Call of The Netherdeep Review

The newest adventure module published by Dungeons & Dragons, Call of The Netherdeep is here and this could change the way adventure modules are written in future publications! I’ve been running 5e since The Rise of Tiamat (2014) so I can tell you right off the bat; this is unlike any other adventure I’ve run. 

For new and old dungeon masters alike, this is the best adventure module in publication! If you are looking for an amazing story to run, whether you like to homebrew or not, this is the one for you.

But what makes a good D&D adventure module?

An adventure module is a guide for the DM on how to manage player knowledge and activities within a specific story, so a good one should do just that! 

I have tried my hand at many adventure modules and many of them simply didn’t have what I wanted so I ended up homebrewing around the story outline. What was I looking for, you ask?

When I am looking for a module to run, I check to see if it has the following:

A great story

Seems obvious but if the story is too convoluted or just seems too linear or cliche, then I’m sure my players would find it dull.

A living World

The world doesn’t stop moving while we follow the story of our adventurers, so there should always be something going on in the background that affects our heroes.

Flavor Text & Images

I love writing my own flavor text (descriptions of a scene) but it’s always nice to have a strong starting point, so pictures of locations/creatures/npcs are perfect!

Breathing Room

An adventure module is meant to be ran in a specific order but sometimes the players make wild choices and that can “derail” an adventure, so I always make sure that the story pieces can be moved around.

Structure

Breathing room is essential but so is the story structure. If you gave me a book full of notes and told me it’s a novel, I would call you a liar.

Roleplaying & Combat

Every D&D group is different, some want a brutal dungeon crawl with impossible enemies and some want to root out corruption or solve a mystery, some want both! I want to make sure there is a nice balance of combat and RP for my group.

Facts about Call of The Netherdeep

The Call of The Netherdeep adventure makes up 167 pages of this 224 page book, there are a total of 7 chapters that take characters from levels 3 to 13. This “quest from the gods” dives deeper into the world of Exandria and its lore, spanning 2 continents and 2 planes.

There are 24 new creature stat-blocks (excluding the Rivals, of which there are 15) and 12 new magic items. This book also introduces a new mechanic: Rivals, another adventuring party made up of NPCs that play a major role in the players’ story.

You don’t need to have watched Critical Role to run or play this adventure but you do need the 5th edition core rulebooks (Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual.)

For the Critters

This story starts off in Xhorhas, a country whose lands are steeped in lore and history, and reveals so much about the Calamity. Trust me when I say that there is so much more to the dynasty than Rosohna, there’s even a mysterious sibling of fan-favorite *SPOILERS* Hot Boi, Essek Thelyss.

We then move to the continent of Marquet, in the Jewel of Hope, Ank’Harel. Here you can walk the streets that Vox Machina once did, and maybe run into Bell’s Hells eventually, or the Hand of Ord, or even J’mon Sa Ord themselves. 

We also learn of a new Vestige of Divergence with the opportunity to find even more!

So, what makes it unique?

The first thing that stood out to me about this adventure is the Rivals mechanic & story element. The Rivals themselves have their own goals and motivations, as well as certain mannerisms with unique (and short) backstories. 

This mechanic offers players the chance for some amazing RP but also puts a timer on everything that they do in this adventure. 

As a DM, I never want to take away from the fun moments that my players have but I also want them to see what awaits them in the next town! The Rivals are a perfect solution because they add to the story, in the story. Not only that, but the rivals level up right alongside the players via new stat-blocks and their personalities can change based on interactions with the players.

In this adventure there is a new mineral called Ruidium, “a slick, oily stone veined with blood-like streaks.” This mineral is powerful and magical, in the story it is still being examined to determine all of its properties. The cool part of this new mineral is that it *SPOILERS* causes Ruidium Corruption, which leads to both physical and emotional corruption.

This is a powerful story tool that can lead to some amazing role-play on the part of your players. Though it should be noted that the players are not required to role-play the emotional changes, nor is it recommended that you force them to do so.

Which leads me to the final unique point I want to highlight; consent and player comfort. As someone who has played this game since I was 10, I have seen my fair share of forceful players & DMs ruin a campaign. Throughout Call of The Netherdeep, the book reminds us to check in with our players, offers different ways the story could go to avoid triggers, and puts your players’ fun above all else. THIS DOES NOT TAKE AWAY FROM THE STORY IN ANYWAY.

I know many DMs who want to make sure that they don’t take things too far or scare anyone away from their table, but they have no idea how to approach it; this book basically lays the groundwork for you to build upon and learn from!

Is it really that good?

I’m sure I’ve made my opinion on this clear: this is currently the best adventure module in publication. 

Now, to be fair, I am a critter (a fan of Critical Role) and have been since 2015. At this point it is difficult for me to remain objective when I love the show and everything it’s done for D&D. I’m also a sucker for RP heavy campaigns and story beats. 

