Creating an adventure in the Underdark

[tchntm43]

The end of the previous adventure places the party at an unknown (to them) location in the Underdark. The goal of the next adventure is simply to escape. I've realized something that seems like a problem with creating this adventure, or any adventure in the Underdark, though I'm probably overthinking things in some way.

My understanding of the Underdark is that it's basically a massive collection of natural caves and artificial dungeon areas that are mostly connected in a huge web that underlies the surface world of the Prime Material Plane. The problem with the interconnection of it all is... how do I map out the area that I want the group to play through without having endless options for exploration that the party could take that would detract from the main goal of escaping? Even if I provide obvious clues that suggest which way is the "right" way to go, there is no guarantee that the party is going to choose to go that way. They might decide "nah, we want to find out what's down these tunnels". For example, there is one player in our group who has a habit of always wanting to explore every possible location and search extensively for secrets ("we might miss something good!"). This isn't a huge deal for most surface dungeon areas because they're closed systems ( I can and do map out the entire dungeon in that case), but if I open up part of the Underdark to the party, then theoretically I open up the entire vast web of it. The Underdark is probably at least a million miles of interconnected tunnels. It's impossible to map out.

As I started working on this adventure, I realized that I had to have some routes that lead "elsewhere" to keep it believable, but I would do things like making the tunnel completely caved in a long time ago, or sealed by some other massive barrier. I don't know how much I can do that without it starting to seem contrived, though.

[Unoriginal]

The end of the previous adventure places the party at an unknown (to them) location in the Underdark. The goal of the next adventure is simply to escape. I've realized something that seems like a problem with creating this adventure, or any adventure in the Underdark, though I'm probably overthinking things in some way.

My understanding of the Underdark is that it's basically a massive collection of natural caves and artificial dungeon areas that are mostly connected in a huge web that underlies the surface world of the Prime Material Plane. The problem with the interconnection of it all is... how do I map out the area that I want the group to play through without having endless options for exploration that the party could take that would detract from the main goal of escaping? Even if I provide obvious clues that suggest which way is the "right" way to go, there is no guarantee that the party is going to choose to go that way. They might decide "nah, we want to find out what's down these tunnels". For example, there is one player in our group who has a habit of always wanting to explore every possible location and search extensively for secrets ("we might miss something good!"). This isn't a huge deal for most surface dungeon areas because they're closed systems ( I can and do map out the entire dungeon in that case), but if I open up part of the Underdark to the party, then theoretically I open up the entire vast web of it. The Underdark is probably at least a million miles of interconnected tunnels. It's impossible to map out.

As I started working on this adventure, I realized that I had to have some routes that lead "elsewhere" to keep it believable, but I would do things like making the tunnel completely caved in a long time ago, or sealed by some other massive barrier. I don't know how much I can do that without it starting to seem contrived, though.

Not all of the Underdark is connected to that much. You could have a huge part of the adventure happen in one gigantic "underground plain", or in a mostly linear road with few branding points (but many interesting things happening there).

[Darthnazrael]

I kind of like how Out of the Abyss addresses this exact issue. There is no map. Players are either progressing with intent, or wandering aimlessly. If they're wandering aimlessly, they end up wherever you say they do. If they're progressing with intent, then they roll survival not to get lost. If they get lost, they circle back on themselves, and lose time. If they don't, they end up at either where they wanted to go, or at any place you've decided is along the way.

Basically, embrace the freedom from the map. No more will your party wander into "the level 20 zone" by accident. Instead, they'll ultimately end up right where your story demands they do, facing appropriately leveled content.

[Darth Credence]

If they are in interconnecting tunnels like it sounds, I'd go with making some areas just far too difficult for them to overcome. Like down one tunnel, they come across a 1000-drow strong army gathered for maneuvers (hopefully they aren't noticed and can sneak away), or another leads to a thin place where a nightwalker awaits them. They can certainly explore and see what is going on, but if they stray from the path that leads out, things get exponentially harder.

My players love finding areas that are simply too much for them, because it makes the world seem more real. The underdark seems like a great place for this.