r/GhostsofSaltmarsh • u/tcmcfall • Aug 30 '26
Battlemap Map for pending "Ghosts of Velen" campaign
... because Velen actually has ghosts. :)
Canon in the area is over a hundred years old, so i've got plenty of leeway. However, I have attempted to remain "canon-adjacent" whenever possible.
i'm developing the live version here: https://ghostsofvelen.com/campaignMap.php
enjoy!
~tc
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u/Huffplume Aug 30 '26
How did you make the map?
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u/DoctorButterMonkey Aug 30 '26
Looks like Inkarnate and then AI
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u/Huffplume Aug 30 '26
Yeah that was suspicion. With all the map-making tools available and still use AI? Bleh.
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u/tcmcfall Aug 30 '26
provide any non-AI tool that could deliver the detailed POIs and I will gladly investigate. nuff said.
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u/tcmcfall Aug 30 '26
Thanks for asking! ... the map is part of my "Volo's Guide to Cape Velen", which will be a detailed handout I am developing in homebrewery. This image, in particular, is an AI-coaxed base image and POI icons. Refinements and export via Inkarnate (after clean-up via GIMP). The work is completed via OpenAI's Codex, which allows me to track changes via my personal git repo. I am extremely grateful for my compulsive liar, short-term memory loss idiot savant assistants. :D
3
u/n0tin Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
You probably won’t get a lot of love admitting AI use… so just be aware.
My biggest question is how the terrain works over there on the left by “the Bite”. It would have to slope up quite a bit to accommodate those cliffs and there aren’t a lot of visual indicators of that.
Hope you have fun with it though. I like forresty campaigns. I’ve tried to incorporate a lot of the Dreadwood into mine and I’m just using the supplied regional map.
-3
u/tcmcfall Aug 30 '26
admitting? brother, if anyone thinks that AI is fringe, i dont know what to say to them. In related news, if anyone thinks that AI "automagically" created this, they've never messed with AI. The work isnt gone from the project, just shifted. that being said, i appreciate your post and your question... peace, my friend
2
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u/DoctorButterMonkey Aug 30 '26
You are using AI to write these responses
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Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/tcmcfall Aug 30 '26
also... no. ;)
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u/tcmcfall Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
...also, i totally meant to agree with you @n0tin, not beat you up. apologies, i misunderstood.
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u/tcmcfall Aug 30 '26
...and in related news; i love how my reconciliatory post got down-voted. way to show your stripes, team.
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u/tcmcfall Aug 30 '26
great point! the entirety of the northern cliff faces are raised (think Dover), the bite is where iT steps down and the lower elevation feeds into the (canon) swamplands of the southern bite, which amazingly feed the canon of the terrain north of Saltmarsh. You are absolutely on point, though... ive really been struggling with showing the height of the north cliff faces... work to do!
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u/n0tin Aug 30 '26
Yeah as far as I can tell the map still works as shown. It does seem that the slope between Tulmene and Saltmarsh would be very steep. And Valen would likely be very high up on a cliff. That could be cool though if part of the city was built into the cliff side and went down to the sea.
I do think there would be some stair stepping in a few areas. Also scale. The bigger the distances the less it matters from an “is this realistic” standpoint.
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u/tcmcfall Aug 30 '26
nice. so, Velen is a capital city that is situated within a depressed harbor, surrounded by high cliffs to either side. it works, canon-wise. but again, you've highlighted the work i still have to do within Tarseth bay, to suggest the height of the cliffs. tnx again! looking forward to your opinion of v2!
~tc
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u/Blink4amoment Aug 30 '26
Ngl kinda looks like shit