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Confused Labyrinth Battle Map - Launch
🕑 Added 2025-06-30 20:11:06 +0000 UTCHello Adventurers! First off, I need to apologise for the late release this month. I’m in the process of moving to a new home and country, which means a lot of travel and some disruption to my work schedule. I’ve been managing work and travel fairly well over the last few months, but unfortunately, this month has been disrupted more than I expected. I’m a little behind on my scheduled releases, which means the Treasure Map Island has been pushed back to early next month.
So, this release is the Confused Labyrinth, a weird mini-dungeon filled with twists and turns, traps and puzzles around every corner. I expect the party will pick a route and have at least one combat encounter before reaching the final ‘boss’ room. You can make the encounters as devious or straightforward as you like. See some ideas in the map notes.
Next Maps
Once again, apologies for the slip in releases this month. You’ll be getting the Treasure Map Isle soon, with the Heart of the Colossus coming later in the month.
Treasure Map Isle
X marks the spot on this rocky, small island. It could be an island on a lake or just off the coast. I’ll probably add in a cave or a small ruin.Heart of the Colossus
I’ve been thinking about this and have evolved the idea slightly. I imagine this as a massive cave with tunnels leading in and around it. The idea is that it is part of the insides of a colossal fossilised creature. The walls are somewhat organic-looking with bones and maybe veins. The central cave will have an organic and fossil-like vibe, with a large structure at its centre that resembles a heart or something similar.
Upcoming Maps
I thought you’d like to see a little further ahead. These, along with a few other ideas I have, are likely to be added to the Next Maps list soon, but I do not have a set schedule for them as of yet.
Dark Sage’s Lighthouse
I love lighthouses. I’ve already created a little lighthouse island, but I want to create something on a larger scale, so I’ll create a wizard tower with a lighthouse theme. It will have a few floors and a cave network under it.Country Sheriff's Office (Local Jail/Lockup)
This would be a stone and wooden building on a main street in a village or small town. It contains a Sheriff's office along with a small lockup, jail or holding cells. The sort of place someone is held for the night when found to be drunk and disorderly or when awaiting trial at a local Courthouse.
Thanks for the support, I’m really looking forward to getting into my new place and working on some of these new maps! If you have any suggestions for maps, please share them. I would be mad not to utilise all your creative ideas!
And with that, it's time to explore this weird dungeon. I’m not sure if you noticed, but every tile, wall, and ceiling appears to have a pressure plate, trip wire, or suspicious-looking hole. I’m sure we’ll be fine. This place looks ancient. I doubt anything is still active. But maybe let's keep our ears open for any ominous clicks.
Downloads
The files, thumbnails, and tags can be accessed on the Map List Page. You must be logged in to Patreon and signed up for the correct tier to access them. Remember, you are only charged for map releases; you can download all the old maps at no extra cost!
Descriptions, Notes and Tips
This dungeon is designed to be a little confusing without being too frustrating for the players. There should be a couple of encounters before the final room, depending on which route the party takes.
To add flavour, you could have whoever owns this dungeon taunt the party or laugh when something goes awry.
The river gorge could be home to monsters.
Each gate is locked and requires a key or password, which can be found somewhere in the dungeon.
The mirrors throughout the dungeon serve as portals that can be activated by completing encounters or reciting passwords/phrases.
1. Entrance
Walking up the ancient steps, you enter a large stone room, its walls crumbling with age. Heavy iron gates block two large arched doorways to the south and east. There is a five-foot hole in the western wall, beyond which a rough tunnel curves away into darkness. Two stone sarcophagi stand upright against the southern wall.
The gates have glowing, magical locks. They can be picked, but not easily. If you want to trap them, please do ;)
The sarcophagi could contain undead guardians. One could have a key to either of the gates, depending on which way you’d like your party to go.
Listening carefully, your party will hear gentle singing coming from the hole in the wall.
Entrance Tunnels
Water runs down the surface of the tunnel in tiny riverlets. The tunnel is relatively open in places, while in others, you need to remove equipment to squeeze through. You reach a split in the tunnel, to the west, you can hear pronounced singing.
2. Tear Drowned Cave
Following the singing, you find yourself in a cave, its floor flooded, shallow at your feet but quickly deepening further in. Towards the back of the cave, deeper into the water, is a raised stone pedestal. Perched on the pedestal is a beautiful stone woman, a living marble statue. As you watch, she continues to sing in a strange, melancholic language you don’t understand. She seems unaware or uninterested in your presence.
This statue could hold the key to another door or a riddle that will provide a password.
Stepping into the water could trigger a battle encounter with her. Wailing with anguish, she will attack.
She may be cursed. Using a dispel curse spell will free her.
She may summon water elementals to help her.
3. The Buzzing Pit
Making your way south out of the cave, you find yourself at a brick wall. A hole leads into a corridor, which has been partially blocked by a cave-in. To your east is a flight of steps descending into a square room. At its centre is a large circular hole covered by heavy iron bars. As you get closer, you begin to notice a buzzing sound. The closer you get, the louder the sound becomes.
