Whew! We sped through this series-it was so good, it flew by! We're right on track to watch Season 3 live with ya’ll! Huge thanks to the Critter community for the kindness and support you've shown our channel! Note: Due to limited time and videos, we're unable to react to all the top scenes. These table-to-screen moments were our best option since they were already edited for us here on RUclips. We hope you enjoy! For the full reaction, check out our Patreon. Patreon.com/meeshanddee
You guys should check out Critical Role's "EXU Calamity"! It's a mini campaign, about 20 hours total over 4 episodes (most reactors split it into about 10 reactions). It's set about 800 years before Vox Machina but we do see shots of the Calamity in the animated show (Vax's vision with the huge gods looming over a battlefield). If you want to get a feel for what a D&D campaign feels like end-to-end, it's a tour de force!
Liam's mother had cancer during the original Livestream. Through Vax, he was expressing his pain. You can really feel it in his character in these moments.
matt mentioned he was trying to use the relationship with the Raven Queen to like, communicate with Liam how he felt about death and try and help his friend find his way through his pain.
@@MeeshDeeReacts yeah, it started as much a small thing from Matt to Liam knowing what he was going through and it just blossomed into so much more as you've seen and will see ;)
@@MeeshDeeReacts So... Full Story. The day before "The Sunken Tomb," Liam had buried his Mother. So he walked into this game session already in the pit of depression, hoping that this game that he plays with his friends will give him an escape from all of that and allow him to leave "the real world" behind for four hours. Aaaaand then, his "twin sister" goes and gets herself killed. Oh, for context, Liam and Laura decided to play twins because they, literally, have the same birthday (different year, same month and day, Liam's older than Laura). So put yourself in Liam's shoes. "I'm going to just have fun with my friends and put yesterday out of my mind for four hours." Cut to Vex dying, "Well FUCK!" So, yeah, Liam was NOT in a good head space at that time. He was about as far gone as anyone could go. You can see it in his face. That's why he played the "Take Me Instead You Raven Bitch" moment the way he did. This is also the reason why he just blurted that out. That one line and his delivery of it was Liam just raging at the world for having taken his mother and, now, his twin sister in this game. And, I suppose, it was Liam trying to do for Laura in the game what he deeply wished he could have done for his mother in real life: Take her spot as the Cancer Victim. The moment Liam blurted out that infamous line, "Take Me Instead You Raven Bitch," Matt saw the opportunity he was looking for. Matt had been trying to find a way to help Liam through his depression and pain, but he had no idea how. Then Liam handed him to proverbial "Golden Goose" on a Silver Platter. If you watch the full scene of Vex's Resurrection in the Campaign, you'll see that Kashaw's Revivify completely and utterly failed because everyone rolled way too low. Here I will answer your question about Resurrection works. In D&D, it just happens. But Matt felt that cheapened player character deaths. He wanted character to deaths to have weight to them, but still offer the player a way to revive. So he homebrewed some rules. Basically to revive someone, three people need to come forward and offer something to the Gods to entice whichever Deity grants the Healer their power to revive their fallen comrade. The player is allowed to come up with what they will offer. It can, literally, be anything, from a song to a poem to their blood, whatever they wish to offer. Each player who offers something then must make a roll to see if their offering is accepted or not. Matt has a whole weighted system for this so he can fairly evaluate the rolls. Anyway, after all three players have offered and rolls, Matt, himself, makes one final roll to see how the Deity responds. He then takes all four rolls and uses his system to formulate the final result. The more times someone is revived, the higher the number the offerers must hit on their dice rolls, so it gets harder to continually bring people back to life. So, two people offered something to Kashaw's Deity to bring Vex back. Sam was about to be the third offer, but Liam cut him off and just blurted out, "Take Me Instead You Raven Bitch." In his pain and grief, Liam had Vax offer himself. He would fail his roll. By all rights, the Revivify should have failed. But because Vax offered himself, it made the rolls null and void because Matt had The Raven Queen accept Vax's offer. This was the moment Matt realized that Liam had given him the opportunity that he had been looking for and Matt jumped all over it. From that point onward, Matt carefully planned out Vax's character arc and the direction he wanted it to go. Of course, this was all predicated on Liam wanting to go on the journey with him so Matt would have to be flexible. But as long as the journey allowed Matt to convey the messages he wanted to convey and would allow Liam to realize things and heal, it would be a success, even if the ultimate destination isn't where Matt was hoping it would be. After all, this wasn't about Vax. This was about Liam. The Deathwalker's Ward wasn't originally meant for Vax. But after Vax's offer to The Raven Queen, it had to go to Vax. And in hindsight, it couldn't have to gone to anyone else because it was too perfect for Liam given his situation. Liam has since, at every opportunity, credited Matt Mercer for saving his life. During and following the death of his mother, especially with the death of Vex, Liam had seriously contemplated his own unlife. Liam has said, in no uncertain terms, that had it not been for Matt Mercer and Vax's character journey in Vox Machina, he would not be here today. Now here's the thing: Liam didn't know Matt did all of that... until after the Campaign was over. During the Campaign 1 Wrap-Up (which no longer exists because of... reasons), Liam asked Matt why he had allowed The Raven Queen to accept Vax's offer and why he changed Vax's character trajectory so much. Matt just turned him and said, "I did it for you." This is where Matt bared his soul and revealed that he had been searching, desperately, for a way to help Liam and that moment opened that door for him so he eagerly jumped through and never looked back. Liam lost it and broke into tears, and rightfully so. So there you go. The Full Story behind Liam O'Brien, Matt Mercer, Vax, and The Raven Queen. With all of this context, scenes like Vax's conversation with The Raven Queen hit different, don't they? Now keep this context in mind as we see Vax's character arc play out through the rest of "The Legend of Vox Machina."
I think ALOT of his trauma bled over to the second campaign as Caleb and how Sam just said nah -I'm gonna mother the shit out of his charector because I'm the best kind of friend you ever could ask for.
"Do not go far from me" makes me cry every single time I see it, even on reaction channels, its a good way of gauging if you still have a soul or not. We love you very much, can't wait for S3 ❤❤
Grog doesn't lose his muscles in the campaign, in the campaign he straight up dies because the sword becomes "full," but then gets hungry again and when Grog has nothing to feed it it feeds on Grog's life, then when they resurrect him and banish the sword Grog realizes the sword had stolen his soul that whole time. I understand the change, if you had Grog die here it'd make Vex's death feel less significant, so I appreciate the change they made.
My only wish was that they left his speech to Pike in. That was one of my favorite moments with Grog, and it felt like removing that took a chunk of his character away in the show, personally.
@@TheJerbol grog threw his chain of returning to escape a whirlwind dimension while battling the sphinx. The sword went through the portal and anchored him in Pike's chest.
Looking at the stats Matt gave Craven Edge, it actually makes sense that Sylas would use it, too. Its Drain Strength ability resets on rest, which Sylas as a vampire could easily do without… and when it progresses to its full form and tries to devour its wielder’s soul, it forces them to make a Constitution save… which Sylas could easily auto-win on with the Legendary Resistance that comes with being a vampire lord.
Some D&D clarifications and other details: 4:00 - most of the time, getting to 0 isn't immediate death, just unconsciousness - that's why Laura (playing Vex) wasn't worried at the time. But there are specific Necromancy spells or nasty traps that can kill instantly, and this was one of those (fitting for a trap guarding the armor of the Raven Queen's champion) 8:05 - by the book, spells that Raise the Dead just automatically work. Matt Mercer (the DM) created his own set of rules that involve players making skill checks as part of a ritual, and then there is a final roll to see if the soul comes back or is lost forever. He uses these rules to make death more impactful, and not something that can be overcome with a magic spell that just any mid-level Cleric would have 14:20 - As a barbarian, Grog has an ability to make Reckless attacks, where he has a better chance of hitting enemies because he gets to roll twice and take the better number, but enemies get to do the same thing to him. He chose to be Reckless, rolled a 1 (auto-fail) followed by a 20 (highest possible roll, critical hit for extra damage) 14:35 - "How Do You Want To Do This" is Matt's catch-phrase for when a big boss is killed - he gives narrative control over to the player to describe what happens next. So the table erupts when they hear it because they know they've won 15:15 - that series of episodes was actually one of the biggest *departures* from the campaign. He does impale Pike but accidentally and not with Craven Edge, the party never splits, and Grog never loses his muscles...the sword outright kills him, and Pike succeeds on a revival ritual. It's very similar to Vex in the Sunken Tomb, which is probably why it got adapted to be different. And honestly, HUGE props to the writers and show-runners on those choices! 19:15 - I don't know if it was shown on the comparison video, but at some point in that scene Kaylie DID try to attack Scanlan...and Matt rolled a 1. Matt described it as all the ferocity leaving her at the crucial moment, and she just left in tears instead. So the scene could have gone very differently had the dice not intervened!
Pike is never impaled in the Umbrasyl fight, but she does get impaled when they fight Kamaljiori: Grog was nearly transported to the Elemental Plane of Air thanks to a small portal (one of many to toher elemental planes, which hid the name of the sphinx and was part of the puzzle) but he had a Chain of Returning, which allowed him to throw the attached weapon from a distance and recall it back; he used it with Craven Edge as a grappling hook to reel himself away from the portal, unfortunatley, the sword used Pike as a grappling point.
5:57 Dee, the greatest Tear Bender The Kevdak fight was legendary. Grog was close to death before Vex put him in the Pokeball. Then hitting that natural 20 was epic. They did such a great job bringing that to life. Great reaction as usual.
They didn't include it, but "do not go far from me" was before the Tomb - after the dragon attack, and Vex asked "Do you think this is what Mother saw before she died?", adding to the heartbreak. Scanlan rolled to see if he remembered Sybil, and he did - Matt described it as remembering her as someone who became very clingy very quickly. also, congratulations!
So a nat one is just an auto failure, but normally if you take a “lethal” amount of damage, you just fall unconscious, you’ll die after failing three death saves. The matron’s trap was specialized to instantly kill anyone that falls to or below zero hit points.
