D&D 5E WotC Announces New Critical Role Hardcover Adventure

Call of the Netherdeep will be out in March 2022. This adventure is set in Exandria and is for character levels 3-12. Interestingly, it also bears Critical Role branding at the top and bottom of the cover.

This is the third Critical Role D&D hardcover. The Tal'Dorei Campaign Guide came out in 2017, and the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount came out in 2020.

Darrington Press, CR's publishing arm, also announced the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn in July of this year with a release date of late 2021/early 2022.

An epic Critical Role campaign for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

The greed of mortals has awakened a powerful entity long thought destroyed. For eons, this mighty champion of the gods has been imprisoned in the darkest depths of Exandria. His name has been forgotten, as have his heroic deeds. Languishing in despair, he calls out for new heroes to save him.

Inspired by the campaigns of the hit series Critical Role, this adventure begins in the Wastes of Xhorhas and leads to the glimmering oasis-city of Ank’Harel on the continent of Marquet, and from there into a sunken realm of gloom, corruption, and sorrow known as the Netherdeep. Above it all, the red moon of Ruidus watches, twisting the fates of those who have the power to shape the course of history.

Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep contains seven chapters of thrilling adventure, new creatures and magic items, and a poster map of Ank’Harel.

• First major adventure module within Critical Role’s world of Exandria, taking players from levels 3-12.
• Multi-continental story that spans the scarred Wastes of Xhorhas, introduces the continent of Marquet, and eventually plunges players into the Netherdeep—a terrifying cross between the Far Realm and the deep ocean.
• Bursting with lore and all new art depicting Exandria.
• Includes new magic items and creatures and introduces new rival NPCs.

 

[teitan]

I will absolutely take a Cleveland Browns supplement! Lol.. (lifelong Browns fan)

Me too, Go Ravens! ;-)

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Well that's great. I think, due to the nature of the fandom, that there are probably a disproportionate number of Critical Role fans who have the passion and skills to run a great campaign in the setting but not the confidence in their DMing skills to be ready to tackle the daunting task of creating an adventure of their own from the toolkit of a setting book. Campaign books may actually serve this fandom better than setting books.

And it drops a month after the animated series. That's using the ol' cross-promotional noggin.

Is that a blue elf orc?

I wouldn't be surprised if she's the offspring of a half-orc and a blue tiefling.

I like how discount/"not Matt Mercer" Matt Mercer is on the cover.

It's his non-guild, fantasy equivalent, Mattallion Mercury!

 

[Mercurius]

Dominaria would make a pretty good setting for an adventure compilation.

Isn't the common view that Dominaria is too vanilla and doesn't offer enough new to make it worthwhile for WotC to devote a book to it? I mean, why Dominaria over Zendrikar, Alara, New Phyrexia, etc?

Similarly, I don't get the expectation of Innistrad...that would seem odd, considering Ravenloft.

 

[Parmandur]

How dare you, sir!? How dare you!? I will take ALL of the Dino Halflings!

Good day, sir! I said, Good Day!

Seriously though, this is one of those things that is both surprising and not surprising. I had a feeling it was going to happen, but also told myself "Nah, that can't happen again." And then it does. However, this does fully open things up for more adventures paths that take place in other settings.

That, I am really looking forward to seeing!

I mean, I don't have anything strictly against Dino halflings, but....more of the Exandria material is immediately useful to me out of the box than more creative off the wall stuff.

 

[Parmandur]

Ah. I got it. But isn’t that specifically not what the Curse of Strife is? The goblinkin aren’t inherently evil. They’re cursed by an evil god that deprives them of agency. They can be free of the curse.

Arguably not much better, and for my money not worth the potential problems.

 

[Malmuria]

Can the 2024 edition give up the ghost of levels 1-20? Clearly the game works best at levels 1-10, except those levels have been confusingly renamed as levels 3-12. Tiers 3 and 4 can get a separate epic/immortal style book. Meanwhile, they can take out all the 7th 8th 9th level aspirational spells from the phb and use that space for something useful.

 

[teitan]

I think the toys and such are already being done. Wizkids miniatures and toys and I thought I saw Funko figures already. Comics already and an Amazon serious.

I do think this relationship with Wizards is good for both of them and probably will continue.

Is it unique that WotC is printing this adventure while simultaneously CR's imprint is making (remaking) the Tal'Dore setting book?

Wizkids doesn't have a Critical Role license for Action figures, not yet anyway. Just painted and unpainted plastic miniatures. I'd not be surprised to see NECA pick it up though if available but I expect to see McFarlane pick it up based on the strength of the sales on the Mollymauk statue.

 

[teitan]

We‘ve had discussions about past WotC adventures (dragon heist being a memorable one) so I think I’m going to get this as a point of comparison. If WotC is not in the drivers seat, does an adventure pass the smell test?

They weren't for the first several. Those were done by other studios including Green Ronin, Sasquatch and Kobold Press.

 

[BRayne]

Wizkids doesn't have a Critical Role license for Action figures, not yet anyway. Just painted and unpainted plastic miniatures. I'd not be surprised to see NECA pick it up though if available but I expect to see McFarlane pick it up based on the strength of the sales on the Mollymauk statue.

Sideshow seems to be more active in terms of CR figures at the moment with 4 to McFarlane's 1 though

 

[darjr]

Wait. There ARE cr action figures?!