List of Critical Role cast members

Critical Role (sometimes abbreviated as CR) is an American actual play web series in which a group of professional voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons. The principal cast consists of Matthew Mercer, Ashley Johnson, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O'Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, Marisha Ray, Orion Acaba and Sam Riegel.

There have been three campaigns – Campaign 1 which ran from March 2015 to October 2017, Campaign 2 which ran from January 2018 to June 2021, and Campaign 3 which began in October 2021 and is ongoing. Each campaign is set in the same shared world of Exandria, but follows a different set of characters created and played by the principal cast. However, Campaign 3 saw the return of Sir Bertrand Bell for the first three episodes. Bell was a character previously seen in The Search for Grog and The Search for Bob, which are in medias res wrap-up specials for Campaign 1. Bell is played by Willingham in each instance. Campaign 3 also has characters crossing over from the spinoff anthology series Exandria Unlimited (ExU); with Johnson starring as Fearne Calloway, and O'Brien as Orym of the Air Ashari. Also, fellow ExU cast member Robbie Daymond guest stars as Dorian Storm early in the campaign. Campaign 3 has also seen a number of player characters from earlier campaigns cameo as non-player characters (NPCs) played by Mercer.

Cast table

Main cast

For the first 27 episodes of Campaign 1 there were nine cast members: eight players and a Dungeon Master. This became eight from episode 28, when Orion Acaba left the show, and has continued since.^: 195

Matthew Mercer

Mercer is the Dungeon Master (DM) in all three Critical Role campaigns and the special episodes associated with each campaign. As the DM, Mercer organizes the gameplay, describes the effects the player characters' actions have on the world and narrative, and plays the non-player characters (NPCs).

Ashley Johnson

Johnson, and her characters, have periods of absence during the first two campaigns due to her filming commitment in New York with NBC's Blindspot.

In Campaign 1 Johnson plays Pike Trickfoot, a gnome cleric of Sarenrae. Pike was raised by her grandfather, Wilhand. She befriended Grog after he was exiled from his raiding group for refusing to kill Wilhand. Her hair turned white after being resurrected in the pre-stream game. She has a romantic interest in Percy, which is not reciprocated. Scanlan attempts to woo Pike throughout the campaign; it is not until the last few episodes that she gives him a chance.

Johnson's Campaign 2 character is Yasha Nydoorin, an aasimar barbarian who is exiled from her homeland in Xhorhas for marrying outside the strict arranged-marriage traditions of her clan. She is haunted by her time as the "Orphanmaker" and her involvement in a cult that gave its followers control over her.

Campaign 3 sees Johnson reprise her Exandria Unlimited character Fearne Calloway, Ruidusborn faun druid who travelled to the Material Plane from the Feywild to explore and find her parents. She can summon a wildfire spirit which appears as a fiery monkey named Little Mister. She met Orym and Dorian, along with other adventurers, in Emon and they formed the group known as the Crown Keepers. In the summer of 843 PD, she journeyed to Jrusar with Orym and Dorian to support Orym's mission.

Travis Willingham

Willingham plays Grog Strongjaw in Campaign 1, a goliath barbarian who multiclasses into fighter. Grog was previously a member of a group of goliath raiders – known as the "Herd of Storms" – run by Grog's uncle, Kevdak. After refusing to kill Pike's grandfather; he was exiled, beaten and left for dead. Wilhand and Pike nursed Grog back to health, with Grog and Pike becoming best friends. In the Search for Grog and the Search for Bob one-shot specials, Willingham plays Sir Bertrand Bell, a human fighter who travels with Vox Machina to the plane of Pandemonium in 812 PD

Campaign 2 sees Willingham play Fjord Stone, a half-orc warlock who unwittingly makes a pact with a malevolent leviathan named Uk'otoa when he is drowning at sea. After a period of self-discovery, Fjord breaks his pact with Uk'otoa and becomes a follower of the wilderness goddess Wildmother, who also has dominion over the sea, and multiclasses into a paladin.

In Campaign 3, reprises his role as Bell for the first three episodes. In the following decades since Bell fought with Vox Machina, he has exaggerated his accomplishments. After an encounter with animated furniture in Jrusar, he introduced the group to Lord Ariks Eshteross. When he was separated from the party one evening, the dwarf Dugger ambushed and killed him – the party avenges him and later names the group the Bells Hells in his honor. After that character's death, Willingham plays as Chetney Pock O'Pea, a gnome blood hunter/rogue who is also a woodworking artisan. He left Uthodurn in search of aid for his lycanthropy. He approaches the Bells Hells to ask for help searching for a man; following this, he joins the group as a full member.

