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What began as some drafting for the Ocean Monster Tokens (more on that below) became this sea-themed asset pack. If you like a little clutter on your ocean waves, this is the pack for you!

Ocean Surface RPG Map Assets, banner

The metal of their swords and arrows glinted in the harsh sunlight. Each of the four stood on opposite shores of the tiny island, some fifteen paces from the center. Between them sat their prize: a rusted chest, ethereal blue energy dripping from the cracks into the shade of the single palm tree. Just beside the locker sat a small table, four chairs now thrown back from it and dice scattered on its surface.

They had tried to be fair. After sharing a ship for so long, they really did try. Gambling had been the first call, like they would with disputes onboard. But that ship had wrecked on the nearby rocks. The first mate, Anders, had been the first to lose, never possessing the others’ knack for deceit. He was the last as well, as his outburst had sent them each hurtling to their corners. Greed had crushed fairness.

Captain Ivers eyed his compatriots. To his right, his first mate held a nocked arrow, fingers pulling the bowstring tense in preparation. Across the island was his quartermaster, Isaac. He held his sword with strength, but was slow and lacked experience. The greatest threat was to the left. Mariana Sokolov, a hired hand that had been key to finding the treasure. She held only a knife but was easily the fastest and deadliest, both in thought and hand. As Ivers had expected, she was the first to move.

Sand filled the air behind her as she burst forward. She moved straight for the chest, easily halving the distance before the others could start. But Anders was not running. Instead, an arrow ripped through the air, flying over both table and treasure. Inches from impact, Mariana’s free hand plucked the arrow from its course. Her fingers danced the ammunition around as her arm tensed to throw. Her eyes turned to the Captain. And then the second arrow hit. She was too distracted to prevent the cold arrowhead from finding its mark. Her momentum carried her the remaining feet as her body dropped limply in front of the chest.

This was it. Ivers and Isaac had both used the opportunity to make their own moves, and the Captain had only moments before Anders found his next target. An arrow was drawn from the quiver, and the archer turned toward his superior. Ivers tensed his left hand, drawing the last sparks of inner fire into a focused ember. He felt the flame’s heat erupting in his palm, before casting directly at Anders. Next, Isaac.

The shine of Isaac’s pristine blade alerted Ivers to the attack’s path. He was swinging high, surely hoping that his opponent was unaware. For the most part, he was. But Ivers knew Isaac better than the latter knew combat. The Captain threw himself forward, dropping to his knees. Sweeping to the side, he felt his sword strike under Isaac’s attack, sending the quartermaster stumbling as an explosion of fire scorched the beach. With a loud thud, Isaac collapsed against the table. Ivers rose to his feet, coughing through the permeating smoke. He turned to inspect the damage, not a second before an arrow pierced his side.
Ivers ran before he thought. The arrow burned just above his hip. Survivable, most likely. The smoke had cleared enough to reveal Anders, alive by anger alone. Too slow to fire again, he dropped the bow in favor of his dagger. He had barely drawn it before he was met by Ivers’ steel.

The chest groaned as it opened. From within, the victorious Captain lifted a medallion of ancient iron and crystal, blue auroras snaking its form. With a beleaguered smile, he lowered the chain over his head. The tree to his side acted as a brace as he stood, reaching to his stomach to remove Anders’ knife. It was a good hit. Probably fatal. He slid it free, dropping it to the ground. With it came a heavy whump from behind. Ivers turned, curiously gazing down at his own body lying in the sand.

Captain Ivers pulled a chair from the beach, sitting down at the blood-speckled table. He collected the dice, returning them to their pouch and setting it in the center. His hands, now formed of the medallion’s blue energy, drifted to his chest. The colors of sunset illuminated the water as the spectre caressed his prize with a contented smile.

– by Troy McConnell
More content by Troy

Inside the ZIP you will find 38 unique items in bright and dark variants. These range from frightening sharks and grim corpses to colorful reefs and serene turtles. You might use the rocks to complicate a ship-to-ship battle, or craft an encounter around a lonely island and the creation of a raft.

And for those of you who just want a battle map, I have put together a pre-made Coastal Shipwreck map just for you. Not only that, but I have recorded a video showing you how I did it, which you can check out on YouTube:

As for those Ocean Monster Tokens I mentioned, they will be our first release for next month. I know they’ve been a long time coming, but I promise to make it worth it!

Hopefully this comes in time for your Ghosts of Saltmarsh preparations. Whatever it is you craft from these, I’d love to hear about it below. Enjoy.

Downloads

You can download the Ocean Surface Assets and Coastal Shipwreck below, plus the Ocean Water Textures I recommend:

For exclusive map variants and even the PSD files, consider joining the amazing community that makes these maps possible:

These Maps and Assets are free to download thanks to Patrons such as:

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, thanks to our generous supporters. If you would like to use this map commercially, please contact me ðŸ™‚

About the author

Ross McConnell

DM, aspiring artist, and founder of 2-Minute Tabletop! I love drawing, writing, and worldbuilding, and this is the website where all of it comes together.

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Published: May 5, 2019
Tagged: assets, blog, map, ocean, sea, water

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