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

The overall party composition is pretty much what you'd expect from an "iconic class" standpoint. Having the rogue as the party leader definitely reminds me that I wish leader/planner was more front and center among the main rogue tropes; the role gets eaten up by bard way too often.

I love, love, love the idea of clerics using "divine magic", which is a way of bargaining with and channeling deities as needed, rather than clerics being a champion of one particular diety. That's a great way to make D&D henotheism more compelling, and present a reason why all clerics use similar magic.

I'm definitely curious to see which races are used for the iconic characters. Making the leader a nonhuman or nonelf would be pretty novel, but I'd doubt they'll do that. My guesses would be a human, an elf (or half-elf), a dwarf, a halfling, and then either a tiefling or a dragonborn.

TwoSix said:

The overall party composition is pretty much what you'd expect from an "iconic class" standpoint. Having the rogue as the party leader definitely reminds me that I wish leader/planner was more front and center among the main rogue tropes; the role gets eaten up by bard way too often.

I love, love, love the idea of clerics using "divine magic", which is a way of bargaining with and channeling deities as needed, rather than clerics being a champion of one particular diety. That's a great way to make D&D henotheism more compelling, and present a reason why all clerics use similar magic.

I'm definitely curious to see which races are used for the iconic characters. Making the leader a nonhuman or nonelf would be pretty novel, but I'd doubt they'll do that. My guesses would be a human, an elf (or half-elf), a dwarf, a halfling, and then either a tiefling or a dragonborn.

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No need to wonder, we have the cover and the description from Penguin:

ABOUT DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE FALLBACKS: BOUND FOR RUIN​

Meet the newest Dungeons & Dragons party in the first epic adventure of The Fallbacks.

To become renowned adventurers, this party needs to survive their first job.

Tessalynde is an ambitious young rogue who dreams of leading Faerûn’s foremost adventuring party. While the crew she’s gathered isn’t the stuff of legend yet, she’s confident her guidance can get them there.

The team: Anson, a fighter too stubborn to stay down, even when the odds are stacked against him. Cazrin, a self-taught wizard determined to test her theoretical mettle against the real world. Baldric, a cleric who refuses to tie himself to a single deity when he can trade favors with them all. Lark, a bard with as many secrets as songs. And, of course, Uggie, a monstrous pet otyugh who loves giving hugs and eating trash.

Their first job: recovering a mysterious spellbook from a lost temple for a hefty payout. Tess hopes this assignment can turn her group of fledgling freelancers into a true team. But when their client is killed, their coin and his murderer both vanish, leaving the party to take the fall.

Stuck with a sentient, bloodthirsty grimoire and pursued by mercenaries and the undead, this is hardly the mission Tess envisioned. Her crew must save the day, get the gold, and clear the party’s name—which they haven’t even agreed upon yet! With the threats against them mounting, a single mistake will see this party over before it even begins.

Can this band of mismatched misfits stay together in the face of danger? Or are they bound for ruin?

bedir than said:

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

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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.

doctorbadwolf said:

(Double checked and yeah only Marisha and a couple guests are under 40)

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I thought they were all younger.

Parmandur said:

No need to wonder, we have the cover and the description from Penguin:
View attachment 307654

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Darn, almost nailed it. I went back and forth on halfling as opposed to a third [human/elf/half-elf]. I should have trusted my instincts from BG3 on it.

Henadic Theologian said:

He still worships Gods so I'm fine with it and it's not like all Clerics in FR
practice Monolatry.

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One of my current players at school has stipulated that his cleric worships ALL gods - he wears an assortment of holy symbols and grabs the one he thinks most relevant to a particular situation. It's entertaining.

As for this book: it's a pretty vanilla collection of adventurers. Kinda lame, IMO. At least there's a tiefling.

bedir than said:

There are websites out there insisting that this is copying Critical Role. Clickbaity YouTubers and websites (that I won't link because they don't deserve attention) are generating revenue off of the idea that these completely normal D&D novel and game things were invented by Critical Role.

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A completely normal D&D novel written by someone who has written multiple previous Forgotten Realms and D&D novels no less.

I saw that headline when I was browsing the news this morning and didn't click on it because I assumed Wizards was doing some kind of Actual Play podcast or something and I'd hear about it eventually from a source that wasn't going to clog my browser with ads (probably here). I guess by this definition the D&D movie was copying Critical Role too. What a world.

bedir than said:

Wizards of the Coast is releasing a new D&D novel series. This is unusual, as there haven't been many novels is the 5e era. In it a party of five adventurers travel together, adopt a party pet and you know -- all that traditional D&D stuff.

AND YET

There are websites out there insisting that this is copying Critical Role. Clickbaity YouTubers and websites (that I won't link because they don't deserve attention) are generating revenue off of the idea that these completely normal D&D novel and game things were invented by Critical Role.

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Well at least its advertising the new novel series - and Critical Role.

but lets not give any attention to clickbaity youtubers

DarkCrisis said:

Sounds like a lazy player and/or DM.

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Mod Note:
How about you not call people lazy for doing things differently than you, hm? Thanks.

They aren't copying Critical Role but me and my crazy suggestions I publish in this forum!

Now seriously, the brand needs a right group of characters for the different projects of multimedia franchise. Dragonlance is famous, or it was very popular in the past thanks the novels and the main group as hook/bait. In the 3rd Ed there were novels whose main characters were the iconic classes.