DM_Andy
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Champion Tier - Updated Castle Ravenloft - Exterior & First Three Floors
🕑 Added 2023-12-26 23:13:15 +0000 UTC
Hey everyone, and happy New Release Day! Today is something a tad different than a new map, but instead, I have created a ton of updates, color moods, weather, lighting, and other options to the first four maps I did for Castle Ravenloft. These updated maps include:
- Castle Exterior
- Main Floor
- Court of the Count
- Rooms of Weeping
These updates ended up taking quite a lot of time, and I have hundreds of files for you with this release. I'll be working on the next round of updates for my next release and hoping I'll have time to create a parchment map for the full castle (it might be two parchment maps due to the sheer size of everything).
Lastly, make sure you click the link below to get the files, as there were far too many files to include as attachments.
I've included a ton of updates to these Ravenloft maps, including:
- Created eight color moods for each map (detailed below)
- Updated the weather effect options for rain, fog, and sun rays
- Compressed the larger 8k files so they are more size-friendly
- Updated lighting
- Added a Vistani Camp option to the grounds of the castle (As the module references Vistani spies that hang out in the castle, it made sense for them to have a small base of operations)
- I updated many assets, including doors, windows, pillars, candelabras, Strahd's organ, and so much more!
- Created a "Restored" version of each interior map. This includes a cleaned-up castle, removing the rubble, webs, broken furniture, torn rugs, and tapestries, and making the castle look more "lived-in."
- Created a "no-light" version for each map so you can use your own lighting.
The color moods I created for each include:
- Dark Fairytale: A brighter version of the map but still has a dark gothic feel. This style enhances the map's colors while still keeping the dark areas to create this mood.
- Ghostly: This green hue creates a haunted and creepy feel while darkening up the shadowed areas of the castle. Even the light feels muted in this color mood to lean into this gothic castle's haunted mood.
- Gloom: This is my standard "Gothic Horror" color mood, focusing on the darker, gloomy mood of Barovia.
- Hope: I created a new, fun mood for a post-Strahd feel. As the light begins to come up over the horizon and pierce through the parted grey clouds, this mood creates an almost two-tone effect with a brighter light from the upper left transitioning to the fading darkness of the lower right.
- Night: I used my updated night style to create a blueish-grey feel to the map and enhanceing the lit-up areas for a dramatic feel.
- Overcast: I've brought out the greys of this map and muted it while still maintaining the color scheme. I wanted to create a grey and moody vibe without making the map too dark.
- Sunny Day: Great for post-Strahd campaigns, this mood greatly enhances the colors to give a more vibrant and colorful feel.
- Warm: This creates a warm and almost Autumn-like feel to the map with a combination of light and a darkened overcast sky while beams of light struggle to pierce through the clouds.
Other updated assets I wanted to point out:
- Strahd's Organ. I updated the alabaster statues to be more aligned with the ref image in the book and added more depth. This is a centerpiece asset, and I wanted this piece to stand out.
- Throne Room. I enhanced the throne room to make it more regal. For the restored version of this area, I flipped the throne around to face the hall rather than away from it, as noted in the module.
- Pillars, doors, and windows: These assets were updated to give them a slightly angled look and add to the grandiosity of the castle.
You can download these maps from my Google Drive link below:
Link to Download the Updated Castle Ravenloft Maps
In addition to what I mentioned above, these maps come with the following:
- 8k & 4k Resolution
- Grid & No Grid
- 8 Color Moods
- Weather options, including Rain, Fog, and Sun Rays
- No Light Version
- Restored Version of the Interior Maps
- Jpg & Webp File Types
- VTT Sizing Guide
As the New Year approaches, I'll be taking some time off to usher in 2024 with my wife! However, Jan has four Mondays, so I plan on having four more releases for the new Year, the first of which I have planned for Jan 8th.
Next up, I'll be finishing these Ravenloft updates for the Spires of Ravenloft (also will be including the LBH change to include the lair of Bucephalus), Larders of Ill Omen, and the Dungeon & Catacombs. I also plan on creating a parchment map like I did for Arvynvostholt and will be adding the floors to this map so you can have them all on one (maybe two) images for more versatility on how you run this on your VTT.
