Written by: Zachary Velcoff
This blog post will highlight Czepeku's 10 best maps to use with Storm King’s Thunder (released on September 6th, 2016). These maps will be compatible with the TTRPG and supplement the maps that come with the module. They are designed to empower Dungeon Masters running a new Storm King's Thunder campaign.
Giants have begun to venture forth from their lairs, the land shuddering with the thunder of their footsteps. Hill giants raid the farms of the Dessarin Valley, frost giants plunder coastal settlements north of Neverwinter, and fire giants roam far and wide, seeking the scattered fragments of an ancient weapon. The castles of cloud giants cast shadows on the small folk below, and deep beneath the sea, the rage of the storm giants simmers, threatening a tempest that has not been unleashed on Faerûn in 26,000 years.
Needless to say, this post contains giant spoilers for Storm King’s Thunder. Players, proceed at your own peril!
Temple Pastures
Although the players have already seen the aftermath of the devastating cloud giant bombardment of Nightstone, the first time they go toe-to-toe with a giant is likely to occur at Goldenfields (Triboar and Bryn Shander are also possibilities, but farther from where the adventure begins). The breadbasket of the North, Goldenfields is a walled farm that doubles as a temple to Chauntea, goddess of agriculture. At night, hill giants Lob and Ogg scale the walls with three gangs of ogres and goblinoids, seeking to plunder the bounty of Goldenfields and bring it back to their leader, Chief Guh of Grudd Haug. Storm King’s Thunder offers a settlement-scale map of Goldenfields, but no battlemaps, making Temple Pastures perfect for this multiphase battle. Stage the party’s fights against the hill giants’ gangs of minions on the Ruins Night variant, then switch to the Dawn variant for the climactic sunrise battle with Lob and Ogg themselves.
Crossroads
From Goldenfields (or Triboar or Bryn Shander), our heroes embark on the “open world” phase of the module, chasing sidequests across the North, exploring the lands ravaged by giants, and helping out (or getting into trouble) wherever they go. There is a lot of walking in this chapter of the module–not quite Lord of the Rings level, but close. And to walk anywhere in Faerûn is to risk a random encounter: bandits, crag cats, orcs, ogres, and barbarians of the Uthgardt tribes prey on travelers in the best of times, and with all manner of giants on the rampage, these are not the best of times. The Crossroads map is great for these roadside encounters. Its seasonal variants particularly come in handy as time passes and your players cross back and forth over the snow line on their way to the next phase of the adventure.
Midair Dragon Flight
Once the party departs the Eye of the All-Father for the first time, the walking phase of the adventure ends as the PCs upgrade to air travel. Klauth (AKA “Old Snarl”), an ancient red dragon who shares the party's interest in foiling the giants' plans, sends our heroes a gift: a Dragon Cult Airship. Its aircrew of cultists will zealously pilot them to their various destinations: Uthgardt spirit mounds, evil giant lord lairs, and so on. This airship draws the attention of a new set of hazards, and the variants of the Midair Dragon Flight map are perfect for aerial encounters against angry aarakocra, malicious manticores, giant raven and griffon riders, and greedy green dragons. If your players are like mine, it’s only a matter of time before they toss the cultists overboard and take the airship for themselves.
Windmill Farm
Chief Guh’s hill giants are pillaging farms throughout the Dessarin Valley and beyond in pursuit of food for their insatiable boss. The Windmill Farm makes an excellent map for any homestead that might fall victim to the plundering giants. If your players pass through Uluvin on the Long Road, set them against the hill giants and their minions here–the grateful townsfolk might just reward them with a ring of protection for their trouble!
Ruined Courtyard
Following the orders of Thane Kayalithica, the stone giants of Deadstone Cleft are systematically dismantling the humanoid settlements of the Grayvale. If the PCs visit Llorkh during their travels through the stone giants’ domain, stage their encounter with the stone giants on the Ruined Courtyard map. At the party’s arrival, the stone giants can welcome them with a hail of boulders. I’d use the Abandoned variant to underscore the destruction the giants have already wrought upon this old Zhentish mining town.
Remote Ice Village
After the party helps fend off the frost giant attack on Bryn Shander, Sheriff Markham Southwell will ask them to seek out additional signs of Jarl Storvald’s raiders in Icewind Dale. If the PCs spend much time in the region, they’ll soon enough encounter more frost giants; if they engage them in combat and emerge victorious, they can bring the giants’ heads back to the sheriff of Bryn Shander in exchange for a prestigious title. Remote Ice Village is a fitting map for a frost giant fight: I’d suggest the Original, Church Ruins, or Lonely Igloo variants.
