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Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn
Welcome to Tal'Dorei, a fantasy-filled continent brimming with grand tales of heroes and adventure - and eagerly awaiting your own epic stories. Soar on a skyship from the metropolis of Emon to the distant haven of Whitestone, venture into wilderness rife with terrifying monsters and wayward mages, and uncover magic items that range from simple trinkets to the legendary Vestiges of Divergence.
The hit series "Critical Role" first explored this continent through the epic adventures of Vox Machina. Now the world moves on in their wake. This campaign setting is newly revised and expanded to cover the exciting conclusion of the Vox Machina campaign and the characters' lives in the years following. Let your footsteps, too, shape the fate of Tal'Dorei and perhaps the wider world of Exandria.
This definitive, art-filled tome is revised and expanded, containing everything you need to unlock the rich campaign setting of Tal'Dorei and make it your own:
- A guide to each major region, with story hooks to fuel your campaign
- Expanded character options, including 9 subclasses and 5 backgrounds
- Magic items such as the Vestiges of Divergence, legendary artifacts that grow in power with their wielders
- Dozens of creatures, including many featured in the "Critical Role" campaigns
- New lore and updated stat blocks for each member of Vox Machina
The adventure begins. Where will you take it?
The hit series "Critical Role" first explored this continent through the epic adventures of Vox Machina. Now the world moves on in their wake. This campaign setting is newly revised and expanded to cover the exciting conclusion of the Vox Machina campaign and the characters' lives in the years following. Let your footsteps, too, shape the fate of Tal'Dorei and perhaps the wider world of Exandria.
This definitive, art-filled tome is revised and expanded, containing everything you need to unlock the rich campaign setting of Tal'Dorei and make it your own:
- A guide to each major region, with story hooks to fuel your campaign
- Expanded character options, including 9 subclasses and 5 backgrounds
- Magic items such as the Vestiges of Divergence, legendary artifacts that grow in power with their wielders
- Dozens of creatures, including many featured in the "Critical Role" campaigns
- New lore and updated stat blocks for each member of Vox Machina
The adventure begins. Where will you take it?
280 pages, Hardcover
Published January 18, 2022
29 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Mercer
68 books954 followersStoryteller, Voice Over Guy, Dungeon Master, McCree, Cor, Yusuke, Jack Cooper, MacCready, Levi, Chrom, Leon Kennedy, & keeper of the #CriticalRole...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 20, 2022
It's no secret that I'm a fan of Critical Role and Critical Role's RPG sourcebooks in particular. I love the addition of adventure hooks to the place descriptions, as usual their queer rep when it comes to NPCs is on point and particularly refreshing as far as D&D materials are concerned (Wizards of the Coast is getting better about this too, though with less zest and breadth than Critical Role in the Wizards books I've read.....but oh man, some of the fan published and older adventures are a bit rough). Especially in conjunction with watching the Legend of Vox Machina, I'm really pleased with the worldbuilding done in this one towards both positive and negative ripple effects of the major arcs in that campaign. As a massive Exandria Unlimited fan (In many ways my DMing style is a closer fit to Aabria's and I loved her geographic/societal additions to Tal'Dorei) I'm delighted to see her impact reflected here too.
When I DM, I do so in Exandria mainly because, having watched like 600+ hours of Exandria content at this point, I have a pretty deep passive familiarity with the setting and I'm not keen on learning (or, at least at this point, wholly creating) a new setting in as much detail. This book will make that an easy and exciting task. I'm particularly excited because my players are wrapping up their current adventure and will begin next on The Rise of Tiamat, which relies heavily on having a variety of factions with different goals. Tal'Dorei being more council-based than Wildemount makes it easier to transcribe that adventure into Exandria in Tal'Dorei....a task I'm eager to get started on doing, and particularly glad to have this book to aid in.
Two of my players are also Critical Role fans but one definitely hasn't read this (...that one is my wife, so I'm pretty confident on her reading habits, lol) and I don't think the other has. Utilizing some of the newer factions or factions whose status in the world has significantly changed since Critical Role's Campaign 1 from this book will, I anticipate, keep things a good balance of familiar and surprising. This is a book that really gets my imagination going and me excited to DM, which for its genre is the the highest praise I can give.
