Underdark (Your Visions)

NarlethDrider

First Post
I'm running a couple of PBP games that will have the majority of its time spent in the underdark---game info here: Dark Walkers
I'll have the typical fungi forests & such, but I'm always looking for creative ideas to surprise the players. Anyone have any? Whether it be cities, ruins, odd cave formations--anything is greatly appreciated:D
 
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Long

Hello :D

I have quite a few creature you mighht wish to use, this is going to be long though...

Crobold
Small Humanoid (Reptilian)
Hit Dice: 1/2 d8 (2 hp)
Initiative: +1 (Dex)
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 22 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +6 natural, +2 leather)
Attacks: Bite??, Claw??
Damage: Bite??, Claw??
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Lowlight vision
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +2
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +8, Listen +2, Move Silently +4, Search +2, Spot +2
Feats: Alertness
Climate/Terrain: Any land
Organization:?
Challenge Rating:?
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Chaotic evil
Advancement: By character class

Crobolds do not speak any language, instead they can make clicking and screeching noises. Crobolds look like a cross between crabs and Kobolds; they have very large pincers that cannot wield weapons. On the underside of their hard exoskeletal back, they have a large mouth much like a crab, with smaller pincers that are solely used for grappling. Their back legs are powerful and mainly used for leaping; they are covered with a thick reptilian scale that has tufts of fur sprouting here and there.

Undervile
Large magical Beast
Hit-dice: 12d10+84 (150hp)
Initiative: 0
AC: 16 (+1 Dex, -1 size, +6 Nat. armour)
Attack: Bite +17 ; 2 tentacle+ 12; tail +12; elbow spike +12
Damage: 2 Tentacles 2d4+5 Bite 2d6+ 7 Tail 1d8+5 Elbow spike 1d2+5
Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft. /10 ft.
Special attacks: Improved grab, Cleave, Greater cleave, Power attack
Special qualities: DR (10/+1), Endurance, Great fortitude,
Saves: Fort +15 Ref +8 Will +3
Abilities: Str 21(5) Dex 11(0) Con 24(7) Int 4(-3) Wis 8(-1) Cha 22(6)
Skills: Hide+2, Move silently+2 spot+4 listen+4
Feats: Improved critical, Weapon focus: Bite

Climate or terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary (1)
Challenge rating: TBA
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always evil
Advancement: None

An Undervile is a vile creature, it attacks devours any creature it can see, although it may retreat if seriously hurt.

Standing from 10-15 ft high, these gruesome creatures seemed to have come from other planes even though these are rumours, the it sprang from the underdark. It seems that nothing of this sort could be Toril born; both hands are squid like and have amazing grip, and crushing power. These octopi-appendages are 2 to 3 foot long and coated with a slimy substance. The mouth has 3 razor sharp talons around it also 3-4 foot long, which can undeniably crush metal, mounted close into the bone under the skin is a pair of beady red eyes, that disallow site towards the side. It has dinosaur-esque feet, 3 talons and a thumb; these feet are gigantic to keep the creatures balance, which it looses if it raises one to attack. Its skin is almost as hard as rock and any blows that get through are almost instantly ignored. It’s most distinguishing mark is the large (½-1 foot) spike on its elbow (Upper arm) which is rarely used in combat.

With special thanks to Kris

Plaze
Fine Ooze
Hit-dice: 1/8 d10 (1 Hp)
Initiative: 4(4+ dex)
Speed: 25 ft, swim 45
AC: 22 (+4 Dex, +8 size)
Attack: Slam +12
Damage: Slam 1-3
Reach: 1/2. /0 ft.
Special attacks:
Special qualities: Regeneration 1, Groove
Saves: Fort +0 Ref +4 Will -5
Abilities: Str 4(-3) Dex 19(4) Con 10(0) Int -- Wis 1 Cha 1
Skills: None
Feats: None

Climate or terrain: Any temperate or warm
Organization: Plague 60
Challenge rating: 1/2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 1/8 to 2 (diminutive)

They seem to be a joke, but after you see their numbers and speed, you won’t be laughing

Plaze, are small and green blobs of ooze, that multiple at phenomenal rates, no one knows how they came to be and no one cares.

