Need maps for re-make of Classic D&D's X1 The Isle of Dread
Subject -
I am in the process of "fixing" X1, The Isle of Dread. My kids saw the cover, yelled "Dinosaurs!" and then immediately demanded to go through the module. I had not looked at the module myself since I was a kid and when I started reviewing it I realize how, well, terrible it is! Most of the encounters are basically randomly placed creatures, with no logic as to how the creatures could be where they have been placed. However there are some foundational elements there that I have been using to build out the module to make it more representative of a living, ongoing fantasy environment.
Background (I apologize for its length, but the map request won't make much sense without it) -
I've decided the native inhabitants of the island are descendants of the Oltecs. For those unfamiliar with the Mystaran environment, the Oltecs are a civilization that resembled the real world Incans. The Oltecs never progressed past the Bronze Age but were very talented in building with stone. They built strong walls around all but their smallest settlements and their important buildings such as city walls, defensive towers, temples and so forth were built with cut stone. Stone cut and laid finely enough to not require mortar but still having very tight joints. The more common buildings such as warehouses, shops and most dwellings were built with brick and mortar. Most buildings are single story with thatched roofs. Most buildings are built as long rows of what are essentially rowhouses. The building would be subdivided based on its intended use: no inner walls for warehouses, a few subdivisions of the row for wealthy homes and large industrial facilities. More subdivisions for homes of skilled workers, regular workshops and retail establishments. And even more subdivisions for housing for the poor, resulting in a large number of families living in row that is the same size as one that might have only two to four wealthy families living in it. On those buildings that are multi-story, the access between floors would be by rope or poles (like a fireman's pole) or wooden ramps mounted on the outside of the building. Stairs are rarely used, and almost entirely outdoors and not inside buildings. I don't have a good explanation for why this dislike for stairs exists, and if ideas for why occur to anyone, please share.
The Oltecs on the Isle of Dread considered it very important to build their settlements in the same style whenever possible. This is reflected in the villages that the natives live in (map attached), given that all the villages are of this style. The villages are actually derived from the native's memories and stories of the cities they lived in before their civilization fell under the pressure from their war with the Kopru (http://dungeons.wikia.com/wiki/DnDWiki:Kopru). My revised history of the Isle of Dread is that the Oltecs had ruled the island long ago, even though they still had to share it with dinosaurs and other lost world creatures. They enjoyed an essentially safe existence (other than occasional trouble with the wild animals on the island) until they broke into a series of flooded tunnels and hot springs that were part of a very large Kopru settlement. They broke into this area while building a temple on the plateau on the island. Initially the Oltecs didn't encounter any Kopru, as they broke into a section that was not being used by the Kopru at the time. However the Kopru soon became aware of the Oltecs and started using their mind control abilities to take control of the workers, and then the rest of the Oltecs on the plateau. Through direct control and manipulation the Kopru almost took complete control of all the Oltecs on the island. A revolution broke out amoungst the portion of the population not directly controlled and a civil war ensued. The civil war did finally lead to the free Oltecs winning, but only after the population was decimated and most of their settlements were largely destroyed. Towards the end of the war the free Oltecs, knowing that they were soon not going to be able to sustain their civilization, they built the Great Wall and the connected towers. This would protect the survivors from most of the wild animals of the island. There wasn't enough manpower available for the building, and soldiers kept falling to the Kopru's mind control, so the free Oltecs formed the first Societies of the Walking Dead (terrible name, I know). This largely secret society was a collection of mages who learned how to animate dead bodies without using magic from the Sphere of Entropy. The zombies they created were essentially flesh golum rather than traditional zombies. The free Oltecs appreciated the help, but no one wanted their family members showing up as an zombie. This started the practice of the natives of guarding their graveyards. Even those cremated were sought by the Society, and thus even the ashes of their deceased family members were guarded.
