The 5 Most Recognizable Voices in Tabletop Actual Play

In the world of tabletop streaming, a memorable voice helps when creating a character. The ones that made this Boss Rush list aren’t only players with naturally unique voices, but characters for whom the players went all out: switching up registers, creating unforgettable vocal mechanics, or even altering the way the character constructs a sentence.

Many of the most popular names in table top streaming content have thriving careers as voice actors, so if you don’t see a name on this list, it may just be that the breadth of their work includes so many characters in and outside of tabletop RPGs that some crossover and similarity between them was inevitable.

For the sake of this list, we will only include player characters, so if your favorite DM voiced NPC isn’t listed, make some noise in the discord, and we’ll see about making a list for them as well.

5) Chuckles

Though reminiscent of Alan Tudyk’s King Candy, Mikey Gilder’s Chuckles is a clown monstrosity that clawed his way into our psyches and refused to let go. His one-liners are often paraprosdokian. From the terrible house fire to his fiendish knowledge, Chuckles could be recognized on the ridiculousness of his malaphors alone.

^{Chuckles T-Shirt Art (Image Credit: Legend of Avantris)}

Though introduced as an NPC haunting Gideon in Legend of Avantris‘ Feywild campaign, Chuckles returned as a player character in later one-shots. His hyponasal tone bounces. As it jumps, the lisping voice at times crack. Between this and his turn of phrase, Chuckles climbed out of Hell and straight into his place as one of the most memorable voices in actual play podcasts.

4) Revvetha ‘Veth’ Brenatto (Nott the Brave)

^{Veth Brenatto (character art by Ari Orner) (Image Credit: Critical Role)}

Sam Riegel favors voices with heavy presence and loud emotions. High bravado colors the chords of everyone he voices from his gnomish bard Scanlan to Phoenix Wright in Ace Attorney. Perhaps that’s why Veth stands out. Introduced as Nott the Brave, Veth has all of Sam’s usual energy but the bravado vanishes in the face of a contained anxiety which breaks into grief or rises to a fierce Mama Bear edge depending on the catalyst.

A slightly higher register than Sam’s norm, Veth’s voice cracks and her pitch jumps, shifting as if constantly uncertain in her own skin during her time cursed as a goblin. Upon returning to her halfling form, despite Sam joking about a voice change, Veth speaks similarly but gains confidence which shows in the consistency of her tone.

3) Jester Lavorre

Laura Bailey’s work is a masterclass in accent work from Southern Belles to British aristocracy, she has a wide range, but the one that stands out from the rest is our favorite blue tiefling cleric.

^{Jester (character art by Ari Orner) (Image Credit: Critical Role)}

Her accent is an Eastern European blend. Although fans are eager to analyze the accent for a real-world origin, whether it leans more toward one country or another remains a debate. Either way, with long vowels and hard consonants, Jester’s playful and emotive tone danced its way into our hearts.

2) Chetney Pock O’Pea

^{Chetney (character art by Hannah Friederichs) (Image Credit: Critical Role)}

Compared to most of Travis Willingham’s characters on Critical Role, Chetney Pock O’Pea speaks at a higher pitch with a trademark creak like a hinge desperately in need of oil. A number of cracks and drawn out vowels decorate his speech, making him a wonderful contrast to Travis’s usual low rumble. Frankly, it’s a voice more in Sam Riegel’s wheelhouse.

If all that wasn’t enough to make Chetney stand out from the hoard of voices which bounce around the Critical Role table on the regular, his folksy manner of speech that balances Master Roshi with an Appalachian twist makes him an easy voice to recognize.

1) Torbek

Even if Torbek didn’t often speak in third person, his voice would remain immediately recognizable to anyone who has ever seen even the slightest YouTube short or Tik Toks featuring him. Andy Flynn created an adorably self-deprecating bugbear.

^{Torbek (character art by Saltmatey) (Image Credit: Legend of Avantris)}

Torbek favors a sometimes nasally monotone deeper than Flynn’s actual voice. This bugbear’s misery drags down each word, elongating his syllables.

Another bugbear, Brennan Lee Mulligan’s K. P. Hob, nearly made this list, and frankly, maybe the former major of the Goblin Court could give Torbek a good pep talk. Either way, Torbek’s instantly recognizable, placing him at the top of our list.

Is there a character we missed? Share them in the comments below or join the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord and Facebook.

Featured Image: Critical Role

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