''Descent Into the Depths of the Earth''
is an
adventure module for the ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...
'' (''D&D'')
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
roleplaying game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) 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 ac ...
coded D1–2. It was written by
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
, and combines two previously published modules from 1978, the original ''Descent into the Depths of the Earth'' and ''Shrine of the Kuo-Toa''. A sequel to the first two modules, ''Vault of the Drow'', was also published in 1978. All of these D-series modules were produced for use with the
1st edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'') rules.
The D-series itself is part of a larger overall
campaign of adventures set in the ''
World of Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''— Dave Arnes ...
''
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 c ...
. The overall campaign begins with the three modules in the ''
Against the Giants
''Against the Giants'' is an adventure module written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1981 for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It combines the G series of modules previously published in 1978: ''Steading of the H ...
'' series, continues through the D-series, and concludes with module Q1 ''
Queen of the Demonweb Pits''. The latter segments of the campaign, including the D-series and module Q1, are set in a vast network of caverns and tunnels called the
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. It is described as a vast subterra ...
.
Plot summary
The plot of the original modules ''Descent Into the Depths of the Earth'' and ''Shrine of the Kuo-Toa'' places a
party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...
of
player characters (PCs) on the trail of the
drow
The drow ( or ) or dark elves are a dark-skinned and white-haired subrace of elves connected to the subterranean Underdark in the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. The drow have traditionally been portrayed as generally evil a ...
priestess
Eclavdra
This is a list of characters from the Greyhawk campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game.
A
Acererak
Acererak was a powerful wizard who became a lich, and later a demilich.
Publication history
Acererak ...
through the
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. It is described as a vast subterra ...
,
a vast subterranean network of interconnected caverns and tunnels, battling various creatures on their journey.
In the last module in the preceding G-series, ''Hall of the Fire Giant King'', the PCs were supposed to have discovered that the drow had instigated the
alliance between the races of giants and their attacks on neighboring humans. The drow that survived the party's incursion have fled into tunnels leading deep into the earth.
The adventurers will have arrived at the bottom of the dungeon below the cave-castle of King Snurre.
In D1 ''Descent Into the Depths of the Earth'', the PCs seek the home of the drow by traveling through an underground world of caves and passages.
In the tunnels, the adventurers first fight a tough drow patrol, and the next major fight is with a raiding party of
mind flayers and
wererats, who have halted their patrol long enough to torture their drow prisoner.
The characters also find a grand cavern containing drow soldiers,
purple worm
This is the list of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition monsters, an important element of that role-playing game. This list only includes monsters from official ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd Edition supplements published by TSR, ...
s, a
lich
In fantasy fiction, a lich (; from the Old English , meaning "corpse") is a type of undead creature.
Various works of fantasy fiction, such as Clark Ashton Smith's " The Empire of the Necromancers" (1932), had used ''lich'' as a general term f ...
, a clutch of undead, a giant slug,
sphinxes,
trolls, bugbears,
troglodytes,
wyverns, and fungi.
D2 ''Shrine of the Kuo-Toa'' picks up with the party continuing to pursue the drow. The party encounters a
kuo-toan rogue monitor who helps them cross a large river for a fee. A party of
Svirfneblin
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, gnomes are one of the core races available for play as player characters. Some speculate that they are closely related to dwarves; however, gnomes are smaller and more tolerant of othe ...
(or deep gnomes) approaches the player characters on the other side, and the party has a chance to convince them to help them fight against the drow. As the party travels, signs of the drow are all around; the drow are allowed to pass through these subterranean areas, even though they are hated and feared by the other local intelligent races. The party then moves through kuo-toa territory, ruled by the Priest-Prince Va-Guulgh. If the PCs appease the kuo-toa and respect their customs, the evil kuo-toa are not openly hostile to the party, but will attack if the party gives them a reason. The party learns that the drow and kuo-toa trade with each other openly, but the kuo-toa hate and fear the drow, resulting in frequent skirmishes between the two peoples.
