How to Make a Fantasy Map with Ideas and Examples.

Hugely popular, the fantasy genre has captured countless imaginations through its combination of magic, the supernatural and worldbuilding. Whether it’s literature, role-playing or video games, creating a fantasy map as part of a rich and complex world is one of the key parts of the genre.

So, whether you’re penning your first novel, designing a campaign for your next RPG session, or simply sketching for fun, read on to explore fantasy map ideas and learn how to make your own fantasy map.

What to include in your fantasy map.

Fantasy maps, much like their real-world counterparts, are full of distinctive locations and environments. Think of the frozen northern wastes in A Song of Ice and Fire’s Westeros or the mountain ranges that encircle Mordor in The Lord of the Rings.

From sprawling forests to barren deserts, the changing scenery helps lend some appeal and interest to your world. Even if you’re creating a fantasy world map for a universe that is mostly covered in water, like Earthsea, there should still be landmarks to help your audience orient themselves.

Here are some of the key components of a fantasy map that you might want to include.

• Forests and woodlands. When planning forests and woodlands, think about their characteristics. Is this an ancient woodland filled with magic or is it a dangerous space home to roaming bands of brigands? Deciding this early on can help you to make a good fantasy map.
• Mountain ranges. Mountain ranges act as natural borders – look at how the Pyrenees or Himalayas dictate the shape of the countries around them. Think about how your mountains will affect the nations and citizens of your fantasy map.
• Valleys. You can’t have a hero without a villain – and you can’t have hills without valleys. Think about the size of these valleys and their history. Well-chosen names can evoke legends that you can elaborate on later.
• Volcanoes. From Hyrule’s Death Mountain to Middle Earth’s Mount Doom, volcanoes are a great source of antagonism. Whether active or dormant, they can be great focal points and a source of power for nefarious characters.
• Deserts. Deserts are often found on the fringes of fantasy maps. They’re naturally inhospitable places, making them a challenge to navigate. They are one of the few locations that are almost as deadly as the creatures that inhabit them.
• Oceans and seas. Depending on your fantasy map, the role of oceans and seas will vary. Seas can be a source of mystery, especially if the world isn’t fully explored.
• Rivers and lakes. If the rivers and lakes of your fantasy world are anything like the rivers and lakes of our world, then people will be drawn to them. A source of water and food, they’re essential to life and can be a great way of linking up your settlements through trade and travel.
• Cities. When you design your fantasy map, think about where your inhabitants will settle and what their communities will look like. Depending on their relevance, you may want to build additional maps focused on your cities.
• Polar extremes. Your fantasy world might not conform to the laws of our geography (Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, for example) but, if it does, think about what life is like at the polar extremes of the planet. Tundra, sea ice, icebergs and more can be found at the extreme norths and souths of maps.

How to create a fantasy map.

Even though fantasy maps chart non-existent places, they can be based on real-world locations. They can also take inspiration from previous works, or might even expand on existing maps.

But, even if you’re basing your map on existing material or map templates, it can be tough to know where to start. Fortunately, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide to creating fantasy maps so you can sort your dungeons from your dragons.

1. Plan out your fantasy world.

All good fantasy maps begin with a solid plan – maybe you already have some source material to base your work on. This could be other maps, or even key plot points in a novel you’re writing that will need to feature on your map.

Think about the location your characters will need to visit and how they sit in relation to each other. If you’re designing a map for an RPG campaign, consider where you want players to go. Ultimately, you need to decide what kind of world you want your fantasy to be set in and imagine one that would support your vision.

2. Lay out the different pieces of land.

It’s best to build on solid ground, so let’s start with the land. Here, you can start to think about how big your map should be and how the general land mass will look. Your narrative should also shape the world.

For example, if seafaring is a key part of the culture, you’ll need easy access to the oceans – this could mean plenty of sheltered bays or islands. If resource scarcity is an issue in your world, then perhaps terra firma is in short supply. Don’t be afraid to draw up a handful of drafts and see which of your fantasy map ideas works best.

