Critical Role Fanfiction
The actual-play juggernaut in which a table of voice actors plays long-form Dungeons & Dragons, generating hundreds of hours of canon per campaign. Each campaign built its own fic culture: Vox Machina's family of misfits, the Mighty Nein's broken people healing each other — with Caleb/Essek's slow-burn wizardry among AO3's most-written D&D ships — and Bells Hells' identity crises. Improvised canon leaves abundant gaps, so missing scenes, alternate character builds, and post-campaign epilogues pour out between episodes.
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What is Critical Role fanfiction?
Critical Role fanfiction is fan-created stories set in the Critical Role universe. With over 40,000 works on Archive of Our Own, Critical Role is one of the most popular fandoms in the fanfiction community.
These stories explore beloved characters like Caleb Widogast, Essek Thelyss, Jester Lavorre, Fjord, and many more. Writers create everything from short one-shots to epic novel-length adventures, exploring relationships, alternate universes, and "what if" scenarios.
Critical Role Fanfics by Length
Pick a reading commitment — from one-sitting one-shots to 100k+ epics:
Best Critical Role Fanfic Rec Lists
Best Long Critical Role Fics
20 curated works
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Best Completed Critical Role Fics
47 curated works
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Best Explicit Critical Role Fics
22 curated works
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Best Mature Critical Role Fics
23 curated works
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Best Teen-Rated Critical Role Fics
36 curated works
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Popular Critical Role Ships
Shadowgast
Caleb Widogast/Essek Thelyss
Critical Role's Campaign Two paired a guilt-ridden human wizard with the drow traitor whose crimes mirror his own — two arcane prodigies trading dunamancy lessons and absolution. Their canon epilogue confirms decades of partnership, a rarity for an actual-play ship.
4,500 works →
Widomauk
Caleb Widogast/Mollymauk Tealeaf
The haunted wizard and the gaudy tiefling who told him 'leave every town better than you found it' had only twenty-six episodes before Molly died on a roadside. The brevity made the ship: Widomauk fic is a sprawling archive of the relationship canon never got to try.
3,500 works →
Beauyasha
Beauregard Lionett/Yasha Nydoorin
The mouthy monk flirted disastrously with the quiet barbarian for over a hundred episodes — through possession, grief, and one mid-battle bridge of flowers — before Critical Role gave them a canon wedding in the epilogue. Disaster lesbians, dice-witnessed.
2,500 works →
Perc'ahlia
Percival de Rolo/Vex'ahlia
Vox Machina's gunsmith aristocrat and its sharp-eyed ranger built Critical Role's first great romance through whispered dares, a secretly purchased title, and a kiss before a dragon fight. Their canon marriage made 'Lady Vex'ahlia' a fandom rallying cry.
1,800 works →
Fjorester
Fjord/Jester Lavorre
The Mighty Nein's haunted half-orc warlock and its trickster cleric grew from Jester's open crush into one of Critical Role's gentlest canon couples, complete with a seafaring epilogue. Fic savors how Fjord shed his fake accent but never his devotion.
1,500 works →
Common Critical Role Tropes
Popular Characters
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Critical Role fanfics are on AO3?
There are over 40,000 Critical Role fanfiction works on Archive of Our Own, making it one of the platform's largest fandoms.
What are the best Critical Role ships?
Popular Critical Role pairings include Shadowgast, Widomauk, Beauyasha. Each ship has thousands of dedicated stories exploring their relationship.
How can I read Critical Role fanfiction on my phone?
Download Fanfict Reader for iOS to browse and read Critical Role fanfiction with a beautiful mobile interface, offline reading, and custom themes.
Read Critical Role on the go
Fanfict Reader is the best way to browse, search, and read AO3 fanfiction on your iPhone. Download for free and start reading your favorite Critical Role fics today.