Critical Role Reveals Player Compensation for Character Deaths

After 11 years of adventuring together in Dungeons & Dragons, Critical Role has transformed from a simple streaming show into a vast multimedia phenomenon. Its campaigns have spawned animated series, spin-off books, and novels, and it even boasts its own tabletop publishing division, Darrington Press. The expansion continues.

While the cast enjoys their time at the table, it’s important to remember that this is also a professional endeavor. In addition to the eight co-founders, Critical Role brings in a rotating cast of guest stars and semi-regulars, all of whom need to be compensated. However, the unpredictable nature of a D&D game means that players can never be sure how long their characters will survive. With the stakes high in the challenging Campaign 4, where Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan is known for his tough approach, character death is always a looming threat. This raises an interesting question about how the cast is compensated, especially with the flexible episode count and the potential for character demise.

Thanks to the recent episode of Tale Gate, a live talk show from Critical Role, we gained valuable insights into the inner workings of the cast’s compensation and a unique aspect of their contracts.

During the Night Cap segment of Tale Gate, which aired in late August, Marisha Ray — the creative director and co-founder of Critical Role — discussed how the show addresses character death beyond its narrative implications.

“This might be a little revealing our hand too much, but we do have […] I think we call them ‘kill fees’ in all y’all’s contracts,” Ray shared.

These kill fees ensure that even if a player’s character meets an untimely end during an episode, they will still receive payment for the following episodes. While it hasn’t been explicitly confirmed whether each cast member is paid per episode, it seems likely, especially considering the size of the cast, as it makes more sense than a per-campaign payment structure. Guests Travis Willingham and Sam Riegel humorously referred to the fee as a “death benefit,” but Ray clarified that it was implemented out of genuine concern: without it, players might hesitate to take risks.

“We didn’t want people to feel like they didn’t want to take risks in fear of dying,” Ray explained.

In a long-running campaign like Critical Role’s, the fear of character death — and its potential impact on a player’s earnings — could lead to reluctance in decision-making. For a game like Dungeons & Dragons, where high stakes and player choices are crucial, anything that dampens the willingness to engage fully would detract from the intensity and excitement that make Critical Role so captivating.

Overall, this behind-the-scenes insight from Ray provided fans with a better understanding of how a successful entity like Critical Role operates. The “kill fee” practice stands out as a commendable approach compared to traditional TV, where actors are often paid per episode, leaving them at the mercy of character fates. This isn’t the first time the company has shed light on its operations; they previously disclosed in a newsletter that most episodes are filmed in close succession.