Written by: Annie S.
Are your players prepared to descend into the deepest, most perilous depths of the world?
This treacherous layer of the Underdark is where the world as you know it ceases to exist, replaced by a realm of ancient evils, forgotten gods, and mind-bending landscapes that defy all logic. If your adventurers forged their path through drow manors and kuo-toa cults, and thought they’d seen the worst that the Underdark had to offer, they’re in for a rude awakening!
In this article, we’ll be spotlighting our 10 best battlemaps for Underdark campaigns, featuring the bizarre and alien world of the Lowerdark. Whether it’s a battlefield scattered with remnants from the Blood War, or a twisted labyrinth of ancient technology, these maps are sure to drop your players in a purgatory where every step is fraught with danger and every turn could lead to doom—or glory.
(Check out our articles on the Upperdark and Middledark, if you missed it.)
1. Chasm to the Lowerdark
Start your party’s descent into the darkest reaches of the Underdark with this striking Void Dragon Lair — Underdark map.
While the original Void Dragon Lair map presented a climactic boss fight, this variant turns the arena into a yawning void that beckons adventurers into the unknown depths below. Rugged, gray stone surrounds a seemingly bottomless abyss—framing a place where few dare to tread.
For DMs running an Underdark campaign, this map is the perfect gateway into the Lowerdark, where the most terrifying and ancient secrets of the Underdark lie hidden. Alternatively, it could also serve as the site of a dramatic battle as players must fend off lurking horrors spilling out from the abyss below.
2. Blood War Battlefield
Drop your players into a haunting scene of celestial tragedy and fiendish conflict in the Lowerdark with this breathtaking Dead Angel Reef — Fallen Angel battlemap.
Visually, the map is stunningly evocative. Featuring the massive, skeletal remains of a fallen angel warrior sprawled across a decaying reef, this map can serve as a grim reminder of the celestial toll taken by the eternal struggle between fiends. From the angel’s blackened wings, an ominous black energy seeps from the corpse to taint the surrounding waters.
This map is absolutely ripe with opportunities to immerse your players in the battle-scarred landscape of a war far, far bigger than them. Perhaps this is where they might clash with fiendish forces, or perhaps they must retrieve a relic from the angel’s remains. Alternatively, the energy spilling from the angel could be a wave of corruption that the players must seal before it spreads onto the surface.
3. Lost Temple
Of course, not all that’s in the Underdark is death and destruction. This Dragon’s Hoard - Illuminated Ruins map paints the picture of an eerie but magnificent place of great power—now long-forgotten and shrouded in secrets.
Framed by towering stalagmites, glowing blue runes wind through a yawning cavern and lead towards a central altar. The temple’s grand ruins hint at a time long past when the place might have been revered by worshippers, setting the scene for a hauntingly beautiful mystery for your players to uncover.
Use this Lost Temple map as the location of a powerful artifact, a meeting place with a forgotten deity, or the site of some ancient ritual. The runes carved into the ground could easily serve as a puzzle your players must decipher to start the encounter, and the glowing central arena is perfect for a climactic battle with powerful foes.
Draw your players deeper into this mystical, glowing cavern with a Scene—an immersive illustration of the Illuminated Ruins. Check it out here!
4. Ancient Ritual Site
On the topic of ancient, otherworldly danger, this Lich Catacomb map delves even deeper into the “dark” of the Underdark.
A winding staircase spirals downward into a circular cavern ritual site, where at the heart of the cavern lies a large, ominous pool of liquid, framed by eerie statues. Red runes glow malevolently while green candles cast a sickly light over the scene. Magic crackles ominously over the pool, and a grim statue settled atop an altar seems to watch over the evil forces at work here.
It might seem a little too on-the-nose to suggest running some powerful summoning ritual here, but this map practically begs for it! Watch your players scramble to intervene before an ancient evil is unleashed, or hordes of dead begin to pour out of the cursed site. The verticality of the map and central pool also offers plenty of opportunity for mechanically dynamic combat.