Once I finish the updates for Ravenloft, I'll be pivoting back to the Saltmarsh lane to work on the Empty Net tavern, a rogueish dive bar built onto the docks overlooking the bay.
I also plan to create the Interior version of my updated Village of Barovia map along with my VoB updates for the key locations (Mad Mary's, Blood on the Vine, etc).
2024 will start with some excellent updates, and I'll also write a post to talk about some of the community building with our amazing DMs here I'd like to do for the New Year.
I wish each and every one of you a very happy New Year, and I can't wait for another year of RPGs, fantasy, and, of course, map-making! Thanks for your continued support.
Cheers,
DM Andy
Comments
Brian Scott Frederick
yup - i eventually figured it out ;-) lol
Andy D'Amato
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to say such nice things. It's comments like these that really encourage me to keep on going so thank you! Regarding your question, depending on the resolution you're using (8k vs. 4k) it will change the dims you'll need to enter. Since you mentioned 80x60 I assume you mean the Dungeon and Catacombs (since the other levels are gridded on a 50x40 grid). For the dungeon, if you're using Roll20 (Which is the VTT I use), I just create a new page and set the size width to 80 and the size height to 60 (I don't touch to px values even though they are a little different than the actual image), then once I load up the map I just drag the corners to fit the canvas and you'll find that it grids perfectly (I just did this in my own Roll20 just to be 100% and it worked great. I used the 4k Dungeon & Catacombs image). For Foundry, in the scene settings (I'm still using V10) just set the "Image Dimensions" to the dims I listed in the sizing guide (4080x3060 for 4k and 8160x6120 for 8k) and set the "Grid Size (Pixels)" value to the PPI I list on the sizing guide. In the case of the Dungeon it would be either 51 for 4k or 102 for 8k. Once you do that, you'll find the grid will align perfectly. (Just tested this in Foundry with the 4k dungeon and the grid looks good). Just don't forget, for Ravenloft, there are three different sizes for the Exterior (Grid = 100x80) All of the floors except the dungeon (Grid = 50x40) and the dungeon (Grid = 80x60). I didn't want to make the other floors on a larger grid to match the other two since I will end up having a lot of empty space and the small the image canvas, the less quality the little details get when exporting them. Hope that's helpful!
Brian Scott Frederick
DM Andy ... as always, some of the most detailed and well done maps I've EVER used! Worth the monthly investment and then some! This isn't some 3 minute crayon chaos in Dungeondraft by a 3 yr old; this is someone who actually cares about the craft and painstakingly goes inch by inch to make every dusty corner immerse my players, and its appreciated! TYSVM!!! --------- That being said, I'm in Foundry VTT and trying to align the maps to grid, and need a place to start. I got the gridless versions to avoid the microoverlaps, but wondered where to start. I'm working on the Revised maps (since I'm taking CoS beyond Strahd and need a time-out-of-joint version of Ravenloft that King Barov and Queen Ravenovia lived and rule from) and need a perfect squared grid size instead of the odd size given. (Intended 80x60 - though I'm certain that only refers to 80 squares by 60 squares, not the dimensions of those squares) I'm wondering what your expected single grid size is, since that's not mentioned in the VTT Sizing Guide. For Examples: * Roll 20 standard is 70px aquare grid * Foundry standard is 100px square grid
Andy D'Amato
So happy you are liking the updates!! I'm working on the next batch now and just posted up a little sneak peek of the updated Heart of Sorrows :)
Jun the Bun
These updates look amazing! I am glad my party has only seen the main floor so gets to see all the updates now
Andy D'Amato
Awesome!! I will have the rest of the maps done by Jan 8th :)
Dan Holbrook
Thank you! So glad that my party has delayed getting to Ravenloft long enough for these
Andy D'Amato
You're so kind!! Thank you SO much and your words mean a ton to me. Thank you and really happy you liked the updates! :) Cheers
Pyrosophy
Andy, I can't tell you enough how much your work is appreciated! Your attention to detail is exquisite
Andy D'Amato
Yay! So awesome to hear and hope you enjoys these updates :)
Cindy Rrrrrrivederci
Thank you so much! I’m running Castle Ravenloft now with your previous maps; looking forward to integrating these!
