Out of the Abyss! Escape the Drow! PlayByPost Triple+
Dungeons & Dragons 5e | Campaign
About the adventure
Game Pitch: Out of the Abyss – A Descent into Madness and Chaos Welcome to the Underdark—a vast, twisted labyrinth miles beneath the surface world, where light is a memory and madness seeps into stone. Out of the Abyss throws players headfirst into this alien world, starting not as heroes, but as prisoners. Captured by the drow and stripped of everything, you must escape your captors and survive in a hostile wilderness where even the plants want you dead. For newcomers, it’s a gripping introduction to Dungeons & Dragons filled with danger, discovery, and transformation. For veterans, it’s a brutal test of survival and sanity. As the party navigates the lightless depths, strange allies emerge, ancient secrets are uncovered, and whispers of something far worse begin to take shape. Demon lords—horrors from the Abyss itself—have broken free and now roam the Underdark unchecked. Their presence warps the world around them, driving creatures mad and unleashing chaos across every darkened cavern and cursed ruin. The heroes must not only survive, but uncover how and why these demonic powers were unleashed—and how to stop them before the madness spills into the surface world. What makes Out of the Abyss stand out is its tone: a blend of survival horror, political intrigue, and mythic adventure. Players will forge uneasy alliances with myconids, kuo-toa, and outcasts, face terrifying monsters, and wrestle with the creeping madness of the Abyss. The choices you make—who to trust, where to flee, and when to fight—can shift the course of the entire campaign. And as your characters grow stronger, they must face not only the demons around them, but the ones within. This is a campaign for players who want a story that evolves from desperation to epic confrontation. It rewards creativity, courage, and collaboration, whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned dungeon delver. Out of the Abyss is more than a fight against monsters—it’s a journey through darkness, toward redemption, revenge, or ruin. The Abyss is calling. Will you escape it—or become part of it? Play-by-Post is very beginner friendly.
Game style
Play By Post
Play By Post refers to a game in which players interact with the story through messages and text posts. These games are typically played asynchronously throughout the week, which gives players time to consider what they want to do next, and engage with the story at their own pace.
Rule of Cool (RoC)
“Rule of Cool” emphasizes creative story beats over sticking to a system’s rules as written. Players have the ability to push the limits of the rules or even break core rule mechanics at times if the Game Master thinks it is interesting, fun, or cool enough.
Theater of the Mind
“Theater of the Mind” uses little to no visuals for scene settings and combat. Instead, the narrative imagery comes from the Game Master’s descriptions and character action and movement comes from Players’ descriptions.
Roleplay Heavy
“Roleplay Heavy” games place the focus on the story, the characters, and the world they live within, and tend to lean hard into the various roleplaying elements of the game. These games will frequently find the party talking with NPCs, exploring the personal elements of their backstories, or even having emotional moments around the camp fire.
A small band of heroes and unlikely allies has escaped from a drow outpost (Velkynvelve) through subterfuge, sabotage and in the midst of a demonic attack. Casualties were light. Traveling through the upper Underdark is challenging to fid food. Water is abundant. Danger is everywhere! There’s about a week of travel to a possible safe haven if the pacifist KuoToan can be believed. Drow pursuit is inevitable. Come join the trek to freedom with an unlikely bunch of heroes welded together by adversity and cooperation. Can you be the one to finally find a way to the sunshine above? This is a Play-By-Post game run in a dedicated Discord Server. Pacing: At least one long DM post each listed day (UK time) and a varied number of shorter messages in reply to any @ pings throughout the week. Additional replies/posts are subject to my availability throughout the day. Watch this to get a feel for what you are facing: https://youtu.be/3pgOys0EET0?si=9mI_g0MFEbulENe2
4.9
(15)
1 year on StartPlaying
218 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Sets the Mood, Teacher
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
Game Master Reviews (15)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Sets the Mood
Teacher
Louis Burdon
New review
Played 8 sessions
My first time properly playing D&D was with Mark, and he helped me integrate well into the party when I had little experience. He allowed for lots of freedom with my character's actions which let me immerse in the gameplay. Scenarios and characters were compelling. Overall a good experience and would recommend for both new and experienced players.
