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Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Edition
Out of the Abyss
Dare to descend into the Underdark in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game
The Underdark is a subterranean wonderland, a vast and twisted labyrinth where fear reigns. It is the home of horrific monsters that have never seen the light of day. It is here that the dark elf Gromph Baenre, Archmage of Menzoberranzan, casts a foul spell meant to ignite a magical energy that suffuses the Underdark and tears open portals to the demonic Abyss. What steps through surprises even him, and from that moment on, the insanity that pervades the Underdark escalates and threatens to shake the Forgotten Realms to its foundations. Stop the madness before it consumes you!
A Dungeons & Dragons® adventure for characters of levels 1–15
The Underdark is a subterranean wonderland, a vast and twisted labyrinth where fear reigns. It is the home of horrific monsters that have never seen the light of day. It is here that the dark elf Gromph Baenre, Archmage of Menzoberranzan, casts a foul spell meant to ignite a magical energy that suffuses the Underdark and tears open portals to the demonic Abyss. What steps through surprises even him, and from that moment on, the insanity that pervades the Underdark escalates and threatens to shake the Forgotten Realms to its foundations. Stop the madness before it consumes you!
A Dungeons & Dragons® adventure for characters of levels 1–15
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2015
53 people are currently reading
708 people want to read
About the author
Wizards of the Coast
429 books429 followersWizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC /ˈwɒtˌsiː/ or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by purchasing the failing company TSR, and experienced tremendous success by publishing the licensed Pokémon Trading Card Game. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Renton, Washington in the United States.[1]
Wizards of the Coast publishes role-playing games, board games, and collectible card games. They have received numerous awards, including several Origins Awards. The company has been a subsidiary of Hasbro since 1999. All Wizards of the Coast stores were closed in 2004.
Wizards of the Coast publishes role-playing games, board games, and collectible card games. They have received numerous awards, including several Origins Awards. The company has been a subsidiary of Hasbro since 1999. All Wizards of the Coast stores were closed in 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
December 1, 2021
Just finishing up D&D's Out of the Abyss, a compilation of modules (game adventures) in which the players delve into the Underdark as made famous in a number of Forgotten Realms books.
This hellish landscape is a hoot! Well, I mean, if you like "dark" settings. You start out as prisoners of the drow, an evil race of elves. The goal is to escape back to the surface world. In doing so your party encounters all manner of crazy life forms, such as fish folk, deep gnomes, gelatinous cubes, talking mushrooms, Dune-sized worms, invisible dwarves, demon lords, and more.
The book is broken up into chapters in which you meet and interact with various civilizations functioning on their own levels of "humanity". Some are helpful and kindly, others would be happy to roast you alive and suck the marrow from your bones. Do you fight, befriend, or flee from them?
This has sat on my nightstand for about two years now. Because it's broken into chapters and each chapter has sections and each section is broken in segments, and it's not a linear read like a novel, this is very put-down-able. I've enjoyed the hell out of reading it, don't get me wrong. It's just not conducive to reading from cover to cover in a sitting or two. It is, however, very useful to have handy when you're not in the middle of another book and you only have maybe say 10-20 minutes of time in which you want to read before calling it a night. Taking quick dips into Menzoberranzan or Gauntlgrym has been great fun!
Would it be a good game to roleplay? I think so, at least for some people. The darker aspects and playing in entirely subterranean settings might not appeal to all players though. I ran a one-off solo for my brother, who DMs a lot and wanted to play as a player, and I used the Underdark as inspiration for my setting. He liked it for a bit, but after a while he said it all felt "oppressive" and "claustrophobic". I've read similar remarks on a Reddit sub that discusses these books. But if you think your players would enjoy this, it's a great plug'n'play campaign that will take their newly rolled characters from 1st to about 15th level while experiencing some of the grim darkiest scenes you're ever likely to discover in a D&D product.
This hellish landscape is a hoot! Well, I mean, if you like "dark" settings. You start out as prisoners of the drow, an evil race of elves. The goal is to escape back to the surface world. In doing so your party encounters all manner of crazy life forms, such as fish folk, deep gnomes, gelatinous cubes, talking mushrooms, Dune-sized worms, invisible dwarves, demon lords, and more.
