The Dark Beneath: A two-book set for 5e and 5.5e containing a Full Adventure Campaign for levels 1 through 10 and a Players Campaign Companion providing new subterranean options for players.
A 5e and 5.5e compatible Full Campaign and Players Guide based around subterranean environments deep within the earth, involving Dark Gods, Drow, Dwarves, Subterranean Magic, Strange Creatures and much more!
Pledge The Dark Beneath Complete Two Book Set and receive the Free Mini Adventure Doom on the Hollow Sea.
For those that back The Dark Beneath early, there will be several extra rewards.
For those backers that pledge the complete two book set (in digital pdf, softcover or hardcover), you will receive immediate digital access to "Doom in the Hollow Sea," a 5e promotional mini adventure.
For those backers that followed during the pre-launch, you will receive immediate digital access to "Doom in the Hollow Sea," and become eligible for the free exclusive 5e compatible bonus adventure* “Murders in the Wisperholt.”
Additionally, backers who Reserved for $1 during pre-launch will be eligible for an additional Digital Bonus Bundle of Adventures* (contains 3+adventures for 5e/5.5e).
For those that backed the project prior to 11:59pm CST on October 31, 2026, you will get digital access to two exclusive 5e compatible Bonus Adventures* from within the Dark Beneath campaign setting, titled: "Rift of the Changed Ones" and "Before There Were Words."
The Dark Beneath: Doom on the Hollow Sea will remain available for immediate download by pre-launch followers and those that pledge the complete Dark Beneath book set.
*All other pre-launch extras are only redeemable with pledges of $35 or more. The bonus adventures will be available to backers who complete the Pledge Manager and will be fulfilled digitally post campaign.
The Dark Beneath is a continent-spanning labyrinth of caverns, tunnels, underground seas, and hidden wilderness that has never known the light of day. Some caverns are large enough to contain entire cities. Vast waterways disappear into the darkness, great worms stalk forgotten frontiers, and enormous water spiders hunt beneath black subterranean seas.
But the Dark Beneath is not an empty wilderness. Drow city-states command great stretches of the underground world, their noble houses fighting for wealth, territory, and power. Dwarven settlements descend for miles through ancient mines and immense crevasses. Goblins, Orcs, exiles, outcasts, and stranger peoples have built lives in places their ancestors were never meant to inhabit.
The longer something lives in the Dark Beneath, the more the Dark Beneath changes it. Primal magic flows through the stone itself. It seeps into the caverns, the creatures that inhabit them, and the civilizations built among them. Species adapt, creatures mutate, and entire cultures develop around powers and environments unknown on the surface.
The Dark Beneath is a two-book set, available in both 5e 2014 and 5.5e 2024 versions.
The first book in the set is titled The Dark Beneath Campaign: Levels 1-10, an over 250-page, dark fantasy, sandbox-style campaign for characters from levels 1–10. This campaign takes place in the subterranean world deep below the surface and prominently features the Drow, a species of Dark Elves known for their complex intrigue and insidious cruelty.
The Dark Beneath Campaign: Levels 1-10
250+ pages of adventure, complete with numerous full colored illustrations by artist Phil Stone.
Dozens of full colored, high-definition region, location, and encounter maps.
New monsters to terrify and challenge the players.
4 huge city locations with numerous adventures, plots, and side quests.
Multiple factions, allies, and enemies.
Each play-through is different! There are multiple quests, encounters and endings, all dependent on player choices
The second book in the set is titled The Children of the Dark Beneath: A Player's Campaign Companion. This over 150-page volume is designed as a player-facing supplement for campaigns that take place in dark subterranean settings. It is compatible with a variety of worlds and sub-settings involving Drow, Dwarves, Goblins, Gnomes, and Orcs.
The Children of the Dark Beneath: A Player's Campaign Companion
150+ pages of unique player options, complete with numerous full colored illustrations by artist Phil Stone.
5 unique new species, each related to the Drow.
A Hybrid Species Generator to create your own unique subterranean player species for 5e and 5.5e campaigns.
18 new subclasses for underground adventures.
15 new backgrounds for characters with subterranean backstories.
34 new deep-world feats.
50 new spells developed by arcane users from far beneath the surface.
20 unique magical items found in the shadow of the world's heart.
The Dark Beneath Campaign: Levels 1-10 is a sandbox-style campaign takes place in subterranean environments deep below the surface of the world and involves the plots and schemes of the elusive and insidious Drow.
