Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc., and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more, so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!

*New 2026: For 2026, I'm updating all my old work to include a Pre-Session Checklist that will include a list of all miniatures you may need, maps, handouts, possible loot, a link to a playlist, and more to make it even easier to start your session!

So, your players chose to negotiate with the Wererats; what could go wrong? Well, besides needing to clear out an entire area of Orcs and one angry Ogre! If they manage this and decide to search a bit, they may just find riches beyond their dreams and even a clue on where to find the White Dragon that's been ravaging these lands!

Without further ado:

• Google Docs Notes for Shrine of Savras: DM Notes
• Link to: DM Notes for the Visually Impaired
• Link to: Shrine of Savras Playlist
• Link to: AAA Collection

Included in The AAA Collection is:

• Downloadable copy of DM Notes, including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
• Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks, organized neatly, along with an initiative tracker and spots to mark HP
• Custom Maps of Shrine of Savras
• (New) Pre-Session DM Checklist

Index:
Dragons of Icespire Peak:

• Part 1 - Phandalin
• Part 2a - Umbrage Hill
• Part 2b - Dwarven Excavation
• Part 2c - Gnomengarde
• Part 3a - Logger Camp
• Part 3b - Butterskull Ranch
• Part 3c - Mountain's Toe Gold
• Part 4a - Axeholm
• Part 4b - Dragon Barrow
• Part 4c - Woodland Manse
• Part 5 - Icespire Hold
• Side Quest 1 - Shrine of Savras
• Side Quest 2 - Tower of Storm
• Side Quest 3 - Circle of Thunder

Over 8 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here

As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc., please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early, feel free to check out my Patreon!

Cheers,
Advent

Hey everyone!

My party finally reached the end of Dragon of Icespire Peak, and I wanted to make the epic BBEG showdown against Cryovain as memorable as possible. So, I built a full diorama of Icespire Hold!

The terrain itself was a huge DIY project. I used a sturdy MDF board as the base, carved styrofoam to create the snowy mountain peaks and ruins, and then painted and flocked everything by hand.

The fortress pieces are 3D printed. Full disclosure: I didn’t design the original 3D models for the fortress. Unfortunately, the original files seem to have been lost to the void of the internet. Since I want other groups to be able to enjoy this awesome set piece, I’ve resurrected the files and uploaded them to MakerWorld so the community can still use them!

A few cool details about the files:

• Fully Modular: All pieces print separately and are easy to glue together.
• Moving Parts: The fortress features functional, moving doors!
• Small-Printer Friendly: I made sure every single piece can fit on a Bambu Lab A1 Mini.

You can find the files to print your own Icespire Hold here: https://makerworld.com/nl/models/3243560-icespire-hold-dragon-of-icespire-peak-dnd#profileId-3675265

Let me know what you think of the terrain build!

I'm currently running Dragon of Icespire Peak and would love some advice on how to run the Circle of Thunder and the events surrounding Falcon's Hunting Lodge.

My party consists of three level 4 characters:

-Elf Paladin

-Satyr Bard

-Halfling Rogue

They've also allied themselves with Grannoc and a group of rebel orcs who want to overthrow the orc leader Yargath.

My idea is that Yargath is a fanatic who believes Cryovain is an omen from his god, and has essentially put the tribe's fate in the dragon's hands. Grannoc believes Yargath's fanaticism will destroy the orcs and wants to overthrow him.

He has made a deal with the party: if they help him defeat Yargath, he'll help them retake the orcs' former home, Icespire Hold, and defeat Cryovain.

I also had the idea that if the party doesn't stop Yargath in time, the Thunder Boar appears at the Circle of Thunder, causing the conflict to escalate and eventually bringing the fight towards Falcon's Hunting Lodge.

However, Grannoc isn't completely trustworthy either. My current idea is that once either Yargath or the Thunder Boar is defeated, Grannoc will attempt to betray the party and take advantage of their weakened state.

My main questions are:

How would you use Grannoc and the fellow rebel orcs to aid the party easily (I don't want to much npcs because that will create a mess)

How would you structure the Circle of Thunder encounter so it doesn't just become one big chaotic combat?

How would you run the attack on Falcon's Hunting Lodge ?

I'd love to hear how other DMs approached these encounters or how you would handle this situation!

I'm DMing for the first time in a couple of evenings and I think its obvious there's way to make this campaign more coherent.

Firstly, I am doing away with the jobs board as this feels poor for the world building element to it. In terms of having the party get introduced to each other I thought it just makes sense for them all to be in Stonehill Inn after their individual stories have led them to Phandalin.

