A Mapping Project: Small, Fortified Port

[CelestialBarbarian]

I'm wondering if anyone around here might have an interest in creating a map or maps for my D&D campaign world. I've been meaning to develop a small, fortified port town but with my poor spacio-mechanical skills haven't had the time and I'm not sure how well I could pull it off.

I’d like the a small, fortified port city to have a relatively small entrance to the harbor with a stone tower or stone rock outcropping towering over each side of the opening. If they’re rock they’d have stairways, rooms and windows carved in them to allow people to fire down at any ships that come near the opening to the harbor. A massive chain would run just under the surface to stop any unwanted ships from entering, but could be retracted to allow friendly vessels to enter (or leave). So in the rock on either side would have to be room for the chain to retract and for mechanisms to retract and extend the chain. (I’m not even sure if that’s physically possible, but it seems like a cool idea.) I was also thinking that there’s a “dungeon” under the ground level, for storage, access to the chain and mechanism, with a secret underwater entrance which characters might use to access the one or the other of the towers by swimming or using an Apparatus of Kwalish.

In my current campaign the pirate kingdom has seized the fortified port, and the king might send the party (which has reached 23rd-25th levels) to try to free it. I can’t really have them do it though until I have the physical location designed. So I don’t know if anybody here might help with that or not, but it would be great if they did. Thanks!

[Gandwarf]

Did you already search the forum to see if you could find a map that you liked? You could then ask the creator if you could use the map.

As for the metal chain: it's possible and was used on some rivers in Middle Ages. Mainly to block ships that didn't want to pay toll.

[CelestialBarbarian]

Did you already search the forum to see if you could find a map that you liked? You could then ask the creator if you could use the map.

As for the metal chain: it's possible and was used on some rivers in Middle Ages. Mainly to block ships that didn't want to pay toll.

I quickly looked at a couple of nice city maps, but I'm juggling so many balls that I didn't have time to do more. I'll try to look around more as time permits. Thanks!

[Redrobes]

Try the thumbs page...

http://www.cartographersguild.com/ut...nishedMaps.htm

Its probably the quickest way to see all the maps at a glance.

[CelestialBarbarian]

Try the thumbs page...

http://www.cartographersguild.com/ut...nishedMaps.htm

Its probably the quickest way to see all the maps at a glance.

Thanks, Redrobes! (Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our major weapons are surprise, fear, and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope. Oh, I forgot the red robes...)

I started to check them out and I found that Wake Island at http://www.cartographersguild.com/at...5&d=1216866590 bears a resemblance to the harbor portion of the port I have in mind.

[NeonKnight]

Well, not to toot my own horn...there is this collection of maps I made WAAAAAAAAAAAY back in the 80's/90's

http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=851

[CelestialBarbarian]

Well, not to toot my own horn...there is this collection of maps I made WAAAAAAAAAAAY back in the 80's/90's

http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=851

Thank you very much, Neon! They look very nice. Do the lines across the Wole River represent bridges?

[NeonKnight]

Thank you very much, Neon! They look very nice. Do the lines across the Wole River represent bridges?

Represents a heavy chain that can be raised to effectively block waterborne access to canyon.

[CelestialBarbarian]

Represents a heavy chain that can be raised to effectively block waterborne access to canyon.

Ah, that's interesting. So the chain lies slack and deep when they want to allow access, and then they pull it taught to bar access? That sounds more logical than what I had in mind for the entry to the port, where they would somehow retract chain to get it out of the way. Thanks for the idea!

[CelestialBarbarian]

Now that this thread has been moved from City/Town Mapmaking to Mapmaking Requests, I'd like to add my other one: a just a simple wooden stockade fort. I was even just thinking of using the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief’s upper level for it, although I have in mind something more along the lines of a large American frontier fort. It would be nice to have a fort designed by someone who actually had a good idea what such a fort should look like. Thanks!