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.

 

[Azuresun]

I don't know.... I prefer problematic elements to be errated out than being solved in canon. I'd rather have the curse of strife to be retconned as never existing than being something that will be forever real in the in canon history of the setting... I don't know if this would be "the right way" to do it, but that's what I prefer.

For me, that's a bit of a pity, because "group that has a god acting as an abusive parent and unnaturally forcing them into a mould (but there are in-setting ways for them to break free and many already have)" is a really fascinating fantasy-world concept for me that immediately starts suggesting plot hooks and character concepts.

 

[Bolares]

For me, that's a bit of a pity, because "group that has a god acting as an abusive parent and unnaturally forcing them into a mould (but there are in-setting ways for them to break free and many already have)" is a really fascinating fantasy-world concept for me that immediately starts suggesting plot hooks and character concepts.

I get that, and if that's always the intent I can get with that. But let me give you an example (TW rape and slavery), there is a high profile fantasy RPG here in Brazil called Tormenta. In here, this game is at least as big as D&D. In this game Gods are real and clerics follow the gods alignment or lose their power. There is a Minotaur god named Tauron, who is the god of strenght, Tauron's whole deal is rule of the mighty. The stronger rules over the weak but has to protect them. In this setting all minotaurs are male, and have to mate with females of other races to procriate.

So, as followers of tauron minotaurs are slavers, and the most common mating partners are females slaves. That's a good hook for a villian race you may think... except that, Tauron was never considered by the designers an Evil god. For most of the game's history Tauron was Lawfull Neutral, and so were his slaver and rapist followers. That's really really bad, and some years back they started receinving push back on this. So how they solved it? they created a storyline were Minotaurs began conquering other nations, and only then became villains.

That's horrible to me. They made an excuse for the designers own prejudices in game, and never adressed why they were wrong to make rapists and slavers lawfull neutral. Tormenta was always a cheap game, and a lot of kids first contact with fantasy and RPGs was this game. and for decades that game teached them relativisionist arguments for slavery and rape, and never adressed why that was wrong. The solve was just to give another reason for minotaurs to become villians...

 

[Azuresun]

I get that, and if that's always the intent I can get with that. But let me give you an example (TW rape and slavery),

To me, that reads more as a good reason to jettison alignment, because that's a Dragonlance-level mishandling.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

For me, that's a bit of a pity, because "group that has a god acting as an abusive parent and unnaturally forcing them into a mould (but there are in-setting ways for them to break free and many already have)" is a really fascinating fantasy-world concept for me that immediately starts suggesting plot hooks and character concepts.

I get the feeling that a lot of people on here probably won't get this reference (or maybe you will, IDK), but the handling of goblinkin in Explorer's Guide to Wildemount reminds me a lot of the Gems from Steven Universe:

• Goblinkin/Gems were created in various kinds and instilled with the knowledge to fulfill a role decided for them as part of a caste system. Many Goblinkin/Gems fill the role they were created to play (and many enjoy playing that role, with some taking pride in "knowing their place"), but for whatever reason some individuals within the different kinds find themselves unsatisifed with the role they were created to play (though some at least end up choosing a new role not too dissimilar from the one they were made for).
• Low ranking Goblinkin (goblins)/Gems (rubies) play the role of infantry.
• A higher ranking group of Goblinkin (bugbears)/Gems (amethysts) play the role of warriors with brute strength.
• The highest ranking group of Goblinkin (hobgoblins)/Gems (garnets) were designed to be commanders as well as warriors, with the lesser varieties of Goblinkin/Gems created to serve and obey them.

The caste system for the Gems was eventually dismantled in Steven Universe, though in a spin-off game a number of garnets unwilling to give up their place of power in the hierarchy went rogue. I would imagine that if the Curse of Strife were somehow undone in-setting in the world of Exandria a number of hobgoblins would still try to cling to and enforce it to retain their position over goblins and bugbears.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I get that, and if that's always the intent I can get with that. But let me give you an example (TW rape and slavery), there is a high profile fantasy RPG here in Brazil called Tormenta. In here, this game is at least as big as D&D. In this game Gods are real and clerics follow the gods alignment or lose their power. There is a Minotaur god named Tauron, who is the god of strenght, Tauron's whole deal is rule of the mighty. The stronger rules over the weak but has to protect them. In this setting all minotaurs are male, and have to mate with females of other races to procriate.

So, as followers of tauron minotaurs are slavers, and the most common mating partners are females slaves. That's a good hook for a villian race you may think... except that, Tauron was never considered by the designers an Evil god. For most of the game's history Tauron was Lawfull Neutral, and so were his slaver and rapist followers. That's really really bad, and some years back they started receinving push back on this. So how they solved it? they created a storyline were Minotaurs began conquering other nations, and only then became villains.

That's horrible to me. They made an excuse for the designers own prejudices in game, and never adressed why they were wrong to make rapists and slavers lawfull neutral. Tormenta was always a cheap game, and a lot of kids first contact with fantasy and RPGs was this game. and for decades that game teached them relativisionist arguments for slavery and rape, and never adressed why that was wrong. The solve was just to give another reason for minotaurs to become villians...

I looked it up because I'm curious.... is this Tormenta?

 

[Bolares]

I looked it up because I'm curious.... is this Tormenta?

View attachment 145537

This is one of the iterations of the game yes

 

[Urriak Uruk]

This is one of the iterations of the game yes

Actually looks kind of fun, now that I found their very successful crowdfunding.

Tormenta20

Participe da maior celebração da história do RPG no Brasil!

www-catarse-me.translate.goog

I really should do an article here spotlighting the biggest TTRPGs in other countries, would be a fun project.

 

[Bolares]

Actually looks kind of fun, now that I found their very successful crowdfunding.

Tormenta20

Participe da maior celebração da história do RPG no Brasil!

www-catarse-me.translate.goog

I really should do an article here spotlighting the biggest TTRPGs in other countries, would be a fun project.

View attachment 145539

It was the biggest ttrpg crowdfunding in the country’s hystory. New edition commemorating 20 years of the game