Mountain Pass Hex Map

 A mountain pass to plug into virtually any fantasy campaign. A few caves to explore, some mysterious old towers, and the entrance to a dwarven stronghold.

click for 150dpi version

Old Tower Ruins Hex Map

Here is an Old Tower Ruins Hex Map for you. This one is much smaller scale than the previous ones, probably best to call it 30' to a hex.

This old tower ruin would be fitting for a brief adventure, some property a character inherits in a deed, or maybe standing over a dungeon entrance. It would work out pretty decently for a small skirmish battle as well.

I had a heck of a time getting the elevation contours hatch marks to come out right, I'm pretty happy with how these turned out. I made a variety of them that'll be truning up sometime in the next few days. 

 

Fantasyland Hex Map

 A more whimsical fantasy land hex map than the last two I posted. 

Click for 150dpi

 

This hex map is packed full of inspiration for players and DMs. Three possible polities, some indication of goings on in multiple places right on the map. Monsters, bountiful crops, fungus forests, ancient crumbling walls, strange blighted woods, and giant thistles. The implied scale here is smaller and tighter than the other two with the castle-towns sprawling across multiple hexes.

Post Apocalyptic Hex Map

 Here's a post apocalyptic hex map using some of the newer stuff I'm working on and my older Post Apocalypse Hex Symbols.

Click for 150dpi version

 

This map is packed with adventure opportunities. Ruined cities galore, a cracked dome arcology, and a sealed one as well. Strange hives in the rustlands, a vile toxic swamp, an ancient battlefield, and a massive pile of tires. 

Wilderness Hex Map

 Just for the fun of it a wilderness hex map.  

Click for 150dpi version.

I used my town and castle icons and a few new wilderness icons I'm testing out.  I didn't set it up to be keyed yet because I'm not to sure about scale. If you want to have fun with it feel free of course, just let other people know where you got it.

Further Joy of Hex

 Hex maps and RPG campaigns go back to the very first fantasy campaigns due to the wargaming roots of  the hobby. One of the features of the hex map I have always disliked was the monolithic nature of the hex symbol. In the standard hex map a single symbol defines the entire contents of an area outside specific notes that a GM may have on said hex. One way around that is to denote general elevation or terrain type by a color code (I have done some of that in the sample map here). Another way to expand on the utility of the hex map and get a use out of those hexes is a detailed hex border.

The detailed hex border adds a layer of detail that expands on the GM's descriptive repertoire and in the player's agency in making informed decisions. In the example map here I have provided a number of border details to expand details and to clarify.

In the sample map we have six general types of terrain. Border hexes expand on the relation between some hexes by indicating troublesome or notable differences in travel between hexes. The border details show are for elevation, forest travel, swamp hazard, and shoreline danger. Each border detail has 1 to 3 little marks for each symbol denoting the level of significance at that border from notable, serious, and major. 

A notable border feature would provide risk only to the unprepared and unskilled in navigating that feature. A serous border feature indicates a degree of hazard to experienced travelers and the major border feature indicates a rigorous challenge to the skilled. It is possible to mix border features as well and this compounds the potential hazard. 

 How serious each border hazard is would of course be relevant to  game, campaign, and even the adventure as what is noted could vary on map scale.  For ease of handling in old-school play a hazard can be avoided on a 1d6 roll over the number of hazards noted on the border detail, requiring specific equipment to make that roll, give a re-roll, or to avoid the impact of a hazard can expand utility an increase the utility in player choices.  One difference in elevation may just slow progress but failing a check against two could indicate a party member has stumbled, failing against could indicate no progress at all in absence of ropes in addition to the greater risk of a potentially deadly fall.

A GM could of course elaborate in notes as to the contents of a hex:

• D.2: The Village of Buckmay sits secluded in the forest and is difficult to approach due to the thick tangle of trees in the southwest and north. The forest opens up clearly to the northwest but the going looks rough to get into the hills, anyone traveling without a local guide stands the risk of falling far enough as to suffer 2d6 damage. 
  

