d20 Bastion Press Into The Black.pdf

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Int

o t

A Gui

e t

o Bel

Introduction

Below the unsuspecting feet of urban and rural humanoids

lies a largely unexplored realm shrouded in perpetual

mystery and darkness. Accessible via highly visible portals

on the city streets or through hidden or innocuous openings

concealed within the wilderness, the doorways into the

underground world expose adventurers to a bounty of

natural wealth as well as unworldly terrors rarely witnessed

on the surface. Dense veins of precious minerals and ancient

legends describing the mystical properties of the indigenous

plants and animals tantalize avaricious treasure seekers,

beckoning them to delve deeper in search of riches

irrespective of the perilous risks. Yet, the earth and its

covetous inhabitants never willingly relinquish their

precious commodities without a struggle. With this in mind,

Into the Black sheds much needed light on the glorious,

natural marvels encountered beneath the surface as well as

the intrinsic dangers and monstrous denizens jealously

guarding them.

The supplement’s first chapter, Subterranean Life ,

provides a general overview of

the fascinating adaptations

employed by the native plants

and animals in a realm

completely devoid of natural

light. Subterranean Life

introduces characters to the basic

biological features endemic to

natural subterranean inhabitants

including a discussion of

anatomical changes and the

troglomorphic characteristics

that differentiate these creatures

from their surface dwelling

counterparts.

The next four chapters,

Caverns , Catacombs , Mines and

Sewers detail the prevailing

environmental conditions,

significant plants and animals,

prevalent rocks and minerals,

frequently encountered hazards

and the monstrous denizens

present within these four locales.

The preliminary section,

Environment, imparts general

information regarding climatic

conditions including temperature,

humidity and barometric pressure as

well as atmospheric composition and

architectural design in the case of the

three manmade habitats. On the other

hand, the three subsequent sections, Plants,

Animals and Rocks and Minerals deviate from the

cursory overview and delve into precise descriptions,

details, and significance of the aforementioned life forms

and inorganic materials. Hazards discusses the inherent

dangers present within each habitat including virulent

diseases, invisible combustible gases, unstable construction

and other various threats posed by the locale itself. Finally,

each chapter culminates with a vivid inventory of

benevolent and wicked monsters dwelling within each

specific environment.

The following chapter, New Equipment, enumerates the

various substances and items obtained from each region’s

native plants, animals and natural resources complemented

by an extensive catalog of mundane tools and magical items.

The chapter explains the exact properties of the

aforementioned equipment in addition to providing their

cost and the skills necessary to refine the raw materials into

the finished product.

Into the Black ’s final chapter, Spells , completes the

subterranean adventurer’s arsenal, arming him with a

specialized array of magic intentionally suited to meet the

challenges posed by the particular locale and to exploit the

untapped mystical powers of its indigenous living and

inorganic assets. The chapter presents a well rounded

listing of defensive and offensive spells to aid in the

exploration of the sunless realm beneath the surface.

Lastly, the appendix appearing at the end of the

supplement contains random encounter tables for all four

habitats including the plants, animals, rocks, minerals, and

monsters previously appearing

in each chapter.

Questions?

If you have any questions about

this product, please contact us.

Many common questions can be

answered by a quick visit to our

message boards, where the

authors of the supplements

answer on an almost daily basis.

From our website, you can also

join our mailing lists, check out

our free downloads and web

enhancements, and see the large

number of products (both print

and PDF) that Bastion Press has

produced over the past few

years.

Illustrated by Jesse Mohn

Animal Adaptations

Subterranean Life

On the surface, the warm and radiant sun provides heat

and energy while its rising and setting establishes life’s

circadian rhythm. Nature’s diverse and immense flora of

green plants transforms the inexhaustible supply of sunlight

into food through a complex series of chemical reactions

called photosynthesis. Meanwhile countless species of

herbivores ranging from minute, solitary insects to the

prolific herds of enormous grazing animals such as bison

and horses devour the abundant green plants. Predators

complete the complex cycle, hunting and consuming the

aforementioned animals. Ultimately, the fierce beasts sitting

atop the food chain inexorably depend on the vast

proliferation of green plants to survive.

Commensurate with the planet’s continuous rotation

around its axis, the pattern of life on the surface revolves

around the ceaseless arrival of night and day. Dawn heralds

the sun’s daily return, shedding light and warmth to the

world. Plants busily convert the luminescent rays into fuel,

while the majority of animals scour the bright landscape in

an endless search for food. As evening approaches, the

plants’ activity slowly dies down, while many animals

prepare for sleep. As dusk creeps across the land, the

moon’s pale glow rouses nocturnal predators from their

slumber. Under the cover of darkness, these stealthy hunters

stalk their unsuspecting prey. With morning’s approach,

they once again retreat to the security of their concealed

lairs, and the cycle begins anew.

