Road Ambush, Expert (Patreon)

Hi Experts and Masters! This week's map is the Road Ambush (30x30), a path through the forest inspired by the initial encounter of the Lost Mine of Phandelver, an iconic fight that I think almost everyone recognizes. I decided to replace the bodies of two goblin-slain horses with a few fallen logs, which will block the passage of wagons and offer a fair bit of cover for the fight. None of this will be a problem for higher-level adventurers, but this sort of thing is the perfect setup for beginners, just enough interesting terrain for a quick-witted player to outplay crafty goblins/bandits/sentient giant rats.

Your alternate versions of this map are 'Magical' and 'Blighted'! The Magical version is a twist on my Fey forest maps, though much more grounded in my typical forest colors. Still, I think it looks very enchanted, I'd be sure to keep an eye out for illusions and spritely forest creatures.

The Blighted version is one I've made before, halfway between a darker Grim palette and a Sunset palette.  This felt right for the map, which seemed a little too cheerful for a gritty encounter with frenzied and bloodthirsty goblins. I think it's nice to provide at least one version of each map with a more sinister tone, to offset how cheerful many of my maps are. I'm sure some of you appreciate it!