The book is broken up into chapters in which you meet and interact with various civilizations functioning on their own levels of "humanity". Some are helpful and kindly, others would be happy to roast you alive and suck the marrow from your bones. Do you fight, befriend, or flee from them?
This has sat on my nightstand for about two years now. Because it's broken into chapters and each chapter has sections and each section is broken in segments, and it's not a linear read like a novel, this is very put-down-able. I've enjoyed the hell out of reading it, don't get me wrong. It's just not conducive to reading from cover to cover in a sitting or two. It is, however, very useful to have handy when you're not in the middle of another book and you only have maybe say 10-20 minutes of time in which you want to read before calling it a night. Taking quick dips into Menzoberranzan or Gauntlgrym has been great fun!
Would it be a good game to roleplay? I think so, at least for some people. The darker aspects and playing in entirely subterranean settings might not appeal to all players though. I ran a one-off solo for my brother, who DMs a lot and wanted to play as a player, and I used the Underdark as inspiration for my setting. He liked it for a bit, but after a while he said it all felt "oppressive" and "claustrophobic". I've read similar remarks on a Reddit sub that discusses these books. But if you think your players would enjoy this, it's a great plug'n'play campaign that will take their newly rolled characters from 1st to about 15th level while experiencing some of the grim darkiest scenes you're ever likely to discover in a D&D product.
October 1, 2016
Probably the best adventure path produced since the launch of D&D 5th Edition, Out of the Abyss combines together old-school Underdark adventure tropes with a touch of the weirdness seen in later settings like Planescape.
The first half of the adventure introduces our heroes, who escape from drow imprisonment, only to discover that the demon princes of the Abyss have been summoned into the Underdark. The dangerous, corrupting effects of this summoning become obvious as our heroes try to get back to the surface. Along the way, they evade drow trying to recapture them, and hit a number of interesting locales, including the duergar city of Gracklstugh and the deep gnome city of Blingdenstone.
The second half sends the heroes back into the Underdark, on a mission to investigate the demon-haunted Underdark and, eventually, engineer the demon lords' banishment back to the Abyss. Even more interesting locales appear during this section, including the stone giant library of Gravenhollow (my favorite in the book) and the drow capital city of Menzoberranzan.
Even more so than the previous 5th Edition adventures, Out of the Abyss encompasses an entire campaign for a D&D group. In addition to the solid plot, there are a number of unusual scenarios to play out (not just the usual hack-and-slash), many fun NPCs, and tons of side quests to interest players. Beyond even that, the book serves as a terrific sourcebook for Underdark adventuring, providing lots of detail about the wildlife, cultures, and societies of the underground. Throw in a number of new magic items and monsters (including stats for the demon lords themselves!) and you have one of this edition's best products. Green Ronin deserves much praise for this fine work. (A)
The first half of the adventure introduces our heroes, who escape from drow imprisonment, only to discover that the demon princes of the Abyss have been summoned into the Underdark. The dangerous, corrupting effects of this summoning become obvious as our heroes try to get back to the surface. Along the way, they evade drow trying to recapture them, and hit a number of interesting locales, including the duergar city of Gracklstugh and the deep gnome city of Blingdenstone.
The second half sends the heroes back into the Underdark, on a mission to investigate the demon-haunted Underdark and, eventually, engineer the demon lords' banishment back to the Abyss. Even more interesting locales appear during this section, including the stone giant library of Gravenhollow (my favorite in the book) and the drow capital city of Menzoberranzan.
Even more so than the previous 5th Edition adventures, Out of the Abyss encompasses an entire campaign for a D&D group. In addition to the solid plot, there are a number of unusual scenarios to play out (not just the usual hack-and-slash), many fun NPCs, and tons of side quests to interest players. Beyond even that, the book serves as a terrific sourcebook for Underdark adventuring, providing lots of detail about the wildlife, cultures, and societies of the underground. Throw in a number of new magic items and monsters (including stats for the demon lords themselves!) and you have one of this edition's best products. Green Ronin deserves much praise for this fine work. (A)
September 25, 2015
Really looking forward to running this campaign.
