| name | slug | order | module-pagebreaks |
|---|---|---|---|
Introduction |
introduction |
10 |
h1, h2 |
A Dungeon Master's Guide to Neverwinter is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. {.neutral}
Welcome, Dungeon Masters! If you're looking at this guide, you're undoubtedly looking for information or resources related to the captivatingly magical city of Neverwinter. This guide was created to provide DMs with the necessary information about Neverwinter as it exists for the Fifth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, particularly in the early 1490s DR. {.no-fancy}
Many Dungeon Masters have started their campaigns, and often their role as a DM, using either of the wonderful Lost Mine of Phandelver or Dragon of Icespire Peak starter adventures. While these adventures provide plenty to do in the small town of Phandalin and its surrounding areas, they're also placed temptingly close to the city of Neverwinter on the Sword Coast. It's not uncommon for players to ask to visit the city of Neverwinter. This can feel overwhelmingly difficult for unprepared DMs to manage (especially newer DMs). Not a tremendous amount has been described about Neverwinter as it exists in the Fifth Edition of D&D, so a diligent DM might feel compelled to scour through loads of out-of-print material. This guide attempts to consolidate much of that information and help all seeking to venture into Neverwinter.
This guide has two primary goals:
- To provide accurate information about Neverwinter as it comes from official Dungeons & Dragons Source Books and Adventures. Information that is not from such a source will be clearly marked.
- To provide Dungeon Masters with a set of tools and ideas to help them craft an adventure should their table decide to wander into Neverwinter.
A secondary goal of this guide is to be compatible with the wealth of existing official adventures out there. In particular, the homebrew ideas and shops are crafted with both of the two starting adventures, Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak, in mind.
This is a guide for Dungeon Masters and contains a few spoilers to the events in other D&D 5th Edition adventures. In particular, some of the events of Lost Mine of Phandelver, Dragon of Icespire Peak, Storm King's Thunder, and Tyranny of Dragons/Rise of Tiamat are mentioned in this guide. If you are planning to be a player in any of those adventures, you may want to avoid this guide. If you are a player, and your Dungeon Master is going to run you through a Neverwinter setting, you may also want to avoid this guide.
The first part of this guide details the official locations of Neverwinter. This section has a wealth of resources for any campaign set in Neverwinter. We have an amazing high resolution map of the city itself and beautiful artwork for many of the city's points of interest. Be sure to check Appendix B for cards that list prices for goods and services, and much more. Everything in this section is from official material (save the "Dungeon Masters' Inspiration" section).
Later in the guide, there is a "Homebrew Locations" section. These locations were crafted just for this guide, and are ultimately created to be utilitarian shops and locales that players might expect to exist in a city the size of Neverwinter. As these are entirely non-canonical, feel free to change them to suit your whims! Shop cards are provided for these as well.
In addition to details about Neverwinter's locations and history, this guide provides small "adventures" that a DM might use to give their players something to do while in the city. These adventures are meant to be small, with only one or two encounters, and not require a long-term commitment or storyline.
To run one of these Quick Adventures, Dungeon Masters would be expected to have the D&D fifth edition core rulebooks (i.e., the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual).
When text appears in a box such as this one, it means that it is descriptive text that should be read aloud, or paraphrased, to the players. It will be used to describe scenes or provide scripted dialogue from non-player characters. {.read}
(print-page)
Throughout this guide, ideas are suggested on how a Dungeon Master might choose to use some particular location or information in their own campaign. It's totally normal to feel paralyzed by the scope of running your campaign through a big city, so consider using a few of these ideas as seeds for adventure and intrigue.
These DM Ideas will be marked in a box that looks like the one below:
 Dungeon Masters' Inspiration |
|---|
| Idea 1. This would be the first idea. |
| Idea 2. This would be the second idea. |
| {.dmidea} |
This guide aims to be diligent in achieving accuracy with officially published source material. You may see this book symbol below with references on where you may go to find further reading on a particular location or topic.
 Read More |
|---|
| Example Reference 1, p. XXX - XXX, (Nth Edition) |
| Example Reference 2, p. XXX - XXX, (Nth Edition) |
| {.references} |
While this guide strives to make the information as current as possible, much of the material referenced comes from materials authored for older editions of Dungeons & Dragons (as described at the end of each reference). As such, it may or may not be official canon for Fifth Edition. Read more about the official D&D Canon Policy.
Whenever you see the mug icon below, it means the section is "Homebrew" content. That is, this content was made up for this guide and is not a part of any official Forgotten Realms lore or canon. In such sections, it is entirely acceptable to change the names and demeanor of NPCs, stores, inns, items, etc. to fit your campaign.
 Homebrew Content |
|---|
| This section is an unofficial Neverwinter location made up for this guide. Customize it for your campaign! |
| {.homebrew} |
This guide was designed with virtual tabletop (VTT) software in mind. If you have come across this guide in PDF form, but need maps, tokens, images or other resources for your Virtual Tabletop, please visit the website for this guide where all of the resources can be downloaded for free. Official modules for this guide can be found for EncounterPlus.
This guide is open source! This means that if you find any errors in this guide and wish to contribute, you may do so by going to the source repository for this guide and submitting your suggested changes. If your changes are accepted, you will have your name added to the list of contributors in the credits!
In general, redistribution of this guide's content is allowed and encouraged! The content of this guide is released under Wizards of the Coasts' Fan Content Policy. This requires, among other things, that the content always be made available for free. It's also politely requested that you provide attribution/credit for content from this guide where possible.
Can I use this content in my campaign with my players?
Absolutely!
Can I post this PDF to [my favorite website]?
Go for it!
Can I create and distribute a module of this content for [my favorite VTT]?
Yes! However, a module with any of the non-homebrew content from this guide would be expected to also follow Wizards of the Coast's Fan Content policy and, thus, should also be made available for free. Please give proper credit to the artists and authors of this guide!
Can I share the artwork in this guide (e.g., put it up on Pinterest)?
Totally. It'd be awesome if you linked to this guide and/or the artist's website when you did!
Can I use the artwork in this module in my own content?
Yes. Please give attribution to this guide and the original artist!
I have a question or suggestion not covered here!
I'd love to hear from you! Contact me here.