These pages chronicle how a circle of friends who all happen to be talented voice actors built the most-watched tabletop role-playing livestream of all time.Discover dazzling new illustrations and richly written insights into the locations, characters, and adventures featured in the hundreds of episodes across Critical Role’s two campaigns, Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein. Go behind the scenes with archival photos and exclusive interviews with Dungeon Master Matt Mercer and the entire Critical Role cast as they explore their characters’ most triumphant moments and darkest hours. And celebrate the massive community of Critters who support and expand the show’s world through a highlighted tour of the crafts, cosplay, and art they create every day. Featuring a foreword from the cast, lush illustrations, and the inside story you won’t find anywhere else, this book is your indispensable guide to Critical Role. The adventure begins!

    The celebrated series Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins returns in this stunning hardcover edition! Fans of the series won't want to miss this beautiful collection.What do a flirtatious bard, a clueless barbarian, a na�ve druid, and a pair of stealthy twins all have in common? They're not sure either, but one day they'll become the heroes known as Vox Machina! Follow the main characters from the smash-hit series Critical Role as they team up for the first time, facing cults and curses in the revelation of their origins and the path that will lead them to glory...eventually.Collects Vox Machina Origins I and II in a gorgeous new Hardcover with never before seen artwork!

    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.Create a band of heroes and embark on a journey across the continent of Wildemount, the setting for Campaign 2 of the hit Dungeons & Dragons series Critical Role. 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...- Delve through the first Dungeons & Dragons book to let players experience the game as played within the world of Critical Role, the world's most popular livestreaming D&D show.- Uncover a trove of options usable in any D&D game, featuring subclasses, spells, magic items, monsters, and more, rooted in the adventures of Exandria--such as Vestiges of Divergence and the possibility manipulating magic of Dunamancy.- Start a Dungeons & Dragons campaign in any of Wildemount's regions using a variety of introductory adventures, dozens of regional plot seeds, and the heroic chronicle system--a way to create character backstories rooted in Wildemount.Explore every corner of Wildemount and discover mysteries revealed for the first time by Critical Role Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer.

    Her enemies wouldn't want these treasured secrets scattered across the multiverse, so in defiance, she has collected and codified these tidbits for the enrichment of all.EXPANDED SUBCLASSES. Try out subclass options for every Dungeons & Dragons class, including the artificer, which appears in the book.MORE CHARACTER OPTIONS. Tasha's Cauldron of Everything introduces a host of class features and feats, plus straightforward rules for modifying a character's racial traits and customizing their origin.INTRODUCING GROUP PATRONS. Whether you're part of the same criminal syndicate or working for an ancient dragon, each group patron option comes with its own perks and types of assignments.SPELLS, ARTIFACTS & MAGIC TATTOOS. Discover more spells, as well as magic tattoos, artifacts, and other magic items for your campaign.EXPANDED RULES OPTIONS. Try out rules for sidekicks, supernatural environments, natural hazards, and parleying with monsters, and gain guidance on running a session zero.A PLETHORA OF PUZZLES. Ready to be dropped into any D&D adventure, puzzles of varied difficulty await your adventurers, complete with traps and guidance on using the puzzles in a campaign.Full of expanded content for players and Dungeon Masters alike, this book is a great addition to the Player's Handbook. Baked in you'll find more rule options for all the character classes in the Player's Handbook, including more subclass options. Thrown in for good measure is the artificer class, a master of magical invention. And this witch's brew wouldn't be complete without a dash of added artifacts, spellbook options, spells for both player characters and monsters, magical tattoos, group patrons, and other tasty goodies.

    With this book, you can prepare dishes delicate enough to dine like elves and their drow cousins or hearty enough to feast like a dwarven clan or an orcish horde. All eighty dishes—developed by a professional chef—are delicious, easy to prepare, and composed of wholesome ingredients readily found in our world.Heroes’ Feast includes recipes for snacking, such as Elven Bread, Iron Rations, savory Hand Pies, and Orc Bacon, as well as hearty vegetarian, meaty, and fish mains, such as Amphail Braised Beef, Hommlet Golden Brown Roasted Turkey, Drow Mushroom Steaks, and Pan-Fried Knucklehead Trout—all which pair perfectly with a side of Otik’s famous fried spiced potatoes. There are also featured desserts and cocktails—such as Heartlands Rose Apple and Blackberry Pie, Trolltide Candied Apples, Evermead, Potion of Restoration, and Goodberry Blend—and everything in between, to satisfy a craving for any adventure.

