Tactically mapping conical surfaces?

[Cor Azer]

To my knowledge, most D&D combats take place on a more-or-less level surface. There might be stairs and multiple levels, but generally, all combat surfaces are oriented the same.

But in a fantasy world, this doesn't necessarily always need to be the way.

How would you go about designing a map for combat encounter that takes place on the surface or inside of a sphere, or inside a cylinder or cube where, for whatever reason, the PCs are allowed to stand on any surface, be it floor, wall, or ceiling?

I guess you could divide up the surfaces into sections of maps, but then, what's the best way to show proximity to areas in other sections of the map?

Any thoughts?

 

[Asmor]

Just do it. Literally.

Penny Arcade - D&D in the Elemental Chaos part 1

 

[Locutus Zero]

I made an encounter on a hill top a few months ago. This will be hard to describe, but I'll try:

I drew a circle of radius 8 I think, however big the map was (not a true circle, but as close as you can get with squares). I divided the circle into 8ths, drawing 4 lines through the radius (a north-south line, an east-west, and two diagonals that zig zag). Then I erased the lines in the very center and drew a shape made of 12 squares (imagine a 4x4 square with the corners taken off). Anyone on the top can see anyone on the hill, and anyone on the hill can see anyone on top. Anyone in one of the 8 pie slices can see anyone in their slice or the slice on either side of them. They can see slices that are two away as well, but with a heavy cover penalty. Going up the hill is difficult terrain, and taking damage while on the hill results in a fort. check or you could roll down the hill a number of spaces (you choose the direction as long as each space takes you further from the center). I also made a winding path up the hill that was not difficult to go up.

Hopefully that gives you some ideas.

 

[[OMENRPG]Ben]

The easiest way is to simply describe it in terms, keeping it abstract.

But, that seems like a rather cheap answer, so I will try my best:

The way that I do it in my current sci-fi game with artificial gravity is one of a few ways:

If it is multi-levels but still all on the same horizontal plane, then I simply draw the shapes of the higher / lower edifices, and write the height in the occupied squares. For example, if there was an ascending conical hill / structure, I draw a circle with concentric topographic rings with higher number of squares as it gets closer to the peak. Those who are attacking from uphill get a slight bonus, and moving up hill consumes either twice the squares as flat ground or simply is treated as difficult terrain.

Or I draw out multiple sections of the map, as you described, with each of the planes constituting their own two-dimensional space on the battlemat. If it helps to keep track, I will draw an actual three dimensional cube or shape on my notes, with numbered squares so that I can count the diagonal distance from space to space if necessary. But, if this situation actually occurs, it doesn't really matter to keep such accurate track.

If you really want to go crazy, you can build it out with some kind of magnetic grid or sticky surface so they can be placed on the walls / ceiling. Fighter pilots practice maneuvers with model airplanes on about two-foot long sticks. Maybe something could be made like that, so players can simply hold their characters up above the character mat and make a note of how many squares up they are.

Again, all of this can get very convoluted, and I prefer to simply describe it abstractly and keep track of it as the DM.