Blacksmith’s Forge Battle Map - Launch (Patreon)

Hello Adventurers! Sorry for the slightly longer time between releases this month, I got the flu at the beginning of January, which took me out for a week or so. It sucks but I’m working hard to get back on schedule. So with that, I have a new map release for you! This is a type I love to create, a general use medieval style map for an iconic location with some fun historical elements dropped in. The Blacksmith's Forge!

I’ve made this one quite large as I imagine it's used by more than one artisan, maybe a Fletcher/Bowmaker, a Smith and/or a Carpenter. Plus I’ve added a ‘Practice ground’ in the middle for people to try out their weapons/armour.

Next Maps

I’ll be working on the Cellar/Undercroft for the end of the month, with the Boneyard coming next month.

• Cellar or Undercroft
  A wine cellar or undercroft for a tavern or larger home/mansion. This will be a fairly simple map with a few rooms filled with barrels, boxes and forgotten items. Simple but very useful for those times when you need a cellar map for a building.
• Boneyard
  An ancient place of death, once the place where a long-extinct creature(s) came to die, much like an elephant's graveyard. The bones will be massive, with some of them making up the landscape.

Welcome to my new Patrons, remember you can download all the older releases without being charged! And to my regular Patrons thank you so much for your support, you’re the coal that fuels our map forge :D

With the new year starting I’d love to get some more Patron suggestions for map ideas, so please do post them here or send them directly to me. Thanks again and have a wonderful end of the week. I know January can be a little depressing so stay safe, keep warm for all of you suffering from the cold and as always happy adventuring! 

Now let's go get this legendary weapon forged! Sure the swordsmith has a reputation for killing those he finds unworthy, but come on, we are the most worthy people you are likely to meet… Maybe Bob Tavernburner should hang back with the horses.

Map Downloads

Find all the downloads on the Map List Page. Remember you need to be a Patron and be at the correct tier to access the files!

Map Descriptions

Making your way up the hill you see a sturdy sandstone wall surrounding an open courtyard. Towards the rear is a squat building with a smoking chimney, its tiled roof has seen better days. On the outside of the wall is a large wooden wheel, shallow ruts have been worn in a circle under it. Two sad-looking donkeys are harnessed to the wheel.

Stepping through the open gate you see small sheds and lean-tos built along the courtyard's walls, each one filled with tools, equipment and materials. Attached to the house is a large forge, its coals glowing a deep red. A variety of hammers, tongs and pokers are positioned around the forge, along with three differently shaped anvils. To your right is a large mechanised hammer driven by cogs and ropes leading to the wheel outside.

The building's interior is split into two sections, the living quarters and the weapon store. Each has its entrance, with a connecting door inside.

The living quarters consist of a large living area and two smaller bedrooms. The interior is rustic, filled with simple but well-crafted furniture. Against the living room's far wall is a cook stove and kitchen storage. A large wooden table sits at the centre of the room, on it are papers filled with notes and roughly sketched diagrams.

The weapon store consists of one large room and a side room secured with an iron gate, behind which are cabinets and glass display cases filled with weapons and equipment of the highest quality.

Notes and Tips

• 30x45 Grid Map
• Blacksmith trivia:
  • The Smithy was an essential part of medieval life. From a simple cook pot to weapons of war, the Smith was the artisan for the job. I can’t emphasise this enough, before industrialization Smiths made everything made of metal.
  • A Smith is the person, and a Smithy is the place they work. A Blacksmith can work in a Smithy, Forge or a Blacksmith’s shop. Ironmongers are similar but are more likely to sell metal items and metal rather than make them. A Farrier is someone who specialises in making and fitting horseshoes. All these jobs can have a lot of overlap.
  • The amount of different tools used by a Smith is quite mindboggling. They include hammers, shovels, tongs, rakes, pokers, swages, cutters, chisels and many one-off unique tools. Plus Grinding wheels, and multiple differently shaped Anvils for different uses.
  • Quenching is used to cool and harden metals, water was commonly used but oil has many benefits over water. Specific oils were rare before industrialisation, and the use of oils may have been a closely guarded secret in metallurgy.
  • The large mechanical hammer on the map is called a Trip (Tilt or Helve) Hammer. Normally water-powered (but here Donkey or human-powered), it's exactly what it appears to be. A giant hammer and anvil.
• Oil of the Beast: The Smith uses a specific oil extracted from a monster to quench their legendary blades. But there is a problem. The oil has a pungent smell that attracts the same monsters when exposed to air. The party must fight these creatures off while the smith quenches the blade.
• A Worthy Hand: The Smith requires a test of all that use their weapons. They will test the recipient of the weapon in one-on-one combat. They are old but extremely skilled. Have them doze off during combat, complain about aching joints and ridicule their opponent for being unable to beat them. However, the Smith must show a level of respect to the player in the end or you risk making the encounter irritating rather than fun.
• The Assassin's Blade: The Smith has created a blade for an assassin who has killed the leader of some infamous crime family, noble house or bandit clan. The assassin was killed and the blade identified. The Family/House/Clan will attack from all sides of the compound, coming in waves with the final attack being led by the new leader of the organization using the Assassin’s blade.

Variants

A version with and without a roof on the main building.

Day/Night and Lit versions for all the variant maps.

A desert, beach or tropical variant for those of us craving the warmth!

And a stark winter variant, because we can never have enough snow!