Combat:
Plaze swarm and over run, they attack anything they can find wood, creatures, metal if it sees another object it will attack it, the only thing they will not attack are other oozes.

Special abilities:

Regeneration (Ex): Electricity deals normal damage to a Plaze.

Groove (Ex): whenever confronted with decent music (above DC 20), the Plaze immediately quivers with joy, stopping all aggressive action and just grooving until the music ceases (perform checks are required every round)

Flay worm (Young)

Small Aberration
Hit-dice: 1d8 (4hp)
Initiative: 3(+3 dex)
AC: 17 (+3 Dex, +1 size, +3 Nat. armour)
Attack: 5 tentacles +4, bite +0, tail -3
Damage: 5 Tentacles 1d2 Bite 2d4 Tail 1d2 +1d6 acid
Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks: improved grab, extract,
Special qualities: Illithid speech
Saves: Fort +0 Ref +3 Will +6
Abilities: Str 7 Dex 17 Con 10 Int 17 Wis 19 Cha 10
Skills: Hide+2, Jump+10, Move silently+2 spot+12 listen+4
Feats: Weapon Finesse (Tentacles, Tail) Alertness, Skill focus: Jump

Climate or terrain: Warm marsh, underground
Organization: Hive (5-17 medium-sized, 1-2 old, 2-5 young)
Challenge rating: TBA
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always evil (Had them tagged as Neutral for a while)
Advancement: 2-6(Medium sized) 7-10(Large)

Flay worms seem to be the concoction of an evil wizard tampering with Mind flayer tadpoles; they are at least 3 ft long snake like creatures.

With a round mouth and 5 tentacles, it resembles a mindflayer, around a contractible moth. It has a long (1/3 of the body) flat end of the tail, that seem to be webbed spikes. Flay worms can jump high and often surprise large creatures. Young Flay worms have 10's of eyes along it, these fall of at the advancement to medium-sized to 4 eyes around the mouth, these are dirty cream to yellow with almost no pupil, At the size large they have no eyes. Most of a Flay worms life is spent not getting killed and the rest is eating, after an attack on their lair Flay worms will sit perfectly still digesting flesh they have bitten of or brain tissue.

Combat:
Once encountered, Flay worms swarm and jump at the attacking character, and latch on where ever they can, though most go straight for the head.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the Flay worm must hit a Tiny to Medium-sized creature with its tentacle attack. If it gets a hold, it attaches the tentacle to the opponent’s head. A Flay worm can grab a Large or larger creature, but only if it can somehow reach the foe’s head. After a successful grab, the Flay worm can try to attach its remaining tentacles with a single grapple check. The opponent can escape with a single successful grapple check or Escape Artist check, but the Flay worm gets a +2 circumstance bonus for every tentacle that was attached at the beginning of the opponent’s turn.

Extract (Ex): A Flay worm that begins its turn with all 5 tentacles attached and successfully maintains its hold automatically cuts through an opponents head, in the next round it extracts the opponent’s brain, instantly killing that creature, if the creature is large or larger the process takes +1 rounds for ever Size category larger then large.

Tail (Ex) The tail, on successful hit, deals 1d6 acid damage.

