# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > Virtual Tabletop/Battlemap Mapping >  Scales of War VTT Battlemaps

## Wonko the Sane

I finally got around to starting on these, but I'm starting on #6 - The Temple Between since that's the next one I'll be running. I may go back and do the others if people want them.
I won't be keeping up my previously frenetic pace due to real life commitments, etc. Stupid real life.
Anyways, here's the first map, The Shrine of Erathis.

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## Wonko the Sane

Next encounter map - Alley Ambush

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## Wonko the Sane

This one was a minor P.I.T.A., but it's done.

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## Wonko the Sane

Next encounter: The Portal in the Sepulcher

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## Wonko the Sane

First encounter in Mountainroot Temple, M1 - The Chamber of Doors.

Edited to update to the finished version. I couldn't leave well enough alone  :Smile:

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## Wonko the Sane

I have a question for the people who use these maps: For an encounter that features several different elevations as part of the terrain (see encounter M6 - The Grand Cathedral for an example), would you prefer to have the elevations labelled, or use some sort of colored elevation system, or show no elevations at all?

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## Jaxilon

Good question, I await the answer with you.

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## Avengeil

I checked out the Grand Cathedral map and with all those different elevation labels it got quite confusing but after a moment or two I got the hang of it.
For player's I think it would be the best if there were no labels and the DM just told them the heights when they were useful (bull rushes e.t.c.) but for the DM that would be hectic.
Now about the color elevation system that would have to be quite discreet as not to turn the map into a circus.
So I think I would go with the colored elevation system if you could make it look nice, but if not then comes the labels but for sure don't do it without any elevations at all.

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## Wonko the Sane

Next area: M5 - The Vault.
Edited to change to a corrected version of the map.

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## BokaSyn77

I think this goes wthout saying...BRAVO!!! My group is currently on Destroyer, so this is on-deck. Your maps are sweet and I'm gonna use them.

Will you be offering these up as .pdf for easy printing? Thus, printing on 8x11 paper and taping the pieces together?

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## Wonko the Sane

@BokaSyn77: Thanks. I find I'm learning a bit more with each map I make, so I'm enjoying it too. When I'm all done I can post a .pdf, sure. That's how I use these maps myself. The problem is, I print them at work on the snazzy color laser printer and I need to do them all at once, preferably under cover of darkness.
@Avengeil: With so many different elevations in these maps, I couldn't think of a way to use color to meaningfully differentiate the heights without turning it into, as you say, a circus. The warehouse map way back in post #3 had 5 different levels, only 2 of which needed coloring, so it worked there. I didn't use a goofy font for the labels either - I just wanted something to convey the height without detracting from the look of the map as a whole.

Anyways, the results were too big to post (11+ MB). My bad.
I've posted them for viewing at my DeviantArt gallery:

M6 - The Grand Cathedral (100 px, Grid)
M6 - The Grand Cathedral (100 px, No Grid)

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## Wonko the Sane

Darn. The maps for M7 & M8 are too big to post as well.
As usual, they can be found here:

M7 and 8 - Shattered Barracks and Lesser Sanctum (100 px, No Grid)
M7 and 8 - Shattered Barracks and Lesser Sanctum (100 px, Grid)

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## Avengeil

Well, looking at the map of the Grand Cathedral I'm thinking that the way you did the labels is the best possible way for that map.Someday I think I'm going to run the scales of war adventure series.But I'd really like to try out this map cause it seems to support some interesting tactical gameplay.Nice job for the whole project.

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## Wonko the Sane

Thanks...I'm looking forward to running that encounter and this one too.
M9 - The Reliquary: (Ouch! 2 busted thumbnails  :Razz: )

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## Matrix Sorcica

Great work.

Haven't you forgotten height indications on the last map (there are in the front room - 50'.. 40'), but not in the main room?