It takes place within a specific region of the subterranean world called The Dark Beneath. It is also designed to fit within a variety of larger fantasy settings or to be used as the basis for GMs to create their own.
The campaign is designed for level 1 characters. Adventures throughout the campaign will bring characters to level 10 by its conclusion. The decisions characters make will determine which locations they visit and how the plot ultimately unfolds.
Player character agency is at the forefront of the story as it develops. Throughout the campaign, characters and parties of any alignment are capable of completing epic adventures and reaching a challenging and meaningful conclusion based on the decisions they make through roleplay.
Will players decide to back the forces of Good or Evil? Will they throw the subterranean world into chaos or establish order and law? Will characters seek to benefit others, or will they strive for wealth and power for themselves? Each choice has a path and an outcome within The Dark Beneath.
In addition to the treacherous subterranean wilderness, The Dark Beneath is home to many cities and settlements. Within The Dark Beneath Campaign: Levels 1-10, four large cities are featured prominently:
The Drow City of Olg’raavar. Currently under Dwarven military occupation, the city stands on the brink of catastrophe and ruin. Drow noble houses plot and scheme for vengeance and to regain dominance of their once-great city. The slaves who still toil in the city's depths watch carefully for any weakness in their captors, ready to seize any chance at freedom. Among the city's alienated and resentful Drow, a dark cult has been growing in secret and preparing for its own chance to strike.
Built directly below the ancient surface city of Ilserac, Olg’raavar is constructed inside a single, huge cylindrical cavern almost a mile tall. The city contains huge, hollow stalactites and stalagmites used as towers that protrude from the cavern’s ceiling and floor like enormous fangs. Throughout the city is an enormous petrified web that suspends structures and roads in a crisscrossing network almost half a mile above the cavern floor.
The Dwarven Settlement of Marthroot. Over two hundred years ago, Dwarven miners from Daleb Marth discovered rich deposits of mithral along the face of a seemingly endless crevasse in the roots of their mountain kingdom. For two centuries, they climbed and dug, scraping the magical metal from the cliff face and digging deeper whenever they found veins that penetrated the rock.
The Dwarven settlement of Marthroot is the result of this endeavor. It winds its way down the vertical cliff faces of the huge crevasse for miles. Its deep cavernous facilities were repurposed from dried-up mine tunnels that dot the cliff face. The settlement is connected by seemingly endless scaffolding that crawls along the crevasse, connecting the tunnel complexes and reaching far upward toward the surface.
In recent years, Marthroot has expanded in response to the growing Drow threat. In the last century, it has transformed from a minor subterranean settlement into a large Dwarven military installation.
But all is not well in Marthroot. Strange disappearances and odd accidents plague the settlement, and no one knows why.
The Free City of Barrowgarde. To the north, far beyond the Hollow Sea, lies a frontier stalked by the great worms of the Dark Beneath. Expeditions by both the Dwarven armies and the Drow have resulted in naught but annihilation at the maws of these great beasts.
Beyond these worm-lands is a wild jungle filled with hundreds of varieties of otherwise unknown oozes and slimes. Twenty years ago, settlers gathered in a section of tunnels mysteriously vacant of dangerous oozes. From this encampment, Barrowgarde was formed. Its citizens are outlaws and exiles of all species who have taken refuge here in hopes of finding safety and escaping whatever drove them to this desolate frontier.
Barrowgarde is a lawless, opportunistic, and remote frontier settlement. A city of outlaws and the banished, it is a place where anything can be had for the right price, and various factions use the settlement for less-than-legitimate interests. It is a place where hopes can be realized, but so can an unwary person’s greatest fears.
Strangest of all are the practitioners of its newest religion: worshipers of slime and ooze.
Elgg’niaren, the City of Death Waters. A Drow imperial power of the Dark Beneath, Elgg’niaren sends its attack ships to stalk the underground waters of the Hollow Sea, hunting those foolish enough to enter its territory.
The city itself is a dark wonder of the subterranean world, built across many grottos connected by locks and waterfalls. Its streets are deep canals traversed by nimble watercraft, and its buildings stretch dozens of levels high, carved into the cliff walls of its aquatic chambers.
