Night Below: An Underdark Campaign
Encyclopedia
Night Below: An Underdark Campaign, often known simply as Night Below, is a boxed set
for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. The set, with the product code TSR 1125, was published in 1995, and was written by Carl Sargent
, with box cover art by Jeff Easley
.
, and sixteen sheets containing player handouts.
Book I: The Evils of Haranshire provides an introduction to Night Below, a campaign designed to take player character
s from 1st level to 10th level and beyond. This campaign was expressly designed to be usable into any ongoing campaign setting
. This booklet details Haranshire, where the adventure begins, and the non-player character
s which may be encountered there.
Book II: Perils of the Underdark details the catacomb and cavern complexes of the Underdark
here. This book introduces many encounters with underground races, such as the derro
, svirfneblin
, illithid
s, and rockseer elves
. This portion of the adventure emphasizes role-playing, intrigue, and diplomacy rather than just combat.
Book III: The Sunless Sea describes the aboleth
city of Great Shaboath and leads up to the final confrontation against the aboleth, who are the masterminds behind the scenario.
Three of the six mapsheets provide smaller maps detailing various sites for encounters, while the other three mapsheets are large-scale tactical maps designed to be used in miniatures combat
.
The monster booklet details 5 monsters in the Monstrous Compendium
style: savant aboleth
, rockseer elf
, ixzan ixitxachitl
, giant moray eel, and Shaboath golem
.
The Dungeon Master's reference cards include maps of the villages of Milborne and Thurmaster, a listing of underground terrain hazards, monster rosters, descriptions of aboleth and ixitxachitl deities, and monster cutouts for miniatures combat.
The sixteen loose sheets contain 26 handouts to be given to players at suitable times in the campaign, and include items such as journal entries, sketch maps, runes and symbols, and clues.
Boxed set
A box set is a compilation of various musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related items that are contained in a box.-Music box sets:...
for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. The set, with the product code TSR 1125, was published in 1995, and was written by Carl Sargent
Carl Sargent
Carl L. Sargent is a British author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels.-Early career:...
, with box cover art by Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...
.
Contents
The set consists of three 64-page booklets detailing the epic dungeon-based campaign (all three with cover art by Easley; book 3 having the same cover art as the box itself), 6 large color fold-out poster maps, an 8-page booklet of monster statistics pages, 8 reference cards for the Dungeon MasterDungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
, and sixteen sheets containing player handouts.
Book I: The Evils of Haranshire provides an introduction to Night Below, a campaign designed to take player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s from 1st level to 10th level and beyond. This campaign was expressly designed to be usable into any ongoing campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
. This booklet details Haranshire, where the adventure begins, and the non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s which may be encountered there.
Book II: Perils of the Underdark details the catacomb and cavern complexes of the Underdark
Underdark
The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
here. This book introduces many encounters with underground races, such as the derro
Derro (Dungeons & Dragons)
The derro are a fictional species of monstrous humanoids in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. They were first devised for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons First Edition adventure Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth...
, svirfneblin
Svirfneblin
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, svirfneblin , or deep gnomes, are a sub-race of gnome.-Publication history:The svirfneblin first appears in first edition in the adventure modules D2 Shrine of the Kuo-Toa , and D3 Vault of the Drow , and then in the original Fiend Folio...
, illithid
Illithid
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, illithids are monstrous humanoid aberrations with psionic powers. In a typical Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, they live in the moist caverns and cities of the enormous Underdark...
s, and rockseer elves
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
. This portion of the adventure emphasizes role-playing, intrigue, and diplomacy rather than just combat.
Book III: The Sunless Sea describes the aboleth
Aboleth
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, aboleths are a fictive race of malevolent, eel-like aberrations with potent psionic abilities...
city of Great Shaboath and leads up to the final confrontation against the aboleth, who are the masterminds behind the scenario.
Three of the six mapsheets provide smaller maps detailing various sites for encounters, while the other three mapsheets are large-scale tactical maps designed to be used in miniatures combat
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
.
The monster booklet details 5 monsters in the Monstrous Compendium
Monstrous Compendium
The Monstrous Compendium is a series of accessories for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Volumes:MC1 Monstrous Compendium, Volume One was published by TSR in 1989...
style: savant aboleth
Aboleth
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, aboleths are a fictive race of malevolent, eel-like aberrations with potent psionic abilities...
, rockseer elf
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
, ixzan ixitxachitl
Ixitxachitl
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, ixitxachitl are a race of intelligent, aquatic beings that resemble small manta rays with barbed tails. They have an evil disposition and worship evil powers...
, giant moray eel, and Shaboath golem
Golem (Dungeons & Dragons)
A golem is a type of construct, a magically created monster in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.- Publication history :The Dungeons & Dragons golems are based upon the Golems of Jewish mythology.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
.
The Dungeon Master's reference cards include maps of the villages of Milborne and Thurmaster, a listing of underground terrain hazards, monster rosters, descriptions of aboleth and ixitxachitl deities, and monster cutouts for miniatures combat.
The sixteen loose sheets contain 26 handouts to be given to players at suitable times in the campaign, and include items such as journal entries, sketch maps, runes and symbols, and clues.
Additional reading
- Review: Arcane #4 (1996)
- Review: DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#234 (1996)