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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 17 Mar 2018 :  18:15:39  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Currently correcting the river system in Pelvuria (Great Glacier) - its atrocious. Plus, I have to modify one of the larger lakes just a tad to sync-it with what Brian James did in 4e (MotA). More like splitting the difference between where FR14 put it and where that 4e map placed it (and also have a river lead-off from it from a slightly different spot, because of the geographic shift).

Anyhow, how do people feel about Eskimos (Ulutiuns) using Icicle nunchuks? Just a thought...

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 17 Mar 2018 18:16:30
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 18 Mar 2018 :  03:30:45  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay

Anyhow, how do people feel about Eskimos (Ulutiuns) using Icicle nunchuks? Just a thought...



Seems a bit of a stretch, to me. From what I've read, nunchaku were originally an agricultural implement that got turned into a weapon.

Not much agriculture in Arctic conditions.

I'd expect more spears, harpoons, and pick-like weapons than anything else, for Arctic types.

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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 18 Mar 2018 :  16:34:05  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It was just a random thought is all... Ninja Inuit!

You see, as I am drawing an area, I actually 'see' (in my head) the peoples living there, and what they would be like, and there were a couple of settlements fairly close to each other (most are very far apart), and I thought they'd be fighting over resources, and then the image of nunchuks made out of icicles popped into my head.

And they could have a power to solidify a snowflake and make it grow... snowball throwing stars!

YES, the idea is completely ludicrous... but it is making me very giddy ATM. I have to do something to keep myself amused. Anyhow, FR''s Eskimo-like peoples ARE from Kara-Tur originally. There is a reference to a very large tribe 'disappearing over the top of the world'.

Maybe I'll save my 'Ice Ninja' idea for Sossal...

EDIT:
I'm still looking for that Thar article by Rich Baker (it came out in conjunction with the first novel of his Blades of the Moonsea, which I enjoyed). THIS was the map that had gone with the article, and I am only finding a couple of copies of that floating around.

Nevermind - FOUND IT! I hadn't thunked to check the references in the FRwiki - it was hot-linked to the archive.
https://web.archive.org/web/20130531140238/http://www.wizards.com/DND/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drrl/20071217a

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 20 Mar 2018 16:38:28
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 20 Mar 2018 :  12:21:52  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by Markustay

Anyhow, how do people feel about Eskimos (Ulutiuns) using Icicle nunchuks? Just a thought...



Seems a bit of a stretch, to me. From what I've read, nunchaku were originally an agricultural implement that got turned into a weapon.

Not much agriculture in Arctic conditions.

I'd expect more spears, harpoons, and pick-like weapons than anything else, for Arctic types.



Icepicks connected by a chain? That way if you lose hold of it, you don't lose it. Doubling as a weapon. Not the same thing, but the picture popped in my head when you said ice pick.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 20 Mar 2018 :  16:43:10  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hmmmm... that's pretty clever. Duel icepicks on a chain, or even one a hammer and the other a pick. Of course, now that sounds more like a weapon for the Arctic Dwarves.

And you know, as a cartographer I take exception to the term 'Arctic Dwarf'. That's a geographic location, NOT a climate! That's like saying 'French Elves', or 'German Dwarves' (and yet, I can picture both of those).

EDIT:
And thanks to Zhentil keep, I had to bring one of my old icons out of retirement - the 'Occupied Ruin' (which is somewhat different than a ruin that is occupied LOL). Because I am trying to make the map useful in multiple eras/editions, that particular locale is problematic, and thus bringing back a confusing icon was necessary.

I have to post a set of my symbols, soon, with explanations. I've been trying to keep them self-explanatory, and most are, but since I use three separate ones for 'ruins' explanations are in order.

The one that actually looks like a ruin is for ancient ruins, and what that means is, those are very much exactly like RW ruins. It is most likely unoccupied, and will almost never have 'underground features' (because then I'd use the other icon). Think of them the same way you would ancient Roman, Egyptian, or Greek ruins - just a fun place to look at. I rarely use this one, BTW, since in D&D its typically more interesting to have stuff in a locale.