Laura Bailey

Bailey's Campaign 1 character is Vex'ahlia "Vex" de Rolo (née Vessar), a half-elf ranger who multiclasses in to rogue. She has a brown bear companion called Trinket.

Bailey plays Jester Lavorre in Campaign 2, a tiefling cleric who follows an obscure entity known as the Traveler. Her relationship with the Traveler is temporarily strained when she learns he is not actually a deity as originally claimed, but an archfey named Artagan, a recurring NPC from Campaign 1.

In Campaign 3 Bailey plays Imogen Temult, a Ruidusborn human sorcerer with psionic magic who has reoccurring dreams of a red storm. She and her companion Laudna travelled to Jrusar to investigate the origins of her psionic abilities and Laudna's necromantic abilities. Her mother, Liliana Temult, left when she was a child; the party's investigation into Ruidius leads them to discover that she and Liliana are Exaltant Ruidusborn who get power from the red moon. Liliana, as a general in the Ruby Vanguard, is working with the powerful elven archmage Ludinus Da'leth toward mysterious ends involving Ruidus. During the campaign, Imogen forms a romantic relationship with Laudna.

Liam O'Brien

Campaign 1 sees O'Brien play Vax'ildan "Vax" Vessar, a half-elf rogue who multiclasses into paladin and later druid. Vax is the brother of Vex. In exchange for his sister's resurrection, Vax pledges his allegiance to the Raven Queen. For the Search for Grog and the Search for Bob one-shot specials, O'Brien plays Lieve'tel Toluse, an elven cleric of the Raven Queen. In the Dalen's Closet one-shot O'Brien plays Derrig, a half-elf fighter who is a bodyguard of Keyleth.

In Campaign 2, O'Brien plays Caleb Widogast, a human wizard who was enrolled at the Soltryce Academy, the Dwendalian Empire's premier magical school, until he was chosen to train to become an assassin for the Empire. This training was physically and mentally traumatizing, leading to a breakdown. Caleb is later known for inventing spells.

O'Brien plays Orym of the Air Ashari in Campaign 3. Orym is a halfling fighter on a mission from Keyleth of the Air Ashari to investigate an attack in Marquet. This attack was similar to an attack on Keyleth in 837 PD which left both Orym's husband Will and Will's father Derrig dead. He travelled to Jrusar with other members of the Crown Keepers.

Taliesin Jaffe

Jaffe plays Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III in Campaign 1. Percy is a human gunslinger.

Early in Campaign 2, Jaffe plays Mollymauk "Molly" Tealeaf; a tiefling blood hunter and con artist working in a traveling circus. Mollymauk is killed when the Mighty Nein attempts to free party members from a slaver group. After Molly's death, Jaffe plays Caduceus Clay, a firbolg cleric in service of the Wildmother, goddess of the wilderness. Caduceus is searching for a way to save his home from a magical blight. The Mighty Nein recruits Caduceus before the party's second attempt to rescue their captured members; he remains with the group because he believes it will aid in his journey. In the Mighty Nein Reunited two-part special, Jaffe plays Kingsley Tealeaf; a tiefling blood hunter with levels in rogue.

For Campaign 3, Jaffe plays Ashton Greymoore, an earth genasi barbarian who attacked Jiana Hexum's home in Jrusar with a group called the Nobodies and was gravely injured; they were abandoned by the group and have been paying off their debt to Hexum since. On a job, they discovered Fresh Cut Grass and helped the automaton bury their companions. They later convince the Bell Hells to take a job from Hexum which pays off their debt to her.

Marisha Ray

In Campaign 1 Ray plays Keyleth of the Air Ashari, a half-elf druid. Throughout the campaign Kayleth is on her Aramenté – a right of passage undertaken by future leaders of her tribe. She also hopes to find her mother, who vanished during her own Aramenté years earlier.

Ray plays Beauregard "Beau" Lionett in Campaign 2. Beau is a human monk working for the Order of the Cobalt Soul to root out corruption in the Dwendalian Empire. Beau is initially presented as being resentful of authority and anti-social, and rises to the rank of Expositor to carry out sensitive, covert investigations.

