Necromancer's Tomb

[psyekl]

Yet another of my hand-drawn doodles.

Drawing floorplans freehand is a new "thing" for me since I have always maintained the strict discipline of using drafting tools even for my manual work. I don't particularly prefer working on a grid since it doesn't allow for a realistic creation or dimensions, but I realize that gaming these days practically demands it. I'll probably throw in the occasional "real" floorplan just for the fun of drawing it and for anyone who appreciates such work.

Is there any call for "realistic", gridless floorplans, or dungeon maps? Or at least dungeon maps that do not match up to the grid (but a grid is provided for scale)?

This map is a tomb complex drawn freehand with pen and ink, sketched in pencil beforehand on standard graph paper. Shading and digital text by Clip Studio Paint.

[Redrobes]

The caves aligning with the grid was only a thing so that the GM could describe the layout and the players map it with a pencil. Now, a lot of people use a VTT and the GM provides the map digitally and the players can get it shown in real time or over the net. So there is less reason to make the cave walls align with a grid. Also, if you are wanting the map for a VTT then the app can put the grid on itself therefore its better to have it without the grid already on it.

So in short I think yes there is plenty of demand for realistic maps without the grid.

[Falconius]

Aligning the drawing to a grid is only a convenience, but it's not necessary. Foundry VTT has a "gridless" option for a scene (map) for instance, that said it's basic unit of measurement is still based on a grid. The other area it comes into issue is with walls and incomplete squares. For instance if the DM has the scene with grid on, and there is a square that is blocked halfway by a wall the player may not be able to move there, or if they do, they might see past the wall for instance. Diagonal walls and circles are where this occurs more often. I'd suggest if such an area occurs in your map just try to leave it roomy enough for full squares to exist. So, like, don't make a narrow diagonal hallway.

Personally I hate grid based map construction, because it's very silly in terms of realism, but I think that it is by far more common for DM's to use grids than it is to play without.

The map you have there would work perfectly fine in a VTT. Though I would suggest that you actually write down the grid dimensions so that the DM doesn't have to fiddle around trying to get the right grid resolution. If it's 72 pixels per square just give that info at the same time or same place the map is downloaded. Foundry measures the grid from the top left corner (which is also the default in most drawing and painting programs as far as I'm aware).

[psyekl]

Good info here. Thanks.