epithet
Explorer
Most denizens of the underdark live in the relative safety and shelter of the cities. When they do venture into the tunnels and caverns, it is with an armed group and an abundance of caution.
Even if you're a dark elf, a deep gnome, or a grey dwarf, running through the untamed underdark will be unnerving. In fact, you've been raised with tales of the horrors that await you in the darkness between the stones. Roll a history check... you remember the tale the one-legged tinker told you about when he lost his leg, and the sound he heard right before the teeth closed around his knee. The sound you just heard is exactly like what he described.
Being from the surface didn't make Mirkwood any less unnerving to Thorin & Co., and just being a deep dweller doesn't mean you can't get lost. A surface dweller expects to be lost in the underdark, but the natives understand that lost in the underdark is most often permanent. In any event, your party will very likely have NPCs joining them who are natives, so the impact of PCs of native races shouldn't be significant.
That said, a deep race ranger with underdark favored terrain might throw a monkey wrench into the gears of the first part of your campaign. I think there are ways to deal with it if your player really wants to create that character, but some effort will be required.
Even if you're a dark elf, a deep gnome, or a grey dwarf, running through the untamed underdark will be unnerving. In fact, you've been raised with tales of the horrors that await you in the darkness between the stones. Roll a history check... you remember the tale the one-legged tinker told you about when he lost his leg, and the sound he heard right before the teeth closed around his knee. The sound you just heard is exactly like what he described.
Being from the surface didn't make Mirkwood any less unnerving to Thorin & Co., and just being a deep dweller doesn't mean you can't get lost. A surface dweller expects to be lost in the underdark, but the natives understand that lost in the underdark is most often permanent. In any event, your party will very likely have NPCs joining them who are natives, so the impact of PCs of native races shouldn't be significant.
That said, a deep race ranger with underdark favored terrain might throw a monkey wrench into the gears of the first part of your campaign. I think there are ways to deal with it if your player really wants to create that character, but some effort will be required.
