So exactly as the post says, I'm wanting to create a world map for my homebrew campaign. I have a general idea of what i would like to have, but I honestly have no drawing ability or digital illustration abilities. I was wondering if anyone has any online tools, or good tutorials. I've looked on cartographers guild but I really haven't found what I need or want.
Saw an interesting idea on Pintrest: take your dice bag (if you have one), empty it into your hands, then roll it at once across a table. Trace around the whole mass, that's the border of your country/kingdom/continent. Designate certain dice for certain features (i.e. d4s are large elevations, d10s small elevations, d20s are bodies of water).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
May have to steal a few ideas from this myself. Running my first PBP and I'm used to the Theater of the Mind model, but there are a lot of questions in the first encounter about facing, spacing, targeting, etc.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
take a beans and throw them on a blank paper than draw around them that make you a land than you can see how to add mountains and rivers and forestes and how to make the map to look better wasd20 done a series as mentioned before go check that:)
I've been using Campaign Cartographer, from Profantasy, since the first version in the late 90s. It's very versatile and easy to learn and gives beautiful results.
You could always enlist a friend or campaign mate that's my artistically inclined.
It's a good way to get another at the table, or keep the table engaged. Give this a opportunity for your mates to chime in a few ideas too, like the village their character grew up as a kid or the Origin of the church they belong to.
Heck open it up to the party, let's them a feel a small portion of ownership with the game... Then do what Any good DM use the crap out of it to add flavor to down time between big steps.
If you want, you can load a hex-grid into a paint program and just color hexagons according to terrain type, and dot in cities and places of interest.
Is it pretty? Would you hang it on your wall? Probably not. Will it allow you to describe overland travel, and be able to tell you consistently where everything is in relation to each other? Yep.
You can leave the rest up to "theater of the mind" for your players. Heck, they might start sketching out their own "artistic" maps as they explore your world.
And - it can be the basis for a more "artistic" map latter - but don't let a perceived lack of artistic abilities stall your campaign.
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So exactly as the post says, I'm wanting to create a world map for my homebrew campaign. I have a general idea of what i would like to have, but I honestly have no drawing ability or digital illustration abilities. I was wondering if anyone has any online tools, or good tutorials. I've looked on cartographers guild but I really haven't found what I need or want.
DM - The Lost Mines of Phandelver
DM - Tales from Irileth: Korey ◆ Rook ◆ Grinner
Saw an interesting idea on Pintrest: take your dice bag (if you have one), empty it into your hands, then roll it at once across a table. Trace around the whole mass, that's the border of your country/kingdom/continent. Designate certain dice for certain features (i.e. d4s are large elevations, d10s small elevations, d20s are bodies of water).
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
You should check WASD20 on Youtube. He has an amazing playlist of videos that make it sooooo easy!
The Mappening Playlist
Drawing Maps Playlist
Inkarnate is super easy to use and makes very pretty maps.
Hexographer makes fantastic maps to be used as GM tools. You can really lay everything out and get "accurate" measurements.
I'll have to look into all of this. Thank you very much everyone.
DM - The Lost Mines of Phandelver
DM - Tales from Irileth: Korey ◆ Rook ◆ Grinner
May have to steal a few ideas from this myself. Running my first PBP and I'm used to the Theater of the Mind model, but there are a lot of questions in the first encounter about facing, spacing, targeting, etc.
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
There's a great website for this - are we allowed to post links?
It's called Inkarnate, and it's a really easy to use, in depth tool specifically for fantasy mapmaking
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
take a beans and throw them on a blank paper than draw around them that make you a land than you can see how to add mountains and rivers and forestes and how to make the map to look better wasd20 done a series as mentioned before go check that:)
FOR HONOR!! FOR VICTORY!! FOR WINNING!!! :)
Go check out the cartographers guild website.
They have awesome resources and a helpful community to get you started.
I've been using Campaign Cartographer, from Profantasy, since the first version in the late 90s. It's very versatile and easy to learn and gives beautiful results.
You could always enlist a friend or campaign mate that's my artistically inclined.
It's a good way to get another at the table, or keep the table engaged. Give this a opportunity for your mates to chime in a few ideas too, like the village their character grew up as a kid or the Origin of the church they belong to.
Heck open it up to the party, let's them a feel a small portion of ownership with the game... Then do what Any good DM use the crap out of it to add flavor to down time between big steps.
Maps don't have to be great to be useful.
If you want, you can load a hex-grid into a paint program and just color hexagons according to terrain type, and dot in cities and places of interest.
Is it pretty? Would you hang it on your wall? Probably not. Will it allow you to describe overland travel, and be able to tell you consistently where everything is in relation to each other? Yep.
You can leave the rest up to "theater of the mind" for your players. Heck, they might start sketching out their own "artistic" maps as they explore your world.
And - it can be the basis for a more "artistic" map latter - but don't let a perceived lack of artistic abilities stall your campaign.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.