Dungeon Survival Handbook
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The Dungeon Survival Handbook, also known as Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook is
a splatbook printed in 2012 for Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition. In a nutshell, it is a reiteration of the earlier
Dungeon Survival Guide, but this time actually attempting to be a game-based splatbook rather than the more
"infotainment" type slatbook of its predecessor. It combines assorted material for players who want to build
dungeon-delving specialist - or dungeonborn! - PCs and material for DMs wanting assistance in understanding
how to make dungeons for their own games.
PC Content
The first chapter of the book aims at dungeon-delving or dungeonborn PCs. In addition to formally granting
player race status to the goblin and kobold, as well as bringing back the long-forgotten svirfneblin, this first
chapter contains 7 new character themes - the vengeance-craving Bloodsworn, the Deep Delver, the Escaped
Aberrant Thrall, the Trapsmith, the Treasure Hunter, the Underdark Envoy and the Underdark Outcast - and an
assortment of new skill powers and class powers, grouped under seven different rough themes:
▪ "Fear of the Dark" - powers developed to counter (or take advantage of) the darkness below the earth.
▪ Secrets of the Deep Guides - powers honed by a dedicated group of professional Underdark and dungeon
delvers.
▪ Shadows of the Ziggurat - powers gained from a twisted structure built around a rift in reality.
▪ Seekers of Lost Lore - powers trained by those who explore dungeons for the lost secrets of the past.
▪ Thieves' Guild of Maelbrathyr - powers honed by the deadly thieves of Maelbrathyr, a cursed city
dragged into the Underdark by Torog.
▪ From the Vault of the Drow - powers developed by the drow.
▪ Battle Tactics of Cor Talcor - powers learned from the brutal tutelage of a dwarf warrior school.
Neutral Content
The second chapter covers an array of dungeon-related topics that are of interest to both players and DMs. It
discusses successful tactics for dungeon-delving, lists the various kinds of dungeons an adventurer is likely to
encounter - from the humble cave, mine or crypt to floating castles, prisons and the labs of magic-users,
examines some of the more common monsters to be found in dungeons, and concludes by providing mechanics
for a number of new alchemical items and physical tools of particular interest to dungeon delvers.
This chapter also examines eight famous dungeon-based modules from D&D's past, both from the "in universe"
perspective of their place in the Nentir Vale setting and their meta-history, with many of the dungeon entries
also featuring player-based material, such as a background tied to that dungeon. The dungeons covered in this
book consist of:
▪ Castle Ravenloft
▪ Ghost Tower of Inverness
▪ The Lost City
▪ Pyramid of Amun-Re
▪ White Plume Mountain
▪ Tomb of Horrors
▪ Temple of Elemental Evil
▪ Gates of Firestorm Peak
DM's Content
The last chapter of the book is dedicated to the DM, providing advice on various topic relating to dungeon-
delving. It examines how to involve players in a dungeon-delve, outlines how to craft a dungeon-centric
adventure, discusses a list of the most prominent dungeon-makers in the D&D world, and concludes with some
new mechanics, in the form of unique special rewards that can only be won by entering dungeons - which is
basically a way to bring back older "gamebreaker" spells such as Wish.
This is then followed by two appendixes; one on building your own dungeons and one on running random
dungeons.
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