Plain Black Square - this is the standard D&D icon for 'ruin', and it it almost always means 'here there be monsters'. It's the basic symbol for 'Dungeon' (a place you want to send your adventurers to). It could be a very ancient ruin, like those above, but something is living there, and they probably have treasure.

The return of the 'Occupied Ruin', which is a plain black square with a empty square (hole) in the middle. While this sounds like the same thing as the one above, its not. This isn't a 'dungeon', its a settlement (although perhaps not necessarily a human one). Its really the perfect symbol for Zhentil Keep at this point, since the place has been trashed several times now. I suppose technically this same symbol could be used for Calimport, but since Calimport has been looking like a shambles for thousands of years people don't really consider it 'a ruin' - they think of it is an 'artistic choice'.

The plain square also comes in two sizes: small = 'singular structure or compound', while the bigger means village or larger. So we have small dungeon, large dungeon, 'sightseeing', and 'folks still live here even though its a craphole'.

EDIT: I almost forgot - there is another one! I only just created this one and am still considering whether using it would be helpful or not. It's a black square with a 'D' in the middle, and it just means there is a published adventure associated with it.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 20 Mar 2018 17:40:11
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 21 Mar 2018 :  05:21:56  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Anyone know what Arauvuddelve on the FRIA map oF the Dalelands is? I think it's supposed to be a keep. Its in a region of Cormanthor called 'Mosstrunks' (and any info on that would be cool too).

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone

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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6638 Posts

Posted - 21 Mar 2018 :  06:50:50  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay

Anyone know what Arauvuddelve on the FRIA map oF the Dalelands is? I think it's supposed to be a keep. Its in a region of Cormanthor called 'Mosstrunks' (and any info on that would be cool too).



It would be in reference to this from Ed (scroll through THO's answers):

http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15988&whichpage=49

Eric likely named it and put it in the FRIA.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 21 Mar 2018 :  08:06:50  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It seems like a very odd place for a dwarf-hold to turn up.

I think, perhaps, Daern Claundon was mistaken, and the ruins were of something else (being a dwarf, he may have decided they were so finely wrought they must have been dwarven).

And if I had to take a guess, I'd say they predated the Elven Court and Cormanthyr, and were probably Giantish (it did say 'ruins', which means there was some evidence, but no intact structures, I would imagine, and dwarves DO tend to build on an enormous scale for some reason).

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 21 Mar 2018 08:11:29
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 23 Mar 2018 :  20:10:30  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Anyone know what Eye's Fortress in Spiderhaunt Woods is?

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone

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Kentinal
Great Reader

4684 Posts

Posted - 23 Mar 2018 :  21:32:26  Show Profile Send Kentinal a Private Message  Reply with Quote
AD&D TSR 9455 "Marco Volo Arrival" indicates a Crystal Fortress as location of the Dragonking's
Eye. The PCs are to seek it out.

It is listed as center of the woods.

It should perhaps also be noted that the Dragonking's
Eye created the crystal fortress.

Also if the PCs complete the task the fortress lies in ruins. At best one might find ruins consisting of crystal shards I would guess.

"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon

Edited by - Kentinal on 23 Mar 2018 21:33:38
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 23 Mar 2018 :  22:17:42  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Thank You - I always forget about those adventures.

I suppose a 'ruin' symbol works either way.

EDIT:
I've only just noticed something for the 1st time (which is crazy, considering I've been studying these maps for over fifteen years). I was trying to get the perfect placement for Myth Drannor, and I have both the Dalelands map and the Cormanthor map as layers to do so (I should probably add-in the Cormanthyr map as well). As I was switching the two on and off, at one point I had both 'off' and I was still seeing Myth Drannor - I forgot I had left the 2e Moonsea map layer on, which sits 'below' them. Now, that map shows Myth Drannor a bit too far north, but that's not even the issue here.

On that one and only map, there is a honking big 'lonely mountain' sitting right at the end of the Mistledale Scar.

