Corrosive Vaults, Adept (Patreon)

Hi folks! This week's map is the Corrosive Vaults (19x23), which I worked on alongside James Webster of James' RPG Art and XP to Level 3, who made content to accompany this map! 

Your alternate version is a Winter recoloring of the 'dry' map, in which I removed all the standing slime from the ground and retouched it to have a frosty vibe. I wouldn't be surprised to find a small lair like this high up on a mountainside or half-buried in the snow in the tundra, but I'm sure you can come up with several other uses as well.    

1. Dungeons are always interesting to design. When starting a fresh one, I always start by determining the location's purpose and develop it from there. I wanted to imply that perhaps this one was once occupied by mages or cultists, but is long abandoned. I thought a small, symmetrical building was perfect for what I wanted to convey, and minimal props would do well to get the idea across while leaving space for DMs to do what they wish to with the rooms. 

2. Outlines! Once again, I used the brick walls I drew for the Sewer Tunnels, which I think are just crumbly enough to give the map an ancient or neglected vibe. The size of the bricks is just right too, perhaps a foot thick, which is stout enough to dissuade players from trying to dig through walls. 

I tried something different with the floor tiles this time! I've never attempted diamond-shaped tiles before because I've been concerned that they'll mess with your eye when overlayed with the grid, but I gave it a shot anyway. As a quick test, I took the 5' tile texture from the Sinister Temple, duplicated it a couple of times into an enormous PNG, shrunk it, and rotated it into place. The effect felt right almost immediately, and considering how thin and light the tiles' lines are in comparison to both the grids and the rest of the map, they hardly stood out at all, feeling more like a texture than an outlined detail. I'm pleased with how that turned out, and I think I'll probably use this floor again when I get a chance. Maybe with checkering too!

3. Working with James is always interesting because I often lag behind him and, by the time I'm ready to start coloring, he's already established the colors for this painting. And you know what? He has an excellent eye for color. I don't think I would have used the colors I did if left to my own devices, but following his example led me to some exciting palettes that I wouldn't have even gotten close to otherwise.