Champion Tier - The Catacombs of Castle Faunel - [30x40] (Patreon)

Update: June 1st, 2023: Hey, everyone! I'm pleased to include with this post the finished adventure written by Lunch Break Heroes; Castle in the Storm. As a patron of mine, you get the full adventure (including print-friendly) along with tokens and portraits to go along with this map. This is now included in the .zip files attached. 

Enjoy! 

Hello everyone, and happy Release Monday! Today I am bringing you the next map I've created in partnership with Lunch Break Hereos to support their newest adventure, The Catacombs of Castle Faunel for the adventure, Castle in the Storm.

In addition to the catacombs map, I've included two variants of my snowy forest map to be used with one of the first encounters of the adventure.

And of course, once the adventure PDF is finished (Should be any day now) I will update that here along with the map posts for you all to use!

Overview

This map is focused on the catacombs under the castle where the Vampire lord Ileana lairs. It begins with the players descending the spiral staircase and going through the various sarcophagi lining both sides of the hall. In a few spots, you'll see mummified bodies laid on slates within the walls as you move toward the first large obstacle, the 50-foot-wide chasm that has swallowed up this portion of the catacombs. Once your party has figured out a way across, they will notice a collapsed portion of the wall leading into the catacombs of old, a part of the old portion of the catacombs that has since been sealed off. This section is a maze of sandstone arches built directly into the rock to house various bodies, their bones now all that remains of them.

There is a large tomb where rest a long-forgotten ancestor and also proves as a lair to a Behir that has burrowed its way from the chasm to skulk in this room and consume hapless adventurers.

Further down into the catacombs is the ossuary room with three painted murals on the walls. Here your players must figure out a way to open up the sealed wall and discover the traps Ileana has laid for them. Once the secret door to the east is revealed, it opens up into a large cavern-like room. The walls are lined with small holes like a beehive, and this is where the vampire spawn resides who spider climb out of these holes if awoken.

Finally, you find your way into Ileana's chambers and are greeted by opulent furnishing for the final confrontation. Here a faded fresco of herself decorates the floor and greets your party with her icy stare. On the other side of the room, you'll find a door leading to a cell where she keeps prisons to feed on and eventually be turned into spawn, once she's had her fill.

Variants

I created this map in 8 different color variants. While the adventure describes this dungeon to be without light, I wanted to create a version with light as well to add some dramatic lighting. Each variant comes with and without lights.

Gloom: The classic Dark Fantasy feel. Dark, mood, and creepy

Banshee: A blueish tone on this gives it an ethereal/spectral feel to it.

Dark Academy: Infused with some color while keeping things dark and shadows deep.

Dark Fairytale: A brighter, more playful version while still maintaining the dark feel to it.

Ghostly: A more eerie and greenish version of the map. Toned-down colors give this a haunted and ghostly feel.

Night: While technically not "moonlight," this version works great to set the tone as dark and shadowy.

Verdant: Infused with more natural colors and greens, this variant brings out the brightness of the map and showcases the details.

Contents

For my Champion Tier patrons, this release includes the following:

• Catacombs map in 8 variants
• With and without lights for each variant
• Snowy Forest Map (Previous map) day/night & with/without snow
• Grid / No Grid for all
• 4k / 8k Resolution
• Jpgs / Webp
• VTT Sizing Guide
• Adventure PDF, along with portraits and tokens

I always enjoy closing out each month with a new dark fantasy adventure you all can add to your DM toolkits! These adventures work great as one-shots or to fit them into your pre-existing worlds.

Next on the workbench, I'll be changing gears back to our sunny town of Saltmarsh to hit the next location; The Wicker Goat Inn / Tavern. By popular request, I'll be making a map for the Lunch Break Heroes encounter of the Binding of Vampyr as well along with the next level of the Temple of the Lost Fane for the adventure Pyram King, and I are working on.

As always, thank you so much for your support!

Cheers,

DM Andy