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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The essential Underdark sourcebook, 9 Oct 2007
This review is from: The Underdark (Forgotten Realms) (Hardcover)
The Underdark is one of the most inhospitable areas in the Forgotten Realms and this sourcebook includes almost everything you would need to run a campaign within the lightless realms. The book contains rules and information for a number of monsters, feats, spells and equipment that are unique to the Underdark as well as races and Prestige Classes that would be appropriate for PCs and NPCs alike. Much of the book is taken up with the Geography section which includes descriptions of important Underdark cities and sights of interest such as Deep Imaskar and the famous Menzoberranzan. This section may not be a complete guide to the Underdark but those areas that are included are generally well detailed. Probably the most important section of this book is the Exploring the Underdark section which includes rules for surviving in the Underdark as well as rules for the flora, fauna and the basic environment of the Underdark. This book is essential for anyone wishing to explore the lightless depth below Faerūn.
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17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Should of been called Underdark part 1, 6 Dec 2003
This review is from: The Underdark (Forgotten Realms) (Hardcover)
Initially going through the book, its full of excellent ideas and information, all the things you want to know about the Underdark. It was only when I started to look things up , I found that there was no index. How can a reference book have no index! Then after reading through the geography section trying to find what I was looking for I noticed , half the paces on the map have not enteries, which was quiet fustrating. Overall, what there is is excellent, but it seems like the only wrote half the book.
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61 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's better than a 2-star, sheese..., 2 Nov 2003
By Chris Perry "Selvy" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Underdark (Forgotten Realms) (Hardcover)
I'm sorry but it's unfair to give 'Underdark' such a low rating. For those who don't play in the Forgotten Realms then it may be less useful--about 1/3 of the book relates to locales beneath the lands of the Forgotten Realms--but there's more to the book than that. There are new pretige classes (such as the deep diviner) and some revised ones (such as the archnemancer), plus some new feats. Some of the feats were included from other sources(such as "highborn drow") while others were warmed-over and given a new name, but there are some decent new ones. The concept of node-magic is introduced, which I liked. The playability of certain races (such as the kuo-toa and grimlocks) were expanded. Naturally, new PC races like the gloaming were included. And the new magic section had some interesting bits, such as the 'drowcraft' magic property (which brings back a bit of the old-style drow flavor to the setting--if you missed seeing drow-made weapons turn to dust in the sunlight you're in luck!). Also if you're a gamer who's chafed at the limits of teleportation in the sunless regions, the limitation's been relaxed somewhat so only Underdark areas with pockets of 'faerzress' radiation hinders teleportation/divination-based spells. This isn't a 5-star book except where production values are concerned, but I feel that 'Underdark' as a whole rates at least a 3 (for non-FR gamers) or 4 (FR gamer) rating.
17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful and Fun!, 8 Dec 2003
By Michael Griffith "mgriffith123" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Underdark (Forgotten Realms) (Hardcover)
I'm a tightwad when it comes to new RPG books. I just think most are overpriced for what you get. I'm happy to say I think that for the fun and use I and my various gaming groups are getting out of Underdark, this book is WELL worth the money. Like most of the new WotC D&D books, you get a mix of information, like locales, races, spells, magic and mundane equipment, feats, PrCs, and so on. All of the information given is helpful to the DM running an underdark game in any setting. And while some of the information IS Realms specific, a good DM can change things to her world with little effort. The new races in the book are welcome additions, and the artwork throughout is unique and moody. I'm pleased by this book. And it's been waaaay too long since I've been able to say that about a WotC product. I DO wish there was an index and a pull-out map of the regions the book talks about. The free web items you can download from Wizards.com also help make this book a very handy tool for DMs and players.
5.0 out of 5 stars
a narrator's tool, 3 Oct 2011
By BF - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Underdark (Forgotten Realms) (Hardcover)
This book is a great campaign buddy, as gives the reader excellent descriptions of underdark terrain and geography. When narrating an underground campaign, there are only so many variations of 'a cave,' or 'a tunnel,' that one can describe before the action gets tedious for the players. With this supplement, you get a range of interesting features, hazards, and ecologies to give it a more natural feel, for those of us with no real-life spelunking experience. Beyond that, it gives the usual WotC bundle of feats, PrC's, races, and spells. Most of this material is mediocre, but I still give the book 5*'s for being the only dungeoneering book out there that gives such a rich 'how-to' guide for making underground travel rich and interesting.
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