#mapmake

[celezart]

Sea creatures

Various medieval sea monsters that I draw on my fantasy maps

[cmaidaartworkblog]

This video showcases my Blender model of the planet that the Scud aliens call home, the fourth and final world I've mapped out for @jayrockin's "Runaway to the Stars" project. A *lot* of maps were created in service of this final render, and also in service of presenting the special qualities of this planet. I intend to show you as many of these as I can under the cut, and also in subsequent posts focusing on some of the more interstitial, ancillary maps and figures that played a part in producing the primary maps you'll see in this main post.

Before I show the first maps I made for this project, what you see below are the satellite-style maps for the Equinoxes and Solstices, in order of (Northern) Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, the latter serving as the texture for the Blender object you saw in the video.

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With that matter covered, our next focus is this project's foundation: Geology. While I didn't spin as elaborate a tectonic history for this planet as I did for the Ayrum commission, I did work out as much detail as I could for the more recent geological activity, to set the stage for the elevation data - including a narrower focus on the coastal shallows that host the Scud populations.

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Once I could move on to climate, my first step was finding this planet's relative Insolation, which I managed thanks to @reversedumbrella's code and coaching. With an obliquity of only 16 degrees, this planet's yearly maximum Insolation levels stick close to the equator, compared to pole-to-pole oscillation we see on Earth

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Having a rough sense of where heat would concentrate seasonally and how the landmasses would deflect water in light of the planet's retrograde spin, I was able to set down the bi-annual ocean currents (Northern Summer above and Northern Winter below), then the monthly water temperatures pushed around by said currents, and finally -after factoring in many other considerations- the monthly land temperatures as well (combined in the second gif)

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Next came the seasonal air pressure maps and subsequent wind patterns (my first time creating those from scratch), which later factored into the precipitation maps. The incredible temperatures at the largest continent's interior make a desert of most of it, and the other interiors are fairly dry too, but all that heat on the equatorial ocean generates a *lot* of evaporation which ends up coming down elsewhere.

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With temperatures and precipitation mapped out for each month, I was able to find how the accumulation and melt of ice and snow played out, too. Given such a hot equator it's surprising to see freezing temperatures hold out in some places, but low obliquity and high elevation shield what areas they can, it seems.

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All this monthly data was then painstakingly combined and compared and plugged into equations to produce maps of discrete climate zones, using both the Köppen (left) and Trewartha (right) classification systems. The higher latitudes see some overlap with Earth's conditions, but the Tropics...

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I never really finished the map I wanted to make with my own loosely customized classification system, but I *did* get as far as this breakdown of the areas that sometimes surpass 56.7 degrees Celsius, Earth's record for highest surface temperature ever directly measured. And as you can see, that earthly record is broken by a *significant* fraction of this planet's surface, and far exceeded by the equatorial continent's deep interior

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The final phase of this project dealt with creating satellite maps of this planet's surface (which you saw at the top of this post), which started with a map of dry and submerged substrate, then a density map of the vegetation that sits atop it, then the colors of that vegetation under annual average conditions (demonstrating how they would appear in-person, rather than the area's appearance from orbit), and finally plant colors under seasonal conditions (same conceit as previous). In concert with the seasonal ice and snow maps, it was the four maps in the last sequence which were overlaid on the Substrate map, using the plant density map as raster masks, to produce the final Satellite-Style maps.

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This planet's sophonts being a marine species, it was then worth focusing on the conditions underwater, which included monthly seafloor temperatures (first gif), annual discharge of sediment from rivers (magenta in the 2nd gif), and seasonal upwelling of nutrients from deeper water (blue in the 2nd gif).

The creation of all my maps seen in this post was possible thanks to Photopea, which has been my go-to for several years now. The resolution kinda got crunched when I uploaded these here, so when I share them on Reddit later I'll add those links under this. These have also already been posted on Twitter, which you can see here if you like. Thanks for scrolling all the way down here!

[machiavellianwaffles-blog]

Map of the Solar System from Signalis

[garthwyn]

shalhavar height map (WIP)

hello i never update this blog heehoo, here's a thing i've been working on for a big long while, i'm a big geography fan and this is just one of my many obsessive mapping endeavors

so as you can tell, this is still a WIP, but i'm very pleased with how it is looking so far, this map depicts the topography of Shalhavar, the country where most of my character cast (and lore) is based in

[haematicartwork]

Another ttrpg i recently tried is The Lonesome Cartographer, a solo mapmaking rpg by Wren-the-Forester on Itch.io (are they on tumblr? if so, i‘d love to find them!)

It is a fantastic game and i spent a lovely hour or so letting my mind wander with just a piece of paper, a pencil, a d6 and tarot cards. I made up the story and lore of the places as i went, with whatever came to mind. After, I scanned it and coloured it digitally.