D3 ''Vault of the Drow'' is set in
Erelhei-Cinlu, an underground stronghold of the drow, and the Fane of Lolth, their evil spider-goddess.
After traveling for league after league into the Underdark, the adventurers come upon Erelhei-Cinlu, the vast subterranean city of the drow. The adventure is written in a very open-ended fashion, giving the
Dungeon Master (DM) free rein to script any number of mini-campaigns or adventures taking place inside the drow capital. An extensive overview of the drow power structure is given for just this purpose. Eventually, the players may discover an astral gate leading to the plane of the
Abyss
Abyss may refer to:
* Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld
Film and television
* ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen
* ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...
, leading into the Q1 module.
Publication history
The original modules ''Descent Into the Depths of the Earth'' and ''Shrine of the Kuo-Toa'' were both written by
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
and published by
TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...
in 1978.
Gygax had recently finished the ''
Player's Handbook
The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...
'' (1978), and according to Gygax, he authored the ''D'' series "as sort of a relaxation to get away from writing rules". ''Descent Into the Depths of the Earth'', the first module of the D-series, was printed as a sixteen-page booklet, and ''Shrine of the Kuo-Toa'', second of the three-part D-series was twenty pages; both featured an outer folder.
Both modules were released before the ''
Dungeon Masters Guide'' and ''Players Handbook''.
Both modules were reprinted in the omnibus collection D1-2 ''Descent Into the Depths'' in 1981, as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder.
The original versions of the D1 and D2 modules both featured monochrome cover artwork by
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III (April 4, 1949"United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JT69-9Y8 : accessed 12 Feb 2013), David C Sutherland, 6 June 2005; citing U.S. Social Security Administra ...
, but the 1981 compilation was released with a color cover illustrated by
Jim Roslof
James Paul Roslof (November 21, 1946March 19, 2011) was an American artist who produced cover art and interior illustrations of fantasy role-playing games published by TSR, Inc. during the "golden age" of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. As Art Director ...
. Sutherland's interior artwork from the original two publications was included in the compilation, as was that of
David A. Trampier
David A. Trampier (April 22, 1954 – March 24, 2014) was an artist and writer whose artwork for TSR, Inc. illustrated some of the earliest editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. Many of his illustrations, such as the cover o ...
. Other artists whose work appears inside the compilation include
Jeff Dee
Jeff Dee is an American artist and game designer. He was the youngest artist in the history of pioneering role-playing game company TSR when he began his work at the age of eighteen. He also designed the ''Villains and Vigilantes'' superhero gam ...
,
Erol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy role-playing game (RPG) genre, especially early in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' franchise. He is also known for his artwork on the multiple ...
,
David S. LaForce,
Bill Willingham
William Willingham (born 1956) is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series '' Elementals'' and '' Fables''.
Career
William Willingham was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. During his father's military career the f ...
and Roslof.
''Vault of the Drow'', also by Gygax and the last of the D-series, was also originally published in 1978 as a 32-page booklet with a two-color outer cover.
The original printing featured monochrome cover artwork by
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III (April 4, 1949"United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JT69-9Y8 : accessed 12 Feb 2013), David C Sutherland, 6 June 2005; citing U.S. Social Security Administra ...
. In 1981, TSR re-issued the adventure with a new color cover.
D3 was re-released to coincide with the release of the D1-2 compilation ''Descent into the Depths of the Earth''. Since the D1-2 compilation featured color cover artwork,
Erol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy role-playing game (RPG) genre, especially early in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' franchise. He is also known for his artwork on the multiple ...
was tasked with creating a new color cover for D3 as well. Sutherland's interior artwork was retained, and other interior artists for the module include
Jeff Dee
Jeff Dee is an American artist and game designer. He was the youngest artist in the history of pioneering role-playing game company TSR when he began his work at the age of eighteen. He also designed the ''Villains and Vigilantes'' superhero gam ...