On a way more minor note, the map they included is also substantially easier to use and store than the one included in Explorer's Guide to Wildemount....sometimes it's the little things that make you happy :P
When I DM, I do so in Exandria mainly because, having watched like 600+ hours of Exandria content at this point, I have a pretty deep passive familiarity with the setting and I'm not keen on learning (or, at least at this point, wholly creating) a new setting in as much detail. This book will make that an easy and exciting task. I'm particularly excited because my players are wrapping up their current adventure and will begin next on The Rise of Tiamat, which relies heavily on having a variety of factions with different goals. Tal'Dorei being more council-based than Wildemount makes it easier to transcribe that adventure into Exandria in Tal'Dorei....a task I'm eager to get started on doing, and particularly glad to have this book to aid in.
Two of my players are also Critical Role fans but one definitely hasn't read this (...that one is my wife, so I'm pretty confident on her reading habits, lol) and I don't think the other has. Utilizing some of the newer factions or factions whose status in the world has significantly changed since Critical Role's Campaign 1 from this book will, I anticipate, keep things a good balance of familiar and surprising. This is a book that really gets my imagination going and me excited to DM, which for its genre is the the highest praise I can give.
On a way more minor note, the map they included is also substantially easier to use and store than the one included in Explorer's Guide to Wildemount....sometimes it's the little things that make you happy :P
October 20, 2022
Can someone ever be “done” with a DnD book? I say no but I have read it once. I will surely read it again. So much information for fans and players alike. I can’t wait to see what Easter eggs show up in the upcoming shows and love the references thus far to past campaigns. Highly recommend!
July 13, 2025
Here are the tools to create your own stories of high adventure throughout Tal'Dorei, complete with hooks to the other lands of Exandria, as well as its history and peoples.
First off, the book is gorgeous. The design and layout are impeccable and, as again, it's full of info. Overviews are given for the major factions, nations, and towns of Tal'Dorei and each region's entry contains plot hooks to not only inspire adventures, but also help reinforce some of the themes of the world's more noteworthy locales. The character options are sparse, but the blood magic mechanics are potentially interesting.
It's true Critical Role fans who may be a bit disappointed, as the book really is meant as a reference for the world of Vox Machina, not a fan service vehicle. So, while fans can check up on the current status of our heroes and there are still plenty of shoutouts to the gang and some of the still visible members, readers who are looking for the "continuing tales of Vox Machina" will need to look elsewhere.
But, for aspiring gamers and story tellers looking for a new campaign setting, regardless of whether you're fans of Critical Role, this book gives you everything you need.
First off, the book is gorgeous. The design and layout are impeccable and, as again, it's full of info. Overviews are given for the major factions, nations, and towns of Tal'Dorei and each region's entry contains plot hooks to not only inspire adventures, but also help reinforce some of the themes of the world's more noteworthy locales. The character options are sparse, but the blood magic mechanics are potentially interesting.
It's true Critical Role fans who may be a bit disappointed, as the book really is meant as a reference for the world of Vox Machina, not a fan service vehicle. So, while fans can check up on the current status of our heroes and there are still plenty of shoutouts to the gang and some of the still visible members, readers who are looking for the "continuing tales of Vox Machina" will need to look elsewhere.
But, for aspiring gamers and story tellers looking for a new campaign setting, regardless of whether you're fans of Critical Role, this book gives you everything you need.
January 28, 2022
It is incredible, So much lore
February 5, 2022
D&D fans. Critical Role fans. Rejoice!
April 26, 2023
Mathew Mercer is an absolute genius! The artwork in this book is beautiful and it's chalk full of lore, knowledge and history that leaves more than enough to expand and make your own campaigns.
July 23, 2023
Inspired by Critical Role? Want to run your own campaign in their world? This is your ticket to Exandria!
