Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting

Summary This book adds a variety of options for both players and Dungeon Masters: The announcement was made by Chris Pramas, president of Green Ronin and Ryan Copple, General Manager of Geek & Sundry, live on the 62nd episode of Uninviting Waters at Gen Con 2016. The hardback edition was released at the next Gen Con on August 17, 2017, while the PDF version was released on July 17, 2017. The book is now out of print. An updated version of the Way of the Cobalt Soul, a monk subclass that first appeared in ''Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, was published in October 2020 on D&D Beyond; however, it is not official play material for Dungeons & Dragons''. == ''Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn'' ==

Contents The book expands on game elements for the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons and revises elements from the previous edition of the book, such as: • Lore and updated information on each region of Tal'Dorei reflecting the twenty year progression of time between Critical Role Campaigns One and Two • Player character options • Four new subclasses: College of Tragedy Bard, Moon Domain Cleric, Circle of the Blighted Druid, and Blood Magic Wizard • Magic items such as the Vestiges of Divergence it was released on January 18, 2022. Aabria Iyengar and John Stavropoulous, along with the cast of Critical Role, also contributed to the sourcebook. In March 2023, Darrington Press announced a new virtual tabletop edition of ''Tal'Dorei Reborn for Roll20 along with releasing the PDF edition on DriveThruRPG. The PDF edition is also available in French. A digital D&D Beyond edition was released in August 2023; this was the first third-party product released for sale on the platform. Linda Codega of Gizmodo'' commented that "it'd make sense that if Beyond is being opened up in a limited capacity, someone as massively intrinsically successful to D&D as a brand like Critical Role comes first. Although there has been no information given about this release, the license used, or how the money will be distributed, it's hard to exactly say whether or not Wizards of the Coast receives a good chunk of change out of its arrival on Beyond". == Related products ==

Critical Role Critical Role is an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons with Mercer as the Dungeon Master and creator of the world Exandria. – specifically, the Dwendalian Empire was inspired by 15th century Russia and Prussia, Xhorhas by 13th-century Romania, and the edges by 14th-century Spain. The 14th version of the ''Adventurers League Player's Guide (March 2024) added Tal'Dorei Reborn (2022) as an option for additional rules in Adventurers League Critical Role'' campaigns. == Reception ==

Awards and nominations First edition The sourcebook was a perennial best-seller for Green Ronin. It was on the "Top 10 Games by Dollars Invoiced" list by Diamond Book Distributors for multiple months such as #1 in December 2018, #1 in January 2019, #9 in April 2019, #5 in August 2019, #6 in September 2019, #1 in December 2019, #1 in January 2020, ''Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting was highlighted in issue 210 of Game Trade Magazine'', a monthly print magazine. The magazine states, "Until now, the wondrous and dangerous lands of Tal'Dorei have been the sole stomping grounds of Critical Role's adventuring company, Vox Machina. But now, you can explore these realms in a tome from the pen of Game Master Matt Mercer [...]. This setting book takes an in-depth look at the history, people, and places of Tal'Dorei, and includes new backgrounds, magic items, and monsters for the Fifth Edition rules". ''Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting was #5 on Game Rant'''s 2021 "Best Third Party Books for D&D 5e, Ranked" list — the article states that "players who've always wanted to meet the same people the Vox Machina have met in their adventures can go to the world of Exandria and make a name of themselves. [...] Any Critical Role fan who always wanted to play in the same world as the Vox Machina had can consider this sourcebook a must-have. [...] Fans of Critical Role will recognize this book as a testament to Mercer's talent as Dungeon Master. Players can look at the famed Vestiges of Divergence or villains such as the cultists of Vecna from the lens of Mercer as a DM. Moreover, the book also serves as a great deep-dive into the homebrew Tal'Dorei setting as a 5e-compatible setting". Second edition Chris King, for Polygon, called the sourcebook "The Silmarillion of campaign settings" and commented that the ''Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn'' is over 150 pages longer than the original edition; it includes updates to various factions in the world along with new threats and organizations. King highlighted the various adventure hooks in each location and the sourcebook's bestiary — "there's plenty available for adventurers of all levels to take on in battle. Challenge ratings go all the way from three up to 27, with the majority settling in around 12-18". Fortune wrote, "rules wise, they are some meaty new character types to play with here, and some interesting takes on magic items that aren't innovative but are nice to have. There's some optional rules for running D&D provided that have been clearly well play-tested and thought out. [...] If you're a fan of the show this is essential. If you're an avid D&D player or DM, this book is also just generally really useful. The last time the team at the Secret Starburst Gaming Thunderdome got this energized by a D&D sourcebook was when the ground-breaking Eberron first came out". Benjamin Abbott, for GamesRadar+, commented that "Tal'Dorei Reborn reminds me of the lavish, encyclopaedic companion books for franchises like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars that I used to obsess over as a kid" and that the book is "littered with interesting adventure hooks that will likely make you want to put your own party together. In fact, reports of what's been going on since Vox Machina hung up their weapons make me wish we had another series focusing on the new status quo". He also wrote that the book is worth purchasing — "even if you're not a huge fan of Critical Role, it'll impress with its skillful worldbuilding and overall design-quality. Indeed, it's rather lavish and looks fantastic. Sure, I enjoyed our last look at the world of Exandria in ''Explorer's Guide to Wildemount''. But this is a step up in many ways, and I'm eager to dig in more". Hoffer wrote that "not only is both the cover art and interior art fantastic, the physical production quality of the tome itself is perhaps the finest I've seen out of any recent non-premium tabletop roleplaying book. [...] More impressively, the book isn't content to rest on the laurels of Vox Machina or make the group too central to the politics and fates of various other factions and groups. Tal'Dorei is a full continent of adventure and new factions, threats, and mysteries have arisen that have nothing to do with Vox Machina, their enemies, or allies. Other factions have taken advantage of the chaos and destabilization left in the wake of Vox Machina's adventures, with the so-called League of Miracles emerging as a mysterious force through their magically accelerated rebuild of Emon and other cities destroyed by the Chroma Conclave". Hoffer highlighted that the book serves as an entry point to the campaign setting "so that players can enjoy a campaign set in the world without watching the 400+ hours of the Vox Machina campaign first"; additionally, player options and lore could be used in other campaign settings "without much retooling. [...] Fans of Critical Role will like this book, but so will D&D players who enjoy good worldbuilding or mythology or are simply looking for a template around which to build their own world." == References ==