September 11, 2023
You know, this one was pretty amazing.
May 19, 2016
Hooray, I finished my first read-through!
Seems interesting. Seems challenging, both for the players and for me. We'll see, and I'll report back.
Seems interesting. Seems challenging, both for the players and for me. We'll see, and I'll report back.
November 3, 2015
Ring Side Report- RPG Review of Out of the Abyss
Originally posted at Throat Punch Games, a new idea everyday!
Product-Out of the Abyss
System- DnD 5e
Producer- Wizards of the Coast
Price- $ 50 here
TL; DR- A few rough spots on a great piece-88%
Basics-It’s going to be a bad day when the players find themselves prisoners of the Drow, and that’s the high point! The players find themselves at the tender mercies of the drow, and eventually undercover that the underdark just became an even deadlier place as demon lords now roam the caverns. Will you be able to save Faerûn and yourselves from the creatures Out of the Abyss?
Mechanics or Crunch-What is here is a bit of a mix. DnD 5e has a bit of a problem serving two masters: 1e sensibilities of life doesn’t come always in achievable pieces all the time and 3.5’s challenge rating so the players survive setup. Some of those parts crash into the PCs early on, and that can make a DM have to dance a bit to avoid a TPK. That said, overall, it’s a well designed adventure with lots of fun new mechanics, great exploration and team management options, and some fun fights to keep the PCs on their toes and enjoying things. The struggle is a bit real, but a good DM will be able to keep the game going. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff-This is an amazing adventure for it’s story, but almost eight levels until you hit the main story stride is a bit much. I’m not spoiling anything when I say that demon lords prowl the underdark. However, you don’t really get to deal with them until you are about halfway to the max level of the campaign. Then, this adventure turns into a classic Bioware game. Players then find out about a plan to fix things, chase down items in any order across several different set piece locations, put out underground fires, and save the day. That part is amazing! Getting there is a bit boring. But, every group of players I’ve run this game with have found their most favorite NPC of all time in this adventure, so it has some phenomenal high points along the way. 4.25/5
Execution-I like what’s here, but there are many pages with walls of text. The art that is here is amazing, but I want/need more of it. The text is written well, but there is so much it’s not as much fun to read, since this isn’t just a fantasy novel, but a gazetteer and a bunch of stat blocks as well. Overall, it’s good, but not my most favorite RPG adventure layout. 4.5/5
Summary-I like what’s here, but it needs a bit of work to really be a knock out. The starter town is a good example of the amazing and the problematic. It has a great description, introduces some amazing adversaries, and provides a place for the PCs to cut (some of) their teeth. However, it’s also got some fights that a DM will absolutely have to pull their punches on to keep the adventure going. After the players escape, the chase rules are good, but the players will most likely end up doing the same fight again in a few days regardless of their choices. That one area kind of give some of the amazing and off putting that define this adventure. It’s close to being the greatest things a player and GM will get to play, but has a few rough spots that keep it from a smooth performance. 88%
Originally posted at Throat Punch Games, a new idea everyday!
Product-Out of the Abyss
System- DnD 5e
Producer- Wizards of the Coast
Price- $ 50 here
TL; DR- A few rough spots on a great piece-88%
Basics-It’s going to be a bad day when the players find themselves prisoners of the Drow, and that’s the high point! The players find themselves at the tender mercies of the drow, and eventually undercover that the underdark just became an even deadlier place as demon lords now roam the caverns. Will you be able to save Faerûn and yourselves from the creatures Out of the Abyss?
