Al-Qadim Mansion / U1 - Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
anomiecoalition
Traveler
Real life has kept me far too busy lately - but I have been tinkering around with a new project (though my track record with finishing these hasn't been so great - I do hope to eventually finish some of the maps I've started and posted on this forum).
So, PCs want to incorporate a pirate-type element into the game. I thought as a good introduction to that, I'd use the U1 old-school d&d adventure modified to take place in the Al-Qadim world. The first part of this adventure has them exploring a "Haunted House" only to discover that it is really a secret smugglers den. The second part will have them assault the smuggler's ship (which I'm really looking forward to trying to map). I didn't particularly like the original floor plan for the house provided in the adventure, so I heavily modified a basic floor plan for an Al-Qadim style mansion provided in those source books. In the end, it will have everything needed to run U1, but things will be moved around a bit.
So, without further ado - this is what I have so far. I still have to add some dressing to 2 of the bedrooms and pretty up the courtyard a bit. After that, I figure i'll finalize the landscape, border, and labels..and then move on to the other 2 floors. Comments and criticisms are as always welcome.
So, PCs want to incorporate a pirate-type element into the game. I thought as a good introduction to that, I'd use the U1 old-school d&d adventure modified to take place in the Al-Qadim world. The first part of this adventure has them exploring a "Haunted House" only to discover that it is really a secret smugglers den. The second part will have them assault the smuggler's ship (which I'm really looking forward to trying to map). I didn't particularly like the original floor plan for the house provided in the adventure, so I heavily modified a basic floor plan for an Al-Qadim style mansion provided in those source books. In the end, it will have everything needed to run U1, but things will be moved around a bit.
So, without further ado - this is what I have so far. I still have to add some dressing to 2 of the bedrooms and pretty up the courtyard a bit. After that, I figure i'll finalize the landscape, border, and labels..and then move on to the other 2 floors. Comments and criticisms are as always welcome.
Comments
Actually... the columns in the mansion seem to be hovering too. Is it me or do the shadows seem to get lighter the closer they get to the column symbols?
Other than that, really nice work. I think it's cool you're adapting U1 to fit your own setting.
~Dogtag
I think that you may be placing all of your internal and external walls on the same sheet and having the same sun direction cause it looks like there is a heavy wall shadow inside the building.
Finish this one!!
The house is also supposed to be in dilapidated form...So, I plan on throwing in some crumbled walls and tossed rooms, but I don't want to go overboard and make it into a full blown ruin.
Thanks for pointing out the column shadow thing...it does look kinda weird, I'll have to look into that and play around with the settings.
I did put all the walls on the same sheet, because when I've separated them in the past, it can look a little weird where they meet. But, I may end up splitting them up in the end since the shadows inside the building are a little strong.
Hope to post another update at some point over the next couple days.
*Edit - or later tonight...
You could place a single large polygon on a sheet that's hidden underneath the floors that matches the shape of the exterior walls. Turn on wall shadows for that sheet, and turn them off for the walls.
BTW: Thanks for posting your mini tutorial with your dungeon settings. That thread got a bit side-tracked with the duplicate entities & leaking multipoly discussion, so I didn't post there! lol
@Sorpaw - Nothing against the "old-style" but, I personally like the more realistic approach. (1) I just think its more aesthetically pleasing. And (2) As a DM I think it helps when creating adventures and later narrating them (i.e. I put an overturned chair in one room and remember to include that detail in my adventure planning and subsequent narration).
You make me wish I had a bit more time.
Need to make maps too :-)
Bravo!
~Dogtag
The numbers on the map are great too. Did you achieve that within CC3? I also find the higher contrast better on the first map.
Of course, the map itself is superb and very appealing. I'd sure consider buying a product like that.
I'm still sort of going back and forth on which format of labeling i'm going to ultimately stick with (I guess i'll have to settle one way or the other when (If) I finish the other two for this adventure). I have used the biege area before in other maps, but I thought it might be kind of distracting with this one.
I've posted a full-res version of the map here...(http://drunkennerdery.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/u1-sinister-secret-of-saltmarsh-al-qadim-revision/)