This book is a guide to the world of Exandria, specifically Tal' Dorei. It contains a LOT of stuff. There's history, lore, sub-classes, plot-hooks, and, yes, post-epilogue info about Vox Machina. And gorgeous art. This artwork is stunning. I'll go into some of the extensive content here.
If you want to set up shop in this setting, you have all you need here. A detailed map of the Tal' Dorei continent is included in the front, and each area of it has its own section detailing all its stuff. Towns, environments, brief history, persons of interest, plot hooks etc. What I also like about this is how flexible it is. There's a lot of detail but nothing demands a particular direction.
The plot hooks create a general start to the adventure, and they point to a possibility, but it is vague enough for a Game Master to do with it what they want. There is little baggage except for what the Game Master and players sign up for by choosing this campaign setting. Even then, there is advice for making changes, such as considering how the addition of a large city would affect the local area and its history.
The sub-classes sound like fun. Barbarian-Juggernaut especially sounds like fun to play: position control against a single large enemy, charging through smaller mobs, and breaking through structures (both in and out of combat; There Was a Door).
The Vestiges of Divergence are here, both those from Critical Role campaign 1 and some others. I like the guidance given on how to unlock them as the campaign goes on. It is incentive to be invested in the character and to role-play, while also not being strict about how it has to happen, no alignment-straitjacket style thing.
Vox Machina info is everywhere, but it is well integrated. Each member has their own section at the end of the book with their post epilogue activities and a stream-lined character sheet, but they are not confined there. They are included as relevant:
Keyleth is in the section for the Air Ashari, being their Voice of the Tempest and leading them into a new era; Percy and Vex are in Whitestone, tinkering and leading the Grey Hunt. respectively. There's a footnote about how the group started in the wretched hive of Stillben, etc.
Art is gorgeous. The map of the setting, the illustrations of characters and places, the full page spread of the WildMother and the LawBearer with the backdrop of their respective divine domains....Whatever Critical Role Studios/Darrington Press paid the illustrators; the result was worth every cent.
Trickster Eric Noves gives Tal-Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn an A+
This book is a guide to the world of Exandria, specifically Tal' Dorei. It contains a LOT of stuff. There's history, lore, sub-classes, plot-hooks, and, yes, post-epilogue info about Vox Machina. And gorgeous art. This artwork is stunning. I'll go into some of the extensive content here.
If you want to set up shop in this setting, you have all you need here. A detailed map of the Tal' Dorei continent is included in the front, and each area of it has its own section detailing all its stuff. Towns, environments, brief history, persons of interest, plot hooks etc. What I also like about this is how flexible it is. There's a lot of detail but nothing demands a particular direction.
The plot hooks create a general start to the adventure, and they point to a possibility, but it is vague enough for a Game Master to do with it what they want. There is little baggage except for what the Game Master and players sign up for by choosing this campaign setting. Even then, there is advice for making changes, such as considering how the addition of a large city would affect the local area and its history.
The sub-classes sound like fun. Barbarian-Juggernaut especially sounds like fun to play: position control against a single large enemy, charging through smaller mobs, and breaking through structures (both in and out of combat; There Was a Door).
The Vestiges of Divergence are here, both those from Critical Role campaign 1 and some others. I like the guidance given on how to unlock them as the campaign goes on. It is incentive to be invested in the character and to role-play, while also not being strict about how it has to happen, no alignment-straitjacket style thing.
Vox Machina info is everywhere, but it is well integrated. Each member has their own section at the end of the book with their post epilogue activities and a stream-lined character sheet, but they are not confined there. They are included as relevant:
Keyleth is in the section for the Air Ashari, being their Voice of the Tempest and leading them into a new era; Percy and Vex are in Whitestone, tinkering and leading the Grey Hunt. respectively. There's a footnote about how the group started in the wretched hive of Stillben, etc.
Art is gorgeous. The map of the setting, the illustrations of characters and places, the full page spread of the WildMother and the LawBearer with the backdrop of their respective divine domains....Whatever Critical Role Studios/Darrington Press paid the illustrators; the result was worth every cent.
