Sea Caves Battle Map - Launch

Hello Adventurers! This is a sea cave, flooded, with the idea that at least some of it should be explored by boat. I’ve played a few encounters on boats, and it creates a fun and unique dynamic. I’ve added a rowing boat asset for you to use. Often, places like this have a secret purpose, such as smuggling or hiding treasure.

Next Maps

The Courtroom/Courthouse will be with you next, with the Boglings Mudpit coming later.

• Courtroom/Courthouse
  Another one of those buildings your party may end up in, especially if they are bad boys and girls :) Now you’ll have a battle map to have a fun courtroom brawl in! OBJECTION!

• Boglings Mudpit (Bog)
  I want to try a super swampy bubbling mud pit, with a narrow path leading through it. A place where some interesting monsters could call home. It's a lot of dank, muddy pools and sickly foliage.

Upcoming Maps

These map ideas are on the short list for the next couple of months. You’ll see them soon, but other map ideas may jump in ahead of them.

• Frozen Crevasse
  I want to make a crevasse in a frozen/ice landscape. The majority of the map will be the different levels of the Crevasse, with caves on both sides. There will be ice bridges, ‘bridging’ the crevasse in places. Most likely something lives in the crevasse.

• The Great Raft (Logging Raft)
  This is a very historically inspired map. It’s a raft made up of hundreds of logs that Lumberjacks would use to transport logs down a river. This will be a river map almost entirely filled with floating logs. I have a Lumber Mill that would work as an excellent companion location.

Thank you all, new and old Patrons alike, for your support. Remember, if you would like to see more of a specific type of map, let me know, and I’ll take it into consideration when picking new themes. Have a great weekend, happy Halloween, and also, happy adventuring! Now, let's get into that old rowing boat and explore these caves. Does anyone know how to row? If not, how many of you know how to swim?

Downloads

The files, thumbnails, and tags can be accessed on the Map List Page. You must be logged in to Patreon and signed up for the correct tier to access them. Remember, you are only charged for map releases; you can download all the old maps at no extra cost!

Find your download files here >>

You also get a Rowing Boat asset (see example in the above image).

Map Descriptions

The swell of the sea lifts the boat as each wave rolls towards and then crashes against the jagged rocks at the cliff’s base. Seafoam hides the rocks below your boat, as you paddle furiously towards the dark entrance to the sea cave.

NOTE: Skill check. Describe the timing needed to enter the cave's entrance. Reaching it on a wave's crest will result in the party having to duck to avoid hitting their heads. They may even hit the cave's roof, damaging the boat or themselves.

To your left is a fairly wide tunnel leading into a dark cave, while to your right is a smaller tunnel. There is less than a handspan of air between the roof of the right-hand tunnel and the swirling water, and with each wave, the tunnel is fully submerged for a few seconds.

The water in the seacave is relatively calm, although the boat still bobs up and down with each swell. The sound of the crashing waves is quickly muffled by the dark, dripping rock that now surrounds you. Ahead lies a narrow, long cave that weaves into shadow. The water below you has a deep emerald colour that fades into a crystal-clear darkness as you row deeper.

A large cave opens out of the gloom ahead. A crescent-shaped pebble beach, never touched by sunlight, forms a narrow strip along the northern edge of the cave. Its round pebbles glisten in the faint light. Water drips from the cave ceiling, making a rhythmic plop. The water of the cave is dark and still; below its surface is a forest of almost black-green seaweed.

Notes and Tips

• 30x30 Grid Map

• Three players maximum per boat. Define who is in which boat, and have someone control the boat icon.

• There is an exit/entrance within the main cave (to the north).

• Smugglers love these places! They will make up legends and folklore to scare away curious locals. Many of the ghost stories along our coasts have origins in smuggling. If the locals are terrified of these places, the smugglers can get away with their illegal deeds unseen.

• Combat on a small boat introduces numerous restrictions and complexities. You don’t want to run multiple encounters in a boat, but one or two can be a fun change of pace. How does the party organise itself? Do they have more than one boat? Who is sitting where? Who can swim? How stable is the boat and the people in it?

• Light will be heavily restricted in here.

• The right-hand path is not passable by boat. Anyone taking this will need to swim and navigate underwater through the tunnels to the main pool.

• Homely for Hags - This does make a really good home for a sea hag. She will be able to climb the walls like a bat, so a boat is not required. The party may find a couple of dead bodies floating in the pool. The water is very cold, so it's good to keep them ‘fresh’.

• Smugglers' Lore - The local smugglers have been dressing up as a ghostly white lady and wandering along the top of the cliffs scaring the locals. The party is tasked with investigating and uncovering the truth.

• Sea Dragons Liar - This could make a great lair for a sea dragon or serpent. It could be attacking local fishing boats because they are in its territory, and it's become clear that it's living in this cave.

Variants

You get a more tropical turquoise variant for when it's hot pirates! Sorry, I meant pirates in a hot climate :)

You also get a variant with a pool in a cave, because you're not always at the beach!

A desert variant with and without water!

And a snow variant for those times you need to wake up your party with a quick ice bath!