The entry river of Elgg’niaren is home to a unique species of huge water spider called Qu'madar. Revered and harnessed by the Drow of Elgg’niaren, these huge predators keep aquatic nests in the shadowy water’s depths and lurk below the surface waiting for prey.
Feared throughout the region are Elgg’niaren’s Drow Marines. Skilled and magically empowered warriors, they are Elgg’niaren’s most elite fighting force. These Drow are trained in combat both in and out of water, as well as in ship-to-ship combat. They wear armor made from molted Qu'madar carapaces and are said to be able to breathe underwater. Some witness accounts even claim that they can run across the surface of the water, sprinting over open water and onto the deck of an enemy ship.
Scores of new subterranean monsters across every CR level, designed for use in The Dark Beneath Campaign: Levels 1-10 and other underground adventures.
Tools to create unique adventurers from the world's darkest depths...
The second book of the set, titled Children of the Dark Beneath: A Player’s Campaign Companion, is designed as a player-facing supplement for campaigns that take place in dark subterranean settings. It is intended to give players and GMs the tools to create characters that feel authentic to subterranean campaigns while retaining the ability to explore Drow societies from within.
It is compatible with a variety of worlds and sub-settings involving Drow, Dwarves, Goblins, Gnomes, and Orcs. This volume expands the Drow species with multiple subspecies and options, while also adding a wide range of subterranean game options for both players and GMs. The book is designed to be used in conjunction with the concurrently released The Dark Beneath campaign, but it can also be used with a variety of other campaigns.
Within Children of the Dark Beneath: A Player’s Campaign Companion, you will find 5 unique new species options, each related to the Drow, as well as a Hybrid Species Generator to create your own subterranean subspecies.
New Featured Species Include:
The Belbol’ri Spawned from the Drow, the Belbol’ri carry the manifested curse of demon-kind within their bloodlines. Belbol’ri are born believing they are Drow, with their Drow curse dominant and their demonic curse latent and unseen. When exposed to dark energies, their latent demonic curses can be catalyzed.
Once this curse is catalyzed, it begins to feed on any evil acts perpetrated by the cursed. With each choice to commit evil, demonic traits begin to manifest in them, revealing their true lineage and transforming them to match their darkest natures.
Some Belbol’ri struggle to resist their evil lineages, while others embrace them. They straddle the line between Fiend and Dark Elf. They are the Belbol’ri; they have the Demon Gift.
The Lataurii The Lataurii are the keepers of the deepest reaches of a corrupted forest called Wisperholt. These half-Devils, who were once Drow, have left behind all that they once were for a chance to live on the surface. They live in enclaves ruled by Druids and dedicate themselves to halting all incursions into their shadowy home.
The Lataurii are taught to see themselves as a force of destruction inflicted upon the mortal plane to counteract the spread of civilization.
The collection of souls is the strength of their enclaves. Each collected soul strengthens their enclave’s most potent weapon, an infernal spirit of death called the Biez’zu. Young Lataurii with much to prove often range far and wide in pursuit of souls to contribute to their enclave's soul vault, called a Tes'Yasga.
Some Lataurii even range back into the depths of the Dark Beneath in pursuit of this goal, undertaking great feats and adventures while trudging through the underground depths of their past. They are the Lataurii, the Dancers of Extinction.
The Azil’sorne Half-Devil and half-Drow, the Azil’sorne bear the gifts and curses of Hel’s region of Frozen Wastes. Ruled by evil wizards, the Azil’sorne either embrace the dictates of their arcane rulers or chafe against their unflinching grip.
Unlike their Lataurii siblings, the Azil’sorne seek to advance their infernal society. They prize knowledge as power and do not shy away from the trappings of urbanization.
The Azil’sorne are soul hunters of the wicked. They trade evil souls to the Devils of Hel in return for secrets of the arcane. This fuels their dominance over whole regions of the Wisperholt. Only the souls of evil mortals are traded, however, as it is only they who belong in Hel.
Beneath the shadowy shield of the forest canopy, the Azil’sorne grow strong. Their young warriors hunt far and wide beyond the borders of the Wisperholt, seeking fresh souls to fuel the infernal power of their growing society.
The Harllith The children of Drow and Dwarven unions, the Harllith are a new breed of creature that stalks the shadows of the Dark Beneath. Stronger than their Drow parents and more magical than their Dwarven progenitors, Harllith struggle to find their place in an unforgiving world.