Campaign 3 sees Ray play Laudna, a resurrected human (known in-universe as a "hollow one") warlock and sorcerer who was killed during the massacre that began the Whitestone Rebellion in 810 PD and was resurrected by necromantic magics; she has since occasionally heard the voice of the deceased Delilah Briarwood. She wandered for decades before meeting Imogen in the Taloned Highlands; the two later travelled to Jrusar in 843 PD. Laudna was killed by Otohan Thull of the Ruby Vanguard during a battle at the Paragon's Call fortress which led the Bells Hells to go on a successful quest to magically resurrect her. Later in the campaign, Laudna forms a romantic relationship with Imogen.

Orion Acaba

Acaba appears in Campaign 1 only; where he plays Tiberius Stormwind, a dragonborn sorcerer. Tiberius leaves the party after the first defeat of the Briarwoods and liberation of Whitestone. He dies offscreen in the defence of Draconia, the city-state he is from, during an attack by Vougal—the white dragon of the Chroma Conclave. A statue is later erected in his honor.

Sam Riegel

For most of Campaign 1, Riegel plays Scanlan Shorthalt; a gnome bard. After the defeat of the Chroma Conclave, and a brush with death, Scanlan leaves the party for a period to spend time with his daughter. Whilst Scanlan is away Riegel plays Taryon "Tary" Darrington, a human artificer.

Campaign 2 sees Riegel play Nott the Brave, a goblin rogue who escaped jail with Caleb and wishes to support his growing magical potential. She was previously a halfling woman named Veth Brenatto and was cursed to be a goblin after a goblin raiding party captured her family. She is returned to her halfling body in episode 97 and struggles with her conflicting desires to continue adventuring with the Mighty Nein, and to stay with her husband and child. In the one-shot The Mighty Nein Reunion: Echoes of the Solstice, set seven years after the end of Campaign 2, Riegel briefly reprises his role as Veth before playing as Veth's son Luc Brenatto.

In Campaign 3 Reigel plays Fresh Cut Grass, an automaton cleric with ancient Aeorian design who was reassembled by the tinkerer Dancer in 838 PD. They are the surviving member of the party known as the Division of Public Benefit. They initially believe that they were built by Dancer but the party learns FCG was a pre-Divergence Harmonious Aeormaton named Faithful Care-Giver. While they don't have memories of this time period, FCG fears that they participated in an assassination attempt known as the Care and the Culling after learning that they repressed memories of killing the other members of the Division of Public Benefit during a panic attack.

Guest cast

Guest players are an irregular occurrence on Critical Role and, in most cases, only stay on the show for a one-off appearance or a few consecutive episodes. Only a few guests (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Will Friedle and Patrick Rothfuss in campaign one, as well as Khary Payton in campaign two) have appeared in non-consecutive episodes, with their respective characters playing an active role in different parts of the overall storyline. Chris Perkins is the only guest to appear in multiple campaigns. He has a guest role in both of the first two campaigns, playing a different character in each.

Campaign 1

• Felicia Day as Lyra a human wizard. She helps Scanlan, Percy, Vex, and Grog during a mission given by the hunters' guild she is a member of—the Slayer's Take—to kill a white dragon named Rimefang.
• Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Zahra Hydris, a tiefling warlock. Part of the party tasked with hunting down Rimefang. Zahra also recurred in fighting the Chroma Conclave and Vecna. Becomes the love interest of, fellow guest PC, Kashaw Vesh.
• Will Friedle as Kashaw Vesh a human cleric. He is tasked to aid Keyleth, Vax'ildan, and Tiberius in their hunt for a Rakshasa—a tiger–like fiend. Kashaw returned in the Chroma Conclave and Venca arcs. Becomes the love interest of, fellow guest PC, Zahra Hydris.
• Wil Wheaton as Thorbir Falbek, a dwarven fighter. A veteran member of the Slayer's Take, with seemingly poor luck. He is also party of the party tasked with hunting down the Rakshasa.
• Kit Buss as Lillith Anioska Daturai, a tiefling spellcaster. Zahra's cousin, who helps the party to defeat the Briarwoods.
• Jason C. Miller as Garthok, a half-orc rogue. He is a member of the thieves' guild, the Clasp.
• Chris Hardwick as Gern Blanston, a dragonborn necromancer travelling with a number of raised thralls. It is his flying broom that Vex steals.
• Chris Perkins as Shale, a goliath fighter, and a member of the Herd of Storms – the tribe Grog was once a member of. She aids Vox Machina in the fight against the black dragon, Umbrasyl, in the Chroma Conclave arc.
• Patrick Rothfuss as Kerrek, a human paladin. In his initial appearance he is a retired adventurer, turned blacksmith, and spokesperson of the refugees from Westruun. He later returns to aid Vox Machina, and it is Kerrek who lands the final blow on Raishan—the green dragon of the Chroma Conclave.
• ND Stevenson as Tova, a dwarven, and were-bear, blood hunter. Vox Machina aid Tova escape imprisonment in the City of Dis, in The Nine Hells, by helping her kill a pit fiend called Utugash.
• Jon Heder as Lionel "Chod" Gayheart, a half-orc bard and barbarian. He is a bodyguard hired by Scanlan during his time in Marquet.
• Darin De Paul as Ethrid "Sprigg" Brokenbranch, a gnome rogue.
• Joe Manganiello as Arkhan the Cruel, a dragonborn paladin barbarian. A follower of Tiamat; Arkan aids the party in the defeat of Venca. Rather than destroying the Hand of Venca, however, he steals it and vanishes before the party can react.

