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Picture a suffocating darkness, deeper than thought, stretching endlessly above.
No stars pierce the inky void, only a gnawing emptiness that follows you.
A horrifying truth dawns: this boundless night isn’t a sky, but a colossal cave.
Swamp by Piotr Dura
A lot of DMs do it.
Here’s how and why you should too.
What Is The Underdark?
Gloom Stalker by Tomas Duchek
Think of the world as you know it.
Think of the people, the buildings, and the streets.
Think of the wilderness and the mountains.
Gloom Stalker by Tomas Duchek
Now go far, far beneath that.
The Underdark is a massive series of subterranean cavernsthat house civilizations, lakes, and fungal forests.
The Underdark is brutal, and so the people who live within it have to be brutal in turn.
Darklake Out Of The Abyss via Wizards of the Coast
The Underdark is kind to no one.
What Are The Domains?
It’s the most well-mapped area of the Underdark.
Drider art by D&D Beyond
The Glimmersea
Under Toril
Kuo-toa, sahuagin, and aboleths make up most of the inhabitants of this domain.
Great Bhaerynden
Beneath Shaar
Formerly the home of gold dwarves, this area was taken over by drow.
There are three levels of the Underdark: The Upperdark, Middle Dark, and Lowerdark.
Via Wizards of the Coast, Lost Mines of Phandelver
Be sure to fill these areas with monsters appropriately.
What Are The Creatures Of The Underdark?
Drow
The drow are perhaps the most popular inhabitants of the Underdark.
Now, many describe them asembittered and resentful, believing life would be toil until they died.
Piercers, Bulettes, And Aboleths, Oh My!
Before playing in the Underdark, review all the monsters within the area you’re playing in.
Darkvision mechanics are often misunderstood.
The first thing to note is thatthere are no maps of the Underdarkthat are accurate enough to be trustworthy.
Further, you canmurder the NPCat an opportune time, leaving the players with a new problem.
These tips will help you craft group backstories in D&D campaigns.
