Welcome, my intrepid friends, to a guide not only to the Forgotten Realms ® of myth and legend but on how to best explore their most intriguing features: the monster-plagued, treasure-laden dungeons that plunge deep beneath the earth and riddle the highest mountains. With my capable help, you will become both wise in the ways of such places and wary of their dangers. If you value your life, do not enter a dungeon without this book!
— Volothamp Geddarm, your industrious guide and servant
Printed in China Wizardsofthe Coast,Dungeons& Dragons,andtheir respectivelogosare trademarksofWizardsof theCoastLLC. Copyright©2016 byWizards. Usedwithpermission.
Well met, adventurer! I am known to many as Elminster Aumar, Sage of Shadowdale, a wizard of some repute and a friend to all. The book you hold in your hands was written by the adventurous scamp, Volothamp Geddarm, or Volo as he is widely known. Now if you have known Volo for as many years as I have, you may also be wondering how someone so unsuited to adventuring life can become one of the most well-known experts on the Forgotten Realms. Well, as a wizard, and one chosen by Mystra herself, all I can tell you is that Volo leads a charmed life. He may be neither well-born nor skilled in battle (fleeing headlong is more his forte), yet his odd blend of cowardice and curiosity seems to serve him admirably as he buffoons his way through dungeons and domains wisely shunned by those with greater power. It would appear that Volo has been made for this world, for Toril is more than amply supplied with dungeons, dungeons, and more dungeons, from simple burial crypts to labyrinthine subterranean cities linked to the Underdark and an entire lightless Realms Below. Now that I think of it, perhaps you have been given the spark of adventure yourself, for here you are, holding a book filled with the secrets of dungeonology and danger. So heed Volo’s writings, if ye dare. Perhaps you’ll even survive a delve or two. Perhaps. Cordially,
Elminster of Shadowdale
VOLOTHAMP GEDDARM’S
DUNGEONOLOGY
Illustrations The images in this book were created by Aaron J. Riley, Alex Stone, Autumn Rain Turkel, Ben Oliver, Beth Trott, Brian Matyas, Brynn Metheney, Carlos Nunez de Castro Torres, Chris Seaman, Christopher Burdett, Claudio Pozas, Clint Cearley, Conceptopolis, Cory Trego-Erdner, Craig J Spearing, Cynthia Sheppard, Daniel Landerman, Daren Bader, David Palumbo, E. M. Gist, E.W. Hekaton, Emi Tanji, Emily Fiegenschuh, Emrah Elmasli, Eric Belisle, Eva Widermann, Filip Burburan, Guido Kuip, Howard Lyon, Ilich Henriquez, James Zhang, Jared Blando, Jason A. Engle, Jesper Ejsing, Julian Kok Joon Wen, Kekai Kotaki, Kieran Yanner, Lake Hurwitz, Lars Grant-West, Lindsey Look, Mark Behm, Matt Stawicki, Max Dunbar, Michael Berube, Michael Komarck, Mike Schley, Milivoj Ceran, Min Yum, Olga Drebas, Randy Gallegos, Raymond Swanland, Richard Whitters, Robert Raper, Rob Rey, Robert Lazzaretti, Sam Burley, Sam Wood, Scott M. Fischer, Thom Tenery, Tom Babbey, Toma Feizo Gas, Tyler Jacobson, Tyler Walpole, Victor Maury, Vincent Proce, Wayne England, William O’Connor and Zack Stella. ´
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Special T han ks
First Published in Australia in 2016 by The Five Mile Press Pty Ltd, 1 Centre Road, Scoresby, Victoria, 3179 Australia www.vemile.com.au ADivision of Bonnier Publishing Australia www.bonnierpublishing.com Devised and produced by Studio Game, part of Studio Press, an imprint of Templar Publishing, part of the Bonnier Publishing Group, The Plaza, 535 King’s Road, London, SW10 0SZ Written by Matt Forbeck. Introduction written by Ed Greenwood. Designed by Ian Upstone, Mark Golden, Gareth Butterworth and Helen Chapman. Project managed by Kirsty Walters and Helen Wicks. Copyright © 2016 by Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved ISBN 978-1-76040-454-3 Printed in China 5 4 3 2 1 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand and all other Wizards of the Coast product names and their respective logos are trademarks