Campaign 2

• Khary Payton as Shakäste, a human cleric who aids the party as they investigate a gnoll attack in Alfield.
• Mark Hulmes as Calianna, a half-elf sorcerer who enlists the party to help her find and destroy an artifact.
• Ashly Burch as Keg, a dwarven fighter. A former slaver, who helps the Mighty Nein defeat the Iron Shepherds—her previous employers—after Fjord, Jester, and Yasha are abducted.
• Sumalee Montano as Nila, a firbolg druid. She is searching for her partner and son who were taken captive by the Iron Shepherds
• Deborah Ann Woll as Twiggy, a gnome arcane trickster who stows away aboard the party's ship with a dangerous relic.
• Chris Perkins as Spurt, a kobold inventor who joins the party as they cross into Xhorhas and dies within minutes of his introduction to the Mighty Nein.
• Mica Burton as Reani, an aasimar druid and self-styled protector of Uthodurn who aids the party in their quest to re-forge a legendary sword.

Campaign 3

• Robbie Daymond as Dorian Storm, an air genasi bard who travelled to Jrusar with Orym and Fearne and helped form the Bells Hells. He later leaves the group to help smuggle his brother out of Marquet and rejoins the other members of the Crown Keepers in Tal'Dorei.
• Erika Ishii as Yu Suffiad, a changeling warlock/paladin who works for Sorrowlord Zathuda, Grove Captain of the Unseelie Court. They were tasked with hunting down Fearne's parents and recovering an object which they stole.
• Christian Navarro as F.R.I.D.A. (Far Ranging Integrated Defense Aeormaton), an automaton fighter/rogue/cleric with ancient Aeorian design who is an companion of Deanna. Similar to FCG, they were brought back to life by a mysterious figure known as "D".
• Aabria Iyengar as Deanna Leimert, a gnome cleric of the Dawnfather. She and Chetney are exes; after they broke up, Deanna married, had a family and died. Her husband went on a quest and found a cleric who brought Deanna back to life two hundred years later.
• Aimee Carrero as Deni$e Bembachula, a dwarf barbarian/rogue from Tal'Dorei who was mysteriously teleported to Issylra during the Apogee Solstice at the same moment that she found her ex-fiance Dariax, a character played by Mercer in Exandria Unlimited. After discovering that Dariax is desolate in Westruun, she acquires transportation there.
• Utkarsh Ambudkar as Bor'Dor Dog'Son, a half-elf sorcerer of the Ruby Vanguard who was teleported to Issylra during the Apogee Solstice near the other party members. He murdered a farmer, burned his body, and stole his clothes to delude the party into thinking he is a simple sheep farmer. After his lies are discovered, he is killed by Laudna in revenge.
• Emily Axford as Prism Grimpoppy, a shadar-kai wizard originally from the Shadowfell who was an apprentice mage at the Cobalt Soul. She was tasked by the Cobalt Soul to do a survey on experiences during the Apogee Solstice; the Cobalt Soul knew she would be transported. She also has a raven familiar named Mother in honor of the Matron of Ravens. After travelling with members of Bells Hells for a time, she decides not to return to the Cobalt Soul and steal books for Bells Hells.

See also

• Candela Obscura
• Critical Role Productions

Notes

References