Some context. In 'The Killbox' (Episode 52 of the livestream campaign) the battle went back and forth for 2 hours. They really captured it well in the animated series. The natural 20 he rolled on the 20 sided dice is called a critical hit in D&D which for Grog, as a barbarian class of his level, meant he got to do even more damage than others do when they roll a natural 20 so Kevdak took a massive amount of damage from it. Grog was also in very bad shape in terms of how many hit points he had so when he landed from that height, he took fall damage and collapsed. It was one of the hardest combat in the entire series at this point.
Some more context of why the battle went so long, Kevdak is a barbarian and part of his build includes that he takes half damage on most attacks. Partway through the fight one of the herd's druids (greenbeard) healed Kevdak for 70 hitpoints....and since Vox was doing half damage, they had to do another 140 damage just to get him back to where he was It's why when Matt was calculating the damage he goes "That's 42....brings it to 21..." because even Grog's critical hit still only did half damage
'19 misses' In D&D combat you make a roll to hit your target. The number is compared to the target's AC (armor class). You apply any modifiers or penalties to determine if you hit. At this point in the game they hadn't faced anything where a 19 so casually 'misses'. That is why they were all surprised. The number they had to beat was a 22 which wouldn't be impossible for some of them to reach but the odds were not in their favor.
Of note, unlike with most board games who use a D6, a dice with 6 faces, the typically used dice for most things in D&D is a D20 (or multiple) - a dice with 20 faces.
I love that people have created these comparison videos so that non-stream watchers can experience and appreciate the amazing roleplay that CR is capable of! The actual campaigns are so daunting with their hundreds of hours of runtime including long battles, shopping episodes, etc, but there are moments of real magic that occur too. And it really is incredible how many huge moments and great lines come EXACTLY from something that was improvised live on-stream.
They feel daunting at first and then suddenly you are mainlining them directly into your veins like a maniac and you haven't slept and you're all caught up and waiting for Thursday is torture and anything under 4 hours is "A short one". 🤣
In D&D, a stat of 10 is considered average. When making the character of Grog, he gave him an Intelligence score of 6, so Travis making Grog dumb is a legit roleplaying choice he made. He's really good at it, too. He roleplays a much smarter character in Mighty Nein which really shows his range.
@@zippomage They ran a Clasp one shot where they all played thieves and rogues and Travis was ultra-intelligent in that game. It was gloriously satisfying.
What's really great with how Travis played Grog is how he's able to do the smart thing in the dumbest way possible. Grog inviting the herd to fight Umbrasyl seems like a natural thing to do for him. Travis wanted the herd taken out or at least greatly weakened because they were a big threat even after defeating Kevdak.
"Oh. She surprised Matt." Can't wait for Campaign 2 where she REALLY surprised Matt. IYKYK You two should play Baldur's Gate 3. It is based on D&D 5e and you can play together in co-op mode.
Hi Meesh and Dee! I'm fairly new to your channel and I just wanna say I'm really glad you two are reacting to Vox Machina and the table-to-screen videos. I've been enjoying all of your content so far and am looking forward to watching Season 3 of Vox Machina with you! 😊
They definitely gave Kash and Zahra (mostly Zahra) more antagonistic roles in the animation, but they left on a good note, so maybe we'll see them again in better circumstances
Still hoping to see you two do a reaction to the making of/behind the scenes for this show. 6 vids, all under 15 minutes each. Of all the people involved in this project, the number who were already Critters is kind of surprising. I found it fascinating and bet you will too. The playlist on their channel is called The Legend of The Legend of Vox Machina.
As a forever DM, I want to say that we live for those moments, which you saw on Matt's face when Laura explained the Grog in the pokeball plan, when your players come up with an idea that surprises you.
The Killbox fight lasted hours at the table (though I think it was only six turns in the game). It really was "not going well" as Percy said. Laura's move with the locket was brilliant, and the dice gods rewarded Grog!
Just an FYI from the campaign, when Matt asks "So how do you want to do this?", that means they've successfully caused enough damage to the big baddie VM is fighting and let's the person who dealt the killing blow explain in detail how just how they did it. Its by far the most iconic line from Critical Role.
Agreed. It's a style element that I've seen repeated at other tables and I use at mine as well. Its offers an opportunity for the players to interact and make a moment feel even more epic.
The thing about Percy giving Vex a title was, a LOT of people, in the audience at the live show and over the stream, and maybe one or two people at the table, too, believed that this meant Percy and Vex were now MARRIED, or at the least, betrothed. But it would take a good long time more before their relationship were cemented, one way or another. Oh, Vex putting Grog in the amulet--the pokeball they it--was MUCH more intense and awesome in the livestream, because Vex had to travel beside 5 Herd of Storm barbarians on her way to Grog, and TANKED 4 ATTACKS (one of them missed). I don't know WHY this video skipped that. It wasn't the MOST awesome moment in the fight, but it was VEX'S most awesome moment of the fight, and the dice just made it even better.
I love Matt's line "how do you want to do this?" lol. When he says that during their games, I know the creativity from the group is coming. Love it. And obviously Travis saying, "I would like to Rage" And Sam saying/doing just about anything lol. Dude comes up with some hilarious stuff.
I think this one is so good simply because as much as I have nostalgia for the Briarwood Arc, the stream was still a baby back then. It was the tail end of it being a baby, those were some of the last episodes they were capable of replying to and showing comments live and I think that’s round about where they passed 10k subs on the channel they were with at the time. They were picking up steam fast, and while the Percy Arc is definitely a notable step up in seriousness from the previous arcs, it’s definitely still a “home game” in many ways. They remade the set and upgraded some production quality stuff right after the Briarwoods got got, and it goes a long way towards improving the feel of the clips. The improved audio and acoustics when compared to the original set helps pretty significantly, and I think just having a set helped them feel a bit more comfortable being in the characters (plus the massive success kinda making it clear they weren’t *just* being goofy on the internet) and giving emotional performances. Also, Scanlan Shorthalt is just an Eminem joke. Doctor Dranzel was originally his troupe mate (Dr. Dre) and he (Slim Shady) has a daughter Kaylie (Hailie is Eminem’s actual daughter’s name). I don’t remember if we ever got a confirmation that Matt did that last part intentionally, but she was a surprise to the table. Sam didn’t write that part of the backstory, just like Tal didn’t write that the Briarwoods did anything but murder Percy’s family or that he did anything but have a weird dream the night before he made his gun. I think Liam (Vax) said that Matt thank you for your backstory and then will take it and wrap it around a baseball bat with barbed wire and nails and then get you with it 7.5 months down the line when you’ve forgotten about it just enough.
Travis is hands down one of the best player in TTRPG actual plays. He lets others shine so much and gives them their space. Hence, early on in campaign one, he was letting others enjoy the spotlight and taking a support role more. One of the reasons why he did not fear playing a low-intelligence character. And Matthew being the wonderful DM he is, probably saw that and taking his backstory weaved it into the main story. It was beautiful to see Grog go through it and Travis roleplaying him to the dot. So happy ya all like Grog. One of my favourite characters. Look forward to y'all's amazing reactions for season 3. ❤
I'm slowly getting through Campaign 2 (On episode 80) and while its an EXTREME AMOUNT OF CONTENT, its amazing to watch. It's several hundred hours, and I can't wait to see it come to light soon with The Might Nein. It's truly impressive to watch these voice actors/mo cap actors do this week to week. But 3-4 hours per episode isn't exactly easy for new people to start.. But try the first episode of C2.. You might fall in love with it (also a much higher production quality than C1)
Even watching the show, people are surprised at how emotional the table game gets. Because it's just a game right. But D&D games can get very emotional with how attached we get to characters. Of course them being actors they play to emotions more than your standard game. They're used to having to reach into emotions and convey them. A lot of it's in character, but there are true emotional feelings with them at some points too.
Laura is such a master player. Her move to capture Grog and throw him into the air, is a great example. There's another moment in Campaign 2 that is the most amazing DnD moment I've ever seen or heard of. I won't spoil, but you'll know it when you see it. She is amazing as an actor as well as a player.
Laura Bailey is a brilliant D&D goddess! She's a master of improv. Each of the three campaigns Laura has pulled clutch moves out of thin air that rocked everyone at the table, on Twitch and on RUclips as she unfolds her D&D magic.
The group was hyped at 14:41 because that combat was an intense nail biter that took an entire 4 hour session. Vox Machina was literally on fumes when Laura came up with that desperate gambit.
The rules of DnD can feel intimidating, but genuinely, the best way to learn is to play. Every game of DnD has a Dungeon Master. It's their job to be arbiter of the rules, so you can just describe what you want to do, and they can tell you if/how you can do it. The Player's handbook is thick, but it's mostly options to choose from when building your character, rather than rules you need to memorize. The game is a lot more simple than it seems at first, and because the Dungeon Master chooses how said rules are implemented, the game can become even simpler still if the DM runs things loosey goosey. Honestly, the biggest challenge when it comes to playing DnD is regularly getting a group of adults together for a 3+ hour chunk of time.
I'd like to cosign this. While you SHOULD have at least a rough understanding of the mechanical framework of the game and what your class does, at heart it is YOUR job as a player to decide What You Want To Do, and your Dungeon Master/Storyteller's job to tell you what mechanical checks you need to pass in order to do it.
I agree. It's so so much easier to have someone who knows how to play and guide you into it with simplified terms. Then you learn as you play. My friends taught me how to play this way and it wasn't too overwhelming for me. Then as I already knew the basic mechanics, I could just read more into the rules and the classes by myself, and learn even more through watching Critical Role plays :)
Some more context that wasn't shown in the table-to-screen video. When Kaylee has Scanlan at her mercy and he gives that speech, she tries to stab him anyway and Matt rolls a natural 1, which is an automatic failure/miss. Matt has Kaylee fall into Scanlan's arms and start crying. It was taken as a sign because sometimes you just let the dice tell the story. At the end of that scene when they are about to go to break on the livestream, Matt brings out the pre-prepared battlemap he made to be ready if Scanlan and Kaylee went into combat which was the original plan but like I said, sometimes the dice will tell the story.
there is a reason Laura Baily is one of the top voice actors in the industry. when you look it up its amazing the range of characters she plays. lust in full metal alchmist, abby in last of us part 2, Kagura from Fruit Basket and young Trunks in Dragon Ball Z. everything from tough strong fighter, flirty femme fatale, cute innocent, young boys.
