There are several maps in the Dungeon Master's Guide:
- a hex map of Daggerford and surroundings on page 14
- a map of the elemental planes on page 57
- a sample dungeon map on page 103
- a beautiful town map on page 115
- a tactical map in the image on page 243
- another map in a drawing on page 261
Including several maps from Appendix C:
- a windmill and a house map on page 310
- a dungeon map on page 311
- another dungeon map on page 312
- a multi-island coastal town map on page 313
- a costal map with a bridge on page 313
- a cave system map on page 314
- a ship map on page 314
- a chasm/dungeon map on page 315
What are the origins of these maps? Do they have a prior history or associated adventures?
Best Answer
The page-14 hex map of Daggerford was created specifically for the DMG, by Mike Schley.
The page-57 elemental planes map was created specifically for the DMG, by Mike Schley.
The page-103 sample dungeon map...
The page-115 beautiful town map was created specifically for the DMG, by Mike Schley.
The page-243 tactical map was created by Carmen Sinek. According to the comments, the artist used herself as a reference for the redhead, and her husband for the elf. She wrote "I waited like 30 years to be in a D&D book, I put myself in there the first chance I got." which suggests the image was created specifically for the DMG. The tactical map itself is not mentioned.
The page-261 map in a drawing...
And from the Appendix
The page-310 windmill map, by Mike Schley, was originally commissioned for the article Prey for Smiley Bob in issue #205 of Dungeon magazine, by Chris Perkins.
The page-310 house map...
The page-311 dungeon map, by Mike Schley, is a reworked version of the unnamed sample dungeon map from the original 1e DMG (which has a fascinating connection to the famous dungeon under the moathouse map from Village of Hommlet).
The page-312 dungeon map, by Mike Schley, was originally included in the D&D Game Day adventure Vault of the Dracolich
The page-313 multi-island coastal town map, by Mike Schley, was originally published in issue #189 of Dungeon Magazine to illustrate the the D&D backdrop article titled Diyun: The Hanging City by Will Hindmarch.
The page-313 coastal map with a bridge, by Mike Schley, depicts the town of Mistwatch, originally published in issue #186 of Dungeon Magazine in accompaniment with the article Mistwatch by by Robert J. Schwalb.
The page-314 cave system map, by Mike Schley, was originally created for the D&D supplement Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook. It was also included in the adventure Storm King's Thunder under the title "Dripping Caves".
The page-314 ship map, by Mike Schley and Logan Bonner, is from the Attack of the Tyrentclaw poster map (Side B) included in the D&D Lair Assault adventure Talon of Umberlee.
The page-315 chasm/dungeon map is the Vault of Catharandamus, from the Tome of Magic (3.5 edition). Chris Perkins credits it to Mike Schley (although it does not appear on his website.) There is more to this one, however: the map and entire vault is based on a map originally appearing in the 1981 D&D module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess". The module is infamous for being recalled right after its initial printing due to an illustration depicting a tied up female. You can find the original map, the "Entrance Level" inside the back cover.