Extra extra, read all about it! Goblin bandits and Redbrand ruffians plaguing Phandalin!
This article contains a copy of the latest issue of the Phandalin Post, a newspaper that covers events in Phandalin. The handout below is the perfect prop to provide your players before they strike out on their adventures to the frontier town found in Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk and Lost Mine of Phandelver. You can send them the image file or even print it out to physically give to your party!
Click the below image to open the full version of the handout.
Included art from Julio Reyna and Zoltan Boros
Goblin Ambush Shocks Travelers on Triboar Trail
What’s Behind Surge in Hostile Encounters?
Ches 25, Phandalin – Ambushed wagons, dead travelers, and a town looking for answers.
“I was supposed to receive a shipment of equipment last week,” says Linene Graywind, owner of Lionshield Coster in Phandalin, “These provisions are crucial to keep things running smoothly in town.”
These goblin attacks are a grim reminder of the events that occurred 500 years ago when a band of marauders destroyed the city after battling over Wave Echo Cave.
“Who’s going to stop these attacks?” said one townsfolk who asked to remain anonymous. “What is Townmaster Wester going to do to keep us safe?”
Get Paid for Your Gold!
Looking for competitive payouts for quality ores and top-of-the-line mining supplies? Come to the Phandalin Miner’s Exchange, located just south of the town green!
Redbrands' Reign of Terror
A group of bandits called the Redbrands have set up shop in Tresendar Manor at the edge of town.
“They’re getting bolder and shaking down local businesses,” said Freda, a gnome resident of Phandalin. “The only one they haven’t tried to hassle is Mrs. Thornton’s Miner’s Exchange. I think they’re scared of her.”
Emboldened by a lack of resistance from Townmaster Wester, the Redbrands have quickly tightened their grasp on Phandalin. “They murdered Thel–our local woodcarver,” said Toblen, the innkeeper of the Stonehill Inn. “He tried to run them off after they threatened his shop, and now his wife, daughter, and son have gone missing.”
What’s in This Issue of the Phandalin Post?
This issue of the Phandalin Post covers the conflicts the players will face in the first two chapters of the adventure. It serves as an excellent tool to hand your players before their first session.
Goblins on Triboar Trail. The excerpt on goblin attacks should warn the party that there are dangers on the Triboar Trail, which will allow them to prepare contingencies in case they are attacked. These preparations will pay off during the "Goblin Ambush" encounter in Chapter 1.
Redbrands in Phandalin. The section detailing how the Redbrands have overrun Phandalin is a good way to establish the threat of the ruffians to your players in Chapter 2. Just in case they don’t go to Stonehill Inn, where rumors of the Redbrands are discussed by townsfolk, they can still hear that businesses are being hassled, and the Redbrands have gone so far as to murder one of the townsfolk.
These articles also make it clear that Townminster Weston hasn’t been of any help with the issues that the town is facing, so the players shouldn’t expect any formalized support with these challenges.
Get Your Adventure to Phandalin Started!
Phandalin has appeared in numerous adventures before, but Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk will introduce the beloved town to its greatest danger yet! From malevolent cults and twisted monsters to dungeon crawls and powerful magic artifacts, can your party save the town from the grave threats it faces?
Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.
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Posted Sep 7, 2023On my phone I just hold down on the image and click download. Then you should be able to print easily.
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Posted Sep 7, 2023Just read the book. It is weird how the two adventure halves don't really have much in common other than the town. The Black Spider plot doesn't lead into the Mindflayer stuff at all.
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Posted Sep 7, 2023Newspapers are from 18th century maybe 17th, not from medieval times and Gutenberg was born when medieval era was already over anyway . But as I said, D&D in general and the Forgotten Realms in particular are more and more 18th-19th century than truely medieval (not sure D&D has ever been medieval, though)
So if you want to immerse your players in a medieval setting, don't use any newspaper. (best if you consider that most people can't ready anyway, tbh)
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Posted Sep 7, 2023Thinking I might just throw this into my Dragon of Icespire peak campaign, which also takes place in Phandilin
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Posted Sep 7, 2023I'm looking forward to this. I DM'd a very experienced group of players through Lost Mines of Phandelver, just for a bit of fun, but everyone really enjoyed it. To be able to go back and pick up those characters we came to love and carry on the adventure is going to be awesome.
