Review: Underdark (4th Edition D&D Supplement)
Name: Underdark
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
System: 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons
There are few places in the world(s) of Dungeons & Dragons as ripe for exploration as the Underdark. As the home of the Drow, Mindflayers, and other shadow-dwelling horrors, it’s one of the most disturbing, dangerous places unfortunate adventurers can end up. Despite this, past 4th Edition books only briefly touched on the caverns, something the release of the supplement, Underdark, hopes to fix. 
For those looking to explore the dark, underground world, the book definitely comes packed with plenty of content. The opening pages deal with the violent creation of the Underdark, which hinges on the dark god, Torog, and his descent into the ground and battles with primordials. Though, for as detailed as it is, the writers are sure to include the fact that there’s really no way the average adventurer would know this. In fact, it might not even be the way it happened, as different legends tell of different ways the world was created. It’s left open for interpretation, something that Dungeon Masters can easily use to their advantage when throwing their adventurers into the Underdark.
Part of the reason the origins are left vague is because of one, simple fact: it’s not that important. Odds are most campaigns that take place in the Underdark will barely touch on the creation, as there’s so much to do without even touching on the beginnings. In the supplement, Wizards gives plenty of ideas for adventures, with available options for Heroic, Paragon, and Epic Tier characters. It even gives ways to start campaigns in each of the different Tiers, including some possibilities of how a campaign can begin with level 21 players awakening in the Underdark. It would be a challenge, that’s for sure, but for those interested Wizards has you covered.
In order to make things easier to understand, the Underdark has been seperated into The Shallows, The Deeps, the Feydark, and the Shadowdark in the book. Each section is given its own descriptions, creatures, and areas to explore, which should make a delve into the depths more interesting. At any point, players can run into one of the nearly 40 new monsters within the book, many of which are deformed monsters that likely wouldn’t be encountered outside of the Underdark. It’s less new monsters than are usually contained within supplements, but still enough so that there’s likely a unique creature for any situation.
Though, for as strange as it might sound, the real star of the book is Torog, the King that Crawls. He’s been denied access to the Astral Plane, he’s been cursed to never heal his wounds, and he’s bitter at all the creatures that surround him. The level 34 immortal will likely never be encountered by anyone delving into the depths of the Underdark, but his story, description, and character are simply so strong that it’s hard not to want to build a campaign around him.
All in all, there’s a lot to like about Underdark. It’s filled with useful information, and should serve as a perfect handbook for any DM looking to send his players to an unfortunate doom. The stories, adventures, and new monsters all fit well, and the book is filled with fantastic art that should help players really envision the hell they’ve entered.
EDUARDO says:
Buy:Cialis Professional.Viagra Super Active+.Soma.Viagra Professional.Cialis.Viagra Super Force.Viagra.Maxaman.Viagra Soft Tabs.Cialis Super Active+.VPXL.Tramadol.Super Active ED Pack.Cialis Soft Tabs.Zithromax.Levitra.Propecia….
September 5th, 2010 at 10:11 am