I recommend it severely to anyone wanting to get back into the groove of spontaneous creating, especially if you‘ve been stressed and trapped in the systematics of daily life. This session and the map it resulted in inspired me to start making my own little ttrpg test system, Henoimos, which I am currently working on refining.

[ultimavela]

"Up is Out" is now in drivethrurpg !!

Up is Out is a co-op solo role playing game of exploration, resource management, map making, journaling, asymmetrical roles, and lore creation, that uses books you already own as sources to spark your imagination.

If anyone plays it, I'd love to hear your thoughts and know if you had fun with it :)

[vivsinkpot]

How to Name Fantasy Places (Without Pulling Random Letters Out of a Hat)

Worldbuilding is all about making things feel real—and names carry the weight of your entire world’s history, culture, and mystery. So here’s a foolproof method for naming places that actually feel like places.

Step 1: Decide What This Place Means to the People Who Named It

Every name tells a story. Ask yourself:

What did the first people to settle or discover this place notice?

What is this location known for?

Is it sacred, cursed, rich, desolate?

Examples:

A towering forest could be called Whispergrove (for the sound of the leaves or the myths around it).

A desert ravine where travelers vanish might be The Hollow Path.

Step 2: Choose a Naming Style (Consistent with Your World)

Think about the culture that named it. Do they use:

Compound words (e.g. Stormwatch, Ravenfell)?

Descriptive + noun (e.g. Blackmoor, Silverdeep)?

Old tongue or language rules (e.g. Eldrinor, Vaskhara)?

Functional or mundane names (e.g. Southfield, The Western Reach)?

Stay consistent within a region or people group. Language = worldbuilding.

Step 3: Use This Naming Formula When You’re Stuck

If your brain’s fried and nothing sounds right, here’s a go-to naming formula that always gets the job done:

[Adjective or Descriptive Element] + [Geographic Term or Feature]

Try words like:

Descriptive: black, silent, shattered, ancient, golden, hollow, crimson

Features: hill, pass, reach, coast, vale, hold, watch, spine, hearth, barrow, fen

Examples:

Ashfen – a burnt wetland

Crimson Hold – a fortress with a bloodstained history

The Broken Reach – a territory that collapsed after war

Frosthollow – a snow-laden valley

You can also reverse it:

Glenmor (Glen = valley, Mor = great)

Ridgewyn – (Ridge = feature, wyn = an invented or repurposed word suggesting wind or joy)

Step 4: Don’t Be Afraid to Steal from Real Life (and Twist It)

Real world etymology is your friend:

Latin roots: Aurum Vale (Gold Valley)

Norse/Germanic: Drakenfjord (Dragon Fjord)

Old English: Thorneby (Settlement of Thorns)

Mash these with your own invented words or blend them with existing ones to sound just unfamiliar enough.

Step 5: Keep a Masterlist

Once you’ve named a few places, keep a naming glossary. This keeps your language consistent and helps with world cohesion.

Bonus: Don’t Try to Be Clever Every Time

Not every place needs to sound mystical. A town named Bridgemarket or Eastmere can be just as immersive. Let some names be simple. That’s what makes the epic ones stand out.

TL;DR

What does the place mean to the people who named it?

Pick a naming style that fits your world.

Use: [Descriptive] + [Feature] = instant immersion.

Pull from real etymology and adapt.

Keep it consistent—and don’t overcomplicate.

[skaldish]

I’m currently cooped up and I have the weirdest request crossing my mind:

Cartography tumblr, I want to know about the most dogshit maps we have. These can be modern maps, or historical maps that would have been considered Bad by their contemporaries’ standards.

Barring that, I’m all for some weird map facts.

Help a guy out?

[theoasiswinds]

Took 2 doodle breaks today.. no breaks tomorrow

[batnip]

Reversed Karma AU

A Rainworld Alternate Universe.

...

 The.. triple affirmative has been found- the affirmative that a ..solution has been found, the affirmative that the..solution is portable, and the affirmative that technical implementation is possible and generally applicable.

I remember that cycle... ancients swarmed the stuff, only privilege given to the founder, Sliver of Straw, was leaving us first.

And then cycle by cycle, our parents left..

Spoilered for absurd about of text, and general spoilers.

Saint never wanted to ascend anything. And by the time every last ancient was dead and gone, cycles passed, and structures fell. The green fuzzy thing was not once fuzzy, growing a coat as the rain sent by iterators stopped.

- - So it trailed along, guilty for what was not its fault, bringing iterators to life again. With a new name, [Pilgrim].

-- Footnote : Karma needs are reversed with the Pilgrim. Dying will up their karma, surviving will lower it. Secret passages will be added to cross gates you cannot with low karma, as it is needed to progress. =======================================

Rivulet is an odd case. I wanted them to obviously give rarefaction cells, as they did to Moon originally. So the tale goes they were created by a rebellious, younger Ancient who was fond of life and the cycle. One who refused the common ideals.

