Matt Mercer is at it again, and by ‘at it’, I mean ‘designing new subclasses for Dungeons and Dragons‘. The Critical Role star teased his new creation, the Daredevil Fighter, in episodes 17 and 18 of campaign four. He also gave a more detailed peek behind the curtain in the latest Tale Gate talk show, shared on March 18.
So far, we only know a handful of facts about the Daredevil. Firstly, it can spend the Fighter’s Second Wind to activate other abilities, such as Daring Strike. That ability lets the Daredevil add 1d10 damage to an attack if it successfully hits. If it misses, the feature instead gives the next attack against the Daredevil advantage.
Secondly, the subclass has a power called Ride the Threshold that lets a Fighter gain temporary hit points from their Second Wind rather than actual healing. This also only applies if the Daredevil is Bloodied (on half their hit points or less).
As you can see, this is a D&D character that loves to take risks. It suits Julien Davinos, Mercer’s current character, down to the ground. “Julien, in particular, is very much that kind of rush-headfirst into danger, and sometimes that works out really great; other times, really poorly.”
The concept is narratively appropriate. It’s also incredibly reliant on luck for results – something that many D&D players loathe in a character build. Mercer is fully aware of this, and he makes that clear during Table Talk. “Other players at the table will be like, ‘Why are you doing that? No, why would you do that?’ Because it’s fun!”
‘Fun, but not well-balanced’ is an accusation that has been levied at many of Mercer’s previous creations for the DnD classes. Case in point, the Gunslinger designed in Critical Role campaign one, and the Blood Hunter from campaign two.
There’s a difference this time, though. Mercer mentions he’s been getting tips from two of Darrington Press’ latest hires: former D&D leads Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford. Nobody on Earth knows the current rules as well as that pair. So, while the Daredevil sounds a little unhinged right now, it should develop into something well-suited for today’s D&D players.
All I can think, though, is how strange a coincidence the Daredevil is. Mercer has clearly been cooking this up for some time, but D&D rival Pathfinder recently shared a playtest for its own Daredevil class. Mechanically, it’s a lot more about pulling sick stunts on the scenery around you, but the concept is still very similar.
What do you think of the homebrew and house rules we’ve seen in campaign four so far? Let us know your thoughts in the Wargamer Discord.