I'm going to work on this idea some more and share it here of course. Difference in scales intrigues me the most as it may serve as a functional means to make more local hex travel meaningful. I'd be delighted in any reader's input.

Playing With Hex Renders

Just playing with alternate ways to render hexes for a hex crawl, here's test shots of the same generic layout with three different renders. It was quickly slapped together so the hexes don't line up perfectly so I was thwarted in putting a squashed hex grid over the sample for now.

Click for Higher Res Image

Worth the time or too out there for you?

Hex Crawling with Tessellation

The standard method of hexcrawling uses a straight forward method of description or location that has a hex and an description of contents of the hex. With a hex covering a relatively small area or trravel being quick this method is perfectly reasonable and gets the job done. With events happening at walking speed, possibly with exploration as the goal, and hexes many miles across the hexes start feeling a bit empty. Just where is that cave in hex #2314? Will everyone walking into the hex find it  or does it take some searching?

One way to do this is to assign a discovery chance, I do this often myself exmple:
Hex 1407.  Forested Hills. 
Strige Cavern, occupied by a flock of  Stirge . Stirges have a 75% chance of attacking anyone that camps in hex each night. There is a 2 in 6 chance the cave can be discovered if searched for.

The above works fine if folks stay to camp but what if the party is just walking through, will they ever see the stirge cave if the hex is more than a mile across? Not likely.

One way to resolve this situation is to zoom in and subdivide the hex into sub hexes. Bur this is a lot of work if you don't have multiple subhexes in most of the hexes in your wiulderness. One way to define locations with greater accuracy is to tesselate the hex. Break it in to six triangles.

Place an encounter into one of the six sub-triangles even on the map or simply by indication in the notes.
Now the encounter example above could look like this:
Hex 1407.  Forested Hills. 
Strige Cavern (5), occupied by a flock of  Stirge . Stirges have a 75% chance of attacking anyone that camps in hex each night. There is a 4 in 6 chance the cave can be discovered if searched for in SW.

Not a huge difference, just the identification of the area/wedge where the cave is located and the notation of the wedge where the cave is located and the odds of finding it with a more detailed search. The minor shift in notation adds a lot more detailed information.

As said above one could keep track of location within the hex simply by notation. It could also be added graphically on any hex map large enough to accommodate the notation. Here's a hex tesselated hex sheet if anyone want to draw features into a map precisely for their own use.

Click for full image.

Forging Advenutre Paths for Hex Crawls

A brief and simple method to adding "Adventue Paths" to a hex crawl campaign.

Step One: Pick a hex.

Step Two: Roll 1d6. On Adventure Path Table

Adventure Path Table

1.      Rumor/Clue

2.      Foil/Obstacle

3.      Ally

4.      Foe

5.      Goal

6.      End Goal

The first hex can have any of the results above, even the End Goal.

Step Three: Roll a d6, this is what direction the next part of the adventure path is in.

1- goes north, 2- north east, 3- south east, 4-south, 5- south west,  and 6 north west .

Does that direction lead to somewhere you can’t or don’t want to go?  Well this step takes place in the same hex you are currently in if that is the case, multiple things can be in a hex,

Roll 1d6 and consult Table #1 in each new hex, repeat until you do roll End Goal. record hexes, path step and exit directions as you go along.

Here’s two examples of using this skeletal methodology based on the map from my post  Hexcrawling so travel and exploration earns exp.

Micro campaign map from older post

Path #1

We’re starting in hex 5-3  (I picked it randomly).

Rolled a 4 on the table above we have a foe.  In this hex we also have a monster lair, so the foe is either the big baddie in this hex, a minion or a parasite. I’m going to roll more to see how this works out.

Roll a 4 for direction, that’s south as I’m going with one beign north and going arroudn the hex sides in a clockwise direction. That brings us to hex 5-4. The roll on table 1  above is 3:Ally. So now the path directs us to an ally in the ruins in hex 5-4. S that ally lost, trapped, or in need of help?  Let’s figure that out after the path stretched further.

