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.

 

[Seramus]

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...

Exandria has never been a "unique" setting. Instead, it takes some of the coolest elements of other settings and puts them in one place.

It has the Dawn War, the Ring of Siberys, the crashed ruins of Netheril, airships, a savage land full of dinosaurs, a dragon rage, etc.

 

[FrozenNorth]

So, yes, it's pretty standard, but it does have quite a few things about it that none of the other official 5e settings have going for them.

One other element that the Wildemount setting book had that I haven’t seen in other setting books: every new locations had a handful of adventure hooks specific to the location. I found this super useful!

 

[Seramus]

That's exactly why it's problematic - because some real world groups have been described as being effectively cursed by god and beyond saving, excusing all sorts of atrocities against them.

Curse of Strife is interesting. The goblins are not inherently evil, but they have a jerk whispering in their ear from Day 1.

This makes it like being raised by narcissistic/abusive parents, or raised in a cult, or like Menzo Drow. Everything they've been taught is wrong.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Theros kind of does with its piety system...

I would like a more general use setting agnostic variant for another book ideally.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

One other element that the Wildemount setting book had that I haven’t seen in other setting books: every new locations had a handful of adventure hooks specific to the location. I found this super useful!

Yes, this! Its Gazetteer section is the best in any D&D 5e setting book to date! The Heroic Chronicle is also super useful!

 

[This Effin’ GM]

One other element that the Wildemount setting book had that I haven’t seen in other setting books: every new locations had a handful of adventure hooks specific to the location. I found this super useful!

This impressed me about the Tal’Dorei setting as well. Very good stuff. Information about a setting is nice. Actionable information about a setting? chefs kiss

 

[This Effin’ GM]

This impressed me about the Tal’Dorei setting as well. Very good stuff. Information about a setting is nice. Actionable information about a setting? chefs kiss

On this note one of my favorite things to do when I see things like this is to see if there is a hidden full length campaign. Like Eberron 4e book, which if you read close enough to different hooks, you see many of them are connected and it all implies not only what happened to the mournland but also what a game dealing with that might look like. Fun stuff.

 

[thom_likes_gaming]

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

Get it from somewhere else? FLGS? CR shop might have it too?

 

[This Effin’ GM]

Get it from somewhere else? FLGS? CR shop might have it too?

I personally am holding out until I see if there is an alternate cover offered, but all of these are great options for purchasing!

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Exandria wasn't published to bring a new game style to D&D, it was published because Critical Role became an unexpected and huge success, and the world of Exandria now has fans.

I'll be clear, I already know this. I personally feel that setting books published by the WotC team should be pushing the envelop a lot more than Wildemount does. I absolutely understand that Exandria has its fans and that the book is very successful, as will this one. However, in the context of more recent setting books like Theros and Ravenloft, the book is a lot less innovative or generally useful in campaigns outside Exandria, so IMO the product is not as good.

We're all entitled to our own opinion of course, and I don't think Wildemount is a bad product. Just not as good as others being released in the same timeframe.