Archaeological Dig
Duke Zalto’s fire giants roam the North with rods of the Vonindod, 100-lb. adamantine divination instruments, with which they seek fragments of an ancient weapon. Some 27500 years before the events of the module, the ancient giant empire of Ostoria waged total war against dragonkind for domination of Faerûn. The giant’s greatest weapon in this internecine conflict was the Vonindod, an 80-foot tall adamantine colossus of fire giant make, whose fragments were scattered across the North in the aftermath of the conflict. Duke Zalto wishes to recover these fragments and rebuild the Vonindod. The party will likely come across one of his minion’s archaeological digs and decide that the pieces of this massive construct are best left buried. Of course, the fire giant excavators won’t go down without a fight. I’d stage this fight on the Archaeological Dig map: on the No Dragon Bones variant if you want to play it safe, or–if you decide that this fragment of the Vonindod was buried with one of its former victims- on the Original.
Floating Castle
Lyn Armaal, Countess Sansuri’s lair, isn’t the only cloud giant castle afloat. Count Nimbolo and Countess Mulara may make an appearance over Waterdeep when the players first visit the City of Splendors. Unless your players already killed him in Hoard of the Dragon Queen, Blagothkus hovers above Parnast in Skyreach Castle. Additional cloud giants, good and evil, ply the skies over the North. If your players visit these cloud giants, and things turn ugly, you’ll get a good opportunity to use the Floating Castle battlemap!
Deep Sea Organ
In the Great Hall of Maelstrom, the party finds the evil storm giant princesses Mirran and Nym performing for a visiting delegation of prestigious guests. Mirran sings, while Nym plays a living crab organ with pipes made of coral. There’s a good chance that Mirran and Nym sic their guests and guards on the party, and if battle breaks out, the Deep Sea Organ map is the perfect stage for it.
Blue Dragon Lair
If your party has hunted down all the evil giant lords before turning their attention to Iymrith, the true villain of Storm King’s Thunder, they’ll likely be a bit over-leveled for the final showdown with the ancient blue dragon, especially considering they’ll have potions of giant size, and five storm giant allies helping them out. To up the ante, you might have their storm giant guides pass through Ascore on their way to Iymrith’s Lair, provoking the wrath of Anaxaster and Chezzaran, Iymrith's adult children. This is an excellent opportunity to thin the storm giant’s numbers and for Orlekto to launch his betrayal on Princess Mirran’s behalf. The Blue Dragon Lair is a great fit for this ruined dwarven city on the edge of the Anauroch desert and will serve to heighten the narrative tension before the party finally faces the Doom of the Desert.
Honorable Mentions
The following maps didn’t make the cut for the Top 10 but are still likely to prove useful for your Storm King’s Thunder campaign:
Ages of the Vale: Coaching House. Following a lead from Darz Helgar or the Zhents Sorelisa and Naeremos, the party might make their way to Xantharl’s Keep in pursuit of Worvil “The Weevil” Forkbeard, a fugitive from the law with a 5,000 gold piece bounty on his return, alive, to the Axe of Mirabar. The Weevil is hiding under an assumed name as a stablehand at the The Falling Orc Inn and Tavern. Of course, the players aren’t the only ones looking for him and are likely to encounter competition for the bounty money.
Green Dragon Lair. If the party pursues Naxene Drathkala's quest to Waterdeep, and from there follows Chazlauth Yarghorn's lead to Kryptgarden Forest, they’re likely to encounter Claugiyliamatar (AKA “Old Gnawbone”). If they play their cards right and show proper deference to the ancient green dragon, she’ll point them straight to the Eye of the All-Father from here. If not, they’re in for an unpleasant surprise.
Banshee Moor. Lyn Armaal is not the only threat that awaits the party in the Evermoors: hill giants, ettins, ogres, orcs, and Uthgardt barbarians also roam this desolate upland. If the party ventures into the Evermoors–perhaps in pursuit of answers for Tamalin Zoar of Calling Horns–you might stage their combat against the fire giant Zaastrid and her troll minion here.
City Rooftop Chase. The party might travel to Yartar in pursuit of a giant slayer greataxe (or greatsword), stolen from Lord Harthos Zymorven by his son Harthal, then confiscated by watch captain Tholzar Brenner. If the PCs attempt to take the weapon from the corrupt cop by force, you could stage the battle against him and his flunkies here.
Ages of the Vale: Barn. Chief Guh’s hunger is tremendous, and her hill giant minions range far and wide in pursuit of plunder. If you’ve already run a battle against them on the Windmill Farm map, you might stage one here next!
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