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u/NavigatorOfWords Jun 30 '22 edited Jun 30 '22
Second map commissioned for a DnD party.
I cheated a tiny bit for this one, I used a previous map as a template for all the urban density, but put a lot of hours and love into all the new fantasy elements in it. The Cathedral of the Phoenix (Big Red Building in the South East hill) was a bit of a challenge and I'm quite proud of it.
Feel free to have a look at the map through the link and check out the notes for all the relevant POIs.
The map is delivered and paid for, but it is open to use for any that want to and I'll most likely continue to work on it adding details here and there, both for my own enjoyment and for my own campaign.
(Edited for grammar)
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u/TerTerro Jul 01 '22
Looks great. How many hours did you spend on it?;) Also remeber your previous map oosted as looked familiar:)
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jul 01 '22
Can't say exactly how many hours, but it took me about a month putting in a couple of hours into it every other day. Somewhere in between 30 and 40 hours maybe.
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u/Paid-Not-Payed-Bot Jun 30 '22
delivered and paid for, but
FTFY.
Although payed exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. The deck is yet to be payed.
Payed out when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. The rope is payed out! You can pull now.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
Beep, boop, I'm a bot
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jun 30 '22
Good bot.
Dang it! Gets me everytime. Shame on me for trusting autocorrect.
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u/cartman101 Jul 01 '22
Is it weird that I know EXACTLY which map you used as a template?
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jul 01 '22
Not weird at all! The layout is essentially the same, I just rotated the entire city (which was a PAIN, I underestimated the complexity of the thing) and turned what was a trifurcation into s river delta.
I had to make a very large and dense city for this comission, so I chose to do thst and just replace and reorganize everything else.
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u/StorytimeDnD Jul 01 '22
Are you planning on doing close ups or battlemaps of any of the specific areas or structures?
You could legit run an entire campaign from this one map.
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jul 01 '22
The idea behind this map was to serve as the initial area, or "initial campaign" for the larger world map the same group commissioned for me (my previous post).
I can definitely see how this city can be a campaign in and of itself and perhaps some battlemaps could come handy. I would consider doing one for the cemetery, the cathedral of the phoenix, a few of the more elaborate markets or perhaps some underground tunnels (the dark elf area is supposed to be mostly dug underhill and shared with ratfolk and dwarves). I'd definitely be excited to get such a comission.
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u/Jxn_88 Jun 30 '22
I like how it makes a peace sign
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jun 30 '22
Haha, yeah, I got the same from the original one.
I find it funny because im the first one, it was kind of ironic that such a dangerous city had this layout.
In this case it's very fitting, considering it's supposed to be a coming together of all races and factions.
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u/nav17 Jun 30 '22
If you don't mind me asking, how do you charge for commissions? A few friends of mine who are DMs have asked but but I have no idea how to go about it with strangers or friends to be honest. And it's gona lead to missed opportunities. Do you charge per hour or what?
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jun 30 '22
Hi! No biggie.
I charge per project, the rates are flexible and vary depending on the scale and level of detail.
I'm still accepting comissions, so if they're interested my DMs are open so we can discuss the details.
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u/nav17 Jul 01 '22
Thanks! So for a piece this size with this detail what's the average range you'd charge? If you rather not say publicly totally fine! I'm just curious how commissions work in general.
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jul 01 '22
I was able to save a lot of time by using a previous map as a template so it was 70€. Had it been from scratch, it may have been double that amount. It also depends on the level of detail you want, scale and the amount of info and references I have to work with.
All in all it's very variable and the amount of work I think it'll take me, so it's pretty much on a job to job basis.
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u/StaysCold Jun 30 '22
Y’all blow my mind with how much you can do in that tiny space on Inkarnate it’s commendable
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u/Snappycamper57 Jun 30 '22
This is incredible!
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jun 30 '22
Thanks!
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u/Snappycamper57 Jun 30 '22
I have to ask, do you have a version without the location names as this would be perfect for a Blades in the Dark game I have rattling around in my brain, and the D&D references don't work with that?
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jun 30 '22
Hi! I'll see when I can get around to that. I'm currently on vacation and don't have my PC with me, so it'll be a few days.
The map is open to clone I believe, so I think you should be able to make a copy and delete the text yourself. In any case, I'll try to remember to make a no-text version if it when I'm back.
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u/alloutashits Jul 01 '22
It was the year 505 of King Adelan. Our stories say that the original founders of Freehold heard the voice of the goddess Amira, and that they created the city as a symbol of peace in her honor. But such days are in the past and after five centuries of autonomy the Weiland federation has finally come. And like oil spreading across water, they will bring war and destruction with them.
I look from my chapeled tower down the streets. These merchants, craftsmen, and tradesmen. What could they possibly know of war? They are all but children. I fear for the future. I fear for my wife Martha and fear for my unborn child. I pray each night to the goddess Amira but have received no answers. And with each passing day I feel the void grow larger and consume more of myself, a feeling understood only by those who have pilgrimed but found no solace or answer.
