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

Product Information

If you're a DM who is looking to start with a new group that includes brand new players, and somehow no one has managed to play or read this adventure it's well worth this being your next adventure. Before settling in Phandalin, the characters will interact with Gundren Rockseeker, Sildar Hallwinter, and the Cragmaw goblins. If the party should choose to break or destroy the obelisk, a demon will appear and attack them before disappearing after one minute.

With more art, description, and development in the world it does feel like the Lost Mines of Phandelver is getting an update out of respect for how many 5e players got to experience it as their first adventure.

DnD players who break or destroy the obelisk can free the being trapped within, although they cannot explain its purpose.

There is always an option to just start with the new content halfway through the game, though there's a chance you won't have those same connections with the NPC of the world. It's a great system that can be used on important NPCs that may become villains or characters the party cares about and will want to rescue.anf;a After the story kicks off, the players will find themselves in Phandalin, a small town that serves as the central hub for the players as they get to know the people, help out with local requests, and explore the surrounding areas.

On top of that after 5th level we continued with an almost entirely new party consisting of entirely of Dwarves, most of whom hail from Nundro's secret Dwarf Clan, the Ironstar clan. This obelisk is the first time DnD players can learn more about the strange monuments by players using Detect Magic or Divine Sense.The characters might be treated to descriptions of lush, sun-kissed hills, of hand-painted signage inviting travelers to pick fresh produce at Alderleaf Farm, of pairs of initials carved into a tree at a picnic-worthy clearing. This mechanic is largely flavour but it adds immersion, bringing the existential threat directly to the players directly in an unavoidable way. The book begins by explaining the basics of character creation, but later on you’ll be expected to know how to create your own combat encounters with almost no guidance. Cameron Powell is a real-life bard who accidentally dumped Charisma, and has played Purloque the loxodon cleric on Dice, Camera, Action! The town will be ambushed by goblins, but these goblins have psionic powers, clearly alluding that something isn't right.

Talking to the townsfolk should make your players aware that not everything is as it seems, even with a current quest going on. Although Wizards of the Coast are keeping things a surprise for us, it's clear that something terrible is going on underground. The first few adventures have your party dealing with low-level threats, as your average goblin ambush leads the party to the town of Phandalin. New DMs won't find this version of The Lost Mines as helpful, explaining to the DM what rules they'd need to understand themselves or be able to explain to their players.

Between the touched-up Lost Mines of Phandelver content, and the new Shattered Obelisk questline I find that the overall collection sits in a bit of a strange place between celebrating nostalgia and taking a step forward. If you were to tie this into events from a previous campaign that was played, you can make two stories converge.