Critical Role Campaign 4 Has Introduced a New House Rule

by

The latest campaign of Critical Role has introduced a clever new rule for their Dungeons & Dragons game. Instead of the Dungeon Master deciding when characters level up, players now get to choose once certain goals are met. This allows players to prepare their characters for advancement, but then control when that happens, which is expected to create some really exciting storytelling opportunities.

Campaign 4 of Critical Role is really shaking things up for the show. This season features Brennan Lee Mulligan, known from Dimension 20, as the Dungeon Master, and takes place in a brand new world called Araman. What’s different this time is that the story follows 13 characters divided into three groups – the Soldiers, the Seekers, and the Schemers.

Critical Role Campaign 4 Characters Choose When to Level Up

Mulligan, the game master, has been adding rules as they play, and his latest one is a significant change. The players at the Soldiers table recently achieved a major goal in Critical Role Campaign 4 – they avenged Thjazi Fang. As a reward, Mulligan announced they’ve earned the right to advance to level four. But instead of immediately leveling them up, he’s added a unique element: the players themselves will decide when the level-up takes effect.

So, during our first level-up stream, Mulligan walked us through how it’d work. We all rolled our HP, picked out Ability Score Improvements or new Feats, and grabbed some spells and cantrips if our classes let us. But here’s the cool part: we don’t have to level up right away! We get to decide when our characters level up – after a big story moment, a satisfying win, or even mid-fight if the situation calls for it. And we don’t even have to lock in our choices until we actually level up, which is awesome because if something happens in-game, we can totally change our minds!

Image via Critical Role

Players could re-roll any 1s they got when determining their hit points, a common optional rule that Mulligan’s group uses.

As a longtime D&D player, I’ve never seen anything quite like this! Usually, you level up by earning enough experience points, or if your Dungeon Master uses the Milestone system to decide when you’re ready. But this house rule Mulligan’s using is totally different – it actually lets us, the players, decide when our characters level up! It puts us in control of our own progression, which is really cool.

Image via Critical Role

Fans could easily add this rule to their games, particularly if they use digital tools like D&D Beyond to manage character information. They could create copies of their character sheets or quickly note how stats will change when leveling up, allowing them to adjust things during the game with little interruption. While it requires a bit more preparation than usual, it’s a worthwhile effort if the rule suits the group’s playstyle.

Mulligan’s ‘Desperate Measures’ D&D House Rule to Make Dropping to 0 More Fun

So far in Campaign 4, Dungeon Master Matt Mercer has introduced two new rules to enhance gameplay. The first, called “Desperate Measures,” makes the moment when a character reaches 0 hit points more dynamic. Instead of automatically rolling to avoid death, a character who is downed but hasn’t failed any death saving throws gets a choice: they can immediately stabilize and remain unconscious, or they can attempt a death saving throw and give a teammate a ‘Heroic Inspiration’ to help them in battle. This allows players to have more control even when their character is nearly defeated, letting them decide whether to focus on surviving or assisting their allies.

Critical Role Campaign 4 Soldier, Seeker, and Schemer Tables

Image via Critical Role
  • Seeker
    • Occtis Tachonis (Alexander Ward)
    • Vaelus (Ashley Johnson)
    • Thaisha Lloy (Aabria Iyengar)
    • Julien Davino (Matthew Mercer)
  • Soldier
    • Wicander Halovar (Sam Riegel)
    • Thimble (Laura Bailey)
    • Kattigan Vale (Robbie Daymond)
    • Teor Pridesire (Travis Willingham)
    • Tyranny (Whitney Moore)
  • Schemer
    • Halandil Fang (Liam O’Brien)
    • Murray Mag’Nesson (Marisha Ray)
    • Bolaire Lathalia (Taliesin Jaffe)
    • Azune Nayar (Luis Carazo)

The newest episode of Critical Role Campaign 4 comes out on December 18th at 4 PM Pacific Time / 7 PM Eastern Time. It will continue following the adventures of the Soldiers group. Viewers will be watching to see if any of the characters gain a new level in this session, or if they’ll hold off until later.

Read More

2025-12-19 05:04