Balatro_dnd

The Obsidian Palace, painted by rainbow reflections like a great hall of stained glass, Sculpted by divine magic, and held together by the powers of its mighty king. 

“People in glass castles shouldn't throw stones.” - Ida Holly

As you enter the great hall, your eyes run up the black marble walkway to the great Geode throne in the center of the chamber. The throne must tower about 15 feet high, dwarfing everyone else in the chamber, but somehow the figure sitting in it makes it seem too small.

A man built like an Olympic God reclines in it, his opaline eyes regard you thoughtfully, striking a vivid contrast to his stone-like obsidian skin. He stands up, and every other person in the palace of black glass bows low before him, holding their hands up in supplication.

This map was an experiment with light and layers. I've done a few throne room type maps in the past so I really wanted to challenge myself and make something with more dimensionality and levels to play in during a boss fight kind of encounter. With the upper landing, a deep bottomless pit, lots of falling shards of obsidian shattering while the players try and destroy the BBEG holding the place together and get out before it crumbles on top of them!

Ritual Summoning! Calling to planes beyond and pulling creatures into this one. Never once has it been a bad idea! A battle map set in a ruined castle during a forbidden rite with 9 variations!

“Little unknown fact. Most evil summoning rituals are actually just teleportation spells. They just are open for a few moments and the portals are right in the worst possible place. Or best I suppose. Depending on how into monster invasions you are.” - Ida Holly.

Rain pelts the cobblestones as the characters approach the crumbling castle on the hill. The glowing light off the magical circles coloring the falling rain. All round standing astride fallen stones the cultists chant all their voices combining into one horrid hum, a call into the slowly opening window into the other realm. A call that is returned from the otherside.

This battlemap was originally inspired by the opening scene from Guillermo del Toro’s amazing 2004 Hellboy. One of my absolute favorite movies. The scene where Rasputin opens the portal seemed like it would make for an amazing D&D encounter. And I decided to make a whole series of maps inspired by similar Magical Evil Summonings! Including Calling to the Void, Demonic Resurrections, Eldritch far realms portals, Kraken Waking, And Fairy Circle rites. As well as a repaired version of the castle before it fell to ruin and a Dieselpunk Tank outpost! Check out all my work at balatro.carrd.co All of these maps are available tonight at patreon.com/balatroart

Mountains of Madness, 9 phased battlemap set in the high peaks of Leng, Below the eons dead Land of the South Pole. At the heart of the ruined city of elder things the Shogoths stir awake.

“Takali-li… Takali-li”

You can find all of the variants and phases for this map and many others from hundreds of different battlemaps, on Patreon! See all my work at artstation and all the other stuff I’m up to over at balatro.carrd.co

Below the unknown tallest mountain on earth, where the elder things fled into the vast unknown darkness 50 million years before the first vestiges of humanity would crawl from the mud. Below an abandoned city wracked by polar ice as the planet froze over made it uninhabitable. 

The howling abyss leading infinitely down, below the mountains of madness.

But what is it that howls?

My first call of Cthulhu inspired map! This map is based on what in my opinion is Lovecraft's best work, Mountains of Madness.. The book spends almost all of its length describing the growing mystery of the origins of life on earth starting with as little as a mysterious fossilized footprint and ending with-  well the scene I duplicated here as our encounter!

The rise of the shaggoth who built the massive city and in all likelihood were responsible for its ultimate demise.

Plummet into Darkness, an 8 phased battlemap where the characters are crossing blades with creatures in the dark underground when the floor below them collapses, sending the lot of them falling hundreds of feet into the Sunless Sea below! “The Sunless Sea is the dark ocean below our world. Below its motionless tides deep below the surface of the world hide countless bottomless caverns and twisting mysteries. It really is the barrier of hell.  Not the kind of place I’d want to take a quick dip to cool off..” - Ida Holly You can find all of the variants and phases for this map and many others from hundreds of different battlemaps, on Patreon! See all my work at artstation and all the other stuff I’m up to over at balatro.carrd.co

The drow gathered in the stands looking down on the crumbling arena above the pit. Cheering and roaring with each monster your captured party slew. The gates opened again and out came a colossal Cave troll, its slack jaw and empty eyes told you everything you needed to know. And just as planned with a few carefully dodged attacks the floor shattered and sent all gathered Plummeting into Darkness. The crowd roared with delight as all combatants fell to what must be their doom. Luckily you arranged for the first match to be in the arena above the Sunless sea. Hopefully it cushions the fall. But about that troll…

For this map I wanted to create an encounter where the players could engage in a free falling combat as they descend to a watery landing in the underground ocean. By the rules of DnD falling is instant and you reach the bottom in one round no matter the height, But I say let's dream a little bigger and offer the players a cinematic skydiving battle in an underground cave!

Nautiloid Vs Spelljammer, A Giff bombard spelljammer is ambushed by a hostile Mindflayer armada Nautiloid in This 13 phase boarding action battlemap. “The Illthid’s true strength is not their ability to quickly repopulate a hive, Their tactical genius, or even their psionic abilities. Their power is in their reach and secrecy. It is nearly impossible to know exactly when they will appear and it’s never when you're prepared.” - Ida Holly

You can find all of the variants and phases for this map and many others from hundreds of different battlemaps, on Patreon! Or purchase the maps individually at ko-fi.com/balatro/shop See all my work at artstation and all the other stuff I’m up to over at balatro.carrd.co

The Elemental Nexus, An ancient lost temple constructed at the meeting point of the four primary elemental Leylines. Where the turning of a lever shifts the behavior of the natural world around you!

