D&D 5E Clickbait we didn't fall for: "Wizards is copying Critical Role"

[Morrus]

While I think that broadly it is true that "timeless" is a marketing term, there are works that do in fact resonate no matter how far removed from their original context: The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey and The Illiad, Beowulf, Le Morte d'Arthur, Dracula, The Lord of the Rings. "Timeless" stories exist, for sure.

People aren't reading Bram Stoker's Dracula en masse. Or Le Morte d'Arthur. Or Gilgamesh. These things aren't 'timeless' (unless the only meaning of timeless is 'hasn't been erased from history'). I mean, Hollywood regurgitates anything endlessly for adaptions because, hey, no copyright costs. But that's a poor definition of 'timeless'.

You can't just decide the thing you're writing is 'timeless'. So when folks like @Henadic Theologian declare that hardworking writers "want timeless, not contemporary, when will folks learn that?" it comes across as really condescending as though the poster knows the secret to writing 'timeless' epics. Like, if it were that easy, why wouldn't everybody be doing it?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

More people need to read Dracula.

 

[billd91]

More people need to read Dracula.

It's a pretty good read, but I do find some of it, most of it covering Van Helsing's exhortations, gets increasingly tedious with purple prose and I usually skip over much of those parts when I read it now.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

In Faerun? Nah. Just sounds more of WotC trying to be be as least issue causing as possible IMO.

It's been a thing for a long time. Even in Faerun

 

[Zardnaar]

This is a variant rule available in 5e. Faith in philosophies or broad causes can be enough.

2E at least predates 5E by years.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Technically this character worships Gods still, not a philosophy and FR/Spelljammer has residence for not follow the weirdly out of place Monolatry of expected of Clerics. Polygots (Cleric of whole Pantheons), Planar Church (Worship of a Plane and its Gods, one of my favourite flavours of Cleric, Planar Church of Olympus , Planar Church of the Seven Heavens. ), maybe some stuff from Zakhara, Traitor Priests, Ur Priests (okay not so much worship as steal from), some chosen, etc..., common expectation of monoltry of Clerics never fit most D&D settings IMHO.

Most settings have gods, and clerics of those gods, so I'm going to have to disagree with that.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It's been a thing for a long time. Even in Faerun

A thing I suspect they are intentionally leaning into hard here, for the reasons @DarkCrisis suggested.

 

[dave2008]

More people need to read Dracula.

More people need to read Frankenstein. The much better book IMO.

 

[bedir than]

2E at least predates 5E by years.

I'm aware of the calendar. But 2e isn't relevant to the novel releasing soon.

 

[Micah Sweet]

And an a Dwarf Cleric who seems like the only one whose has an interesting hook at all, although the way they flavoured it steps hard on the Warlocks toes. Clerics don't make deals, they give worship. A Planar or Polygot cleric would have been better then a Warlockish Cleric.

I'm not sure what race the Rogue in the center is supposed to be.

It really seems like some of the most boring characters I've ever seen, almost completely generic AF, no hook into their background, no exotic race, besides Tiefling (not even one of the new subraces by the looks of it), the only interesting part is the new garbage disposal plushie toy they'll be selling soon in stories undoubtedly. Because what kid doesn't want to be hugged by their toilet/trash can right?

By D&D team did they mean the PR department or marketing teams?

Literally the only thing going for it is it an amazing writer, but like can she save it when they hand her a completely generic lemon plus obvious toy insert?

WotC is really trying to normalize tieflings.