PART 3: THE SPIDER'S WEB
In thispartof the adventure,the charactersfollowup on
existing leadsandlines of inquiry.Theycan'tlearn much
morein Phandalin, so theyneedto set out intothe forests
andhillssurrounding the townto uncover the largerplots
theyare caughtup in. Thecharacters are not requiredto
visitall the locationsin thissection.
Depending on whichNPCs the charactersmetand
which quests or cluestheypickedup, someor all the
following information might be knownto them:
Sister Garaele wants the charactersto seekout the ban-
shee Agatha in the ruinedtownof Conyberyandaskher
about Bowgentle's spellbook.
Daran Edermath wants the charactersto findout whois
lurking near the ruinsat OldOwlWell.
QellineAlderleaf hassuggested thatthe characters go
to the ruinedtownof Thundertree andconsult withthe
druid Reidoth, whomight know the whereaboutsof
Cragmaw Castle, WaveEchoCave,or both.- Townmaster Harbin Wester wants the charactersto
seek out an ore encampmentnearWyvernTorand
chase the oresawayfromthe area.
Sildar Hallwinter wants the charactersto findCragmaw
Castle, search for GundrenRockseeker, rescue the
dwarf,andretrieve his map.
Each of thesepossible quests hasits ownsection in
thispartof the adventure.Thecharacters canremain
in Phandalin longenough to restup andpurchase
supplies. Whenthey're done,havethem picka storyline to
investigate, then set out for the appropriatedestination.
TriboarTrail
Phandalin liesin a partof the Northknown as "the
Triboar Trail,""theTriboar Cutoff,"or "theConyGap."
Thisstretch of foothills androlling,sparsely wooded
plainsextends between the SwordMountains to the south
andNeverwinter Woodto the north.Theareagainsits
namefroman old trailthatruns fromthe distant townof
Triboar to the east,winding westward about onehundred
milesthrough the abandonedvillageof Conyberry, then
running north of Phandalin on its wayto the HighRoad
alongthe coast.
Describe the party's overland travels as vividlyas you
like,but keepthe storymoving."Youwalkfor several
milesandencounter nothing of interest"is far less
evocative andmemorable than, "A lightraindampens the
rollingplains as youtravelnorth.Around midday,you
break for lunchunder a lonelytree.There,the roguefinds
a smallrockthatlookslikea grinning face,but otherwise
yousee nothing out of the ordinary."
USING THE OVERLAND MAP
During thispartof the adventure,the characterswill
frequently be marchingoverland fromonepointof interest
to another.As canbe seenon the regionalmapon page5,
some of these areas are a goodfortyto fiftymilesapart,
requiring several daysof marching overland to travelto
the nextadventure site.
TravelTime.Assume thatthe partytravels twenty-four
milesper dayovera period of ten hours.Thecharacters
must restfor eighthours perday,withthe remaining
six hoursconsisting of making andbreaking camp,
preparing meals, anda littlebit of foragingor hunting as
the opportunitypermits.WILDERNESS ENCOUNTERS
Askthe playersto tell youthe party'smarching order,so
thatyouknowwhich characters are in the leadandwho's
bringing up the rear.Whenthe partycamps, ask which
characters are on watch.Thisinformation is important if
the partyencounters something dangerous.
TheTriboar Trailis not safe.As the adventurerstravel
throughout thisarea, theymightstumble across hungry
beasts, greedybandits, or viciousmonsters. Checkfor
encounters onceduring the dayandonceat nightby
rollinga d20.On a roll of 17-20,an encountertakes place.
Rolla d12andconsult the Wilderness Encounters tableto
determine what the partymeets.
When an encounter occurs, andthe adventurers gain
XP if theydefeat the monsters.Each creature's statblock
hasthe XP valuefor onemonster of thatsort. Multiplythat
valueby the number of creatures encountered, thendivide
the totalequallyamong the characters.WILDERNESS ENCOUNTERS
DayRoll Night Roll Result
1-2 1-3 Stirges(ld8+ 2)
4 Ghouls (ld4+ 1)
3-4 Ogre(1)
5-6 5 Goblins (ld6+ 3)
7-8 6 Hobgoblins (ld4+ 2)
9-10 7-8 Ores(ld4+ 2)
11 9-10 Wolves (ld4+ 2)
12 11-12 Owlbear(1)Stirges,These flyingpredators drainthe bloodof their
victimsandare drawnto the lightof campfires at night.
Ghouls.These undead humans hunger for livingflesh.
Ogre.Theogreis lookingfor an easykill.It is too stupid
to fleeonce combatis joined.27
PART3: THE SPIDER'S WEB