Category: The Best Free DnD Battlemaps with System Agnostic Adventures

Download the best free DnD battlemaps with system agnostic one shot adventures! My realistic, grimdark fantasy battlemaps are high resolution and each one shot was written just for its map, should plug-in to any fantasy setting, and includes an easy-to-use hook to get your players started on the quest.

My best free DnD battlemaps with system agnostic adventures are ready to upload into VTTs like Roll20 (and are less than 5MB so should work on a free account), Foundry, or Fantasy Grounds and come as an ungridded 72ppi .JPEG file you can right click to download. The reason our VTT maps are ungridded is because the VTT software drops a grid over them when you play 🙂

If you’d love a printable version of any of my best free DnD battlemaps with adventures, my premium maps include files formatted for easy home printing in A4 .PDFs, as well as A1 or A0 poster files you can have professionally printed at stores like Staples or Office Depot. You can grab these in my great value battlemap bundles, as well as buy individual maps on DriveThruRPG. My premium maps also come formatted as 300ppi .JPEGs without watermarks for VTT use, and if they have a system-agnostic adventure written for them it’s included in an adventure .PDF document.

  • Nightmare Abode of the Unseelie Court Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Nightmare Abode of the Unseelie Court Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Nightmare Abode of the Unseelie Court Free 40x30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure
    The Nightmare Abode of the Unseelie Court Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure, featuring a dangerous nightmare. VTT ready!

    Nightmare Abode of the Unseelie Court Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Sweet Dreams

    When you lie down to rest after a long day, you feel like you’re about to fall asleep when your rest is disturbed by a faint buzzing sound. You try to ignore it, but the noise persists. When you look around to find the source of the disturbance, you notice that you’re not in the same place you laid down just minutes ago.

    You are in an old forest, with trees so tall the canopy blocks out the sun. The leaves are red, the colors of Fall. Some of them detach from their trees and drift to the ground in a perpetual rain of desiccated vegetation. The air smells dry, laden with strange, tangy spices and the unmistakable aroma of death.

    The buzzing noise returns and you notice something flitting between the trees. Something small and winged, which hovers for the briefest moment before darting into cover once more.

    While you try to figure out what’s happened, the small creature flits out of cover and hovers a few feet from your face. She is a faerie no larger than your hand, with tiny pointed ears, diaphanous wings and an expression of unvarnished glee on her face.

    “Oh yes, you’ll do just fine here,” she giggles, flitting about randomly to look at you from different angles. “I’m Elisha, and we’re going to have so much fun together!” Should you inquire where you are and how you got here, the faerie laughs.

    “You’ll find out where you are soon enough,” she assures you with a sly wink. “As for how you arrived, it’s magic! Perhaps part of you wanted to be here, and the Court has a way of making people’s dreams come true. Oops, I’ve gone and tipped my hand! Come, let me show you.”

    Elisha flits away, glowing slightly to guide you through the gloomy conditions. Should you follow, she leads you through the trees towards a clearing that lies beyond. Here, you see a huge stump of a once-great tree, which has been converted into an abode for people of your size.

    Screams can be heard coming from within the structure, the distinct sounds of suffering and madness. Around the giant tree stump more faeries gather, laughing with sadistic glee at the suffering of people here.

    “This is the Unseelie Court, newcomer,” Elisha brags, gesturing expansively at the ominous glade. The other faeries greet you with a mixture of applause, derision and laughter, though their attention is diverted from their evil play for only a few seconds.

    “You may have been thinking about faeries being all sugar and spice, and all things nice,” Elisha continues. “But we’re nothing like that. Honestly, how could anyone be so boring? No, we’re much more interesting than our stupid cousins and I’ll be happy to show you exactly what I mean!”

    “Hey uh,” one of the other faeries remarks when he looks at you, “are they supposed to have brought all their equipment with them?” Elisha looks at you with a blank expression before a look of consternation crosses her tiny face.

    “I thought YOU were supposed to make sure they were unarmed before coming here!” she squeals as she flits away at top speed! The other faeries see you as a threat and close in to protect the Court! They’re small but deadly, wielding tiny spears with razor-sharp tips and many of them have fey magic to use against you.

    Should you defeat the first wave of the faeries, the abode before you beckons. If you take the stairs and head inside, you see other people tied to the walls, clearly the subject of brutal torture from the evil fey.

    “You have to destroy Elisha,” one woman whispers weakly. “Only then will this nightmare end. Go!” Should you heed her advice, you can take the stars to the top of the structure where you will find Elisha and a few of her close consorts.

    “You’ve ruined everything!” she blurts, arms crossed in child-like anger. “We will have to make short work of you, but don’t kill them my sisters! We want to make them pay for this insult!”

    You face off against Elisha and should you defeat her, she lies on the floor breathing her last breath. As she passes, you suddenly feel sleepy. You cannot keep your eyes open, and all turns to darkness.

    You gasp awake, looking around you fearful of what you may find, only to discover you have awakened in the place you originally fell asleep! You are uninjured, and left wondering if it all a nightmare, or did it really happen?

    If you’d enjoy more DnD resources like this Nightmare Abode of the Unseelie Court Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure, Luke and I have released our newest Hardcore GM’s bundle of 520 large, 40×30″ DnD battlemaps (double the size of those in the Quarantine Bundle) with 255 fantasy adventures for $39. It’s your chance to have a great deal on some of our most beautiful maps! We guarantee that is something here for every GM—no matter what setting you prefer, from large cities to underwater seascapes.

    Paying just $39 rather than full price saves you over 98%! Take a look at all the extra maps you can download with one click in the Hardcore GM’s DnD Battlemap Bundle here. 

  • Pirate’s Floating Shipwreck Fortress Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Pirate’s Floating Shipwreck Fortress Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Pirate's Floating Shipwreck Fortress Free 40x30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure
    The Pirate’s Floating Shipwreck Fortress Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure, featuring burning a pirate base down to the waterline. VTT ready!

    Pirate’s Floating Shipwreck Fortress Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    The Scourge of the Sea

    During your visit to a seaside city tavern, a veteran warrior storms through the door and immediately heads for the bar. His hair is short, his chin unshaven and he’s dressed in hardened leathers, with a large sword strapped to his back. He demands a mug of ale from the barkeep and tosses a coin onto the counter. When it arrives, he drinks it down in one long gulp, then turns to look around the common room.

    When he spots you, he casts his shrewd gaze over your equipment, then saunters over and points at the seat opposite.

    “Mind if I have a word with you?” he asks. If you agree to hear him out, he sits down and makes himself comfortable. “My name’s Lorcan, a soldier-for-hire, and for once I’m actually looking to hire other soldiers to help me out with a job. The last one I had was defending a merchant ship, along with a bunch of other scurrilous mugs like myself. We were chased by pirates, boarded, and nearly lost our lives.

    “A bunch of us managed to get away in a longboat, but there was nothing we could do for the rest of those poor blighters. Anyway, I’m in the mood for some revenge, and I know just where to hit these pirates. They’re a scourge to the region so it’ll do everyone a favor if their base was burned to the waterline.