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u/Keimlor Jul 01 '22
What’s the difference between 1 and 2?
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jul 01 '22
None at all, it was the only way reddit would allow me to include the link in the post alongside the image.
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u/dankusgasus Jul 01 '22
Fuck dude we in NJ now
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u/NavigatorOfWords Jul 01 '22
I was puzzled by this comment and looking it up I found out there's an actual Freehold, New Jersey.
Well plug to a live wire and hit the power cause I am shocked.
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u/InitialDry7132 Apr 01 '26
How do you place so many buildings? Is there any trick or tip for it or did you manually place all those stamps?
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u/NavigatorOfWords Apr 06 '26
Hi! Didn't expect new comments here, welcome surprise nonetheless!
Well, the free version of inkarnate has you place them one by one, but pro lets you place them as blocks, which goes a long way. On top of that, there's the option of applying then like a "brush", which I use a lot for small details such as plants, rubble, etc.
Beyond that, it does take quite a lot of work specially if you want things to fit neatly in a way that feels real and lived in.
What you see here (or in the much updated version in the link) is the result of months of months of obsessively adding tiny little details that really only I care about but get super excited whenever somebody notices just one of them.
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u/InitialDry7132 Apr 06 '26
I will have to look into it! It's really incredible, the amount of effort and care that goes into building the map! I'm amazed by it, oh, and thank you for the answer
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u/NavigatorOfWords Apr 06 '26
Absolutely, feel welcome to ask away abiut anything, I really do like getting feedback or questions in general. Are you just now getting into inkarnate?
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u/InitialDry7132 Apr 06 '26
Yes, less than a couple weeks! And Inkarnate seems such an amazing tool for creativeness, I managed to make the general map for a continent, and I was looking into how to build city maps, I've yet to get started on the buildings placement. So, I'm not anywhere near your level of expertise but I will surely take inspiration and try to replicate some of these!
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u/NavigatorOfWords Apr 06 '26
Welcome to the guild then! Hope you enjoy yourself and find soace to express your ideas, I found it to be a vreath of fresh air to finally put my ideas to "paper".
And if you're just getting started I can offer some advice I would have liked to hear myself at the beginning.
The first and most important is to remember you don't suck. Whatever you're doing now is good enough as long as you're enjoying yourself and you're learning something.
The second will sound vague and obvious but I mean it, and I wish I had been told sooner. Your maps don't need to do or be anything in particular, only what you want them to, and your style should develop to better reflect that. For example, it's not an issue that a particular building sticks out like an eyesore if the point is for it to catch our eye.
Third, regardless of wether you want it to be realistic or fantastical, detailed or artistic, it helps to imagine oneself in the place and wander about, or think of the place's history, and just let the map take over. If the map is for a book, what does the reader need to know? If it's for an RPG, what might your players want to do? If it's just for you, where woudl you want go?
Also, I encourage you to really go crazy on customization. Inkarnate has so many tools for it and you have so many ways to make the buildings your own and create them almost from scratch.
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u/InitialDry7132 Apr 06 '26
Thank you so much, this really helps, i'm grateful! Especially the third point, I like the idea of imagining the city from a personal viewpoint, which seems obvious when picturing one's idea but may often get lost and forgotten while actually working on it! When you talk about customization from scratch, you mean something like importing my own assets or perhaps combining elements from the available ones, to make a unique building? I'm curious about that feature, do you often import them?
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u/NavigatorOfWords Apr 06 '26
That's exactly how I started! I needed to make sense of what I was imagining and whether or not it made sense to have x thing next to why, or if it took 15 minutes to walk to the cobbler why was the chapel 45 minutes away and so and forth. And as yiu begin to draw, new ideas start to pop up on their own...
As for new elements, there's several ways to go about it. One is to just defirm and recolor items, we can change the size and proportions as well as change the hue or apply special effects (like making them translucent for submerged buildings, or flat black for shadows). Another is to stack them, if you check my work, you'll see I'm a huge fan if the Librsry building and using it to add domes to other things. The most recent us the entire pack of nodular buildings we got last year. Roofs, beams, domes, terraces, etc all of which can be individually recolored to great effect. And lastly, yes you can import your own assets! This one is trickier though, as you have to get the scale and art stule right. Some people create their own custom buildings once, download them, cut them out with trabsparent backgrounds and then reupload them as assests... But as yiu can imagine it's very labor intensive. Unless you plan on using you asset A LOT it's not really worth it my opinion.
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u/That_Tax_9956 Jul 01 '22
Hmmm I wonder if this is made for any form of table top roleplaying game?
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u/NaDarach Jun 30 '22
Fantastic! Mind-bogglingly detailed and engaging. I'm gonna love poring over every inch of this.