It is literally almost a thousand hours of content between all three campaigns and assorted one-shot and spinoff games but watching the actual critical role stream is so, so worth it. You get so much more context for who the characters are, so much more adventure, and so many more laughs and tears out of it than just watching the show.
"I wonder if she knew she was gonna die" "She had to or he never would have become champion". She didn't know she was going to die. Even Matt didn't know she was going to die. That kind of thing is not planned, you try to avoid dying, it just happens due to bad choices and bad rolls. There's always a chance to make a saving throw roll. Vax wouldn't have become the champion of the Ravens, but none of them knew that Could even happen. It was not really planned. In the show it was foreshadowed, but in the game it wasn't. In the game it did kinda happen to fit, because Liam had Vax exploring religion for the character in the game, as he became interested in Pike's diety and drew her symbol on his hand. Instead he ended up taking a level of Paladin, another type of holy person, of the Raven Queen. But it's important to understand that story arcs aren't planned out like that in the actual game.
Really cool seeing how stoked and into the show you are! There's so much amazing stuff that unfortunately can't get smooshed into a show, but this really did a good job of showing how much did make the cut! Great reaction! Woo!
This shows that the Vox Machina story is really a collaborative effort to create. Matt sets up a great world to be in but all of the players contribute as much. Always love when Matt is surprised by their choices.
In the campaign, Grog was actually killed by Craven Edge before being revived by Pike. They changed it in the show because they felt it was too similar to what happened to Vex.
6:33 Oh my friend, the campaign is way more emotional. They have time to really sit in the moments and the feelings, both tragic and comedic. I love the animated show but it's a whole different beast.
The quality of the livestream improves a lot between S1 and S2, and the cast are also clear of the early jitters and nerves too. I love the Briarwood Arc, but once The Chroma Conclave story starts, the whole cast and production are really hitting their stride. In terms of D&D, the best place to start would be a 'one-shot', basically a single short story designed to be played through in a few hours. IT always helps if you know someone else that has played before too.
Great reaction! Some D&D trivia: "19 misses" - In D&D a twenty sided-dice is rolled in combat, The higher the number the better the chance is to hit the enemy. 19 is a very high roll for most combat, unless you're fighting an ancient dragon. The base combat roll is 1 to 20 with 1 being critical fumble and 20 an automatic hit. The roll can be adjusted depending on the character's stats, but in that fight only a natural 20 (no adjustments) would have hit. They were extremely out-classed. But that was the point. The four dragons showed up, and all they could do was run. Vex misses her save: In D&D a twenty sided-dice is rolled for resisting magical effects, and natural 1 is immediate failure with maximum bad effect for the character. When the character's hit points go below zero, you're essentially dead. No the players do not know what the DM has planned. They just have to role-play through it. The players Liam (Vax) and Laura (Vex) have the same birthday, which is why they decided to play twins in the first campaign. The entire team at critical role are voice actors so yes the role-play the hell out of these situations. That's why we love them so much. Take me instead - so awesome. There are in-game rolls that the player must make to survive, but the actions of the other player's during a resurrection have direct outcome on the the DM's decision. Especially in Critical Role, Matt has some house rules specific for bringing people back from the dead. Kevdak and the poke-ball Grog moment was priceless. In D&D a natural "20" in combat is a critical hit. (usually can do double damage). When Matt uses the phrase "how do you want to do this" It means that the character has successfully killed their opponent. in my opinion Matt is a superior DM because of this. He's allowing the players a chance to role-play and describe a personal victory, which makes the game-play even better.
You guys have been fun to watch. If you get someone to run a game for you guys that knows what they are doing it makes playing the game super easy. Readding the rule book makes the game feel daunting. Its really simple once you start playing. The persone running the game will guide you through everything you have to role. Looking forward to your season 3.
If you've ever wanted to check out Critical Role, "Exandria Unlimited: Calamity" is only 4 episodes, and it's the best thing they ever made. Congrats on your marriage as well!
Loved your reactions throughout both seasons! Can't wait for season 3! Quick non-spoiler explanation about "seasons" and "episodes", though I'm sure you're aware of most of this already: The seasons of the animated show don't really line up with "seasons" of the played campaign. Meaning cliffhangers in the show often aren't really cliffhangers in the game, though there certainly are some that were translated one to one! All seasons of "Legends of Vox Machina" tell the story of the single first campaign of critical role. Since each game takes between 3 and 4 hours, sometimes even more, and there are hundreds of sessions for the first campaign, there's a lot of material to make an animated show out of it. The pacing of the game is certainly not as dramatic and streamlined as it is in the animated show, but it's a great watch nontheless. So, Raishan being revealed wasn't really a "season ending cliffhanger" and more like "dangit we gotta wait until next week for this to resolve" since the game sessions happened every week. Still, I think it's amazing that they used the same cliffhanger for it! In a similar vein, the character developments didn't really happen in different "seasons" within the game, though different story arcs within the campaign focused on different characters and relationships. The Briarwoods storyline for example was an early arc spanning multiple sessions and obviously focused on percy. Though it wasn't always so clear-cut. Most often the players found moments in between the larger story to have heart-to-heart scenes or to play out some aspect of a relationship that was left unanswered for longer periods of time. Regarding playing the game yourselves: DnD can be played in many different ways, your first game doesn't have to be an all-out campaign. A one-off adventure on a single day could let you dip your toes into the game without loosing multiple weekends over it! Full knowledge of the entire rulebook is not at all necessary! Anyways, I'm sure you already know much of this. I love your reactions and am looking forward to more!
we all know that Matt's storytelling is 10/10, the cast's role-playing is 10/10 but i think the writer's room deserves so much love for adapting the best, and essential story beats. i loved seeing your reactions to this table-to-screen compilation~ soooo excited for season 3!
You gals are so great and give me so much joy as a CR veteran watching it with new people and view. I'm happy you made it in time for season 3. Things will get crazy!
Some explanation about what’s going on at 14:14 : Travis chose to make this a “reckless attack”. Now narratively of course it’s a reckless attack, but specifically this is a D&D mechanic where a barbarian can choose to gain advantage (rolls twice and takes the higher number) on their roll to attack their target, but the trade off is that all attacks against them until their next turn also are at advantage. Travis did this, which meant he got to roll twice to hit Kevdak. His first roll was a 1, and his second roll was a 20. It could not have been more perfect!
And THAT.... is the magic of Critical Role. So glad you're getting a chance to see some of these moments. There are so many great moments, both hilarious and heart wrenching, in all 3 campaigns that it's great to see people experience it for the first time. Season 1 is great as is the early parts of campaign 1 but S2 and once you get into C1, there are just so many great moments and so many to come ;) And knowing for the most part what's coming, it only escalates from here. And if you like Sam's speech to Kaylie, you have to check out some of Sam's spur of the moment songs. Hilarious. And iirc pretty much spoiler free but you might want to get your editor to check them out first to be sure. There might be some where if you know the stream and what's going on, you'll get something from his songs but I don't think they'll spoil anything if you go into them blind as to what's happening.
A nice little tidbit about the Kevdak fight in the original campaign. In an interview, Travis (Grog) revealed that originally, Laura (Vex) wanted to take Grog away from the fight after putting him inside the locket. But Travis didn't want to flee because that fight was really important for Grog, even though Grog only had 4 Life Points left at the time. So he asked Laura to drop him on top of Kevdak, so he could try to hit him. In the original episode, while the other players are taking their turn, you can actually see Travis leaning over to Laura and talking to her quietly before that moment. This is definitely one of the most legendary moment in the campaign, and one of the biggest pop off the players ever had after a kill. Also, congratulations on your wedding! Looking forward to your reactions for season 3.
you guys should totally react to more of these, and I also highly recommend checking out lili furfaro's songs inspired by vox machina! they're SO SO good.
You two are just wonderful, and I'm so glad you're Critters! I'm new to the fandom as well and I've been watching compilation videos of them like crazy. I hope you do play D&D some day - it's so much fun!
Making time and finding people are the things that prevent people from playing as much as they want to or even at all. It’s the hardest part of playing the game. It can be as easy or hard as you want it to be. I would suggest making a couple of characters as the best way to learn how the game is played. And maybe find a game shop that runs games and jump in a one-shot (one off adventure)
Not sure if it was said here, but a guy named Chase Noteworthy wrote a song and it’s on Spotify, and on here called Far From Me, that is a song about this whole scene.
"so is this the last game?" no, the entire story of this adventure has been finished for years, the animated series is not done as new episodes of the tabletop come out. in fact, since then they have already played an entire second adventure with new characters, that is already in the works for another animated series called the Mighty Nein(it already has a trailer where they show a scene in the early stage of animation) and they are currently a few years into the 3rd group, again with its own entire new group of new characters.
the thing that a lot of people dont realize is that they have been playing these characters and are deep into the gameplay. but of course none of the players know what will happen during the session. so when a player dies it can genuinely impact the table and the other players for the rest of the campaign.
Sorry if I've said this before, but as you can see, watching Critical Role is like watching people put on an old-school radio show. I'm pretty sure The White Duke was Thin! I've been rolling dice since '78 or so -- if you need a DM, don't hesitate to reach our!
I'm not gonna say what it was in case you gonna do the HBO show adaptations eventually (WHICH YOU SHOULD!), but during the making of The Last of Us Part 2, Ashley Johnson (voicing & motion capturing Ellie) had to do a very tough scene, which also involved Laura Bailey - and she was quite literally crying for Ashley because of how hard it was. In case you're wondering how much emotions sometimes go into those video games. Those two games alone gave me so much respect for these two specifically. And when you play D&D, your characters of course are also something you get an emotional attachment to, especially when they're long running. So the prospect of losing them can be tough too, especially when coupled with such good impromptu acting.