Jon Lundberg
New review
I've known Mark for 30 years with him running games for me and me running games for him. He is a dedicated and hardworking gamemaster. He focuses on making the game fun and enjoyable for all players
GM Gator
Played 1 sessions
Mark does a great job setting the stage in his PbP games, and giving each of the players a chance to shine.
dawwius
Played 32 sessions
Let me preface this review by saying that I am a completely new player with very little frame of reference for what constitutes a good or bad DnD experience. There is a good chance that points I make fall more in line with overall comments on DnD rather than feedback for the gamemaster himself, moreover comments may also reflect my inexperience with the game and would not be relevant for experienced players. The new player experience was overall great, and Mark really shined at helping me assimilate core information, allowing me to establish a firm foothold despite joining mid-campaign and despite my relative inexperience. Outside of combat scenarios, Mark made sure to guide the game in a way that did not feel forced by giving us the necessary information or nudges to handle new developments without removing any sense of our own agency. During combat, I felt a little bit more out of my depth due to the sudden increase in complexity presented and I struggled a little bit with knowing what I was allowed to do and what actions I should take, although Mark did help ease these burdens. On top of this, the pacing of the game felt slower during combat scenarios and there were noticeably long periods where I felt I had less to contribute. Hopefully with a little bit more confidence, these issues will resolve themselves. With regards to world-building, Mark's usage of online visual aids really aided in setting a concrete tone and giving me a stepping stone with which I could better visualise the narrative, keeping the experience both exciting and engaging. Overall, Mark was clearly knowledgeable and very professional, and I really enjoyed the experience. The few issues I had involving combat, owing to my inexperience, did not overshadow the things I did enjoy. I am looking forward to my next game session!
Ben
Played 1 sessions
Great game in the darker more grounded gritty setting. Allowed for players to approach the challenges in different ways then expected. With chances to use Irondice or not, fumble tables or not, it allows the player to tailor their experence.
Taithir
Played 1 sessions
He was agreeable and worked hard to meet us where we’re at as noobs. His patience and flexibility facilitated our fun and learning , wile keeping us on track. Would 💯 recommend to any new players. Our one experience player also had lots of fun!
Additional tables
2 available
Weekly / Monday - 3:00 PM UTC
Jun 16 / Session 52
1 / 6 Seats Filled
Weekly / Tuesday - 2:00 PM UTC
Jun 24 / Session 1
1 / 6 Seats Filled
Additional details
How to prepare
The Theater of the Mind (written portion of the adventure) will occur on Discord supplemented by images and battle maps as needed. You will need an account on Discord. Access to the dedicated server will be open prior to the game. Owlbear Rodeo may be used. No subscription is necessary. Characters will be made or provided on D&DBeyond. Pre-made characters are always available. Players will make characters during session zero; or, we can make one prior to the game session.
What I provide
I am bringing decades of games experience, a robust community, in depth characterisation and the flexibility to adapt to player styles. Pacing: At least one long DM post each day (UK time) and a varied number of shorter messages in reply to any @ pings. Additional replies/posts are subject to my availability throughout the day. My knowledge of the campaign is extensive having run it five times. I look forward to new twists and turns that the players will bring into the game,
Gameplay details
Private channels will be provided for each player to discuss any questions or concerns. This is a Play-By-Post game run in a dedicated Discord Server. Pacing: At least one long DM post each day (UK time) and a varied number of shorter messages in reply to any @ pings. Additional replies/posts are subject to my availability throughout the day.
Content warnings
• Blood
• Character Death
• Death
• Deep or Large Bodies of Water
• Extreme Violence
• Fire
• Gore
• Lifechanging Injury
• Mental Illness
• Murder
• Spiders
• Violence
• Insects
• Scars
• Drowning
• Execution
• Illness
• Language/Cursing
• Mind Control
• Mutilation of Corpses
• Paralyzation
• Slavery
• Classism
• Freezing
• Mutilation
• Body Horror
Safety tools used
• Aftercare
• Breaks
• Debriefing
• Lines and Veils
• Luxton Technique
• Open Door
• Session 0
• Stars and Wishes
How will character creation work
Pre-made characters are available. or Characters can also be made in session zero.
Players can expect
Combat / Tactics
Medium
Roleplay
High
Puzzles
Low
Experience level
Open to all
Platforms used
• Discord
• Text/Play by Post
• Owlbear Rodeo
$25.00
/ Session
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Details
Weekly / Tuesday - 4:00 AM UTC
Jun 17 / Session 20
1 Hour Duration
2 / 4 Seats Filled
Schedule
Requirements
Experience required: Open to all
Age: All Ages