Wildemount is officially joining Dungeons and Dragons canon. Wizards of the Coast announced on Monday that it teamed up with Critical Role Chief Creative Officer and Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer for Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, the official guide to the continent explored in the second Critical Role campaign. With Mercer as lead writer, the book includes subclasses, magic items, and more.
“I’m sincerely so honored and excited to be working directly with Chris Perkins and this team of talented D&D writers and designers to bring this book to not just our community, but to D&D players everywhere,” Mercer said in a statement. “Dungeons & Dragons has had such a massive, positive impact on nearly my entire life, and I am ever inspired by the endless creativity I see it spark in so many others across the world. To have been able to work with Wizards of the Coast to bring my world to life as an official campaign book is nothing short of surreal. I can’t wait to see what other DMs and players create within my world to make it their own!”
Critical Role, a liveplay D&D show starring prominent voice actors including Laura Bailey, Marisha Ray, and Sam Riegel, first debuted in March 2015. Five years later, the series has amassed a massive fandom of “Critters” who have reinvigorated interest in the tabletop roleplay game and turned Critical Role into an international sensation.
“Critical Role is a great example of why Dungeons & Dragons has been popular for over 45 years: a group of friends getting together, telling stories, and making each other laugh. In this case, the friends are talented performers playing live on camera, but the fun’s the same. We’re thrilled D&D fans and Critters alike can now enjoy playing in Matt’s world, as brought to fifth edition in this lovingly-crafted book,” said Nathan Stewart, VP of Franchise for Dungeons & Dragons, in a statement.
Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount is a 304-page campaign book with introductory adventures and plots based on the Exandrian continent, as well as the new heroic chronicle system, new character options like the Echo Knight fighter subclass, spells of dunamancy, new monsters, and more. As lead writer for the book, Mercer also imbued the guide with secrets for DMs and players to discover for the first time.
Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount is slated to hit shelves on March 17, 2020 and is currently available for pre-order. To learn more, visit dungeonsanddragons.com. You can catch new episodes of Critical Role on YouTube.
