# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > Building/Structure Mapping >  Wizard's Ring

## Turgenev

Here's my latest idea... a tall, towering spire crafted from solid black stone (obsidian?) with no discernible entrances. Entrance into the tower is through a secret door that quickly reveals that the interior of the tower is in its own pocket dimension (in other words, it is bigger on the inside than the outside). Who or what calls this tower home is unknown (at least to the PCs  :Razz: ).

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## Redrobes

Castle Tardis...

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## Turgenev

Or Howl's Moving Castle...

Did I mention that the evil Wizard who owns this tower is really the Master in disguise.  :Laughing:

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## Steel General

Does he have badly designed iron golems rolling around screeching *EXTERMINATE!!!!*

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## Redrobes

Heh - I am starting to think I should keep my thoughts in my head !!!

I have an interesting image for you. I did a castle based on an image which is entitled "Obsidian Castle" so ill get you that link as it might make for a great backdrop to the shape of it. Your brief description sounded like it could fit. I also put in a lot of magic into this castle and had no door. Strange huh ?

http://www.rodneymatthews.com/elric5.htm

A Fabulous pic. I still love it even now.

Edit -- In fact I have already scanned in the maps and text from the old days. I could give you my version as a zip if you like...
Edit2 -- but theres a lot missing it seems - ah well.

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## Turgenev

> I have an interesting image for you. I did a castle based on an image which is entitled "Obsidian Castle" so ill get you that link as it might make for a great backdrop to the shape of it. Your brief description sounded like it could fit. I also put in a lot of magic into this castle and had no door. Strange huh ?
> 
> http://www.rodneymatthews.com/elric5.htm
> 
> A Fabulous pic. I still love it even now.


Very nice pic indeed! Not exactly what I was thinking of but still a very nice piece of work. I was originally thinking if a thin, crooked sharp needle-like spire/tower (sort of how the top of a wizard's hat is usually drawn if that makes sense). I also like the idea of no features on the outside of the tower. I picture it with an almost Cthulhu-like/Other-worldly feel. I went with the tower idea to contrast it with the ring shaped interior. Course I might drop the tower idea and just go with the ring shape by itself. I need to work on a few more maps and then work out the rest of the details.  :Wink: 




> Edit -- In fact I have already scanned in the maps and text from the old days. I could give you my version as a zip if you like...
> Edit2 -- but theres a lot missing it seems - ah well.


I wouldn't mind seeing them. My email should be listed on my user profile.

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## Steel General

> http://www.rodneymatthews.com/elric5.htm


Little OT here (sorry Turgenev)...

Love Rodney Matthews art, first I ever saw was on the cover of the Magnum Album - Chase The Dragon. In fact I was just looking at his site this morning, but I didn't see the "Chase" artwork. 

...Aha found a link to it here

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## Redrobes

Did a T for a Magnum fan once - check out this photo and the other T I did along side... heh heh going back a bit those are.

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## Turgenev

Here's the 2nd level of the tower. Rooms 13, 22, and 29a have balconies that are open to the interior garden below. Curtains hang between the pillars on these balconies. Room 27 has illusionary walls. Stairs in the secret room 36 go up to the third level.

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## Steel General

This is really looking pretty cool, any decision on what the outside looks like yet?

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## Turgenev

> This is really looking pretty cool, any decision on what the outside looks like yet?


To be honest, not really.  :Wink:  Course the whole pocket dimension concept can easily be ignored and the maps can be used as is (as a circular fortress/tower). My original thought (before the pocket dimension idea) was these maps were a fortress/tower used by Wizards (a powerful Wizard?) hence the name Wizard's Ring.

As a fortress/tower, it would look something like this concept sketch (this is super quick and me playing with the 3D transform render in photoshop):



I have a few ideas for the third level that might invalidate this concept sketch.  :Wink:

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## Redrobes

Tried to mail that zip twice but it keeps failing. But not to worry, my maps were not all that great anyway - its probably less of a loss than you might imagine. If you check it and find that it keeps timing out for a permanent error then mail me again.

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## Turgenev

> Tried to mail that zip twice but it keeps failing. But not to worry, my maps were not all that great anyway - its probably less of a loss than you might imagine. If you check it and find that it keeps timing out for a permanent error then mail me again.


Now I'm really curious about seeing them.  :Wink:  What size of the file you are trying to send? Perhaps that's the problem. Or perhaps you could upload it to a site like Sendspace and then send me that url so I can download it.

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## Redrobes

Sorry, even a ping email with no zip fails for me. Don't know why tho  :Frown:

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## Turgenev

> Sorry, even a ping email with no zip fails for me. Don't know why tho


Weird. Can you receive my emails? I hope so because I sent you an email with an alternative email addy in it. Perhaps I will send you a PM with the alternative email just in case.

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## Redrobes

All sorted now I think.

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## Turgenev

Yup, just in time for me to do level three of the Wizard's Ring.  :Wink:

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## Sigurd

Waiting with baited breath.

I am so wanting to use this in a session!


Sigurd

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## Turgenev

Here's the third level of the Tower. Area 17 is a menagerie. I picture the area to be open at the ceiling. The stairs in this section lead up to the 4th level. Area 15/16 acts as a pen for various beasts. Perhaps it is where the food (living creatures) is brought in for what lives in the menagerie? Area 8 is some sort of sacrificial chamber with a mystical pentagram?

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## Steel General

Cool stuff, this is getting better and better.

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## Ascension

These are really cool Turgenev, excellent job.

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## Turgenev

Thanks Ascension. Here's the fourth level of the tower. Rooms 3 & 19 have balconies that over look the menagerie on level 3. Room 11 has a fancy pool (the Medusa pool?). Room 18b has stairs that go up to level 5.

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## Steel General

This just keeps getting cooler!

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## Turgenev

Thanks SG. I think level 5 of the tower might be the last, but I still have the tower's dungeon to create as well. Lots of work ahead of me.

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## crackerjake

These are really cool!!  Might I ask why you have both a color version and a blue cast version?

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## Turgenev

> These are really cool!!  Might I ask why you have both a color version and a blue cast version?


Sorry, I just have the colour and greyscale versions. Basically what you see is what you get.  :Wink:

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## Turgenev

Here's the fifth and final tower level (the dungeon is next). Area 6 is open to the sky.

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## Kingorgg

The floor plans are really nice, Good Job ^_^

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## Turgenev

> The floor plans are really nice, Good Job ^_^


Thanks Kingorgg. I had a lot of fun creating these plans. I have a few ideas for the dungeons that should make them as interesting as the tower levels (I hope  :Razz: ).

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## someguy

<jaw hanging> Wow.

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## delgondahntelius

Those are looking sweet as PIE!! ...  :Very Happy:  you have outdone yourself once again  :Smile:

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## Turgenev

Thanks someguy and delgondahntelius. I really need to start mapping the dungeons next. Maybe I'll be able to find some time this weekend.

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## Turgenev

It has been awhile since I visited the Wizard's Ring maps so here's the first level of the dungeons (click to enlarge). In the centre of the dungeon is a sinister looking fortress surrounded by a moat of lava. I picture access to this fortress via removable planks (not shown on map), or perhaps an invisible path, along the stone pathways in the lava. The stairs in Room 31 go deeper into the fortress.

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## Steel General

Cool stuff as always! Been wondering when you'd get back to this.

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## Turgenev

Thanks SG. I've been sitting on this dungeon level for a while now. The middle section has changed a few times. First it was a gorge-like area with a river running through it and then I switched it to a desert-like terrain but none of those ideas never really clicked with me until I did the fortress with the moat of lava idea.

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