Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ksbsnowowl 01-24-05, 12:22 PM	This is perhaps a bit of an odd question that needs a little background. I really enjoy the quality of the FR books I've aquired thus far (FRCS, Silver Marches, Magic of Faerun, Monsters of Faerun, Shining South, and Unapproachable East), and much of the material within them is of great use to me, however, I do not as of right now play nor DM in the Realms. I do like the feel of FR, and have incorporated much of it into my homebrewed Norse setting (espectially stuff from UE and SM), and given the 'planar' or 'realm' set-up of norse mythology, the underdark book might provide me with good information for Nidvellir (the realm of the Dwarves) and Svartalfheim (the realm of the Dark Elves). When I say dark elves, don't think of the highly structured society of the Drow, because any fluff text on the drow will likely not apply to such a setting (they don't worship a spider queen, or anything of that nature either). Also note that many of the classic D&D monsters (such as illithids) will not be making an appearance in this setting either. Info on the Grey Dwarves (derro?) will be highly welcome, however. I suppose what I am asking is, is there enough generic information on playing in an underground area that can be incorporated into any setting, or is the book too Realms-specific to be of much use in fleshing out a more generic underground region of a setting? One other thing of note... I play and run 3.0 games. How much of the crunchy bits (monsters, PrC's, etc) will need to be retrofitted to 3.0 standards (Damage Reduction, feats, etc)? Shining South didn't have much that needed to be converted, and that pleased me. Will Underdark be more work?
tylerthehobo 01-24-05, 04:14 PM	First off, (and I could be wrong here) but I think Underdark actually has 3.0 not 3.5 mechanics in there - I've been wrong before, though - check the updates section at wizards.com... Now, will it be useful to you in a Norse/non-realms setting? Yes, and no. It isn't too strong on general underground adventure stuff (E.g. encounter tables and the like - they're there, but it's not the main focus of the book). It's really more about the drow, duergar, chitine, and other cultures living under the earth, with a great deal of effort to placing adventures in different areas of the Realms, just underground. For instance, there are descriptions of the world underneath each major region of the realms, and even a nifty map. If you're looking for a general underdark adventure book without FR ties, there are some okay d20 books that have been published that might be a better fit. That said, I thought Underdark was one of the strongest 3.0/3.5 FR accessories that I've bought, and I use it a lot. Go for it.
Draco Strang 01-24-05, 06:14 PM	I paid for it and haven't looked back since.
warlockco 01-25-05, 03:03 AM	Underdark is a 3.5E book, going back to 3.0E rules shouldn't be hard, just need to adjust the DR on some creatures is all. If you want an official book that deals with the hazards of the Underdark, this is gonna be your only option. This is one of my favorite FR Sourcebooks, even though I don't get to use it much currently, my rotation as DM is not gonna be up for a while, but I still use a fair bit of the magic listed in there.
ksbsnowowl 01-26-05, 10:30 AM	Thanks for the info and opinions guys. I went ahead and ordered the book; I can't wait to see what cool things await inside. Now I just have to decide whether I'll get Races of Faerun or Lost Empires next.....