    “That’s right; their base is a huge ship, or rather, a bunch of ships tied together. I bet they think they’re clever, but we’ll hit ‘em when they least expect it. It’s where they keep a whole lot of their plunder too, so this job will pay for itself. You in?”

    If you agree to accompany Lorcan on this rousing quest for blood and gold, He bids you follow him down to the docks, where you’ll find a ship waiting for you. It’s a dingy old scow, unremarkable in any way, but it’s all part of Lorcan’s plan. Should you follow him aboard, the vessel casts off and slowly sails along the coast. Lorcan speaks further about his plans.

    “Okay, we’re going near their floating shanty town,” he explains as the brisk sea air gusts past you. “Once we’re close enough, we’ll hop into a longboat and wait for any docked ships to leave. Then, we sneak in, board the place and start our bloody work. Keep in mind It’s likely they’ll put out a distress call to any nearby friendly pirate vessels after our first assault so we’ll have to move fast to get what we can and be gone by the time they get back or risk a much bigger fight.

    “Keep an eye out for looting options as you move through it. They’re messy sods and you’re likely to find all sorts of goods sitting around. Trophies from their victories. Chests of loot, you name it. Once we’re done, I’ll signal this ship to come and pick us up, and we can make a hasty getaway! So, if you’re ready, let’s get on with this.”

    Should you board the longboat, Lorcan will join you as the crew of the scow lower it into the water. Once the ship is out of sight, Lorcan bids you help him row the longboat closer to the pirate base. If you’re perceptive, you might notice that the floating fortress appears to be clear of pirate vessels, so it should in theory at least, have a minimum complement of crew.

    Lorcan agrees and bids you row harder to close the distance, and once you reach the docks, you can climb aboard the fortress. There are scattered groups of pirates, but they’re disorganized and sometimes don’t even help each other out as you and Lorcan fight your way across the lower deck. During this time you notice a magical flare go shooting into the air leaving Lorcan to remark “looks like our timer has started”

    If you take the stairs, you’ll find some tougher challenges with pirate officers defending their dens filled with loot! If you make it past them and reach the top level, you’ll find the most ruthless and brutal pirates aboard, who will defend their plunder with their very lives. If you manage to dispatch them, Lorcan starts to rummage through their plunder, throwing anything of value into a large sack.

    “Grab what you can,” he advises. “We have to be out of here before the others return. They won’t be too pleased that we’ve dispatched their captains and we need to be as far away as we can!”

    Once you’ve grabbed as much as you can carry, Lorcan lights a signal torch on top of the fortress, then hurries down to the docks where you can board the scow and beat a hasty retreat!

    GM Notes: There are small chests of gold and other random valuables stashed throughout the maps. The further the player(s) get, the more loot they can acquire! But if they stick around too long another pirate vessel may show up drastically increasing the difficulty.

    If you’d enjoy more DnD resources like this Pirate’s Floating Shipwreck Fortress Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure, Luke and I have released our newest Hardcore GM’s bundle of 520 large, 40×30″ DnD battlemaps (double the size of those in the Quarantine Bundle) with 255 fantasy adventures for $39. It’s your chance to have a great deal on some of our most beautiful maps! We guarantee that is something here for every GM—no matter what setting you prefer, from large cities to underwater seascapes.

    Paying just $39 rather than full price saves you over 98%! Take a look at all the extra maps you can download with one click in the Hardcore GM’s DnD Battlemap Bundle here. 

  • Secret Naval Base Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Secret Naval Base Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Secret Naval Base Free 40x30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure
    The Secret Naval Base Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure, featuring helping an old captain reclaim his ship. VTT ready!

    Secret Naval Base Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Pirates in Disguise

    While visiting a tavern on a dark and stormy night in a seaside city, your respite is interrupted when the door opens and a barrel-chested man with thick muttonchops gracing his cheeks, wearing simple sailor’s garb bursts into the common room. The room falls silent as he stomps over to the bar and orders a shot of rum, the eyes of all present watching his every move.

    “What’s that all about?” one of the people at the table next to your whispers to his friend.

    “That’s Captain Hargraves,” comes the quiet reply. “Word is, his ship was hijacked by corsairs and they sent him off in the longboat. He looks mighty upset about it.”

    Captain Hargraves turns and leans his back against the bar, quaffs his rum in a single gulp and smacks the glass onto the polished countertop.

    “You’ve probably heard about my troubles by now,” he rumbles, casting his gaze over everyone in the common room. “Aye, my ship was taken from under my very nose, and I’ll not stand for it one minute longer than I have to. I intend to take her back from the very fiends what stole her from me in the first place, but I’ll need a stout crew in order to succeed.

    “A crew of brave souls, steeped in danger and reckless adventure,” he continues, walking slowly around the room. “The finest crew a captain could hope for, ready to tackle the unknown on the high seas. True sailors, with salt water flowing through their veins, ready and willing to take up arms and fight to right wrongs and settle the score.

    “Who among you be the kind of adventurers I’m looking for? Who will stand by ol’ Captain Hargraves as he battles the traitorous scurvy dogs what stole his ship? Who will step up to join this Ocean Adventure™?”

    You can’t help but notice he’s been looking directly at you for most of his speech, and nobody else has said a single word. If you answer this call to high-seas fisticuffs, the captain looks at you with a satisfied smile.

    “Truly, you’ve a heart of steel and courage to spare! Join me at the docks at dawn, where we shall depart with the morning tide.” With that, he stomps through the door into the driving rain and thunder.

    After you have a chance to rest overnight, if you still intend to join the good captain, you can saunter down to the docks where you’ll see Captain Hargraves awaiting your arrival.

    “Avast, mighty heroes,” he greets you. “Climb aboard my boat, the Saucy Minnow, and we’ll set sail immediately.” The boat in question appears to be little more than a skiff, and there’s nobody else with him. “I know what you’re thinking, and she may be small, but the Minnow is just the sneaky vessel we need to get in close to our mark. I’ll explain on the journey.”

    Should you climb aboard this underwhelming vessel, Captain Hargraves casts off and raises the sail, sitting at the stern where he controls the rudder. He tells you more about the corsairs who stole his ship, the Salty Kipper, and how they managed to pull off the theft.

    “Twas an old crew member of mine, Mister Longfield, a crafty sailor if ever there was one,” Hargraves explains. “Turns out he was working with a corrupt branch of the local navy, pretending to inspect vessels for safety reasons, but actually purloining them like common pirates!

    “There’s a secret naval base not far from here, where they gather their supplies and keep ships they’ve stolen. I can’t abide pirates, but sailors in the navy resorting to piracy is a step lower, I tell you.”

    The journey continues for a few more hours, until you see a large outcropping of rock rising above the waves. Captain Hargraves confirms this is the location, and as you close in you see a few ships anchored nearby.

    “There she is!” he cries, pointing at a fine-looking merchantman anchored just ahead. “But we’ll never get her away from the base without being attacked by their artillery. Look over yonder, you can see they’ve set up siege engines to prevent our escape. We’ll have to hit the base first, then make our way to the Kipper. Hold tight, I’m taking us around the back to the docks!”