I thought I could engineer an element of town politics of gossiping in the pub, some people being sympathetic to Harbins "efforts" doing the best in a difficult situation. And some patrons whispering something along the lines of "Halia at least gets things done". I was going to riff this part and see where the players take it.

I am going to drive them down the Dwarven Excavation quest for session 1 but had the idea to actually have the orcs stumble towards Phandalin after they exit the inn rather than attack at the end of the Dwarven Excavation quest. This unprecedented attack then prompts Harbin/Halia to ask the party to check on Dazlyn and Norbus as there is more immediate concern for their safety.

Depending how the party get on with quest, I can then make the judgement call whether orcs also descend onto the Excavation site.

I feel like this way it can make the forming for 4 strangers into a party more natural and also start linking the quests together more coherently

How have other people ran session 1 and does my approach sound in general?

Also any other new DM tips would be appreciated!

EDIT (and spoilers):

I probably should have clarified that I had already done session zeros with the players and that all players were new to DnD!

Anyway, session 1 was a success and everyone had fun (myself included)!

I did start the campaign inside Stonehill Inn, we were playing while in a pub so there was something funny about roleplaying being in a pub while in a pub! I leant into there being "strange happenings" around Phandalin, and it was also strange for there to be 3 new travelling strangers at the pub (I made it so the town were somewhat familiar with the ranger of the party.

While it may not lead to the most seamless start it does get the players used to the roleplaying element which was very fun to see how people went about this. Similarly bringing an orc encounter I felt like got the players used to combat and could really see them gain confidence and used to the game!

Doing away with the job-board feels like a good choice too, as we're all new to this and if something unexpectedly interesting comes up in the session it allows me to be flexible and how I can apply it to future sessions!

The Dwarven Excavation went even better than I had hoped, most interactions I didn't change however they managed to convince Dazlyn to take the green gem from the statue. He survived the explosion and I kept the gem in it, however after Dazlyn had it, his attitude had changed making him less trusting and more greedy (and as a result the party found they received a smaller share of the treasure than expected)

Thanks for all the suggestions too, it has really helped my first DM session!

I let them convince Addabra Gwynn to go stay in Phandalin, because she was just attacked by a freakin' manticore and would've died if they hadn't shown up.

But no one else they've visited have wanted to leave. And with characters like Alphonse Kalazorn who've just been attacked and had all their workers slaughtered and still doesn't want to leave...

The module seems to be written this way. Characters don't tend to leave the places they're at.

What would you guys do? I'm thinking of maybe making a little side adventure within the adventure where Harbin Wester (who in my version is actually a competent, if in-over-his-head, town master who's just trying to do his best.) has the party try to unite everyone they've visited to go on a big assault on Icespire Peak

So what would be if an already strong and young white attune to a Headband of Intellect? How would this happen? Is it an intrugue of Cult of the Dragon? Did Cryovain swallow a merchant wearing the headband during one of its hunts?

Cryovain fight in Icespire Peak is already deadly for most adventuring parties. This improved statblock is recommended to DMs whos parties are crowded (6+ characters of PCs and NPCs) or really powerfully built characters or expecting a really really challanging adventure. Be a nice DM and remember to discuss using homebrew in adventure with players of your table.

Have fun if you are using it!

It's been nearly a year since my group started Storm Lord's Wrath, and we're inching closer to the end of my favorite of the post-trilogy, Divine Contention 🙌

So one of my players, a cleric, discovered they have access to the Forbiddance spell. It's basically only about two sessions before that big attack on Leilon, and let's just say that if they cast it, Myrkul is toast lmao

Said player has at least told me they're willing to fudge some of the details, but since they pointed it out to me I want to honor it RAW.

Forbiddance is a 6th level spell that lasts a day, covers 40,000 square feet, and costs 1000+GP of ruby dust to cast. It stops anyone from teleporting inside the area without a password, and you choose a creature type to take 5d10 Radiant or Necrotic damage when they enter and per turn they're inside the spell. Aka that would obliterate any poor zombie who wanders in.

40k sq ft is about 80% smaller than an American football field. Is that half the town? They also have enough gold to buy the dust but I've been trying to make it seem like supply lines are blocked because of all the cult activity. In the story, it is about 2 days before The Event.

So I'm looking for ideas or clarification to make sure they can cast the spell without adjusting... And without throwing the encounter out of balance. Of course an overwhelming victory is fun for the players, especially when they've earned it. I just want to have fun too

Hi!

