Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition started with a bang, thanks to the highly regarded starter adventure Lost Mine of Phandelver. The new book for Dungeons and Dragons, Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk, promises to finish what it began.

The 200-page hardback is a remix of the original story, taking players from level one to level twelve. It promises to take the party far into the depths of the world. But never mind all that. It also features mutant cows.

There are some new and very creepy monsters and a slow-reveal horror plot, blending dungeon-crawling fun with weird fiction. The book will also have rules for corruption, for games that like sort of peril. 

Expect to see old monsters re-imagined in terrifying new ways. As well as some new strange and gross beasties for players to fight. 

The adventure is set to have a spelunking / dungeon-delving vibe, with a splash of Indiana Jones/Stranger Things exploration mystery.

“In Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk, players are immersed in a story that gets stranger and becomes more ominous as the adventure goes on,” says Amanda Hamon, Senior Designer in the D&D Studio and the book’s lead designer. “Once the nature of the threat to Phandalin becomes clear, the characters must race against the clock to save this beloved town against classic D&D villains we’ve given a fresh, terrifying twist.”

The book will feature a magic appendix that includes new consumable metamagic items and duergar magic, a bestiary with more than twenty new creatures that showcase psionic magic, mutates, and even new goblins. We will also get plenty of maps for dungeon-crawling fun.

Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk is out in physical form from September 19th. Games stores will be the exclusive suppliers of a limited edition shiny cover version of the book. Early access to digital content can be found via DnDBeyond from September 5th.