I thought of that, and then I thought... That means I would have to do a different banner body for each basic style I created, and then a different banner right end for each basic style I created, and then a different left end, and... by the time I finished this set could be about 500-1000 symbols strong. Then at the receiving end you would get a massive jigsaw puzzle where the pieces that you want might not necessarily be right next to each other in the catalogue due to it's sheer size - meaning that you would have to go hunting for the right ends for the body you have chosen. There is also the shadow problem - where you have to place each piece of your chosen banner exactly right on the spot so there are no horrible overlaps/underlaps of the shadow - which is essential to making them pop. (The shadow being built into the symbol).

Anyone else have any thoughts along these lines?

This is how the sheets lie (please ignore the Effects Presets, which refer to the base template I used to build this on and not the style I'm making):

The WATER sheet lies above the land, not underneath it. The BACKGROUND is a parchment texture, the TERRAIN is a sheet with lots of green and brown patches blurred and blended into the parchment.

These are the 3 sheet effects on the WATER sheet. Please bear in mind that all these effects are set to map units, and that you might have to adjust them to suit your own map. This is more about the balance between the second glow and the directional shadow - they need to balance for the effect to work.

Also bear in mind that this will only work over relatively narrow bands because it is only an illusion - a fake bevel.

First I have a thin dark line to properly define the coast

Then I have a pale glow set to Outside. I'm using a pale yellow here so that it hopefully matches any of the set terrain colours that might come to the coast.

And finally a dark directional shadow set in opposition to the default sun direction (which is 315 degrees)

If it doesn't work immediately on your map remember that this is not a true bevel. You may have to fiddle around with the numbers quite a bit to get it to look right.

Ok. Taking a random example...

If I have created a map in DD3, and I want to use SS4 (Dungeons of Schley) in it, I would get the drawing tools as described above, and then I would open a second instance of CC3 by right clicking the desk icon and picking CC3, or New, or whatever your system provides for a new instance of an app, and then I would use that instance to create a new SS4 map. I would then save that temporary map with nothing drawn in it as "TEMP SS4" and Pick that as the file to Insert into the DD3 file I was actually working on. I would insert it, but then immediately delete or undo the action because I don't want the dummy SS4 map or any part of it. I just want to fool CC3 into importing all the relevant fills for SS4. It doesn't matter that the dummy map is instantly deleted. The fills are imported in that instant and they stay, even though the SS4 map is gone as fast as it arrived.

Once that is done all the SS4 drawing tools will work as if this was an SS4 map.

If you are having to change styles for your drawing tools then you may find that you don't have the right textures to go with them. You can resolve that issue using Insert file in the Draw menu, and inserting a blank dummy file of the required style, then immediately deleting it. That will import all the fills for that style.

To get to different symbol catalogues it is quickest to use the browse button on the right above the symbol catalogue panel. If there is an FSC file in the parent folder for the symbols, it is better to open that than the folder containing the symbols. The catalogue file (.FSC) will provide random collections and varicolour symbols and place symbols on the correct sheet - none of which can happen without the FSC file.

Maybe the blur factor needs a little upward adjustment. I think adding transparency will make the piles transparent as well.