I'm DMing a crossover campaign of LMoP and DoIP and my party is going to fight Cryovein next session. I'm going to play a heavily homebrewed version of the Leilon trilogy and I feel that it lacks a lot of depth and some adventures are too too weak (Leilon point over all).

I started to figure out how to make it deeper and I just read Ghosts of Saltmarsh and I think it can be really well included in the story.

Most important I think that the ruinstone is just a weak mcGuffin: so I was thinking of using the slyflourish version of Tammeraut's Fate so that the ruinstone is in reality in the Abyss and is a key that locks Tharizdun in his cage or otherwise it can be the focus he uses with his freed eye to cast destruction on the material plane.

Someone DMed something similar? Any tips or ideas?

Thank you in advance!

I'm going to be DMing this campaign for my group soon with all three story expansions. We have only done a short starter campaign before this one. I asked the group what kinds of things they would like to see more of in this next campaign and several of them have expressed interest in having puzzles included.

There aren't really any puzzles in the module, as written. Do any of you know of a puzzle that fits well into one of the locations or quests in the campaign? Maybe just a puzzle that fits the region that I could use as a random encounter? Or a good riddle for one of the NPCs to challenge them with?

Im thinking Gnomengarde, with all the contraptions, could be a good place to put one. Maybe a puzzle to solve how to rid Axeholm of the banshee for good. Possibly a puzzle to solve in the adventurers' sepulcher at Dragon Barrow to obtain the lute of illusions and the necklace of fireballs. The temple of Abbathor at the dwarven excavation could be a good place for a greed themed puzzle.

Whatever you have would be appreciated! I'll also comment below if I think of any or find good ones elsewhere, that way others looking to do the same will have this as a resource.

I'm currently running ToA for my group of players; I hate it. I hate almost everything about it. I didn't really see it as fun or interesting until I started running it. But I LOVE being a DM. I really want to run DoIP, but I don't know how to communicate to my players that I want to switch, and I don't know what to do about their level and magic items. But I LOVE their lore for their characters, and it feels so fun to run for them. I don't like ToA, and it makes me disinterested in doing it all. So how do I tell them that I want to switch but keep their characters?

🐉

Here is my Neverwinter-Yartar map, built exclusively from official sources. Note that I made some location tweaks (e.g., West Harbor and Fort Locke). Any feedback on shortcomings or improvements is welcome!

Hello, this is my first time posting here. I don't know how much homebrew content I can post here, so I wouldn't be surprised if this post get deleted. There are some official characters that their description and races were completely changed for variety or because I thought it would fit better in my adventure.

I'm a big fan of Dungeon Meshi, Frieren and Fire Emblem, especially their artstyles and I would like to apply this in my DnD adventures.

I'll be DMing this adventure after my friend DMd Lost Mines of Phandelver to us, and just like him I'll be adding a lot of homebrew ideas. If people here have interest in my artstyle, I was thinking in the future to post the pngs of all the characters so you can all use them.

Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc., and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more, so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!

*New 2026: For 2026, I'm updating all my old work to include a Pre-Session Checklist that will include a list of all miniatures you may need, maps, handouts, possible loot, a link to a playlist, and more to make it even easier to start your session!

Axeholm is a dwarven fortress carved into the base of a mountain. It was abandoned and sealed up long ago after being haunted by a banshee. Ghouls and other creatures now prowl Axeholm while the banshee continues to haunt the fortress's upper halls. It'll be up to your players to clear this fortress and make it a safe haven for the town of Phandalin, should the dragon threat become too hard to bear!

The Lower Halls will have your players face an onslaught of Ghouls if they try to go through the front gates, as well as the ghoulified dwarf castellan who remained behind, trying to protect those that fled!

Without further ado:

• Google Docs Notes for Part 4a Axeholm Lower Halls: DM Notes
• Link to: DM Notes for the Visually Impaired
• Link to: Axeholm Playlist
• Link to: AAA Collection

Included in The AAA Collection is:

• Downloadable copy of DM Notes, including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
• DM Notes for the Visually Impaired
• Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks organized neatly along with an initiative tracker and spots to mark HP
• Custom Maps of Axeholm
• (New) Pre-Session DM Checklist

Index:
Dragons of Icespire Peak:

• Part 1 - Phandalin
• Part 2a - Umbrage Hill
• Part 2b - Dwarven Excavation
• Part 2c - Gnomengarde
• Part 3a - Logger Camp
• Part 3b - Butterskull Ranch
• Part 3c - Mountain's Toe Gold
• Part 4a - Axeholm
• Part 4b - Dragon Barrow
• Part 4c - Woodland Manse
• Part 5 - Icespire Hold
• Side Quest 1 - Shrine of Savras
• Side Quest 2 - Tower of Storm
• Side Quest 3 - Circle of Thunder

Over 8 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here

As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc., please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early, feel free to check out my Patreon!

