2minutetabletop

Ancient Tree Roots

Added 2020-02-16 07:55:29 +0000 UTC

High above you a ceiling of leaves moves like the surface of the sea. It is held up by great wooden limbs, and rains down an endless confetti of vivid green leaves. It casts its shade in a wide circle all around you, and at its center is a trunk hemmed by crowded, intertwined roots...

I'm a long time fan of the Zelda series, and I have always been especially enchanted by the great Deku Tree in his many appearances, big and small. An ancient tree with memories longer than generations of men is something that speaks to my imagination! There's a certain magic to mundane forests in real life, an an exaggeration of that which we are all familiar with makes for a great fantasy element.

I have been meaning to draw something like that for a long time, sitting at the back of my mind. Well, my recent foray into the Ni no Kuni games reminded of the idea, and I figured it was high time to take it on! I had always been intimidated by the roots especially but hey, I wasn't going to get anywhere by only choosing easy projects.

So, this map is my take on the ancient tree fantasy trope. It's cut-away near the base, so you can still use it as a Deku Tree if you wish, but it might also serve as a hag's home, the base of an elven tree-village, or any of your extra-large-tree-needs.

Below are links to these pledge rewards. There are 26 moderately useful assets, and the map variants include autumn, winter, and malicious versions in day and night color schemes.

What do you think? Do you have an ancient forest in your campaign world? I'd love to hear of your imaginative uses for this map, so please share them in the comments. :)

Thanks to Patrons like you this map is released under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license.