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!
Follow Now and get the free adventure, The Dark Beneath: Doom on the Hollow Sea!
Reserve for $1 and become eligable for a Digital Bonus Bundle of Adventures*.
The Dark Beneath is a Two Book Set containing The Dark Beneath, a massive 5e and 5.5e subterranean sandbox campaign for characters levels 1 through 10. As well as Children of the Dark Beneath, a player facing companion featuring new several Drow sub-Species, subterranean Backgrounds, Subclasses, Feats, Spells and Magical Items for 5e and 5.5e characters.
The Dark Beneath will be offered in Physical Print as well as Digital Format to Backers during launch.
Forced into the depths below, battle the twisted evils that dwell there, or choose to join them...
The first book of the set is called The Dark Beneath, an over 200 page dark fantasy sandbox style campaign for both 5e as well as 5.5e. 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 campaign is designed with player character agency at the forefront of the story as it develops. Throughout the game, characters and parties of any alignment are capable of finishing adventures and enjoying a challenging and meaningful conclusion based on the decisions they make through organic roleplay.
Will players decide to back the forces of Good or Evil? Will players 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 has a path and an outcome within “The Dark Beneath.”
Tools to create unique adventurers from the world's darkest depths...
The second book of the set contains The Children of the Dark Beneath: A Players Campaign Companion. This over 100 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. It will be published using 5e compatible rules as well as a version using 5.5e compatible rules.
Within Children of the Dark Beneath: A Players Campaign Companion, you’ll find various subterranean specific mechanics and content for 5e and 5.5e such as:
Over 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,
Over 18 New Subclasses for underground adventurers,
Over 15 new Backgrounds, for characters with subterranean backstories,
Over 36 new deep world Feats,
Over 50 new Spells derived by arcane users from far beneath the surface,
Over 20 unique Magical Items found in the shadow of the worlds heart,
and much more…
FOLLOW AND RESERVE TO UNLOCK PRE-LAUNCH EXTRAS
Unlock early access and exclusive bonus adventures*, plus stay up to date with all the pre-launch campaign updates and reveals.
Follow - to receive immediate digital access to "Doom in the Hollow Sea," a 5e promotional mini-adventure, and become eligible for the free exclusive 5e compatible bonus adventure* “Murders in the Wisperholt.”
Reserve for $1 - to become eligible for a Digital Bonus Bundle of Adventures*.
Join our mailing List - to receive campaign updates and stay up to date on upcoming releases from Sythom Studios.
Back on Launch Day – to get digital access two additional exclusive 5e compatible bonus adventures* from within the Dark Beneath campaign setting.
Sythom Studios believes in 100% Human made content. No generative AI will be used in this Project.
The Dark Beneath: Doom on the Hollow Sea is available for immediate download by Followers.
* All other pre-launch extras are only redeemable with physical pledges. The bonus adventures will be available to backers who complete the Pledge Manager and will be fulfilled digitally post campaign.
Latest from the Creator
Sythom Studios
13 days ago
The Dark Beneath Pre-Launch Update 7
Hi All,
Big News from Sythom Studios this week!
First, the Promotional Mini-Adventure and Setting Legend “Doom on the Hollow Sea,” was Just released. It is digitally available for immediate download to all BackerKit Followers. Simply navigate to our pre-launch page and you should see a banner at the top:
“You are following and reserved your spot. We emailed your rewards — view them in your account.”
Click the banner to view them and download away!
There are a total of 7 associated files available to download!!!
The Dark Beneath: Setting Legend and Doom on the Hollow Sea mini-adventure
The Dark Beneath. Doom on the Hollow Sea Open Water Print Maps
The Dark Beneath. Doom on the Hollow Sea Gagamott's Lair Print Map
The Dark Beneath. Doom on the Hollow Sea Boarding Action Print Map
The Dark Beneath. Doom on the Hollow Sea VTT-Tokens & Maps
The Dark Beneath. Doom on the Hollow Sea Map Tokens
The Dark Beneath. Doom on the Hollow Sea Pregenerated Characters
Second, the Dark Beneath has reached 800 followers! Yet another shout out to everyone that has come to our BackerKit Pre-Launch Page and Followed or Reserved! You guys are awesome! We are inching ever closer to bringing this project to each of you!
I would like to thank each of you again for Following the Dark Beneath. We cant do this without you.
We hope you enjoy Doom on the Hollow Sea and all the associated content.
First, for those still eagerly awaiting the Promotional Adventure and Setting Legend “Doom on the Hollow Sea”. It is currently in editing and a brief playtest cycle. It is very close to publishing. As soon as its ready for release, it will be made digitally available for immediate download to all BackerKit Followers.
Second, the Dark Beneath has reached 400 followers! Yet another shout out to everyone that has come to our BackerKit Pre-Launch Page and Followed or Reserved! You guys are awesome! We are inching ever closer to bringing this project to each of you!
Third, we are making some changes to our launch schedule. Our fulfillment timelines are NOT CHANGING. We are pushing back the start of the BackerKit Launch until October 29, 2026.
A later launch date with a shorter window to crowdfund means more opportunity to fund. That means More Art, More Maps, More Monsters, More Adventures, More Stretch Goals Reached, and More Goodies for our Backers.
I repeat, the date of campaign closing and fulfillment of the Dark Beneath remains unchanged.
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.
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.
I would like to thank each of you again for Following the Dark Beneath. We cant do this without you.
