This is especially useful for session zero, as you'll need to establish what type of content your players want and what they're comfortable with. Enjoy a familiar adventure with updated art and four never-before-seen chapters in this beginner-friendly adventure designed for character levels 1-12 I think there was a strong desire from folks in the studio to preserve Lost Mines of Phandelver in a hardcover book – which was just a booklet in the starter set”, she says. “We wanted to preserve and update that adventure to have that longevity and staying power. My hope in doing that is creating an adventure that goes places people don’t expect.”

Transformations are a great way to not only keep your group involved in the story and its evolution but can also provide fun moments for roleplay and give your players an advantage if you allow them. Creating Characters For Phandelver And Below The Shattered Obelisk Discover what lurks below in this high-fantasy adventure that begins with the familiar story of Lost Mine of Phandelver and then delves into a brand-new adventure in the perilous Underdark. Play with Less Prep on Roll20Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk is a DnD campaign designed for four to six players. Players begin a familiar dungeon-crawling adventure at level one, and they’ll face a crisis of unexpected scale (and weirdness)by the time they reach level 12. Importantly, having players notice as NPCs they've interacted with start to change (and even having them change themselves) in stages really makes things feel dynamic and also provides a sense of urgency.

Here's where it gets weird. The Lost Mines of Phandelver has been out for so long and is so widely available, being actively promoted for new players, it's going to be hard to find people who have been playing D&D who don't already know what half of this book is about. Triboar Trail? Try “Tutorial!” The earliest encounters offer a taste of everything, letting you and your players become comfortable with both the rules of D&D and the three pillars of adventure. However, Vecna stole one of the obelisks and used it to erase the Weavers from existence. Stealing the Weavers' knowledge, Vecna made his own obelisks until, eventually, that knowledge fell into the hands of Netherese wizards. The Netheril Empire existed 5,000 years before the events of Icewind Dale, and as such, much of their records about the obelisks have long since been lost. It is unknown if the Weavers, Vecna, or the Netherese made the obelisks that players can encounter throughout fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. What makes for powerful moments in an adventure? How does a new player experience those events? Here are a few tips we’ve gathered that will help level up your adventure in Phandalin. Forma Connection WithGundren Artist: Scott Murphy Based on how the book was marketed, this isn’t too much of a surprise. An early press event revealed the designers aged-up the campaign, taking away its family-friendly reputation and aiming it more towards experienced players. However, Phandelver doesn’t really commit to being entirely one thing – beginner-friendly or streamlined for long-time players.

One tidbit that might offer an exciting plot twist at your table is Sildar’s mention of the wizard Iarno Albrek, a fellow member of the Lords’ Alliance who disappeared from Phandalin months ago. Sildar aims to find Iarno on his arrival to Phandalin, giving the characters a description of his appearance. Throughout chapter 2, the party will hear rumors about a mysterious gang leader called Glasstaff, and will deal with his thugs—the Redbrands—while in search of Iarno. The delicious payoff? Iarno and Glasstaff are one and the same; he rebranded himself and gathered the Redbrands around him in an attempt to gain power. Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is the latest appearance of an obelisk and also the DnD adventure that provides the most information. In Icewind Dale, players can find the obelisk on the downed Netherese flying city, Ythryn, and it is this obelisk, along with some sidebar text, sheds the most light on the strange magical stones. The one found in Ythryn is the largest so far, standing 60 feet tall and covered in arcane runes. This portion is your standard affair; however, while this is going on, another plot is unfolding. The town will be ambushed by goblins, but these goblins have psionic powers, clearly alluding that something isn't right. As you find out more about them, you'll discover they're searching for portions of an obelisk. Some characters have been reimagined, such as Reidoth the Druid who is now a woman, and there are some completely new characters, including a tattooed dwarf from Neverwinter who is in Phandalin visiting her sister, and an archaeologist gnome who stumbled into a trap and became artificially aged.