D&D General Building an under-dark human civilisation in dungeons and dragons

[Shades of Eternity]

I've been on a real Avernum kick and am seriously impressed with the worldbuilding.

Exiles forced down into the depths of the underworld and through a combination of diplomacy, magic, might and bureaucracy, manage to build a civilization strong enough to fight off the empire that exiled it.

I'm also a fan of Deep Imaskar, despite the scant info of this ancient civilisation driven to the depths.

So as a fun thread, how would you build an underdark human civilisation?

would you use arcane, divine or psionic magic.

what would the tech level be?

Whom could they ally with in the underdark to give them a fighting chance?

What could they do to ensure their survival?

 

[Mecheon]

I'm hard on ol' Pathfinder some times, but I did like their idea of Underdark humans, a telepathic race who were associated with the oceans of the Underdark more than anything else, called the Munavri.

Now what I didn't like is their stats because -yeah-, but I liked the general idea and theme they were going with, and something's gotta live on those giant underground oceans, not just under it

 

[Bitbrain]

I've been on a real Avernum kick and am seriously impressed with the worldbuilding.

Exiles forced down into the depths of the underworld and through a combination of diplomacy, magic, might and bureaucracy, manage to build a civilization strong enough to fight off the empire that exiled it.

I'm also a fan of Deep Imaskar, despite the scant info of this ancient civilisation driven to the depths.

So as a fun thread, how would you build an underdark human civilisation?

would you use arcane, divine or psionic magic.

what would the tech level be?

Whom could they ally with in the underdark to give them a fighting chance?

What could they do to ensure their survival?

EDIT
Botheration! I misread your post as AVERNUS, as in the recent 5e adventure.

sigh

I guess I’ll have to go with Goblin Punch for this one then. Be warned, it’s kinda gross...

 

[Fenris-77]

That could be cool. I'd probably go with telepathic too. Fish-white skin, bulging eyes (or no eyes end echo-location!), maybe some tremor sense, to make for up for the lack of darkvision. Their illumination comes from carefully farmed bio-luminescent fungi. Miners and renowned crafters of magical crystal artifacts.

Forced underground and in a desperate fight for survival they were noticed by ... something ... an elder darkness asleep for millennia, and now hungry for worship. They do what they must to avoid open war with the Drow and Duregar, and only a fraught diplomacy keeps their caverns and lakes from being soaked in blood. Recently emissaries from the lllithids have come calling, claiming an interest in alliance out of reverence for the humans' Elder master, whatever that might mean. Now some of their children are being born with disturbing birth defects, but the cause remains a mystery.

That's what I have off the top of my head.

 

[bedir than]

Even if you don't want to go full telepathy, giving them the cantrip Message gets really close.

I would also emphasize the usual trope around humans - they outbreed their adversaries in fantasy worlds.

Might be fun to have them raise some of the beasts of the underdark the way we do with horses and dogs.

 

[Jester David]

Tempting to make them like morlocks/grimlocks, or the creepy dudes from The Descent. All pale and using echolocation.

 

[Fenris-77]

Might be fun to have them raise some of the beasts of the underdark the way we do with horses and dogs.

Yeah! Pick something that hasn't already 'been done' and make it work. So, like, not spiders say. Earth elementals would be cool to. Or Crystal Cave Worms, which aren't a thing but should be because they sound cool.

 

[jgsugden]

To keep the telepathy and a bit of spookiness - the civilization has made a pact with Cthulhu and everyone from birth is essentially a level 1 Warlock (Great Old One Pact). Most of the residents arise to level 2 to get the invocation for seeing in any darkness....

 

[atanakar]

B4 The Lost City has an underground human civilisation with factions and a city in a large cave with a lake. It's inspired in part by the Conan story called Red Nails.