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Into the Black
review...
“... The acclimation to this dark habitat requires several important anatomical features typically not found on surface dwelling animals. In the complete absence of light, eyes serve no viable function. Over the course of countless generations, the animal’s visual organs gradually diminsh until they disappear entirely...” (p. 4, “Animal Adaptations”)
Into the Black eschews the typical “Underdark” lamentations that other d20 system sourcebooks maintain. The underground world found here is rife with details on monster and animal adaptations, new creatures and new items. This book dishes up some many details on the world below, that it comes across as dense. Not dense as in “solid-rock intelligence” dense, but as in “cramming at midnight for the Biology 103 exam” dense. While some gamers may be fine with select diction from the halls of academia, some may be put off of the overuse of the word “commensurate” with several descriptions in the work.
The take of Into the Black with dealing with real-world underground adaptation was refreshing, it allows a different view on creature creation that may make some d20 monsters better. Each troglomorphic characteristic may throw a new spin on a referee’s monster idea, or just grant better ideas for improvements.
Into the Black breaks its “guide to below” into several chapters, including a chapter on equipment and items gleaned from the under realms as well as a chapter on new spells. The basic chapters deal with areas of the underworld, those being: caverns, catacombs, mines and sewers. Each chapter presents an overview of the creation of the area, the various uses of the area by adventurers, new critters found there (vermin, animal, and full-blown creatures) as well as some of the new material found there (metals, minerals, plants). Each section ends with a recap of possible dangers that the area presents (diseases, collapses, etc.).
The better parts of the book would be the new items that pop up from each chapter, seeing how the area may be better used by a referee to torture or drive a plot. The same may be said with the little campaign notes that dovetail the end of the monster descriptions.
However, the book seems crammed into its pages, its difficult to know where the breaks come from chapter to chapter. The monsters might have been more useful being combined into an appendix or separate chapter altogether. With little breathing space, the book comes across as both a lengthier supplement hiding in a lesser size package and a frustrated college student trying to get the last penny’s worth out of their education tuition.
Overall, Into the Black sets out to be a different sourcebook on the adventures below ground. It succeeds in getting this across, but may push some gamers to the side with the heavy weight of high-brow language. It’s a nice change of pace from the lurking drow warriors and mind flayers, from the burrowing purple worms and goblins, and even the warrens of wererats. Into the Black is a solid book that tries to get this difference across, almost to the point of belaboring it. Most referees, and a few players, should find this work an accessible tome to dive into from time to time, though most will be raiding the candy bins rather than appreciating the store’s decor.
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