    He navigates the Saucy Minnow around the edge of the base, and fortunately, the vessel is small enough to remain undetected. Soon, you see the jetty around the back, and the Minnow pulls up alongside. Captain Hargraves leaps from the boat and draws his cutlass as guards approach to prevent your arrival!

    If you join in, you can assist Captain Hargraves as he sends these traitorous sailors to meet their maker, then he urges you to follow as you storm into the base, looking for the siege engines. You race up the stairs on the eastern side to the sounds of alarm, emerging into the base proper, where you must fight your way through the assembled guards!

    If you make it through, you see the siege engines set up just outside the main hallway. Captain Hargraves kicks over a few barrels of pitch, grabs a nearby lantern and tosses it onto the seeping fluid, which immediately catches fire! Just as you’re about to leave, you’re confronted by a burly sailor leading a group of naval marines!

    “Captain Hargraves, you salty old white-bellied cuttlefish,” their leader snarls. “This time, me and my new mates will see you tossed into the briny deep!”

    “Mister Longfield, I should have known you’d be involved in these dirty dealings!” Captain Hargraves bellows. “Now’s my chance to make you pay for your treachery!” You’ll have to fight your way past them to make it back to the dock, as fire from the burning siege engines spreads!

    If you fight your way through, you can take the Saucy Minnow back out to where the Salty Kipper is at anchor, climb aboard and make your way back to the city. Captain Hargraves is mightily impressed, and tosses you a bag of gold for your efforts!

    “You can sail with me anytime, mate,” he chortles as he sails you back to shore!

    If you’d enjoy more DnD resources like this Secret Naval Base Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure, Luke and I have released our newest Hardcore GM’s bundle of 520 large, 40×30″ DnD battlemaps (double the size of those in the Quarantine Bundle) with 255 fantasy adventures for $39. It’s your chance to have a great deal on some of our most beautiful maps! We guarantee that is something here for every GM—no matter what setting you prefer, from large cities to underwater seascapes.

    Paying just $39 rather than full price saves you over 98%! Take a look at all the extra maps you can download with one click in the Hardcore GM’s DnD Battlemap Bundle here. 

  • Beastmaster’s Arena 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Beastmaster’s Arena 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Beastmaster's Arena 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure
    The Beastmaster’s Arena 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure, featuring an overconfident beast tamer & showman. VTT ready!

    Beastmaster’s Arena 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    The Deadliest Show on Earth

    While visiting a tavern in an affluent city, you notice a young man dressed in expensive, lavish clothes enter. He appears to be an entertainer of some sort, sporting a look that you would describe as that of a master of ceremonies. He has a quick word to the barkeep then turns to address the patrons in the common room.

    “Friends, guests and travelers from abroad!” he calls in a grandiose voice. “I am Felix Langston, tamer of beasts and purveyor of exotic entertainments from near and far. I bid you come and see my first ever show at the central arena this very afternoon, where I will astound and delight you with an exhibition of beasts and magic!

    “The first show for today is free to attend,” he continues with charm and aplomb, “I ask only that if you enjoy yourselves, you spread the word! I hope to see you all there in but a few hours’ time!” With that, he turns and trips on one of the bar stools next to him, but catches himself on the bench to avoid falling flat on his face. He flashes a weak smile at the room before darting out the door. If you’re perceptive, you might notice a ring on his finger that glows with magical light.

    Should you wish to attend this free exhibition where nothing could possibly go wrong, you can get directions from the barkeep and be on your way after lunch. Felix must have been doing his rounds all morning, for there are several hundred people standing out the front of the arena by the time you arrive.

    You wait for only a few minutes before the gate is opened, and should you proceed inside along with everyone else, you can find a place to sit in the stands while a small band plays upbeat music in the center of the arena.

    A few minutes later you see Felix – wearing an even more garish outfit – burst out of the stairs leading down from the arena grounds, to fanfare from the band.

    “Greetings and salutations,” he cries, using magic to make his voice heard throughout the arena. “Thank you for coming. It is well known that this city is a safe and pleasant place to live, with some of the smartest and most beautiful people in the region, but beyond your borders dwell creatures who would look upon this crowd as a feast beyond measure!

    “Today, I will shock and educate you all with an array of beasts both fantastic and dangerous. Behold, a fearsome dire bear, straight from the caves of the north!” He lifts his hand and a massive bear lumbers into the arena and roars, scaring some in the audience, but the dire bear seems to be mesmerized by the glowing ring on Felix’s hand.

    “Don’t worry folks, he may be big, but he’s a kitten at heart,” Felix assures everyone with a sly wink. To demonstrate, he lifts his hand and the bear rises up to stand on its hind legs, towering over the man.

    “Next, we have a magnificent beast from the high mountains, brought here for your amusement!” A serpentine head snakes out of the stairs, revealing a huge wyvern that snarls and spits at the terrified audience. Again, the creature seems to be enchanted by the magical ring, and complies with a few tricks Felix compels it to perform.

    “And now, for the final member of this act, I give you the mighty—” he stops speaking mid-sentence when he snaps his hand outward in a flourish to point towards the stairs, the magical ring on his finger instead goes flying off and lands somewhere in the arena!

    A solid two seconds passes in absolute silence as Felix and his monsters realize what happened, before the bear roars and charges at him, while the wyvern stomps on the ring before it can be recovered, then spreads its wings and flies towards the audience.

    “Who would have thought a group of angry monsters would turn on me so quickly!” Felix calls as he dashes towards the basement stairs with the dire bear in hot pursuit! The crowd scream and rush for the exit, only to find the gate has been closed and locked, with Felix likely having the key on him!

    The gates to the arena are strong enough to keep the monsters inside, should they break free, and without the key the people here have no chance of escape! The wyvern snaps at passers-by, looking at you with hungry eyes!

    The wyvern attacks you while the crowd tries to keep their distance! If you manage to defeat the mighty beast, you hear screams from below as Felix becomes better acquainted with the dire bear. Should you go to his aid, or at least to retrieve the key from his bloodied corpse, you rush down stairs and hear the bear’s roars from close by.

    If you move in, you see Felix has locked himself in a cage at the far end of the basement, with the bear trying to claw at him through the bars. It smells your approach and turns to attack you instead!

    Should you defeat the angry bear, Felix hands the key to you with shaking hands. “I think I’ll stay in the cage for a while, at least until the crowd has dispersed. Father was right, controlling deadly monsters with a ring of dubious reliability was a fool’s errand! Look, don’t tell anyone I’m here and I’ll give you some gold, okay?” If you agree, he hands you a bag of gold and sends you on your way!

    If you’d enjoy more DnD resources like this Beastmaster’s Arena free multi-level 40×30 DnD battlemap & adventure, Luke and I have released our newest Hardcore GM’s bundle of 520 large, 40×30″ DnD battlemaps (double the size of those in the Quarantine Bundle) with 255 fantasy adventures for $39. It’s your chance to have a great deal on some of our most beautiful maps! We guarantee that is something here for every GM—no matter what setting you prefer, from large cities to underwater seascapes.

