1. The heroes start off as prisoners of the drow, along with various NPCs.

2. The group breaks out with the NPCs and tries to find a way out of the Underdark. The drow
pursue them the entire way. They may end up in:
3. Sloobludop - Where kuo toa worship Demogorgon.
4. Gracklstugh - Where duergar have problems with a derro faction.
5. Neverlight Grove - Where Zuggtmoy has tainted the myconids.
6. Blingdenstone - Where an agent of Juiblex is causing problems.
7. The DM decides where the group can find an exit out of the Underdark. They should be 7th level
when leaving.
8. The drow have a final showdown with the group as they head through the exit tunnel.
9. 3 months of resting. The group should be level 8 when heading to Gauntlgrym.
10. The group either seeks out or is summoned to Gauntlgrym, home of the dwarves.
11. The group takes a small army of NPCs down to the Underdark to try to find a solution to the
demon lord problem.
12. They go to Mantol-Derith and get a magic ring from a Zhent agent. The ring shows the way to
Gravenhollow. The heroes should be 10th level by this point. The group has the chance to
shatter a gem and banish Fraz-Urb'luu.
13. They use the ring to get to Gravenhollow, a magic library that can help them figure out what to
do about the demonic incursion. file
14. In Gravenhollow, the heroes learn that all of this may have been caused by a wizard named
Gromph Baenre of Menzoberranzan. They meet a wizard named Vizeran DeVir who invites the
group to his tower.
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15. The group meets with Vizeran in his tower. If the group can get ingredients to create a talisman,
he can cast a ritual that will bring all the demon lords together so they can kill each other. With
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their physical forms destroyed, their essences will return to the Abyss.
16. The Wormwrithings is where the group can obtain some ingredients. They can also learn
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about the maze engine here.

17. The Labyrinth contains more ingredients and an encounter with Yeenoghu. The group might
use a device called the Maze Engine to banish Yeenoghu and Baphomet.
18. The heroes are called on to aid Araumycos (chapter 16). The group can get an elusive
ingredient (timmasks) for the ritual here. The group might banish Zuggtmoy and Juiblex.
19. The group goes to Menzoberranzan to get Gromph's grimoire.
20. The heroes bring the ingredients to Vizeran. He makes the dark heart talisman.
21. Now the heroes need to place the dark heart somewhere. Vizeran casts the ritual from his home
tower. The demon lords are summoned to the dark heart. They slaughter each other...
22. ..Except for one. The adventurers have to take down the last demon lord standing.

Basically, the group should gain a level in each chapter except the two travel chapters (2 and 10). The
book gives vague guidelines. The heroes should be level 7 when they escape the Underdark, and they
should be level 15 when fighting Demogorgon in the final chapter.

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I am putting this in the beginning of this guide, because you should deal with this ideally before the
campaign even starts. I am going to list each bond (from page 221) and then briefly note how it plays
into the adventure:

Friend of the Kuo-Toa: You might want to say that the hero made friends with Ploopploopeen (page
44). He can become an ally of the group in chapter 3.

Melded with the Myconids: The hero might have met Basidia (page 85), who is a potential ally in
chapter 5 or even visited Araumycos (page 210), the hive-mind/place/fungus thing in chapter 16. In
fact, it might be cool to say that the hero actually bonded with Araumycos, went to the astral plane and
saw Araumycos' astral form - a fungus skull the size of a mountain (212).

Morista Malkin: She's on page 128. Morista doesn't have much of a role in this adventure. She gives the
group giant lizard mounts and some NPC allies.

Davra Jassur: She's on page 129. Davra is a Zhentarim agent who has a small role in this adventure. She
has goggles of night and dust of disappearance.
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Library Dream: This dream refers to Gravenhollow (page 152), a magic library run by stone giants.
You might want to say that the hero is able to catch glimpses of the future like Ustova, the Keeper of
the Future (page 152). Perhaps she can train this PC and enhance their precognitive abilities. Or
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maybe the PC could summon a spirit echo now and then (page 153).
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Kazook Pickshine: Kazook (page 103) has a small role in this adventure. He owns a merchant stall in
Blingdenstone. He likes to blow things up with his alchemical concoctions.
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Feldrun Clan: You should probably establish ties to Eldeth Feldrun (page 6), an NPC that the heroes
start the adventure off with. Gauntlgrym's role in this adventure is mostly as a place to rest. It's the
stopping point between the two halves of the adventure. The biggest upside of taking this background
is that it might make King Bruenor's summons a little less ham-fisted.

Ghazrim DuLoc: Ghazrim (page 140) has the ring that the group needs to find Gravenhollow. He is part
of a very chaotic battle in Mantol-Derith and is likely to die in it.