Mechanics or Crunch-What is here is a bit of a mix. DnD 5e has a bit of a problem serving two masters: 1e sensibilities of life doesn’t come always in achievable pieces all the time and 3.5’s challenge rating so the players survive setup. Some of those parts crash into the PCs early on, and that can make a DM have to dance a bit to avoid a TPK. That said, overall, it’s a well designed adventure with lots of fun new mechanics, great exploration and team management options, and some fun fights to keep the PCs on their toes and enjoying things. The struggle is a bit real, but a good DM will be able to keep the game going. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff-This is an amazing adventure for it’s story, but almost eight levels until you hit the main story stride is a bit much. I’m not spoiling anything when I say that demon lords prowl the underdark. However, you don’t really get to deal with them until you are about halfway to the max level of the campaign. Then, this adventure turns into a classic Bioware game. Players then find out about a plan to fix things, chase down items in any order across several different set piece locations, put out underground fires, and save the day. That part is amazing! Getting there is a bit boring. But, every group of players I’ve run this game with have found their most favorite NPC of all time in this adventure, so it has some phenomenal high points along the way. 4.25/5
Execution-I like what’s here, but there are many pages with walls of text. The art that is here is amazing, but I want/need more of it. The text is written well, but there is so much it’s not as much fun to read, since this isn’t just a fantasy novel, but a gazetteer and a bunch of stat blocks as well. Overall, it’s good, but not my most favorite RPG adventure layout. 4.5/5
Summary-I like what’s here, but it needs a bit of work to really be a knock out. The starter town is a good example of the amazing and the problematic. It has a great description, introduces some amazing adversaries, and provides a place for the PCs to cut (some of) their teeth. However, it’s also got some fights that a DM will absolutely have to pull their punches on to keep the adventure going. After the players escape, the chase rules are good, but the players will most likely end up doing the same fight again in a few days regardless of their choices. That one area kind of give some of the amazing and off putting that define this adventure. It’s close to being the greatest things a player and GM will get to play, but has a few rough spots that keep it from a smooth performance. 88%
May 26, 2017
I love this story, gameplay, game hooks and opportunity to expand in PC characters and story. BUT A HUGE WARNING!!! Do not run this for NEW Players, gung hoe people or people who don't try to RPG even though they are given the chance. This is hard to run, I lost 3 players who got bored of the first half of this story, it's a long slog and I wrote a lot for their characters to give them opportunities to change things for the better, they didn't. I'm ending the campaign in 2 weeks time. I have a great group now very large 9 players :P you need serious players for this or NEW players willing to push themselves. I would love to run this again and one day I will.
September 15, 2015
good. no, for reals this time. actually good.
January 8, 2020
This is the first 5E adventure campaign I've read since coming back to D&D after several decades of being away. What a wild, innovative adventure this one is! Can't wait to put the party through this bad boy!
Read
July 25, 2021Once again, good bits and pieces of mechanics and scenes worth stealing, but otherwise disappointing. I'm very much a fan of the idea of starting with nothing, the players scrounging and bleeding for every scrap in their inventory, as well as the pursuit mechanic. And there are certainly compelling sections: the bleak city of the duergar, the maze engine, the dread-inducing worm tunnels, and pretty much anything to do with fungi.
Overall, though, I found it bloated with pointless locations and encounters, a seemingly endless parade of misery and despair and death that could take real-time years to complete in full. Not to mention this book being a real poster child for the "evil race" bullshit that D&D is riddled with.
There's a gruelling epic in this vague premise, a sort of Dark Souls of D&D, with great risk and great reward, navigating a nightmare world for its snippets of daylight--but Out of the Abyss isn't up to that standard.
Overall, though, I found it bloated with pointless locations and encounters, a seemingly endless parade of misery and despair and death that could take real-time years to complete in full. Not to mention this book being a real poster child for the "evil race" bullshit that D&D is riddled with.
There's a gruelling epic in this vague premise, a sort of Dark Souls of D&D, with great risk and great reward, navigating a nightmare world for its snippets of daylight--but Out of the Abyss isn't up to that standard.
July 16, 2016
Took me forever to read through it all, but this is such an awesome campaign. I would love to run it one day. Aside from the campaign itself, it is top-notch inspiration for Underdark adventures. Plus, those demon lord stats!
March 22, 2020
Excellent adventure with some neat flavour text.
