Critical Role cast and characters guide

If you’re looking for a Who’s Who of famous DnD game Critical Role’s cast and characters, you’ve come to the right place. Below you’ll find a breakdown of who everyone plays in each of the game’s three campaigns, along with a handy bio, to help you keep it all straight in your mind.

Whether you’re a new listener who’s jumped in to Critical Role’s enormous DnD actual play backlog, or you’re watching The Legend of Vox Machina, and want to attach a real name and face to the animated characters, our guide is here to help.

Incidentally, you can find a similar guide to all Vox Machina characters here. And if you’re awaiting news on Legend of Vox Machina season 3’s release date, our guide will fill you in on the latest. Finally, if you’ve completely exhausted Critical Role’s enormous pile of videos, you’ll probably find these DnD podcasts a fun diversion.

Matthew Mercer

Celebrity-DM Matthew Mercer is the Dungeon Master for all three of Critical Role’s main campaigns. He created the DnD setting of Exandria, and was one of the lead designers on the Tal’Dorei Campaign setting reborn book, which can now be found on DnD Beyond.

As Chief Creative Officer for Critical Role Productions, Mercer has played a key role in growing and shaping the company.

Like the rest of the Critical Role cast, Mercer has a background in voice acting, both in video games and anime dubs. Mercer voiced Levi in the dubbed version of Attack on Titan, and recently played Minsc in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Laura Bailey

Laura Bailey is a BAFTA-winning voice actor, whose work spans video games and animated shows. Her extensive list of voice-acting gigs include Gwen Stacey on Marvel’s Spiderman animated show, The Boss in Saint’s Row, and Jaina Proudmoore in World of Warcraft. She won a BAFTA for Performer in a Leading Role for her work voicing Abby in the Last of Us Part II.

In Critical Role campaigns, Bailey has chosen a different DnD class and race each time, sticking to one character throughout each campaign. She’s often taken her second choice for class, letting another cast member have her initial pick instead.

Bailey is infamous for her extensive DnD dice collection, and finding the right ‘lucky dice’ to use in each session. She’s even been known to punish errant dice in dice jails.

Taliesin Jaffe

Both voice actor and actor, Taliesin Jaffe started his acting career as a child, before taking on voice acting roles dubbing anime. He’s voiced characters like Blanka in Streetfighter and Basil Hawkins in One Piece, as well as being a voice director on numerous projects.

In Critical Role, Jaffe has played numerous characters, in one instance (spoilers) even sacrificing a character for the sake of story.  He tends to gravitate towards characters that create a bit of conflict, and is known for his devoted roleplaying style. Jaffe has also DM-d for several guest episodes.

Ashley Johnson

President of the Critical Role Foundation non-profit organisation, Ashley Jonhson is another actor and voice actor who started her career as a child. She starred in NBC drama Blindspot and has voice acted characters like Gwen from Ben 10 and Terra in Teen Titans.

In Critical Role campaigns, Johnson is known for creating great characters like Pike Trickfoot, and for shushing sneezers. In early seasons she was juggling Critical Role sessions with her television work, but now is back on board as a full-time member.

Liam O’Brien

Liam O’Brien is a voice actor and writer whose roles include Doctor Strange in a bunch of different shows and Gollum in Shadows of Mordor. He’s also voice directed for games like The Last of Us and RE5 and 6, as well as anime such as Naruto.

In Critical Role, O’Brien played Vax’ildan in Campaign One, who was Laura Bailey’s twin, and the pair worked on their back stories together. He has a deep love of Dungeons and Dragons, and has also run plenty of one shots for the group.

Marisha Ray

Marisha Ray was creative director for Geek & Sundry before Critical Role splintered off from it (and is now creative director of Critical Role Productions). She’s also a voice actor, whose work includes the role of Margaret in Persona 4, as well as roles in Metal Gear and Fire Emblem. She is married to the group’s DM Matt Mercer.

In Critical Role, Marisha has played varied characters with deep arcs like Keyleth and Beau. Her current character, the undead Laudna, has a bubbly, joyous personality that stands in contrast to her previous roles – though there’s plenty of darkness under the surface.

Sam Riegel

Voice actor and director Sam Riegel has played many roles in his career, such as Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Phoenix Wright in the popular game series. He won an Emmy for directing work on Danger & Egg, and has voice directed Disney’s DuckTales and Fallout New Vegas.

In Critical Role, Sam Riegel’s first character Scanlan provided plenty of opportunities for 5e bard hijinks, with Riegel often improvising little jingles. Riegel was the first player to take on the mantle of a new main character, switching to Taryon Darrington.

Riegel’s somewhat the class clown of the group, known for coming up with jokes and bits, and his characters often have a silly or outlandish aspect.

Travis Willingham

Travis Willingham plays a key role in the team as the CEO of Critical Role Productions. He’s yet another voice actor, one with over 300 roles to his name, including Thor in Marvel’s animated series and games, Kingpin in Spiderman Miles Morales, and Knuckles in Sonic Boom. He’s also married to fellow Critical Role member Laura Bailey.

In Critical Role, Willingham has played many different characters – twice switching during a campaign. He’s known among fans as the ‘hype man’ of the group, always encouraging and supporting the other players.

For more actual play content, check out our breakdown of Children of Earte, Deborah Ann Woll’s actual play series.