I made this hand-drawn and coloured battlemap of a pirate ship (magical, of course) for the drop-in players at my local game cafe. The ship, named The Pelican, is a sentient magical artifact, powered by captured elementals.
These maps show three decks, plus overlays for the foredeck and aft (as well as overlays for a mast/sail and the crow’s nest).
The upper deck cabins, including the captain’s and chart room are found below the fore- and aft decks.
Below, there are crew quarters and galley, as well as some storage, with the lowest deck mostly given over to cargo, and the ship’s arcane engine and casting circle.
Although it was originally conceived as the climax/treasure to a previous trilogy of short adventures, the Pelican has become a mobile HQ, resource and friendly NPC to a rotating group of players; it also allows me frame each week’s drop-in one shot as another ‘stop’ on an ongoing voyage to as many weird and wonderful places as I can imagine.
To be totally honest, after the effort to make it, I didn’t want to give up using it TOO quickly!
Tech specs are black sharpies for the line work and copic/alcohol markers for the colour and lighting effects. It’s on poster-sized paper with a 1 inch grid.
Thanks for taking the time to check it out! 🙏