By Anvil N Ink Publishing · Updated October 2026 · 6 min read
A great tavern battle map has a main room with tables to vault and flip, a bar to take cover behind, a kitchen or storeroom with a back door, stairs to an upper floor, and warm light from a hearth and lanterns. Size it around 20 by 20 squares for the ground floor and give players at least two ways out.
The tavern brawl is the most common fight in D&D, which is exactly why it deserves a good map. Here is how we built the Roadside Tavern, one of the four sample maps that ship with Ink Hammer.
What to include in a tavern battle map
- Common room: round tables and benches. They are difficult terrain and half cover, and they can be flipped.
- The bar: a long counter for three-quarters cover, with shelves of bottles behind it.
- Hearth: the main light source, and a hazard if someone gets shoved into it.
- Kitchen or storeroom: barrels, crates and a back door for escapes or ambushes.
- Stairs: up to rooms or down to a cellar.
- Outside: a yard, stable or well so the fight can spill out.
Layout tips
Put the front door and back door on opposite sides so the space has a flow. Leave a clear lane down the middle of the common room, and cluster tables near the walls. Keep the bar long enough for two or three characters to hide behind.
Light it warm, with dark corners
A tavern should glow: a fire in the hearth, lanterns over the bar, candles on tables. Leave a booth or a corner in shadow for the hooded stranger. If the fight happens at night, make a night scene so the yard outside is dark.
Add a second floor
An upper floor turns a brawl into a chase: guest rooms, a balcony over the common room, a window to jump from. In Ink Hammer, floors are linked levels, so the ground floor and upper floor open as one map set and line up exactly.
Five tavern encounter ideas
- The bar fight: a dispute over a card game turns into a brawl. Nobody draws steel, at first.
- The ambush: half the patrons are assassins waiting for the party.
- The fire: someone kicks the hearth and the building starts to burn.
- The cellar: something has been eating the ale barrels, and now the cook is missing.
- The siege: raiders surround the inn at night and the party has to hold it until dawn.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big should a tavern battle map be? About 20 by 20 squares for the building, plus some space outside if the fight might spill into the yard.
Where can I get a tavern battle map? You can build one in any battle map maker; the Roadside Tavern (two floors) comes as a sample map with Ink Hammer.
How do I make a tavern map for Roll20 or Foundry? Export with walls and doors so line of sight works. See VTT-ready battle maps.
More map guides: how to make D&D battle maps · forest battle map · ship battle map