Below the surface, the cycle of life follows a divergent

course. While the sun’s warmth partially penetrates into

the earth’s depths, the subterranean world remains cloaked

in perpetual darkness. In addition to abolishing life’s typical

circadian rhythm, the complete absence of light dooms

green plants, allowing other plant species not dependent

upon photosynthesis to subrogate their position in the

underground food chain. Fungi reign as the undisputed

monarchs of the vast subterranean kingdom. Mushrooms,

molds, yeast and less known subdivisions all survive by

absorbing nutrients from the organically rich soil. Bereft of

voracious herds of herbivores, fungi thrive within this alien

environment, although their meager population and limited

diversity grossly pale in comparison to the green plants and

fungi encountered above the surface. Unlike animals, these

plants require little or no adaptation to adjust to the damp

and sunless ecosystem. The various species of fungi draw

nutrients from the soil’s microorganisms as well as decaying

organic matter. Others take a proactive approach and evolve

into insectivorous plants. In sharp contrast, the extremely

small, but determined group of animals attempting to make

the difficult transition to this dark, uninviting habitat face

substantial, and often insurmountable, challenges. To

survive, they must develop anatomical and physiological

adaptations suited for the rigors of underground survival.

Extrasensory forms of perception eventually replace visual

organs, while defense mechanisms carried over from their

existence on the surface slowly transform in vestigial

remnants. Universally smaller in size and numbers than

their surface counterparts, they frequently endure largely

because of the lack of abundant natural predators.

Despite its seeming independence, the cycle of

subterranean life remains intertwined with the surface

world. Transient cave dwelling animals account for the vast

majority of the underground world’s food resources.

Seasonal cave residents such as bears, bobcats, and wolves

deposit the remnants of their kills within the security of

their cavernous lair. Permanent residents, like bats and

several species of bird, play the most significant role in this

process. After gathering food from the surface, the animals

return to their lairs where they eat their meal and discard

any scraps onto the cavern floor. The massive quantities of

excrement that they produce are probably the most valuable

organic material found beneath the surface, providing

sustenance for vast colonies of insects and fungi. This

outwardly innocuous material forms the essential building

block for the subterranean ecosystem.

The aforementioned cave animals rarely penetrate more

than a few hundred feet beyond the cavern entrance;

therefore, the soil at its lower depths owes its fertility to

the organic matter and carrion transplanted from the surface

via terrestrial rivers that eventually plunge into sinkholes

leading to the underground realm. In a manner eerily

similar to the rise of humanoid cities, the largest

concentrations of plant and animal life far below the surface

appear in close proximity to the nourishing bodies of water.

Clusters of fungi grow along the damp banks, absorbing

food from the adjacent sedimentary deposits, while colonies

of simplistic animal organisms swim through the murky

streams. These waterways often provide the only source of

nourishment for the cavern’s deepest levels.

Animal Adaptations

Fungi and microorganisms often found above the surface

are also well suited for life below the surface; however,

animals face an arduous and often unsuccessful transition

to permanent life beneath the ground. Animals

predominately migrate from their natural habitat into

caverns to escape rapidly changing climactic conditions in

their outdoor environment or the grasp of hungry predators.

In the former case, the animal’s transplantation into this

new ecosystem results from a natural instinct or deliberate

decision to seek shelter from harsh weather. In the latter

instance, the initial foray below the ground frequently

results from fortuitous happenstance. The fleeing creature

inadvertently stumbles onto a dark or hidden cavern

entrance, granting it temporary asylum from its ravenous

pursuer. The prey soon discovers that the cave offers

permanent refuge from predators, spurring it to delve deep

into its sunless depths. Regardless of the animal’s

motivation for venturing into its newfound underground

ecosystem, sages generally categorize such animals as

troglobites.

Troglobites differ from transient cave residents in many

respects. Cave guests such as bears, wolves and other

predators exclusively hunt on the surface while still

adhering to its rigid circadian rhythm. They sleep in the

darkness and security of the cave and spend their active

hours foraging in the surrounding wilderness. In addition,

these animals rarely venture beyond the dim flickers of light

filtering in through the nearby entrance. Cave residents such

as bats and cave crickets live, on the other hand,

Chapter 2: Caverns

predominately underground; however they still journey to

the surface on a daily basis. Dwelling beyond the remaining

vestiges of light peering through the entrance, these

creatures require evolutionary adaptations to cope with the

dark habitat. As a result, bats rely upon sound waves to

navigate the cavern’s twisting passageways, whereas cave

crickets possess larger and more sensitive antennae than

their surface dwelling cousins. Despite these significant

evolutionary adjustments, sages classify neither of these

animals as troglobites.

