The First Roll of CRITICAL ROLE CAMPAIGN 4 Is a Natural 20

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What a lucky start! Even though it wasn’t an attack, but just an insight check, it’s amazing that the very first roll of Critical Role Campaign 4 was a Natural 20. That’s a fantastic way to begin a new campaign. But what did this great first roll of the dice actually show us in Critical Role Campaign 4? Let’s take a closer look.

Critical Role Campaign 4 starts with a sort of introductory event. It’s the day a key person, Thajazi Fang, is executed. Essentially, everyone we meet in Critical Role Campaign 4 has some kind of connection to Thajazi Fang, and that’s what brings them together for the new story. A particularly important character linked to Thajazi Fang is his brother, Halandil Fang, who is played by Liam O’Brien. Despite Halandil Fang’s best efforts to save his brother from being executed, he ultimately has to watch as Thajazi is hanged for “crimes against the state.” However, right before the execution, Halandil Fang gets a chance to make an insight check-and Liam O’Brien rolls a Natural 20, which dramatically launches Critical Role Campaign 4.

A roll of 20 on the dice – usually a reason to celebrate in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign – came at a sad time during the very beginning of Critical Role Campaign 4. As Thajazi Fang was dying, Liam O’Brien’s Natural 20 allowed his brother, Halandil Fang, to connect with him one last time. With the Nat 20, Halandil’s magical abilities as a Bard grew stronger, letting him access the remaining energy from a spell called message. This spell had been cast earlier by Azune Nayar, an Arcane marshal who the nobles believe is working for them, to communicate with Thajazi Fang.

With this initial Natural 20 roll, Halandil and Thajazi are able to communicate telepathically during the opening of Critical Role Campaign 4. As they connect, Thajazi notices something in the sky that Halandil, positioned within the crowd, cannot see. This sight in the heavens causes Thajazi to become alarmed. Sadly, the urgency of the situation prevents Thajazi from communicating effectively.

Using his Critical Roll ability, Thajazi tells Liam O’Brien’s character, Halandil, “Murray, you need to help Murray… the Pentevral… You have to help her… There’s paint waiting for you with Bolaire.” Murray is, of course, Murray Mag’nesson, a dwarf played by Marisha Ray. And Bolaire is Bolaire Lathalia, played by Taliesin Jaffe – a mysterious masked socialite. The Pentevral seems to be a kind of magical text studied at a school, possibly by those who practice Necromancy.


Although the Nat 20 roll established a psychic connection, Thajazi doesn’t explicitly tell Halandil what he witnessed in the sky during the cold open of Critical Role Campaign 4 that caused him such fear. Instead, as his execution approaches, Thajazi is interrupted from providing a clearer explanation (a somewhat ironic outcome given his successful insight check with a Nat 20) because he’s focused on the moment of his death. Those responsible for Thajazi’s murder – the group known as the Cadescent Creed or House Halover – ask for any final words. This forces him to address the crowd, preventing him from concentrating on their telepathic link. Thajazi proclaims to the onlookers: “The unjust authority that now sentences me to death will be overthrown. My only regret is that I won’t witness the magnificent celebration when your slander and ruin finally come to an end.”

And internally adds, “Tell Thimble not be scared.”

Then to the crowd, “I can still hear the falcons cry!”

And lastly, “Tell her that I—“

However, what Thajazi Fang intended to share with Halandil, and ultimately with Thimble – his pixie friend voiced by Laura Bailey – remains a mystery, even a perfect 20 roll by Liam O’Brien can’t reveal it, as the first episode of Critical Role Campaign 4 starts… Because instantly, the lever is pulled, and Thajazi Fang tragically dies by hanging.

Will the initial dice roll from Critical Role Campaign 4 influence how the story unfolds? We’ll have to watch more of the series to find out. However, it’s likely that it will, as in this story, the outcome of the dice rolls is incredibly important, and rolling a Nat 20 is a significant event. While this observation doesn’t mean much at the moment, it could ultimately determine success or failure. And that’s the core of what we enjoy about Dungeons & Dragons.

May the rest of Critical Role Campaign 4‘s rolls be just as exciting as this.

Critical Role Campaign 4 begins airing on Thursdays at 7 pm PT on Beacon.tv. It also streams live on Critical Role‘s YouTube and Twitch channels at the same time. You can watch a recording of each episode (the VOD) the following Monday, and listen to the podcast in two parts: the first part is released one week after the initial broadcast, and the second part comes out the Tuesday after that. While you wait, you can revisit the very beginning and enjoy all of Critical Role that’s already available.

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2025-10-03 10:07