D&D Digs Up More of the Underdark in New Unearthed Arcana Playtest

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Dungeons & Dragons is heading back down into the subterranean abyss with its latest Unearthed Arcana playtest. Entitled Underdark Options 2, this new packet serves as a direct follow-up to the earlier Underdark Options playtest released just a few weeks ago in late August.

While that initial playtest explored the hidden human enclave of Deep Imaskar and introduced the horrifying Path of Ceremorphosis feat progression (which allows you to turn into a Mind Flayer), this latest release introduces three complete subclasses: Freedom Domain Cleric, an updated Circle of Spores Druid and the Faerzress Sorcery Sorcerer, along with five playable Underdark species (Deep Imaskari, Drider, Illithidkin, Kuo-toa and Myconid).

While Wizards of the Coast has not officially confirmed what upcoming sourcebook these materials are designed for, the heavy emphasis on Underdark lore and species suggests we’ll likely see a new setting-specific sourcebook in the near future. Below, we dig deep into all the details.

What’s included in the Underdark Options 2 playtest?

The new UA contains the following new subclasses:

Freedom Domain (Cleric)

This is a brand new subclass that taps into divine magic centered on free will, liberation and battling the forces tyranny. In the Underdark, these clerics often serve deities like Eilistraee and Sehanine Moonbow, but might also call on surface liberators like Ilmater or Mielikki. Mechanically, the subclass is presented as a high-Dexterity cleric and includes features such as:

• Domain Spells & Jailbreaks: The domain spell list is built around movement and escape, granting options like Expeditious Retreat, Misty Step, Dimension Door, Freedom of Movement and Passwall.
• Invoke Liberty: Presenting your holy symbol as a Magic Action lets allies within a 30-foot emanation immediately end the Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed or Restrained conditions on themselves (expanding to Charmed and Petrified at Level 9). Those allies can then spend a Reaction to move up to their full speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
• Unencumbered Grace & Unstoppable: While unarmored, your base AC becomes 10 plus your Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers (shields still permitted), and you gain Acrobatics proficiency or expertise. Later, at Level 6, you ignore difficult terrain and gain Dexterity saving throw proficiency.
• Avatar of Freedom: At Level 17, you can project a 30-foot aura for 10 minutes that grants entering allies +30 feet of speed, immunity to difficult terrain penalties and advantage on Dexterity checks.

Circle of Spores (Druid)

Originally introduced in 2018’s Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica and later updated in 2020’s Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, the original Circle of Spores has been retooled for the D&D 5.5E core rules and now has strong ties to Underdark myconid colonies. New and updated features include:

• Halo of Spores: Now projects a 10-foot emanation that grants 10 feet of telepathy. As a Reaction against approaching foes, it inflicts necrotic damage on a failed Constitution save or imposes disadvantage on their next attack roll if they succeed.
• Symbiotic Entity: Awakening your spores is now streamlined as a Bonus Action, providing four Temporary Hit Points per Druid level while boosting your spore damage and adding extra necrotic damage to melee weapon strikes and unarmed strikes.
• Fungal Infestation & Explosive Burst: When beasts or humanoids die within 10 feet, you can use your Reaction to animate them as zombies. You can also now transfer a portion of your own Temporary Hit Points directly to these minions. Furthermore, the old Spreading Spores feature has been replaced with Explosive Burst at Level 10, causing your zombies to detonate in a cloud of necrotic spores when they drop to 0 hit points.
• Fungal Body: At Level 14, in addition to condition immunities and critical hit protection, the mycelial network in your flesh takes over your motor functions if you are knocked unconscious, steering your body safely toward allies on your turn rather than dropping your speed to zero.

Faerzress Sorcery (Sorcerer)

This is a brand new subclass that draws its power from faerzress, the strange, mutating magical radiation infused into the Underdark by Lolth. Key features include:

• Faerzress Effects & Zones: Normally, areas saturated by faerzress block teleportation over 1 mile, foil magical sensors like Clairvoyance, grant automatic saves against divination and make Darkvision see in vibrant color. At Level 3, you can spend 3 Sorcery Points to generate a 40-foot cube of lingering faerzress radiation for 24 hours.
• Immunity & Affinity: You completely ignore the detrimental effects of faerzress, allowing your divination sensors to bypass its static and your long-distance teleports to succeed. At Level 6, this immunity extends to allies within 30 feet, while you gain lightning resistance, expanded color-capable Darkvision and advantage on vision-based Perception checks in darkness.
• Faerzress Step & Form: At Level 14, you gain a free daily casting of Teleport and can choose any outcome on the Teleportation Outcome table for your familiarity level. At Level 18, activating Innate Sorcery allows you to transform into a floating avatar of pure radiant/lightning energy, gaining hover flight, condition immunities, resistance to all damage except Force and Psychic, and the ability to phase through walls and creatures.

Five New Underdark Species

Rather than just focusing on surface adventurers delving below, Underdark Options 2 also supplies rules for five playable Underdark-native species:

• Deep Imaskari: Descendants of the ancient fallen empire of Imaskar who survived in the Lowerdark beneath a synthetic sun. Warped by millennia of exposure to magical light, they feature pale skin, golden-white eyes, and crystalline growths protruding from their flesh. Mechanically, they inherit the human Resourceful trait (free Heroic Inspiration on a Long Rest), possess radiant resistance, can illuminate their body crystals at will and can project an Aura of Unlight that bolsters party AC, blinds approaching foes, or adds radiant damage to attacks.
• Drider: Bearing the Spider Queen’s curse, driders possess the upper torso of a drow joined to the body of a giant arachnid. Classified as Monstrosities, they feature 120-foot Darkvision, an Arachnid Build that boosts carrying capacity, innate climb speed that leave hands free (Spider Climb), web-walking detection and innate spellcasting (Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire and Web).
• Illithidkin: Humanoids modified by mind flayer experiments who retain parts of their original form alongside purple skin, face tentacles and minor psionic abilities. Unlike the deep-investment Ceremorphosis feat tree from the previous UA, Illithidkin are a distinct species offering 120-foot Darkvision, 30-foot telepathy, psychic damage resistance, advantage against charm effects and innate psionics (represented by Mage Hand, Command and Levitate).
• Kuo-toa: Fishlike subterranean humanoids whose scales shift colors with extreme emotions. In addition to being amphibious with a swim speed and having the Slippery trait (advantage against grapples and restraints), they feature Deific Manifestation. This lets them cast Find Familiar without components to conjure a celestial idol made of mismatched Underdark parts (including Homunculus or Myconid Sprout forms) that inherits traits and actions from two different creatures.
• Myconid: Sentient, bipedal fungal folk. Classified as Plants, myconids have 120-foot Darkvision, 30-foot telepathy and can emit Rapport Spores to create a temporary telepathic network for their adventuring party. They also bring the unique Skill Meld trait, allowing party members who participate in a post-rest melding ritual to borrow any single skill proficiency known by another participant until the next rest.

Final Thoughts

It has been over a decade since D&D last ventured into the Underdark, with 2015’s Out of the Abyss featuring a campaign that was set almost entirely in the depths below. In terms of Underdark player options, however, it’s been even longer, going to back the D&D 4e days. That looks like something Wizards of the Coast is planning to rectify, and at this point it seems likely we’ll be hearing about an official Underdark setting expansion in the not-too-distant future.

In the meantime, you can check out all the material for yourself via the official Unearthed Arcana page or download the PDF. Player feedback for the new material will officially open on September 17, 2026.

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