    Paying just $39 rather than full price saves you over 98%! Take a look at all the extra maps you can download with one click in the Hardcore GM’s DnD Battlemap Bundle here. 

  • The Black Tower Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    The Black Tower Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    The Black Tower Free 40x30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure
    The Black Tower Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure, featuring a witch who needs you to test her anti-thief security. VTT ready!

    The Black Tower Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Beta Test

    While visiting a local inn for a rest, you are startled when a woman in elaborate robes made of black sable cloth appears in a puff of magical smoke in the middle of the common room! She coughs a little and sweeps the smoke aside with a few waves of her hands, then looks around the room and spots you at a table.

    “Ah, you’ll do!” she remarks after a cursory examination. “I am Genevieve, a witch of no small renown in this region. You may have heard of me perhaps? Maybe? Anyway, you appear to be just the sort of person I’m looking for. May I join you for a moment?” If you agree to hear her out, she takes a seat at your table and collects her thoughts.

    “It may not look like it, but I recently retired from an adventurous life and bought a nice little tower for myself. I have a great deal of magical treasure from my years of travel, and I’m simply paranoid about my new home being burgled. Aside from the loss of money and magic, the blow to my prestige would be insurmountable! The other wizards would never let me hear the end of it, you know.

    “To that end, I have given great thought to security measures in the tower, and I think I’ve come up with a number of devious traps and fearsome creatures to dissuade the most accomplished thieves. But I need to know for sure!

    “I propose to hire you to break into my tower, if you can! You know, test the doors, avoid the traps, dispatch the guardians of certain doom, that sort of thing. Just understand, I won’t be pulling any punches, so don’t hold back. To make it worth your while, I will part with a magical item of great pow— I mean, reasonable power. What do you say?”

    If you agree to this unnecessarily dangerous mission, Genevieve beams at you, then raises a hand and you are enveloped in a cloud of smoke! You cough and sputter for a moment, but the smoke clears rapidly and you find yourself standing outside a small tower of black stone, somewhere in a forest.

    “Up here!” calls Genevieve, drawing your attention to the roof of the tower upon which she stands. “Off you go then, do your worst!” The front door of the tower beckons!

    If you’ve the skill, you could attempt to pick the lock, but you might also notice there is a trap above it that will drop heavy rocks on your head if you tamper with it! If you’ve no skill to deal with either of these things, you might be able to bash your way in and take the damage from the rocks.

    Beyond the door lies a large chamber with stairs rising on either side, and a few smaller rooms. There are stone statues here that immediately begin to move as soon as you enter, stomping across the floor to intercept you! If you defeat the stone golems, you hear Genevieve’s voice from above.

    “Perhaps stone golems weren’t the best choice for the atrium,” she says, thinking out loud. “I might replace them with iron golems covered in spikes! Yes, that sounds deadlier. Anyway, proceed!”

    As you take the stairs, you might notice there is a tripwire along one of the steps. If so, you could disarm it, but if not, you are pelted with an assortment of dead fish! Aside from the smell, they are launched with enough force to do significant damage!

    Once you make it to the first floor, you notice a swirling pattern of air above the atrium. It coalesces into a number of air elementals, which move to attack! If you defeat them, Genevieve mutters some choice words from her position above.

    “I was really conflicted about using those. There’s lots of space for them, but they just don’t hit hard enough. I shall have to reconsider them in the next iteration. Never mind my prattling, onwards and upwards!”

    If you make it to the second floor, you find an opulent yet practical area that Genevieve lives and works in. The carpet beneath your feet is plain yet soft, and it is as you’re wandering around the area that the carpet starts to move! It rises from the ground and a fang-filled mouth opens wide as it tries to eat you!

    The carpet is huge and tear-resistance, and seems almost impervious to magic, but if you defeat it, Genevieve appears in a puff of smoke and applauds.

    “Well done, you defeated the Carpet of Certain Death, my final security measure. I bet you didn’t see that one coming! Still, you did defeat it and now I have a pile of torn carpet scraps to deal with. Maybe I should replace it with a chest of gold that has teeth? I don’t know, it sounds a bit cliché to me.

    “Anyway, I took copious notes and I’ll have to put some thought into improvements. Here, take your pick of my low-end magic items before I send you back to the inn. Thanks again!”

    If you’d enjoy more DnD resources like The Black Tower free multi-level 40×30 DnD battlemap & adventure, Luke and I have released our newest bundle of 520 large, 40×30″ DnD battlemaps (double the size of those in the Quarantine Bundle) with 255 fantasy adventures for $39. It’s your chance to have a great deal on some of our most beautiful maps! We guarantee that is something here for every GM—no matter what setting you prefer, from large cities to underwater seascapes.

    Paying just $39 rather than full price saves you over 98%! Take a look at all the extra maps you can download with one click in the Hardcore GM’s DnD Battlemap Bundle here. 

  • Black Lance Mercenary Guild Hall Free Multi-Level 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Black Lance Mercenary Guild Hall Free Multi-Level 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Black Lance Mercenary Guild Hall Free 40x30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure
    Black Lance Mercenary Guild Hall Free Multi-Level 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure, featuring a woman’s quest for vengeance. VTT ready!

    Black Lance Mercenary Guild Hall Free Multi-Level 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    For Vengeance

    While enjoying the ambience of a city tavern, you notice a pair of heavily armed and armored warriors enter. They casually look around at the patrons before their gaze alights on you. The pair are a man and a woman, both appearing strong and handling themselves in a manner of experienced fighters.

    They stroll in your direction, receiving nervous glances from the nearby patrons before they stand before your table.

    “Could you spare a minute?” the woman asks. “We’re looking for help on a dangerous job, if you’re interested.” If you agree to hear them out, they sit opposite you and get as comfortable as they can in their heavy gear.

    “I’m Mira, and this is Stennis,” she continues. The big man nods but remains silent. “We are soldiers employed by a minor lord in a recent conflict. We faced a larger force of marauders, and our lord felt we did not have the strength required to carry the day.

    “So, he hired the Black Lance mercenaries to bolster our numbers,” Mira explains, while her companion’s face grows more stern and bitter by the second. “We didn’t think much of their people. Loud, drunk and poorly equipped, they brought numbers to our side but little else.”

    “Unprofessional,” Stennis grunts, “among other things.”

    “I’m getting to that,” Mira reminds him. “The battle was joined, and the Black Lance operated on the flanks of the engagement, hemming in the marauders, or so we thought. We noticed that few of them were actually pressing the attack, and they seemed to be focused on holding position more than anything else.”

    “Fortunately, our soldiers proved to be more than a match for our foes, and quickly took the upper hand in spite of the Black Lance dragging their feet. When it looked like we were about to break through, that’s when things changed.

    “They turned on us,” Stennis growled, clenching his fist. “Turncoat dogs, they had taken a bribe from the marauders who gave them a better deal.”