“Yes, tampering with the natural order. I’m sure that went great for the ancient civilization who built this temple. Shame they were all mysteriously wiped out by unknown cataclysmic forces.” - Ida Holly

You can find all of the variants and phases for this map and many others from hundreds of different battlemaps, on Patreon! Or purchase the maps individually at ko-fi.com/balatro/shop See all my work at artstation and all the other stuff I’m up to over at balatro.carrd.co

This map was the winner of my December patreon vote. Every month my patrons can add ideas to a poll on discord and then select maps from a poll and the winner is made! Elemental Nexus has been on there for quite a while and at last it gets its time in the sun! The design of this map is actually inspired by the entry temple area from the Indiana Jones ride at disneyland.

This one I took a look at the Tabaxi and how I do them in my setting of Crudilex!

The greatest enemy of all adventuring parties. The true BBEG. Doors! Dungeon Door Puzzle is a 7 phase battlemap where the heroes are tasked with solving the riddle on the mural surrounding the dungeon’s entrance to discover what needs doing to open it. “In my experience the more members of a party the harder a door is to open.” - Ida Holly You can find all of the variants and phases for this map and many others from hundreds of different battlemaps, on Patreon! Or purchase the maps individually at ko-fi.com/balatro/shop. See all my work at artstation and all the other stuff I’m up to over at balatro.carrd.co

At the heart of the mountains, hundreds of miles from civilization and deep in an unforgiving forest was a gulch where the mountains split in two. The towering cliff side was sheared smooth and filled with mosaic tiles, ancient paintings, and unreadable script long eroded all surrounding a 50 foot tall solid stone door. With the language of the structure not spoken for at least 1000 years there is no way to know other than what can be gleaned from the paintings how the dungeon is opened. What series of tasks must be performed to gain access. That is your goal, because beyond… well it requires your attention.

This map is my attempt at making a dungeon puzzle that can be solved without an external clue. Something a DM can show their players and the group together can come to a conclusion as to what they need to do to open the door. I think it’s close, But just in case I also provided a DM Key as to what each clue hints at, as well as a hand out for the players if they feel too stuck a letter from Ida Holly herself, who managed to decipher some of the text on the mural.

Grab this map tonight at patreon.com/balatroart

Airship Pirate Skyport! A floating tortuga rife with criminals and vagabonds. It hovers miles above the ground built of ramshackle wood walk walkways on a floating island. With 10 variations including the island under attack, a flying market festival and more!

“La Gaviota. Home of the Airship pirates who plague the skies from Prossporo to Daven. But you have to give it to them- Who wouldn't want a hideout that moves!” - Ida Holly.

The heart of the crews is the Covens. The mother matrons set the rules on the Mote here and all crews obey them. They may not have the mustering of our numbers or strength to fight us off but that isn't the point. Their power comes from the pirates, The hags set a rule and the crews all agree, That's the only way La Gaviota stays flying. That's the only way we stay free.

Aint nothing no merchant zep captain, nothing no Royal Areonavy admiral, and nothing no on the outs raff crew can do about it. On this crew mate, We respect the Hags. That or you take the short walk and the long drop to feed the hungry sky.

This map is a little bit of my own lore, The skyport of La Gaviota was invented for my setting Crudilex. It's a Floating Island mote “ruled” by a mysterious Hag called Granny who dotes upon her “Children '' the many superstitious airship pirate crews who call the island home. While it may not be how you choose to use the map I also included loads of variations, A flying Market on the backs of airships, An imperial Raid, The island ablaze, flying over seas, deserts, Two airships battling it out off the side of the island and more.

Boarding action! The Kraken Wakes variant. This 9 phased battle map sets the party against an enemy when a greater foe arrives forcing you to work together or die alone!

The tides are callous and unkind to those who disrespect them. There is a reason “Here there be monsters” is only marked over the ocean. - Idia Holly, Balatro’s Cartographer.

Two ships, both equally matched in crew and firepower meet on the tides among a small shallows. Closing the gap they unleash their cannons as soon as they are within range at nearly the same moment, Between blasts, our heroes and villains alike board the other ship and begin to engage in melee combat!

This map includes 3 variants, I’ll be sharing them separately but the simplest breakdown is that in one version the top ship wins, another the bottom, and in the third they both sink from a surprise third-party attack!

Atop the Cardillo Express, an 11 phased battle map that puts our heroes on top of a munitions train heading into a station, but not before being attacked by three Skiffs and a large, powerful airship!

“The city is completely locked down. There is no way in or out. I mean other than their supply trains but the airships guide them in from the farms… why are you looking at me like that?” - Ida Holly

riding atop a wartime cargo train, the skies turn dark, and a storm rolls in. The rain hits you like bullets due to the speed the train is traveling towards The Factory. Cardillo's forces close in boarding the train from small skiffs to stop you, monsters and soldiers alike, The distinction between them grows blurrier every day as the mad machinist experiments bring the dead back to life. Machine guns posted on bridges fire down the tracks as your train passes under. 

The storm only grows more and more violent as from the clouds above a massive, black airship descends and casts the train in an ominous shadow.

The second time the Iron frigate gets a feature in one of my maps! This one is pretty specific to settings but that's the joy of fantasy, It can really be whatever you like, no need to hold ourselves to medieval alone. I went with 11 phases on this one, which is over my normal amount but I had to get that climatic explosion in at the end, If you’ve followed my content you know I love to spend hours upon hours building the most beautiful settings I can than hours more absolutely destroying them!If you dig this map check out my other maps Monster Factory and Clash with the Colossus, which are meant to be played in sequence. 

Get this map now at patreon.com/balatroart