Rolled a 4 for direction again the path leads us to the town of Penwythe. The roll on table I is a 6- that’s the end goal.

So we’ve got 3 hexes let’s tie the results together:

 Starting in the cave of the dragon that dwells there the adventurers learn the goblins that serve the dragon are planning a raid on the village of Penwythe. Now the players can’t attack the goblins here without attracting the attention of the dragon (If they want they can fight the dragon and the goblins , nothing wrong with this, let the players win or lose as they choose).

The players aren’t the only ones to discover this it has also been found out by Bracklemot he’s a citizen in good standing in Penwythe, he’s racign back to Penwythe to warn everyone, unfortunately he’s managed to get himself stuck in the ruins. Free in him will earn his gratitude and likely serve to help warn the town about the goblin attack.

A Penwythe we have a town in swamp. It’s a fortified hummock with a slum of houses built on stilts. Getting to folks able to plan a response to the goblin attack is going to be the trick. The players can attempt to organize a defense in the slums or get inside the fortified section and get the town authorities in motion, a very simple task Brackemot in tow.

Path #2.

Starting in hex 1-5 at the Monolith of Triurre the party have a goal.

South East to a goal  in the tower of Veryanne in hex 2-5

North into the wilderness of hex 2-4 to face a foe.

Southeast of there to hex 3-5 where a goal is discovered.

We head south into the hills into hex 3-6 and discover a rumor leading south west to the Temple of Wrath in hex 4-6 where we find a foe.

From the temple of wrath we get a roll of 4 for direction, so we’re staying in this hex (as we can’t go south without making more map, which would be cool but require a lot more prep) where we discover the end goal of the path.

The goal of many at the monolith of Triurre is meditation to learn it’s secrets. Here the party will bump into one of the apprentices of the master of Veyanne tower a helpful in to meet the master of the tower ( a campaign goal as per notes in previous post on thie micro-setting).

Traveling to Veryanne tower the master of the tower will deal favorably with the PCs if they can dispatch a troublesome grue in the mountains to the north.

Defeating or robbing the grue will provide the party with a treasure map, If they choose to follow that treasure map or are encourage to follow it by the master of Veryanne they will find a treasure but also evidence other were seeking it but didn’t discover it.

Following this evidence will lead the party to an encampment of goat herders, a couple of them had been hired by a priest from the Temple of Wrath to escort him through the hills.

Following up on this information the player will have to deal with a priest from the Temple of Wrath and discover why that priest was seeking the same treasure (if they are the curious sort). The players will eventually discover the treasure they found earlier is the last component the priest needs to complete a ritual; do the players provide the priest with that piece or do they foil the whole plan? What the players decide to do will determine the conclusion.

There we go, two adventure paths just waiting to be discovered based on a few random rolls and what is known about the hexes with a tad of elaboration that provide the framework for a fair bit of adventure that players can choose to follow or not that will not make or break the campaign in and of themselves but could have some consequences. There are plenty of details to fill in but the DM would now have some focus with the adventure paths in mind.

Hexcrawling so travel and exploration earns EXP.

Travel and exploration are among the motivations for characters in old school RPG play but aside from seemingly aimless wandering about and the risks of random encounters and the rewards in discovered dungeons there is generally little said to encourage traveling and exploration. The following is an example campaign setup to encourage and reward travel and exploration along with class appropriate exploits.

Sample Campaign Hex Map (suggested scale 12 to 30 miles a hex)

Awards for travel, exploration, and other exploits appropriate to various classes tied to location on the hex map.

Tourism

Each named place on the map earns the visitor 100 exp upon the first visit to each location.

Dueling Swordsmen and Bravos

For fighters and violent thieves dueling someone of the duelists level or higher at the castle, a town, or a tower earns the winner an extra 100 exp. Surviving a duel earns one 25 exp. One can earn the bonus exp at a location but once a month.

