Cartographers Corner, For DMsRichard OstranderSeptember 12, 2021fort, fortress, map, castleComment

Cartographer's Corner: Small Fortress

Cartographers Corner, For DMsRichard OstranderSeptember 12, 2021fort, fortress, map, castleComment

There are times where your adventurers will need to speak to their local lord, sneak into the nearby keep, or assault a fort that had been overtaken by bandits. Each of these events can occur using the exact same map. And here it is!

Yes, the map is simple. And yes, the second and third floor are more imagination than cartography. But it still gets the job done every time. To break it down…

There are four guard towers which are three floors high. The first and second floors have a narrow hallway connecting them together. The third floor of each tower is not connected and has a ladder to the roof.

The two story set of guard houses in the front overlooks the entrance to the fortress, and also overlook the gatehouse, allowing them to shoot down at anyone who enters through the either portcullis, creating a killing box.

The armory and forge have only a single above ground floor, though the forge has a furnace in the cellar beneath it, and the armory has a hidden saferoom beneath its floor.

The barracks, storehouse, and guest quarters have two identical floors, while the stable has horse stalls on the first, and stable supplies and barding on the second.

The great hall is two floors high with vaulted ceilings. To it’s left is a servant’s quarters on the first floor and the Lord’s private residence on the second. On it’s right is a kitchen on the first floor and a private dining room on the second. The private residence and the dining room are connected by a narrow walkway that also offers stairs down to either side of the great hall. The back of the hall has a dais with a grand throne. The dais and throne can be slid to the left to reveal a secret passage that connects to a small royal crypt behind the fortress.

I have used this fortress layout for several adventures. Some were for encounters where no combat was intended, and others were for full on sieges where orcs sacked the keep and players snuck in via the passage behind the throne. I hope you find a good use for it as well. But until then…

Happy roleplaying, and may the dice be ever in your favor.