    Beyond this yawning fissure, the Caves of Hunger await. And past this icy dungeon is a secret so old and terrifying that few dare speak of it. The mad wizards of the Arcane Brotherhood long to possess that which the god of winter’s wrath has so coldly preserved—as do you! What fantastic secrets and treasures are entombed in the sunless heart of the glacier, and what will their discovery mean for the denizens of Icewind Dale? Can you save Ten-Towns from the Frostmaiden’s everlasting night?Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is a tale of dark terror that revisits the forlorn, flickering candlelights of civilization known as Ten-Towns and sheds light on the many bone-chilling locations that surround these frontier settlements.

    From the temples of omen-speaking oracles to the five realms of the Underworld, the champions of the gods vie for immortal favor and a place among the world’s living myths.Choose a supernatural gift that sets you on the path of destiny, align yourself with one of Theros’s fifteen gods, then carve a tale of odysseys and ordeals across the domains of mortals, gods, and the dead.What legends will you challenge—mighty heroes, inevitable prophecies, or titans imprisoned by the gods? Where will destiny and immortal schemes lead you? And what tales will you leave behind, celebrated in the pantheon of myths and writ among the eternal stars? Receive a supernatural gift from the gods, a set of special traits that mark your character for greatness. Select one of the new races for your character—such mythic peoples as the leonin or a satyr. New subclasses include the Bard’s College of Eloquence, masters of oratory; and the Paladin’s Oath of Glory, an affirmation of destiny laid out for you by divine providence. Encounter mythic monsters, creatures whose power and renown are such that their names are truly living myths. More than simply legendary, these creatures have abilities that will create a challenge fit for the gods. Wield god-weapons, signature items of the gods that allow your character to stand apart from other heroes. These can be a gift from your deity or perhaps you boldly stole it from them in a bid for ultimate power.

    Examining combat roles, class features, party composition, positioning, debilitating conditions, attacking combinations, action economy, and the ever-important consideration of the best ways to run away, Live to Tell the Tale will help you get the most out of your character’s abilities.

    Featuring easy-to-follow and entertaining explanations of how spells are created and used in the game, along with original illustrations of the game's essential magical characters, this book shines a spotlight on the mystical side of D&D.The perfect jumping-on point for young fans of fantasy looking to give D&D a try, Wizards and Spells also features prompts to encourage creative problem-solving skills in the dangerous situations that may be encountered in a Dungeons & Dragons adventure.

    This guide features easy-to-follow and entertaining explanations of where to find each beast, their strange abilities and magical powers, and how to defeat them, along with amazing illustrations that will ignite your imagination. Organized by size from small to large, bigger and more dangerous monsters are introduced with every turn of the page.Beasts & Behemoths is a perfect way for new players and young fantasy fans to learn about the monsters an adventuring party can meet, with profiles full of example encounters and storytelling tips that encourage creative problem-solving skills when battling beastly foes.

    Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind's howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia.Far below, yet not beyond his keen eyesight, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd's face forms the barest hint of a smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they came--all according to his plan.A lightning flash rips through the darkness, but Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind fills the midnight air. The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited.Resting in this coffin is a premium edition of the award-winning Dungeons & Dragons adventure book Curse of Strahd, one of the most beloved D&D adventures of all time.Curse of Strahd: Revamped splits the adventure into three parts--a softcover D&D adventure book with updated content, a Creatures of Horror booklet detailing monsters and NPCs appearing in the adventure, and a Tarokka Deck bookletLearn what fortunes await you with an oversized 54-card foil stamped Tarokka deck with storage boxUse a sturdy, four-panel DM screen designed especially for this adventure with tables outlining encounters in Barovia, the Barovian calendar, a guide to reading Tarokka cards, and more.Navigate Barovia and Castle Ravenloft with a 21 x 30 double-sided map and give players 4 handouts from the original adventure as they unravel the mysteries of Ravenloft.Invite friends to the table with 12 postcards featuring beautifully eerie art of locations across Barovia.Here lies: Softcover Curse of Strahd D&D adventure book, Curse of Strahd DM screen, 1 oversized Tarokka deck (54 cards) and card box, Tarokka deck-reading booklet, Monsters & NPCs booklet, Strahd stat block sheet, 2-sided fold-out map, 4 handouts, 12 postcards

    The reader gets to decide which way to go and how to explore, with hundreds of different paths through the story. On some paths you'll find untold riches, ancient artifacts, strange creatures or secret passages, on others, you'll barely make it out alive (or die horribly.)