February 8, 2023
An adventure that spans a large portion of the Underdark of the Forgotten Realms continent of Faerun, it has a compelling story about a bunch of demon lords breaking free from the abyss and tromping through the underdark on their way to the surface. The adventurers start off as prisoners of the Drow and have to escape, find equipment, save the other prisoners and try to make their way out of the underdark with the help of some very dangerous allies, from Myconids to Duergar and Svirfneblin and the Drow themselves, respectively underworld intelligent mushrooms and dark versions of the dwarves, gnomes and elves.
More than an adventure, however, this is also a very useful book as a campaign setting, ou get detailed maps of cities and settlements, an idea of how life and social structures exist in the societies you get to visit and you get a lot of information on demonic beings, from Demogorgon to Orcus to Zuggtmoy all of which would be a great big bad for any D&D campaign.
So, even not having run the campaign, there is such an amount of sheer lore and background detail in this book that it is hard not to recommend it to fans of D&D. Reports on how good the adventure is are varied, and certainly there is a lot of moving pieces in this campaign which works as a kind of underdark sandbox with events in each place the characters decide to go to until the epic culmination of the campaign which should take the characters from levels 1 to 15. If you love the underdark I would certainly give it a try.
More than an adventure, however, this is also a very useful book as a campaign setting, ou get detailed maps of cities and settlements, an idea of how life and social structures exist in the societies you get to visit and you get a lot of information on demonic beings, from Demogorgon to Orcus to Zuggtmoy all of which would be a great big bad for any D&D campaign.
So, even not having run the campaign, there is such an amount of sheer lore and background detail in this book that it is hard not to recommend it to fans of D&D. Reports on how good the adventure is are varied, and certainly there is a lot of moving pieces in this campaign which works as a kind of underdark sandbox with events in each place the characters decide to go to until the epic culmination of the campaign which should take the characters from levels 1 to 15. If you love the underdark I would certainly give it a try.
October 1, 2023
This is hands down the coolest D&D adventure I have ever read. For starters its expansive and it takes the characters all over the Underdark which I personally think is just a really awesome setting. The adventure begins with a jail break which is very fun for both players and the DM because there are a lot of NPCs that can be potential allies or enemies depending on the players' actions. On top of that, the adventure, since it takes place in the forgotten realms, actually links up with the storyline of "The Legend of Drizzt", the book series by R.A. Salvatore. Those books are amazing and I would recommend any fan of high fantasy read them. This adventure seems so much cooler when you know the story of those books and its really a chefs kiss addition to an already epic adventure. The adventure takes the characters from first level to fifteenth so I would recommend this book to any DM that wants to run a long campaign that will remain interesting and fun for everyone involved. 10/10 I will be running this for my friends for sure.
March 29, 2021
I'm not sure whether this is a 5-star campaign because I haven't played it, however the production quality of this book deserves a 5-star rating. A DM will definitely have a lot to keep track of when running this campaign and preparation is a must; however it provides a lot of Underdark settings and potentially interesting encounters. Balance could be a problem with encounters swinging easily between "trivial" and "TPK", and if players are not ready for a survival grind and long treks between locations it might not work for a specific group. Overall, however, it's a very content-rich book, well-written and interesting to read, and probably would be a blast to play with the right DM (ready to adapt on the fly) and the right players.
April 13, 2024
This D&D adventure book is set in the Underdark, with the first section setting up a scenario in which the players are slaves of the drow (dark elves), struggling to survive. The second section details the characters' adventures after they have escaped, when they are facing ever more dangerous foes and are becoming heroic figures.
The story is well written, featuring numerous characters who break out of the generic nature of their species, and a variety of interestingly described societies, riven by conflicts with real world parallels, albeit with fantasy twists.
The book also contains numerous random encounters and other ephemera that help to turn the adventure into a well rounded story. I look forward to playing this campaign.
The story is well written, featuring numerous characters who break out of the generic nature of their species, and a variety of interestingly described societies, riven by conflicts with real world parallels, albeit with fantasy twists.
The book also contains numerous random encounters and other ephemera that help to turn the adventure into a well rounded story. I look forward to playing this campaign.
