Scaffolds are an area of interconnected platforms, framework, ladders, and beams. Fictional scaffolding is often used as an additional explorable area, with characters nimbly darting between the beams and across narrow planks of wood. Scaffolds may be found in demolition sites, in mines where they may also support mine cart tracks, or along palisade walls as part of a temporary fortification. They may lead to the rooftops or the rafters. There may be sections that fall, and gaps that must be traversed. Scaffolds are home to construction workers, goblin miners, and secret agents trained in parkour.

When designing a scaffold area, consider how it interweaves with the structure it is attached to and what happens to that structure if the supports are removed. Scaffolds may exist on the outside or inside of structures and may be temporary or relatively permanent.

Fictional scaffolds often contain narrow planks of wood that serve as perilous bridges between platforms. There may be ladders or elevators that connect multiple levels.