Running Storm King’s Thunder after Lost Mine of Phandelver

The D&D Starter Set adventure Lost Mine of Phandelver (LMoP) remains one of the most recommended adventures for new players and DMs. But the adventure ends around level five. An obvious choice to extend a D&D campaign which began with Lost Mine of Phandelver is to continue with Storm King’s Thunder (SKT). Storm King’s Thunder lets characters explore the entirety of the North of Faerûn. It widens the scope of LMoP while staying in the same general region, allowing characters to become deeply entwined with the North over the course of the campaign.

But how can we connect LMoP and SKT in a smooth and interesting way?

Make Nezznar the Black Spider work for Duke Zalto

This is a tip from reddit user YourDNDPleasesMe: While the characters are exploring Wave Echo Cave, let them find a letter from Duke Zalto, the fire giant lord from SKT, to Nezznar the Black Spider, the villain of LMoP. Here is an example of a letter adapted from YourDNDPleasesMe’s draft:

Little Spider,
Your delays in recovering the magic of the ancient forge are starting to wear on me. Dispose of the pests that plague you quickly. The forge could be the key to mending the Vonindod.
Any further delays on your part would be maug, and that would go poorly for you. Two of my soldiers will be in Triboar soon, and I would hate for them to have to pay you a visit after they are done there.
Do not disappoint me.
Duke Zalto

A letter such as this one accomplishes several things:

It introduces the characters to one of the potential villains of SKT, Duke Zalto. It also lets them know Zalto’s ultimate goal of mending the colossus called Vonindod. But it introduces these concepts sparingly enough that some mystery remains while giving the characters clues about what Zalto is up to.
It gives further motivation to Nezznar the Black Spider. He is part of a grander scheme. The Spell Forge is more than treasure, it’s a key for something (literally) much larger. Nezznar hopes for a powerful ally in the fire giant lord.
It hints at the fact that giants are involved by introducing the giant word for bad, dishonorable, and undesirable: maug. Either a character speaks Giant, or a successful Intelligence (History) check reveals that this word comes from the Giant language.
It introduces the ideal starting location for SKT, following LMoP: Triboar.

Begin in Triboar

When connecting LMoP and SKT, Triboar is the ideal starting location. It is geographically closest to Phandalin, and we can introduce several hooks to draw characters towards Triboar:

Sister Gaerele in Phandalin is a Harper agent, as is Darathra Shendrel, the Lord Protector of Triboar. While they are still in Phandalin, Sister Gaerele can ask the characters to support her fellow agent Darathra in Triboar. Being a priestess, Sister Gaerele might have received visions of giant shadows looming over Triboar, and over Darathra.
The Lionshield Coster has an outpost in Phandalin and in Triboar. The master of the Phandalin post is Linene Greywind. She might ask the players to escort a caravan to the outpost in Triboar.

The D&D Starter Set: *Lost Mine of Phandelver*

Use a group patron

We can use a patron of the party to put adventure hooks in front of the characters and to aid the transition from Lost Mine of Phandelver to Storm King’s Thunder. Essentially, the group patron is a returning NPC (or a faction) which continually provides the characters with information, resources, and quests. Here are a few examples of group patrons for Lost Mine of Phandelver, and how they can help transition the characters from LMoP to SKT:

Sildar Hallwinter

The party might have rescued the retired knight, and found a reliable ally in him. Sildar can act as a representative of the Lords’ Alliance or as an individual knight. Either way, he can let the party know that rumors of giant attacks are spreading throughout the North. He can send the party to Triboar, a town frequented by many travelers to find out more.

Reidoth

The kind but eccentric druid who protects Thundertree can act as a representative of the Emerald Enclave or as an individual concerned hermit. He can sense an uprising of the giants in the North, and might ask the players to investigate the sacred forest of Gwaeron’s Slumber in Triboar in the hopes of receiving guidance from the gods of nature.

Rockseeker Brothers

The industrious dwarves led by Gundren Rockseeker are most likely extremely grateful to the party after the events of LMoP. They can involve the party in their flourishing mining business, and ask the party to escort goods to Triboar or to set up trade relations there on behalf of the Rockseeker Mining Company.

Sister Gaerele

The elegant priestess can act as a representative of the Harpers or as a friend of Darathra Shendrel. She can send the party to Triboar (see above).

There are many other group patrons that might have developed out of the events of LMoP. Any of the other influential citizens of Phandalin could become a group patron for the party. Whichever NPC the party grows attached to can become a tool for us as the DM to guide the party from Phandalin to Triboar. Such a returning NPC can foreshadow the uprising of the giants while the party finishes LMoP, and the group patron can continue to provide the party with guidance and resources throughout the campaign.

LMoP to SKT: A smooth transition

If your players want to continue their adventures with the characters they created for Lost Mine of Phandelver, Storm King’s Thunder is an obvious choice. The adventure expands the scope of LMoP. It let’s players embed themselves in the history, myth, and geography of the North. With a few tweaks to LMoP, we can ensure that the transition between the two adventures is smooth and interesting.