Mapping Out an Underdark...

[Lappy9000]

How would one go about drawing up a map of an underdark? I know Faerun's got that snazzy map, but it's still a little confusing regardless. Would the above example be good, possibly accompanied by a map showing height? I really want to go for something that's effective, yet not too confusing. Any ideas or past experiences?

[Lupy]

Step 1)

Scan the map of your campaign world

Step 2)

Invert the colors

Step 3)

Change some names

Step 4)

???????

Step 5)

Profit!

[Thane of Fife]

If you can, you might want to check out the old 1st Edition Dungeoneer's Survival Guide, which described how to map the underground in 3D, and included some sizable maps of "Deepearth" as well, which could be press-ganged into serving as Underdark maps.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Normal maps require graph paper. 3-D maps require a pad of graph paper. Each page is 5' thick. Have fun. Give my best to the office supply store, if this is an Underdark campaign you'll be seeing them a lot.

I, personally, prefer what my DM did with an infinitely complicated, shifting dungeon inside a hollowed-out mountain. We didn't map it. Certain landmarks were fixed, and anywhere there was combat or that was specifically a maze was mapped, but otherwise we essentially "headed east" until we got close, made Int checks, then went up and left or similar. As long as the areas all have specific orientation to each other(for which I recommend 3 plots, similar to architecture), then the exact route doesn't really matter.

[Thane of Fife]

Normal maps require graph paper. 3-D maps require a pad of graph paper. Each page is 5' thick. Have fun. Give my best to the office supply store, if this is an Underdark campaign you'll be seeing them a lot.

Or you can use iso-paper....

Or something similar.

[Lappy9000]

Ah, thanks for the suggestions, guys. I've got some ideas now

[fireinthedust]

I would suggest your design start with what you want to achieve. Like, what do you want this map to do for you in game? Or is it a world-building exercise?

In game: Really you need places to send the PCs. You need activities that the PCs have to accomplish there.

Example: the PCs need to get to Menzobarranzen. When they get there, they are going to meet drow nobles who hire them to save a human slave (who they're rescuing for the surface) by fighting a rival drow noble house (who the patron drow want dead). Lead into fight scenes, puzzles, intrigue, role playing/diplomacy, etc.

1) The simplest route to there can be an Underdark Trade route. It's commonly travelled, big, and if they join a merchant caravan, they have a guide. They could buy a map in a magic shop or from duergar or dwarven merchants.
2) Note on your map where the city is. Any side treks go in a general direction from that city.
3) Notable features along the route (ie: dragon vs. behir caves, Quaggoth warrens, a giant lightless ocean) that you can have additional encounters in are also cool. Note where they are in reference to the drow city.
4) The wilds: you don't really need a "route" here, any more than you need to note every deer trail in every forest in Faerun. It's assumed they'll find their way to any encounters you have planned, even if they need to hire a guide to do so.

Only fill in parts you've planned to use like in any surface map. That included dungeons (which is kinda what the Underdark is). You have control over every "room". You can add in other "rooms" and "passages" as you go along.
The players don't need to know things they haven't found yet, and if it's not directly in their module, it doesn't really need to exist.
If you're adding in broader areas, do it: pan out, but the geist of where the feature is, and arrow lines to how to get there. They can't actually wander off track in tunnels, though you could have random encounters and dead-ends rolled for (on a 1d6, if you want) until you put in a larger encounter area.

World Building: Same deal, but you're adding in general "elements" you want in there. Treat it just like a surface map. If you're doing the entire Underdark for a continent... well, put tracing paper over your surface map and jot down where each empire of Drow, Illithids, morlocks and liches is compared to Cormyr, Loudwater, etc.

[Lappy9000]

I would suggest your design start with what you want to achieve. Like, what do you want this map to do for you in game? Or is it a world-building exercise?

In game: Really you need places to send the PCs. You need activities that the PCs have to accomplish there.

Example: the PCs need to get to Menzobarranzen. When they get there, they are going to meet drow nobles who hire them to save a human slave (who they're rescuing for the surface) by fighting a rival drow noble house (who the patron drow want dead). Lead into fight scenes, puzzles, intrigue, role playing/diplomacy, etc.

1) The simplest route to there can be an Underdark Trade route. It's commonly travelled, big, and if they join a merchant caravan, they have a guide. They could buy a map in a magic shop or from duergar or dwarven merchants.
2) Note on your map where the city is. Any side treks go in a general direction from that city.
3) Notable features along the route (ie: dragon vs. behir caves, Quaggoth warrens, a giant lightless ocean) that you can have additional encounters in are also cool. Note where they are in reference to the drow city.
4) The wilds: you don't really need a "route" here, any more than you need to note every deer trail in every forest in Faerun. It's assumed they'll find their way to any encounters you have planned, even if they need to hire a guide to do so.

Only fill in parts you've planned to use like in any surface map. That included dungeons (which is kinda what the Underdark is). You have control over every "room". You can add in other "rooms" and "passages" as you go along.
The players don't need to know things they haven't found yet, and if it's not directly in their module, it doesn't really need to exist.
If you're adding in broader areas, do it: pan out, but the geist of where the feature is, and arrow lines to how to get there. They can't actually wander off track in tunnels, though you could have random encounters and dead-ends rolled for (on a 1d6, if you want) until you put in a larger encounter area.

World Building: Same deal, but you're adding in general "elements" you want in there. Treat it just like a surface map. If you're doing the entire Underdark for a continent... well, put tracing paper over your surface map and jot down where each empire of Drow, Illithids, morlocks and liches is compared to Cormyr, Loudwater, etc.

Well, okay, good stuff, but I'll be a bit more specific.

Basically what I'm trying to do is to develop an entry to one of the upper levels of the Underdark (named "Underdeep" [So clever]) in my campaign setting. The format will look something like this, detailing racial demographs, economics, important sites, and cities. I'm not doing the entire underworld; at least not yet as I plan to make a supplement in the future.

The exact nature of this particular patch of underworld is a loosey united confederate composed of various members of the decaying Underdeep. This organization, called Korr (Roughly translated Undercommon for United Nations of Underdeep), is what is being represented. In the map, many of the smaller tunnels will be sprawling out of sight; only the largest caverns will be detailed. Keep in mind that this is only the upper section of tunnels, lower ones are outside of Korr's jurisdiction. Other landmarks will likely include: Abyss, Crystal Field, River, and Volcanic Activity. There, that outta' clarify things a bit.

[Thane of Fife]

Then definitely check out How to Host a Dungeon. It's almost like a single-player game (pen-and-paper) that generates big dungeons, complete with creatures, and gives you an idea as to their relations, where they're based, and so on.

And it's fun.

[Zeta Kai]

Well, I made this map for an overworld:

Spoiler

Show

Then I made this map for the underworld:

Spoiler

Show

In the second map, the black areas are completely inaccessible, & the lighter areas are increasingly more open, so the white regions are airy subterranean pockets.

[BobVosh]

Well, I made this map for an overworld:

Spoiler

Show

Then I made this map for the underworld:

Spoiler

Show

In the second map, the black areas are completely inaccessible, & the lighter areas are increasingly more open, so the white regions are airy subterranean pockets.

Neat. Took you like 3 minutes in photoshop and is pretty well done. I'm so stealing this concept >.>