My latest creation is a world map — a remake of the wilderness surface map from the legendary mega-dungeon Rappan Athuk.
Originally designed by Bill Webb and Clark Peterson for Necromancer Games, and first published in 2001 under the d20 System (as Rappan Athuk: The Dungeon of Graves), this sprawling adventure has earned a fearsome reputation over the decades. It’s often called “The Dungeon of Graves” for good reason: countless parties have ventured in, only to meet grim ends amid traps, tricks, and monsters that hark back to the unforgiving style of early tabletop RPGs. Later editions (for Pathfinder, Swords & Wizardry, and even 5th Edition) have kept it alive, and it remains one of the most iconic — and deadly — mega-dungeons ever published.
While the core of Rappan Athuk lies deep underground across dozens of levels, the surface wilderness plays a crucial role. It’s a dangerous expanse of forests, bogs, hills, and scattered ruins where bandits, monstrous bands, and worse prey on travellers. Multiple entrances to the dungeon hide here — some obvious, others treacherously concealed — and the area sets the tone right away: this is no gentle stroll into adventure.
I’ve had Rappan Athuk on my mind lately because there’s a decent chance I’ll get to run it for my friends sometime soon. The official wilderness map is classic, but I fancied creating an updated version that suits my own style and modern virtual tabletop use. I whipped this up over two intense days, mostly experimenting with layers, textures, and assets to give it a moody, atmospheric feel.
I won’t bore you with a blow-by-blow of the process — suffice to say it involved a lot of trial and error with brushes, colour palettes, and labelling. I’m overall very happy with how it turned out. The layout stays faithful to the original wilderness areas, making it easy to drop into any existing Rappan Athuk campaign, while the visual upgrades (clearer terrain, better contrast, and a touch more detail in key spots) should make it pop nicely on a VTT screen.
If you’re a GM thinking about running Rappan Athuk yourself, this map could serve as a handy player handout or a DM reference. It highlights the major features without giving away too much, leaving plenty of room for your own additions or surprises. Size is 20x14 inches at 140 dpi.
I’d love to hear what you think — especially if you’ve run or played Rappan Athuk before. Does this capture the foreboding atmosphere of the original? Any suggestions for tweaks or variants? Feedback from fellow GMs, players, and map enthusiasts is always welcome.
