Prime Underdark guide

Prime Underdark guides were people who helped others navigate others not only through Underdark terrain, but also social situations.

Culture
The art of the prime Underdark guide involved a set of skills for which bards, rangers, and rogues had the best inclinations. However, as useful these skills were, people who mastered them were rare. More usual were dabblers who learned the basics to better navigate through the Underdark.

As a general rule, a prime Underdark guide was part of a group of people who moved around in the Underdark, such as a merchant caravan or an adventuring party.

Abilities
As mentioned above, bards, rangers, and rogues had an inclination to learn the skills of a prime Underdark guide. The skill of a prime Underdark guide revolved around navigation, not only through the physical Underdark, but also through social situations in Underdark societies. All prime Underdark guides learned to have acute visual and auditory senses, skills at balancing and climbing, some skill at tracking and self-sufficiency, and some skills in the usage of ropes. Regarding social skills, all prime Underdark guides were proficient in at the very least four languages and had some skill at diplomacy and information gathering, and had basic knowledge about local customs of Underdark societies.

Most abilities of a prime Underdark guide were of mundane nature and helped them to navigate through the physical and social Underdark situations. Regarding mastering the physical Underdark, a prime Underdark guide learned to help others in balancing, climbing, swimming, using a rope, or at simple self-sufficiency; they did not need to be next to somebody but could be at a distance of up to 30 feet (9 meters). Skilled guides could help an increasingly larger number of people within this distance. They also learned to be more capable of detecting and protecting themselves from dangers like traps or hostile creatures. One of the magical abilities that a prime Underdark guide learned was to share this attentiveness with other people, the number of which increased with the guide's skill.

A prime Underdark guide's social abilities consisted of learning ever more languages, informing him- or herself on Underdark-legends and other knowledge regarding the Underdark, and accepting local customs and etiquette to guarantee smooth negotiations and other social encounters with Underdark-races.

Every prime Underdark guide also learned spellcasting.

Possessions
As mentioned above, prime Underdark guides were spellcasters. Their spellcasting was of the learned type and they carried a spellbook with them. They also learned how to use a rope and helped other people in its use.

A prime Underdark guide could also tap into the powers of a cavestalker formation.

Relationships
As mentioned above, a prime Underdark guide was usually part of merchant caravans or adventurer parties. An organization called the Guild of the Underdark Guides recruited only people who were capable of meeting the standards of a prime Underdark guide. That said, this did not mean that members of the organization were all prime Underdark guides.

History
By 1372 DR, a typical caravan guide of the Guild of the Underdark Guides hired by Underdark merchants was a bard with a modicum of skill as a prime Underdark guide.

Notable Members

 * Qod Backspeaker: Qod Backspeaker was a chitine rogue who did not want to live as a crafter. She was inspired by another prime Underdark guide to become one too.
 * Virgil Rhom: Virgil Rhom was an earth genasi rogue who headed the Guild of the Underdark Guide. A man of split loyalty, he was also a Harper, and put his secret loyalty above his official duties.