Critical Role’s latest episode featured one of the most shocking moments of Campaign 3, with fans of the series encouraged to get off the Internet before they watch the newest episode. In the latest episode of Critical Role, the players had another confrontation with Otohan Thull, a major member of the Ruby Vanguard and a perennial thorn in the side of Bell’s Hells. Fights with Otohan have been particularly deadly for Bell’s Hells – the last full encounter resulted in a player character death and several others on the verge of death. Before we dive into what happened in this latest fight, please be warned that SPOILERS ARE AHEAD FOR CRITICAL ROLE CAMPAIGN 3, EPISODE 91.
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The latest confrontation with Otohan Thull ended up particularly deadly for both sides, as DM Matt Mercer’s dice rolls seemed particularly lucky, resulting in a ton of damage being dolled out against Bell’s Hells. The encounter seemed to be heading towards a total party kill when Sam Riegel did something unexpected – with 5 HP left, his character Fresh Cut Grass turned a Guiding Bolt on themself to go out in a blaze of glory. While Mercer repeatedly warned Riegel of the consequences, Riegel chose to have his character self-destruct in order to save his friends and kill a longtime nemesis of the party. The gambit seemed to work, as the episode ended with the cast in tears, FCG in pieces (with their core destroyed, meaning they can’t be rebuilt) and the party heading back to Exandria for a quick exit. While it’s possible that the party might try to find a way to resurrect FCG, who is an aeormaton construct, the death seemed pretty final.
The stunning twist is intriguing for several reasons. This might be the first true “permadeath” of the series, as every other player character (saved for Bertrand Bell, who was always intended to die at the start of Campaign 3) has come back in some fashion. Additionally, while we knew that FCG had a self-destruct function, the manner in which Riegel had his character go out is reminiscent of Daggerheart, the new RPG being developed by Critical Role’s Darrington Press.
With one shocking episode, Critical Role turned Campaign 3 into appointment viewing once again. The game is once again wide open and thousands of fans are intrigued about what will happen next.
The new episode of Critical Role is currently available on demand to Twitch subscribers. A VOD version will go up on YouTube on Monday. New episodes of Critical Role air every Thursday.
