Phandalin - D&D Locations

WARNING: This post may contain pre-built adventure spoilers. Ask your DM if this may impact your game before reading!

World: Forgotten Realms

Description:

The frontier town of Phandalin (fan-duh-lin) is built on the ruins of a much older settlement. Hundreds of years ago, the old Phandalin was a thriving human town whose people were firmly allied with the dwarves and gnomes of the Phandelver's Pact. However, an orc horde laid waste to the settlement and Phandalin was abandoned for centuries.

In the last ten years, hardy settlers from the cities of Neverwinter and Waterdeep have begun the hard work of reclaiming the ruins of Phandalin. A bustling frontier settlement has grown up on the site of the old town, and is how now to farmers, woodcutters, fur traders, and prospectors drawn by stories of gold and platinum in the foothills of the Sword Mountains.

This modest-sized town is comprised of some fifty buildings in the town center, most of which show signs of regular upkeep. Farms and an apple orchard mark the outer edge of town, with houses and shops closer in.

Timelines:

Phandalin can be visited throughout multiple D&D Adventures set in various timelines. For the sake of this article, I will using the Acquisitions Incorporated timeline as "Now."

• Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: "Lost Mine of Phandelver" is said to take place 5 years before Acquisitions Incorporated: "The Orrery of the Wanderer."

• Other supplements that have adventurers interacting with Phandalin include: "Dragon of IceSpire Peak" from the D&D Essentials Pack, "Storm Lords Wrath," and variety of unofficial adventures on the DMsGuild.

Map:

While the official D&D content provides an excellent map of the town, I prefer the incredible birds eye view by Scarecrovv on Deviant Art for my players (on the right).

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Locations:

While many of the locations in Phandalin have fairly good descriptions, they lack in supporting resources. Below are some of the big ones that my players have interacted heavily with.

Lionshield Coster:

"The Lionshield Coster is a trading post and competitor to the Phandalin Miners’ Exchange. A weathered sign hanging above the front door depicts a blue lion painted on a wooden shield. Linene Graywind (female human) manages the store, which is one of a chain of mercantile outposts spread up and down the Sword Coast.

Lionshield Coster - Ground Floor

Most of the goods in the Player’s Handbook can be purchased here. Linene can special order items for delivery in a few days (with a deposit, of course). However, she doesn’t buy, procure, or sell morally questionable goods."

This floor plan by Dungeoneers Cookbook on Tumblr was specifically crafted for the Lost Mine of Phandelver and is a great way to set the scene.

Lionshield Coster - Second Floor

It not only establishes the variety of goods available within the trading post, but also that the Lionshield Coster is a safe(ish) place to re-supply when in the area.

Playing up the conflict between the Lionshield Coster and the struggling Phandalin Miner's Exchange also makes for excellent adventure or side-quest hooks.

Phandalin Miners’ Exchange

"This trading post once acted as the central hub for mining activity in the area, as well as the authority for maintaining public records. A two-story building, the exchange bears a newly painted sign depicting two crossed pickaxes above a lump of gold. The first story is where business is conducted, while the second story contains living quarters.

As with the Lionshield Coster, most of the goods available in the Player’s Handbook can be purchased here. Mining gear is also easily had — as are illicit goods, with Sharna Quirstiron’s dispensation."

Another great floor plan by Dungeoneers Cookbook. This one I feel really captures the difference in how the Miner's Exchange and the Lionshield Coster do business.

The only downside to this is that it fails to showcase the idea that general goods can also be purchased here. With my party, I simply said there was also a basement level in which general goods were stored.

The Sleeping Giant

"This single-story tavern’s better days have seen better days. Its weathered sign probably depicts a prone giant, but whatever paint or carvings once adorned the sign have been all but worn away. Inside, the place shows the same lack of care. It’s dirty, ill kept, and in need of a thorough cleaning. Or burning.

The place is normally occupied by dwarf and human miners, either back from a stretch in the mines or waiting for a mine to reopen. They are not overtly hostile provoked, but it doesn’t take much to provoke this unhappy lot."

While not specifically drawn for the Sleeping Giant, this map by J.Dungeonmaster does an amazing job of capturing the dingy tavern feel and is just about the right size for a town like Phandalin.

With stairs leading down to a small storage room, you can practically smell the trouble brewing here.

The Stonehill Inn

"The Stonehill Inn is one of the largest buildings in town. The business is run by Trilena and Toblen Stonehill, assisted by their twelve-year-old son, Pip. (All are human) The Stonehills have comfortably weathered the changeable times in Phandalin since building the inn more than five years ago. The six-bedroom complex is tidy and clean, the table fare is good, and the company is pleasant."

Finding a map that specifically matched the description and vibe I wanted from this inn was challenging to find and in a time crunch I made the call to simply change the description to fit one that I found. Based on its location and prestige in Phandalin, I opted for something two stories, with an open, bright, floorplan.

This map by Dungeon Mapster hit the nail on the head and has provided our party with some fond drinking nights with the locals.

I later found a much more "accurate" Stonehill Inn map on the DMsGuild by Chris Nicholson.

Tip: Looking for some Ambience? hallowhalo built a free, customizable track specifically for the Stonehill Inn on Ambient-Mixer.com.

Tresendar Manor

Tresendar Manor serves as a focal point for many of the adventures in Phandalin, although most take place below the ruins.

"Once a small but elegant estate, the ruined estate sits upon a hill overlooking Phandalin. Tresendar Manor was once the home of the Tresendar family in Phandalin. The family lived there until the an orc horde razed it to the ground. In the intervening years, the manor had become an empty shell of its former splendor with only the cellars and crypts remaining in good condition.

5 Years ago a troublesome mercenary group, the Redbrands, took over the space and used it as their headquarters until a group of adventurers cleared them out of town. More recently it served as a franchise for Acquisitions Incorporated for a group called the Golden Mongooses. While the Manor has never been fully rebuilt since it was razed, history seems intent on keeping it in rubble."

Both the Lost Mine of Phandelver (Left) and Acquisitions Incorporated's Orrery of the Wanderer (Right) have players exploring this Manor's underground secrets. The same map is used in both supplements, with minor changes and additions occurring with each occupation.

These maps are great supplements once adventurers are inside, but as my players began to interact with Phandalin and the Manor, I began to receive more questions about the estate and what it was once like (or could potentially be again). I did some research online and the closest thing I could find was this Reddit post by u/seanware detailing his groups "rebuilt" manor. While the maps are quite detailed, they didn't quite capture what I was envisioning for the manor.

Starting with a look at historical manor houses and castles, then incorporating some ideas on the cost/work to rebuild the manor from this reddit thread like this and this stackechange post, I began to design my own.

When designing, I noticed the official map of Phandalin and the actual textual descriptions of the manor did not align. I decided to go with the text descriptions as my base, ensuring that the manor was small, well built, and with a courtyard.

Below is my take on the first floor. Guests would arrive through a gated courtyard and be greeted by a regal entry way meant to showcase stature and wealth. Beyond this would be a formal dining room and leisure area. Continuing down the hall would be the kitchens, servants/workers quarters, and the storage areas. In the back of the house would be stables and workers entrance.

This map was built in Adobe Illustrator and is leveraging a bunch of map assets from 2-Minute Tabletop! I hope this introduction to Phandalin helps you and your party feel more grounded to this fun little town that is full of story and life.