MapCraft HQ

Throne Room Battle Map

For the royal audience that turns into a coup, or the lich who has been sitting on that throne for three hundred years. A symmetrical great hall with a raised dais, braziers, banners, pillared aisles and a long carpet that makes every entrance dramatic.

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.

Why throne rooms make great boss fights

The layout does the storytelling. The long approach down the carpet forces the party to walk into range while the villain speaks. The pillars split the room into lanes where guards can hold the flanks. The side doors let reinforcements arrive on round three, and the dais puts the boss above everyone else, literally.

Use the pillars: each one gives half cover and blocks line of sight, so a hall with eight pillars rewards movement. Braziers are bright light sources and improvised hazards. Banners can hide an alcove or a secret door; place a door prop behind one in the editor.

Three throne room scenes

  1. The coup. Mid-audience, the guards at the side doors turn on the queen. The party is unarmed at the carpet’s end.
  2. The empty throne. The hall is silent, the braziers still burning. The statues are gargoyles.
  3. The trial. The party stands accused. Diplomacy on the carpet, a fight if it fails, and a quick exit through the side doors.

Questions game masters ask

What is on a throne room battle map?

A long great hall with a raised dais, the throne between two braziers, banners on the back wall, two rows of pillars, a carpet from the double doors to the dais, side doors, statues and optional feast tables.

How do I make the dais matter in combat?

Treat the dais steps as difficult terrain and give a creature standing on it advantage on Intimidation or a +1 bonus to hit creatures below, if your table likes high-ground rules (not a core 5e rule). The braziers can be knocked over for fire damage.

How big is a throne room?

The default hall is 20 × 28 squares inside the walls (100 × 140 ft), big enough for a court, a royal guard and a party. Shrink it to 16 squares wide for a petty lord’s hall.

Can I turn it into a temple?

Remove the throne, place an altar on the dais and statues along the aisle. The layout of a basilica and a throne hall is nearly identical.

More tools for your prep