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D&D Cave Map Generator

Grow a natural cavern for goblins, a bugbear den or the approach to something much worse. Winding tunnels open into chambers with underground pools, stalagmites crowding the walls, glowing fungus and signs of whoever got here first.

Drawing the map…

Pick a tool above to paint terrain, drop props or tokens, and remove what you don’t need. Each square is 5 ft.

Export for your table

Map key

Blank grids have no key yet; the read-aloud writer works from the props you place.

Read-aloud writer

Turns this layout into boxed text to read at the table, plus three tactical hooks. Uses AI; the map itself never needs it.

How a cave grows out of noise

Hand-drawn caves tend to look like blobs. This generator starts from random static and applies a cellular automaton, a simple neighbour-counting rule repeated a few times, which clumps noise into the pinched tunnels and swollen chambers real limestone caves have. Scrub through the passes:

0passes of the 4-5 rule
48%open floor

At pass 0 each square is rock or floor by coin-flip. Each pass looks at a square’s eight neighbours: 5 or more rock neighbours turns it to rock, 3 or fewer turns it to floor, exactly 4 leaves it alone. Noise clumps into walls and chambers within four or five passes. Push starting rock above about 50% and the caves pinch into isolated pockets; below about 42% they open into one big hall.

Questions game masters ask

How do I make a D&D cave map?

Pick a size and press New map. The generator grows a natural cavern with cellular automata, keeps only the largest connected space, and adds pools, stalagmites, glowing mushrooms, a campfire and a hidden chest. Paint rock or cave floor to reshape tunnels.

Is there only one cave area?

Yes, by design. Pockets that do not connect to the main cavern are filled with rock, so every open square on the map is reachable on foot.

What light is there in a cave?

None, unless someone brings it. Under 5e rules the cave is darkness, so creatures without darkvision are effectively blinded. The campfire on the map sheds bright light for 20 ft and dim light for another 20 ft if it is lit.

Can I make a mine or a lair instead?

Use the D&D map maker to paint straight shafts with cave floor and add crates and rubble, or generate a cave and paint a large open chamber for a dragon or ogre lair.

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