Sam was in a band in college, and apparently very much lived a rock star existence. He was a player. When Sam met the woman who became his wife, she straight up told him she wouldn't date him if he were dating other women. Basically, Sam *IS* Scanlan, or was. Sweet-talking is very much his thing. I love all these guys as actors, and playing a game with any of them would be amazing, but if I could pick one of them to permanently sit at my DnD table it would be Travis. He gets hyped up for anyone at the table to do something amazing. He'll be the lead when he's called on, and he'll just as eagerly sing back-up when it's someone else up front. No main character syndrome.
Should you guys ever decide to do some merch, I feel like something along the lines of "Don't forget your tissues" would be funny only because Dee always does forget
As someone who has played D&D and even DM’d once, I have never read the full rule book. I honestly learned to play from watching others play on RUclips and then read the character creation stuff and combat and spell basics when necessary. Otherwise, you just go researching as you play. I even had a veteran player tell me they thought I’d been playing for years after my first month. LOL
The way I'd look at playing... don't worry so much about the rules and time. Think of a game as a dinner party. Sure - there's all manner of rules and having someone along that already knows how to plan and host a party helps a lot. But you don't need it. Having said that, if you can bring someone in who is fun and knows how to keep the party moving... let them tell you about the rules as you stumble through them. Enjoy the experience with everyone else at the table. And if it ends up being fun - plan another to continue the campaign. Side note: yeah, CR are entertainers with honed instincts so watching them play is great fun. They're good at it. But I still maintain most of D&D isn't really a spectator sport. Its more about the experience of being in the action. I doubt any of my favorite times around a gaming table would make for an entertaining watch. But the best thing about watching CR is that the crew reminds me of those favorite times.
these table to screen moments are fantastic. they always remind me how much i loved/miss Travis (Grog) and Scanlan (sam's) interactions. Forever getting up to no good in the most hilarious of ways. 😂
To explain, the way death works in D&D is you hit 0 HP, and you are knocked unconscious. Then you start making saving throws. 3 successes, and you are stable (but still unconscious). 3 failures, and that's death. If you are healed at any point before 3 failures, you come back to life. Once there are 3 failures, you have to be resurrected. There are a few spells with different costs and time limits, ranging from within 1 minute of death, to ones that can be cast up to 100 years later. Once the spell is cast, they come back. However, Vex's death here had a few differences. First, this was a specific spell that if it took you to or below 0HP, death was immediate, no saves. That's why Laura was so surprised about it - she expected saving throws. The other difference is that Matt has special rules for resurrections. What he does is have 3 people contribute to the ritual. They can make any type of contribution - for example, Scanlan could sing a song, Keyleth could craft a flower, etc. Then they roll the appropriate skill check - say a performance check for a song, a nature check for the flower. Then Matt makes a final roll. The base difficulty is 10, so a 10 or higher, they survive. Less than 10, the spell fails. However, each contribution modifies that base. A success decreases it by 3, a failure increases it by 1. It also increases with every death they've suffered. So in the campaign, it was actually Vex, not Keyleth, that Delilah killed at the end of season 1. So she had already suffered a death. So her base was 11. Vax contributed his persuasion roll to the Raven Queen to take him instead. He was successful, so that reduced the roll by 3. I don't remember the other two contributions, so let's say there was 1 success and 1 failure. That would be 10 + 1 (previous death) - 3 (Vax success) -3 (other success) + 1 (other failure). That means Matt had to roll a 6 or higher. And you can hear his final roll, right before he says Vax takes a breath.
Maybe it won't come up my favorite table scene between Grog and Pike is the "Grog learns how to read..." one. I think it's not a spoiler to watch that if you have the time.
The thing about RPG rule books is that they’re first and foremost reference books. You don’t need to absorb the whole thing. You need to be familiar enough to find the thing you need at the moment. It’s more like a charcuterie plate than a sandwich. It’s really best to take it a bite at a time.
For playing D&D, the biggest challenge is finding a good DM. I DMed two all female groups for about 5 years. I grew up in the 80s with all male players and I felt a desire to balance the scales. In my experience the fewer players you have, the more quickly the game can flow because the DM can focus more on each player. I feel like 3 players is a good number when you are starting out.
I have to agree. 3-5 players is usually the max at my table. I've been DMing since 1979, so I've had loads of different players. I didn't get any girl players until 1982 when some family friends joined the game. Guys play very differently from girls, and I've found girls tend to role-play better.
A great season 1 table-to-screen moment that was not included is campaign 1 episode 25 around the 39 minute mark. For context, this is after Vax breaks into the Briarwood's room, jumps out the window, gets attacked and loses consciousness. Bring the tissues.
It's TOTALLY worth it to play dnd! It might be easier for you guys to find a DM that can walk you through character creation and basic rules, if the book is a bit too much lol. It's so fun. And watching the actual campaigns of Critical Role is also a great way to learn. I knew so much before I even started DMing just from watching them. Excellent reaction as always! Can't wait to see more!! 🎉
While the cast and community joke about the stream being scripted, liam wasn't reading any lines that was all improvised as is the entirety of the streamed games Edit 1: kash and zahra in the streamed game were much less antagonistic and lots more friendly Edit 2: vex actually almost died getting to grog and getting him out for his dive bomb on kevdak, in dnd theres this thing that is called an opportunity attack that happens when u leave an enemy's threat range, and since grog was surrounded by alot of the herd she took several opportunity attacks as she flew by on her broom taking her all the way down to single digit hit points.
It’s so magical watching people find Critical Role cause in a weird parasocial way it’s like HI MEET MY BEST FRIENDS IVE NEVER MET YOULL LOVE THEM. But you will. Dnd and Critical Role (and Dim 20) are so special, among others. Enjoy the magic!! ❤️❤️I’m really enjoying yalls channel.
Heya, DM of some years here, that has welcomed quite a few newcomers into the hobby and would highly recommend it to anyone. I could walk you through DnD basics and character creation if that's something you'd be interested in and comfortable with. I know the game can be a bit overwhelming to newcomers in the hobby, but it is quite worth it.
Ill explain how matt mercer makes his cast roll for revivals. He asks his group to pick 3 players to bid for the soul to return to their loved ones body. The soul has to want to return to the body. So first its a choice of the player who died if they even want to come back or not. Then the 3 players have to roleplay a reason to bring the soul back. Some plead about how much the world or they need the player. Vax went a wild route and bid his own life to save his sister. Then the players have to roll to see generally how convicing they were. So a nat 1 can totally kill a good bid. A 20 can really lift their chances. Each time a player dies it gets harder to bring them back. Every Dam had their own methid behind revivals.
3:52 to explain some light mechanics what's happening here is called a saving throw which are typically to avoid or negate detrimental effects in older editions of d&d it was common to have saving throws against traps that will instantly kill you (often called save or die) with set number values for different affects. But here this was some bad dice rolls and in the more recent editions of D&D saving throws have become based off your class /attributes you would add a modifer to the roll to see if you succeed. Strength, dexterity, constitution, etc. Separating because I went on a big tanget To reiterate no one knows how a game of D&D goes it's less one person is planning out arcs and creating a narrative it's more of the players emergent actions to the problems in front of them create a narrative. In fact this one moment a dice roll changed basically the entire perceived narrative because most likely the Death Walker's Ward was actually going to go to Percy in fact you can see his player Talisin was reaching for it but Vex/ Laura got to it first thus the clip (idk if its the way it is edited in this compliation but its alot more obvious that was happening in the VOD). Well I don't know about Matt's thought process when it comes to the vestiges of divergence while he was creating them I can make some educated assumptions. At least seems that at least he had had the idea of these magic items for a while and this was a good time to introduce them as a plot element. And maybe created them with abilities in mind that would best help one intended user. The only vestige we have proof of being specifically for a character are the Titan stone Knuckles Grogs Gauntlets since Travis willingham created them as a part of Grogs backstory with The Herd.
D&D campaigns don't have to be epic. They have one shot campaign ideas so you can complete an adventure in 1-3 sessions depending on your time availability and how much shenanigans you get up to lol Honestly goofing off is the most fun though. MY party had a horse wedding before. You just never know wth will come to mind.
If you rewatch i think it was episode one maybe two when they fled to whiterun after the dragon attack you see a little girl with green eyes that grog had a brief interaction. That is Rashan
Its difficult to imagine, I'd guess, (if you have never played ) the level of attachment you have for your character. Especially when you are dealing with characters that have been played over years. You spend 4-5 hours a week with this character for years and when they die or when one of your friends characters die, you feel it. Granted once you get to level 7 or so, death is rarely the end. Resurrection is usually on the table in some form, but its never a guarantee. I just wrapped a 6 year long campaign about a month ago and prior to the party's final battle they had an epic fight with an ancient white dragon and an undead skeletal dragon as well as two dangerous enemies. Every player was controlling 4 mercenaries as well as their own character, it was a true battle and it took 3 sessions to finish and near the end one of our players, his actual player character not a mercenary he was playing was frozen solid and shattered into a million pieces. He was devastated, his character's family had all been killed by this white dragon, the battle was personal for him and he died fighting it. But it became a rallying point for everyone else. Not long after they took down that dragon and destroyed the soul cage for the undead white dragon, finally ending that threat for good. Eventually a silver dragon (good dragons are metallic) they had befriended earlier in the campaign was able to resurrect the dead player and he got the final blow in the final fight of the campaign. I always tell my players that the dice tell a story., sometimes it doesn't make sense at the time, but if you are open to it and follow it where it goes it ALWAYS ends up with an epic tale. With Critical Role we see that personified in their live play. But its no secret that being amazing voice actors helps sell it. Still I don't doubt that Laura's reaction to Vex's "death" was genuine, pro VA or not. Ya'll should try a D&D one shot sometime, it probably seems complicated, but its way easier than it appears and I think people think of D&D as a game where its the players vs the dungeon master. Its absolutely not. D&D is one thing, its collaborative story telling, no more no less. The DM is your facilitator in that effort, not your adversary. And with the dm, the players and a bunch of silly dice, you create worlds and weave stories.
Whew! We sped through this series-it was so good, it flew by! We're right on track to watch Season 3 live with ya’ll! Huge thanks to the Critter community for the kindness and support you've shown our channel!
Note: Due to limited time and videos, we're unable to react to all the top scenes. These table-to-screen moments were our best option since they were already edited for us here on RUclips. We hope you enjoy! For the full reaction, check out our Patreon.