    Long before the dreaded Demogorgon took one of them to the Upside Down, watch Mike, Lucas, and Will bond with Dustin for the first time over the game that would define their childhood. See the party come together as a team through communal stories and perilous quests to learn important lessons about friendship and find the courage to stand up to the bullies that challenge their everyday. D&D and Stranger Things together in comics! Comics/gaming powerhouse writers join forces!

    The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters provides an unbeatable solution. This massive tome is divided into location categories, each of which can stand alone as a small stop as part of a larger campaign. “Taverns, Inns, Shops & Guild Halls” section includes maps for 19 unique spaces, as well as multiple encounter tables designed to help GMs fill in the sights, sounds, smells and proprietors of a given location, allowing for each location in the book to be augmented and populated on the fly while still ensuring memorable moments for all players. Each map is presented at scale on grid, enabling GMs to determine exactly where all of the characters are in relation to one another and anyone (or anything) else in the space, critical information should any combat or other movement-based action occur.Perhaps more useful than its nearly 100 maps, the book's one-shot generator features all the story hooks necessary for GMs to use these maps as part of an interconnected and contained adventure. Featuring eight unique campaign drivers that lead players through several of the book's provided maps, the random tables associated with each stage in the adventure allow for nearly three million different outcomes.The book also includes a Random NPC Generator to help you create intriguing characters your players will love (or love to hate), as well as a Party Makeup Maker for establishing connections among your PCs so you can weave together a disparate group of adventurers with just a few dice rolls.Locations include taverns, temples, inns, animal/creature lairs, gatehouses, courts, ships, laboratories and more, with adventure hooks that run the gamut from frantic rooftop chases to deep cellar dungeon-crawls, with a total of 97 maps, more than 150 tables and millions of possible adventures. No matter where your players end up, they'll have someone or something to persuade or deceive, impress or destroy.

    Immerse yourself in the fantastic world of Dungeons & Dragons! This collection introduces young fans to some of the exciting characters, locations, creatures, and magical elements useful for creating your own epic, adventure-filled D&D tales. Monsters & Creatures shines its torchlight on the beasts that haunt, hunt, and horrify adventurers—from deep underground caverns to wild forests, rocky mountains, and the soaring skies above. Imagine the hero you want to be with guidance from Warriors & Weapons, and equip it with the weaponry, armor, clothing, and equipment that’s essential for adventuring—whether you plan to embark on your own or take up a quest with friends. Dungeons & Tombs illuminates the dark and foreboding corners of the most infamous locations in the worlds of D&D, with tips and tricks to help you survive the dungeons, deathtraps, and dangerous situations you’ll encounter in those places. Explore magic in D&D with Wizards & Spells, an introduction to some of the wizards, sorcerers, and enchanted beings that you may encounter on your adventures. Learn about the magic abilities that make them special and decide if you want your own D&D character to have the power to cast spells.

    All about adventure gaming, you know, that niche of tabletop roleplaying games that’s also called OSR. KNOCK! is not the kind of magazine you flip through and throw in the recycling bin. It will set up shop on your bookshelf, between your collectible AD&D books and your favourite old school rulesets. It’ll take quite a few sittings by the fire with your drink of choice to go through. And years from now, you’ll pull it up for inspiration when prepping a game.

    Claims that playing an elf in Dungeons and Dragons could lead to demonic possession, that playing heavy metal music backwards would reveal satanic messages, and that therapists could uncover repressed memories of satanic ritual abuse, were all too common. Volumes and volumes of material were produced on this fake subject. These texts leads to What Hell May Come which takes a look at what the world would actually be like if all of the claims of the satanic panic were true.Set in 1986, Jon St. Fond’s life is a living Hell. Deliberately abused and neglected by his parents, the only joy he has in life is an escape into a fantasy land of role playing games. He discovers that his parents are part of a secret occult religion with hidden ties all across the world. Jon soon learns there is method behind the madness of his life, as his Father begins to bring him closer and closer into the ways of the cult. Ultimately, Jon must make a choice between all the pleasures of the earth and the future of his soul.