Meditating at the monoliths.

Should a magic-user be able to visit a monolith from dawn to dawn without suffering  points of damage in excess of their level they or casting a total number of spells in excess of their level they gain magical insight. On the first qualifying visit a magic-user learns a random spell of the appropriate level of the monolith if able to cast spells of that level. On return visits a magic-use will be able to ready an additional spell of the appropriate level in excess of what they may normally ready if able to cast spells of that level (the bonus spell is lost once cast).

Amhainne- a 1^st level spell.

Beirte- a 2^nd level spell.

Triurre- a 3^rd level spell.

Ceithre- a 4^th level spell.

Mystical Duels

Spell casters may duel each other at a monolith site. If one or more spells or magical devices are employed by the winning duelist they will gain a 200 exp bonus as per spell level of the monolith.

The Jousts of Castle Merthyre

Once a year at Castle Merthyre a jousting tourney is held that lasts for five days. There is a fee of 30 gp charged for each day a knight is enters the lists, some knights pay more as a portion of this fee is awarded to the families of knights who are crippled or die in the tournament (typically 1/3 of the total of such listing fees are divided among survivors of the slain).

One the first day only those who have never jousted before at Merthyre may do so. Surviving a tilt earns one 50 exp on the first day. Winning a tilt earns 100 exp above other exp bonuses for winning a tilt. Each jouster will ride at least once against another and may choose to ride as often as can be arranged. Whomever wins the most bouts is the Champion of the Neophytes. The Champion earns an extra 100 exp due to the glory earned.

On the second and third day all who have rode on previous tournaments may compete. All jousters are paired off against each other with a winner of each round being promoted until a Champion Ritter is declared. Surviving a tilt on the second or third day earns one 100 exp, a winner of a round earns an extra 200 exp above other exp earned. If a knight refuses a round after the 1^st their opponent is promoted as winner (but only earns ½ the exp). The Champion Ritter earns an extra 250 exp.

On the 4^th day all winners of a round on days one through three may joust. Whomever wins the most jousts on this day is the Champion Cavalier. Surviving a tilt earns a bonus 100 exp, winning a tilt earns an extra 250 exp above other exp earned. The Champion Cavalier earns an extra 300 exp.

On the 5^th day the champions joust.  The three champions of the first four days and all previous tournaments who arrive will all be paired off by random drawing, the winners of each joust will then be paired off round after round until there are only 2 remaining jousters to be Declared Grand Champion of the tournament. The Grand champion of  the previous year may sit out all but the first round should they choose to do so until the final match of the day. Surviving a tilt on this day earns one 150 exp. Winning a tilt on this day earns one 300 exp above other exp earned.  The Grand champion earns an additional 500 exp above all other exp earned and the tournament purse (1/2 all entry fees and between 2,000 and 5,000 gp depending on the year).

The wicked life of Thieves.

A thief earns double the exp for goods stolen the first time they commit theft in a town and leave their mark.

If a thief steals from a tower and leaves their mark they earn triple the exp for doing so on the first successful theft.

Stealing from a temple or the Castle Merthyre and leaving a mark will earn the thief triple exp each time they do so (once per week at most).

Stealing from a dragon den earns a thief 10 times the normal exp award but only if the dragon sees their mark.

Exploring Ruins.

Each adventurer receives 250 exp for the first expedition they join to a ruin in which they return with a souvenir (rocks, bricks, and paving stones don’t count, nor do coins).

Some rewards for the faithful

Visiting each of the three temples earns a cleric 500 exp for the first visit.

A Lawful worshipper earns double exp when sacrificing at the Temple of Order.

A Neutral worshipper earns double exp when sacrificing at the Temple of Harmony.

A Chaotic worhsipper earns double exp when sacrificing at the Temple of wrath.

Visiting the master of a tower and converting them earns a cleric 150exp per level of the master of a tower.

Studying at a Tower

A magic-user that visits a tower and studies for a week with the master of the tower earns 500 exp for the first such study session.