Maps I need -
Unfortunately I am terrible at making even the most basic maps, so I'm really hoping for some help. I need multiple maps, but I'll take whatever folks are willing to provide. Here are the maps I need -
Oltec City, original state and a couple variations on ruined state, of the whole city, and separate maps sets for the round towers, the square towers and the central royal / religious complex: the Oltec cities all had some common elements. An outer wall, 20' thick and 50' high, in a rectangular shape where possible. Large round towers, 250' across, 100' high with walls 10' thick, at the middle of an outer wall side. These round towers were the gates in and out of the city as well as living quarters and facilities for city guards, municipal workers and city administrators. These facilities were the only facilities for the city management and maintenance with the exception of some warehouses, so they need to be designed accordingly. Towards the end of the war, these towers were the last parts of the cities that were inhabited before a city was abandoned. It is why the villages are laid out the way they are. Originally there was no place for the internment of the dead in these towers but once the Society of the Walking Dead was created, parts of the towers that were still being inhabited were re-purposed as such. There also were smaller square towers, 100' across, 70' high with 10' walls, placed as close to every 350' as possible. These towers did not have city gates, and were only used by city guards and military personnel. While their facilities were not as extensive as the round towers, it is important to remember that there were no military facilities outside of the towers (round and square), so they would need to be designed accordingly.
The roads were laid out in a clean, grid style, with the round towers and the central royal / religious complex as guidelines for the road layout. The central complex was a low square building, 250' to a side, only a single story high, and 10' walls and a stone roof. It has doors at the middle of each of its four walls. Inside are religious facilities for public services, quarters and workshops for the priests, and extensive living quarters for the cities ruler and their family. Again, everything these portions of the city's population need are contained in this building. The only exception is a small flat topped pyramid on the roof, in the center. Priests would use this during high religious observations, and as much of the cities population as possible would use ramps erected for the event to view the rites from the complex's roof.
Given those guidelines I need maps of a whole city, one of the round towers, one of the square towers, and the central complex. I need a set showing how the buildings would have looked originally as well as some variations on how they would be in a ruined state. Remember that the ruins would reflect the intense violence of the civil war (which would have used a significant number of siege engines), the destructive impact of jungle growing back over the buildings and finally the slow decay of time. Also provide a guide as to what the different portions of the city are, and what the rooms in the towers and complex are. Nothing extravagant, just names (unless you feel like providing more, of course).
Underground burial complex: I want to have an underground complex that was originally used for the creation and internment of mummies. These would have been high royalty and the head religious figures that would have been mummified. I want it because I'm going to have three mummies re-animate and build a collection of lower level undead that they control as lieges. The mummies are fifth level mages that arranged to have their bodies mummified even though they normally wouldn't be. So now they have undead minions and perform spell research. And the mummies are friends, as weird as that might sound. They are quite evil though. I have no additional design constraints for the facility. Do list what the rooms originally would have been for and any ideas you have on what they might be re-purposed to by the mummies.
A cavern for the final boss battle: the map that is in the module for the final encounter, a fight with Kopru, is awful. I need a section of partially flooded cavern with several sections where the water is particularly hot due to underwater cracks that go down to underground volcanic activity. The area should be a place that makes sense for three Kopru to be hanging out in. There will be a staircase combing down from above, a dry section near the staircase, and an area for a powerful magic item used by the Kopru: a massive black pearl that enhances their existing mind control abilities. The area should be connected to more caverns and tunnels, but these do not need to be mapped out. The players will be pulling the roof down on the cavern after defeating the three Kopru, shutting off the Kopru from being able to attempt taking over the people of the island again. Within those constraints, go wild. :-)
Style -
All maps should be black and white with square grid. The maps should be of a style similar to the attached village map and the Dwellers in the Forbidden City map at https://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/...-the-city-map/. The maps do not need to be super fancy but I do want to be able to use them to accurately describe the setting. I will be printing each map separately on regular printer paper. The maps should be provided in whatever graphic file format the map maker thinks is groovy.
Time constraints -
Hopefully within the next couple of months.
Copyright -
The creator retains full copyright over all maps provided. I plan on creating a document that along with the maps would allow other DMs to play a fixed X1 as well. This will be placed on www.pandius.com when I complete it. I will not be using the maps for any sort of commercial gain. If you have questions about the copyright terms, just ask me and I'll come up with an answer.
Contact -
Contact me at (remove every occurance of the word quack) cboxall@quackfamily-quackenterprises.quackcom
Native Village.jpg
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