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## Wonko the Sane

Thanks  :Smile: 
There's only a few different elevations in that last map, so the DM can cover that when he describes the room; I only put them on the Grand Cathedral map because there were so many different heights in play.

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## Wonko the Sane

Last map for the Mountainroot Temple area.

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## mearrin69

I've somehow missed seeing these. Great maps!
M

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## Ascension

I'm curious what the dotted lines are (since I don't play the D&D I don't have this module) but these last two are quite nice.

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## Wonko the Sane

The dotted lines represent an overhang, visible in the Grand Cathedral map (post #11).

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## Wonko the Sane

Back to city streets for a few maps:

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## Wonko the Sane

Thanks for the comments. I think I may have finally settled on a style for the city maps, anyways.

Almost there...

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## Wonko the Sane

Last one for Scales of War #6: T5 - The Final Encounter

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## Wonko the Sane

I've uploaded the Scales of War maps in .pdf format as requested earlier.
They can be found here.

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## Matrix Sorcica

Again, thank you.

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## Wonko the Sane

You're quite welcome...I'm glad others are able to get some use out of these as well.

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## geamon

Wonko can I ask what you generally did for T3 - Hold The Wall with the hole in the wall and the debris? I'm looking to redo my map of The Raid on Loudwater in the FR DMG and it has a similar wall breach.

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## Wonko the Sane

> Wonko can I ask what you generally did for T3 - Hold The Wall with the hole in the wall and the debris? I'm looking to redo my map of The Raid on Loudwater in the FR DMG and it has a similar wall breach.


I use CC3, so I don't know if the process carries over to other programs, such as GIMP or PS.

1. Draw a big rectangle using a straight path for the main part of the wall, full width.
2. Draw two fractal paths crossing the wall (the edges of the breach).
3. Break the original rectangle between the breach edges, creating the gap.
4. Multipoly the straight path and the fractal breach edge with a solid vertical brick fill pattern. Both halves of the wall are on the same sheet.
5. On a new sheet, draw a strip down either edge of the wall with a solid horizontal brick fill. This forms the "bottom" of the battlements.
6. On another new sheet, draw 1 "battlement" (small rectangle). Copy/paste these along the edges of the wall.
7. Add yet another new sheet (below the wall). Draw a rectangle as wide as the wall and a little longer than the breach, filled with some sort of dirt fill pattern.
8. Sheet effects: Main Wall - Bevel (Length = 1, Strength=30%, Fade=0); Battlement "bottom" - Glow (Color=0,0,0; Intensity=0, Blur radius=1); Battlements - Bevel (Length=0.5, Strength=30%,Fade=1), Wall Shadow, Directional (Sun direction=90, Length=2, Blur Radius=1); Dirt - Edge Fade, Inner (Edge length=2, Inner Opacity=100%, Outer Opacity=0%)
9. The debris is just a bunch of .png symbols...from CSUAC and SMAC and other places from over the years. All are placed on a separate sheet between the dirt and the wall.

The fill patterns used were grabbed from CG Textures, my new favorite website (after The Cartographer's Guild, of course).

Like I said, I don't know if the technique transfers to GIMP, but I hope the mini-tutorial is helpful nonetheless.

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## geamon

I think I can get it, the process isn't the same nor are the value for the filters. But all and all the procedure is similar. Only thing is I gotta get myself some good rubble and waste objects in .png format.

Edit: After some fooling around I think I got it. Check my WIP thread and let me know what you think.

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## Wonko the Sane

Sorry for the delay in getting this map done, but real life has been doing a good job of getting in the way of my fun.
At any rate, here is the one and only map for Scales of War Ep. #7 - The Fist of Mourning (hosted on DeviantArt).

Fist of Mourning (100 dpi, Grid)
Fist of Mourning (100 dpi, No Grid)

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## thecyberwolfe

Wow, Wonko - great work! Thanks for making these available.