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Posted Sep 7, 2023You've read the book - jealous! Perhaps if there were, say, a cult, in the first half of the book, they could be used to foreshadow something of the new material? Or if you fight a Spectator, it gurgle-chuckles and uses it's dying breath to warn of 'the doom that comes to Phandalin.' (hope you don't think I'm trying to teach you to suck eggs, there!) Or did you think the disconnect between the two halves was deliberate? You hear many people talk about how the city or location or whatever, is an important character in a movie as well. Phandalin as a living, breathing, ever changing setting where many different and unrelated stories happen?
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Posted Sep 7, 2023I was going to say, they left out a key module that takes place in Phandalin from this post!
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Posted Sep 7, 2023Course you can put a spellbook on a printing press. However, it costs 50 gp a page and you will still need to take the time to learn the spell added as per the Player's Handbook.
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Posted Sep 7, 2023Good thing you don't have to use it and it affects nothing in your game
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Posted Sep 7, 2023The first half is just a copy and paste of Lost Mine of Phandelver - the ten year old adventure. It has a very light touch remastering. It's been given a diversity pass so that some characters' races and genders are changed, the Drow badguy is now called the "Spider" rather than the "Black Spider," etc. In addition, some maps that were missing from the original are included (long overdue) and some bland, reused stat blocks from the original get new, updated stat blocks. While the original maps have returned, the dungeons got a few updates (like there's now a giant octopus in one spot - a snake is added into another spot, etc). But otherwise it's just copy and pasted.
So is it deliberate that they have nothing to do with each other? I think it's less intention and more apathy, to be honest. They clearly didn't want to change the original adventure by adding in plot hooks, so in order to build a proper sequel they would have had to think about how to really sequelize it, ya' know? Like... "who was the Spider working for? What's the next logical step?" They chose not to do that, instead just going for an unrelated "Season 2 - same characters, new adventure" approach.
My bigger issue is that tone is all wrong. The first adventure has a wild west flavor. It's a lawless frontier town. The second adventure is a cosmic horror involving Mind Flayers, transforming the townsfolk. It's like season 1 is a John Ford movie and season 2 is a Wes Craven flick. It's all wrong.
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Posted Sep 7, 2023abi zeytinimiz yok deneme sürümü aldık bunun da deneme sürümü yok mu ya
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Posted Sep 7, 2023Awesome!
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Posted Sep 7, 2023but what if it wasn't the Goblins? it's ALWAYS the Goblins..........
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Posted Sep 8, 2023I love it!
I just wish they would make a template for these so that I could create my own
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Posted Sep 8, 2023This is great... I'll definitely use it as a prop!
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Posted Sep 8, 2023Sounds cool Im in
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Posted Sep 8, 2023Any adventures that are willing to help these traders from this unknown evil, are you worthy to defeat these orcs? I will fight with all my strength to protect these traveler to the very end. I shall face the goblins and orcs on the battlefield. From the great commander kaakas
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Posted Sep 8, 2023phandalin isnt to far from neverwinter. its not much of a stretch to figure some may have helped expand the town instead of living in the huge walls of the city..
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Posted Sep 8, 2023Love the idea of the newspaper handout! I read through the adventure and it'll definitely be the next campaign I run for my group despite our familiarity with Phandelver. I love Lost Mine of Phandelver, but never ran it (read it all though). The added on content and my favorite D&D setting, the Underdark, will definitely make this a thrilling campaign. I like the mind flayer foes and the idea of the obelisk. I'm looking forward to it!
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Posted Sep 8, 2023These kinds of player handouts and other goodies great and really enhance the overall experience, but really should be included by default in all of the WOTC adventure books. So often, third party vendors step into the gap to provide these, like DMs Guild or Beadle & Grimm. if Hasbro is fretting about not getting enough of the D&D pie compared to third parties, this is a good example of the kind of bells and whistles that should be standard for all new adventures. I know that I personally would be much more willing to pay for an adventure book if it includes these extras, rather than me having to create them all myself or buy other publishers’ products to round out the adventure.