May 15, 2018
Pretty amazing details and storyline. However I am old school and like to have all the maps and characters fleshed out. As a DM, this still requires a ton of homework to prepare for gaming. Definitely not good for beginning DMs or players methinks. And the maps while well done are printed small and can't even show the players... this will definitely require supplemental material.
So as fascinating as it is... just A LOTTA WORK... to present it to players. I miss the old style pull out maps and simplified NPC stat blocks etc... but that's just me!
So as fascinating as it is... just A LOTTA WORK... to present it to players. I miss the old style pull out maps and simplified NPC stat blocks etc... but that's just me!
May 26, 2019
Even without the players to guide the adventure, the story set out in Out if the Abyss is rich, engaging and completely alien. From sentient mushrooms and insane fishpeople to unending darkness and the constant threat of the unknown, the story twists and turns with so many opportunities for things to go wrong in the best way.
The book sets out a broad scope of where the story could go, with guideposts for characters and DM alike, yet so much is left up to the group to decide.
I’m incredibly excited to run this for the first time
The book sets out a broad scope of where the story could go, with guideposts for characters and DM alike, yet so much is left up to the group to decide.
I’m incredibly excited to run this for the first time
January 31, 2021
Totally audacious book. Makes for a long adventure--I've heard of people taking 3-5 years to play this one. But it's an incredible guide to Faerûn's underdark and an awesome introduction to the demon princes of the Abyss as well. Definitely leans on the open-world, random-encounter-heavy side. But there are some incredible high points in this adventure that describes an alien landscape and the horror of demonic incursion very well. Also a lot of great dungeons to drop into your homebrew campaign and great locations for folks who want to use their homebrew campaigns to explore the underdark.
January 1, 2025
Completed a full campaign of this book with free online assets acquired through different community members. I enjoy the Underdark as a concept and my players did too. With that said, Out of the Abyss required much more preparations and grunt-work from the DM to have things flow smoothly. If you are an experienced DM I would recommend Out of the Abyss, especially if you like more scary or thrilling feelings out of your players.
July 12, 2021
This was a pretty fun campaign! It's great if you have party members of different alignments, because the goal of "not letting demon lords destroy the world" is something pretty much everyone can get behind, no matter how evil.
It was kind of fun because it ties into some stuff from the last two Brimstone Angels novels, which I wasn't really aware of the reason of until now.
It was kind of fun because it ties into some stuff from the last two Brimstone Angels novels, which I wasn't really aware of the reason of until now.
August 4, 2022
This is a really solid adventure, with a lot of cool plot points and setpieces, but I think that the lack of a consistent through line for the story really makes it hard for a DM, leaving a lot of sections that are basically 'make it up'. It's still excellent, but I honestly think it's better for the worldbuilding than the actual adventure.
September 26, 2019
Read it. Entirely, every word, all 3 of the appendix, the table of contents, every monster and npc stat, every sidebar, and studied every map extensively. This is good! Created a Tabaxi character from scratch and now about to embark on my own campaign. I can't wait to annoy Fraz -Urb'Luu!
September 15, 2023
One of my least favorite adventure books that I've read (and ran). Too dense, lacking clarity, and often feels like it's just setting up the DM to fail. I'm glad to have players that make this adventure fun, and I think our campaign is going well. But this book deserves little credit for that fun.
July 25, 2018
A well written module for 5e, but abound with typos and editorial errors. Group is loving it so far.
August 7, 2018
A great smorgashboard of the underdark, if that's what you want to run. Lotta good creativity, but could use some tszujing
November 15, 2018
I really enjoyed reading and running this adventure! Very sandboxy while also telling a distinct story.
December 31, 2018
Really a great campaign, but players must be active, attentive, and smart. Big emphasis on survival including finding food, following dark paths, and properly speaking to demon gods.
April 25, 2020
Fun campaign lots of travel in the underdark
October 1, 2021
I've run this campaign twice now. It requires a lot of extra work from the DM to make it work, but the outlines and ideas here really flesh out the underdark.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews