“Sane is boring.”
― R.A. Salvatore
In the third official storyline from Wizards of the Coast for Dungeons & Dragons 5e, the Players and Dungeon Masters stuck here in the normal world find themselves traversing the legendary realm of the Drow, Derro, Ixitxachitl, Duergar, and the myriad of other creatures inhabiting the Underdark. But there is something afoot in the deep, dark tunnels below. Something, or some things, more terrible and sinister than a ruling Menzoberranzan family have been unleashed and are wreaking havoc beneath The Sword Coast. Things have come from Out of the Abyss.
At a high level this module is based in part upon Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, where players must save the unfriendly citizens of the Underdark from a horde of demons that are threatening to destroy everything on their journey to the surface. So, the stakes are pretty high, to say the least. The module, or Campaign really, is designed to take the PCs from level 1 all the way to level 15 for PC levels 1 – 15.
And now we come to the part of the review where if you plan on playing this module, READ NO FURTHER.
If you are going to DM this, then by all means continue.
In other words, past this point THERE BE SPOILERS!
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Out of the Abyss has 17 chapters and is divided effectively into three main story sections:
- Escaping the Underdark
- Returning to the Underdark
- Saving the Realm
The story begins with the players finding themselves in the horrible situation of being captives in the Underdark of a heinous clan of Drow. Now, imagine for a moment that you personally are stuck underground, no idea how to get home, and a prisoner of cruel slavers who can see in the dark. It would be hopeless, right? And well it should be. Luckily for the PCs, though, they are heroes (even at level 1) and have abilities to help them through the situation, but also there is a plethora of fellow captives (NPCs) to assist in the inevitable escape.
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”
“I don’t much care where –”
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
The escape is only the beginning of this story, as the PCs are forced to navigate the seemingly endless caverns of the home of some of the nastiest creatures and denizens in all of D&D’s lore in a tumultuous effort to find their way to the surface. There are many encounters throughout the journey to both aid and hinder the party, but it is apparent early on the NPCs have value and should be protected at all cost. And, as if things weren’t already bad enough, the situation goes from bad to worse when it’s revealed that demons have come to the Underdark. And not just any demons, but nearly ALL of the demons from The Forgotten Realms. We’re talking Baphomet, Demogorgon, Fraz-Urb’luu, Graz’zt, and a whole host of the deadliest beings from any plane of existence. It does not look good.
On the plus side for the players though, the demons are not interested in the PCs, but rather their own desires and personal gains. As expected, the demons are not working together in a campaign, but rather for their own benefit. This means savvy players can use demons against each other to help them out. But one must be very cautious when interacting with demons and bargains always come with a price.
“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Because the players are interacting with entities most rational people couldn’t begin to comprehend, it only makes sense that Madness be used to massive effect. And there is plenty to go around.
Each of the demons can inflict upon the players a certain type of Madness (full description of the Madness condition is found in the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Madness helps seal the experience for the players as they are dealing with situations that are for the most part out of their control, beyond their ability to contain, and in an environment they are not familiar with, but, being heroes means they never give up. Perseverance is the unspoken trait all PCs have.
As the game progresses, hopefully the PCs are finding success in their endeavors They will meet beloved characters from The Forgotten Realms that well-read players will recognize. It’s fun and makes the situation feel real, but more importantly, that it matters to the world. Players want to feel that if everything is on the line, their actions matter. This module does that and then some.
Upon returning to the Underdark to stop the invasion, expect and be prepared for PC death. The stakes are too high, and the danger real, but to quote a friend “If our characters can’t die then what’s the point?” Well, then this is the module that mentality.
“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice Adventures in Wonderland
At a price point of $50 this is quite a purchase, but here’s why it’s worth it. Not only are you purchasing a tremendous module that is more like a campaign that’ll take months to complete, but it doubles as a source book for the Underdark and the major Demons in D&D. For the Underdark, this book provides details descriptions of locations, including maps and NPC stat blocks, how-to guides for creatures and characters specific for this area of The Forgotten Realms, and also tables to assist in random encounters, character interactions, and other aspects of the world to provide the immersive experience players want.
Aside from the setting, the other major attractions to this book are the demons. Sitting in the Appendix are detailed descriptions for each of the major demons met in this story and how to play them with suggestions on personality, motivations, and how to best interact with PCs. These are not the usual BBEGs most DMs use in their regular games, but now they are easily accessible.
“You would have to be half mad to dream me up.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Should you purchase this product?
That is the real question about any review: is the item in question worth my hard-earned dollar? If you are new to DMing or not comfortable with tons of detail in your sessions/campaigns or a massive amount of NPCs with diverse personalities, motivations, cadences, etc., then I would not suggest this purchase. It is a lot and can be overwhelming. I’m on my second read-through and I still do not have everything down yet. If you are new to DMing, or want a more straightforward adventure, Hoard of the Dragon Queen is the way go. It’s a great introduction to the system, DMing, and playing.
If you are well-practiced at DMing, prepared to handle a myriad of NPCs, and your group is ready for one hell of an adventure where victory seems impossible, but necessary, then this purchase is for you.
“Have I gone mad?”
“I’m afraid so, but let me tell you something, the best people usually are.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Final quote seems appropriate for both the article and its author.
I’ll roll with y’all again real soon!
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