Flay worm (Mature)
Medium-Sized Aberration
Hit-Dice: 2d8 (9hp)
Initiative: 6 (+2 dex +4 Improved Initiative)
AC: 16-18 (+2 dex +0 size +4 Nat. AC)
Attacks: 5 Tentacles +3 Bite -2 Tail -4
Damage: 5 Tentacles 1d3 Bite 2d6 Tail 1d3 + 1d8 acid
Reach: 5ft by 5ft/5ft
Special attacks: Improved grab, extract, Tail sear, spring attack
Special qualities: Illithid speech, Acid spill
Saves: Fort +1 Ref +2 Will +8
Abilities: Str 11 Dex 15 Con 12 Int 18 Wis 20 Cha 10
Skills: Hide+2, Jump+10, Move silently+2 spot+2 listen+4
Feats: Weapon Finesse (Bite, Tentacles) Alertness, Skill focus: Jump, Improved initiative

Climate or terrain: Warm marsh, underground
Organization: Hive (5-17 medium-sized, 1-2 old, 2-5 young)
Challenge rating: TBA
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always evil (Had them tagged as Neutral for a while)
Advancement: 2-6(Medium sized) 7-10(Large)

Flay worms seem to be the concoction of an evil wizard tampering with Mind flayer tadpoles; they are at least 3 ft long snake like creatures.

With a round mouth and 5 tentacles, it resembles a mindflayer, around a contractible moth. It has a long (1/3 of the body) flat end of the tail, that seem to be webbed spikes. Flay worms can jump high and often surprise large creatures. Young Flay worms have 10's of eyes along it, these fall of at the advancement to medium-sized to 4 eyes around the mouth, these are dirty cream to yellow with almost no pupil, At the size large they have no eyes. Most of a Flay worms life is spent not getting killed and the rest is eating, after an attack on their lair Flay worms will sit perfectly still digesting flesh they have bitten of or brain tissue.

Combat:
Once encountered, Flay worms swarm and jump at the attacking character, and latch on where ever they can, though most go straight for the head.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the Flay worm must hit a Small to Large Creature with its tentacle attack. If it gets a hold, it attaches the tentacle to the opponent’s head. A Flay worm can grab a Huge or larger creature, but only if it can somehow reach the foe’s head. After a successful grab, the Flay worm can try to attach its remaining tentacles with a single grapple check. The opponent can escape with a single successful grapple check or Escape Artist check, but the Flay worm gets a +2 circumstance bonus for every tentacle that was attached at the beginning of the opponent’s turn.

Extract (Ex): A Flay worm that begins its turn with all 5 tentacles attached and successfully maintains its hold automatically cuts through an opponents head, in the next round it extracts the opponent’s brain, instantly killing that creature, if the creature is Huge or larger the process takes +1 rounds for ever Size category larger then large.

Spring attack (Ex) A flay worm May use this to jump up and latch onto a head/body part

Tail (Ex) The tail, on successful hit, deals 1d8 acid damage.

Illithid speech (Su) Flay worms may speak telepathically to any Illithid

Acid spill (Ex) Once a Flay worm is killed a pool of corrosive acid accumulates in a 4 ft pool (As Ochre jelly)

Flay worm (Adult)
Large Aberration
Hit-Dice: 7d8 (31hp)
Initiative: 5 (+1 dex +4 Improved Initiative)
AC: 19 (+1 dex -1 size +9 Nat. AC)
Attacks: 5 Tentacles +5 Bite + 0 Tail -2
Damage: 5 Tentacles 1d4 + 4 Bite 2d8 +6 Tail 1d4+ 4 + 2d4
Reach: 5ft by 10ft/5ft
Special attacks: Improved grab, extract, Tail sear, spring attack, blindfight
Special qualities: Illithid speech, Acid spill
Saves: Fort +4 Ref +2 Will +6
Abilities: Str 18 Dex 12 Con 17 Int 18 Wis 22 Cha 10
Skills: Hide+2, Jump+10, Move silently+2 spot+0 listen+10
Feats: Weapon Finesse (Bite, Tentacles) Alertness, Skill focus: Jump, Spring attack, Blindfight

Climate or terrain: Warm marsh, underground
Organization: Hive (5-17 medium-sized, 1-2 old, 2-5 young)
Challenge rating: TBA
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always evil (Had them tagged as Neutral for a while)
Advancement: 2-6(Medium sized) 7-10(Large)

Flay worms seem to be the concoction of an evil wizard tampering with Mind flayer tadpoles; they are at least 3 ft long snake like creatures.