    “Flanked and surprised,” Mira continues with an emotionless voice, “we had no chance. Stennis and I were the only survivors, wounded but alive beneath a mound of our comrade’s bodies.”

    “And now here we are, back to take revenge,” Stennis says coldly. “The Black Lance headquarters are within the walls of this city, not far from here. We intend to make them pay for their treachery, but even with our skill, equipment and righteous fury, we cannot take so many by ourselves. Will you aid us? They are quite wealthy and we will split the takings with you fairly.”

    If you agree to accompany them, Mira shakes your hand and bids you follow them. If you do, you all travel together through the city for about twenty minutes before coming to a halt at an alleyway which opens out into an open area. At the end of the street is a guild house with the Black Lance banner prominently displayed. Mira and Stennis ready their axes and shields, and bid you prepare yourself too.

    “The plan is to bust in their front door,” she explains, “then head down the stairs, clearing the place out while we look for their leader, Captain Bekhim.. He’s the real target here, but I’ve no problem with stomping on their toy soldiers as we go. Ready? Let’s head in.”

    Mira and Stennis emerge from the alleyway and stride towards the door, when from the surrounding buildings, archers emerge from hiding and start shooting! If you assist, you can take out the archers while Stennis charges at the entrance to the Black Lance guild, on the right side.

    Once you’ve finished the archers, you can join the others inside the building where some of their less experienced fighters attempt to defend the hall. Should you survive the fight, Mira finds the stairs down and leads you to the next level.

    Should you follow, you emerge onto a mezzanine overlooking a feast hall below. Stennis takes the lead, holding his shield up as he smashes through a doorway into a large hall, filled with warriors who tremble at your approach!

    “I’m going to coat the walls with turncoat guts,” Stennis bellows. “In the name of the fallen, you will pay for your treachery!” A few wisely run, but the rest charge to attack! If you survive, Stennis wipes his ax blade of blood.

    “We need to find the captain,” he mutters. “This isn’t over ‘til that bastard’s head comes off his body.” Mira heads back to the mezzanine, and should you follow, leads you down the stairs to the lower level. This area appears to be a barracks, but nobody is in the beds at the moment. There’s a large feast hall around the corner, where more mercenaries await you! This lot is being led by their captain, decked out in quality armor and sporting a deadly greatsword.

    “Understand that it was just a business transaction,” he explains, nervous in spite of outnumbering you. “There was nothing personal about it!”

    “I hope the money was worth it,” Mira cries, while Stennis moves in to engage, aiming directly for the mercenary captain. His cohorts try to block your way, but if you finish them off, you can assist the others in taking down their leader once and for all.

    Should you survive the battle, Stennis cut’s the captain’s head off, as promised, then suggests you loot the place before you head out. “You’ve earned your cut, and honored the memory of our fallen comrades. Thank you.”

    GM Notes: Most of the mercenaries are wearing light armor, with wooden shields and inferior weapons, but Captain Bekhim is well-equipped and is a formidable warrior. Scatter some random equipment and treasure throughout the base!

    If you’d enjoy more DnD resources like this Black Lance Mercenary Guild Hall free multi-level 40×30 DnD battlemap & adventure, Luke and I have released our newest bundle of 520 large, 40×30″ DnD battlemaps (double the size of those in the Quarantine Bundle) with 255 fantasy adventures for $39. It’s your chance to have a great deal on some of our most beautiful maps! We guarantee that is something here for every GM—no matter what setting you prefer, from large cities to underwater seascapes.

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  • Zukon’s Astral Retreat Free 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Zukon’s Astral Retreat Free 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Zukon's Astral Retreat Free 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure
    Zukon’s Astral Retreat Free 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure, featuring a spelljammer-inspired heist. VTT ready!

    Zukon’s Astral Retreat Temple Free 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    The Long Con

    While stopping at a bustling city planet to buy goods, you find yourself being followed. It appears a man with a mask projecting a holographic image of a pixelated face is studying you as you go about your business. Should you confront him, he raises his hands amicably and gives a charming smile. He apologizes in a distorted voice for his less than discreet mannerisms, and explains that he has been looking for someone just like you for a job and you couldn’t have come at a better time. He can pay exceptionally well, if you’re willing to hear him out.

    Should you be interested, the man’s smile broadens and he invites you back to a more discreet location to talk, walking you to a seedy bar in a less-than-reputable part of town. While there, he orders you some strong drinks (which surprisingly aren’t watered down) and tells you that you can call him “Handler”. He explains that he is in the business of… procuring… rare and highly valuable items. To this end, he has spent the last two years setting up fake identities of eccentric dignitaries for an important job, but due to a tragic–and completely unrelated–accident, his crew who were to play the roles died.

    He’s been watching you, and you fit the character and description of one of the dignitaries perfectly. If you’re willing to take on the role, and help him procure three very important items, he will pay you a small fortune. But before he can tell you more, he needs you to swear a binding vow of secrecy.

    Once sworn, Handler tells you that the items you’ll need to procure are three exceptional blades. The Moon Blade, the Heaven Blade, and the Blade of Earth. All of them are incredibly sharp artifacts crafted by a master weaponsmith hundreds of years ago, for three rulers, and they all have astonishing abilities. The Moon Blade is said to be able to turn anyone it cuts or whose blade it parries into solid marble, while the Heaven Blade gives its wielder the ability to fly and perform incredible acrobatic maneuvers. The Earth Blade can be used to command the very ground your enemies stand on, opening it up to swallow them whole, or liquifying into quicksand.

    These three powerful artifacts are currently in the possession of a very eccentric–and very wealthy–old man, who lives on his own private asteroid in a lavish part of the sector. There is a blockade of ships around his asteroid, and only expected invitees or deliveries are allowed through. The man’s one weakness, however, is that he loves throwing decadent parties with unusual guests once a year–hence why Handler has spent the last two years creating fake identities for his crew. He can’t just throw all that work away now, not when he’s so close!

    Should you ask for more information, Handler explains that you’re to attend the dinner party two weeks from now, then steal the blades overnight while most of the guests should be drunk from the festivities. He’ll fly you there in his ship, and pick you up once you have acquired the blades. All you need to do is be yourself at the dinner party, don’t draw too much attention, and figure out how to get the artifacts.

    If you agree to the job, Handler sighs in relief, saying he knew you had a good head for business. Then he goes over the specifics of the plan, telling you your name as the dignitary, and that the eccentric man’s name is Zukon, before rolling out a map of the complex and showing you the room where the blades are being stored. It’s only a few rooms away from where the dinner party is to be held, Handler explains. He also pulls out a small river stone with a hole in it, threaded through a leather necklace, and passes it to you; saying that if you hold it and close your eyes, you’ll be able to communicate with him. Only use it when you have the blades, he emphasizes. He’ll come down and land the ship at a secret, more secluded set of docks, but to get there undiscovered you need to use a hidden tunnel that starts in an old shrine, he says, pointing to a place on the map outside the building complex. Follow the plan and you’ll make a quick escape with the goods, he explains.

