This is a set of two maps suitable for virtual tabletop or printing is available for sale on DriveThruRPG!
Gamemasters, use these maps for your adventure if you need a two-level mad scientist lair / mansion with many mysteries to discover! While the maps lean toward the Classic Era of Call of Cthulhu, most of the technology details are ambiguous and conjure the sense of weird science and steampunk. You might embellish the maps with modern elements if needed.
As a fan of old horror movies I was delighted to discover a classic, Doctor X (1932) from Warner Bros. I recommend it! It stars Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, and Lee Tracy and is directed by Michael Curtiz, well known for later giving us Casablanca. The first time I watched the film, it activated my Call of Cthulhu Keeper sensibilities. I saw that the film could be translated into a great, but self-contained adventure that my players would enjoy. I made notes for myself of the film and converted them into a format I could use for running a scenario. It went smashingly. But! I needed at least one map for one location. And so that’s what you see here.
In the film, there are several locations – the Mott Street Morgue, a brothel, the offices of The Daily World, the Academy for Surgical Research, and the Xavier family home within New York City. The place I thought I could best conduct the adventure was the ancestral Xavier mansion, called Cliff Manor, at Blackstone Shoals on Long Island, New York.
This map is one gamemaster’s interpretation of what Xavier mansion might look like, but it’s certainly not based on any real floor plan. It is merely functional art.
The map pack for sale on DriveThruRPG includes the first and second floors in version with and without moody lighting and with and without the map decoration (my copyright). There are no grids on any of the maps. All maps are 1750×1750 pixels in JPG format and 70dpi. Any previews that appear are only 25% their actual size.
Rooms on the first floor:
- Kitchen
- Dining room
- Sitting room
- Parlor
- Foyer
- Library
- Billiard Lounge
- Dr. Xavier’s Office
- Dr. Xavier’s surgery
- Dr. Xavier’s lab
- An observation / control room
- A storage closet with anatomy samples and skeletons
- A restroom
Rooms on the second floor:
- The doctor’s master bedroom
- Joanne’s master bedroom
- A shared dining parlor
- Six guest rooms
- Two bathrooms
- Two closets
- An atrium that overlooks the foyer
I hope you enjoy using these maps for any mad scientist adventure you may run!
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to my players for their indulgence.
All rights for Doctor X and the characters within belong to Warner Bros. I am grateful to them for the inspiration!
