck.

Waterfall

To your left, fifty feet further down the bank, the river drops over a rocky cliff's edge, creating a spectacular waterfall. Water vapour drifts in clouds above the falls, making the rocks and earth around it glisten with moisture. A narrow path travels along the bank of the river and down the cliff towards the falls.

Notes and Tips

• 30x30 Grid Map
• Crossing a river can be a dangerous activity. There does not need to be a ferry here, the rope could be used to help stabilise travellers as they wade across.
• Remember the rope can be cut or broken, sending the ferry over the falls!
• The Ferryman has been murdered or kidnapped. A group of bandits have taken his place. Have them try to hold up your players. Maybe they wait until the ferry reaches the center before demanding a higher ‘toll’.
• Have a passenger stumble into the players before they reach the ferry. Bandits are attacking the ferry and its passengers. Have a fight at the ferry landing and then direct the players along the banks to the waterfall. Search for my ‘The Grotto’ Map for a fun underground bandit hideout.
• Fighting against flying creatures on the ferry could be fun:
  • Harpies raid the ferry as it's transporting food across the river.
  • It's night and if the party light a torch to travel across the river, giant fireflies swarm them.
  • One of the passengers has recently stolen some eggs from a drake, mummy drake wants her eggs back and happens to catch up to the egg thief on the ferry.
  • Giant vampire bats roost in the caves below the waterfall, at dusk they leave their roost and fly up the river looking for prey. It's no wonder the ferryman clocks off early. Maybe he should have left a note warning unwary travellers.
• Water creatures could attack the ferry:
  • Giant carp (escaped from some lord’s magical menagerie), have taken up residence in the river and have been trying to tip the ferry over. Time for the party to go fishing, although they may need a bigger boat. (Use a shark for stat blocks).
  • Crocs or alligators could bask on the shore, dropping into the water as the ferry begins to cross. There is a reason the ferryman gets danger money.

Variants

All the maps come with day/night versions

And we have an arid desert version

A Nine Hells, Blastedlands version for when your players inevitably go to hell ;)

And a snowy version which could be used for a mountain or northern location.