Frequently unwanted by their parents and often mistreated, many Harllith have bonded together for safety and comfort. As their numbers have grown in recent years, they have become numerous enough to break away and be considered their own species. Within the wilds of the Dark Beneath, they have begun to create a culture of their own, throwing off the shackles of their oppressive parentage and creating something new.
The Nephili The Nephili are giant shape-shifting spiders that hide among the Drow. Most present-day Nephili were born from Drow parents and grew up appearing to be Drow children. As they age, they begin to remember what they truly are: the last of a secret, ancient, and dying race.
Each of them is gifted with hereditary knowledge of their true nature. The Nephili can transform into their true form and back at will. Beneath their Drow exteriors, they are giant magical spiders of tremendous power; their true forms are rarely seen by anyone except their enemies before they die.
Within Children of the Dark Beneath: A Player’s Campaign Companion you'll find 18 New Subclasses:
Species Specific Subclasses
Belbol’ri Warlock - Demon-blooded Drow beholden to a Fiend Patron that grants them the forbidden powers of Chaotic Evil.
Lataurii Druid - Circle of Extinction: Drow locked in an infernal pact; the Circle of Extinction wields the natural power of annihilation as a weapon against the encroachment of civilization into the wilds of the world.
Azil’sorne Wizard Arcane Tradition - Hel Blood Summoner: Hunters of the souls of the wicked, Hel Blood Summoners conjure and bind Devils into their service to do their bidding.
Harllith Barbarian - Path of Henbane: Warriors whose very rage has become toxic and whose presence and animosity can poison foes.
Nephili Sorcerer - Myrmarachne Origin: Spider sorcerers who use illusions and mind control to baffle and redirect their enemies.
Non-Species Specific Subclasses
Bard - College of Sculpture: Bards that sculpt a living statue as an ally and companion.
Barbarian - Path of Vex Agaric: Barbarians whose rage is fueled by the tremendous power of hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Cleric - Araneidae Domain: Spider worshiping priests or priestesses that devote themselves to mimicking the predatory behavior of their revered arachnids.
Cleric - Ooze Domain: Clerics devoted to the worship of deities involving Ooze and Slime. They view the absorption and assimilation of organic creatures as a primal force of unity.
Druid - Circle of Mutation: Druids that recognize mutation as the driving force of evolution. They can not only change into animals but can also mutate their animal forms to gain additional abilities.
Fighter - Deep Skald: Poet Warriors of the Dark Beneath, these fierce fighters can kill with song and oration as well as sword.
Fighter - Drow Marine: Drow warriors adept at fighting on land as well as water. They wear bonded magical armor made from the carapaces of giant water spiders that grant them strange powers.
Monk - Way of the Mirror: Powerful martial artists that can mimic the attacks and fighting styles of their opponents.
Paladin - Oath of the Dark: Paladins that protect the dark places and ancient depths of the earth and draw on their power through their dark oaths.
Sorcerer - Earth Blood Inheritance: Sorcerers whose magic is fueled by the primal power of the world's heart.
Ranger - Phase Weaver Shepherd: Rangers that bond and ride giant phase spiders, on the material realm as well as the ethereal.
Rogue - Manhunter: Bounty hunters with special abilities to restrain, disarm, and apprehend fugitives.
Warlock - Under Giant Patron: Warlocks whose pact with an ancient subterranean giant grants them primal powers.
Backing The Dark Beneath Complete Set at any level also unlocks a free digital copy of the mini-adventure Doom on the Hollow Sea for immediate Download!
Note: When filling out your Pledge Manager Survey, be sure to select the version built for the rule set you desire, 5e 2014 or 5.5e 2024.
Sythom Studios is a group of like-minded TTRPG enthusiasts and industry creators working to bring adventures and content from their imaginations into reality. The team is committed to creating top quality TTRPG content that is table ready and inspires those that are exposed to it.
Spokesdrow and Mercenary Handler:
Sarina De'Venin: Daughter of Olg'raavar's House De'Venin, kin slayer, stalker of shadows, crusher of enemies, observer of those driven before her, and hearer of lamentations.
Project Director and Lead Author/ Game Designer:
Nathan Wimble: Writer and game designer, evil game master, veteran, and generally cool guy with over 30 years experience working with TTPRGs, creators, and players from around the world.