My Family is Imprisoned: Blingdenstone (page 95) was raided by the drow years ago, so that might
make a good location for the past abduction. The family could be prisoners in Gracklstugh (page 57) or
Menzoberranzan (maybe family members are part of the slave parade on page 201).

Gauntlgrym: This is similar to the Feldrun clan background. Gauntlgrym ultimately plays a small role
in this adventure. Maybe the hero has a magic item made in the Great Forge (page 123) and would like
to repair the severed conduits (perhaps the PC could learn how to do this in Gravenhollow).

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The Heroes are Prisoners: This whole campaign starts off with the heroes having been captured. You
should let your players know this ahead of time, as this kind of thing can cause problems with some
players. The heroes were knocked out with drow poison, collared and shackled and are going to be
sold as slaves or "entertainment" in drow cities.

Restrained: The slave collars and manacles put the heroes in the restrained condition. They have
normal speed.

The Dire Situation: There's a lot of little things to keep straight for the opening:

1. No Gear: The heroes have no equipment or spell components

2. Track Madness: You might want to tell your players to keep a spot open on their character
sheets to track their madness score (see page 21).
3. Days Have Passed: Each PC has been a prisoner in Velkenvelve for d10 days.
4. Special Item: Roll on the chart on page 5 to see if a PC has a scavenged item (unless you decide
to have the characters steal these items during forced labor).
5. Manacles: Slipping out of the manacles is a DC 20 DEX check, breaking them a DC 20 STR check.
6. Food: They are fed once per day - a thin mushroom broth in a clay bowl.
7. Slave Pen: The adventurers are being held in area 11, the slave pen (page 15).
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8. Magical Wards: Spells cast in the pen have no effect. Bad guys can cast spells into the pen from
the outside.
9. Picking Locks: Picking the lock with makeshift tools is a DC 20 DEX check. The PC also has to
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make a DEX (Stealth) check vs the drow elite warrior's (in area 10) passive Wisdom, which is
14 (Monster Manual page 128)
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10. Dreams: Spellcasters might have dreams foreshadowing the madness/demon threat (see page
9)
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11. Punishment: If the PCs annoy the drow while in their slave pen, they're hit with a ray of
sickness.

The Other Prisoners: The NPCs in the pen with the heroes are really cool. I'd recommend having Ront
the orc bully pick on Stool, the myconid sprout. This will be a nice way for a PC to stick up for Stool and
begin to roleplay and portray their character. Or who knows, maybe the adventurers will want to bully
Stool, too. You never know what will happen, that's the fun of D&D. But this is a nice place to have the
players introduce their character.

Stool’s Telepathy: The most important thing to remember is that Stool will probably use his rapport
spores to allow everyone to communicate telepathically. This is extremely helpful when planning an
escape.

The Prisoners May Be With The Party For A Long Time: The adventure warns us that many of these
NPCs may accompany the heroes for a long time in this campaign. That means you will need to be very
familiar with them. You're going to need a cheat sheet. So let's do this thing:

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All of their profiles are on pages 6-8 in Out of the Abyss. These stats assume they are not wearing armor.

Buppido (Derro, OOTA page 224): AC 12 HP 13 +2 1(d4-1) or trip: DC 9 STR check or fall prone.
 Advantage on saves vs spells, advantage on saves vs charm/frighten
 God Delusion: Talkative and cunning, he secretly thinks he's an insane derro god named Diinkaranzan. After the
group escapes, he wants to kill the heroes one by one. Wants to go to Gracklstugh.

Prince Derendil (Quaggoth, MM 256) AC 13 HP 45 +5/+5 6 (d6+3)

 When he has 10 HP or less, +7 (2d6) damage and advantage to hit
 Immune poison, darkvision 120, climb 30
 Thinks he’s an Elf: Thinks he is a cursed elf prince, speaks elven. He's being deluded by Fraz'Urbluu. He goes into a
violent rage both in times of stress, and when someone grills him on his story.

Eldeth Feldrun (Dwarf, Scout stats MM 349) AC 12 HP 16 +4/+4 5(d6+2)

 Advantage on Wis (Perception) checks
 Trusty Pal: She is defiant and proud, and may die before getting home. If so, she asks the heroes to bring her shield
and warhammer back to Gauntlgrym, her home.

Jimjar (deep gnome, MM 164) AC 12 HP 15 +4 6(d8+2)

 Advantage on Stealth in rocky terrain, adv on INT/WIS/CHA saves vs magic
 Can cast spells, DC 11. At will: Nondetection (self only). Once per day: Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Disguise Self.
 Has a gambling problem. Constantly makes wagers. Loves money. Can guide the party to Blingdenstone.
 Secret Deity: Check out the sidebar on page 217. Jimjar might be a god in disguise! It's up to you, but if he is, you
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can drop clues from the very beginning instead of revealing it all the way at the end of the adventure.

