Learn to Play D&D | The Lost Mine of Phandelver
A forgotten dwarven mine has been rediscovered near the frontier town of Phandalin, but something ancient and dangerous waits beneath the mountain.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Wednesday - 7:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
The frontier town of Phandalin sits on the edge of the Sword Mountains, a quiet settlement built among the ruins of an older age. Recently, rumors have begun to spread of a long-lost dwarven mine rediscovered in the hills nearby, one said to contain magical secrets and great wealth. Whether you're a mercenary for hire, a trusted companion, or simply an adventurer seeking opportunity, you've been hired on to escort a wagon of supplies, but the road ahead is far from safe, and what begins as a simple delivery soon draws you into a dangerous mystery buried beneath the mountains. Expect a balanced mix of roleplay, exploration, and tactical combat. You’ll investigate mysteries, explore dangerous ruins, interact with memorable NPCs, and face encounters where teamwork and creative thinking matter as much as combat strength. New players are absolutely welcome. I’m happy to guide you through character creation, rules, and gameplay so you can learn as you play without feeling overwhelmed.
Game style
Combat Heavy
Dungeon Crawl
Hexcrawl / Exploration
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Realm Building
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Sandbox / Open World
Tactical / Crunchy
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(18)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Storytelling, Teacher
Average response time: 8 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
David the Strong grew frustrated, stood up, and said, "You know what? Forget this puzzle. I'm going to break down that door!" He climbed up the stone ledge, he swung his hammer, and the door exploded with thunder magic, blasting him off the ledge and onto the puzzle on the floor, which triggered a fire trap. And with everyone at the table crying from laughter, that's how David the Strong died in a one-shot. A little about me, my name is Zaya, I'm a teacher, I've been a GM for TTRPG's for over 20 years now, and am lucky to have completed a majority of campaigns that I've helped start. You will find me running published content like Curse of Strahd, Lost Mine of Phandelver, and Star Wars EotE: Scum & Villainy, but with heavily modified story beats to shape the players background into the narrative. My campaigns typically last 1 to 2 years and they are sandbox / open world main quests that are filed with: side quests, tactical combat with boss phases, building and maintaining strongholds, relationship leveling system for recurring NPCs, music, character voices, background art, dynamic lighting, unique NPC tokens and creature types, puzzle handouts, magic items wishlists, lifestyle bonus system, downtime activities, homebrew rewards, and more. I'm just starting out on here so I'll be running a heavily modified Lost Mine of Phandelver mini-adventure. Once I get established, I would like to do some more long-form campaigns like Curse of Strahd. Be sure to check out my games list and if there's a spot open then come have a seat at the table and let's unleash our imagination together.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
If you're a new player, I'll help you build out your character. All characters will begin at level 1 using a Standard Array for Attributes, and may use official material from Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, & Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. Characters can be created using D&D Beyond or any character sheet you prefer. I can help with setup if needed.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You will need a Discord account, Foundry account, and a working mic.
What Zaya brings to the table
I will provide: 🌐 a website we can log in to for our game 💬 a Discord server where we can communicate about what happens in-game 🧭 a sandbox / open-world main quest to complete 📜 optional side quests with rewards ⚔️ tactical combat, unique NPC tokens & creature types, & boss phases 🏰 the option to build and maintain a stronghold 🤝 a relationship leveling system for recurring NPCs 🎶 music, character voices, background art, & dynamic lighting 🧩 puzzle handouts, magic item wishlists, & homebrew rewards ⏳ a lifestyle bonus system, downtime activities, & more
Homebrew rules
1. Bonus Action Potions Drinking a potion yourself uses a bonus action. Giving a potion to another creature still uses an action. 2. Flanking Advantage Variant Flanking grants +2 to hit. 3. Death Saving Throws in Secret You will roll death saves privately with me. 4. Subtle Rolls (Hidden Checks) For certain checks, such as Insight, Perception, or Investigation, I may roll behind the screen and describe the outcome without revealing the die result. This keeps information grounded in what your character would realistically know and prevents accidental metagaming. 5. Lasting Injuries & Exhaustion Each time your character is reduced to 0 hit points, they gain 1 level of exhaustion when they regain consciousness. If this happens three times before finishing a long rest, your character will also suffer a lasting injury. These injuries are narrative-driven and may have mechanical effects depending on the severity.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Zaya creates a safe table
We'll go over the content warnings and safety during session 0.
Content warnings
Safety tools used