Lead Developer/ Game Designer:
Robert Whitford: Robert Whitford is an independent tabletop game designer specializing in mechanics, systems, game development, and setting design. He works on original tabletop games alongside freelance development projects, with a focus on turning strong ideas into distinctive mechanics that work at the table.
Authors and Game Designers:
Mike Welham: Mike Welham is a veteran gamer with over 40 years of experience, 15 years of which has involved design. He won Paizo's RPG Superstar contest in 2012 and has contributed work to Paizo, Legendary Games, and Kobold Press (among many others). Mike designs monsters on a nearly weekly basis for fun, and you can find those at mythopoeicrambling.wordpress.com.
Josh Cornwell: Josh is a lifelong gamer and fantasy writer torn between the whimsical humor of a copper dragon and a deep fascination with tales of the Drow. He lives in the foothills of North Carolina with his wife, daughter, and a menace of a goldendoodle. Explore more of his work at copperdragongames.com.
Graphic Designer and Layout Artist:
Kaiti Kay: Kaiti wears a lot of hats, spanning voiceover, graphic design, video editing, layout, and visual art—with an occasional excursion into tailoring and seamstress work among a growing collection of other activities.
On The Dark Beneath, they have brought their skill set to bear across graphics, layout, and post-production video editing.
Editor:
Ian Kornmeyer: Has never met a hobby he couldn’t hyper-fixate and binge on; leading to a chaotically broad life experience where his online search footprint resembles that of a moderately sized family of hungry miscreants forced from a troubled agrarian life in the idyllic and whimsical countryside who discovered that modern society and the womb of the suburbs provide a safe home for the study of 1980’s alternative music, witchcraft, woodworking, astronomy, the preservation of in situ underwater graves, astronomy, the theoretical physics of faster than light travel, and the staggering loss to modern society of Rik Mayall will all result in advertisements misusing Artificial Intelligence to make staggeringly exaggerated tales about the ease of male enhancement. The one constant in his life has been his love for words.
Illustrators:
Phil Stone: Given up by the wolves and raised by his parents. Phil was born in the 70’s, raised in the 80’s, went into hiding in the 90’s, and is still trying to figure out the 2000’s. Phil Stone was a self-taught artist until as of late, he decided to pursue his degree in illustration. Don’t let the diploma fool you, his art is fueled by coffee, cigarettes, and night terrors.
Elliot Baltz: Elliot Baltz is the creator behind Broken Fuse, making comics and tabletop games. He has been drawing since 1997, when games had these little booklets he would read because he wasn't old enough to play.
Sythom Studios will do everything in their power to adhere to the following rapid release Schedule.
Our current release schedule looks as Follows:
July 26, 2026: Pre-Launch on BackerKit begins. All BackerKit Followers during Pre-Launch will receive 2 Free Adventures, the promotional adventure and setting legend: “Doom on the Hollow Sea” (delivered within the next 2 weeks), and the free adventure “Murder in the Wisperholt” (delivered when the book set fulfills). Those that Reserve for $1 during Pre-Launch receive the same entitlements as other followers, but ALSO receive a Free Digital Bundle of Adventures (delivered when the book set fulfils).
October 29, 2026: Pre-Launch ends and Launch begins. Backers that pledge within the first 48 hours of launch will receive Two Bonus Digital Adventures, different from those included for Followers and those that Reserved during Pre-Launch.
December 1, 2026: The BackerKit Crowdfunding Campaign Ends.
March of 2027: Surveys go out to backers,
Spring of 2027: Fulfillment begins. Orders for the Dark Beneath will be delivered in both digital and physical form to all applicable Backers. Free Adventures not already delivered will be delivered digitally to those that Pre-Launch Followed or Reserved, as well as those that Pledged in the first 48 hours of Launch.
Your pledge does not include the cost of shipping. All items will be shipped from the USA. Shipping charges and taxes will be charged after the campaign through the pledge manager. Please note - additional items and physical add-ons will increase cost of shipping.
Our top priority is to make high quality products that will make our brand, backers and community proud. Please note that unforeseeable events could arise and potentially delay the project, we will be open and transparent in communicating this to our Backers.
The design of the book set is complete and editing has begun, so the primary risks are in final development, illustration, layout, and manufacturing. The health of key staff is always a risk, and the availability of key partners to provide add-ons and physical printing can be a schedule challenge. However, this project is so far along that while staff or manufacturing issues might delay a release, they shall not prevent it.
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