While I feel that this adventure has a good balance of RP and combat, another DM might think there is far too much RP. In a recent interview with Dungeons & Dragons, James Haeck (Co-Lead for Call of The Netherdeep) said “This adventure is a character driven one,” so if you’re looking to run the gauntlet on your players, then you may miss out on some of the amazing story moments.

All that said, I think that anyone, with half-a-mind to do so, could run this adventure from start to finish. No DM experience required. 

This book has everything:

An intense call to action that hooks the players instantly

Story outline/flowchart

Detailed descriptions of locations

Realistic NPCs with goals, motivations, and RP suggestions

A great lead up to the main story

A save the world story that doesn’t feel cheap or lifeless

Unique characters that are vital to the story

It weaves the players into the narrative

Convenient stat-block placement in the book

Has real consequences for character choices

Provides resources for making your own NPCs

Every city, town, and dungeon is fleshed out with no empty corner of this world

Personally, I think anyone running this would also benefit from getting Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, the official Critical Role sourcebook published by Dungeons & Dragons. It has a few starting adventures that can take your characters from levels 1 to 3, and offers an awesome section that helps DMs help their players in character creation. It really helps tie them directly to the world, which will make them care more about the story and world that they’re in!

Should you buy it?

I would recommend this adventure to anyone looking for a great story to run.

I would especially recommend this to any first-time DMs who are hoping to learn through experience. This game can take you by the hand and guide you through running a full campaign (if you let it) and it gives suggestions for how to add to the story with your own ideas. 

It’s like if you added training wheels to a bike, but the training wheels had a turbo mode, so whether you needed the training wheels or not, you’d still enjoy it.

TLDR; Buy it.

Conclusion

Whether you're a new or veteran DM, a fan of Critical Role or not, you will enjoy this powerful story; I even gave a short synopsis to a friend who doesn’t play and they said that they would love a book series written in this world. 

Even if you just used the book for parts, you would find fleshed out NPCs that can fit in any setting, and the Rivals will be a mechanic I incorporate in nearly every adventure I run from here on out.

This adventure module seamlessly weaves a narrative that the players live in and it’s a long step away from the “murder-hobo” dungeon crawl reputation that D&D once had. Nothing wrong with that reputation, but I think D&D has always been about storytelling and this book exemplifies that.

Well, that’s it for this critter’s review. Don’t forget to love each other and don���t worry, it’s almost Thursday!

The Change

“God, I’m not having this conversation, Dad!” I shout as I walk down the narrow hallway. Dusty pictures line the walls in perfect straight lines, the shadows of sunset shroud the faces in the frames. “Sweetie, c’mon! The Change can be scary, let me help,” Dad says behind her. He steps into the hall as he wipes his glasses on his shirt. I open the door to my room; it smells like her. I shout out the door, “No! I have to do it the way she said to. If not… I- I don’t know.” I shut and lock the door as he approaches. I inhale the sweet smell of lavender and oranges. The Change makes everything so intense. Dad’s knock rings in my ears. “Ashley…” Dad says. I let out a quiet growl as I glare at the door. “I know you’d rather talk to her, but you can’t. She’s stuck in her Change,” he mumbles through the door. “She’s testing me again,” I say through clenched teeth. “It’s been four months; she wants me to find her myself.” “You can’t. She’s dangerous, the last time I talked to her…” He pauses. “She isn’t… Mom. I think it’s time we let her go.” His voice fades as he walks away. I scream into my pillow. My skin feels itchy on the polyester sheets. I turn to the window and stare at the sky as it fades from red to purple to black. I need to see her for myself. My skin vibrates in the glow of the moon. The vibration reaches inward, toward the sinew of my muscles, and then deeper into my bones. The vibration expands and with it, so too does my body. My arms grow thick, my shoulders reach closer to my spine. The thin hairs all over my body grow rapidly. So, this is the Change, I thought it would hurt more. As I sprint on all fours through the trees, the wind picks up around me, but the cold isn’t sharp. I have to find her. The full moon casts her white glow across the forest floor but I only see red. My vision is in shades of crimson, so the forest seems alien, like something from a Tim Burton film. I come to a clearing and see a shack of a house. It looks like the earth tried to take back the land it sits on. Her scent hangs thick in the air. I approach the shack and peek through a window. Inside, I see my dad. His eyes are the same but nothing else. He looks muscular, animalistic, with hair all over. There’s a loud knocking on the window, like hammers on glass. He points behind me. I don’t understand. The window shatters as Dad’s changed form crashes into me. He stands upright, claws where his hands once were, covered in thick fur. His shoulders pull back and he howls in my face, his face closer to that of a wolf than a man. His howl rings like words in my head. “Go home, you aren’t safe!” My head jerks toward a sound in the trees. Someone is coming. I shove my dad off and struggle to find my feet. Dad roars in my face and stands between me and the source of the sound. I roar back at him. This is just instinct; no words could be understood from this. “Enough,” a silent scream fills my mind. Out from the trees, steps a form similar to mine, only her form is slender and decorated with a golden-brown fur that seems to glow without help from the moon. Her eyes pierce into mine and I feel the pressure of that gaze. My mother. My mouth struggles to form words. “How?” I say. She raises her paw and my legs buckle; I roar as unseen fire licks my limbs. “My Change is my true form, and now, so is yours.” I feel Ashley begin to slip away… A wet drip fills my ears, I raise my head and see Dad with a sword in hand. The blade is buried in the golden bear. My skin begins to crawl as my Change begins again, different than before. My arms grow slender but dense and my fur thins. My short snout grows longer, the muscles in my jaw jerking my head to the sky. The crimson vision fades and I see clearer than ever before.

