D&D’s Starter Adventure Is Free To All On Popular Online Platforms
The Lost Mine of Phandelver is where many heroes began their 5th Edition adventures–now it’s free on most major online platforms.
In addition to providing free daily content (which you can find listed at the end of this article) the folks at Wizards of the Coast have partnered with the major virtual tabletops to offer free access to The Lost Mine of Phandelver, D&D 5th Edition’s “starter adventure” to all users until May 7th of this year. LMoP is geared at starter adventures, offering a broad “tour of the game” to folks diving in for the first time. Players have the opportunity to fight monsters, explore dungeons, and there’s an extensive town/roleplaying section where players can connect with the local community.
Or y’know, be typical adventurers and rob all their stuff. Again. Even if you ask them if they think that’s a lawful good action to take. Whatever your players decide to do, this adventure is free to access on D&D Beyond, Roll20, and Fantasy Grounds as of this week. Access will only be available until May 7th, after which users wanting to continue accessing the adventure will need to secure a copy on the relevant marketplace.
While the time limit means you’ll want to move quickly, and won’t get to enjoy the module forever, it can be played through fairly quickly–and as you’ll see most platforms offer premade virtual maps, tokens, special DM only text that’s been preconfigured to only be available to GMs, and more. If you’re looking to get a feel for how to run a game on one of these platforms, this is a perfect opportunity to jump in and start playing around.
LMoP is a fine adventure for a newbie DM to take a crack at as well–the overall adventure might lose a little of its luster upon repeat plays, but there’s plenty of resources to draw on, the main one being the town of Phandalin, which can be an excellent place for a party of low-level adventurers to quest from–and is the place where the Adventure Zone began its journey.
Lost Mine of Phandelver on Roll20
Roll20 Enhancements:
- A lightly modified version of the D&D Starter Set, containing everything you need to run the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure on Roll20.
- Five pre-generated characters, all with one-click actions and skills.
- Statted creature tokens with click-to-roll character sheets for every encounter.
- Dynamic lighting (a plus / pro feature) to add more drama to your game.
Lost Mine of Phandelver on Fantasy Grounds
Lost Mine of Phandelver is an adventure for four to five characters of 1st level. During the course of the adventure, the characters will advance to 5th level. The adventure is set a short distance from the city of Neverwinter in the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realms setting. The Sword Coast is part of the North–a vast realm of free settlements surrounded by wilderness and adventure.
Dungeon Masters purchasing this module can use it to run the adventure with very little prep, other than reading through the adventure in advance. The contents of the story are indexed and linked, where appropriate. Combat encounters and boxed text are preloaded and ready to drop onto maps and into the chat window with a few clicks. Nearly everything has been optimized and streamlined for ease of play online.
This Module Includes
- the entire contents of the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure
- image handouts that can be shared with players collectively or individually
- 5 pregen characters that your players can choose when joining the campaign
- maps containing information for the Dungeon Master (DM) only and with all locations pre-linked to story entries which may contain additional DM notes, boxed text, encounters, images and treasure parcels
- maps with all hidden information removed and resized for use as tactical combat maps
- tokens for most of the monsters in the module. When no token is available, a letter token is used to represent the NPC
- XP for quests and encounters that can be dragged to the party sheet and awarded to the players as they complete them
- Searchable monster indexes by CR, type and in alphabetical order
Enhancements for Fantasy Grounds Unity users:
- Line of Sight predefined for maps
Lost Mine of Phandelver on D&D Beyond
Explore subterranean labyrinths! Plunder hoards of treasure! Battle legendary monsters!
The Lost Mine of Phandelver from the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is your gateway to action-packed stories of the imagination. This adventure, ideal for a group of 4 – 6 players, is the perfect introduction to the world’s greatest roleplaying game.
This purchase unlocks the entire contents of the book version for use with D&D Beyond, including the adventure in digital format in the game compendium and access to all the adventure’s options in the searchable listings, character builder, and digital sheet.
And here’s a list of updated free daily content from WotC for this week:
D&D Adventurers League:
An ongoing official campaign for Dungeons & Dragons. The D&D Adventurers League (DDAL for short) uses the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons rules, and features the Forgotten Realms setting. Learn more about how to organize an official game here.
- DDAL Player’s Guide: An updated guide to creating and advancing a D&D character for play in the Adventurers League.
- DDAL Dungeon Master’s Guide: An updated guide to getting started as a Dungeon Master for the Adventurers League.
- DDEX1-01: Defiance in Phlan: An introductory adventure for 1st-level characters—available now for free for a limited time.The Cult of the Dragon has come to Phlan, a lawless refuge on the Moonsea. Now, with no significant authority to stop the cult, other power groups in the Realms—the Harpers, Order of the Gauntlet, Emerald Enclave, Lords’ Alliance, and even the Zhentarim—must untite to stop the cult from fulfilling its dark purpose in the city. Join the fight by participating in any one of five different missions aimed at stopping the cult.
- DDEX1-02: Secrets of Sokol Keep: An adventure for levels 1-4—available now for free for a limited time.Decades have passed since Sokol Keep was reclaimed, and a small garrison placed there along with a beacon to help guide ships. Now, that beacon has gone dark, and the garrison has disappeared. In Phlan, rumors circulate that something ancient was discovered in the grounds beneath the keep, dating to before the clerics of Tyr built the small fortress. Uncover the secrets of Sokol Keep
- DDEX1-03: Shadows Over the Moonsea: An adventure for levels 1-4—available now for free for a limited time.Life on the Moonsea isn’t easy. Bandits, pirates, and cruel lords dominate the land, threatening those who make an honest living there. Now, a new scourge is prowling the waters: A ghost ship has been striking small coastal villages, leaving its victims whispering about the “eye of the dracolich.” Join the adventure and learn the truth behind this threat!
For Everyone:
Encounters in Avernus: Encounters in Avernus presents more than 60 short encounters for the wasteland of Avernus, the River Styx, and the city of Elturel. Keep characters busy with these story-rich encounters that help flesh out the first layer of Hell. The supplement is great for Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus or any infernal adventure!
For Families/Younger Gamers:
Adventure with Muk began as a fundraising project in support of 2019 D&D Extra Life team efforts. We’d like to thank everyone who supported the project and the cause with their purchase of it. We’ve now made it available as a pay-what-you-want download—an activity book with puzzles, adventure hooks, and with each page made to be colored and enjoyed!
As well artist Hydro74 is offering daily coloring pages to download and complete by artists of all ages! Look for more pages coming soon, and please be sure to check out hydro74.com.
You’ve only got a month, so get out there, and get adventuring!
