There are some who believe that the Abyss itself is a living thing, a bloated beast infinite in size and evil. Demons dwell within, the embodiment of the beasts rage and disdain for mortal life. Evil penetrates everything, from the demons you battle to the very air you breathe. The beast is pure evil. However, evil is not its only defining feature. The beast is all at once an endless ocean and burning desert, frigid tundra and volcanic wasteland, a labyrinth of rock and an endless void…forever changing. The beast is also chaos.
By its nature, it cannot help but corrupt all those who come here. Like a vulture, the beast watches mortals, those who dare trespass, enter its gaping maw and travel down its throat. Fury and rage building as it bears witness to the tumor that is goodness and righteousness enter it’s body unopposed. All the while plotting, scheming, and impatiently waiting for its chance to destroy the tumor forever. Whether through its children, the Tanaari and Obyrith, or through the horror that is the beast and its infinite faces, those pure of heart cannot remain long in its belly before their spirits become lost forever.
A Frontier of Horrors
The first time I took my players into the Abyss they were given this warning. Surviving the Abyss is a challenge like no other. Players must prepare themselves for horrors like they have never experienced before. They will be assaulted not only by demons but by the extreme environments found in the Abyss. In the worst cases, a company of heroes will be destroyed from within.
Of course I am not writing this as a survival guide to the Abyss. I am writing this to help my fellow Dungeon Masters push their players to the very edge of their limits. Heroes who dare venture into the Abyss should feel as though they are constantly teetering on the edge of disaster. Challenging your heroes to this degree takes enormous planning as well as the ability to scale your encounters on the fly.
Whatever the heroes motivation for entering this most vile and unholy of places, portents and warnings should guide their actions. From the onset of their quest to its epic conclusion adventurers must be given subtle clues that hint at hidden danger, the strength of a foe, or the true intentions of those offering aid. These hints will not only serve to give the adventurers pause before rushing headlong into danger but also add to the oppressively evil atmosphere that they should feel at all times.
Beware! Here be monsters!
Your heroes will need to learn quickly that some enemies are beyond them.
“Cresting the rocky hill, sounds of battle have faded. Down the embankment about twenty yards is a sight beyond description. Blood, bits of bone and flesh, and the mutilated corpses of six Angels lie in a mangled heap. Standing in the midst of the carnage is a hulking humanoid holding a jagged flaming blade. It’s massive leathery bat wings stretch to span many times the demons height as liquid flame dances and drips from its body. A faint moan can be heard from below but is quickly drown out by the guttural roars of a hoard of nearby beasts.”
The heroes are faced with a dilemma. Do they risk all to possibly save a wounded Angel? Even if they don’t realize that this is a Balor they have to know that it was strong enough to kill six celestials. Compounding the peril are the other demons who were drawn by the sound of combat. The party should know that their death awaits below but still have a choice which makes the situation all the more agonizing for a good aligned company. Encounters like the one described above are meant to illustrate the extreme danger that lurks all around but also build on a sense of helplessness and despair that is the Abyss. On the Prime Material Plane adventurers are often some of the most powerful individuals but in the Abyss they should be humbled to know that there is always someone bigger and uglier than they are.
We Are Not Alone
Creating an NPC (we will call him Bob) to join the party is a great way to reinforce fear, drop adventure hooks, as well as show the devastating might that powerful demons can bring to bear. Perhaps Bob is a lone survivor of an adventuring group that met disastrous ruin or a poor soul who meddled with the wrong artifact and ended up scratching out a meager existence in the worst of places. Whatever the case, the Dungeon Master has a great opportunity to role-play a terribly unhinged character who can provide information about the surrounding wastelands.
Having been marooned in the Abyss this shattered soul will have stories of survival that should further act as a warning for a party that pays attention. Bob’s insane rantings, if listened to carefully, should help the adventurers inch closer to their goals safely. Of course if the party fails to pick up on your clues Bob still has one more lesson to teach. I am not a big fan of Dungeon Masters playing characters so if the adventurers rush headlong into danger Bob can be the Dungeon Master’s sacrificial lamb. This will be the party’s one and only warning shot.
