Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk (Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Book)

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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. Enjoy a familiar adventure with updated art and four never-before-seen chapters in this beginner-friendly adventure designed for character levels 1-12 Players who continue on through The Shattered Obelisk also get to face off against the idea of otherworldly threats that recent games and entertainment like Baldur's Gate 3 and Stranger Things have continued to bring to the public psyche. Should I Buy Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk? The most important NPC your players will meet, however,may be the one they become inexplicably attached to. Whether a sudden fondness for a goblin they meet on the road, or an unexpected interaction with one of Phandalin’s residents on their early journey into town, consider being prepared to elevate any NPC’s role to compensate for player interest. Perhaps the once-nameless farmer they bumped into outside of the Stonehill Inn takes the place of another townie in events to unfold. When supernatural forces later begin to warp Phandalin and its inhabitants, your party's favorite friend will be first on their mind! Was It Fate? Planting Seeds for Future Leads Artist: Ned Rogers

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 Mutates are introduced, a class of enemies that are aberrations of previously known monsters that a player might have encountered in the past. Humanoid creatures mutated will obtain abilities to deal with psychic nightmare blasts and will have webbed wings sprouting from their bodies. Alternatively, for someone who loved The Lost Mines of Phandelver and wants to own it in its most complete form, this is your book. It certainly has a "special edition" vibe about it in the same way you might get excited for the anniversary LP of an album you already own. 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. At least, that’s true in the first half. Phandelver and Below gives inconsistent support for DMs throughout, sometimes offering copious amounts of hand-holding, and other times expecting a veteran level of DMing knowledge.The removal of that beginner-oriented text however means that a new player wanting to get into Dungeons & Dragons without other experienced players they're likely going to want to continue using The Lost Mines of Phandelver, especially as it's free through D&DBeyond. 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!

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. This existing relationship may come in particularly handy at some tables. Whether by unfortunate dice rolls or a party that neglects to invest in Wisdom (who needs Perception?), the players have ample opportunity to miss a goblin trail leading to the first real quest that sets the story in motion. Or perhaps other character motives see the party hasten to Phandalin instead of chasing this lead immediately. In either case, the plot thread may be handed directly to them by Elmina Barthen, owner of the town’s biggest trading post: Gundren is missing! Gold is a great motivator, but isn’t the real treasure the friends we rescued along the way? PaintPhandalin As Idyllic Discover what lurks below in this high-fantasy adventure that begins with the familiar story of Lost Mine of Phandelver and then delves into the perilous Underdark. 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.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.