Dungeons and Dragons' First Book of 2020 Focuses on Critical Role

Dungeons and Dragons are getting a new book this year revolving around Critical Role’s second campaign in Wildemount. A post on Amazon leaked Wizards of the Coast is releasing Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount in March.

The adventure guide was posted one day ahead of when it was officially meant to be up. Dungeons and Dragons and Wizards of the Coast teased they were going to announce the book January 9, but pushed it back to January 13 instead. While it doesn’t reveal a cover or any pages from the book, there are a lot of details about what players can expect.

Created by dungeon master and voice actor Matthew Mercer, the campaign setting focuses on a war surrounded by two nations: the Dwendalian Empire and the Kyrn Dynasty. It will include brand new subclasses, spells, magic items, and monsters featured in Critical Role.

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.”

This is the first official book from Wizards of the Coast that features the setting from Critical Role. Events from the first campaign were teased in Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, so the world of Exandria is canon in D&D lore.

 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.”

One of the new character options might be Matt’s homebrew for the monk called the Way of the Cobalt Soul. Monks who follow this order focus on gaining knowledge or finding secrets to weaken their opponents.

For folks asking, this is the update to the Way of the Cobalt Soul monk currently instituted for Beau, and others who wish to use it! You are welcome to use older versions, but this update is crafted based on our own discussions & player feedback:

— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) March 12, 2019

While two new magical items will possibly be beacons or dodecahedrons. These are small d20 shaped objects of immense power that give the user a fragment of possibility. It gives players the opportunity to reroll any d20 roll. Another item could be the Archmage Bane otherwise known as the Heirloom Sphere or the happy fun ball.

This is also not the first campaign setting to feature Critical Role. The Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting was published by Green Ronin in 2017 and featured events played out in the first campaign of the show.

Critical Role streams Thursday nights on Twitch and follows the adventures of the Mighty Nein as they get caught up in the conflict of the war.

Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount will release on March 17.