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

Product Information

The idea of a large interconnect multiverse is exciting, as it would allow players to visit different campaign settings from previous Dungeons & Dragons editions. It also creates a sense that the reality that the players create is more interconnected rather than the adventures existing as separate bubbles. With events in one adventure or world being mentioned or coming into play in one later down the line. Phandelver And Below: The Shattered Obelisk will be released later in 2023 for players to experience the first steps towards a larger interconnected Dungeons & Dragons multiverse. 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.

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. While the core quests remain the same, tweaks have been made all over. This includes rewritten flavor text, adjusted 5e encounters, and NPCs with swapped genders. 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! You should DEFINITELYrun this - the first half is now a Classic 5e Experience and the second half is new, unexpected and thought provokingly different (some have been more negative/positive about that fact than others [delete as apporporiate]). 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.

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. 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.

Although things start out pretty idyllic in Phandalin, the town is soon put in peril. This peril escalates in true Dungeons and Dragons fashion, until the players are forced to take action. What begins as a strange investigation then turns into "the strangest adventure ever", with the big bad threat being kept a secret even from us. Lost Mine of Phandelver has a simple but strong hook, launching players into the action with immediate combat that then opens up a larger driving goal for the party. NPCs with adorable, horrifying, or hor-dorable traits make a mundane place feel memorable. Story-driven mechanics give combat encounters a new spin. And the second half of the story is tied together neatly with mechanics that prove the severity of the situation to your players – and adjust the difficulty of the final fight depending on their actions earlier on.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. The corruption doesn’t appear only in the story’s characters and locations, it is a part of how the book’s art and visual design shifts, too,” says Bree Heiss, Art Director in the D&D Studio. “We wanted to create an immersive and thoughtful experience for the players that was as visually compelling as the story is exciting."