    

    Why? What’s the significance of the cargo or the destination? Nobody knows—but don’t get in its way!Like a hermit crab seeking out empty shells, the kalyptein crab makes its home in ancient devices. It often gains unexpected and powerful abilities from its dwelling, making it an unpredictable foe.The silvery liquid namnesis communicates by swapping memories—literally stealing those of its target while implanting its own startling thoughts. It changes form rapidly, even splitting into multiple attackers, and can sometimes steal a character’s abilities to use against them. . . .Add an element of the truly unexpected to your Fifth Edition game with this fantastic assortment of science-fantasy creatures born in the Ninth World—the award-winning, critically acclaimed setting created by legendary game designer Monte Cook.Beasts of Flesh and Steel contains:140 fascinating, dangerous new monsters that bring a science-fantasy element to your encounters. Beware the carnivorous color, a predator unlike anything from our dimension; the awakened ruin that breaks from its original location to prowl the landscape; and the shadowy clicker, which hunts any creature that makes sound.CRs ranging from 1 to 25—so you always have loads of challenges for parties at every level.Stunning artwork that shows off each of these weird and wondrous creatures, and a convenient layout that makes this book uniquely easy to use in prep and at the game table.A complete bestiary with everything you need to bring these monsters to your game table. These creatures complement Arcana of the Ancients, but you don’t need that book to use this one. Add these creatures to any 5e game!

    In their new world, they built a lavish manor for themselves, the fabulous Castle Amber. For a time, the Ambers flourished, their magical and military might having little equal. Then, however, jealousy and murder struck the heart of the family and the Curse of Stephen Amber descended upon the castle like a fell and heavy hand. Now, the Ambers dwell beyond space and time, imprisoned with their monstrously transformed servants and suffering under the family’s dead patriarch’s death-sent doom.It is into this mad manor that the party awakens, plucked from their home world and imprisoned in the heart of Castle Amber. To escape, the heroes must negotiate a path through the insane Amber family home, overcoming the clan’s machinations, dangerous servants, cunning traps, and bizarre phenomena. Only by finding a way to break the Curse of Stephen Amber will the party be able to return home. Failure means a lifetime of imprisonment in Castle Amber, a place where lifetimes can be very short indeed…This adventure is an homage to the original module X2: Castle Amber, written by beloved game designer Tom Moldvay in 1981 and partially inspired by the writings of acclaimed weird fiction author Clark Ashton Smith. Herein you will find high-quality scans of the original first edition adventure module, plus commentary by renowned contemporary game designers and writers. A full fifth edition conversion of the original adventure is included, as well as brand new additional adventure encounters and an expanded Castle Amber. This is the perfect old-school “funhouse dungeon” given new life for the fifth edition era. Won’t you please come in?

    Delina, Shandie, and Krydle fight to hold back the hordes of devils attacking Elturel while Minsc and Nerys struggle to survive the Blood War raging below! Souls and sanity are set to crumble as the Infernal Tides roll in!

    . .In the misty recesses of time, before the kingdoms and lands you know—before the elder elves, the dwarven ancestral lords, and even the dragons—civilizations undreamt of rose and fell. They built citadels of metal, glass, and light. They crafted wonders and harnessed energies we can only guess at. The remnants of their incredible creations now lay hidden away in the deepest recesses of the world. Those few learned folk who even know about them have a name for these places, objects, and even creatures. They call them the . . .ARCANA OF THE ANCIENTSSince the very early days of tabletop RPGs, gamers have experimented with mixing a bit of science fiction into their fantasy. From Empire of the Petal Throne to Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, early adventurers into the realm of RPGs saw the amazing promise that mysterious and weird science-fantasy elements could add to their fantasy campaigns.Nowadays, who knows science-fantasy better than Monte Cook Games?Arcana of the Ancients brings the wonders of mysterious technology and weird science-fantasy elements to your fantasy campaigns. Designed by fantasy masters Monte Cook, Bruce R. Cordell, and Sean K. Reynolds, this gorgeously illustrated sourcebook gives you everything you need to add a whole new element to your Fifth Edition game.Arcana of the Ancients includes:Hundreds of cyphers, artifacts, and other items that incorporate science-fantasy technology.Over 50 science-fantasy creatures, each with awe-inspiring artwork and complete 5e stat blocks.Pages of GM advice and guidelines for adding science fantasy concepts to any existing fantasy campaign—or building a brand new science fantasy campaign from the ground up.The Hills of Crooked Sleep, a hefty adventure you can insert into your campaign right now to introduce ancient civilizations, weird technology, and new strange creatures. Plus additional full-length adventures!An introduction by Jim Davis and Jonathan Pruitt of Web DM.

