Hello Adventurers and Happy New Year! I had a little time between Christmas and New Year and managed to finish the Forest of Webs, now renamed the Silk Threaded Forest, just in time for the end of the month. It's a patch of pine forest with threads of silk draped over the trees. I decided to add a small(ish) cave at the back as a 'nest' of sorts. This could be used as a spider-themed encounter, but lots of other creatures produce silk and webs, and in a fantasy setting, you can let your imagination fly. Moths, caterpillars, silk worms, grubs, and even fairies could create these webs to capture their victims.

Next Maps

The Great Raft will come in January, along with the Mountain Peak later in the month.

  • 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.

  • Mountain's Peak
    I don't think I've actually made a Mountain Peak before, so this will be a craggy peak at the top of a windswept mountain. Perfect for a pilgrimage to find hidden knowledge or commune with the gods.

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.

  • Shattered Dimensional Lair
    I want to make more lairs, and I think a beholder's lair would be cool. I have an idea for an area with rips in reality, with stars/space showing through. Some places are warped and look strange. It's still early in the ideas stage, but I like the concept.

  • Palace Throne Room (Dwarven?)
    Another Patron suggestion, this will be a plush room with tapastrease, a couple of large thrones, maybe themed for dwarves. A Khazad-dûm vibe? Abandoned?

Thanks for all your support this year. I appreciate each and every one of you! Your suggestions have been invaluable as well, so please keep them coming. As always, happy adventuring and good luck in the new year.

Now get those daggers out and start cutting; these webs won't clear themselves! Yes, it's strange they vibrate when you touch them, and sure, the sound seems to resonate through the forest, and OK, maybe the forest does have a very wrap you up in silk and store you for dinner vibe! What's your point, Bill? Bill? Has anyone seen Bill? He was standing right there a second ago.

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!

Map Descriptions

The trees have grown closer, and the underbrush thicker and thornier. The pine needle canopy blocks the pale sunlight that once dappled the forest path. Mist hangs among the dark trunks, making it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you. There is a muffled silence that is both peaceful and unsettling.

As you move deeper into the forest, you notice strands of string or cord draped over tree limbs. On closer inspection, you realise they are organic threads, glistening silver lines that seem to glow in the dull light. Beads of clear liquid sparkle along their surface, like diamonds on a necklace. If you touch one, it feels tacky and slightly elastic, and surprisingly strong.

Notes and Tips

  • 30x30 Grid Map

  • This doesn't need to be a spider forest; lots of other creatures can make webs and silk. Silk Moths, with adult moths and silk 'worms'. Caterpillars, grubs, and larvae of lots of different insects use silk to spin cocoons. And remember, this is a fantasy setting, so the silk doesn't have to come from a giant insect.

  • Have different sizes of monsters attack the party. Or represent various stages of their life cycle, for example, larvae and adult moths.

  • The silk could be very hard to cut, making it difficult to escape from, or it could be relatively fragile until a player is dealing with multiple threads, at which point it's much harder to break.

  • The silk can be very sticky, making it hard to remove. It could also come in different forms, with the 'dry' thread acting like regular silk, while the 'wet' stuff is incredibly sticky.

  • I've added a cave at the back of the map that could contain a 'queen' or mature monster. Or it could be a 'food store' or an egg/larvae chamber.

  • Sometimes it's just spiders: As long as you don't have any arachnophobes in your party, spiders are a classic monster choice. They are surprisingly intelligent and will hunt the party, showing themselves only when they think they have the upper hand.

  • The Silk is the Thing: Silk from giant Silk moths is highly sought after. This is partially because it's extremely dangerous to collect. An adult giant Silk Moth is carnivorous and will attack anyone in its territory. A Silk Worm may be less deadly, but it still feeds on flesh and drops onto unsuspecting people from above.

  • Fairy Trails (of silk): Fey silk threads have been placed to ensnare unsuspecting travellers, blocking the main path and leading travellers up to a cave entrance. It turns out the cave is home to corrupted fairies, who have a taste for humanoid flesh! The nest inside the cave could have an entrance into the fey, an entrance the party needs to use, but these fairies are quite insistent that they don't want anyone else using it. Also, there is the issue of flesh-eating.

Variants

All the maps come in day/night variants

I've also made a desert variant, because a good desert cave is a great place to get out of the sun... and be attacked by whatever lives there.

I also made a moorland variant because you have to store your fake hellhound somewhere when you are trying to scare the local lord to death.

There is a woodland/jungle variant as well.

And a darkforest variant without webs... because you crazy cats always need general use maps as well as the more themed ones.

I may add a snow variant in here later!...