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.

 

[humble minion]

I would argue that although Wildemount's book is very well produced, it's actually fairly unimaginative as 5E setting books go

My exposure to the critical role setting is pretty limited (the old Tal’Dorei book mostly) but from what I’ve seen I wouldn’t call it unimaginative exactly, more just a fairly standard homebrew type thing which tries to cover all the basic default D&D beats so first-time players can pick it up and make PCs from the PHB without having to worry too much about setting-specific rules or tropes. And that’s a perfectly valid setting design principle imho. But my heart belongs to FR when it comes to that type of setting, simply cos I met it first…

 

[darjr]

WotC! They did it to us again! Spelljammer the forever tease!

This CR book is awesome !

 

[JThursby]

I would argue that although Wildemount's book is very well produced, it's actually fairly unimaginative as 5E setting books go (probably better than SCAG or Ravnica, worse than Theros, Eberron, Ravenloft). But we are all entitled to our own opinion...

Matt’s setting is basically a home game extruded out into publishable size, absolutely. But it’s telling that it’s the first new setting that isn’t just a plug for MTG this edition. It’s also the only setting that has anything on Dragonborn, a phb race that wotc never bothered to marry with their settings. Exandria may be a very vanilla D&D setting, but wotc has mainly only been producing copies of past work, sometimes quite literally with Yawning Portal or Saltmarsh.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

My exposure to the critical role setting is pretty limited (the old Tal’Dorei book mostly) but from what I’ve seen I wouldn’t call it unimaginative exactly, more just a fairly standard homebrew type thing which tries to cover all the basic default D&D beats so first-time players can pick it up and make PCs from the PHB without having to worry too much about setting-specific rules or tropes. And that’s a perfectly valid setting design principle imho.

Oh, for someone's homegame that also integrates every race/class in the core rules, Wildemount absolutely knocks-it-out-of-the-park.

But as an innovative campaign setting to run a different game style than normal (which is what I think setting books should be), Wildemount isn't as good. For streaming, Wildemount is perfect. As a product, less good.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Exandria may be a very vanilla D&D setting, but wotc has mainly only been producing copies of past work, sometimes quite literally with Yawning Portal or Saltmarsh.

I'd say Witchlight is pretty unique and fresh, but yes 5E is pretty heavy on redoing a lot of old styles and nostalgia.

 

[Erdric Dragin]

Ugh. Yet more money being thrown at these overhyped celebs Not a fan of the money they put into them but it’s clearly for promotion.

That kind of stuff should go into someone more grassroots, like Keith Baker for Eberron. (The guy who actually won the contest fairly and got his campaign published as opposed to just putting a camera on a celebrity playing D&D and feeding Exandria on a silver platter).

I’d have been much more accepting of another Eberron book than another Exandria.

 

[Zaukrie]

Very interested in seeing what this looks like. I don't watch the show, but the setting book is quite good. I like the intro adventures.

 

[R_J_K75]

Cool beans - I don't see a pre-order up on Amazon yet though.

This is probably it.

Dungeons & Dragons March 2022 Title Dungeons & Dragons March 2022 Title: Wizards RPG Team: 9780786967865: Amazon.com: Books

 

[This Effin’ GM]

Ugh. Yet more money being thrown at these overhyped celebs Not a fan of the money they put into them but it’s clearly for promotion.

That kind of stuff should go into someone more grassroots, like Keith Baker for Eberron. (The guy who actually won the contest fairly and got his campaign published as opposed to just putting a camera on a celebrity playing D&D and feeding Exandria on a silver platter).

I’d have been much more accepting of another Eberron book than another Exandria.

I don’t know that I would refer to Eberron as grassroots, considering the initial submission was just a paragraph he came up with in addition to a lot of others he submitted, which was then fleshed out with an entire team of official WotC designers. But I do agree with wanting more Eberron love for sure
Correction: page not paragraph

 

[ReshiIRE]

I wonder when will this take place during the timeline of Exandria. Post Campaign 2? Will it be written so it avoids most spoilers for the campaigns? Will this tie into the next campaign?

Going to be a fascinating development.