    An entire city sent sliding into Hell, and the Baldur’s Gate heroes are trapped along for the ride! With infernal devils attacking from every side and no way home, how will our heroes survive? Infernal Tides continues the D&D comic odyssey written by Jim Zub (D&D: Legends of Baldur’s Gate, D&D: Shadow of the Vampire, Avengers) with artwork by Max Dunbar (Avengers, D&D: Legends of Baldur’s Gate)!

    If Minsc and his companions can’t unravel its secrets in time, thousands of innocent souls will be lost, including their own!

    Remarkable Shops & Their Wares is the ultimate inspirational sourcebook to create and roleplay fantastical shops. From numerous shop types and wares to unique shopkeepers, currencies, items, exotic mounts, and crafting custom wares. You can even let your players build and operate a store. With dozens of random generation tables, roleplaying game masters can now construct the most detailed shops ever to grace a fantasy world…This book is largely system-neutral and easily adaptable to any tabletop roleplaying game. Some items include minor mechanics/suggested rules, which are super easy to convert to your rule system of choice. Within the 112 richly illustrated pages you will find endless inspiration to bring fantasy shops to life in your D&D, Pathfinder or other campaign world. Many hundreds of random table entries help add immersive details, color, atmosphere, features, story and gameplay to your shop visits. The eight pre-written shops come complete with staff and other npcs, items and story hooks, ready to become mainstays in your fantasy world. Your players will enjoy discovering the weird and wonderful items that are on sale, and the memorable mannerisms of the shopkeepers.

    Eight times the people of this planet, over vast millennia, built their civilizations, reaching heights we cannot even fully imagine now. They spoke to the stars, reshaped the creatures of the world, and mastered form and essence. They built cities and machines that have since crumbled to dust, leaving only their barest remnants.This is the Ninth World. The people of the prior worlds are gone—scattered, disappeared, or transcended. But their works remain, in the places and devices that still contain some germ of their original function. To the ignorant, these workings of the ancients are magic. But the wise know differently …The Ninth World is the setting of Monte Cook’s multiple-award-winning Numenera RPG. Beneath the Monolith brings this critically acclaimed world to 5e. Explore the ruins of incomprehensible civilizations. Discover the numenera, ancient technologies so advanced that most people think they’re just magic. Encounter creatures weird, fierce, and dangerous. Open doors to new worlds and alternate dimensions. And, perhaps, unlock some of the mysteries of the prior worlds.Beneath the Monolith brings the wondrous Ninth World your Fifth Edition game.Arcana of the Ancients will help you get the most of this book. It contains loads of cyphers, artifacts, creatures, and additional content that brings a Ninth World campaign to life, along with great advice and information on running weird science-fantasy games in 5e.

    but did you know you aren't making them up. Those characters exist, they live, love and have families. This is the story of one such character, the first to write her story down. Kaylin is a standard wood living elf, nothing out of the ordinary until she is chosen.

    Drow eyes turn to the surface.This book contains a mega-adventure and setting, taking characters across the surface and into the depths of the world. Adventurers will meet unique denizens, battle horrors of the Underworld, explore epic locations, and fight to stop the rise of the drow.COLLECTOR’S EDITION HARDCOVER+PDFDnD Drow 5E Underdark Adventure & Setting544 pagesUnderworld Adventure & SettingLevels 1-15 (16-20 with exploration)Award nominated5-stars!Soft touch coverFoil on cover & spinePurple sewn head/tail bandsPurple metallic endpapersTwo ribbon bookmarks, silver & purpleHighest quality ink & paperLimited print, collector’s edition