With a round mouth and 5 tentacles, it resembles a mindflayer, around a contractible moth. It has a long (1/3 of the body) flat end of the tail, that seem to be webbed spikes. Flay worms can jump high and often surprise large creatures. Young Flay worms have 10's of eyes along it, these fall of at the advancement to medium-sized to 4 eyes around the mouth, these are dirty cream to yellow with almost no pupil, At the size large they have no eyes. Most of a Flay worms life is spent not getting killed and the rest is eating, after an attack on their lair Flay worms will sit perfectly still digesting flesh they have bitten of or brain tissue.

Combat:
Once encountered, Flay worms swarm and jump at the attacking character, and latch on where ever they can, though most go straight for the head.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the Flay worm must hit a Medium-sized to Huge creature with its tentacle attack. If it gets a hold, it attaches the tentacle to the opponent’s head. A Flay worm can grab a Huge or larger creature, but only if it can somehow reach the foe’s head. After a successful grab, the Flay worm can try to attach its remaining tentacles with a single grapple check. The opponent can escape with a single successful grapple check or Escape Artist check, but the Flay worm gets a +2 circumstance bonus for every tentacle that was attached at the beginning of the opponent’s turn.

Extract (Ex): A Flay worm that begins its turn with all 5 tentacles attached and successfully maintains its hold automatically cuts through an opponents head, in the next round it extracts the opponent’s brain, instantly killing that creature, if the creature is huge or larger the process takes +1 rounds for ever Size category larger then Huge.

Spring attack (Ex) A flay worm May use this to jump up and latch onto a head/body part

Tail (Ex) The tail, on successful hit, deals 2d4 acid damage

Illithid speech (Su) Flay worms may speak telepathically to any Illithid

Acid spill (Ex) Once a Flay worm is killed a pool of corrosive acid accumulates in a 10 ft pool (As Black pudding)

Flay worms gain HD+2 to determine the Natural AC bonus.

Whip spider
Tiny Beast
HD 1/2d10 (hp 2)
Initiative +2 (Dex);
Speed 10 ft;
AC 21 (+6 Dex, +2 size, +3 natural);
Attacks: bite +8 melee;
Damage: bite 1d3-3;
Special quality: Perm. Spider climb,
Special attack: Weapon finesse (bite) Weapon finesse (sting), poison(Bite, sting)
Face/Reach 2 1/2 ft by 2 1/2 ft/0 ft;
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +8, Will +1;
Abilities: Str 5, Dex 19, Con 11, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 8;
Skills and Feats: Hide +6, Move Silently +6;

Climate/Terrain: Any Plains
Organization: Solitary bunch (2-4)
Challenge Rating:?
Treasure: none
Alignment: Always Neutral evil
Advancement: 1-3HD tiny 4-7HD small 8-12HD Medium

These evil creatures, vile sentiments left in now blocked caves by the corrupt Drow. Appearing to be 1-2 ft long spiders with a snake tail and head, fondly named “Elgluth orrb” Or Whip spider by the Drow. They have a rough and hairy black chitinous carapace, the tip of it’s stinger is red. The evil creature only have two eyes, which are not multifaceted; they are however so large they almost cover the head of the beast.

Usually they jump from the ceiling or wall, and latch on, biting and stinging.

Enfeeblement Poison (Ex): The sting attack delivers a deadly toxin that (Fort save DC 10, initial 1d6 temporary Dex and 2d6 temporary Wisdom / secondary feeblemind). The feeblemind affects the victim as a spell of the same name cast by a 1st-level sorceror.

Paralytic Poison (Ex): The bite delivers a paralytic poison (Fort save DC 10, initial 1d6 temporary Con 2d6 strength / secondary paralysis). The paralysis lasts for 1d6 rounds.