Patreon.com/meeshanddee
If you want to play DnD you could just play Baldurs Gate 3. It even has multiplayer!
You guys should check out Critical Role's "EXU Calamity"! It's a mini campaign, about 20 hours total over 4 episodes (most reactors split it into about 10 reactions). It's set about 800 years before Vox Machina but we do see shots of the Calamity in the animated show (Vax's vision with the huge gods looming over a battlefield). If you want to get a feel for what a D&D campaign feels like end-to-end, it's a tour de force!
Liam's mother had cancer during the original Livestream. Through Vax, he was expressing his pain. You can really feel it in his character in these moments.
This hits different now 🙏🏼
matt mentioned he was trying to use the relationship with the Raven Queen to like, communicate with Liam how he felt about death and try and help his friend find his way through his pain.
@@MeeshDeeReacts yeah, it started as much a small thing from Matt to Liam knowing what he was going through and it just blossomed into so much more as you've seen and will see ;)
@@MeeshDeeReacts So... Full Story. The day before "The Sunken Tomb," Liam had buried his Mother. So he walked into this game session already in the pit of depression, hoping that this game that he plays with his friends will give him an escape from all of that and allow him to leave "the real world" behind for four hours. Aaaaand then, his "twin sister" goes and gets herself killed. Oh, for context, Liam and Laura decided to play twins because they, literally, have the same birthday (different year, same month and day, Liam's older than Laura). So put yourself in Liam's shoes. "I'm going to just have fun with my friends and put yesterday out of my mind for four hours." Cut to Vex dying, "Well FUCK!" So, yeah, Liam was NOT in a good head space at that time. He was about as far gone as anyone could go. You can see it in his face. That's why he played the "Take Me Instead You Raven Bitch" moment the way he did. This is also the reason why he just blurted that out. That one line and his delivery of it was Liam just raging at the world for having taken his mother and, now, his twin sister in this game. And, I suppose, it was Liam trying to do for Laura in the game what he deeply wished he could have done for his mother in real life: Take her spot as the Cancer Victim.
The moment Liam blurted out that infamous line, "Take Me Instead You Raven Bitch," Matt saw the opportunity he was looking for. Matt had been trying to find a way to help Liam through his depression and pain, but he had no idea how. Then Liam handed him to proverbial "Golden Goose" on a Silver Platter. If you watch the full scene of Vex's Resurrection in the Campaign, you'll see that Kashaw's Revivify completely and utterly failed because everyone rolled way too low. Here I will answer your question about Resurrection works. In D&D, it just happens. But Matt felt that cheapened player character deaths. He wanted character to deaths to have weight to them, but still offer the player a way to revive. So he homebrewed some rules. Basically to revive someone, three people need to come forward and offer something to the Gods to entice whichever Deity grants the Healer their power to revive their fallen comrade. The player is allowed to come up with what they will offer. It can, literally, be anything, from a song to a poem to their blood, whatever they wish to offer. Each player who offers something then must make a roll to see if their offering is accepted or not. Matt has a whole weighted system for this so he can fairly evaluate the rolls. Anyway, after all three players have offered and rolls, Matt, himself, makes one final roll to see how the Deity responds. He then takes all four rolls and uses his system to formulate the final result. The more times someone is revived, the higher the number the offerers must hit on their dice rolls, so it gets harder to continually bring people back to life. So, two people offered something to Kashaw's Deity to bring Vex back. Sam was about to be the third offer, but Liam cut him off and just blurted out, "Take Me Instead You Raven Bitch." In his pain and grief, Liam had Vax offer himself. He would fail his roll. By all rights, the Revivify should have failed. But because Vax offered himself, it made the rolls null and void because Matt had The Raven Queen accept Vax's offer. This was the moment Matt realized that Liam had given him the opportunity that he had been looking for and Matt jumped all over it.
From that point onward, Matt carefully planned out Vax's character arc and the direction he wanted it to go. Of course, this was all predicated on Liam wanting to go on the journey with him so Matt would have to be flexible. But as long as the journey allowed Matt to convey the messages he wanted to convey and would allow Liam to realize things and heal, it would be a success, even if the ultimate destination isn't where Matt was hoping it would be. After all, this wasn't about Vax. This was about Liam. The Deathwalker's Ward wasn't originally meant for Vax. But after Vax's offer to The Raven Queen, it had to go to Vax. And in hindsight, it couldn't have to gone to anyone else because it was too perfect for Liam given his situation.
Liam has since, at every opportunity, credited Matt Mercer for saving his life. During and following the death of his mother, especially with the death of Vex, Liam had seriously contemplated his own unlife. Liam has said, in no uncertain terms, that had it not been for Matt Mercer and Vax's character journey in Vox Machina, he would not be here today.
Now here's the thing: Liam didn't know Matt did all of that... until after the Campaign was over. During the Campaign 1 Wrap-Up (which no longer exists because of... reasons), Liam asked Matt why he had allowed The Raven Queen to accept Vax's offer and why he changed Vax's character trajectory so much. Matt just turned him and said, "I did it for you." This is where Matt bared his soul and revealed that he had been searching, desperately, for a way to help Liam and that moment opened that door for him so he eagerly jumped through and never looked back. Liam lost it and broke into tears, and rightfully so.
So there you go. The Full Story behind Liam O'Brien, Matt Mercer, Vax, and The Raven Queen. With all of this context, scenes like Vax's conversation with The Raven Queen hit different, don't they? Now keep this context in mind as we see Vax's character arc play out through the rest of "The Legend of Vox Machina."
I think ALOT of his trauma bled over to the second campaign as Caleb and how Sam just said nah -I'm gonna mother the shit out of his charector because I'm the best kind of friend you ever could ask for.
also another fun fact; Laura and Liam share the same birthday IRL and call each other their twin so that's why vex and vax are twins :-)
🥹🥹🥹
Appreciate the shout out. I'll make more for season 3. Yall are not prepared
Thank you for your videos!! We can’t wait to react to S3! 🫶🏼🙏🏼
@MeeshDeeReacts by the way, congrats on getting hitched!
Tysm!! 🥹🥰
Just saw the opening scene of S3 and now I'm stressed.
Very subtle Liam O'Brien joke. I approve.
"Do not go far from me" makes me cry every single time I see it, even on reaction channels, its a good way of gauging if you still have a soul or not. We love you very much, can't wait for S3 ❤❤
Aw thank you for letting us react to your videos! They’re great 🤩 can’t wait to get into S3 with yall! 🫶🏼
Grog doesn't lose his muscles in the campaign, in the campaign he straight up dies because the sword becomes "full," but then gets hungry again and when Grog has nothing to feed it it feeds on Grog's life, then when they resurrect him and banish the sword Grog realizes the sword had stolen his soul that whole time.
I understand the change, if you had Grog die here it'd make Vex's death feel less significant, so I appreciate the change they made.
My only wish was that they left his speech to Pike in. That was one of my favorite moments with Grog, and it felt like removing that took a chunk of his character away in the show, personally.
It's also funny because Grog does stab Pike in the campaign, but it's actually to save her or someone else (can't remember lol)
@@TheJerbol grog threw his chain of returning to escape a whirlwind dimension while battling the sphinx. The sword went through the portal and anchored him in Pike's chest.
Looking at the stats Matt gave Craven Edge, it actually makes sense that Sylas would use it, too. Its Drain Strength ability resets on rest, which Sylas as a vampire could easily do without… and when it progresses to its full form and tries to devour its wielder’s soul, it forces them to make a Constitution save… which Sylas could easily auto-win on with the Legendary Resistance that comes with being a vampire lord.
Craven Edge (after a good feeding): "I WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL!"
Sylas: "No.
Some D&D clarifications and other details:
4:00 - most of the time, getting to 0 isn't immediate death, just unconsciousness - that's why Laura (playing Vex) wasn't worried at the time. But there are specific Necromancy spells or nasty traps that can kill instantly, and this was one of those (fitting for a trap guarding the armor of the Raven Queen's champion)
8:05 - by the book, spells that Raise the Dead just automatically work. Matt Mercer (the DM) created his own set of rules that involve players making skill checks as part of a ritual, and then there is a final roll to see if the soul comes back or is lost forever. He uses these rules to make death more impactful, and not something that can be overcome with a magic spell that just any mid-level Cleric would have
14:20 - As a barbarian, Grog has an ability to make Reckless attacks, where he has a better chance of hitting enemies because he gets to roll twice and take the better number, but enemies get to do the same thing to him. He chose to be Reckless, rolled a 1 (auto-fail) followed by a 20 (highest possible roll, critical hit for extra damage)
14:35 - "How Do You Want To Do This" is Matt's catch-phrase for when a big boss is killed - he gives narrative control over to the player to describe what happens next. So the table erupts when they hear it because they know they've won
15:15 - that series of episodes was actually one of the biggest *departures* from the campaign. He does impale Pike but accidentally and not with Craven Edge, the party never splits, and Grog never loses his muscles...the sword outright kills him, and Pike succeeds on a revival ritual. It's very similar to Vex in the Sunken Tomb, which is probably why it got adapted to be different. And honestly, HUGE props to the writers and show-runners on those choices!
19:15 - I don't know if it was shown on the comparison video, but at some point in that scene Kaylie DID try to attack Scanlan...and Matt rolled a 1. Matt described it as all the ferocity leaving her at the crucial moment, and she just left in tears instead. So the scene could have gone very differently had the dice not intervened!
Great explanation.
Pike is never impaled in the Umbrasyl fight, but she does get impaled when they fight Kamaljiori: Grog was nearly transported to the Elemental Plane of Air thanks to a small portal (one of many to toher elemental planes, which hid the name of the sphinx and was part of the puzzle) but he had a Chain of Returning, which allowed him to throw the attached weapon from a distance and recall it back; he used it with Craven Edge as a grappling hook to reel himself away from the portal, unfortunatley, the sword used Pike as a grappling point.
5:57 Dee, the greatest Tear Bender
The Kevdak fight was legendary. Grog was close to death before Vex put him in the Pokeball. Then hitting that natural 20 was epic. They did such a great job bringing that to life.
