Over the past decade, the Critical Role web series has streamed three full Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. The newest run — Campaign 4, overseen by Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan — began in October. The troupe’s stories have also expanded into animated projects such as The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein. Each of Critical Role’s earlier campaigns took place in Exandria and followed distinct adventuring parties.
Every D&D player has at least one character they’d always choose at the table, and the Critical Role cast are no different. We asked returning Campaign 4 veterans Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, and Marisha Ray to name the single character from any of their Critical Role campaigns they’d play forever — and why.
Ashley Johnson: Fearne for freedom
Ashley Johnson has brought several memorable characters to life: Pike Trickfoot in Campaign 1’s Vox Machina, Yasha Nydoorin in Campaign 2’s The Mighty Nein, and the paladin Vaelus in Campaign 4. Still, when asked which character she’d carry forward indefinitely, she says she’d pick Fearne, the mischievous faun druid from Campaign 3, Bells Hells.
Johnson explains that Fearne liberates her from self-consciousness at the table: playing someone so uninhibited removes the pressure to filter every line, which can be restorative for quieter players. “I love Yasha so much,” she notes, “but Fearne gets me out of my head — I feel free to be ridiculous, and that freedom is so valuable.”
Laura Bailey: Jester for joy (with a twist)
Laura Bailey has embodied a variety of roles across campaigns: the sharp-eyed elf-ranger Vex’ahlia (Campaign 1), the exuberant cleric Jester Lavorre (Campaign 2), the burdened sorcerer Imogen Temult (Campaign 3), and Thimble, her agile rogue in Campaign 4. Her top pick is instant: Jester. Bailey says Jester’s buoyant spirit makes playing her a consistently joyful experience.
That said, Bailey admits she’d want to tweak Jester’s mechanics at higher levels: as a full cleric she sometimes feels constrained by a support-focused toolkit and would consider multi-classing to unlock more offensive options and broaden build variety.
Marisha Ray: Beauregard for backbone
Marisha Ray’s roster includes Keyleth (Campaign 1), the combative monk Beauregard Lionett (Campaign 2), and Laudna (Campaign 3); she now plays the dwarven wizard Murray Mag’nesson in Campaign 4. Ray picks Beauregard for her reliability in combat and the satisfaction of playing a character unafraid to push back.
Ray describes Beauregard as an outlet for a side of herself she rarely expresses: a blunt, confrontational presence who won’t tolerate nonsense — and whose dependable melee damage makes her a straightforward, satisfying choice in combat.
All of Critical Role’s founding cast members appear in Campaign 4, which is available to stream on Critical Role’s YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as on their subscription platform, Beacon. For more context on the new campaign, see Polygon’s Critical Role coverage.
Source: Polygon