    With everything agreed, you head out one week later on Handler’s ship and soon arrive at Zukon’s private asteroid. Handler easily navigates you past the checkpoint in the blockade, and the guards wave you on through. Once docked, you find yourself at a lavish estate, with meandering gardens lit up with paper lanterns, and loud music wafting across the whole area from instruments playing themselves. Several stoic guards are supervising the festivities, and you follow the trail of other dignitaries into a large dinner hall lit with more lanterns. The music is almost overwhelmingly loud, as is the chatter, and long tables are so burdened with exotic foods that they look as though they may collapse under the weight.

    All the others invited to the party are just as eccentric and mismatched as you are. One group only shows their eyes, as they wear colorfully dyed silk robes that completely cover their heads and bodies. People with horns, tails, and blue or red skin mingle in crowds of halflings, orcs, humans, elves, gnomes, and others–less common–species. All of them seem somewhat awkward, and some guests even seem uncertain as to how to use the cutlery to eat!  

    As the hours pass, the crowd grows merrier and louder, and you find a perfect opportunity to slip away and head towards the room with the blades. Once inside, you see they are displayed tastefully, alongside suits of traditional armor. Only, above them, dangle two thieves dressed in black, from thick cords suspended on the ceiling. They freeze when you enter, giving you a confused look, before rushing and grabbing the blades below them. As soon as their hands grasp the weapons however, the two suits of armor shudder and come to life!

    The suits make quick work of the cat burglars, cutting them down from where they hang like puppets, before turning to you and attacking. They fight with strong, slow motions and shatter the timber floor and desks where their blades lodge after missed attacks. Thankfully, the music is still incredibly loud–even here–and it is unlikely anyone can overhear the fighting.

    Once the armor golems have been defeated, if you exit the room with the blades and head towards the rendezvous point, you come across a large room–and the odd group in the silk robes are standing there, whispering harshly to one another. When they notice you, the group is shocked to see you, and initially begin excusing themselves as lost, but when one among their number spots that you have the blades they whip off their coverings and get in fighting stances; revealing mercenary garb and well-used weapons. There is a half-giant barbarian (who appears rather dull), a gnome rogue, two elven rangers, a dwarf with a battle-axe, and a human mage. One of the elves, fixing an arrow on you, demands you hand over the blades, promising they’ll let you leave alive if you do but they’re not going to let you leave here with THEIR rightful loot!

    After the rag-tag group is defeated, if you contact Handler he whoops in encouragement, saying he’ll get the ship ready and urging you to hurry to the rendezvous point. Only, as you emerge from the complex and head out towards the shrine with the secret tunnel, you see the very old host, Zukon, meditating on the peaceful lawn between you and it.   

    When he sees you with the blades, he smiles and says slowly, in a thickly accented voice as if this were not his native tongue, “I was wondering who would get the Katanas of the Three first. Some of the other crews weren’t even discreet, and my guards had to take them away. You see, I couldn’t make it look too much like I wanted the blades taken–all the thieves here tonight suspected they were the only ones. I am glad someone finally succeeded, as I could not pass the blades onto a good person. They have brought me nothing but sorrow, but unfortunately, the curse that rests upon them means they must be willingly accepted by their new owner, else one cannot rid themselves of them.”

    Should you ask him about the curse, he gives a tight smile and says “They will cause all those you love to die, one by one. You see, the maker of the blades believed a good ruler should not have earthly attachments, nor vulnerabilities of the heart. He did not explain that to the rulers he gifted them too, however. There is a reason they were locked away by their last owner before his early death. I should never have requested they be recovered to be seen by the world again. However, I do not wish for death to take me before I can be free of this burden. Hence, I set up this little… game. It has brought me much amusement, I think. Perhaps the power they offer you will be worth the sacrifice.”

    With that, Zukon grabs a bead from around his neck and disappears in a puff of smoke.

    GM’s Notes:

    Should the players hand off the Blades of the Three to Handler, he will accept them gladly. Thus, the curse will be lifted, and fall upon him instead. However, he does have a wife and three young children whom he loves very much…

    If your players instead seek to lift the curse from the blades, it can be achieved with the blessing of a good god, a blade-owner sacrificing their life to save one they love (which will cleanse the blade for future owners), or a powerful curse-lifting spell. Should the players seek instead to leave the blades as a means to lift the curse, they will reappear each morning by their owner’s side.

    Perhaps, the happiest solution for this, is for the players to go back into the party and throw the blades into the crowd of eager thieves. Should they do this, many of the thieves may kill each other in a large brawl to claim such a high-value prize for themselves, but the most ruthless will succeed and own the blade. The wise thieves will flee the conflict instead of risking their necks.

    Should the players do this last option, Zukon will be impressed, and offer them a non-magic historical item that they may sell for a reward in lieu of the blades. He will congratulate them for having wisdom that he didn’t, at their age, and wish them well in future.

    If you enjoyed this adventure, take your players to The Wandering City this was written for, as well as 14+ locations in our early access Game Master’s Adventurer’s Guide Bundle, which has over 300 pages of content. You’ll get 74 DnD battlemaps with system-agnostic adventures written just for them, maps of the towns, locations, faction lists, important NPCs (portraits included), more adventure seeds, plus digital item cards with loot your players can find! That’s at least 74 easy sessions of fun for only $28, take a better look here. 

  • Wayfarers Temple Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Wayfarers Temple Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    https://www.patreon.com/file?h=82212110&i=13932811
    Wayfarers Temple Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD battlemap & adventure, featuring a trial from the Caretakers of time & space. VTT ready!

    Wayfarers Temple Free 40×30 Multi-Level DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    The Trial of Ellett Green

    You awaken from a deep sleep to find yourself in the middle of a large chamber with vaulted ceilings. There are windows high up that reveal a strange purple-hued sky with glittering stars, suggesting you’re in some kind of otherworldly realm. You are fully dressed and all of your equipment is present. Around you are people with serious expressions wearing conservative, even stuffy clothing, sitting at large, polished wooden tables that make this appear like some sort of trial.

    At the end of the hall sits a tall man with a pale, stone-like complexion who wears a white toga and a golden laurel wreath around his head. He looks at you sternly, then turns to his left where a wild-haired old man sits in the dock. He’s wearing a wizard’s robe, a crumpled hat on his head, and he looks at you with excitement.

    “Ah, there you are!” he beams. “You may remember me as Ellett Green, a wizard of time and space, and you have been brought here, to The Place Between, as a witness in my trial. These people think I’ve done something that will lead to the end of the universe itself, but the accusation is false, I tell you!”

    “Enough,” the tall pale man intones, thumping a gavel onto the podium before him. “Mortal,” he continues, addressing you, “you have been brought here due to your dealings with this Caretaker known as Ellett Green in the past, or possibly the future. He is known to meddle in affairs that he shouldn’t touch, and his chaotic ways have now led to the contamination of our timeline. If not addressed, this chaos will unravel our reality and lead to the End Times, where chaos reigns and the fabric of space and time crumbles.”

