Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook
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 Cover of the first edition | |
| Authors | Logan Bonner, Matt Sernett, and Jeff Morgenroth |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Role-playing games |
| Genre | Dungeons & Dragons |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast |
Publication date | 2012 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Trade hardcover) |
Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook is a supplement for the 4th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
Into the Unknown contains an assortment of new powers, equipment, feats, character themes, and three player races; the svirfneblin, the kobold and the goblin. For Dungeon Masters, the book contains dungeon-building advice and details, including lore on classic dungeon monsters, companions for adventurers, a few treasures, and tips for incorporating players' character themes into an adventure.[1]
There are three chapters and two appendices in this book:[2]
- Chapter 1: Dungeon Delvers
- Chapter 2: Strive to Survive
- "Chapter Two is all about helping the DM craft a memorable dungeon-based experience. PCs can get use out of some sections, but really it’s all about setting the mood and setting up a dungeon for play".[2]
- Chapter 3: Master of the Dungeon
- "Chapter Three has four sections: Involving the Characters, Creating an Underdark Adventure, Dungeon Makers and Special Rewards".[2]
- Appendix 1: Build Your Own Dungeon
- "This is just four pages on tips and tricks to help you figure out what you want out of a homebrew dungeon".[2]
- Appendix 2: Random Dungeons
- "The last five pages of the book are devoted to a random dungeon generator".[2]
Publication history
Into the Unknown was written by Logan Bonner, Matt Sernett, and Jeff Morgenroth and featured painted artwork by Noah Bradley.[3][4] It was published on May 15, 2012 by Wizards of the Coast as a 160-page hardcover book. It is now available online as a PDF.[3][5]
Shannon Appelcline commented that the ninth season of Encounters, Web of the Spider Queen (2012, 13 weeks), was "the start of a trilogy of Seasons that would close out the 4E Encounters and confront players with the entire drow race. Tied into Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Guide (2012), a general look at the Underdark."[6]: 195 Appelcline also wrote that ''D&D 4e (2008-2012) production became wobbly in the year following the Essentials (2010) experiment, then on January 9, 2012, Wizards announced that the edition was coming to an end. A few mass-market 4e books trickled out in early 2012, but Into the Unknown was the last of them, leaving D&D 4e with a lifetime of less than four years. [...] A few 4e-statted books later appeared in giveaways and as part of the Encounters programs, but following Into the Unknown, Wizards' mass-market production turned to edition-neutral books — repeating the pattern of the 3e transition, where Wizards became reluctant to publish edition-specific books about a year out. [...] Though it had been foreshadowed in April with a convention adventure, Into the Unknown was the major release that kicked off "Rise of the Underdark", Wizards of the Coast's biggest multimedia metaplot ever, running from May 2012 through the end of 2012. The crossover focused on Lolth driving the drow to attack the surface world, but Wizards went further than that by using it as an excuse to generally spotlight drow and the Underdark in all of their media. [...] In all, it was a rather impressive product release of over 20(!) linked books and events!"[3]