Ront (Orc, MM 246) AC 11 HP 15 +5 9(d12+3)

Bonus action: Move up to its speed toward a hostile creature it can see.
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A Bully: Hates Eldeth. Fled from a battle with dwarves and thinks his god, Gruumsh, is punishing him.

Sarith Kzekarit (Drow, MM 128) AC 12 HP 13 +4 5 (d6+2)

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 Adv on saves vs. charm, can't be put to sleep.

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 Casts spells, DC 11. At will: Dancing Lights. Once Per Day: Darkness, Faerie Fire.
 Spores: Accused of murder, doesn't remember if he did it or not. Doesn't know that Zuggtmoy's spores are
infecting his brain and are the source of his dilemma. Wants to go to Neverlight Grove. Knows the Underdark well.

Shuushar the Awakened (Kuo Toa, MM 199) AC 11 HP 18 +3 3(d4+1)

Breathes in air and water, sense any creature within 30 even if they are invisible/ethereal, Adv to escape a grapple.
Hermit and mystic. Calm and peaceful. A total pacifist, he won't fight or even defend himself. Wants to share his
enlightenment with the kuo-toa of Sloobludop.

Stool (Myconid, MM 230) AC 10 HP 7 +1 1(d4-1) Speed 10 feet

 Can let out distress spores, all myconids within 240 feet can sense its pain.
 3 times per day: Rapport Spores 10 foot radius. Affected creatures can communicate telepathically with each other
while within 30 feet. This lasts for one hour.
 Goofy Pal: Wants to return to Neverlight Grove but not sure how to get there. Might become attached to a character
like an enthusiastic younger sibling.

Topsy and Turvy (Deep gnome/wererats MM 209)

Deep Gnome stats: AC 12 HP 15 +4 6(d8+2)
Wererat Stats: AC 12 HP 33 +4 4(d4+2) & DC 11 CON save or be cursed with lycanthropy.
 Adv on WIS (percep) due to enhanced sense of smell, can use an action to polymorph into giant rat or
rat/humanoid hybrid. Stats are the same in each form except for size.
 Twins: Topsy is female and does all the talking. Turvy is her brother, and mumbles darkly. They don't want anyone
to know that they are wererats. They were recently infected with the curse of lycanthropy. They don't want to go
back to Blingdenstone, and will likely abandon the group at some point.

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Jobs: The prisoners are divided into 3 groups and put to work for a third of the day, supervised by
quaggoths. You are going to have to decide if your heroes are put in the same group, or set apart.

You'll also need to come up with what happens during their menial labor. You might want to have your
heroes quietly steal the items from the list on page 5. You're going to run into situations where the
heroes in theory will have the opportunity to acquire items outside of that list.

For example, if they're cooking a meal, they might have knives. The quaggoths will be watching them,
but you can bet your PCs will be thinking of anything they can to slip a knife in their boot or..
wherever.

 Fill and Haul Water Barrels: See page 14, area 9.

 Operate the Lift: This is on page 12, area 5.
 Clean Area of the Outpost: The place that makes most sense for this would be the barracks on
page 11, area 2.
 Empty Chamber Pots: Waste is dumped into the pool in area 14, page 15. There is a very
aggressive grey ooze in the pool, which makes for a lot of fun possibilities. Maybe the
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adventurers notice it somehow, and are able to trick their overseers into getting to close to the
pool.
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 Food Preparation and Service: This would be in area 3 on page 11. The heroes could be in
charge of serving 4 drow who are playing cards. The drow would probably yell at the heroes for
any infraction. You could make a skill challenge out of preparing a delicious meal. Your menu
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might include a florescent fungus salad, cave jelly, roasted deep beetles and a toadstool steak.
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 Wash Dishes: I think this would be in the main hall, which is area 3 on page 11.
 Laundry: I guess to do laundry, you could hold garments under the waterfall at area 9. Then,
maybe there's a few spidersilk lines where the clothes can be hung to dry. The idea of the
heroes handling the dirty underwear of the drow is quite amusing.

Stealing Stuff: Requires a DEX (sleight of hand) check vs. a guard's passive Wisdom (perception) score.
If the hero fails, they'll have to hand it over or possibly be killed.

Where is Our Stuff? The gear of the heroes is in Ilvara's quarters (area 7, page 12). It's in the locked
chest.

Gearless Start: The DM also has the option of just saying that the group’s gear is gone and having the
heroes make do with whatever they can scavenge. If you want to do this, run it by your players and
make sure they're cool with it before you start playing! A spellcaster without a spellbook, that's pretty
rough at 1st level.

The Main Bad Guys: Here's a quick rundown of the bad guys. There's a total of 19 drow, 12 quaggoths
and 6 giant spiders. There are four important drow: