Warning: spoilers for Critical Role Campaign 4, Episode 37, “Death to Tyrants”.
When a D&D character refuses to stay dead
Dungeons & Dragons works because decisions and dice rolls carry consequences. Character death is one of the harshest consequences, but it is also one of the most difficult for a Dungeon Master to handle. Episode 37 of Critical Role’s fourth campaign puts that dilemma under intense pressure.
Wicander “Wick” Halovar, played by Sam Riegel, becomes the target of an assassination attempt arranged by his family. The episode unfolds across four lengthy combat rounds, with Wick repeatedly reduced to zero or fewer hit points while the rest of the party tries to save him. Eventually, he fails his final death saving throw.
Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan’s response raises a familiar question: should a DM protect an important character to preserve a compelling story, or allow the rules and the dice to decide what happens?
Mulligan gave Wick every possible advantage
Wick’s ordeal began with his sister casting Hold Person. The spell applies the Paralyzed condition, allowing attacks made from within five feet to become critical hits. A critical hit against a downed character causes two failed death saves, and three failed saves mean death.
Hold Person requires a Wisdom saving throw when cast. If the target fails, they can attempt another save at the end of each subsequent turn. Mulligan suggested that Riegel delay Wick’s turn so Halandil Fang, played by Liam O’Brien, could provide Bardic Inspiration and add a bonus d8 to the next Wisdom save.
That suggestion relied on a common house rule rather than the fifth-edition rules. “Delay your turn” is not an available action in fifth edition or the 2024 update. More importantly, a Paralyzed character is also Incapacitated and cannot take an action, bonus action or reaction. There is therefore arguably no turn action to delay. It is a grey area, but a strict reading would reject the ruling and preserve the danger of Hold Person.
A choice between death and Tyranny’s freedom
Later, Wick reached his final death saving throw. Riegel failed, even with Bardic Inspiration available. That should have ended the character’s story, but Mulligan offered another option: Riegel could reroll with disadvantage, or accept Wick’s death while breaking Tyranny’s contract.
Tyranny, played by Whitney Moore, is a demon magically bound to Wick. The pair have shared a close bond since the campaign began. If Wick died, the contract would pass to Yanessa, the evil head of the Halovar family. Riegel chose the dangerous reroll and succeeded despite disadvantage, keeping Wick alive while preserving the emotional stakes of the scene.
Was the rescue pushed too far?
The episode went further. After two more attacks brought Wick down again, he used Shield to stop one hit, but the second attack left him with two failed death saves. Mulligan then asked whether Riegel wanted to reverse that use of Shield, return to the dangerous position, and free Tyranny from her contract.
Riegel accepted. Tyranny was then able to use Aid on Wick and give him advantage on his next saving throw, ultimately contributing to his survival. The scene created genuine tension around the table, although the repeated interventions also made Mulligan’s preferred narrative direction increasingly visible.
The uneven treatment is notable because Travis Willingham’s character, Teor Pridesire, died several episodes earlier in “Here in the Dark” after being brought down by undead creatures at Obrimus Manor. Teor was a player character too, but his scene with the NPC Cyd, his brother, may not have offered the same clear storytelling choice.
Should a Dungeon Master prevent character death?
Many DMs understand the instinct to soften a fatal result. A player can spend months or years developing a character, and losing that character can be genuinely upsetting. However, if the world never allows an important hero to die, the danger eventually feels artificial.
That is why the decision involving Wick is more interesting than a simple undo button. Riegel was offered a difficult alternative with roughly a 30 per cent chance of success because the reroll was made with disadvantage. Failure would have killed Wick and left Tyranny trapped under Yanessa’s control. The intervention added a new cost instead of simply erasing the original consequence.
By contrast, retroactively taking back Shield felt less convincing. It placed the cast under pressure and produced an entertaining scene, but it also appeared to steer the story towards a planned outcome. DMs can make similar choices in their own games, but doing so repeatedly risks weakening the meaning of the dice.
Why death still matters in D&D
Character death has become less common across D&D’s editions. Death saving throws give fallen characters a chance to recover, while resurrection magic can remove finality altogether. If Wick’s party had a character with Revivify prepared, much of the episode’s suspense could have disappeared immediately.
Rules are only part of the issue. Characters are more than numbers on a character sheet, and a death can hurt because players invest in their personalities, relationships and histories. Protecting them can make a game more comfortable, but allowing death to remain possible helps the world feel consistent and gives decisions real weight.
The best approach is to establish expectations before an adventure begins. Discuss whether death is permanent, whether heroic bargains are possible and how resurrection works. Some groups may prefer a forgiving campaign; others may want every failed save to stand. Neither approach is automatically correct, provided the table understands the rules and enjoys the consequences.
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