Trickster Eric Noves gives Tal-Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn an A+
August 13, 2023
About 30 years after Vox Machina made their mark upon the world, the planet of Exandria continues to spin and the continent Tal'Dorei flourishes - or decays? You decide! This book contains all you need to know about Tal'Dorei and its many peoples and places, so you too can run a game in Vox Machina's footsteps, without having to take a million notes from the series.
If you haven't watched Critical Role, I can't vouch for how much you'll get out of this book. Please find another review by someone who isn't a fan of the show to aid you. However, if you, like me, enjoy the show and want to try your hands at a oneshot or campaign in the Tal'Dorei setting, this is an excellent book!
Other than the fun of reading about what's happened to your favorite (or most despised) characters from the show over the 30 years that have passed, it's an uncomplicated but interesting read for its varied settings and histories. The new classes and sub-classes are easy to work with - I've got a fairly newbie player who's started a level 15 Runechild Sorcerer character without issue - and there are a ton of intriguing plot hooks and items to add to your games. Highly recommended!
Also, I saw that Junji Ito reference (This Hole Was Made For Me), good work there team XD
If you haven't watched Critical Role, I can't vouch for how much you'll get out of this book. Please find another review by someone who isn't a fan of the show to aid you. However, if you, like me, enjoy the show and want to try your hands at a oneshot or campaign in the Tal'Dorei setting, this is an excellent book!
Other than the fun of reading about what's happened to your favorite (or most despised) characters from the show over the 30 years that have passed, it's an uncomplicated but interesting read for its varied settings and histories. The new classes and sub-classes are easy to work with - I've got a fairly newbie player who's started a level 15 Runechild Sorcerer character without issue - and there are a ton of intriguing plot hooks and items to add to your games. Highly recommended!
Also, I saw that Junji Ito reference (This Hole Was Made For Me), good work there team XD
February 21, 2023
A must-buy for fans of Critical Role, ESPECIALLY of Vox Machina content (Campaign 1 and The Legend of Vox Machina).
Even for those who have not watched Critical Role (I do not blame you; it is literally THOUSANDS of hours of content), this is a rich resource for players of Dungeons & Dragons 5e (and even for those who do not play in that system, its stat blocks can be edited, and the world it details is fleshed out enough to be ready for use immediately yet has enough left unsaid to open the door for many versions of Exandria).
My one complaint pertains to the tagging of certain content. While the book smartly marks some content (i.e: the Iron Authority, which uses a species-based authoritarian hierarchy and engages in slavery) as not appropriate for all campaigns and emphasizes the importance of "above the table" out-of-character conversations about whether the group wants to use such sensitive subjects, the Bard subclass College of Tragedy is not clearly demarcated as a "joke class." (I love it and want to use it, but for the sake of new Game Masters or even new players, I feel like a quick section about how to talk to your Game Master about using Homebrew classes/subclasses, especially ones with a tonal bend in a non-serious direction would go a long way.)
Even for those who have not watched Critical Role (I do not blame you; it is literally THOUSANDS of hours of content), this is a rich resource for players of Dungeons & Dragons 5e (and even for those who do not play in that system, its stat blocks can be edited, and the world it details is fleshed out enough to be ready for use immediately yet has enough left unsaid to open the door for many versions of Exandria).
My one complaint pertains to the tagging of certain content. While the book smartly marks some content (i.e: the Iron Authority, which uses a species-based authoritarian hierarchy and engages in slavery) as not appropriate for all campaigns and emphasizes the importance of "above the table" out-of-character conversations about whether the group wants to use such sensitive subjects, the Bard subclass College of Tragedy is not clearly demarcated as a "joke class." (I love it and want to use it, but for the sake of new Game Masters or even new players, I feel like a quick section about how to talk to your Game Master about using Homebrew classes/subclasses, especially ones with a tonal bend in a non-serious direction would go a long way.)
February 19, 2022
Had the Green Ronin original. Got the Beadles and Grim special edition because I'm an adult with more disposable income than sense, and I love this place. Been watching CR since campaign 1 and seeing the world constantly evolving and growing as they go makes me happy.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews