This adventure also has some of my favorite dungeon designs I've seen in published 5e content including a dungeon with rotating passageways, and more naturally shaped dungeons including one shaped like a brain. The realization on players faces as they explore this maze and realize what shape it's in... Enemies Aplenty Its first four chapters are a remaster of Lost Mines of Phandelver, a beginner-friendly adventure that was part of the original 2014 D&D starter set. After a simple delivery gone wrong, players must explore the town of Phandalin – and the titular Mines of Phandelver – to thwart plots that threaten the idyllic and welcoming town. Enjoy a familiar adventure with updated art and four never-before-seen chapters in this beginner-friendly adventure designed for character levels 1-12

The adventure continues to focus on Phandalin and its surrounding areas, but as new dungeons are explored and leads are followed up on, the adventure shifts into creepier territory. The Cragmaw goblins, antagonists though they may be, act as rather notable NPCs as a group! In addition to being the catalysts for adventure, they too have a fair bit of interesting knowledge. Besides providing more immediately relevant information—the location of Sildar, for example—an interrogated goblin might reveal information that enables easier exploration of Cragmaw Castle (in chapter 3), or that hints of grander events to come in later chapters. Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk is a Level 1-12 adventure. The first five levels are an update to The Lost Mines of Phandelver, and the following seven levels of the experience are a new adventure continuing the party's relationship with the town of Phandalin as strange otherworldly effects start taking hold.

Who is Phandelver and Below for?

The obelisk in 2016's Storm King's Thunder is only mentioned and not seen. Players visiting the village of Nightstone will learn that it got its name from a large obsidian megalith that stood in the center of the village square. This stone obelisk had been covered in strange magical glyphs, but by the time the players arrive during the DnD campaign, cloud giants have stolen it.

The stakes of The Shattered Obelisk Adventure do a good job of expanding to the grandeur of an adventure that will end at the 12th level but manages to also keep it intimate. It's less about the fate of the world (even though that's definitely on the plate), but instead, it's about Phandalin. After 8 years of D&D 5e releasing a massive number of adventure and sourcebooks adding different creatures and races to 5th edition, it was a nice change to see a city so close to the hustle and bustle of the Sword Coast feel like a better representation of what is around it. 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. The 2024 Core Rulebooks provide new options for players and DMs along with updates and improvements to the classes, mechanics, items, and monsters of fifth edition. All updates are being done with care to make sure anything from fifth edition will continue to be fully playable. From here (or if prodded by Elmina in Phandalin), exploration begins! Encourage your players to consider what abilities might be useful in finding and following the nearby goblin trail. Then comes another surprise: traps! With two separate goblin-built traps placed at various points along the trail, there is ample room for both success and failure. This is another moment that simply captures a significant danger in adventuring, prompting your players once more to always be prepared.Phandelver and Below doesn't feel like it's for new players anymore, and the majority of this book isn't going to be for those who have already experienced Lost Mines of Phandelver before. Who this book will be for are those who have somehow missed out on playing one of the most played and widely available D&D 5th edition adventures but are already knowledgeable Dungeons & Dragons players. What Is There For The Players? For tables that are interested in playing around more with these body horror elements, there are also rules as to how the energy might affect each of the player's characters adding a sense of urgency to get to the bottom of the issue. 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.” The events of the first chapter provide a taste of each of the pillars of adventure: exploration, social interaction, and combat. Not only does this provide a chance for any given player to shine early on, but it also establishes what both a player and DM might expect in a typical adventure, and how to navigate aspects of each pillar. Use these as learning opportunities!

In the beginning, townspeople become lethargic or irritable, but as time goes on their shapes will begin to change. Growths appear on limbs, additional eyes might grow out of their heads, and hands turn to claws as this takes over. The Psionic Goblin Brawlers and Commanders are also a great treat to throw into any campaign if you feel like the regular Goblins just aren't doing enough to challenge your party. A goblin is suddenly no longer the butt of the joke when they're dealing 4d6 psychic damage on a 30-foot radius sphere. Who Is Phandelver and Below For? You can access all of the monsters and magic items from Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk in and out of the game. The significant changes that someone familiar with the original release will notice are more artwork and battle maps, and some NPC have been altered to create a world filled with more than just humans.

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.