An epic adventure through the Forgotten Realms ® Disclaimer
T he a e aut hor a r and his his p pr r e e se nt e e r rs w ould like ike t t o pr pr of f fe e r r t t he ir u ir undy ing t g t hanks t o t he f e f ollow low ing so souls f or th r the e ir e r e ndur ing kindne ss: E d Gr e e e en w ood K at e e I I r rw in w i n Adam Le Le e e D av id G id Ge e r r shman H ila ilar y R y Ross J amie D D oy le S imon D oy le J ame s T av e e ndale
Templar Publishing, Wizards of the Coast, Tym Waterdeep Limited, Volothamp Geddarm, Elminster Aumar, Matt Forbeck and Ed Greenwood are not responsible for any readers who enter a portal found in a mirror, doorway, wardrobe, or other similar (or dissimilar) framing device and find themselves transported to a world of adventure, whether in reality or their imaginations, wherein they may or
! venture enture! to Adv come to Ad Welcome er I: I: Wel Chapt Chapter
tory My His My History styy u st My t tr r u u i illl q u
An Introduction to Dungeonology Welcome, friends new and old and those of you who thirst for adventures lled with both fortune and glory! If you’re hunting for wisdom to steer you well on your chosen course toward becoming a hero, you’ve procured the right book no doubt, and you may rest well having placed your trust in me, Volothamp Geddarm, your faithful guide. Call me Volo, of course. All my friends do, and by the time you nish devouring this tome, you will no doubt feel you owe me your life for having forewarned you of the dangers that lie ahead. What I have to impart to you is more precious than gold, and you will treasure it all the more.
For those of you not familiar with my earlier works, starting with ‘Volo’s Guide to All Things Magical’, I am, in fact, the legendary Volo, author of more than a dozen guidebooks detailing the lands of Faerûn (FAY-rune). Most of them focused on the Sword Coast, of course, but they are now sadly all well out of date, having been written and published over a hundred years ago. Rest assured that I’ve already opened negotiations with my publisher to update those classic tomes. I have no doubt that each of them will outsell their original editions, especially now that I have had the benet of so many years to hone my perspective on their respective subjects.
A Gift for You What is my gift for you? Why wisdom, of course. I speak not of the puffed-up, philosophical appery you hear bandied about your local tavern, b ut of the needful kind of wisdom that can save your life. This is the sort of hard-won knowledge that only comes from having been all over and around (and far below!) this wondrous world of ours, these places known as the Forgotten Realms.
How is it that I’ve returned to this world after over a century, you might ask? Do I secretly have elven blood running through my veins? Did I stumble upon a fabled fountain of eternal youth? I’m afraid that epic tale is far too long to sandwich between the pages of this guidebook. Sadly, it is a tale that will have to wait for another time.
Only the brave become true Dungeonologists.
Adventure awaits you!
T able of Cont ent s Chapt er I: I:
W elcome t o Advent ure!
Chapt er II II:
T he Advent uring P g P arty
Chapt er III:
Dung eonolog log y Eq Equipment Mag ic ic and Mag ic It It ems
Chapter ter IV:
Chapter ter V: T he La Lands of t t he F org ot ten ten Re Realms lms Volo’s Most W W ondrous Map of of t he Sw Sword Co Coast Chapt er VI VI: Rog ues an and T raps
An Honest Plea If such warnings would deter you, I advise you to turn back now! The promise of fortune and glory may have drawn you to this path, but pay attention to that shiver down your spine and follow it in the opposite direction. Place this book down, hand it to a more courageous friend, and never let your desires wander in this direction again!