-- The swift little mouse they created, was given their own ability to create low-density rarefaction cells (singularity bombs) and refine them into more high-quality cells which the Ancient learned themself.

-- As soon as the news was spread to the general public of the triple affirmative, they sent the [Technician] out into the world, wearing several pearls describing their mission. ===========

Monk and Survivor lived with their colony, and were sent to scout a new home for the colony by the [Mapmaker]. They are named [Guard] and [Scout] in Reversed Karma. They brought Scout's two slugpups with them, even if the journey was dangerous, finding a new home for Scout pups was important to both Scout and their Sibling.

-- They find the tree in journey's end, Guard staying with the pups there as Scout tells the rest of the colony, including the leader, Mapmaker.

-- Footnote: Monk still brings Moon her cloak and several pearls. =========================================

The [Mapmaker] replaces Gourmand in Reversed Karma, making a map for their colony to follow. They are the leader of their colony.

-- Very similar to vanilla, leaving current living to the tree, showing the colony to the new home.

-- Footnote : Rain is beginning to return to normal, without cold mechanic. =====================================

The [Traveler] replaces Hunter in Reversed Karma, created by Five Pebbles to check on the local group. They spawn in the grounds of Unparralled Innocence. They do not have the Rot due to Five Pebbles more careful creation of a purposed organism compared to No Significant Harrassment.

-- Footnote : Cold mechanics are in work in these areas, as UI and CW were revived later than LTTM and FP.

-- Footnote : You may optionally visit Chasing Wind. ==========

The [Mother] replaces Artificer in Reversed Karma. Their slugpups are both alive, with the same explosive quality. They give Pebbles back his cloak and become a citizen after Sofanthiel locks onto them.

-- Footnote : Mother has bad reputation with scavengers due to passing tolls without payment before the campaign. They get a backspear due to one less hand slot having two pups.

-- Footnote : Rain has returned to normal.

-- Footnote : Mother has reduced food needs compared to vanilla Artificer due to needing to feed their pups. ===============

The [Messenger] replaces Spearmaster in Reversed Karma. They were created by Seven Red Suns to send messages between them and their friends, similar to [Traveler]'s check-ins with other iterators.

-- Footnote : Messenger has a mouth, and cannot duel wield spears.

================================================

A note from the OP: I hope you like them.. I've been wanting to show them off for a while. One of my headcannons for iterators was that the natural urges are coded into them with anti-ascension stuff. Like. Make ascension for us, but not for you. This is why they were wildly unsuccessful in finding the triple affirmative. Also.. Tumblr nuked quality of my image :c If u read all this and liked it perhaps a rb?? also hehe funny number thank u all

[jomindraws]

Backrooms Found Footage #3 Full Map (Kane Pixels Backrooms) Spent about 9 hours yesterday scouring the new found footage video by Kane Pixels to construct this full map just from the footage and by making best-guess inferences.

Some areas are easy-to-follow, while other areas are extremely difficult (usually due to the cutting of the camera and appearing somewhere completely different). But by using subtle inferences (such as the garage door areas, the elevator, etc), and backtracking several areas, an almost full drawn map can be made.

You can track the progress of our protagonist by following the black line at the beginning through his entire journey.

(AND of course if you haven't watched Mr. Kane Pixel's Backrooms video yet silly, I suggest you watch it!!! You can follow along the protagonists journey during the video if you like)

[mightofmerchants]

Galdur's Bate Red.

[machiavellianwaffles-blog]

Map of Cyrodill from the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

[mapdoctor]

Dragon Graveyard [25x37]

Somewhere high, near the mountain peak, a dragon collapsed mid-flight and fell to the ground. What happened to the mightiest creature of your setting? Dragons don't die of old age, especially mid-flight... There may be a party of adventurers looking for a quest!

Patreon- for just 5$ get 1000+ battlemaps!

Roll20

[drakomachina]

an (in-universe) MHS2 continent map!!! the ingame map is a bit hard to see + tilted at a certain angle, so i wanted to make a “headcanon” map for my own mhs2 canon.

typically with big maps like this i’d have a tectonic plate map + biome/climate region maps but that’s gonna take me quite a bit to figure out with this messed up fantasy geology. watch out for that in the future because i am, in fact, deranged enough to do plate tectonics for this continent and it’s landforms.

this is (technically) a redo of an older MHS2 map I made a while back that never made its way onto tumblr.. since i’m investing lots of time into my current mhs related project, i thought it deserved a fresh coat of paint :]

[thegoodnameeal]

Map of the continent of Roshar from the Stormlight Archive

Made this back in early 2023... and didn't notice the two (?) missing nations or the slight mistake of the veracity of the altitude of a certain place.

https://inkarnate.com/p/PMv1gN/maps/A1LKVd

It's freely editable here if you have an Inkarnate subscription.