Seems I was wrong about the meteorite trajectory - it was heading the other way. I actually prefer this, because I was having some trouble justifying the other direction (the unnamed cluster of mountains sitting between the Thunder Peaks and the Desertmouth Mountains are really all part of one long chain on Ed's original maps, so those mountains are likely native and natural). On the Fonstad Atlas Maps you can see 'Thunder Peaks' written across the entire chain.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 24 Mar 2018 01:38:45
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2018 :  20:31:21  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I've had to add a few other icons into the mix - I will definitely be needing to post a new map Key at some point (once these are all finalized). I had a 'natural shrine' (holy place) icon that I had created for the east (K-T), because that place is full of those - it was just a Yin-Yang symbol. This would be different from a temple, which is a constructed holy site. I am also going to be using a different symbol in the east for those (I started using a little 'church', which is more self-explanatory than the old triangle one, but I realized that is not appropriate for eastern religions). Anyhow, the yin-Yang aso replaced my old 'Ancestor mound' icon from The North, because I felt that one was fine, and basically meant the same thing (a natural location having to do with 'the balance', or things in nature, which would include beasts/Ancestors).

Unfortunately, as I am doing Cormanthor right now, I started using it there as well, for Elven sites, and the Yin-Yang just look wrong to me (although one could argue that eastern religion and Elven have many similarities). I can't use a tree, since I am currently using trees for two other icons (although one is unique - The Grandfather Tree), so I've gone with Corellon's little-known 'Horned God' aspect, not so much because its very elven, but because then I can also use it for druids sites... maybe (I was also using the Yin-Yang for those, which was even worse than using it for Elves, but I also have a totally different one for Menhirs, which most druid sites are). So, a Stag-head will be elf and druid-related 'holy sites'.

And Eldath Portals will just be a drop of water for now. I put a 'P' in the center of it, but since I wasn't using the water droplet for anything else, I decided against the 'P' (it's actually the blue mana icon from MtG).

EDIT:
Oh, and I found yet-another oddly placed mountain in the forest - Venom's Knoll. Its still well within the forest on the Cormanthyr map (Arcane Age), but it is Haptooth Hill on more recent maps (so on the edge of the forest now). Not sure what to do here - the lore does say the caverns collapsed when Venom was defeated (so there's probably a Moonblade under there), so perhaps the 'smallish' mountain turned into a hill?

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 26 Mar 2018 05:33:11
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer

USA
1098 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2018 :  21:35:05  Show Profile  Visit Brian R. James's Homepage Send Brian R. James a Private Message  Reply with Quote
For reference, the recent maps of the Moonshae Isles use a crescent moon symbol to denote Moonwells. A more generic, sacred grove symbol would probably work, but I'd recommend against using a Yin-Yang glyph for natural shrines, since that evokes a real world faith.

Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer

Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2018 :  23:47:48  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well, 'Yin-Yang' is more of a 'balance' thing, so it relates to druidism very well. Only problem is, it also invokes specific ethnic groups, which is counter to what I am trying to do with an expanded icon set (I want it to be self-explanatory, and it seems the more I go for that, the more I feel I need to explain things LOL).

When I was playing around with a new icon for 'nature site' (or rather, site holy to nature), at one point I had a crescent moon above the deer head for my 'Master of the Hunt', which looked great at the large size I created it, but when I reduced it to icon-size, not so much. It was one of several layouts I had tried. I guess I can repurposed the moon when I get to the Moonshaes. I could always use the moon as a generic 'Well of Power' symbol, but since most of those are located in-doors (except for the Moonwells), there is usually a different symbol that is more appropriate in that case (normally a ruin).

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone

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Kentinal
Great Reader

4684 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2018 :  00:26:29  Show Profile Send Kentinal a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Icons are hard. I would think for nature something more like a plant. That though certainly is all ready indicated by trees and waves of grain.
If looking for a plant icon for nature that I have not seen, I would offer a flower as an idea.

The moon has as much to do with nature as the sun or a rain cloud. Too wide I would think and also with so many moon deities there is that problem as well.

Just my impression, not sure if it helps or hurts your efforts.

"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2018 :  03:32:33  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
For druid circles and such, how about something like a stylized leaf/berry cluster, signifying the mistletoe that real-world druids were supposed to have been very enthusiastic about?

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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2018 :  03:39:03  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I have a really nice leaf icon, but it doesn't invoke any sort of feeling of 'holy site'.

But now that you made me think of it, I may use that for an elf-village icon, rather than the tree. I've been wanting to use something other than a tree for an elf settlement, because not all elf settlements are tree-villages. They DO build regular cities. However, once I start using different icons for different 'branches' of a race, it gets crazy.

