Ruins of Undermountain
Encyclopedia
Ruins of Undermountain is boxed set
for the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. The set, with product code TSR 1060, was published in 1991, and was written by Ed Greenwood
, with box cover art by Brom
.
The Campaign Guide to Undermountain book uses the same Brom cover art as the box cover itself, with interior art by Karl Waller
and cartography by Diesel
, Steve Beck, and David Sutherland
. This book contains detailed information on the dungeon Undermountain, including non-player characters (such as Halaster Blackcloak) that can be encountered within the dungeons or in the city above it, as well as spells and magic items
that can be found. The book also keys the maps to what can be found in various locations, and contains expansion guidelines for creating future adventures and deeper parts of the dungeon.
The Undermountain Adventures booklet describes seven adventures designed to be used within Undermountain, but can be used in any dungeon. The booklet also contains a "Monster Guide" of statblocks and descriptions of monsters not otherwise featured in the boxed set, and a description of the city of Skullport. The booklet has a detached cover, with cover art by Jeff Easley
, and maps of some of the encounters on the inside, with cartography by David Sutherland.
The monster sheets detail 11 monsters in the Monstrous Compendium style: elder orb beholder
, death kiss beholder-kin, darktentacles, ibrandlin, scaladar, sharn
, slithermorph, flying snakes (flying fang and deathfang), steel shadow, and watchghost.
The cards are adventure aids for the Dungeon Master
, detailing traps, encounters, treasure, and sundries that can be placed in the midst of adventures.
The maps detail the first three levels of the ruins of Undermountain; level three takes up two of the maps.
magazine for the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 2004.
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 Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
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...
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 product code TSR 1060, was published in 1991, and was written by Ed Greenwood
Ed Greenwood
Ed Greenwood is a Canadian writer and editor who created the Forgotten Realms. He invented the Forgotten Realms as a child, as a fantasy world in which to set the stories he imagined, and later used this world as a campaign setting for his own personal Dungeons & Dragons playing group...
, with box cover art by Brom
Gerald Brom
Gerald Brom is an American gothic fantasy artist and illustrator, known for his work in role-playing games, novels, and comics.-Early life:Brom was born March 9, 1965, in Albany, Georgia. As the son of a U.S...
.
Contents
The set consists of a 128-page booklet titled "Campaign Guide to Undermountain", a 32-page booklet titled "Undermountain Adventures", 8 double-sided loose-leaf monster statistics pages, 8 double-sided heavy-stock "adventure aid" cards, and 4 color fold-out poster maps.The Campaign Guide to Undermountain book uses the same Brom cover art as the box cover itself, with interior art by Karl Waller
Karl Waller
Karl Waller is an American artist whose work has appeared in comic books and roleplaying and collectible card games.-Early life and education:He graduated from the Pennsylvania School of Art in 1987, with a diploma in communication arts.-Career:...
and cartography by Diesel
David S. LaForce
David S. LaForce is an artist, noted for his artwork in fantasy role-playing games.-Career:Along with Jeff Dee, Erol Otus, Jim Roslof, David C. Sutherland III and David A...
, Steve Beck, and David Sutherland
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of Dungeons & Dragons.-Early life and inspiration:...
. This book contains detailed information on the dungeon Undermountain, including non-player characters (such as Halaster Blackcloak) that can be encountered within the dungeons or in the city above it, as well as spells and magic items
Magic item (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the character in whose hands they fall into. Magic items have been prevalent in the game in every edition and setting, from the...
that can be found. The book also keys the maps to what can be found in various locations, and contains expansion guidelines for creating future adventures and deeper parts of the dungeon.
The Undermountain Adventures booklet describes seven adventures designed to be used within Undermountain, but can be used in any dungeon. The booklet also contains a "Monster Guide" of statblocks and descriptions of monsters not otherwise featured in the boxed set, and a description of the city of Skullport. The booklet has a detached cover, with 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:...
, and maps of some of the encounters on the inside, with cartography by David Sutherland.
The monster sheets detail 11 monsters in the Monstrous Compendium style: elder orb beholder
Beholder
The beholder is a fictional monster in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It resembles a floating orb of flesh with a large mouth, single central eye, and lots of smaller eyestalks on top with deadly magical powers....
, death kiss beholder-kin, darktentacles, ibrandlin, scaladar, sharn
Sharn (Forgotten Realms)
The sharn are fictitious creatures in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. They are central to the plot of the fantasy novel Blackstaff by Steven E. Schend and are best known as those responsible for imprisoning the malevolent phaerimm...
, slithermorph, flying snakes (flying fang and deathfang), steel shadow, and watchghost.
The cards are adventure aids for the Dungeon Master
Dungeon 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...
, detailing traps, encounters, treasure, and sundries that can be placed in the midst of adventures.
The maps detail the first three levels of the ruins of Undermountain; level three takes up two of the maps.
Reception
The adventure was ranked the 17th greatest adventure of all time by DungeonDungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
magazine for the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 2004.
Additional reading
- Review: White Wolf #30 (1992)
- "Seeing the Sights in Skullport", 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...
#172 - "Understanding Undermountain--The King of All Dungeons", Dragon #167