Tags
Commercial Maps, Dungeons & Dragons, Fantasy, Fortress, Keep, Labyrinth Lord, Maps, OSR, RPG
Roadside Fortress (with grid)
Most borders remain generally undefended, with the occasional watch tower near primary points of interest. But there are always places where it just makes sense to set up a small fortification along major trade routes and roads leading in and out of your domain.
Roadside Fortress (simple grid)
South of The Citadel at Sabre Lake is just such a place. A small escarpment along the main road used by merchants, farmers and the occasional military force provides a decent view of the area while also being able to interdict travel along the road, forcing those who wish to avoid the fortress into long detours through unfavourable terrain.
Roadside Fortress (no grid)
The main gate of the fortification leads into a small courtyard with a well where a few horses are normally kept for patrols and messengers. The two towers on the right side extend a level (15 feet) above the walls of the fortress, as does the tower built into the lower left side of the main structure.
A well defended postern gate leads into the north wall of the fortification and from there into both the main structure and the smallest tower.
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Because of the incredible generosity of my patrons, I’m able to make this map free for commercial use also. Each month while funding is over the $300 mark, each map that achieves the $300+ funding level will be released under this free commercial license. You can use, reuse, remix and/or modify the maps that are being published under the commercial license on a royalty-free basis as long as they include attribution (“Cartography by Dyson Logos” or “Maps by Dyson Logos”). For those that want/need a Creative Commons license, it would look something like this:
Cartography by Dyson Logos is licensed
under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Dyson's Dodecahedron 
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A suggestion on castles and their ilk: most are designed with multiple layers of defenses. As the enemy breaks through one defense, they face more, forcing them to grind through layer after layer of prepared and nasty defenses the whole way through.
In a fortress like this, that would mean arrow-loops from the outer buildings into that inner courtyard. The assumption would be that the gate is the weakest point and that the enemy would, given enough time and troops, eventually break through. So the point would be to turn the inner courtyard into a killing zone, with arrows coming from all directions.
As it is, you could certainly shoot arrows into the courtyard from the tops of the towers, but arrow loops in the large building facing into the courtyard wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
Loving your maps! They’ve been real game-savers when the players zig when I expected them to zag. Thanks as always for sharing your talent.
Thanks. I generally assume that the upper floors of the towers have arrow slits all the way around.
Very nice! I’d love to see you expand this a bit (a second story with the tower levels, and a small dungeon underneath). Could be a very nice little outpost for adventure, or another “moathouse” for an evil temple (a la Temple of Elemental Evil).
Also, I wanted to take an opportunity to tell you how eagerly I’m awaiting your second level of Dwimmermount! 😉