Here’s a question that DMs of the Forgotten Realms might have to ask themselves every now and then.
Besides Drow and Illithids what else might adventurers encounter in the Underdark?
It can be quite a challenging terrain to DM. I mean, can you describe the darkness for tunnel after tunnel while keeping the player’s attention? Can you add enough interesting surprises without making it seem like the Underdark is actually as crowded as a shopping mall’s car park?
A group of DnD 5e players where asked to suggest to alternatives to Drows and Illithids and this is what they came up with.
- Aboleths
- Beholders
- Black Puddings
- Carrion Crawlers
- Cave Fisher
- Cloakers
- Darklings
- Darkmantles
- Deep Gnomes
- Derro
- Duergar
- Earth elementals
- Faerzress
- Flumphs
- Fomorian
- Gnomes
- Grimlocks
- Hook Horrors
- Intellect Devourer
- Kobolds
- Kuo-toa
- Lost Adventurers
- Myconids
- Oozes
- Otyugh
- Pech
- Purple Worms
- Quaggoths
- Ropers
- Rust Monsters
- Shadow Dragons
- Slaves and Slavers
- Spiders
- Trogdolytes
- Umber Hulks
- Xorns
- Xvarts
This absolutely isn’t a complete list. Over the years, with so many supplements and sourcebooks for Forgotten Realms, both TSR and Wizards of the Coast have been busy adding combat encounters. That said, hopefully, this list will be a quick scan and source of inspiration to a busy DM prepping their game.
Three books to look for answers are the Monster Manual, Volo’s Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes.
Creative Commons credit: Underdark Encounter by Volkan.
