Maze Map (need some help/ideas)

[Neyjour]

This something I started several months ago. Got to this point and just couldn't come up with any ideas on what to put in it, or what to do to spruce it up and make it more interesting. Not the room at the end, but the actual maze portion. So, I set it aside for a while, hoping I'd get some inspiration later to finish it.

Well, I'm still completely stumped, so if anyone has ideas, I'd really appreciate it!

The objective is to work your way through the maze to one of the doors. Depending on which one you go through, the interior of the room shifts, and you encounter either the black dragon in a black room (shown here), or a white dragon in a white room.

WIP Maze Map by Neyjour.png

[Bogie]

Looks cool, and I like the idea! It looks very good the way it is. One minor suggestion, a skeleton or corpse in one of the dead ends. Maybe there is a clue on the body.

Can't wait to see the high res version.

[Jacktannery]

I think its very brown.

[Neyjour]

Looks cool, and I like the idea! It looks very good the way it is. One minor suggestion, a skeleton or corpse in one of the dead ends. Maybe there is a clue on the body.

Can't wait to see the high res version.

Thanks Bogie! Glad you like it. And I love the skeleton idea. Thanks! That's exactly the kind of ideas I'm looking for.

This is going to be commercial, so I won't be posting a full-rez of the entire map. But here's a couple full-rez portions.

WIP Maze Map 2 by Neyjour.png WIP Maze Map 3 by Neyjour.png

I think its very brown.

Ummm...okay.

[Neyjour]

Taking Bogie's "clue on the skeleton" idea, I expanded on that and changed it up a little. Instead of a clue on the body, the body is the clue...that the thorny vines are poisonous. Anyone trampling over or through them (instead of using the ladders) will fall weak and ill very quickly, and eventually perish unless they get the antidote. There's no "climb-out" ladder in that section, so whoever drops down to check out the body, will have to be pulled back out by their companions (or by some other means).

In the area below that one, there's a boulder in the corner with a piece of parchment hidden underneath. It either holds clues about navigating the maze, a warning about other possible dangers, a clue to defeating the dragons, etc. Or, it holds the information/recipe for the antidote (possibly the flowers on the vine that's growing right there).

Also added some glowing symbols in front of the statues. Activating them could possibly bring them to life to help defeat a creature encountered in the maze. Or the bones of those warriors could be buried underneath, and activating them allows you to speak to the soul of those fallen warriors, who give clues or info. about the maze, or the lore, etc. Or, activating them could be really bad...and the statues become animated and attack the players.

I'm also attaching a version with the roof over the end room. And added a few twisted trees near the entrances.

Still trying to think of other details to add, so if you have any ideas, please let me know!

WIP Maze Map 4 by Neyjour.png WIP Maze Map 5 by Neyjour.png WIP Maze Map 6 by Neyjour.png

[Bogie]

Nice update. Remember, players can be annoyingly clever and use the ladders to cheat the maze, including just walking on the top of the walls.

[Neyjour]

Thanks Bogie.

Oh crap...never thought of that! I'll go ahead and remove the one by the skeleton, since that section of the wall can take them right to the end. But what about the other two? That section of wall stands alone, but could they jump 5 feet to the other side?

[pilfarn]

When I was in Mauritania, most of the "compound" walls were made of an adobe type brick and mortar. Along the tops, to keep people from hopping over walls they embedded all sorts of sharp and jagged things, whatever they could find (broken glass, metal, etc). While clever players could circumvent this as well, I am sure you could think of some deterrent up there to keep them from running on top of the walls.

[Larb]

It's also susceptible to the old "keep to the right hand wall all the way to the end" trick. The bane of linear branching mazes and a few other types. Maze design is actually rather difficult when you get into it. You want "island" elements and "linked gates" (not literally, but when someone walks through a "gate", it opens/closes another which changes the layout of a maze).

[Neyjour]

When I was in Mauritania, most of the "compound" walls were made of an adobe type brick and mortar. Along the tops, to keep people from hopping over walls they embedded all sorts of sharp and jagged things, whatever they could find (broken glass, metal, etc). While clever players could circumvent this as well, I am sure you could think of some deterrent up there to keep them from running on top of the walls.

That's done in the Bahamas as well (those who can't afford barbed wire). They slather poured concrete on top of the walls and stick in broken bottle pieces. I'm not going to be using this map myself. I've never played a table-top RPG before, and I have no clue as to what the "rules" are or what players can or cannot do. So I was just wondering if jumping a 5-foot span is possible/allowed during gameplay?

It's also susceptible to the old "keep to the right hand wall all the way to the end" trick. The bane of linear branching mazes and a few other types. Maze design is actually rather difficult when you get into it. You want "island" elements and "linked gates" (not literally, but when someone walks through a "gate", it opens/closes another which changes the layout of a maze).

Too much work has gone into this now to redo it all over from scratch. But thank you! I'll do some research on maze design and keep that in mind for future maps.