On the other hand, I have switched to three different icons for dragon lairs (good/metallic, evil/chromatic, and dracolich). I think I am losing my mind - a map should only need to convey so much information.

I have a new 'Orc Face' icon. It means there are Orc faces in the area.
I tried finding an elven one like that, but they all looked like christmas Elves.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone

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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2018 :  03:44:52  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I'm over in Impiltur for the moment. It needed some love. I had to finally redraw that lake I've been hating on. I think it looks pretty good now. I did the rest of the stuff in that little area while I was there (a few towns, some mines, etc). Now I've wandered over into The Vast... trying to figure-out where I found 'Centaur's Flight' (road/path) all those years ago (I can only find it on one of my old maps, but that's not a name I would have come up with - I recall some lore having gone with it as well. It might even be OGB).

Weird how The Vast has more settlements than Impiltur - we need to fix that. Maybe the fiends keep eating everybody.

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

For druid circles and such, how about something like a stylized leaf/berry cluster, signifying the mistletoe that real-world druids were supposed to have been very enthusiastic about?

I've been using an animal paw print for Menhirs/druid Circles for awhile now. Its just been so long since I've visited where most of them are (Lands of Intrigue).

It not only invokes the whole D&D druid thing with the paw, but it also looks abit like a 'stone circle'.

I should use a Pot Leaf for High Elves.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 26 Mar 2018 05:30:38
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6638 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2018 :  11:52:59  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
There are plenty of settlements in Impiltur. Just not on your map!

— George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2018 :  14:12:52  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hey, just a thought. I have a program for making fonts. Its called High Logic Font Creator. I used it to create some of the more foreign fonts that I found on like the Kara-Tur Map, the horde boxed set, etc... However, I found the most useful thing I found was when I wanted to put little pictures beside spell names in a spell list to denote the source that it came from. Would that be useful for your mapping? Essentially, you could open a text box and type whatever letter corresponds to whatever image you want, change the size easily by just changing the font, and color it whatever color you want by just changing the font color. It won't work well for any multi-colored art, or anything really solid, but if you have some kind of line art image, it works pretty good. Granted, I haven't done much with it (made a few different "leaping flames", a symbol of Savras, a skull, and a genie's lamp), but if you've got some basic symbols you'd like to use, it could be worth it. I was considering taking the black and white god images from the old gray box for instance and making a font out of them. Getting a clean black and white version is the big thing.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2018 :  15:20:52  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas

Hey, just a thought. I have a program for making fonts. Its called High Logic Font Creator. I used it to create some of the more foreign fonts that I found on like the Kara-Tur Map, the horde boxed set, etc... However, I found the most useful thing I found was when I wanted to put little pictures beside spell names in a spell list to denote the source that it came from. Would that be useful for your mapping? Essentially, you could open a text box and type whatever letter corresponds to whatever image you want, change the size easily by just changing the font, and color it whatever color you want by just changing the font color. It won't work well for any multi-colored art, or anything really solid, but if you have some kind of line art image, it works pretty good. Granted, I haven't done much with it (made a few different "leaping flames", a symbol of Savras, a skull, and a genie's lamp), but if you've got some basic symbols you'd like to use, it could be worth it. I was considering taking the black and white god images from the old gray box for instance and making a font out of them. Getting a clean black and white version is the big thing.



This is a good idea, but there is a potential issue with it... If the symbol is loaded as a separate character, it won't show if someone doesn't have that font listed on their computer.

Now, if it's on the map as just another image or part of the image, it's fine. But if it's seen by the computer as a text character, then the font has to be on the computer for it to show correctly.

I made that mistake once, many years ago, when I first discovered that you could download fonts from the internet.

