My Friday Map post last week (the Circle of Doom) is one of the most commented upon posts I’ve made to the blog since it’s inception. A lot of people were asking for a side-view of the structure to make it easier to navigate, but since the bridges cross the shaft in four different directions, that map was being a bitch to draw.
So I took the other suggestion and colour-coded the map.
Much to my chagrin, I also discovered that there is a mistake on the map. There is a passage on Level 4 that goes both above and below sections of level 3. Which makes no sense unless you too love Escher. So just pretend that every crossing between levels 3 and 4 have level 4 beneath level 3 and we’ll all be happy, no?
The Circle of Doom - Colour-Coded for you Convenience!
Dyson's Dodecahedron 
Ooo, colors! This helps tremendously when trying to imagine where the given levels are.
Love it! Thanks! Consider this one yoinked!
Your maps are consistently wonderful. The fact that Levels 3 and 4 weave above and below each other doesn’t bother me in the least. But i know if had a drawn it, it would have bugged me till my grave – i can point out every tiny mistake i’ve made remodeling my house that no one but me sees. Since i can’t fix most of those (without a lot of eye-rolling from my wife), i fixed your map. It’s here: http://www.clanbrinkmann.net/the-circle-of-doom-web-colour-1.1.jpg
It’s not perfect. If you’re offended by me messing with your map (and i wouldn’t blame you), lemme know and i’ll take it down straight away.
Awesome, I almost did this myself, but… well… I’m lazy.
i applaud you’re laziness – i did this in bed to avoid housework…
Now that gives me an idea! Very cool map.
An idea occurred to explain this map: Originally, the central pit wasn’t there. The Circle of Doom was a natural underground river that spiralled down through various subsurface faults and layers of sediment. The first builders (Cult of Doom?) simply blocked off the water source above (I’m imagining a dam) and then broadened the water channels into actual hallways, rooms and stairs. Later, some adventurers were combating the end boss at the very bottom of the complex and the party wizard invoked a high level spell that annihilated the Demonic High Priest of Doom, but also shot a beam of annihilation straight up to the surface, destroying the rooms & hallways that were where the pit is now. The adventurers looted and left while the remnant followers of the ex-big boss (a.k.a. floating motes of dust) were left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. (pity the evil leaderless cultists, they are sad pandas…) They erected bridges across the pit connecting everything up again and labour to bring back their lost master…
P.S. Love the colour coding! I wonder how long it’ll be before someone with mad 3D skillz makes a 3D model of this map? 🙂
I figured the problem was the stairs in the curving passage on the left should be going down instead of up. That way you don’t have your Level 3 and 4 each split up … but maybe your solution is more interesting. Hmm. Well, when I finish stocking it I’ll post it.
For me, the gigantic central pit was part of the mining excavation the alien spaceship was conducting, but the virus spread throughout the inhabitants and it tried to escape, only to crash deep in the jungle. Some of the robot miners remained and, while confused and their circuits scrambled, attempted to create a system of tunnels similar to their doomed masters (flying ant like creatures). For now, there is a battle for control between the robot drillers, a large party of gnolls seeking shelter since an allasaurus destroyed their camp, a group of winged trolls, pterodactyls and pteranodons that lair in the upper reaches, undead aliens (wight,wraith and mummified man sized flying ants with robot minions are going to freak my group right out), and a group of 3 8th-9th level magic users with an 8th level thief and a couple low level fighters that have discovered the crashed ship and have found the relationship between the ship and the circle of doom so are trying to capture enough robots to find out how they work.
I love this map! I loved it before, and I love it more now with the colour-coding… I was going to do that myself, but it’s always great to find that somebody else has done the work for me 🙂
Awesome map as usual! This one will be my entrance to underdark … flying beast swarming on PCs, poisonous gas from the bottomless pit .. this is gonna be an hell for my guys.
ty Dyson!
Excellent! the colour really makes the map come alive. many thanks for posting up all your work.
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The bridge crossing above and below level 3 is not a problem if you consider it to be an inclined plan, beginning above level 3, but sloping to a point that it crosses below a portion of the level (the intersection of levels could be a good place for a secret door.) Excellent design. I’m sure I can find a place for it in my campaign! Thanks.
Gary
Used this map in my kids Mutant Future campaign, Awesome just Awesome, thanks!.
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I’m looking at this now – my idea is the following – the chimney shaft itself starts off empty, opening to the sky, with holes visible that lead to the other levels. If players want to try and get around the levels without using the bridges that’s fine, will make for some fun athletics checks. Falling will drop them into a nearly bottomless pit that will likely kill them though.
There is a switch or riddle warden or trap to be triggered for each bridge though. If the switch is pulled, or riddle answered, then the bridge materializes or pushes itself out of the wall mechanically. In the center of each bridge there is a 6 inch round hole, with a lense in. When all four lenses are extended, and the sun rises up over the chimney shaft on a certain day, then the extradimensional portal everyone’s been looking for will open up.