Beacon Hill Battle Map - Launch (Patreon)

Hello Adventurers! This release is more of a general-use map, a steep hill with a beacon fire on top, unsurprisingly called Beacon Hill. It should be great for travel encounters or specific situations that need a high elevation.

Next Battle Maps

I’ll be working on my Desert Bazaar map over the next week or so, with the Forgotten Graveyard towards the end of the month.

• Desert Bazaar (Market)
  This is a collaboration with an upcoming book I’m rather excited about. The name says it all, it's going to be a bustling Bazaar with a range of stalls and thematic elements. Marketplaces are always useful so I can imagine this one will be great to have for those sandy campaigns.
• Forgotten Graveyard
  I’ll be creating a small abandoned graveyard, forgotten by those who once tended it and more than likely haunted by the undead!
• Forest Spirits Realm
  I want to create a deep forest map reminiscent of the location from the Ghibli Film Princess Mononoke. It will be a very mystical place full of pools, and moss-covered rocks, with a central feature like a shrine or tree.

I say it every release and I’ll keep saying it, thank you so much for your support! You are just awesome people! I’ll be working hard over spooky month to get you some fun maps.

You can find all the downloads on the Map List Page. You need to be logged in and be signed up to the correct Tier to get access to the specific files!

Now, let's hike up this hill and signal the Kingdom the horde is on its way, we’ll be heroes! Don’t worry about the horde, it's not like we are standing next to a giant fire on a hill in easy view of… oh wait.

To make the map a little more flexible, I've created a Beacon Fire asset you can drop onto the top or leave more room for monsters!

Map Description

The forest is dark and brooding, claustrophobic, with a dampness that seeps into your clothing. The path is muddy, littered with leaves and encroached by brambles and stinging nettles.

Ahead you see a break in the trees, a rugged hill covered in grass and rocks peaks out of the dense forest. The path winds its way around the hill like a snake constricting its prey.

As you continue, the path climbs above the trees. The forest stretches out before you, an unbroken sea of dark leaves and branches moving in the wind like waves on a sea.

As you reach the crest of the hill you see a bald peak surrounded by grass and weathered stones. In the centre is a huge bonfire, as yet unlit.

Notes and Tips

• 30x30 Grid Map
• Is this a location the group is aware of, a place to fight something strategically? Or is it a random location found by accident just as it's needed?
• A hill is a great vantage point, a place to survey the land and take stock. It's also a place to spy on the enemy that's been stalking the party and take advantage of the higher ground.
• The hill may be climbed directly, but this is harder and will have disadvantages, including worse footing and a chance of falling.
• Loose rock and gravel are a hazard and larger boulders could be purposefully pushed down the hill.
• Less mobile monsters like Zombies or Skeletons may use the path and be easier to pick off. Ghouls and trolls will more than likely climb the hill rather than take the path.
• A Lonely Campfire: If the party camp on the hill they are spotted by a monster and during the night the creature stalks up the hillside, attempting to surprise them. To make it more likely the party camps on the hill it could be made clear it's a better option than the dense forest or swampy ground around the hill.
• A Beacon of Hope: The remote settlement has been beset by a horde of shambling zombies/skeletons from a nearby battlefield. The undead have besieged the settlement and blocked the root to Beacon Hill. A group of locals have tried to make it to the beacon to send for help but nothing has been heard from them in hours. The party must make their way to Beacon Hill, attempt to save the locals and light the beacon.
• The Beacon's Curse: The local area is cursed. Its forests are dark and evil, the farmland is barren and the people are sickly. Rumour has it a ritual is performed each year on the top of the hill that curses the region for another year. The locals plead with the party to investigate and stop the ritual, saving them from another cursed year.

Variants

Day/Night for all variants.

Rather than a forest, you can go with grassland/moorland instead.

Or if you are running a desert or tropical themed campaign you can go with this!

Or try both moor and forest snow themes for your winter or northern adventures.