Brennan Lee Mulligan may be taking on the most ambitious task in Critical Role’s long history. Critical Role Campaign 4 is a new campaign with a new Game Master set in a new world. And if that wasn’t a monumental enough task, he will be leading a campaign with the largest cast that Critical Role has ever had at the table.

A 13-cast table using the West Marches style of play. Campaign 4 will feature three tables with the cast split into the seekers, the soldiers, and the schemers. The table makeups remain a mystery, but it does mean that the larger tale will be woven across three different groups exploring different elements of the story.

Aramán is an untapped world crafted by Mulligan; it seems primed for a story full of political intrigue, action, and mystery. And of course, potential long-term fallout from the death of the Gods. The 13 characters seem to be pulled together by Thjazi Fang, who has been marked for death. Questions surrounding Thjazi and his fate appear to be what kick off the initial plot.

Travis Willingham Prefers Simpler Characters When Playing In A New World

Not much has been revealed about Wilingham’s character Teor Pridesire. He shared in a teaser video that he is a paladin. Teor was described as a “lion man,” likely a leonin, although there could be a homebrew element. While Willingham continues to hold his cards close to the vest, he did reveal insight into his character creation process in an exclusive interview with Temple of Geek.

Travis Willingham: 

“This is a product of [Brennan’s] machinations. I think having an ambitious 13-player table was something we were very interested to tackle, and to divide them up into these groups was something that was talked through very carefully.

My character in particular is maybe more of a stoic character than I’ve played before, but that is because I receded inside of my shell, very Grog-origin shell. Typically, when there is a new world where we are starting from absolute zero, I try to make as simple a character as possible because I feel like what we learn in those first few episodes is going to define or spark what I want to add to my character as we play.

That’s not always the case. Sometimes people come in with very detailed backstories and very detailed connections, and for me, it was a very simple skeleton. So, it’s been amazing jumping into the painted forests that Brennan has created in these instances and just watching it all start to unravel and spin off already in the early episodes.”

While Teor Pridesire, being a paladin, seems different from Grog Strongjaw, the similar creation process is intriguing. Willingham allowing the world to shape his character as he plays is thoughtful. This malleability allows him options in how he reacts to other characters, conflict, and the lore of the world. This could mean that he had tentpole aspects of Teor’s personality and an idea of his backstory with room to build it out.

Exploring A New World In Critical Role Campaign 4

Grog was a relatively simple character early on. A barbarian with a low intelligence and penchant for running headfirst into danger. Grog had a deep love and loyalty to his friends. As Willingham’s time in Exandria continued, he created more and more complex characters with deeper, and often humorous, backstories. His desire to return to the Grog-inspired creation process in this new world likely means Willingham will be developing key elements of Teor as he learns more about Aramán

Mulligan forges the campaign around the characters. However, most of the world still remains unknown to the players until the campaign begins. They, of course, know the salient details that relate to their backstories. But Willingham could be one of the more ingrained in areas of Aramán that have remained untapped. Because Teor is more adaptable, Willingham has the opportunity to find his spark in a detail or corner of Aramán that none of the other characters are exploring.

Campaign 4 of Critical Role premieres on YouTube, Twitch, and Beacon on October 2nd at 7pm PT.