Sythom Studios will be running 5e 2014 Games at both Ettincon and Gamehole Con this year. Don't miss this opportunity to be the first to play Sneak peek adventures from the upcoming Dark Beneath Campaign and Player's Companion. Registration for both events is open.
Ettincon 3: September 25 - 26, 2026 at Holiday Inn, Evanston, IL.
Gamehome Con 2026: October 15th - 18th, 2026 at the Alliant Energy Center, Exhibition Hall, Madison, WI
While we at Sythom Studios work away at bringing the Dark Beneath towards publishing, and bringing our new promotional adventure closer to availability for download. We had a few questions on preferences that you, our project's Followers prefer in 5e and 5.5e.
As such, we have created a Poll regarding nautical combat in 5e and 5.5e.
I have some exciting news as we at Sythom Studios continue to move through our Pre-Launch cycle of the BackerKit campaign.
This week, we have been hard at work on the FREE Campaign Primer. It will include four pre-generated Level 5 characters created using some of the selected Species, Subclasses, Backgrounds, Feats, and Spells from our Children of the Dark Beneath: a Player’s Campaign Companion book.
The Primer also will include a tiered encounter with a dark and powerful foe from the Dark Beneath setting. The encounter features a conclusion that will give players an inkling of the Dark Beneath’s greater plot. We are working through maps, editing, and art assignments for this currently. This Primer will be free for immediate download. So, stay tuned in the next few weeks for it to drop.
Separately from the Primer, our developmental editing staff is working hard on edits for Children of the Dark Beneath: Player’s Campaign Companion, responsive to our first round of playtesting. Our cartographer is working on more high-definition maps for several encounter areas and dungeons. Lastly, I am working through edits on the four locations of the Dark Beneath sandbox campaign.
It has occurred to me that we have listed out what Backers can expect from the Player’s Campaign Companion fairly thoroughly: Species, Subclasses, Backgrounds, Feats, Spells, and Magic Items. Further details and information about its contents will also be available as part of the soon-to-be-released Primer.
So, I would like to take some time today and talk a bit about the Dark Beneath Campaign’s content here in greater detail. As previously stated, it is a level 1-10 sandbox campaign and is over 200 pages in its entirety. In addition to subterranean travel locations and side adventures, The Dark Beneath campaign contains four primary locations:
The Drow city of Olg’raavar, a Drow City on the brink of catastrophe and ruin. 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 a half mile above the cavern floor.
The Dwarven settlement of Marthroot. The settlement winds its way down the vertical cliff faces of a huge crevasse with unknown depths. Initially a dwarven mining settlement, Marthroot has expanded in response to the Drow threat. The last century has seen it transform 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.
Barrowgarde, the city of outlaws and the banished. Set within ancient worm tunnels in the subterranean region’s most remote and forlorn frontier, Barrowgarde is a lawless place where anything can be had for a price. It’s a place where Hopes can be realized, but so can a 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, their attack ships stalk the underground waters of the Hollow Sea, hunting those foolish enough to enter their territory. The city itself is a dark wonder of the subterranean world, built of many grottos and 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.
What locations players experience during a playthrough and which direction the plot takes will depend on player and GM decisions. But enough spoilers about the book.
We are now in week 4 of 9 of the prelaunch campaign, and we have gathered 193 Followers! Again, another thanks and shout-out to everyone who has gone to the BackerKit page and supported this book set with a follow or reservation. If you haven’t done so already, please go over there and support with a follow or reservation. Thank all of you for your support; we at Sythom Studios deeply appreciate it.
We have a lot of work ahead of us over here, but we are well underway towards bringing this book set to all of you! Stay tuned for more updates.
Hi all, I have been so busy editing the Dark Beneath that I haven't updated as much as I should.
We are back from GenCon and we met a lot of great folks out there.
In addition, we are currently working on a Free Campaign Primer which will include a tiered encounter featuring never before seen creatures from the Dark Beneath and unique player content selected from the Children of the Dark Beneath: A Players Campaign Companion. That should be available for free download soon.
Our Pre-launch on BackerKit has reached 102 Followers! I want to thank everyone who has gone and followed the Dark Beneath. You folks are making this project a reality. Remember, Followers that sign up during pre-launch are entitled to the free bonus 5e adventure “Murder in the Wisperholt” in addition to the book set. Delivered when the book comes out. This bonus adventure is not included in the regular book set, and there are no plans to publish it other than for Pre-Launch followers of this BackerKit campaign.
For Followers that feel strongly about supporting the Dark Beneath, BackerKit does have the option to Reserve a Pledge for 1 dollar. Doing so entitles the person to a digital bundle of bonus 5e adventures, delivered when the book set comes out. These Adventures were originally conceived for inclusion in the Dark Beneath campaign book, but during first round editing we felt that they would be better published as a series of 1-shot adventures on their own. The Dark Beneath 5e/5.5e campaign is rather large and has plenty of side quests without them. Like “Murder in the Wisperholt” this bundle of bonus adventures is not currently panned for any publishing other than to those that reserve pledges for $1 prior to launch.
Some specificity on our project status. Both books are written, complete, initially play tested and currently in editing. They still need art (a lot more art), more editing, more maps (cartography), an additional round of play testing, layout for print, and printing. In order to make that happen we need funding, hence the BackerKit crowdfunding.
In order to launch the BackerKit campaign and begin funding, we need 300 Followers on the Pre-Launch page. If we achieve that, we will need about 250 people to pre-order/Back the book set via "pledge." Again, I appreciate all your support. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you have about the project, its content, or about our crowdfunding campaign.
