DEATH
1\JIO\\ ing the chips 10 fall wh<•re they may in combat
empha~i.tes th<• challenging nature of this adventure.
However, if the charatle~ start faUingjust as fast. you
might want to g1\e the player some opportunities to
return dead character-. to life during the lower levels of
their progrc~s through Our of the Abyss.
A SJX'II scroll of r;use dead can turn up among some
trea~ure, either whc·n it is nt>eded or for the characters
to save for later. \ succes ful DC 15 spellcasting abil·
ity check b required for a lower-level character to use
such a scroll.
A strange faerzrc\'> effec 1 can bring a fallen charac-
ter back to life. but not without a cost. The restored
character·~ madne!>s level increases by 1 upon being
restored 10 life (s<•e "Madness" earlier in this chapter).
If a falle n charartrr's body is lost o r l eft be hind, lhe
pany's drow pur:.ue rs find it. The drow high priestess
casts raise dc.1d on the corpse so that the charac-
ter can be questioned. The cha racte r might escape
la ter, or can be reunited with the othe r adventure rs
in a later chapter of the ad\cnture when the drow
catch up to thf'm.
If a player character 1<, permanently slain. think about
rhc ways a player might introduce a new character to the
pany in the midst of a journey through the Lnderdark.- Convert one of the group's existing nonplayer char·
acter allic'> includml{ fellow escaped pnsoners from
Vclkynvelve into a player character. Drow. dwarf.
and deep gnomt. characters arc all easily playable.
You can even allow a player to take control of a more
unusual '1PC until a new character can join rbe group.
This is pnrticularly suitable if the player has already
been managing that NPC (see "A Motley Crew~
an chapter 1).
A creature encounter could reveal a potential new
party member, s uch m, a surface dweller lost in the
Undcrdark or sent there to investigate rumors of
Strange hnppcnin,:ts. An escaped s lave from another
Undcrdark settle ment is anothe r possibility.
A mons te r c ncountc reci by th e party might be hold-
ing other victims or hosta ges (a giant spider with a
s till-living victim wrapped up in its web. or troglodytes
holding prisoners destined for their larder. for exam-
ple}. Once the mon!>t(>rs arc defeated, a former captive
might joan the group. - Character'> might meet up w1th new parry members in
any of tht•l ndcrdark settl<"ments they visit during the
ad\'enture. particularly "'' " uors or locals with a strong
reao.,on to lea,·c in a hurr).
FUNGI O F T H E UND ERDARK
The Underdark i<t home to a tremendous variecy of
fun~i wuh a vanety of different uses. Characters can
encounter different examples of the Underdark's flora
in their travels. Identifying n species of fungi and its
pmcntial uses require'> a successful DC 15 Inte lligence
(Nature•) chec·k, but Underdark inhabitants are familiar
with many or these <,pccies automatically.
Cll \I'TP.R 2 I N.l 0 ll \RKNJ::S!\
EDIBLE FUNGI
Edible• fungi provide food and water. Basic food and
water requiremcnh for charactt'rs arc covered in
chapter 8. ~Ad\cnturing.-of the Player's Handbook.BARRELSTALK
A barrelstalk 1s a large. ca.,k-.,hapcd fungus that can be
rapped and drained of the fresh water stored within iL A
single barrcbtalk conta.n<; ld4 4 gallons of water and
yieldo., ld6 4 pounds or food.BLUECAP
Dubbt'd the -grain of the Underdark." a bluecap is
inedible, but it!> spore'> can be ground to make a
nutritious, bland flour. Bread made from bluecap flour
is known a<., spon•brt>ad or bluebrc•ad. One loaf is
equivalent to I pound of food.FIRE LICHEN
Pale orangc.whitc in color. fire liche n thrives on
warmth, so it g rows in regions of geothermal heat. Fire
lichen can be ground and fermented into a hot. spicy
paste, which IS spn•nd on sporebread or added to soups
or s tews to flavor them. l)uergar al!>o ferment fire lichen
into a fierct~ly hot liquor.RIPPLEBARK
Ripplebark '"a sht•lf like fungus that resembles a mass
of rotting flesh. It I!> <;urpn<;ingly edible. Though it can
be eat eo raw. it ta tes better roasted. A si ogle sheet of
ripplebark yields ld4 -+- 6 pounds of food.TRILL! MAC
A trillimac i<; a mushroom that grows to a height of
four to live fct>t. and has a broad gray-green cap and a
light gray stalk. The cap's leathery surface can be cut
and cl!'aned for usc in making maps. hats. and scrolls
(its surface takes on dyes and inks well). The stalk can
be c leaned, soaked in watN for an hour, then dried to
make a palatable food akin to bread. Each trillimac stalk
provides I cl6 + 4 pounds of food.WATERORB
A wmerorb is a bulbous fungus that grows in shallow
water. A mature wnterorb can be squeezed like a
sponge, yielding n gallon of drinkable water and a pound
of edible (if chewy and somt'what tasteless) food.ZURKHWOOD
Zurkhwood is a rna c.he muc.hroom that can reach a
hc•ght of thirty to forty feet. Its large grain-like spores
arc rdible and nutritionally equivalent to ld4- 4 pounds
of food. but .wrkhwood is more important for irs hard
and wood) !>talks. Zurkhwood is one of rhe few sources
of umber 10 the Underdark. used to make furnirure.
container<>. bridge<.,. and rafts. among other things.
Skilled crafters can use sta•ns. sanding. and polishing
to bring out differc•nt pattt·rns in zurkhwood.