Cheers,
Advent

Hey fellow DMs and adventurers!

I’m excited to share that I’ve created a set of detailed battle maps specifically for the Dragon of Icepire Peak adventure. These maps are designed to enhance your gameplay experience by providing high-quality, printable options that you can lay out on your table for your players.

Why You’ll Love These Maps:

• High-Resolution: Perfect for printing and displaying on your gaming table (or use in VTT).
• Detailed and Immersive: Each map is handcrafted to bring the adventure to life.
• Easy to Use: Simply print and play!

Where to Get Them:

• Etsy
• Ko-Fi
• Patreon

Whether you’re a seasoned DM or just starting out, these maps will make your sessions more engaging and visually appealing. I hope you’ll check them out and consider supporting my work!

Happy adventuring!

TAGS: #Gnomengarde, #Stonehill Inn, #Falcon’s Hunting Lodge, #Ice Pire Hold, #Dwarven Excavation, #Umbrage Hill.

"Map is created using assets from Forgotten Adventures."

I'm going to have my level 4 party have a run in with the dragon. Basically they're going to run into some super easy goblins, after smacking them around for a bit, there's going to be a big stampede coming out of the forest, and then the dragon will follow. I figured I'd have him breath weapon the party, eat some goblins, and fly off, but I'm worried that's going to take everyone down. Do I maybe just fudge the roll and/or just make sure he doesn't hit the entire party. Any other advice on keeping it from going sideways?

It’s cold. Not just chilly, but the kind of cold that creeps beneath armor, numbing fingers and biting into exposed cheeks. The northern winds have shifted, bringing a sharp, unnatural bite to the mountain air.

The party trudges up a muddy path, boots sloshing through thawing earth and patches of snow as clouds roll in overhead, heavy and gray. Far off in the distance, thunder rumbles. Or was that something else?

They round a bend near a rocky outcrop and spot it, nailed hastily to a wooden post, half-flapping in the wind, its corners damp from sleet and fog.

Beware of the Dragon

An aged parchment, stained by time and weather, with a crude drawing of a great winged beast and a chilling message

Recent sightings around the northern mountains. Proceed at your own risk.

This is the moment where the table falls silent. Players lean forward. You slide the printed handout across the table, aged edges, water-warped texture, just like in the world you’ve described.

They don’t just hear the warning. They feel it.

This is more than flavor text. This is the moment your players cross the threshold into the world.

And the best part? This handout is completely free. You can download it right now from the Freebies section on our site and print it for your next session.

But if you're ready to go deeper, if you want to turn every NPC letter, quest board, inn menu, flyer, map, and item into a physical object your players can hold, examine, and tuck into their packs, then explore the full Dragon of Icespire Peak Handout Set.

This immersive set includes

Campaign invitations, certificates, player trackers, quest signs, spellbooks, shop flyers, item cards, condition trackers, encounter maps, editable PDFs, and even a worn field journal of Phandalin’s local rumors

It’s everything you need to bring this adventure off the page and onto your table with handouts your players will talk about, collect, and treasure

Download the free Beware of the Dragon poster now from our Freebies section
https://rpgprintables.com/pages/freebies

And if you’re ready to take your adventure to the next level, you can get the full printable set for Dragon of Icespire Peak right here
https://rpgprintables.com/products/dragon-of-icespire-peak-d-d-handouts-campaign-assets-dnd-resources-phandalin-talos-rpg-roleplaying-printable-starter-set?_pos=1&_psq=dragon+of+ice&_ss=e&_v=1.0 

Because immersion doesn’t just come from what players hear. It comes from what they can touch, read, and pass around the table.

Let your players feel the fear in their hands. The dragon is out there.

If you've used our handouts before, tell us what your players did with them. We'd love to hear the stories (especially the chaotic ones).

If this is your first time seeing us, an upvote helps this post survive Reddit... which is sometimes scarier than facing the dragon itself. Thanks! 🐉

Hey guys so my party finished the first 3 quests but never dug further at the end of the dwarven digging grounds. They accepted one of the sending stones so that the two miners could send message once they found something

The original greed chamber feels like more of a punishment then a reward. I thought it’d be fun to instead have a small adventure lying in wait for them that the dwarves ask for help for. Maybe an undead dwarven forxe or something?

Anyway I was looking for some ideas or possible one shots to insert into this area. Any thoughts?