Top tip: If you’re drawing your map by hand and want to take a more random approach, try scattering handfuls of rice on a large sheet of paper and then draw around the shapes it makes. This should give you a great basic outline of your world, which you can tweak to your heart’s content.

3. Start to build out the terrain.

So, now you’ve got a rough outline of the world, it’s time to fill in the blank spaces. This means designing mountain ranges, plotting lakes and rivers, and digging out the highs and lows of the landscape.

The beauty of the fantasy genre is that you can experiment as much or as little as you like. You can take inspiration from Earth and create a world that looks recognisable. Alternatively, you can create a terrain unlike anything else out there. Perhaps in your world the temperature regularly dips below -40°C and all life lives on the rim of a giant volcano. Or, maybe there are rivers and lakes made of slowly flowing crystal? Whatever you decide, this is a good opportunity to experiment with your fantasy map ideas.

4. Add in any key landmarks.

If you already know what’s going to happen in your narrative, you can start to place key landmarks. These might be the homes of core characters, castles and domains of rival factions, or battlegrounds that are yet to be bloodied.

There might be locations that are considered holy or revered. Alternatively, some might be cursed or haunted. You might also want to make note of significant geographical locations – the tallest mountain or the widest river. Realistically, your story will decide what landmarks are worth noting.

5. Connect the different towns, cities and connections.

You may already have a handful of cities or significant settlements placed, but now it’s time to add to the rest. If you don’t know where to start, try to identify the locations on your map that would support life and allow settlements to flourish. After that, think about how they all join up. Are there significant roads in your world, or rivers that allow travellers to go by boat?

6. Iron out the smaller details.

This is where you can double check you’ve got everything you need. You’ve thought up a city called Lakeshore, but is there actually a lake nearby? In the second half of your novel, the characters approach a great plain, but is there one on the map for them to explore?

You can also think about the wider infrastructure of the world. Is there arable land and sources of freshwater close to your settlements? Where do most people live and do the size of the cities reflect this? You may need to return to these details later, but answering the big questions early on can save you some work.

7. Label each location.

Now it’s time for the fun bit – thinking up names for each location. How you name a location is up to you. You can choose names based on their geography (Riverrun, Winterhold, The Ashen Sea, etc.), locational characteristics (Baldur’s Gate, Faerie Realms, Undertown, etc.), or even through a fictional language (Minas Tirith, Tar Valon, Cair Paravel, etc.). When designing your fantasy map and your labels, explore different fonts and pick one that feels right.

8. Add your finishing touches.

You’ve plotted the edges of your world and populated it with denizens, so now you just need to add the final parts. Think about typographical additions like a compass, or arrows pointing to other continents off-map. You can also think about how you want your map to look overall. Is it accurate and to scale? Does it feature notations from characters? Is it worn around the edges and stained? Essentially, the look of your map and how it ties to the overall world you’re building.

Free fantasy map ideas from Adobe Express.

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Good to know.

What makes a good fantasy world map?

A good fantasy world map will be original, easy to read and should entice the audience. This might be through its naming conventions – after all, who could resist exploring a location named The Lost Dungeons? Another draw might be the design of the map itself – something that might tell the audience about the world at a glance.

Where can I make fantasy maps for free?

One of the easiest places to create a fantasy map for free is with Adobe Express. With simple-to-use graphic design tools and a range of templates to pick from, you can design your fantasy map in minutes.

How big should my fantasy map be?

This all depends on what you want to show. If you’re showing the entire universe, then it will need to be bigger than if you’re setting your narrative in a single fantasy city. It can be tricky knowing how much to include, but a good rule of thumb is to cover everywhere your characters will visit.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes, our free plan offers many core features including thousands of templates, photo editing and effects, animation, and 2GB of storage. See our  pricing page for details and to compare plans.