You either consume your Change or it consumes you.

Are Millennials Killing the Film Industry?

The short answer is no, depending on your viewpoint. Allow me to clarify, I am a millennial myself. I was born in 1994, and I’ve found that self-reflection is a fabulous form of therapy. It is obvious that the trends in movies have shifted toward the young generations as the years have passed. This is due to two simple facts: millennials are stepping into their careers, as well as product and demand. The turn that the film industry has taken has left me feeling fascinated. Who can deny the cinematic masterpiece that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Watching Tony Stark go from a self-righteous philanthropist to (SPOILERS) sacrificing himself to save the universe, it’s enough to make a grown man cry. Which, for the record, I did.

Now, there is no denying that there is a shortage of original stand-alone films; according to Brandon Katz (2018, para. 3) “Of the 10 highest-grossing films of 2017, nine of them were a part of established movie series.” That isn’t ideal for those that grew up chasing these fantastic films that are timeless and beautiful on their own. On the other hand, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Some stories need to be continued, perhaps Hollywood has simply cracked the code for what viewers want, Katz said it himself: “It’s not that studio executives don’t want to make original films, they are just simply responding to audience demand.” (2018, para. 18). Let’s be honest, who hasn’t reached the end of an amazing film like E.T. or District 9 and thought “I need to see what happens next! I hope they make a sequel!”

Sequels, even when demanded however, do not guarantee success or fulfilling your hopes: Stephen Snart says, “… Bridget Jones’s Baby; a sequel that was by all accounts a creative and commercial disappointment.” (2017, para.4). For me, I thought I wanted another Spider Man with Sam Raimi, but I was wrong. Oh, so very wrong. When Spider Man 3 happened, I was 13 years old. Even then, I could tell that movie was embarrassing. Some movies get sequels, and everyone simply pretends they didn’t even happen. (The Rage: Carrie 2, S. Darko, Grease 2, Mean Girls 2)

Now, Stephen Snart, proposes an interesting idea: “What if we viewed the Hollywood franchise era in which we live as an opportunity to reflect on the passage of time?” (2017, para. 2), and I certainly agree with him. The first time I watched The Rage: Carrie 2, I was maybe 7 or 8 years old, staying up far later than I should have been, and watching T.V. when this came on. As a child, I was terrified of this movie. Then, as I grew older and read the original Stephen King novel, I found a new appreciation for this attempt at taking an older idea and modernizing it. Referring to Bridget Jones’s Baby, Snart says, “In one of the film’s more enjoyable scenes, Bridget reconnects with her friends played by Shirley Henderson, Sally Phillips and Julian Rhind-Tutt at a funeral. You can sense the performers’ excitement revisiting these characters 15 years later. Which gives the viewer one of the film’s few joys – the approximation of reconnecting with friends several years down the line.” (2017, para. 4). Even I, a young millennial, can relate to those emotions, even though I’ve never seen either film. It’s something that is universal, and any generation can empathize with.

Movies are powerful, simply put, they are stories told through people on a screen. Yet, they can cause joy, laughter, tears, fear, and so on. They can even build bridges between generations. I remember the first time my dad took me to the movies: He hated going to movies with my siblings and myself, we would never sit still, and we would talk to the movies like they could hear us. Then, something amazing happened. The Phantom Menace, also known as, Star Wars Episode 1 hit the theaters and, for once in my life, excitement spread across his face at the idea of a movie with me! Now this was technically a prequel (a story or movie containing events that precede those of an existing work) but we both loved it! He was nostalgic and I discovered the fantastic sci-fi universe that was Star Wars. We were both excited for each other. A baby boomer and a millennial, sharing love for the same thing? Sounds like we could use some more of these movies.

Whether you’re a millennial, a baby boomer, gen x, or something in between: we all enjoy movies. So, if you think that the direction movie trends have gone is horrible, then yes, millennials are ruining the film industry. However, if you enjoy the world building, emotional storytelling, and thorough character development, then no, we aren’t. We are taking the past and building off what works.

 References:

Katz, B. (2018) From ‘star wars’ to marvel: did the franchise kill hollywood’s original spirit. Observer Retrieved from: https://observer.com/2018/04/star-wars-marvel-disney-fox-sale-original-movie-franchises/

Snart, S. (April 24th, 2017) Why we should learn to stop worrying and love the blockbuster franchise. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/24/blockbuster-franchises-cars-bourne-transformers-pirates-caribbean-fast-furious