Follow Me A life of adventure is both terrifying and wonderful! Within this book, I’ll describe places where only heroes have set foot, and I’ll give you the tools and knowledge you need to survive and become heroes yourselves!
Chapt er VII VII::
F ortun tune and Glory
Chapt er VIII:
Clerics ics
Chapter ter IX :
T he F ive ive F act ion ions
Chapt er X :
Monster ters
For the Bravest Souls Still with me? Excellent! Some have told me that perhaps I should be more gentle on aspiring adventurers. That I should handle them with kid gloves rather than gauntlets forged from a dragon’s hide. While I understand the sentiment, I assure you that I am doing them a favour. Anyone who can be dissuaded from such a life by mere words, does not have a fraction of the fortitude necessary to actually survive in a dungeon, much less triumph. I’m glad to see that you’re made of stronger stuff, my friend. You’ll need it.
Into the Dungeons The Forgotten Realms, particularly the Sword Coast, are lled with dungeons of all sorts and types. These range from those that are little more than fortied cellars all the way up to underground complexes large enough to house entire civilisations. Each of them share a number of common features:
They sit underground, protected from the light of day. �Monsters and villains work, live and thrive within their bounds. �They’re often protected with traps, both mechanical and magical, and feature secret wallsand passages. filled with treasures of all kinds. �They’re filled �Those who discover and reveal their secrets are destined to be acclaimed amongst the greatest heroes in history. �
ng sh i i ng d a sh ur r d Yo u oloo. Vol st,, V ho st
Marching Order
Chapter II: The Adventuring Party Get Your Party Started The rst thing you need to gather before heading off on an adventure of any kind is a stalwart group of trustworthy friends. Certainly, you can try to raid a dungeon on your own, but it’s not nearly as much fun. And if you happen to be struck down in your endeavor, who’s going to be there to rescue you?
Another thing you need to establish straight off, preferably before you enter a dungeon and meet up with your rst deadly den of monsters, is a marching order. After all, the hallways in many dungeons can be a little tight so you can’t often expect to charge into battle in a formation more complex than single le.
While I realise that most of the people in the world (and, in particular, the audience for my books) are human, they aren’t the only sorts you can recruit to join your adventuring party.
Races
oud Pr r oud P n t t s s of nd d a n d e e s scc e e n on s s d r ra gon
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A group of adventurers is known as a “party,” and not just because they like to celebrate their successes together at the end. Your party should be as close to you as your family – assuming your family can cast spells, kill monsters and bring you back from the edge of death.
Building a Party
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Most parties are comprised of four kinds of heroes: wizards, ghters, rogues and clerics. They each have their own skills at which they excel, the details of which I’ll explore in later chapters. The important thing is that those abilities complement one another. When that happens, the party as a whole becomes much more powerful than the sum of its parts.
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Dragonborn
Tall, strong and covered with colourful scales, the dragonborn resemble dragons, minus the wings and tails. Like their draconic ancestors, they have a breath weapon related to the colour of their scales. They’re relatively rare, but they make a splash wherever they go! They come of age at 15 and live up to 80 or so.
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Elves
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Slender and fast, elves prefer to enjoy nature’s bounty and beauty. They can see by starlight alone. Oddly, they don’t need to sleep at all, instead resting in a meditative trance for a mere four hours a day. They come of age at 100 and can live to be 750 or so.
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Dwarves
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Short and stocky, dwarves generally like to live underground in mines or complexes they’ve carved out of solid rock. They can see well in all but total darkness and are incredibly skilled at stonework. They come of age at 50 and can live to be 350 or so. �
Wizards
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These masters of magic hang back so that they have room to hurl reballs and fry foes with furious spells.
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Fighters
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Experts with weaponry and skilled in combat, ghters stand up front and take the monsters straight on.
Rogues
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Specialists in liberating things from their owners, rogues skulk about and stab foes in the back when the opportunity presents itself.