,
David S. LaForce,
David A. Trampier
David A. Trampier (April 22, 1954 – March 24, 2014) was an artist and writer whose artwork for TSR, Inc. illustrated some of the earliest editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. Many of his illustrations, such as the cover o ...
, and Otus. The entire campaign was eventually combined into a supermodule GDQ1-7 - ''
Queen of the Spiders''.
The modules were designed as a sequel to the
G-series of modules.
At the time these modules were released, each ''Dungeons & Dragons'' module was marked with an
alphanumeric code
Alphanumericals or alphanumeric characters are a combination of alphabetical and numerical characters. More specifically, they are the collection of Latin letters and Arabic digits. An alphanumeric code is an identifier made of alphanumeric ch ...
indicating the series to which it belonged. The ''D'' in the module code represents the first letter in the word ''Drow''.
According to a ''
Wired.com'' article, the D-series "introduced the world to the concept of the dark elves."
Game statistics for the Drow first appear in the module,
although the 1977 edition of the ''
Monster Manual
The ''Monster Manual'' (''MM'' is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'' fantasy role-playing game, first published in 1977 by TSR. The ''Monster Manual'' was the first hardcover D&D book and includ ...
'' does mention the Drow.
The D-series is part of a larger overall
campaign of adventures set in the ''
World of Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''— Dave Arnes ...
''
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 c ...
. The overall campaign begins with the three modules in the G1–3 ''
Against the Giants
''Against the Giants'' is an adventure module written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1981 for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It combines the G series of modules previously published in 1978: ''Steading of the H ...
'' series, continues through the D-series, and concludes with module Q1 ''
Queen of the Demonweb Pits''. The latter segments of the campaign, including the D-series and module Q1, are set in a vast network of caverns and tunnels called the
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. It is described as a vast subterra ...
. The entire campaign was eventually combined into a supermodule GDQ1-7 ''
Queen of the Spiders''. ''Descent into the Depths of the Earth'' was the basis for a 2000 novel of the same title by
Paul Kidd
Pauli Kidd (Pauli Jayne Kidd; formerly Paul James Kidd), also known as Patpahootie, is an Australian writer of fantasy fiction.
Career
Before pursuing a career in writing Kidd had worked at Beam Software, an Australia-based game developer. Sh ...
.
The original TSR product codes for modules D1, D2, and D3 are 9019, 9020, and 9021 respectively (9021 being reused for the new Erol Otus cover with the blue background).
Reception
When combined with the G-series and Q module as the ''
Queen of the Spiders'', the D-series was voted the single greatest adventure of all time by ''
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...
'' magazine in 2004.
Reviewer Alan Kohler said, "The Underdark has become a classic place to set adventures... This is where it all got started."
According to the editors, ''Vault of the Drow'' would have made the top five if it had been considered as a single module. They felt the Drow city detailed in the module offered "more intrigue" than any module previously. Judge
Clark Peterson
Clark Peterson (born February 7, 1966) is an American film producer and entertainment executive. He produced the Academy Award-winning film '' Monster'', starring Charlize Theron, and has created and produced a wide variety of award-winning fil ...
compared it favorably to ''
City State of the Invincible Overlord'', which also had a complicated city environment, saying "this was an underground city of evil monsters—the Drow, who, then, were new and mysterious as opposed to tired and overused as they are today."
''Dungeon Master for Dummies'' lists ''Descent into the Depths of the Earth'' as one of the ten best classic adventures, noting that it takes "the player characters into the underground world of the Drow—the wildly popular dark elves of D&D lore."
The series has received considerable praise. It was reviewed by
Don Turnbull in British RPG magazine ''
White Dwarf
A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes ...
'' No. 11, who gave it 10 out of 10. He compared the series favorably to the
G series of modules, which he also liked. Turnbull commented that the scope was large, and that the modules were of good value. Although D3 can be played by itself, he speculated that the party of characters may need the
magic items
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
that can be acquired in the first two to not be put at a disadvantage. Turnbull did lament that the series was designed for parties of a high level, making it difficult to use with a group of lower level characters. He concluded the review by saying "don't be surprised if they eclipse in quality most of the material you already have."
