D&D 5E Dnd map for my campaign

[Gator dm]

I have recently drawn a map for my dnd campaign (homebrew setting and story) and I would like to have a feedback before placing the names, settlements and other illustrations.
My initial goal was to do something sober and immersive like it's been drawn by a cartographer npc, does the result match my intention?
Suggestions, comments, and critics are welcome.

 

[Richards]

Is this map intended for a Spanish-speaking campaign? I notice West is designated on the compass as "O" - for "oeste," perhaps?

Johnathan

 

[Istbor]

Yeah, absolutely. But if I look at that map and see those circular islands I'm going to want to explore them and try to find out why the heck they look like that.

I still think it's a cool map, the islands just make me want to know what's there.

They do have that effect don't they? Maybe it could be the most powerful story hook at your employ if running it? Maybe the OP has trapped us all in the mystery just as he wanted. At least, I like to think that was the intention.

 

[Lanefan]

Looks like a pretty cool map, good job!

Now for the criticism:

• Lots of mountains, not enough mountain ranges. Mountains form because of colliding tectonic plates, so if you look at a map there are lines of mountain ranges. It also feels like you're overdoing it a bit ... which I get. Mountains are cool. But think for a moment about what tectonic plates there would be and how they would collide.
• Maybe it's the icons you're using, but it's okay to have hilly lands or badlands, areas where over the millennia the land rose up and water eroded it away (it's how we got the Grand Canyon).
• There's a lot of rivers, almost no lakes. Think about adding in one or two.
• Water runs downhill and tries to get to the ocean as efficiently as possible. In addition, rivers will often flow into bays. For example, you have a river that parallels the coastline for a long, long ways. That's not realistic.
• Rivers join, they don't split.
• The circular islands look cool, but more than one looks really artificial. Well, concentric circular islands like you have are rare and are usually the result of a massive volcano. Cool looking, but too symmetrical. Unless they're artificial and have a reason in which case it's a cool mystery.

My first thought was that the mountains weren't all that bad. Some are in ranges, and some of what look like isolated bits of mountain could be the remnants of what was once a range. Also, isolated bits of significant mountain do occur in reality - I can look out my window and see a fine example (the Olympic Mountains in NW Washington state).

Also, isolated mountains can form due to long-standing volcano points. Kilimanjaro is one example. Hawaii is another.

I completely agree about the rivers. At first glance it looks fine but on a closer look some of those just don't make sense - probably needs a re-think unless you-as-DM have specific reasons for the rivers being where and how they are. And I too am guilty of never including enough lakes on my own maps, so I sympathise with the cartographer here.

Another source of circular islands could be a meteor strike. That there's two sets of circles...now you're talking mystery. The PCs will either head straight there or avoid them like the plague.

The style is excellent!

 

[Benjamin Olson]

My initial goal was to do something sober and immersive like it's been drawn by a cartographer npc, does the result match my intention?
Suggestions, comments, and critics are welcome.

If it is an in universe map it is worth thinking about the motives and interests of whoever created the thing and what they would emphasize and then emphasize those things. It's not necessarily terribly important from a player immersion standpoint, but from a background worldbuilding standpoint it can give you some guidance and might give you some interesting ideas along the way,.

Would someone in universe make a map like this? It depends on the cultural norms and personal needs and interests of the cartographer NPC. Most human maps have historically focused on where human settlements were and often treated natural features only to the extent they were relevant to navigating between and identifying human settlements. Or if the map was focused on something else it would highlight that. This level of detail for the coastlines is plausible for a nautical map, but such a map would not generally care much about mountains (except where they were distinctive from the sea) and would would certainly mark all the ports if there are any. Someone might take an interest in that level of detail of mountains, but it is probably because they are mining them and so would rather have several, smaller, much more detailed maps clearly identifying where the good ore was or capable of accepting notes to that effect, and they would probably not care as much about this wide angle view of the region and all that empty sea space.

Which is all to say this is probably not a directly practical map for anyone as is. It is still possible it was created out of an impractical motive or an indirectly practical one. A scholar with an intellectual interest in coastlines, rivers, and mountains might create it. Someone might create it as a gift to a monarch to show them their realm or a newly discovered place being claimed in their honor. Someone might create it out of a religious duty of some sort. Or maybe a wizard did it.

 

[Lanefan]

Which is all to say this is probably not a directly practical map for anyone as is. It is still possible it was created out of an impractical motive or an indirectly practical one. A scholar with an intellectual interest in coastlines, rivers, and mountains might create it. Someone might create it as a gift to a monarch to show them their realm or a newly discovered place being claimed in their honor. Someone might create it out of a religious duty of some sort. Or maybe a wizard did it.

Or some random schlub picked up a Ring of Wishes without knowing what it was and, while wearing it, muttered to himself "I wish I had a map of the world" while lost one night on his way home from the pub...

 

[Stormonu]

Lots of interesting things going on in that map, and it looks great for use in a campaign world.

Stepping back from it a bit an looking at it, it reminds me very much of the east side of Asia - Mongolia, China, Japan, Australia and such. Intentional?

 

[Imaculata]

I love the way the map is drawn, but a bit too many rivers. You have drawn dozens of small rivers side by side, which looks weird.

Also, consider how your players will use this map. If they travel by land, some measure of distance on the map may be useful.