Great reaction as usual.
Tear bending master 😂🙏🏼
They didn't include it, but "do not go far from me" was before the Tomb - after the dragon attack, and Vex asked "Do you think this is what Mother saw before she died?", adding to the heartbreak.
Scanlan rolled to see if he remembered Sybil, and he did - Matt described it as remembering her as someone who became very clingy very quickly.
also, congratulations!
So a nat one is just an auto failure, but normally if you take a “lethal” amount of damage, you just fall unconscious, you’ll die after failing three death saves. The matron’s trap was specialized to instantly kill anyone that falls to or below zero hit points.
i think it was using a specific spell. Since it was a burst area it might have been something like Circle of Death.
You die instantly if you take damage twice your hp.
Indeed there are a few necromantic spells that cause instant death on 0HP, rather than unconsciousness. This was one of them (Finger of Death?)
Some context. In 'The Killbox' (Episode 52 of the livestream campaign) the battle went back and forth for 2 hours. They really captured it well in the animated series. The natural 20 he rolled on the 20 sided dice is called a critical hit in D&D which for Grog, as a barbarian class of his level, meant he got to do even more damage than others do when they roll a natural 20 so Kevdak took a massive amount of damage from it. Grog was also in very bad shape in terms of how many hit points he had so when he landed from that height, he took fall damage and collapsed. It was one of the hardest combat in the entire series at this point.
Yeah that was the most epic fight and really could have gone either way.
Some more context of why the battle went so long, Kevdak is a barbarian and part of his build includes that he takes half damage on most attacks. Partway through the fight one of the herd's druids (greenbeard) healed Kevdak for 70 hitpoints....and since Vox was doing half damage, they had to do another 140 damage just to get him back to where he was
It's why when Matt was calculating the damage he goes "That's 42....brings it to 21..." because even Grog's critical hit still only did half damage
'19 misses'
In D&D combat you make a roll to hit your target. The number is compared to the target's AC (armor class). You apply any modifiers or penalties to determine if you hit. At this point in the game they hadn't faced anything where a 19 so casually 'misses'. That is why they were all surprised. The number they had to beat was a 22 which wouldn't be impossible for some of them to reach but the odds were not in their favor.
Technically a natural 20 would have hit, but damn that would be difficult. Matt showed the players immediately that they were out classed.
They basically needed to roll 15 or 16 on the dice to be able to hit
Of note, unlike with most board games who use a D6, a dice with 6 faces, the typically used dice for most things in D&D is a D20 (or multiple) - a dice with 20 faces.
I love that people have created these comparison videos so that non-stream watchers can experience and appreciate the amazing roleplay that CR is capable of! The actual campaigns are so daunting with their hundreds of hours of runtime including long battles, shopping episodes, etc, but there are moments of real magic that occur too. And it really is incredible how many huge moments and great lines come EXACTLY from something that was improvised live on-stream.
They feel daunting at first and then suddenly you are mainlining them directly into your veins like a maniac and you haven't slept and you're all caught up and waiting for Thursday is torture and anything under 4 hours is "A short one". 🤣
“Do not go far from me” always makes me cry too, I actually have the phrase tattooed along with a raven skull and feather.
In D&D, a stat of 10 is considered average. When making the character of Grog, he gave him an Intelligence score of 6, so Travis making Grog dumb is a legit roleplaying choice he made. He's really good at it, too. He roleplays a much smarter character in Mighty Nein which really shows his range.
i want him to play a full caster so badly. I'm sure he'd get full tactical with it.
You have to be really smart to play a really stupid character.
@@zippomage They ran a Clasp one shot where they all played thieves and rogues and Travis was ultra-intelligent in that game. It was gloriously satisfying.
What's really great with how Travis played Grog is how he's able to do the smart thing in the dumbest way possible. Grog inviting the herd to fight Umbrasyl seems like a natural thing to do for him. Travis wanted the herd taken out or at least greatly weakened because they were a big threat even after defeating Kevdak.
"Oh. She surprised Matt." Can't wait for Campaign 2 where she REALLY surprised Matt. IYKYK
You two should play Baldur's Gate 3. It is based on D&D 5e and you can play together in co-op mode.
We’re probably 3-4 years from that
Mmmm... Cupcakes.
To be fair, there's a part coming up where she surprises everyone. 🛁
The dust of deliciousness…..
Hi Meesh and Dee! I'm fairly new to your channel and I just wanna say I'm really glad you two are reacting to Vox Machina and the table-to-screen videos. I've been enjoying all of your content so far and am looking forward to watching Season 3 of Vox Machina with you! 😊
Hi there! So glad you stumbled upon us 😊 we’re super excited to dive into S3 of Vox coming soon!! 💕
They definitely gave Kash and Zahra (mostly Zahra) more antagonistic roles in the animation, but they left on a good note, so maybe we'll see them again in better circumstances
Still hoping to see you two do a reaction to the making of/behind the scenes for this show. 6 vids, all under 15 minutes each. Of all the people involved in this project, the number who were already Critters is kind of surprising. I found it fascinating and bet you will too. The playlist on their channel is called The Legend of The Legend of Vox Machina.
up!! those videos were so cool and really helped stoke my hype for the series before it came out
The episode where Percy gave Vex her titles was their first live show.
The twins make a lot of people cry. Btw, you can totally refer to the Liam and Laura as real life twins if you want. They certainly do.
They do because they have the same birthday (different year), that's why they created Vex and Vax.
As a forever DM, I want to say that we live for those moments, which you saw on Matt's face when Laura explained the Grog in the pokeball plan, when your players come up with an idea that surprises you.
The Killbox fight lasted hours at the table (though I think it was only six turns in the game). It really was "not going well" as Percy said. Laura's move with the locket was brilliant, and the dice gods rewarded Grog!
Just an FYI from the campaign, when Matt asks "So how do you want to do this?", that means they've successfully caused enough damage to the big baddie VM is fighting and let's the person who dealt the killing blow explain in detail how just how they did it. Its by far the most iconic line from Critical Role.
Agreed. It's a style element that I've seen repeated at other tables and I use at mine as well. Its offers an opportunity for the players to interact and make a moment feel even more epic.
I think Matt is an exceptional DM for allowing this at his table. It make the victories all the more special to his players
The thing about Percy giving Vex a title was, a LOT of people, in the audience at the live show and over the stream, and maybe one or two people at the table, too, believed that this meant Percy and Vex were now MARRIED, or at the least, betrothed. But it would take a good long time more before their relationship were cemented, one way or another.
Oh, Vex putting Grog in the amulet--the pokeball they it--was MUCH more intense and awesome in the livestream, because Vex had to travel beside 5 Herd of Storm barbarians on her way to Grog, and TANKED 4 ATTACKS (one of them missed). I don't know WHY this video skipped that. It wasn't the MOST awesome moment in the fight, but it was VEX'S most awesome moment of the fight, and the dice just made it even better.
I love Matt's line "how do you want to do this?" lol. When he says that during their games, I know the creativity from the group is coming. Love it.
And obviously Travis saying, "I would like to Rage"
And Sam saying/doing just about anything lol. Dude comes up with some hilarious stuff.
I think this one is so good simply because as much as I have nostalgia for the Briarwood Arc, the stream was still a baby back then. It was the tail end of it being a baby, those were some of the last episodes they were capable of replying to and showing comments live and I think that’s round about where they passed 10k subs on the channel they were with at the time. They were picking up steam fast, and while the Percy Arc is definitely a notable step up in seriousness from the previous arcs, it’s definitely still a “home game” in many ways. They remade the set and upgraded some production quality stuff right after the Briarwoods got got, and it goes a long way towards improving the feel of the clips. The improved audio and acoustics when compared to the original set helps pretty significantly, and I think just having a set helped them feel a bit more comfortable being in the characters (plus the massive success kinda making it clear they weren’t *just* being goofy on the internet) and giving emotional performances.
Also, Scanlan Shorthalt is just an Eminem joke. Doctor Dranzel was originally his troupe mate (Dr. Dre) and he (Slim Shady) has a daughter Kaylie (Hailie is Eminem’s actual daughter’s name). I don’t remember if we ever got a confirmation that Matt did that last part intentionally, but she was a surprise to the table. Sam didn’t write that part of the backstory, just like Tal didn’t write that the Briarwoods did anything but murder Percy’s family or that he did anything but have a weird dream the night before he made his gun. I think Liam (Vax) said that Matt thank you for your backstory and then will take it and wrap it around a baseball bat with barbed wire and nails and then get you with it 7.5 months down the line when you’ve forgotten about it just enough.
Travis is hands down one of the best player in TTRPG actual plays. He lets others shine so much and gives them their space. Hence, early on in campaign one, he was letting others enjoy the spotlight and taking a support role more. One of the reasons why he did not fear playing a low-intelligence character. And Matthew being the wonderful DM he is, probably saw that and taking his backstory weaved it into the main story. It was beautiful to see Grog go through it and Travis roleplaying him to the dot. So happy ya all like Grog. One of my favourite characters. Look forward to y'all's amazing reactions for season 3. ❤
I'm slowly getting through Campaign 2 (On episode 80) and while its an EXTREME AMOUNT OF CONTENT, its amazing to watch. It's several hundred hours, and I can't wait to see it come to light soon with The Might Nein. It's truly impressive to watch these voice actors/mo cap actors do this week to week. But 3-4 hours per episode isn't exactly easy for new people to start.. But try the first episode of C2.. You might fall in love with it (also a much higher production quality than C1)
Even watching the show, people are surprised at how emotional the table game gets. Because it's just a game right. But D&D games can get very emotional with how attached we get to characters. Of course them being actors they play to emotions more than your standard game. They're used to having to reach into emotions and convey them. A lot of it's in character, but there are true emotional feelings with them at some points too.
Laura is such a master player. Her move to capture Grog and throw him into the air, is a great example. There's another moment in Campaign 2 that is the most amazing DnD moment I've ever seen or heard of. I won't spoil, but you'll know it when you see it. She is amazing as an actor as well as a player.
Oh yes! her actions in campaign 2 were epic!