Pick any type of large insect you want for this encounter. They swarm out of the pit and attack. They could be flying or not. They could also come in different sizes. Have a couple of swarms and a few extra-large single bugs!
4. Experimentation Room
At the top of the steps is a full-length mirror attached to the wall, its silvered surface pitted with age. At the bottom of the steps, you can see a large stone table. Around the walls are cabinets, urns and jars of different styles and sizes. At the back of the room, on the east wall, are large glass windows holding back water. The water is dark and murky.
This room may be haunted by spirits associated with the macabre experiments conducted here.
Bones or ashes could fill the vases, which could be the source of the haunting.
The mirror at the top of the steps could activate and become a portal after the encounter is finished. Pick the location it opens into, depending on where you’d prefer your party to go.
If the windows are broken, the room will fill to around three feet in depth, releasing whatever lives in the water into the room. This will mean the flooded corridor will be far easier to navigate.
5. Flooded Corridor
A long flight of steps leads down into a corridor flooded by dark, murky water. There is only about a foot of air between the ceiling and the water level. It's unclear how deep the water is.
Looking carefully, the party may notice swirls or ripples in the water made by… something.
The floor of the flooded corridor could be covered in coins and other semi-valuable things. Mostly coppers and cheap trinkets. With a bit of searching, there may be a key or other useful item down there.
Obviously, this water isn’t empty of monsters. Choose something big or small, but make the reveal extra enjoyable with a well-timed jump scare once someone has been brave enough to test out the water.
6. Gem Gauntlet
Moving down the steps, you notice metal panels attached to the walls of the corridor ahead. Spaced out in roughly five-foot increments, each panel features a geometric symbol. Attached to each symbol is a gem flickering with a dim blue light.
The gems could shoot a laser across the corridor in five-second increments, or faster. This should be fairly easy to avoid, so drop a couple of skeletons into the corridor to block the passage for a little while.
The skeletons can stand on the laser squares and not take damage as the lasers pass between their bones.
To add more danger, the gems could activate and move quickly around the symbol on their metal panel, slicing across their five-foot square. This makes it much harder to dodge the laser while on the active five-foot square. Dexterity checks are needed.
7. Candle Shrine
To the east is a shrine with a simple but well-made Maul sitting on it. Surrounding the Maul are dozens of lit candles. On the north wall is a full-length mirror framed by ornate silver. To the south is a hole in the wall that leads into a tunnel.
The hammer has a red ribbon attached to its handle, bearing an inscription. It may be a password to activate the mirror portal.
If anyone picks up the Maul, the candle flames will come to life and attack the party. If the password is spoken at any time during combat, the candle wisps will return to the shrine.
8. Narrow Ways
Moving down the steps, you notice a narrow opening in the wall. Looking through, you can see another room on the far side. A cool breeze emanates from the opening.
You have a few options here. You can simply have anyone trying to fit through the narrow ways stretch out and become incredibly thin and long. This effect could only last as long as they are passing through the gap. This could also work for the other exit from this room. There could be side effects to this, including temporary weight loss or loss of strength, as they shake off the effects.
Or you could shrink the players down and drop them onto my Guarded Ways battle map, having them fight through that map before returning to normal, once they enter the room.
9. Slicing Corridor
Ahead of you is a corridor with narrow slits running across the stone floor. On each side are stone pillars with metal tracks running up them. At the end of the corridor, you can see a small room with a well in the centre.
This corridor contains blade traps which will activate when someone tries to pass them.
You could leave a deactivation code or word somewhere in the dungeon, or give them a puzzle to solve.
Or just let them jam or break the mechanism long enough for them to get through. Have it start to reactivate while the last of the party is moving through, for a little extra spice!
Once past the trap, the well leads to the other nearby well. If you want to add to this section, drop your party into a cave map and have them run another battle encounter before dropping them back out at the nearby well.
10. Coal Lit Throneroom
You step out onto a bridge spanning a deep gorge with a fast-moving river flowing below. Steps lead across the bridge and down to a large chamber lined with braziers. Smoke from the braziers hangs in the air, the coals' glow illuminating the chamber in a red flickering light. Ornate pillars positioned along the walls hold up the shadowy vaulted roof. At the rear of the chamber is a flight of steps leading up to a huge stone-carved throne.
This encounter will be the big bad of this dungeon. Most likely someone who is magically inclined.
Utilise the magic circle to summon extra threats if needed.
Add guards flanking the throne, or have other monsters lined up along the walls, paying court to whoever sits on the throne.
You don’t have to use the throne. Maybe this is some abandoned dungeon, and now a monstrous creature uses this chamber for its lair.
Use the circle as an explanation as to how the monster got here.
Variants
You get candlelit and unlit variants.
You also get a Frozen or Snow variant. For when your big bad guy has a mountain hideout or winter retreat!
And you also get a Nine Hells or Lava variant for the inevitable time your party is sent to hell.
Comments
Afternoon Maps
Thanks Evan, I always think of these as one-shot material :)
Evan TM
Yes! I love me a good dungeon map, and these are such a perfect size!
