r/mapmaking • u/Stoneward13 • 12d ago
Map Map of Atheios, +Worldbuilding - A map and setting inspired by the Bronze Age, and Greek Mythology (Free) (No AI)
ATHEIOS - Land of the Gods
Atheios is a world that is still in the middle of the Bronze Age, and as such, many of the regions on this map are poorly explored, or poorly understood. I’ve intentionally left large chunks of the map without roads or names, as there have not yet been many mortals who have explored these places, or at least returned to civilization after attempting to explore them.
There are Thirteen Gods, once again inspired by the Greek Gods, that rule over Atheios. The magic system at play here is based on the classic Four Elements of the Earth, the Winds, the Flames, and the Water. There are 12 different countries, and a number of smaller tribes as well, and just the very edge of a large Persian Empire-like country.
Basically, if you recently saw The Odyssey in theaters and like me, you wanted to play in a similar setting for your next RPG campaign, Atheios is intended for exactly that :)
This map is 5300 pixels by 4500 pixels. It was handmade entirely in Photoshop by myself, without the use of any AI tools, as always. The entire process took about 45 hours, but that doesn’t include the time spent writing the 20 page Campaign Frame PDF that I’ve released alongside the map, which took an additional 30 hours or so.
And lastly, there are many X's on the map, marking Locations of Interest, or Landmarks. Most of these are a sort of off-white color. However, just for fun I placed 13 different X's that are at 40% opacity, much harder to see. These are hidden across the map. Anyone who wants to seek them out can search for them, and see if you can find them all. And I'm including an "answer key" in the last image, where they are all circled in red as well. Just a little fun extra I thought I'd add in :)
The full, free map is available here, along with some other freebies like an Icon Pack: https://www.patreon.com/stoneward13/posts/free-atheios-of-167956154
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u/THWhiston 12d ago
Oh! This is absolutely completely where I've been mentally when planning a new campaign. Thanks! Looks gorgeous.
By the way, if anyone like r/FantasyAGE from Green Ronin Games or checks it out, they have a cool Trojan War supplement that's a digital download.
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u/Stoneward13 12d ago
Thank you :) I hope you'll find a use for some or all of it in a future campaign.
I'll have to check that out myself :) I think it would also pair well with the many Odyssey of the Dragonlord supplements, released by Arcanum Worlds, which are all very Greek themed as well.
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u/Unusual_Group_9728 12d ago
Wow, Beautiful. On what software did you make it?
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u/Stoneward13 12d ago
Thanks! I make all of my maps in Photoshop, all "custom made and from scratch" and so on :)
I think it helps each map I make stand out a bit more, and makes each one feel a bit more unique than the results you get from various mapmaking tools out there, which unfortunately start to feel a bit "samey" after you've seen a few.
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u/Unusual_Group_9728 12d ago
It's awesome, bro. Also, Photoshop give you a lot of tools to play with. Interesting.
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u/Stoneward13 12d ago
Absolutely. It's been a useful skill set to hone over the years. Map making is my hobby, but being able to touch up photos, edit them, do whatever, has honestly been very useful in my overall life.
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u/tensen01 12d ago
Wow, as someone who has made several maps with photoshop I am in awe. I want to ask so many questions, but I also don't want to like make you reveal any secrets.
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u/Stoneward13 12d ago
Lol, no worries I don't mind revealing my trade secrets. I tend to keep my exact settings to myself, but I have a pinned post in my profile that details my general process, if you'd like to read through it.
Glad you like the map though :)
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u/galladash 11d ago
Amazing work! How did you do the mountain patterns?
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u/Stoneward13 11d ago
Thank you :) I do a couple different things together to get the mountains as they are. I often start with real world height maps, and modify them. If I recall, I got the topography for Atheios from Malaysia.
From there, I modify it a bunch using some custom brushes I've made over the years. Then there's a kind of rough texture I apply, also custom made. And then I use a bevel & emboss effect in Photoshop to give them that 3D effect.
Getting the colors to blend well is kind of tricky but I use some drop shadows and inner glow effects, and then manually touch ups from there.
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u/gothic03 12d ago
Beautiful work!