Laura Bailey is a brilliant D&D goddess! She's a master of improv. Each of the three campaigns Laura has pulled clutch moves out of thin air that rocked everyone at the table, on Twitch and on RUclips as she unfolds her D&D magic.
The group was hyped at 14:41 because that combat was an intense nail biter that took an entire 4 hour session.
Vox Machina was literally on fumes when Laura came up with that desperate gambit.
The rules of DnD can feel intimidating, but genuinely, the best way to learn is to play. Every game of DnD has a Dungeon Master. It's their job to be arbiter of the rules, so you can just describe what you want to do, and they can tell you if/how you can do it. The Player's handbook is thick, but it's mostly options to choose from when building your character, rather than rules you need to memorize. The game is a lot more simple than it seems at first, and because the Dungeon Master chooses how said rules are implemented, the game can become even simpler still if the DM runs things loosey goosey.
Honestly, the biggest challenge when it comes to playing DnD is regularly getting a group of adults together for a 3+ hour chunk of time.
I'd like to cosign this. While you SHOULD have at least a rough understanding of the mechanical framework of the game and what your class does, at heart it is YOUR job as a player to decide What You Want To Do, and your Dungeon Master/Storyteller's job to tell you what mechanical checks you need to pass in order to do it.
I agree. It's so so much easier to have someone who knows how to play and guide you into it with simplified terms. Then you learn as you play. My friends taught me how to play this way and it wasn't too overwhelming for me. Then as I already knew the basic mechanics, I could just read more into the rules and the classes by myself, and learn even more through watching Critical Role plays :)
Some more context that wasn't shown in the table-to-screen video. When Kaylee has Scanlan at her mercy and he gives that speech, she tries to stab him anyway and Matt rolls a natural 1, which is an automatic failure/miss. Matt has Kaylee fall into Scanlan's arms and start crying. It was taken as a sign because sometimes you just let the dice tell the story. At the end of that scene when they are about to go to break on the livestream, Matt brings out the pre-prepared battlemap he made to be ready if Scanlan and Kaylee went into combat which was the original plan but like I said, sometimes the dice will tell the story.
LFG! Congratulations on getting married by the way, you two looked beautiful and super happy! I can't wait for season 3!
Thank you so much!! You’re always so sweet to us! 💕🙏🏼
there is a reason Laura Baily is one of the top voice actors in the industry. when you look it up its amazing the range of characters she plays. lust in full metal alchmist, abby in last of us part 2, Kagura from Fruit Basket and young Trunks in Dragon Ball Z. everything from tough strong fighter, flirty femme fatale, cute innocent, young boys.
Love seeing these side by sides 😁
Also, congrats!
Thank you so much!! 🥹💕
It is literally almost a thousand hours of content between all three campaigns and assorted one-shot and spinoff games but watching the actual critical role stream is so, so worth it. You get so much more context for who the characters are, so much more adventure, and so many more laughs and tears out of it than just watching the show.
"I wonder if she knew she was gonna die" "She had to or he never would have become champion". She didn't know she was going to die. Even Matt didn't know she was going to die. That kind of thing is not planned, you try to avoid dying, it just happens due to bad choices and bad rolls. There's always a chance to make a saving throw roll. Vax wouldn't have become the champion of the Ravens, but none of them knew that Could even happen. It was not really planned. In the show it was foreshadowed, but in the game it wasn't. In the game it did kinda happen to fit, because Liam had Vax exploring religion for the character in the game, as he became interested in Pike's diety and drew her symbol on his hand. Instead he ended up taking a level of Paladin, another type of holy person, of the Raven Queen. But it's important to understand that story arcs aren't planned out like that in the actual game.
you guys would love watching the actual plays! they are so fun.
Really cool seeing how stoked and into the show you are! There's so much amazing stuff that unfortunately can't get smooshed into a show, but this really did a good job of showing how much did make the cut! Great reaction! Woo!
This shows that the Vox Machina story is really a collaborative effort to create. Matt sets up a great world to be in but all of the players contribute as much. Always love when Matt is surprised by their choices.
In the campaign, Grog was actually killed by Craven Edge before being revived by Pike. They changed it in the show because they felt it was too similar to what happened to Vex.
An example of how a change from one medium to one other can be done really well
6:33 Oh my friend, the campaign is way more emotional. They have time to really sit in the moments and the feelings, both tragic and comedic. I love the animated show but it's a whole different beast.
this is SO INTERESTING! 😁 thank you ladies! 👍☺
Every time Liam said "Do not go far from me" in the campaign it was an instant punch in the throat. That man is a menace.
The quality of the livestream improves a lot between S1 and S2, and the cast are also clear of the early jitters and nerves too. I love the Briarwood Arc, but once The Chroma Conclave story starts, the whole cast and production are really hitting their stride.
In terms of D&D, the best place to start would be a 'one-shot', basically a single short story designed to be played through in a few hours. IT always helps if you know someone else that has played before too.
Thanks for sharing your reactions to these, I'm really enjoying them, and congratulations on your engagement.
Great reaction!
Some D&D trivia:
"19 misses" - In D&D a twenty sided-dice is rolled in combat, The higher the number the better the chance is to hit the enemy. 19 is a very high roll for most combat, unless you're fighting an ancient dragon. The base combat roll is 1 to 20 with 1 being critical fumble and 20 an automatic hit. The roll can be adjusted depending on the character's stats, but in that fight only a natural 20 (no adjustments) would have hit. They were extremely out-classed. But that was the point. The four dragons showed up, and all they could do was run.
Vex misses her save: In D&D a twenty sided-dice is rolled for resisting magical effects, and natural 1 is immediate failure with maximum bad effect for the character. When the character's hit points go below zero, you're essentially dead. No the players do not know what the DM has planned. They just have to role-play through it. The players Liam (Vax) and Laura (Vex) have the same birthday, which is why they decided to play twins in the first campaign. The entire team at critical role are voice actors so yes the role-play the hell out of these situations. That's why we love them so much.
Take me instead - so awesome. There are in-game rolls that the player must make to survive, but the actions of the other player's during a resurrection have direct outcome on the the DM's decision. Especially in Critical Role, Matt has some house rules specific for bringing people back from the dead.
Kevdak and the poke-ball Grog moment was priceless. In D&D a natural "20" in combat is a critical hit. (usually can do double damage). When Matt uses the phrase "how do you want to do this" It means that the character has successfully killed their opponent. in my opinion Matt is a superior DM because of this. He's allowing the players a chance to role-play and describe a personal victory, which makes the game-play even better.
You guys have been fun to watch. If you get someone to run a game for you guys that knows what they are doing it makes playing the game super easy. Readding the rule book makes the game feel daunting. Its really simple once you start playing. The persone running the game will guide you through everything you have to role. Looking forward to your season 3.
campaign 2 is actually my fave. i have watched it 4 times.
I watched it twice! I love C1, I really do. Just something about C2 feels, idk.. cozy?
Comment before watching! you gals are really into it! welcome home.
If you've ever wanted to check out Critical Role, "Exandria Unlimited: Calamity" is only 4 episodes, and it's the best thing they ever made.
Congrats on your marriage as well!
I would say it's ok but definitively not the best
I would agree that Calamity is one of the best mini series of DnD to see
@@damiens4601 for a short-form, easily accessible entry into watching ttrpgs, it's hands down the best.
This. It's so epic. I hope they animate it at some point
Loved your reactions throughout both seasons! Can't wait for season 3!
Quick non-spoiler explanation about "seasons" and "episodes", though I'm sure you're aware of most of this already:
The seasons of the animated show don't really line up with "seasons" of the played campaign.
Meaning cliffhangers in the show often aren't really cliffhangers in the game, though there certainly are some that were translated one to one!
All seasons of "Legends of Vox Machina" tell the story of the single first campaign of critical role.
Since each game takes between 3 and 4 hours, sometimes even more, and there are hundreds of sessions for the first campaign, there's a lot of material to make an animated show out of it.
The pacing of the game is certainly not as dramatic and streamlined as it is in the animated show, but it's a great watch nontheless.
So, Raishan being revealed wasn't really a "season ending cliffhanger" and more like "dangit we gotta wait until next week for this to resolve" since the game sessions happened every week.
Still, I think it's amazing that they used the same cliffhanger for it!
In a similar vein, the character developments didn't really happen in different "seasons" within the game, though different story arcs within the campaign focused on different characters and relationships. The Briarwoods storyline for example was an early arc spanning multiple sessions and obviously focused on percy. Though it wasn't always so clear-cut. Most often the players found moments in between the larger story to have heart-to-heart scenes or to play out some aspect of a relationship that was left unanswered for longer periods of time.
Regarding playing the game yourselves:
DnD can be played in many different ways, your first game doesn't have to be an all-out campaign.
A one-off adventure on a single day could let you dip your toes into the game without loosing multiple weekends over it!
Full knowledge of the entire rulebook is not at all necessary!
Anyways, I'm sure you already know much of this.
I love your reactions and am looking forward to more!
we all know that Matt's storytelling is 10/10, the cast's role-playing is 10/10 but i think the writer's room deserves so much love for adapting the best, and essential story beats.
i loved seeing your reactions to this table-to-screen compilation~
soooo excited for season 3!
Dragons are also some of the most powerful spell casters in the game and thats why they can do stuff like go invisible and change their appearance.
You gals are so great and give me so much joy as a CR veteran watching it with new people and view. I'm happy you made it in time for season 3. Things will get crazy!
Some explanation about what’s going on at 14:14 : Travis chose to make this a “reckless attack”. Now narratively of course it’s a reckless attack, but specifically this is a D&D mechanic where a barbarian can choose to gain advantage (rolls twice and takes the higher number) on their roll to attack their target, but the trade off is that all attacks against them until their next turn also are at advantage. Travis did this, which meant he got to roll twice to hit Kevdak. His first roll was a 1, and his second roll was a 20. It could not have been more perfect!