So Many Faces, All Hideous to Behold
Putting together encounters of sufficient challenge is a fairly simple matter. The Abyss will be teeming with battle giving the Dungeon Master ample opportunity to show off their ability to craft a nasty encounter. Demons are only one of the dangers the party must face. Depending on what layer of the Abyss they are on the adventurers will have to constantly battle the environment. Extreme heat and cold, violent storms, poisonous air, volcanic and seismic activity, vast oceans, and colossal mountain ranges are just a few examples of what awaits the party. By the time they leave the Abyss the party should have made dozens, if not hundreds, of saving throws in their struggle to survive the Beast.
All life that exists in the Abyss is hardened by daily trials of strength and endurance. The Dungeon Master must put their adventurers through these same rigorous trials. From the ground they walk on to the air they breath the party must feel the environment struggle against them. Disease, scorching heat, biting cold, acidic rain, poisonous vapors, and suffocating humidity are commonplace in the Abyss.
The savage landscapes found in the Abyss make finding shelter to camp of paramount importance. However, the heroes may have to go a day or two between rests as suitable shelters are rare and those that do exist are often closely guarded. Adventurers may find themselves resting in two day shifts just to allow spell casters to regain spells while the remainder of the party fights off the demons who also covet a secure shelter.
Fatigue and exhaustion can be cured using spells but using spell slots to remove fatigue may not always be the best use of resources in such a hostile landscape. Forcing the players to manage resources like spells, food, water, and ammunition will further add to a feeling of desperation especially for adventurers who rely on spells or foraging for sustenance. For these groups starvation becomes a real possibility as the unforgiving wastes of the Abyss provide few opportunities to gather food or rest to regain spells.
Make Your Mark
Do not be afraid to add your own twist to further challenge your group. Whatever system of Dungeons and Dragons you play you will find that there is a spell or magic item that can bail the party out of any situation. Can’t find a place to rest or need to resupply? Lets just Plane Shift out and come back later. This is lame. However, only allow Plane Travel at certain, highly defended, “nexus points” and you have suddenly completely cut the party off from safety. They must now brave the evil of the Abyss alone.
In the case of the Abyss these nexus points are located in the first layer known as Pazunia or The Plane of Infinite Portals. Lower layers of the Abyss are accessible via the River Styx or through the many portals that exist around the plane.
The idea that death is not necessarily the end for an adventurer has a tendency to cause players to play their characters with a bit of reckless abandon. However, tell a player that dying in the Abyss means their soul is trapped forever, never able to join with their god and you find that cowboy attitude vanish.
Possession is another way to keep your players on their toes. If a party member falls unconscious they are wide open to attack by an opportunistic demon. The demon may then lay dormant until it sees an opportunity to strike and harvest the souls of as many party members as possible. A Heal spell will expel a demon while a Protection From Evil will suppress the demon for the duration of the spell.
Traveling in the Abyss is unnerving to say the least. Adventurers will witness and experience unspeakable horror. To measure the strain on the psyche of each adventurer I have added a Sanity statistic to each character. Sanity is calculated by adding Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma together and dividing by three. Losing Sanity is left to the Dungeon Master’s discretion but some examples of traumatic events might include being possessed or witnessing a fellow party member killed while in the Abyss. Lost Sanity can’t be recovered and a player should role-play appropriately as their character begins to slip, particularly if their Sanity drops below half. A character who drops to zero Sanity has completely lost their mind and the player should create a new character.
Safe Travels
Running an adventuring party into the Abyss is challenging but will be an incredible experience. It’s infinite size and countless features create limitless possibilities for Dungeon Masters to challenge the mettle of their players. From Lolth’s Demonweb Pits to the Howling Jungles of Demogorgon’s Gaping Maw, The infinite oceans of the Shadowsea to the Slime Pits of Shedaklah the Abyss is the Mount Everest of Dungeons and Dragons. The ultimate challenge that only a foolhardy few will attempt and even fewer will conquer. Good Luck!