    “I am Caretaker Servius Annalis, the foremost of our ranks who are dedicated to ensuring that events happen as they should, without meddling from unscrupulous types who care not for the consequences of their actions.”

    “Unscrupulous? Really!” Ellett sputters. “Why, my calculations are so precise that I can slip in and out of time and space with barely a ripple in the surrounding reality! This whole charge is nonsense, I tell you. I was framed!”

    Should you inquire as to what on earth is going on here, Annalis speaks, giving you an explanation. “We Caretakers are appointed to safeguard time and space and thus must operate on strict rules so as not to distort the timeline unduly. Even minute alterations can cause unforeseen effects far in the future, and it is the charge of this court that Ellett Green has exploited loopholes and shirked our laws and responsibilities with breathtaking impertinence!”

    “Only the Caretaker who has altered events can mend those same events,” Ellett shoots back. “You say we are on course for disaster? I cannot help because I am not the one who created the paradox in the first place! Only the true villain here can fix what is broken. But if you cannot see that, then I must act for the good of the universe!”

    You notice a circular portal form right beneath him, and Ellett immediately falls through it, much to the chagrin of the assembled councilors! Moments later, you see a similar portal form right beneath you, and within a heartbeat you find yourself standing before a beautiful temple with robed monks wandering about in quiet contemplation. Next to you appears Ellett, who adjusts his robe indignantly then leans on his staff.

    “So rude to their elders!” he mutters. “Sorry to drag you into this, but whoever is behind it must be stopped, and I can’t do it alone. The Place Between sits among the various timelines without really touching them, so travel in and out can be a little scattershot unless you’re an old hand at it, like me. But they’ll be after us shortly, so we have to act fast.

    “The evidence they revealed earlier in the proceedings showed something at this place, known as the Wayfarer’s Temple. I don’t think the monks here will bother us, so let’s head inside and take a look around. Keep an eye out for anything that doesn’t belong here.”

    You can wander around the temple for a while, which all seems to be neat and orderly. If you’re insightful, you might suspect the monks are wandering around aimlessly, not really working at anything, which is a little strange.

    If you’re perceptive, you might find a small note on a table in the center of the temple, just south of the circular library. The note is torn and half of the words are missing, but what remains speaks of a need to keep strangers out of the basement.

    “Well, isn’t that interesting,” Ellett remarks as he tugs his beard thoughtfully. “We should investigate immediately —”

    His words are cut off as the monks in the halls near you throw off their brown robes, revealing robes of black with a strange circular symbol on them! They attack, using a combination of fists and feet, as well as a little magic to try and end your threat! Ellett assists you by teleporting a monk out of the room, sending him fifty feet into the air above the temple, only to end his screaming descent with a loud THUD on the roof!

    Should you survive the monk assault, Ellett bids you to follow him to the basement. If you follow, you soon find yourselves descending a spiral staircase to the chambers below. Here, you find a corridor that leads to a large, square chamber, in which dark cultists are chanting.

    “Good heavens!” Ellett cries. “They’re summoning some kind of extra-dimensional entity! We must stop them!” The monks turn to fight you, with one of their number imbued with an eerie red glow, as if infused with dark, entropic energies from beyond!

    Should you defeat the monks, Ellett tells you to look around for anything out of the ordinary. It is when you enter a natural chamber with a pentagram etched onto the floor that you find a strange relic, shaped like a staff but made of stone, pulsating with magical energy.

    “That shouldn’t be here!” Elllett remarks. “It’s from far into the future, yet it appears to be have been wedged into the stone around it for thousands of years. And this energy it is emitting, it’s very peculiar. Something is terribly wrong here, but to find answers, we must go into the distant past! When I open this portal, be sure to go through it at least eight point eight miles an hour. So basically, run through it, if you could!” Ellett opens a rift and if you step through it, you find yourself in a different time, but the same place!

    Discover how the story for this Ruined Temple of the Vast Beyond free map & adventure ends by taking your players to The Place Between which this was written for, as well as 16+ locations in our early access Game Master’s Adventurer’s Guide Bundle, which has over 300 pages of content. You’ll get 74 DnD battlemaps with system-agnostic adventures written just for them, maps of the towns, locations, faction lists, important NPCs (portraits included), more adventure seeds, plus digital item cards with loot your players can find! That’s at least 74 easy sessions of fun for only $28, take a better look here. 

  • Temple of Mirrored Shadow Free Multi-Level 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Temple of Mirrored Shadow Free Multi-Level 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Temple of Mirrored Shadow Free Multi-Level 40×30 Battlemap & Adventure
    Download this Temple of Mirrored Shadow free multi-level 40×30 DnD battlemap & adventure, featuring PCs fighting their shadow selves. VTT ready!

    Temple of Mirrored Shadow Free Multi-Level 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Shadow World

    While traveling through a forest, you notice that even though the day is bright and clear, a gloomy atmosphere has enveloped the area around you. The sky seems dim, and the sun shines without warmth. You continue along the path, but something about the trees around you seems awfully familiar.

    If you’re insightful, you might figure out that you have indeed passed by this area before, as if you were traveling in a circle. You hear a rustling from the bushes nearby and while you prepare yourself to face off against just about anything, a man emerges from the undergrowth, carrying a sword and wearing chain armor.

    “I am no threat to you, if you do not seek to harm me,” he announces warily. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we seem to be in the middle of some sort of supernatural event, the likes of which I cannot explain. Perhaps we can pool our resources and try to figure this out?”

    Should you agree, he lowers his weapon and relaxes a little. “My name is Isaac, and I’m a mercenary. I mostly do caravan guard work, but this morning, I awoke to find the caravan gone. I had thought they left without me, but now I’m not so sure. Bah, I know nothing of magic, except how good it is at making my life difficult.

    “You may have noticed that we’re stuck in the same place, no matter which way we travel. I’ve spent the last hour trying to find my way out, but just find myself back where I started from. I even left a mark on a few trees, and sure enough there they are.

    “There’s more to it though,” he continues in grim tones as he sheaths his weapon. “I marked three trees, but now I can only find two of them. I think the area we’re in is shrinking towards a central point, in that direction,” Isaac explains, pointing to his left. “It’s like something is herding us there.

    “I’m not one to stand around waiting for whatever fate has in store for me. I intend to go straight in and see what it is that’s captured us in this bizarre trap. Are you up for it?”

    If you agree to accompany him, Isaac grunts in acknowledgement and leads you on. Together, you pass by areas of forest steeped in gloom, and almost silent save for the occasional sound of a crow in the distance. There is no wind, and the eerie silence sets your nerves on edge.

    Soon, Isaac’s theory seems to be proven right, as you spy a strange structure in the forest up ahead. It seems like an eight-pointed structure with a pointed roof, almost like a pyramid, or perhaps two of them merged together.

    The walls are shimmering, reflecting the dim light and the forest around them, but it almost seems like those walls are reflecting things that aren’t there. If you’ve a talent for magic, you might surmise that the structure seems to sit astride multiple dimensions, allowing it to reflect things that you cannot see. Isaac takes a more direct approach to dealing with the problem.

