Critical Role Campaign 4 just introduced an amazing Dungeons and Dragons house rule: once the party reaches certain milestones, each player decides when their character levels up, rather than the DM. By preparing each Dungeons and Dragons character for their level up, but putting the power to do so into the hands of the players, Critical Role Campaign 4 is promising some awesome narrative moments.
It is no exaggeration to say that Critical Role Campaign 4 is mixing things up for the popular actual play series. Featuring Dimension 20’s Brennan Lee Mulligan as the permanent DM, the campaign is not only set in a completely original world called Araman, but stars 13 different characters spread across three tables: Soldiers, Seekers, and Schemers.
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Critical Role Campaign 4 Characters Choose When to Level Up
There have been several house rules that Mulligan has introduced during the course of the game, but his newest one might be the biggest yet. The Soldiers table recently accomplished their first major milestone in avenging Thjazi Fang in Critical Role Campaign 4, leading Mulligan to declare they have earned the right to reach level four. However, rather than simply leveling them all up right away, he has introduced a twist to the level-up process: the players will actually control when the level-up comes into effect.
Mulligan explained this process during the first level-up video of the campaign, in which each player rolled their hit points, chose their Ability Score Improvements or potential Feats, and selected new spells and cantrips if their Dungeons and Dragons class allowed it. Even so, rather than locking these changes in right away, the players will choose when their characters make this jump in level. This means characters can level up after a fitting narrative moment, dramatic victory, or even in the middle of a particularly tense combat encounter. Additionally, the spell, feat, and other choices they make during level up don’t need to be finalized until they actually take the plunge, in case they change their minds based on something that happens.
Players also rerolled 1s on their hit point rolls, which is another popular house rule Mulligan has adopted.
This method of leveling is virtually unprecedented. In Dungeons and Dragons, characters typically level up when they gain enough experience, or when the D&D group’s Dungeon Master decides they have earned it via the Milestone system. Mulligan’s house rule goes one step further by handing control of their character’s progression over to the players.
It would not be hard for fans to implement this house rule into their own games, especially if they use digital tools like D&D Beyond to track their character stats. Simply making duplicate character sheets or writing out what stats or abilities will change on level-up can let them make this change during session on the fly with minimal downtime. Though it takes a little more prep work than normal leveling would, it is a small price to pay for implementing the rule, assuming it fits how a particular table plays.
Mulligan’s ‘Desperate Measures’ D&D House Rule to Make Dropping to 0 More Fun
This is the second major house rule Mulligan has introduced during Campaign 4 so far, and the first, called “Desperate Measures,” is designed to make hitting 0 hit points in Dungeons and Dragons more exciting. When a character starts their turn while downed with no failed Death Saves, instead of immediately rolling a Death Saving Throw, they make a choice: immediately stabilize with no roll, but stay unconscious at 0 HP, or make a Death Saving Throw roll and grant a Heroic Inspiration to an ally of their choice as they fight for their life. This gives a downed player additional agency and lets them choose to prioritize their character’s safety or aid their allies, even while otherwise unable to keep fighting.
Critical Role Campaign 4 Soldier, Seeker, and Schemer Tables
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Seeker
- Occtis Tachonis (Alexander Ward)
- Vaelus (Ashley Johnson)
- Thaisha Lloy (Aabria Iyengar)
- Julien Davino (Matthew Mercer)
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Soldier
- Wicander Halovar (Sam Riegel)
- Thimble (Laura Bailey)
- Kattigan Vale (Robbie Daymond)
- Teor Pridesire (Travis Willingham)
- Tyranny (Whitney Moore)
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Schemer
- Halandil Fang (Liam O’Brien)
- Murray Mag’Nesson (Marisha Ray)
- Bolaire Lathalia (Taliesin Jaffe)
- Azune Nayar (Luis Carazo)
The next episode of Critical Role Campaign 4 airs December 18 at 4 PM PT/7 PM ET, and will feature the Soldiers table once more as they continue their journey. Fans will have to see if any of the characters level up during this session, or if they wait until a later moment to pull the trigger.
- Franchise
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
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1974
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players craft their own worlds and band together to take on adventures through mysterious realms outlined in companion materials. One of the best role-playing games ever made, it has been adapted into a variety of video games and other media.
