You can add a grid during creation or leave it sterile and use the grid in your virtual tabletop (VTT) of choice.
GOOD DND NAME GENERATOR UPDATE
It offers a variety of ‘stamps’ and models to decorate your maps with, to create the terrain you envisioned when you first sat down and decided ‘this, this is the world I will start the apocalypse in.’ They regularly update the art available and recently added a battle map style for creating encounter perfect maps in which to terrorize your players. If you’re looking to create beautiful region maps (in colour or parchment style), then Inkarnate is a great tool. But what about where to get them from? How would you go about creating the masterpiece in your mind on screen? Well, since you asked: Now you know what types of maps there are. Devious DMs will want to note that maps the characters have need not tell the whole story, if they’re accurate at all. These maps are fantastic for immersion in the area and lend a more in-the-moment feel to dungeoneering. Think of it as the kind of maps you’d get at the mall, but with more tea staining. In- character maps – typically seen as a handout or something a character makes in game.Visuals on the map itself can help fuel a mental picture of the heroic tales the dice are telling, and make keeping track of environmental hazards and hurdles easier. The battle map solves this, allowing the players to see themselves, visible enemies, and measure the distance in between themselves whilst waiting for their turn to come up. Battle maps – (or battlemaps) theatre of the mind (TotM) games can be very fun and exciting, but it can also lead to a lot of confusion and time-wasting, as the players need to ask repeatedly for clarifications.If you play a more sandbox type of game, then this map can take on a more functional role as it will likely be divided into hexes, your greater exploration charted by which hex you wish to explore next.
Sometimes this is just used for illustrative or reference purposes so your players can better grasp the world they vicariously live in and therefore plot their travels accordingly.
Wherever your Dungeons & Dragons adventures take you, maps can be incredibly useful tools for immersion, fleshing out your gameplay, and even making it easier. A road that consists of nothing but packed earth and ever-encroaching weeds, a vibrant and thriving tavern stretching three stories tall, a sprawling warehouse district at a newly defunct dock.