The Dungeon Master behind Critical Role made a controversial decision during Episode 37 of Campaign 4, “Death to Tyrants,” regarding how character death should be handled at the table.
In the episode, Wicander “Wick” Halovar—played by Sam Riegel—is targeted by an assassination attempt orchestrated by his own family. The entire episode consists of four long combat rounds in which Riegel’s character is downed multiple times as his friends try to save him.
The moment that drew attention came when Wicander’s fate seemed sealed after Riegel failed a final death saving throw. Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan then gave Riegel a second chance, offering two options: reroll the last death saving throw with disadvantage (rolling twice and taking the lower result), or help Tyranny—a character played by Whitney Moore—by breaking her contract.
Tyranny is a demon bound in service to Wicander through a magical contract. If Wick dies, the contract defaults to Yanessa, the evil head of the Halovar household. Riegel chose to risk the reroll and managed to pass despite the disadvantage.
The decision has prompted reflection on how difficult it is for Dungeon Masters to balance fairness with the desire to preserve story and characters. As one report notes, “there is something to learn from it” in how Mulligan added stakes rather than simply undoing death.
The article observes that this kind of choice is common among Dungeon Masters. When a player character dies, there is often temptation to use some form of deus ex machina to reverse it. However, the report argues that if a DM chooses to “undo” death, adding more stakes to the story can compensate for the loss.
Mulligan’s approach appears inconsistent with how he handled another character’s death earlier in the campaign. In Episode 30, “Here in the Dark,” Travis Willingham’s Teor Pridesire was killed by undead in Obrimus Manor without any attempt to save him. The report suggests this may be because Teor was accompanied by an NPC rather than a player character.
Toward the end of “Death to Tyrants,” Wick went down again after being hit by two attacks. He blocked one with Shield but was brought down to negative hit points by the other. Mulligan then asked Riegel if he wanted to retroactively take back the Shield—returning him to two failed death saves—to free Tyranny from her contract.
Rigel opted to free Tyranny, which allowed her to use Aid on Wick and give him advantage on his next saving throw, ultimately leading to his survival.
The piece notes that character death has become more uncommon as D&D evolved, with death saves and resurrection spells making it harder for characters to truly die. It points out that if Wicander’s party had a member with the Revivify spell prepared, all the drama seen in “Death to Tyrants” would have been nullified.
The report concludes that while balance is one of the most important qualities a DM should strive for, every Dungeon Master should act according to their preferences and the shared understanding at the table. It recommends discussing death with players at the start of an adventure, noting that as long as everyone has fun by the end, there are no wrong choices.
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