The second set of Critical Role themed monsters from Wizkids leans toward the more iconic, rather than generic, characters from the show. These are mostly story changing villains who make their impact known throughout Campaign One and frequently beyond. You can find our review of set one here.
Case in point, Sylas and Delilah Briarwood. A couple so awful that their love not only broke the world, but also almost condemned ever living being to a hellish eternity, The Briarwoods are perhaps one of the more significant villains in the show. These Vecna loving horrors look fabulous here. Delilahis her full, necromantic glory, looking human but not fragile. Sylas looks more like a powerful human than the unstoppable vampire he actually is, but it’s still a pretty model. They’re accompanied by Dr. Anna Ripley, the engineer and gunslinging wizard who built nefarious machines for the Briarwoods. Sculpted wielding a gun and casting a spell, the piece looks very ‘tomb raiding adventurer’ and would make an appripiate hero piece in the right game. And in case you’re wondering where the Briarwood’s biggest pawn, Cassandra, is, she’s in NPCs of Tal Doeri set.
Orthax, the shadow demon, is a key part of the De Rollo/Briarwood story in Campaign One, and not only helps bring firearms to the world of Exandria, almost single handedly destroys the Vox Machina team. It’s a creepy looking thing, with a bird skull mask for a head and the rest of it being made of black plastic representing shadow. A fun show piece as well as nice monster to bring to the table.
This set also comes with a single Magehunter Golem, one of the horrors that almost did for the Mighty Nein. It’s a nicely scary arcane horror, decorated in runes and has a wicked looking arm-hook thing. Couple it with a Forge Guardian for a total party kill at lower levels.
Speaking of horrors for the Mighty Nein, Ganix,The Laughing Hand is featured in this set. It’s a robed, hulking figure covered in laughing mouths. This is done very well for a 28mm scale model, and it’s appropriately horrifying. A nice piece to shock the party.
Obann is the accursed red-skin fiend who horribly under-estimates the Mighty Nein. This is a winged, fairly personable devil, with wings, a sword and a grin. It looks a little like a fiendish Matt Mercer. It’s a great version of the character and useful for most campaigns. Finally we get the Oni slaver. He’s posed looking for fight, it leather armour with an axe. His skin is a pale blue, almost green. Should make for a great baddy for your games.
Overall, Wizkids – Critical Role: Monsters of Exandria Two is a great addition for fans and DMs alike.