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2018 :  15:59:34  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas

Hey, just a thought. I have a program for making fonts. Its called High Logic Font Creator. I used it to create some of the more foreign fonts that I found on like the Kara-Tur Map, the horde boxed set, etc... However, I found the most useful thing I found was when I wanted to put little pictures beside spell names in a spell list to denote the source that it came from. Would that be useful for your mapping? Essentially, you could open a text box and type whatever letter corresponds to whatever image you want, change the size easily by just changing the font, and color it whatever color you want by just changing the font color. It won't work well for any multi-colored art, or anything really solid, but if you have some kind of line art image, it works pretty good. Granted, I haven't done much with it (made a few different "leaping flames", a symbol of Savras, a skull, and a genie's lamp), but if you've got some basic symbols you'd like to use, it could be worth it. I was considering taking the black and white god images from the old gray box for instance and making a font out of them. Getting a clean black and white version is the big thing.



This is a good idea, but there is a potential issue with it... If the symbol is loaded as a separate character, it won't show if someone doesn't have that font listed on their computer.

Now, if it's on the map as just another image or part of the image, it's fine. But if it's seen by the computer as a text character, then the font has to be on the computer for it to show correctly.

I made that mistake once, many years ago, when I first discovered that you could download fonts from the internet.



Depends on how someone is making their maps. If they're for instance making JPEG's, etc... then the imagery is there, as you said. For this concept, I'm actualy offering my services if anyone has a bunch of line art that they'd like to have made into a font set for use on maps (this isn't entirely altruistic... I'd like some line art of general "fantasy" type things for myself). Then again, depending on their program, it may be just as easy to insert the graphic.

The one good thing though in making it a font (and probably what I should have explained up front as well, as its absolutely not obvious why I did this), is that if I insert the font as black and white, it treats the background as if it didn't exist. Thus, where you might paste in an image, you'd have an annoying background color. But, when you make it text and "write" it into the image, you don't have that.

BTW, if anyone happens to have clean images of some black and white FR symbols even (I'd love to have the ones from Cloak and Dagger for instance... I've tried to snip them and "bleach" them down from greyscale and I just lose too much imagery), I'd gladly create us a font of FR symbols (such as heraldic symbols, symbols for groups or religions, trail marks, whatever). I'd even gladly give the font up here for download.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2018 :  18:35:15  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I believe there is a way of attaching a font set to a pdf, for when I eventually do them as layered maps. I only know/think this because sometimes I download a pdf and I get the error message that the 'font wasn't loaded correctly', and some characters don't appear right (and then in another of that same pdf, the font loads just fine and I can see everything as it was in the original sourcebook). Thus, I think it all has to do with whoever made the original pdf and how good they were at making them - you should be able to insert any font you want, then. However, for 'flat maps', which are what I am doing ATM, the fonts won't matter because the image has been flattened into a jpg, as Slevas has pointed out above.

Anyhow, back in the day, before I had the house fire, ALL of my map icons were done in vector graphics, because I had the PS Suite with Illustrator. Now I just have a separate page with all my icons and I constantly paste (although as a map develops, I have to use that page less and less, since I can just grab the images off the map itself). I use to have building images on that same page, but now I've done enough towns that I have a whole separate page of buildings. I even started a third for furniture (not that I have done too many at that scale - just two so far). Basically, it acts as a 'palette' I can dip into (I keep colors there as well), and whenever I finally get my new/old computer working with the graphics card (its only been since AUGUST!!!), I should be able to use dual monitors and I can keep the palette open on the second monitor, rather than switching windows. I also hope to be using my new/old (still haven't used it and its over a year) drawing tablet, because I'm pretty good at freehand and that should help A LOT. I really need to just bite the bullet and try getting that working again (it was only a thousand dollars thrown right out the window

As for what you are talking about Sleyvas - I've been wanting to do that for YEARS. PS had vector graphics built-in, with lots of shapes, and I could add custom shapes, so fonts (which are a specific application of vectors) weren't necessary back then. Now I use GIMP, which is amazing for Freeware, but it doesn't have vector graphics, so no customizable shapes. Thus my switching to my 'sideboard' method. It does have fonts, which don't work nearly as well as they did in PS (because PS had vectors, you could customize the fonts on-the-fly, and warp text, which GIMP does not do, directly), but having a Font set with all the icons would be lovely. When I finalize my set I'll have to ask for your help.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 26 Mar 2018 18:40:19
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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USA
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Posted - 26 Mar 2018 :  19:40:44  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I've seen fonts attached to pdfs, but all I ever do with pdfs is read them and extract images, so I'll be dipped as to how the adding a font to one is done.

