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

Parmandur

Book-Friend

This parody is what introduced me to Jester, I have not actually watched Jester, but these parody music videos made me love the character already. Side note given that the Pantheon of Exandia is mostly based on the Dawn Pantheon (+1 Pathfinder deity), but with the names removed, I find it interesting that Jester worships Eberron's The Traveller.

The Traveller of Exandria is a different entity, though mysterious. The metagame origin is that Jester was originally made by Laura Bailey for a non-CR one-shot, and she chose "The Traveller" from the list of suggested patrons for a Trickster Cleric, but with no concious attempt to link it to Eberron lore (it was just a casual one-shot). When it came time to do a second campaign, she dusted off the PC and asked if she could reuse her, Mercer said yes and introduced the mysterious Traveller into his world. To be honest, this book will probably be what explains the Traveller.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

vecna00

Speculation Specialist Wizard
This is definitely not what I expected! I'm a tad disappointed, I like CR, but not the campaign setting. However, I will certainly still pick it up for the player options.

Hell, maybe I'll like the campaign setting after reading through some it!
 


Parmandur

Book-Friend
This is definitely not what I expected! I'm a tad disappointed, I like CR, but not the campaign setting. However, I will certainly still pick it up for the player options.

Hell, maybe I'll like the campaign setting after reading through some it!

For me, one of the best parts of the Setting is that is blessedly gimmick-free: it's just old fashioned D&D. This means there's basically zero barrier for any material being useful to people using the FR, or Greyhawk, or homebrewing...
 



doctorbadwolf

Heretic of The Seventh Circle
Sure. So, like, a book about Dark Sun... isn't targeted at people who like the Dark Sun setting. Right. Got it.

As I said, I do not feel this is going to be a fruitful conversation. Have a nice end to your weekend.
That’s a misrepresentation of what I said. Please don’t do that, especially then to just “bow out”.
 




Remove ads

Remove ads

Top