Troglobites distinguish themselves in several manners

from the previously mentioned animals. Unlike bears and

bats, troglobites never travel to the surface, permanently

residing within their eternally sunless environment. The

acclimation to this dark habitat requires several important

anatomical features typically not found on surface dwelling

animals. In the complete absence of light, eyes serve no

viable function. Over the course of countless generations,

the animal’s visual organs gradually diminish until they

disappear entirely. In a similar vein, skin pigmentation

eventually fades away because camouflage provides no

useful benefit below the surface. Because of these

anatomical adjustments, troglobites are generally blind and

colorless animals. Other anatomical changes frequently

occur, although they are not as universal as the previous

adaptations. Arachnids and insects transform into more

slender versions of their surface dwelling relatives. To

compensate for the loss of their multiple eyes, spiders

develop extremely long front legs bristling with fine hairs

that function as extremely sensitive antennae. Likewise, the

length and sensitivity of the insects’ antennae also increases

dramatically; however, they undergo several other

noteworthy changes. Their head and thorax becomes

smaller and more elongated, while their abdomen appears

globular in form. In many cases, flying insects’ wings

metamorphose into vestigial appendages that merge with

their exoskeleton. Complementing the aforementioned

physiological changes, troglobites also adopt other traits

normally described as troglomorphic characteristics.

Troglomorphic characteristics describe several

biological features inherently present in all subterranean

animals. Perpetual darkness renders vision useless;

therefore, troglobites compensate for their lack of sight

through the augmentation of several other senses. Insects

in particular develop extremely complicated and highly

sensitive antennae detecting movement as well as minute

changes in temperature, barometric pressure and other

meteorological data. Other animals grow thin layers of cilia

and rely upon their heightened sense of touch to gauge their

surroundings. Reptiles, on the other hand, obtain sensory

information from their tongues, allowing their senses of

touch and taste to guide them in search of prey. Sages

generally classify these varying extrasensory apparatuses

as Blindsight, an ability thoroughly described in the DMG .

In addition to adapting to the loss of sight, the metabolic

rate of subterranean animals is far lower than similar surface

dwelling creatures. In a world devoid of night and day,

indigenous animals remain inactive for long periods, only

hunting or eating whenever the opportunity arises. As part

of an effort to conserve power in a world devoid of ample

resources, animals expend energy only when necessary.

Commensurate with this philosophy, animals dwelling

below the surface observe the same procreation rituals,

producing fewer but hardier offspring than typical

terrestrial species. This particular philosophy empowers the

mother to devote her undivided attention to a relatively

small family in a concerted effort to ensure their survival

rather than invest minimal effort but produce a voluminous

quantity of young. Although troglobites give birth to a much

smaller number of children, the survival rates are vastly

higher than their surface dwelling counterparts are. The

aforementioned troglomorphic characteristics clearly

delineate permanent cave dwellers from temporary

residents.

While many animals pursue the aforementioned course

of evolutionary development, darkvision, the ability to see

in complete darkness, negates the necessity of these

troglomorphic characteristics and anatomical changes

described previously. Unlike normal vision, darkvision

foregoes details such as color in lieu of providing a

somewhat hazy contrast between black and white images.

Scholars generally agree that magic or divine intervention

played a significant role in the proliferation of darkvision,

as it remains largely confined to sentient humanoids and

monsters rather than animals. However, darkvision comes

with one major disadvantage. Because the alternative vision

still relies upon eyes, any sudden or particularly bright light

overwhelms the creature’s extremely sensitive organs

causing some visual distortion. As a result, creatures with

darkvision largely remain confined below the surface or

only venture to the surface under the cover of darkness.

The preceding adaptations and innovations afford

subterranean residents a decided tactical advantage against

incursions from surface dwelling creatures. Able to move

quickly and easily through the dark passageways and

tunnels below the earth as well as survive on only a minimal

amount of resources, the indigenous denizens hold a

decided edge against uninitiated explorers venturing below

the surface for the first time.

Caverns

Over the course of millions of years, nature forms wondrous

subterranean stone chambers seemingly carved by a master

sculptor. Ranging in size from a small room a few feet in

diameter to an expansive network of passageways and

galleries stretching for miles below the surface, caverns

entice visitors with their magnificent beauty and tantalizing

mystery. Primarily created through the process of erosion,

the streams and rivers once responsible for their

construction also serve as the wellspring of life and riches

within the cavern complex. These bodies of water transport

microorganisms, carrion, and minerals from the surface into

the perpetually dark realm underground. In fact, their path

usually leads directly to the cavern’s entrance whether

through a sinkhole or a collapsed section of surface rock

attributable to the ceaseless rushing water.

While erosion because of rivers and streams accounts

for the formation of most caverns, other natural forces also

claim responsibility for their birth. The ocean’s relentless

waves batter the adjacent seaside cliffs, chiseling small

recesses within the rock wall generally known as sea caves.

The surging lava spewed by a volcanic eruption tunnels

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