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## Aegeri

That is a really good job on that map Wonko. I wonder if it would be unreasonable of me to ask if you could go over that map and make it "Icy" a bit  :Razz:

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## Wonko the Sane

Thank for the compliments. I've been away for awhile, but being a single parent to a teenager can occasionally be kinda time-intensive.

Ok, icy...what about the "lava" pit in the one end? Thin ice over super-chilled water? I'll give it a kick and see what comes out.

And here's the first map for Scales of War 8 - Beyond the Mottled Tower (Flowing Death). Technically, it's the second map, but the first one is for a skill challenge. It _is_ a generic inn that may prove useful in any event, so I'll probably end up doing it at some point. I just wanted to concentrate on the actual "battle" maps initially.

The thumbs below link to 50 dpi resolutions (file size limitations...how big can a .jpg be to post, anyways?). 100 dpi versions are available here: No Grid and Grid.

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## Aegeri

Thin ice over super chilled water would be fantastic  :Smile: 

That mottled tower map I think is quite good. I like the textures you used for the flowing chaos lava and the fire.

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## Wonko the Sane

How's this for icy?

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## Aegeri

Perfect  :Very Happy:

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## Wonko the Sane

Here's the next map for the encounter "Unbound".

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## Aegeri

That map is pretty nice, but the texture for the chaos stuff there is a real "Whoa" on the eyes when you first see it like that. I love what you did with all the books spread out all over the floor, looks delightfully messy and like something just went down in there. I can't remember, but is this the adventure where the chaos lava (or whatever it was) slowly rises up as the PCs race up the tower?

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## Wonko the Sane

Yep...it's undermining the hill that the tower is built on, and the tower is sinking into it. The Blood Chaos is coming out of this room, the Blood Chaos Cavern:

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## Wonko the Sane

The maps for the next encounter, Draconic Wrath, are too big to post here. As usual, they can be found here: No Grid and Grid

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## Wonko the Sane

Next encounter - In Fetid Darkness

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## Wonko the Sane

And another one...The Sea of Fire.

The "islands" on the sea of fire are supposed to move around each round, so I also included a map without stationary islands on it (gridded, and non-gridded). The next post will have .png files of each island attached.

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## Wonko the Sane

Here's the islands for the above encounter. The three .zip files are individual .pngs of each island. The sheet is for those of you who print your maps out as I do.

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## Wonko the Sane

And yet another one...this one's called "Galleries".

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## Aegeri

> The maps for the next encounter, Draconic Wrath, are too big to post here. As usual, they can be found here: No Grid and Grid


You have done an absolutely fantastic job on this one. You also have made the chaos texture quite nice in this, it doesn't pop out so much as the tower one you posted earlier and so it looks really great.

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## Wonko the Sane

Thanks...I did a little monkeying around and came up with an interesting texture that doesn't make one's eyes bleed. I'll be going back and changing the texture in the tower map too.

Here's the next encounter, Crusher Rooms. I've also included a couple of .pngs of the sliding walls.

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## Wonko the Sane

Last encounter for this module: Final Battle.

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## Wonko the Sane

Here's the first map for SoW 9: The Conqueror.

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## Steel General

The ship/boat is really nice (as are the others), but this one jumped out at me.

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## Aegeri

> The ship/boat is really nice (as are the others), but this one jumped out at me.


Yeah, he's done a really terrific job on the ship.

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## Jaxilon

I agree  that ship is slick.

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## Wonko the Sane

Thanks...I liked the way the ship turned out too - it's much nicer than I'd hoped at the outset. This next one took awhile to get back to, but here it is (Encounter A4 - Side Entrance):

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## Wonko the Sane

It took me a moment to realize why I did the above map first...I needed it as a background for this one: A3 - Falling Rock.

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## Drakecoinus

I really like the ship  :Smile:  I do believe I found the way to get my poor souls to The Island they will be stuck on indefinably (will me a shame to destroy it with the Kracken thou)...  :Smile:

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