https://preview.redd.it/50bh8o55kcjd1.jpg?width=5241&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b19b6a05c453d1b65bf5391a708c0bd9c1caa397

https://preview.redd.it/pivy4un3kcjd1.jpg?width=12300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=47f304ab14d0bc32454fae765209739815cade57

48 x 36 on Roll20, created with Dungeon Alchemist & Gimp

When I read this encounter, I was pretty disappointed in the map and the ecology of the hellwasps. While it was cool for them to capture celestials and such, that's just not a sustainable reproductive model. Like, for hellwasps not to go extinct, there would have to be thousands of celestials in Avernus at all times just to support the dozens of hellwasp hives shown on the Avernus map.

So I made some changes. I patterned their hive after a real life wasp hive with tiers inside supported by a central column, and floating in the middle of a shell. I also changed how their ecology worked: instead of relying on the corpses of celestials to float their hives, my hellwasps basically chew up stone and when they mix it with their saliva (the same way real life wasps make the 'paper' for their hives), it floats.

I also added a queen and a warrior caste to the hive hierarchy. I couldn't resist naming my CR10 warrior caste the 'Hellwasp Beru'...yes, like THAT Beru. Please don't sue me S. Korea, I'm broke. The queen still needs celestials, but only as the food source for hellwasp queen larvae. And, unlike Solo Leveling, my queen was a CR20 killing machine that could hunt down dragons if she wanted to.

Once I had all of that worked out, it was time to map the hive. Just like in a real life wasp hive, the first layer is small and each tier/level after that gets larger, so the party enters the hive at the bottom and has to work their way up. There's about 10 feet of open space between layers, and each tier is about 10 feet thick. The hexagonal 'honey-comb' structures make up the floor of each level, and were a real pain to make. I'm not happy with how they look on the map, but I was running out of time before the encounter.

On the map, the black areas are floor-to-ceiling support members, and are where I put my dynamic lighting/LOS blocking walls. I've included a cross-section image.