I have, come to think of it, always thought of the underdark like Death Valley, Lots of creatures but you just don't notice.
 


Ferret, thanks for the critters, I will definately get some uses from them. Though the characters might not appreciate them.:D

Eric, Also thanks, the info on your site will be quite helpful.:)
 

Many long tunnels are carved by colossal worms that eat the stone and leave behind dust and shards of rock. Thus, there are no clear tunnels to pass through, unless you can swim through the sand. A normal tunnel, carved by water, might suddenly end in a huge landslide of dark sand that spilled out of numerous worm holes in the region.

Another important detail I always keep in mind is that stone changes much more slowly than anything else. People often have to move to avoid threats, leaving behind beautifully carved stone cities, completely abandoned except for a few stray creatures. In my setting, stone shape is a 1st level spell (I never saw why it needed to be 4th), so most mages have access to it, allowing them to create buildings and structures over the course of many days. A high level mage could create an entire building in one day, then spend weeks magically adjusting its exterior to have precisely the appearance desired.

Rare cave krakens, called Alhuld, slither through moist cave networks near the ocean. Larger than an elephant, these creatures hunt in the open ocean, but return to their caves to rest. On land, they slide along on a trail of mucous, which hardens into a clear wax, suitable for making candles. The Taranesti Elves who live in the land below have domesticated a few Alhuld, and use them to create all manner of strange items, from simple candles and dyed wax carvings, to translucent wax windows for their buildings, to keep out the numerous crawling insects that swarm to wherever large groups of people live.
 

Keep in mind, that in a network of caves there aren't only two dimensions, tunnels and mazes can encompass all three dimensions, which will make moving much more difficult, as either magic or mundane climbing equipment + climb checks are required. The same goes for cities - iirc drow can levitate as SA ...
 

i dont remember in which dragon i saw it, but there was a really interesting idea about gnomes living in giant stalactites and stalagmites, which i wthought was really cool. I think they called it underspire or something like that. I've always thought they'd make cool cities and dungeons.
 

RangerWickett--I really liked the squid---especially the 'wax' info:)

Dakkareth--Yea, thats something I'll definately have to keep in mind & hopefully can add that to the paranoia of the group

Moleculo---I remeber that dragon--I'll have to see if I can find it---just hoe it didnt end up in storage on the last move

Thanks all.......anyone else:D
 

Dakkareth said:
Keep in mind, that in a network of caves there aren't only two dimensions, tunnels and mazes can encompass all three dimensions, which will make moving much more difficult, as either magic or mundane climbing equipment + climb checks are required. The same goes for cities - iirc drow can levitate as SA ...

My take on the whole thing is to make the drow expert climbers -- they will need to be able to climb in order to get around in the 3D terrain of the Underdark.

Also, I've toyed with the idea of giving the drow spider climb as a supernatural ability instead of levitation -- it does facilitate movement in this kind of terrain quite nicely, it fits the "spider" motif of the drow perfectly, and it allows for very nasty ambushes. No one ever looks up...
 
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rbingham2000 said:


My take on the whole thing is to make the drow expert climbers -- they will need to be able to climb in order to get around in the 3D terrain of the Underdark.

Also, I've toyed with the idea of giving the drow spider climb as a supernatural ability instead of levitation -- it does facilitate movement in this kind of terrain quite nicely, it fits the "spider" motif of the drow perfectly, and it allows for very nasty ambushes. No one ever looks up...

Cool idea.


Another thing ... how about a race of flying creatures (there are some, I'm sure) fighting in formations?

Imagine you are in some large cavern flying in order to get somewhere and are attacked by several closed formation of creatures executing fly-by attacks while covering each other (some kind of aid-another bonus to prevent AoO) ... they would need to organize to an extreme degree to survive in the harsh surroundings - lone wolfes are chanceless in the Underdark.
 

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