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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 6677949" data-attributes="member: 20323">I'm running an Underdark exploration game for a couple friends via Roll20. Our approach is very improvisational and down the line we may rotate DMs, though for now I am in the hot seat. Anyhow, for a whole host of reasons, I want to have an awesome encounter table(s) that I can draw on during their ventures in the Underdark.I welcome any and all input. Links, random encounter seeds, gaming resource suggestions, anecdotes -- it's all welcome <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />I have been inspired by <a href="https://wrathofzombie.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/encounters-in-the-underdark.pdf" target="_blank">Wrath of Zombie's Encounters in the Underdark</a> and by <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw1kyeBlBRE9Q1ludmxJVUFrRkk/view" target="_blank">Ivan Cannon's Wandering Monster Tables</a>. However, I will be incorporating reaction rolls of some kind as well as "flavor"/non-combat encounters to present the Underdark more holistically.Part 1: Narrowing it DownThe Underdark is divided into 3 parts in D&D lore: Upper, Middle, and Lower. It gets more dangerous the deeper you go. I'm going to roughly map these divisions to 5e' tiers of play: Upper (1-4), Middle (5-10), and Lower (11-16). Since we're starting at 1st level, I'm going to start by focusing on the Upperdark.Later on I could see expanding to the Middledark and Lowerdark, possibly using nested tables similar to Ivan Cannon's (see above). But that's down the road.Part 2: Conceptual OrganizationI'm seeing the table as being 1d100 based, since they're going to be spending most of the game in the Underdark. While the monsters will probably be individual entries, I also think some things will be better handled as sub-tables: Dungeon Hazards, Underdark Animals, and Underdark Fungi/Plants, for example.Part 3: Upperdark Monster ListsI found a blog with a great list of monsters by layer of the Underdark. Interestingly, these monster lists also differentiate according to whether it is a Settled or Frontier region of the Underdark...not all the entries make sense to me, but it might be a useful distinction. I'll list the monsters below, with their CR after them; monsters that aren't in the 5e MM I will italicize (they don't have CRs obviously).[SBLOCK=Monsters, Settled]AllipBoggleBaneguardBaphitaurBarghestBasilisk 3Beholder, gauthBugbear 1Carrion crawler 2Centipede, giant 1/4ChitineCildabrinDarkmantle 1/2DerroDire CorbieDrow 1/4Drow elite warrior 5Fungus, violet 1/4Gargoyle 2Ghast 2Ghoul 1GibberlingGibberling, broodGrick 2Hell hound 3HowlerIbrandulinLithMeazelMinotaur 3PhaerlockQuaggoth 2Roper 5Rothe, deepShadow 1/2Spawn of KyussSpider, giant 1Spider, giant wolf 1/4Swarm of bats 1/4Troglodyte 1/4Troll 5Umber hulk 5Vampire spawn 5VargouilleVermin lordWererat 2Wight 3Wraith 5WysteXorn 5Zombie 1/4[/SBLOCK][SBLOCK=Monsters, Frontier]Abishai, blackBaphotaurBat, giant 1/4BaneguardBeholder, gauthBodakBugbear 1Bugbear chief 3Chitine, huntersCildabrinCloaker 8Cockroach, giantDesmoduDire corbieDragon, young copper 7Dragon, young black 7Dragon, young deepDragon, young red 10DragonkinDrow 1/4Drow elite warrior 5Duergar 1Earth GliderEttin 4FoulwingGhaunadanGiant, phaerlinGiant, stone 7GlouraGoblin 1/4Goblin boss 1Grick 2Grimlock 1/4Gray renderHound of the gloomLamia 4LurkerLurking stranglerMedusa 6MetalmasterMind flayer 7Mindshredder larvaMohrgNifernNycterOoze, black pudding 4Otyugh 5PhaerlockPsurlon, averageRaggamoffyn, shrapnylReason stealerRoper 5Roper, prismatic (near the Deep Reach)Scaladar (near Undermountain)Scorpion, giant 3SkindancerSlaad, red 5SpellgauntSpider, harpoonSpider, giant 1Spider, giant sunSpider, giant whipSpider, shadowSpider, subterranean (sword)StonesingerSusurrusSvirfneblin 1/2Swarm of bats 1/4Swarm, swamp striderTroglodyte 1/4Troll 5Umber hulk 5Vampire spawn 5Wererat 2Wraith 5Xorn 5[/SBLOCK]</blockquote>

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