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Clerics
nd d a n kyy a T riricc k le m b ble n i im n
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Possessing the power to both smite and heal, clerics wade into the ght when they can and then help the others recover from their wounds afterward.
Other Sorts While these four kinds of heroes are the most common found in any party, there are all sorts of variants on them too: barbarians, bards, druids, paladins, rangers, sorcerers, warlocks and more. I’ll describe portions of this panoply of archetypes in depth in later chapters. For now just remember you need muscle (ghter-types), magic (wizard-types), cunning (rogue-types) and healing (cleric-types). That should give you a party capable of conquering even the most dangerous dungeons and whatever they contain.
One Order Possibility Rogues up front (to check for traps); traps);
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Fighters next (to charge past the rogues when a fight starts);
�
Clerics next (to heal the fighters);
�
Wizards in the back (to lob spells over the others).
Some parties like to throw an extra fighter in the rear as well, to protect the wizards from anyone (such as a rival
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Gnomes
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Short and slim, gnomes are sharp and clever, and they can see in all but total darkness. They tend to live in forests, rocky regions, in hollow trees, or underground. They’re excellent tinkerers, deft at both illusions and mechanics, but beware, they like playing the worst tricks! They come of age at 50 and can live up to 500 years.
nd d u s s a n uririoo u C u in e ed d f in re f re
There is No “I” in Party Don’t skimp on forming your party thinking that fewer people will mean more treasure for you. Many would-be heroes have met their e nd by indulging their foolish greed. Think on this. Without ghters, the party cannot take on erce and angry monsters. Without rogues, the party falls victim to traps. Without wizards, the party is vulnerable to magic. Without clerics to heal injuries, no one in the party can last long. You don’t have to rally half a town to your banner to form a party, but nd the people you need to ll the roles required. Otherwise, the tales of your adventures are sure to be cut short.
�
Half-Elves
ndd ce a n ier r ce F ie ngg s tr tr o n
Hired Help
Novice heroes often can’t afford to pay for help, but once you start making a name for yourself I recommend hiring some people blessed with the knowledge, skills, equipment, or abilities you need. Call them hirelings, porters, guides, or whatever you like. Pay them well and treat them fairly, for you may wind up relying on their loyalty with your life.
�
Half-Orcs
�
The product of a union between a human and an orc, half-orcs are larger and stronger than humans, and they can see in the dark as well as any orc. While they are shunned in some regions, they are more accepted among orcs than any of the other main races, and I enjoy their excellent if sometimes dark sense of humour.
While heroes may well be spectacular individuals, they still can’t do it all. Even the most well-rounded and best equipped party can’t know everything or cover every contingency. Sometimes heroes can’t manage all the equipment they need to haul along with them. Or they may require guides in a foreign land, translators who can help with the local tongues, or transport to distant realms.
�
The product of a union between a human and an elf, half-elves move between the lands of both races. They’re larger than regular elves but can still see in the dark. I nd them to be wonderful travelling companions, able to reach beyond their own homes with ease. They come of age at 20 and can live up to 180 years.
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Halfings
nd d a n ll a Small ct i iccal pr r act p
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Short and stout (about the size of a human child), halings enjoy food, drink, stories and songs more than most. They are swift and quiet but also lucky and brave. For these reasons, they make excellent rogues, despite how likable they are. It’s rare to nd a mean haling!
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Humans
�
If you don’t know humans, you’ve led a particularly sheltered life. They occupy every corner of Toril, dominating most regions by means of numbers and ambition. They come of age in their teens and live only about 90 years. Perhaps their shorter lifespan explains their energy. They only have so many years, and endeavour to spend them well.
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Tiefings
�
Rare but distinctive, tieings (TEEF-lings) have infernal blood in their ancestry, as evidenced by their distinctive horns and tails. They’re charming and smart, but they are nonetheless often treated with distrust. I’ve never met an elderly tieing, but the ones I’ve known have proven to be excellent and loyal friends.