    “I’m going in,” he growls, drawing his weapon. “Whatever trapped us here is likely behind that door. I hope you can fight, ‘cause I don’t see us getting out of here any other way.”

    He storms forward, kicks open the door, and heads in. Should you follow, you find a strange temple with mirrored walls, making it appear far larger inside that you would expect. Isaac looks closely at his reflection, and to your surprise, his reflection smiles and steps out of the mirror!

    You find that your own reflection also emerges from the glassy surface, and you find yourself facing off against shadowy doppelgangers, armed with your weapons and knowledge, but little more than a shadow of you!

    Should you defeat them, Isaac heads downstairs and finds the entire floor is a mirrored surface, reflecting alternate dimensions from above in an almost infinite way.

    “This damned thing is responsible for trapping us here!” he declares. He appears to be about to smash it with his sword, when a winged figure of a dragon emerges from the floor, flying through the surface as if it were the sky! Its scales are like dark mirrors, but its claws look very sharp indeed. It growls and leaps to the attack! Should you defeat the mirror dragon, the whole temple cracks and starts breaking apart.

    “Let’s get out of here!” Isaac shouts as shards of glass fall from the walls. If you run, you will make it out just in time as the entire temple shatters, lifting the shroud from the land and returning you to what appears to be your normal world. Isaac is nowhere to be seen, and you can only presume he too went back to his place of origin. The temple appears to have vanished completely, except for a large, curved shard that looks like a shield with a mirror finish!

    GM Notes:

    The mirror dragon can reflect hits back on the attacker if their attack is very weak. The mirror shield reward works the same way.

    If you’d enjoy more DnD resources like this Temple of Mirrored Shadow free multi-level 40×30 DnD battlemap & adventure, Luke and I are currently offering 520+ DnD battlemaps for $39. It’s your chance to have a great deal on some of our most popular DnD battlemaps! With over 520 total maps that are now also FoundryVTT ready, we guarantee that is something here for every GM—no matter what genre or setting you prefer, from grimy dungeons to beautiful overgrown ruins.

  • Dark Shrine Barrows Free Multi-Level 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Dark Shrine Barrows Free Multi-Level 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Download this Dark Shrine Barrows free multi-level 40×30 DnD battlemap & adventure, featuring a thief trying to return cursed treasure. VTT ready!
    Download this Dark Shrine Barrows free multi-level 40×30 DnD battlemap & adventure, featuring a thief trying to return cursed treasure. VTT ready!

    Dark Shrine Barrows Free Multi-Level 40×30 DnD Battlemap & Adventure

    Atoning for Crimes Past

    While traveling through the wilderness as the sun is about to set, you spot someone camping not far from the highway. If you go in for a closer look, you see a rough-looking man, unkempt and poking at the fire with a stick, until he senses your approach and leaps to his feet.

    “What do you want?” he asks with a tremor in his voice, appearing ready to flee at the slightest provocation. Should you greet him calmly and assure him you mean no harm, he calms down.

    “I thought you were something else,” he mutters sitting down once more. He extends an offer to join his humble camp, and should you accept, he will tell you why his nerves are frayed.

    “I’m a thief and a scoundrel,” he explains without shame. I used to operate with a bunch of like-minded lads, and we’d go around the land looking for stuff to steal. We made a pretty good living, until a few weeks ago.

    “We heard of a legend about an old shrine that had been built under a barrow, forgotten out in the wilds. There were some strange earthen monsters protecting it, but we fought through them and found what we were looking for.

    “A small gold figurine sat on the outstretched hands of a statue, probably worth more than all the loot we’d stolen for the past year combined. We celebrated, getting blind drunk that very night. When I woke, I had the horrible feeling I’d had dreadful nightmares all night, but I couldn’t remember anything specific.

    “I don’t know to what god that shrine was built, but every few nights for the last three weeks, one of our gang didn’t wake up. Their faces were twisted in fear, as if something had scared them to death.”

    Your host takes a long swig of some strong liquor, before composing himself to speak further. “I’m one of the last from our gang who’s still alive and sane. The others are either dead, or ran away screaming. I have no intention of going out like they did. I haven’t slept in three days, and I won’t until I get this cursed figurine back to the shrine and hope that fixes things.

    “Honestly, I’m exhausted and I don’t know if I can do this on my own. Those earth-creatures were kind of nasty and if they’ve returned, I doubt I’ll be able to fight my way through them. You look like an experienced traveler; could I ask you to get me into that shrine? I’m trying to undo the trouble I started. Yeah, I’m a thief, but I don’t think I deserve to go out like that.”

    If you agree to help this man atone for his crime, he offers you his thanks. “The name’s Morgan. The shrine isn’t far from here. Let’s get this over with.” He douses the fire and if you follow, he leads you away from his camp in the twilight, over some terrain covered in sparse vegetation.

    You travel for nearly half an hour, and in the dim half-light of the early evening you come across a narrow gully with rocky walls. Morgan draws a dagger and tells you to be wary, for this is the place near where he acquired the cursed figurine.

    “There are stairs down along the east and west walls of this place,” he whispers. “We just have to go to one of them, which go down to a series of tunnels that lead to the shrine.” Just as he finishes speaking, you hear someone jump out at you from behind a pillar of rock in the center of the gully. A few more follow him, rushing straight for you with swords and daggers drawn!

    “Give it to me!” screams the one in front, coming right for Morgan! “We have to stop the voices talking in our minds!”

    “Lann, you’ve gone mad!” Morgan shouts, even as he backs away. There’s no time for further talk as you are forced to defend yourselves from these mad ruffians!

    Should you survive, Morgan tells you that they were part of the crew he was with. “The poor bastards were driven mad. I guess the figurine spoke to them, telling them where to find me? This cursed thing has to go back right away!” He goes to the walls of the gully and looks around until he finds the stairs down.

    If you follow, you soon find yourself in a small network of caves that appear to have been carved by people long ago. As you wander around, you see signs of former habitation, and sense a feeling of disquiet around you. Soon, you notice some of the walls are moving! Earth elementals emerge from the stone and dirt, layered with clumps of roots and soil as they flail at you!

    “Hold them off while I return this thing to the shrine!” Morgan yells. If you survive the fight, you quickly find Morgan has entered a chamber with a statue that seems to be surrounded by a pond filled with blood-red water. Morgan places the figurine back on the statue’s extended hands, and immediately there is a sense of relief in the tunnels.

    The remains of the elementals seep back into the ground, and Morgan staggers towards the stairs.

    “Thanks for the assist,” he mumbles as he staggers towards the stairs. “I wish I could repay you… wait, I have an old stash not far from here. You can take it, I owe you that much at least. Let’s head back to my camp and rest up.”

    The next day, Morgan gives you directions to his stash before he packs up, then waves farewell, telling you he’s going to find a quiet place to sleep for a few days. If you follow his directions, you soon find a small chest buried behind a dead tree. Inside is a pile of gold coins and a few gems, a fine reward for your assistance!

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