5. Gate of Shadows
Accessible only through a cascading waterfall and shrouded in darkness, this Secret Fey Fountain - Portal map is the perfect place for your players to discover secrets where the boundaries between planes blur.
Grand pillars rise from shadowy depths, framing a narrow bridge that spans a still, dark pool of water. The centerpiece of the scene sits at the end—a glowing portal that pulses with dark energy, hinting at dangerous unknowns that await on the other side.
Are there otherworldly threats spilling into the material plane through the portal? Or perhaps you’re running an Out of the Abyss campaign, and your players are delving deeper into the Underdark to challenge the Demon Lords of the Abyss themselves!
6. Path to the Abyss
For those moments in your campaign where your players are teetering on the edge of something monumental, this Haunted Ghost Ship Exterior - Bridge Abyss map is equal parts exciting and foreboding.
A bridge of dark, opalescent obsidian stretches across an endless void, lit only by eerie blue lights lining its edges. The chasm below lies obscured by a thick, foggy darkness that belies little of the unimaginable horrors that lie in wait below.
As the variant’s name suggests, this map is perfect for the final approach to a climactic battle, perhaps against the forces of the Abyss—a point of no return that promises tension, terror, and an experience your players will never forget.
7. Foundry of Secrets
The line between magic and machinery blurs in this Ancient Tech Treasury map, setting the scene for a hidden vault that combines the elegance of the ancients with the mystery of arcane technology.
A network of caverns gradually transitions into an opulent vault filled with magical machinery and gilded architecture that hints at a much more advanced civilization. The central chamber is dominated by one such colossal machine, the purpose of which is obscured by time long past.
If your players have ventured this deep into the Underdark, they’re probably prepared for some truly bizarre challenges. Don’t hesitate to get creative with the machine! Consider creating a table of random, reality-altering effects—anything from temporary time loops to sudden shifts in gravity.
8. Abyssal Fall Zone
Few things convey environmental storytelling quite like monstrous, ancient skeletons—and this Abyssal Fall Zone map takes it a step further with a haunting, submerged carcass that invites exploration.
Deep, dark waters fill the subterranean cavern, but the map’s focal point is the massive carcass of a creature, its skeleton stretching across the cavern and water like a fallen titan. The ribs of the beast rise from the water to form jagged arches, while portions of the skeleton are completely submerged in the unfathomable depths below.
This map is perfect for some underwater exploration and combat—perhaps the carcass of the creature will provide much-needed materials for a ritual or puzzle. Much like with an ordinary whale fall, however, players will likely have to contend with the creatures drawn to the monster’s decaying remains.
9. Abandoned Underdark Dungeon
What would a subterranean adventure be without a good, old-fashioned dungeon crawl? This Drakescale Peak - Underdark map features the remnants of a civilization amongst winding caverns, now overgrown and forgotten.
Hauntingly beautiful, this map depicts massive caverns covered in bioluminescent fungi and thick webs that are rapidly devouring the past signs of life. Mechanisms and machines lay abandoned in various caverns, while pools of water hide threats and treasure.
Use this map as the basis for a complex dungeon-dive filled with puzzles, traps, and terrifying creatures! Have your players reactivate the machinery to reactivate defenses or uncover hidden chambers that shed light on the truth behind these ruins.
10. Void Dragon Lair
Last but certainly not least, this Void Dragon Lair would be a breathtaking finale to any deep-delving campaign!
This map is absolutely visually stunning—a multi-headed dragon erupts from its lair amidst cavernous rocks, suspended over a terrifying, endless abyss. All around, debris and rubble fall from the caverns above, making it the perfect stage for a high-stakes showdown.
A creative DM could craft a truly epic encounter here, using the chaotic energy of the Abyss to introduce unique battle mechanics. Consider having the dragon’s attacks crumble away parts of the terrain, displace the players, or channel the void’s power to create reality-warping effects.
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You’re sure to find a good fit for every campaign, whether it’s set in a bustling city, a haunted forest, or a celestial realm among the heavens.
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