Underdark Basics

The Underdark is an enormously wide-spread network of natural and constructed tunnels that run under the lands of the Forgotten Realms.  These tunnels and caverns are typically five to 20 miles below the surface, and have very few connections to either the deepest of those shallow diggings known as "dungeons," or with the surface of the Realms.  Our adventures will start out in the Underdark regions between Waterdeep and Anauroch, in the "savage north."

The Underdark is home to many horrid or fascinating creatures; most of these races of monsters and humanoids are ancient, dating from before any humanoids walked on the surface of Toril.

The most notorious race of Underdark humanoids are the Dark Elves.  They are vicious
and cunning enemies.  They live in huge underground cities run by their nobility and led by the
priestesses of Lloth, the Spider Queen.

For centuries, Dwarves and Dark Elves ("the Drow") have waged war beneath the Forgotten Realms.  The dwarven halls are in decline, now, and several of their kingdoms are completely gone, their strongholds abandoned or taken over by hostile humanoids.

Other races making their homes in the Underdark include:
 

• Standard PC Races:  Dwarves, Gnomes.  There are several varieties of each, and just about any type can be found in the Underdark at times.  A few Humans also make the Underdark their home, though seldom permanently.
• Duergar (Gray Dwarves):  a nasty and greedy offshoot of the standard dwarf, these ghastly-looking dwarves have arcane talents.
• Svirfneblin (Deep Gnomes):  these masters of illusion magic are typically cautious and secretive gem miners.
• Illithids (Mind Flayers):  These horrid-looking creatures are known for their mental powers and slave-taking.
• Minotaurs:  these bull-headed humanoids are expert trackers and tireless hunters.  Most are extremely brutish and animal-like, but a small percentage are "High Minotaurs" with a command of language and the ability to wield magic or other arcane arts.
• Goblinoid Races:  these races include kobolds, goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, gnolls and bugbears.  These ugly humanoids ape humans in their attempt to have "civilization," but they are evil and corrupt.
• Giants:  both True Giants (verbeeg, hill giants, stone giants, frost and fire giants) and giant humanoids (ogres, trolls, ettins, formorians) fall into this category.  The True Giants are said to be the first sentient beings of Toril, and have ancient civilizations.

 The Underdark produces many goods that are marketable there and on the surface world.

• gems, worked jewelry (gnomes, svirfneblin)
• stone for construction (dwarves, duergar)
• metal ore, worked metal (dwarves)
• minerals (dwarves, duergar, svirfneblin, gnomes, drow)
• mushrooms -- exotic varieties (duergar, drow)
• poisons (drow)
• slaves (drow, illithids, other unknown sources)
• weapons (dwarves, duergar, drow)
• armor (dwarves, duergar, drow)
• silk (drow)

• wood and wooden products, such as paper
• spices for food
• wine and ale
• cloth and furs
• produce (surface fruits and veggies)
• news of the surface world
• perfume

Technical Notes about Adventuring in the Underdark

What you can and can't do with Infravision:  Most of the Underdark races have superior infravision, which allows them to see in the lightless depths.  There are limits to what can be accomplished with infravision, however.

In general, beings with infravision CAN:

• participate in combat with creatures that give off heat
• cast spells
• identify individuals at close range
• view Underdark terrain to the limit of infravision range
• operate within the dim light of a faerie fire spell and still use infravision normally

• Read spellbooks, scrolls, maps, runes, or other writing -- you need a candle, torch, or even dim light such as that from a faerie fire spell in order to read.
• Participate in combat with opponents that don't give off heat without a penalty -- most undead, golems, animate constructs, reptiles/reptilian humanoids, and some other types of monsters (ropers, for instance) don't give off body heat; combat with these is as if in the dark/blinded (standard -4 to hit penalty, lessened if you have the blindfighting proficiency).
• Identify individuals at farther than about 15' -- you can tell what race someone is, perhaps, but until a stranger comes closer, you can't identify a particular individual without other clues (hearing a voice, etc.).
• Use infravision at all if in light brighter than faerie fire -- if someone lights a torch, that heat "blinds" your infravision, and you must rely on normal sight.

Day and Night, Calendar:  The Underdark is a realm of eternal night.  As such, it is very difficult for its inhabitants to follow the typical calendars of the surface world.  As trade with the surface is so vital to most Underdark cultures, however, most cities of drow, dwarves, svirfnebli, duergar, and derro attempt to at least be aware of the passage of time in terms of surface calendars.

In the drow city of Menzoberranzan, for instance, time is kept via a huge stone pillar called Narbondel.  At the start of each "day," a drow wizard casts a fiery spell into the base of this hollow pillar; throughout the day, the fire rises, heating the pillar and making it a bright beacon to those with infravision.  Then as the day progresses, the fire subsides, eventually fading into darkness.  At that moment, 24 hours have passed and the wizard returns to re-cast the fiery spell for the next day.  Not only does this system keep the drow aware of the passage of time on the surface, but it also makes it possible for citizens of Menzoberranzan to agree on meeting times.  Narbondel's Peak (noon) and the Black Death of Narbondel (midnight) are typical choices.

For those living away from civilization, however, accurate timekeeping is extremely challenging, if not impossible.  Underdark travelers are frequently surprised when they reach a city and find that they've miscalculated the passage of time by days or even weeks.

Air Supplies:  Breathing in the Underdark usually isn't a problem -- unless you're around a wizard who loves to cast fire spells.  Large fiery magic will quickly deplete oxygen in a small cavern, and worse, the smoke has nowhere to go! It typically takes 2-8 turns for an area to clear out once filled with smoke, and the smell can linger for months at a time afterwards.