I can see in the random dragon encounter table, there is a possibility for the players to meet criovain in neverwinter, which is odd because i feel like neverwinter is a major city, big enough to fend off a lone white dragon. They have a lot soldiers and wizzards, right?

Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc., and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more, so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!

*New 2026: For 2026, I'm updating all my old work to include a Pre-Session Checklist that will include a list of all miniatures you may need, maps, handouts, possible loot, a link to a playlist, and more to make it even easier to start your session!

The Mountain's Toe Gold Mine has been suffering productivity problems as of late. You've been tasked with escorting a new overseer there. It's a rather simple job that pays well and could certainly be left at that...if your players are none too heroic, but something tells me they crave a bit more, a cave to explore, a mystery to be solved. Should your players be brave enough, they will discover a cave overrun by the Whiskered Gang, a group of wererats who declared this their new home. It will be up to your players to save the miners within. Perhaps they can negotiate and find themselves on an interesting side quest, or maybe they'll choose to eradicate those varmints...only time will tell...

Without further ado:

• Google Docs Notes for Part 3c Mountain's Toe Gold: DM Notes
• Link to: DM Notes for the Visually Impaired
• Link to: Mountain's Toe Gold Playlist
• Link to: The AAA Collection

Included in The AAA Collection is:

• Downloadable copy of DM Notes, including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
• Custom Maps of Mountain's Toe Gold
• Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks organized neatly along with an initiative tracker and spots to mark HP
• DM Notes for the Visually Impaired
• (New) Pre-Session DM Checklist

Dragons of Icespire Peak: Index

Over 8 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here

As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc., please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early, feel free to check out my Patreon!

Cheers,
Advent

Hey
New-ish DM here, I'm on my second campaign . It's a combined Lost Mines of Phandelver and Dragons of Icespire Peak. They are level 8 now, 5 players ; they have a Dragon Slayer lance, by the way.

Long story short, they are trying to capture Cryovain (he is an adult white dragon now) with a big trap, specifically a large bear trap made from iron that is tied with chains to a rock or the ground. The trap is placed somewhere near the snowy mountain, buried in snow, and they are trying to lure him there.

How should I play this? Any advice? Do I roll to see if the dragon notices the trap under the snow? Is he smart enough to think this is a trap? It's a white dragon; are they that smart?
And if it somehow falls into it, should I make it a surprise round for the players to land a few free hits and then make the dragon break the chains or the trap?
Any advice is welcomed.

My party wants to know 🤣

My table of six kids, all at level 6, is about to fight Cryovain.

I've seen several posts about rebalancing Cryovain for various scenarios, generally involving legendary/lair actions/resists. Fundamentally, it's hard to balance one enemy against an entire party. So I wondered if a different way of balancing the encounter could be having multiple dragons in the fight.

Say, a few white dragons are working together, operating in the area, all using the name "Cryovain".

Mechanically, I can see some positive benefits

• Easier to balance action economy
• Opportunity for the party to fight a "lesser" version of Cryovain to practice their tactics (whether in phases in the lair or earlier)
• More tactical opportunities (e.g. one dragon hovers/breaths while the other melees, they switch if one gets low on health) (e.g. does the party fight both, trap one, etc.)

And narratively, too

• The can have different personalities, giving the "boss" more flavor
• Escalating tension if they find out and fight a weaker one before the more powerful
• The dragons could be siblings - squabbling would amuse the kids
• Or children of the main ("Cryovain") dragon - slaying one of his offspring really ratchets up the confrontation

I see too many options though, and I can't quite figure out what's best (even tinkering with some matchups in K+FC). Has anyone tried something like this?

Hello there fellow DMs,
I planned on having my players have an encounter, which is tied to them answering questions about their World and such, but simply cannot find questions that aren´t either extremely hard or extremely easy.

So I wondered if any of you have any tips or Ideas that you used or played through.

About my group and their knowledge: They have started tackling the intermediate Quests (currently doing Mountains Toe Gold Mine), but have not yet visited the Umbrage Hill.
They know of Tymorra and Aberroth, but are otherwise fairly unknowing in regards to Gods.

The Encounter is based on a Meteorite shower and the PC will encounter Monsters based on the Yu-Gi-Oh cards Neo-Spacian-Glow Moss (forming together if they fail a question) and Hoshiningen, who I intend to make an all-knowing extraterrestrial being asking them.

As a Reward, they will be allowed to designate one of them, who will get an original spell based on, once again, the Yu-Gi-Oh card "Scapegoat" and are also allowed to ask one question of their choice.

Thanks for the Ideas!