Critical Role The New D&D Book Is 'The Explorer's Guide to [Critical Role's] Wildemount!' By Matt Mercer

It looks like Amazon has leaked the title and description of the new D&D book a day early (unless it's all a fake-out by WotC) -- and it's a new D&D setting book called The Explorer's Guide to Wildemount; it's the Critical Role campaign setting, penned by Matt Mercer!

It looks like Amazon has leaked the title and description of the new D&D book a day early (unless it's all a fake-out by WotC) -- and it's a new D&D setting book called The Explorer's Guide to Wildemount; it's the Critical Role campaign setting, penned by Matt Mercer!

Wildemount%2C_Version_20%2C1.png

image from Critical Role wiki

There's no cover image yet, so we're stuck with the "Coming Soon" image.

This book appeared without a title on Amazon last week, and a 'reveal' date of January 9th, which was then later delayed until January 13th. Amazon appears to have jumped the gun a day early.

Here's some information about Wildemount, which is a continent in the same world as Critical Role's other setting, Tal'Dorei. It is described by the official wiki has having "real-world Eastern European influence.... The Dwendalian Empire takes inspiration from 15th century Russia as well as Germanic nations in Central Europe (e.g., Prussia). Xhorhas has a more 13th-century Romanian flair. Outside of Wynandir, on the edges of the Dwendalian Empire, the cultures and peoples of those regions display a distinctly 14th-century Spanish flavor."

HOW DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS?

A war brews on a continent that has withstood more than its fair share of conflict. The Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty are carving up the lands around them, and only the greatest heroes would dare stand between them. Somewhere in the far corners of this war-torn landscape are secrets that could end this conflict and usher in a new age of peace—or burn the world to a cinder.

Create a band of heroes and embark on a journey across the continent of Wildemount, the setting for Campaign 2 of the hit Dungeons & Dragons series Critical Role. Within this book, you’ll find new character options, a heroic chronicle to help you craft your character’s backstory, four different starting adventures, and everything a Dungeon Master needs to breathe life into a Wildemount-based D&D campaign…
  • Delve through the first Dungeons & Dragons book to let players experience the game as played within the world of Critical Role, the world’s most popular livestreaming D&D show.
  • Uncover a trove of options usable in any D&D game, featuring subclasses, spells, magic items, monsters, and more, rooted in the adventures of Exandria—such as Vestiges of Divergence and the possibility manipulating magic of Dunamancy.
  • Start a Dungeons & Dragons campaign in any of Wildemount’s regions using a variety of introductory adventures, dozens of regional plot seeds, and the heroic chronicle system—a way to create character backstories rooted in Wildemount.
Explore every corner of Wildemount and discover mysteries revealed for the first time by Critical Role Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer.

Critical Role's other setting, Tal'Dorei, was published a couple of years ago by Green Ronin. This brings the list of settings in official D&D books to five: Forgotten Realms, Ravnica, Ravenloft, Eberron, and Wildemount.

UPDATE! Barnes & Noble has the cover (but not the title or description).

9780786966912_p0_v2_s600x595.jpg
 

log in or register to remove this ad


log in or register to remove this ad




generic

On that metempsychosis tweak
Idk, seems like the target audience is “any dnd players who like new options, and new stuff like backstory mini games (like in xgte) and the like”.

that really doesn’t include you?
No, the target audience is explicitly fans of Critical Role. I might buy the book for the class options, but how many people bought Ravnica for the class options instead of the setting?

It seems unlikely that those not interested in Critical Role will like this product.
 


doctorbadwolf

Heretic of The Seventh Circle
Not really interested in the setting itself, but MM generally has good ideas when it comes to player options. They are just always messy and dont really fit the design of 5e (many PF-ism, weird penalty for using features not that powerful, overly complicated features etc). With the help of the designer of 5e, I think it could be a fun book for the players options.

I just hope that they give us a more generic name for Dunomancy for other setting.

And the setting has a nation of Tieflings and a nation of Dragonborn, for those who would like to poach it for their Nentir Vale game or even a FR game set close to Thyrmanter.
Yeah, gunslinger is full of penalties for using abilities that were originally less strong than just using the Battlemaster subclass.

The Bloodhunter, as well. The cost is greater than the benefit.
 

Humble97

Villager
I love critical role so I guess I'm biased along with having run the Taldorei setting. Now I have my own setting I made but there is enough in there for me to reference with subclasses and magic items.

This is how I view all of WOTC books anyway. I don't care for their settings and lore and I am more focused on subclasses magic Items and monsters.
 

generic

On that metempsychosis tweak
Yeah, gunslinger is full of penalties for using abilities that were originally less strong than just using the Battlemaster subclass.

The Bloodhunter, as well. The cost is greater than the benefit.
I doubt that we'll see any new official classes, only subclasses. If we were going to see those as inclusions, why would they not be listed explicitly?
 

Weiley31

Legend
No, the target audience is explicitly fans of Critical Role. I might buy the book for the class options, but how many people bought Ravnica for the class options instead of the setting?

It seems unlikely that those not interested in Critical Role will like this product.

My one best bud is a HUGE MtG player. If I end up getting him into DND and he plays an Artificer, Ravincna shall be the main capital of Artificiers.

He's more versed the lore than I am so I could be off a bit, but it makes sense to me.
 

Remove ads

Remove ads

Top