The dark realms beneath the surface conceal an immeasurable wealth of wondrous riches and terrifying mysteries awaiting discovery by those daring enough to venture into these lightless kingdoms. From dense veins of precious metals and mesmerizing, luminescent crystals to unknown and seemingly alien species of plants and animals, the deep places of the earth support a diverse and often bizarre ecosystem utterly foreign to most surface dwellers. Yet, tales of the subterranean world’s magnificent treasures tantalize brave adventurers seeking to wrest them from the clutches of the wicked beasts and monstrous denizens that call this forsaken land home.
Into the Black prepares players and GMs alike for the perilous quest into this inhospitable territory, arming players with the tools necessary not only to survive in this treacherous domain but prosper. Potent new substances, magic items, equipment and material await underground explorers, while a full arsenal of innovative spells aids them in their quest. Likewise, Into the Black gives GMs a diverse spectrum of potent monsters from the insidious and cerebral pallemon to the sly and crafty barathelar as well as campaign ideas and a complete background on each of the four subterranean environments: caverns, catacombs, mines and sewers.
What the Reviewers Say...
"As a follow up to Into the Green, this book brings more depth to the Underdark settings available for any world. The clear and concise way the underground areas are divvied up and then broken done into animal, vegetable and mineral components as well as environmental hazards makes it easy for a DM to better flavor a campaign."—Bruce Boughner, d20 Magazine Rack
"I highly recommend this book to any DM who wants to return to the dark days of yester-year when a dwarf with an axe and an innate sense of direction could lead his companions to the monster's lair. Of course, now he'll have to deal with a bad case of crack-foot and watch out for hemorrhagic fever while searching earnestly for that vein of bergasalt—the most lethal substance against undead that is known! Let's go caving!"—Issue #15, Fictional Reality
"Overall, Into the Black sets out to be a different sourcebook on the adventures below ground. It succeeds in getting this across, but may push some gamers to the side with the heavy weight of high-brow language. It’s a nice change of pace from the lurking drow warriors and mind flayers, from the burrowing purple worms and goblins, and even the warrens of wererats. 7 out of 10."—Alex deMorris, RPG.net
by Thomas Knauss
Contributing writers: Darren Miguez, Jacob Driscoll, Kenneth C. Shannon III & Hal Greenberg, Nick Herold, Shawn Muder, and Jonathon Richards
Product Availability
Fulfilled immediately.
Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at
store@paizo.com.
It's called DUNGEONS and Dragons, yet how much thought do most of us put into what lies underground beyond traps to circumvent, monsters to kill and treasure to loot? What's going on down there when there are no adventurers poking around and generally making nuisances of themselves? Now is a chance to find out... with notes on the ecology of the subterranean world and the particular challenges that those creatures living there face, as well as more detailed information on several different types of underground space.
From there, we move on to four chapters which cover four distinct underground environments: caverns, catacombs, mines and sewers. For each there are notes on what makes that particular environment distinctive and detailed accounts of the plants and animals to be found there. There are sections on the rocks and minerals you can find there (of particular note in the mines chapter, but you never know what you might find elsewhere), the hazards to be faced and a collection of monsters.
Next comes a chapter of New Equipment. This includes useful items like flameless means of illumination (to avoid setting off explosive gases) and hip waders... and even a mask to guard against the horrible smells to be found in the likes of sewers. There are a few magic items that might come in handy as well, and a few new minerals and other materials are introduced. The final chapter is a collection of spells with an underground theme, provided for all magic-using classes. Most look pretty useful for quite mudane tasks such as detecting poisonous gases or potentially useful minerals or even shoring up a roof that looks as if it might come down. Or you may prefer to turn an enemy into a pillar of salt!
It's all written in a fairly academic style, but really empowers you to turn the 'dungeons' of your game into alternate realities in their own right rather than merely a backdrop to the party's killing and looting. Recommended if you like to make your campaign world as realistic as possible.
Sign in
to
start a discussion
about
Into the Black: A Guide to Below (d20)!