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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 27 Mar 2018 :  19:28:13  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
@Krash - Is it Laviguar (how it is on the Dragon #346 map) or Lariguar? (How it is on every other map)

And what is it? Size I mean - Town, village, what?

Its good thing you don't need the Night's Watch to man that wall anymore.
(You should really open that thing up again... the Orcs are LONG gone)

EDIT:
I see its spelled 'Laviguar' in the article as well. Any reason for the change (other than to annoy cartographers, I mean?)

I'm going to call it a hamlet, and the other a thorp, since they are 'mining settlements'. It REALLY would make much more sense for Ithfell to be in the middle, BTW. The Spellplague DID do some odd things...

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 27 Mar 2018 19:33:34
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6638 Posts

Posted - 28 Mar 2018 :  01:39:51  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It’s Laviguer. It’s a mining hub but basically the city that has grown up down the road from Tower Ithfell - which as you know is much closer to it than the #346 map shows. And as for the wall ... there’s a new one now. The Haelim built it.

— George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 28 Mar 2018 :  07:02:42  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
There are only three subdivisons among the elves (not counting the oddities like Sea Elves, Lythari, and Avariel). You know, after typing that, they should have just called Sea Elves 'Tritons' and not had both. Its redundant, and I hate having to type two separate words for a branch of something.

We have High Elves (Eladrin/Fey), Sylan (Wood/Green), and Dark Elves. I could have separate icons for the two surface groups (and I am actually starting to like the pot-leaf for the High Elves LOL), but I don't have a separate icon for Dark Elves. I just use a regular settlement icon and color it purple, but the problem with that is that I use that same methodology for ALL Underdark races (although I suppose I could use a purple version of the dwarf icon for Duergar & Derro). I really don't want to have separate icons for ALL the races, and in most cases, its completely unnecessary. For instance, I only know of only one 'town' of ogres (in Erlkazar), so I wouldn't create an Ogre icon just for one spot. Orcs, on the other hand, are everywhere (although they don't really have 'towns', per se). That's another problem I am having - most of the time, when I use a humanoid icon, I mean that there is a noteworthy (named) tribe in the area, but then how do I differentiate between them and a regular 'town' of humanoids? I was using dark red to signify a 'monstrous' settlement (that's still a 'normal' settlement otherwise - people CAN go there, and maybe even trade - there are more of those than people realize), so i may stick with that. At the same time, I do not have separate icons for gnomes and hin - I just use the normal icons for their settlements (thus, its less about race, and more about the style of town, in which case High Elves don't need an icon (wood Elves still would, because their 'tree villages' are not regular style settlements).

But then there are some gnome settlements (and maybe a couple of hin ones, but I can't think of any) that are more like tunnels (warrens), so I'm torn there as well. You can only convey so much info with an icon. And I don't want to go too crazy with color-coding the icons (thus far, it only underdark {purple} and Sea (blue) settlements that are colorized). And now I've even gone for a 'depth' thing on my Nentir Vale conversion map - three shades of purple for lower, middle, and upper Underdark. {sigh}


"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 29 Mar 2018 05:38:08
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 29 Mar 2018 :  02:07:44  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
HOLY CR@P - So, I got it in my head to go ahead and make the font I was talking about with various FR Symbols. So, apparently I never bought the TSR city of splendors boxed set long ago.... and so I'm scrolling through it and it has the noble house heraldic symbols as full size.... you don't want to know how long I stared at those little symbols in Waterdeep and the North....

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 29 Mar 2018 :  05:38:39  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Sounds like we have something good to look forward to.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone

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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 29 Mar 2018 :  18:08:32  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
So I've been back working on the Moonsea regional map, because its the most 'stable' (only one crash, and it was related to another window I had open). I went back to that one in order to finalize stuff on a different map that it overlays quite a bit (the one of the Unapproachable East - The Vast and half of Impiltur are also on the Moonsea one, as well as Vaasa and Damara, which I had to finalize in order to get the roads correct in the UE map). So now I have to open up the somewhat unstable UE map (which isn't nearly as bad as my main map, that crashes CONSTANTLY), while having the Moonsea map open at the same time. This is akin to playing Russian roulette with five bullets in the chamber. Wish me luck...

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone

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