All three modules are also profiled in ''Heroic Worlds'',
Lawrence Schick
Lawrence Schick is a game designer and writer associated with role-playing games.
Early life and education
Schick attended Kent State University in Ohio.
Career
Schick, as the head of design and development at TSR, brought aboard Tom Moldvay ...
's 1991 guide to role-playing games.
The D-series of modules was also given an extensive overview review by Turnbull in issue No. 15 of ''White Dwarf'', wherein he cautioned DMs that running these modules was unlike any they had run before. He commented that the adventure would be too difficult for most groups of player characters, and speculated that buyers wouldn't actually play the modules because it would take a lot of sessions to finish. He did run the adventure himself, though. He recommended using
miniatures on a grid, because some of the battles involved so many characters and monsters. He also recommended rolling the dice for various encounters in advance. Although some such work would be wasted when the players chose one route over another, "it will be worth the effort." He also thought that planning enemy tactics in advance was a good idea, providing an example of how to do so using the Drow outpost from D1, as well as other encounters.
He noted that while some DMs may ban psionics in their games, if they don't allow the creatures in section M12 of D1 to use them, the game will be unbalanced in favor of the players. Although he hadn't run D3 at the time of writing the article, he wrote that the thought of planning some of its encounters "brings me out in perspiration." The power levels of his regular players' characters were insufficient for the adventure, so he gave them pre-generated ones. Although he felt the magical weapons he gave these characters were too powerful, he warned that giving weapons that are too weak would be a bigger problem. He also recommended many healing spells and potions.
Overall, he enjoyed playing the modules, despite wishing he had prepared more, and thought that his players also enjoyed the experience. He hoped that people would not be scared to use the modules because of their difficulty. In summary, he said "I can give no higher praise to these designs than to say they are as good as anyone is likely to meet, and better than almost everything else I've seen."
Reviewer Anders Swenson reviewed the D1–2 ''Descent into the Depths of the Earth'' compilation in 1982 for ''
Different Worlds
''Different Worlds'' was an American role-playing games magazine published from 1979 to 1987.
Scope
''Different Worlds'' published support articles, scenarios, and variants for various role-playing games including ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Rune ...
'' #21. Swenson noted that purchasers of adventure publications had come to expect longer texts for the given price, so that the two adventures had been combined into one format; redundant text was eliminated, and new illustrations were added to fill the resultant gaps in layout. He was perplexed by all of the creatures found in the grand cavern area originally found in module D1: "All these creatures are apparently expected to do nothing but sit in their caves and wait to be attacked, for they would certainly defeat any moderately tough adventurer party specified by the author if they all tried a massed and well-coordinated attack."
He also wondered about the placement of the kuo-toan shrine: "There is great hostility between the Kuo Toa and the Drow, so it is surprising to find the main Kuo Toa stronghold in the middle of a thoroughfare used by the Drow as a main route. It is also surprising to find the Kuo Toa still in business, given the seeming superior military power of the Drow, but who knows?"
Anders felt that the adventures contained a great deal of imaginative material, "but while the writing style is by no means poor, the combination of florid prose and new ideas makes a text which is relatively difficult to read. Gygax does not make a regular practice of organizing his text to help the poor GM pick out the important information quickly."
However, Swenson concluded that this is overall a worthwhile adventure. "The plot is interesting, and everything is well detailed. Aside from the problems I have already noted, the adventures are interesting and generally of superior quality."
References
External links
Drow Seriesat Acaeum.com
''Descent into the Depths of the Earth'' (1981)at the Pen & Paper RPG Database
''Descent into the Depths of the Earth'' (1978)at the Pen & Paper RPG Database
''Shrine of the Kuo-Toa'' (1978)at the Pen & Paper RPG Database
RPG.net review of D1 ''Descent into the Depths of the Earth''RPG.net review of D2 ''Shrine of the Kuo-Toa''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Descent Into The Depths Of The Earth
Greyhawk modules
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1981