And THAT.... is the magic of Critical Role. So glad you're getting a chance to see some of these moments. There are so many great moments, both hilarious and heart wrenching, in all 3 campaigns that it's great to see people experience it for the first time. Season 1 is great as is the early parts of campaign 1 but S2 and once you get into C1, there are just so many great moments and so many to come ;) And knowing for the most part what's coming, it only escalates from here. And if you like Sam's speech to Kaylie, you have to check out some of Sam's spur of the moment songs. Hilarious. And iirc pretty much spoiler free but you might want to get your editor to check them out first to be sure. There might be some where if you know the stream and what's going on, you'll get something from his songs but I don't think they'll spoil anything if you go into them blind as to what's happening.
Been waiting for thisss ✨
yall ought to watch the table to screen of grog growing his beard. It took multiple irl sessions.
Get in the pokeball Grog!
A nice little tidbit about the Kevdak fight in the original campaign. In an interview, Travis (Grog) revealed that originally, Laura (Vex) wanted to take Grog away from the fight after putting him inside the locket. But Travis didn't want to flee because that fight was really important for Grog, even though Grog only had 4 Life Points left at the time. So he asked Laura to drop him on top of Kevdak, so he could try to hit him. In the original episode, while the other players are taking their turn, you can actually see Travis leaning over to Laura and talking to her quietly before that moment.
This is definitely one of the most legendary moment in the campaign, and one of the biggest pop off the players ever had after a kill.
Also, congratulations on your wedding! Looking forward to your reactions for season 3.
Just wanted to say, I think you two would be an ABSOLUTE blast to play D&D with. Hope you do give it a try and enjoy yourselves.
Congratulations on the marraige you too!
you guys should totally react to more of these, and I also highly recommend checking out lili furfaro's songs inspired by vox machina! they're SO SO good.
You two are just wonderful, and I'm so glad you're Critters! I'm new to the fandom as well and I've been watching compilation videos of them like crazy. I hope you do play D&D some day - it's so much fun!
Making time and finding people are the things that prevent people from playing as much as they want to or even at all. It’s the hardest part of playing the game. It can be as easy or hard as you want it to be. I would suggest making a couple of characters as the best way to learn how the game is played. And maybe find a game shop that runs games and jump in a one-shot (one off adventure)
Not sure if it was said here, but a guy named Chase Noteworthy wrote a song and it’s on Spotify, and on here called Far From Me, that is a song about this whole scene.
"so is this the last game?" no, the entire story of this adventure has been finished for years, the animated series is not done as new episodes of the tabletop come out.
in fact, since then they have already played an entire second adventure with new characters, that is already in the works for another animated series called the Mighty Nein(it already has a trailer where they show a scene in the early stage of animation) and they are currently a few years into the 3rd group, again with its own entire new group of new characters.
the thing that a lot of people dont realize is that they have been playing these characters and are deep into the gameplay. but of course none of the players know what will happen during the session. so when a player dies it can genuinely impact the table and the other players for the rest of the campaign.
For Christmas Liam gave Laura a ring that was two wings and had “Do not go far from me” engraved on the inside.
Sorry if I've said this before, but as you can see, watching Critical Role is like watching people put on an old-school radio show.
I'm pretty sure The White Duke was Thin!
I've been rolling dice since '78 or so -- if you need a DM, don't hesitate to reach our!
The guy trying to save Vex is played by the guy who played Eric on Boy Meets World.
Will Friedle
And Marisha had a crush on him from that show growing up. That's why there's the flirting undertone between Kash and Keylith.
If you two ever want to play…that could be arranged.
I'm not gonna say what it was in case you gonna do the HBO show adaptations eventually (WHICH YOU SHOULD!), but during the making of The Last of Us Part 2, Ashley Johnson (voicing & motion capturing Ellie) had to do a very tough scene, which also involved Laura Bailey - and she was quite literally crying for Ashley because of how hard it was. In case you're wondering how much emotions sometimes go into those video games. Those two games alone gave me so much respect for these two specifically. And when you play D&D, your characters of course are also something you get an emotional attachment to, especially when they're long running. So the prospect of losing them can be tough too, especially when coupled with such good impromptu acting.
Sam was in a band in college, and apparently very much lived a rock star existence. He was a player. When Sam met the woman who became his wife, she straight up told him she wouldn't date him if he were dating other women. Basically, Sam *IS* Scanlan, or was. Sweet-talking is very much his thing.
I love all these guys as actors, and playing a game with any of them would be amazing, but if I could pick one of them to permanently sit at my DnD table it would be Travis. He gets hyped up for anyone at the table to do something amazing. He'll be the lead when he's called on, and he'll just as eagerly sing back-up when it's someone else up front. No main character syndrome.
Should you guys ever decide to do some merch, I feel like something along the lines of "Don't forget your tissues" would be funny only because Dee always does forget
Don't know if you've seen it. But the door moment from the first season and the tabletop version is one of the best examples of playing D&D.
As someone who has played D&D and even DM’d once, I have never read the full rule book. I honestly learned to play from watching others play on RUclips and then read the character creation stuff and combat and spell basics when necessary. Otherwise, you just go researching as you play. I even had a veteran player tell me they thought I’d been playing for years after my first month. LOL
The way I'd look at playing... don't worry so much about the rules and time. Think of a game as a dinner party. Sure - there's all manner of rules and having someone along that already knows how to plan and host a party helps a lot. But you don't need it. Having said that, if you can bring someone in who is fun and knows how to keep the party moving... let them tell you about the rules as you stumble through them. Enjoy the experience with everyone else at the table. And if it ends up being fun - plan another to continue the campaign.
Side note: yeah, CR are entertainers with honed instincts so watching them play is great fun. They're good at it. But I still maintain most of D&D isn't really a spectator sport. Its more about the experience of being in the action. I doubt any of my favorite times around a gaming table would make for an entertaining watch. But the best thing about watching CR is that the crew reminds me of those favorite times.
these table to screen moments are fantastic. they always remind me how much i loved/miss Travis (Grog) and Scanlan (sam's) interactions. Forever getting up to no good in the most hilarious of ways. 😂
To explain, the way death works in D&D is you hit 0 HP, and you are knocked unconscious. Then you start making saving throws. 3 successes, and you are stable (but still unconscious). 3 failures, and that's death. If you are healed at any point before 3 failures, you come back to life. Once there are 3 failures, you have to be resurrected. There are a few spells with different costs and time limits, ranging from within 1 minute of death, to ones that can be cast up to 100 years later. Once the spell is cast, they come back.
However, Vex's death here had a few differences. First, this was a specific spell that if it took you to or below 0HP, death was immediate, no saves. That's why Laura was so surprised about it - she expected saving throws.
The other difference is that Matt has special rules for resurrections. What he does is have 3 people contribute to the ritual. They can make any type of contribution - for example, Scanlan could sing a song, Keyleth could craft a flower, etc. Then they roll the appropriate skill check - say a performance check for a song, a nature check for the flower. Then Matt makes a final roll. The base difficulty is 10, so a 10 or higher, they survive. Less than 10, the spell fails. However, each contribution modifies that base. A success decreases it by 3, a failure increases it by 1. It also increases with every death they've suffered.
So in the campaign, it was actually Vex, not Keyleth, that Delilah killed at the end of season 1. So she had already suffered a death. So her base was 11. Vax contributed his persuasion roll to the Raven Queen to take him instead. He was successful, so that reduced the roll by 3. I don't remember the other two contributions, so let's say there was 1 success and 1 failure. That would be 10 + 1 (previous death) - 3 (Vax success) -3 (other success) + 1 (other failure). That means Matt had to roll a 6 or higher. And you can hear his final roll, right before he says Vax takes a breath.
Maybe it won't come up my favorite table scene between Grog and Pike is the "Grog learns how to read..." one. I think it's not a spoiler to watch that if you have the time.
The thing about RPG rule books is that they’re first and foremost reference books. You don’t need to absorb the whole thing. You need to be familiar enough to find the thing you need at the moment. It’s more like a charcuterie plate than a sandwich. It’s really best to take it a bite at a time.
For playing D&D, the biggest challenge is finding a good DM. I DMed two all female groups for about 5 years. I grew up in the 80s with all male players and I felt a desire to balance the scales. In my experience the fewer players you have, the more quickly the game can flow because the DM can focus more on each player. I feel like 3 players is a good number when you are starting out.
I have to agree. 3-5 players is usually the max at my table. I've been DMing since 1979, so I've had loads of different players. I didn't get any girl players until 1982 when some family friends joined the game. Guys play very differently from girls, and I've found girls tend to role-play better.
A great season 1 table-to-screen moment that was not included is campaign 1 episode 25 around the 39 minute mark. For context, this is after Vax breaks into the Briarwood's room, jumps out the window, gets attacked and loses consciousness. Bring the tissues.
Y'all Season 3 is out! And It's incredible.
It's TOTALLY worth it to play dnd! It might be easier for you guys to find a DM that can walk you through character creation and basic rules, if the book is a bit too much lol. It's so fun. And watching the actual campaigns of Critical Role is also a great way to learn. I knew so much before I even started DMing just from watching them. Excellent reaction as always! Can't wait to see more!! 🎉
You guys should definitely check out the Pike and Grog: "Best Buddies" compilation! It's very cute 😊
While the cast and community joke about the stream being scripted, liam wasn't reading any lines that was all improvised as is the entirety of the streamed games
Edit 1: kash and zahra in the streamed game were much less antagonistic and lots more friendly
Edit 2: vex actually almost died getting to grog and getting him out for his dive bomb on kevdak, in dnd theres this thing that is called an opportunity attack that happens when u leave an enemy's threat range, and since grog was surrounded by alot of the herd she took several opportunity attacks as she flew by on her broom taking her all the way down to single digit hit points.
It’s so magical watching people find Critical Role cause in a weird parasocial way it’s like HI MEET MY BEST FRIENDS IVE NEVER MET YOULL LOVE THEM.
But you will. Dnd and Critical Role (and Dim 20) are so special, among others. Enjoy the magic!! ❤️❤️I’m really enjoying yalls channel.
Thank you so much for watching along with us!! We seriously LOVE the Critter community 🥹 sending all the critter hugs!! 🫂
Heya, DM of some years here, that has welcomed quite a few newcomers into the hobby and would highly recommend it to anyone. I could walk you through DnD basics and character creation if that's something you'd be interested in and comfortable with. I know the game can be a bit overwhelming to newcomers in the hobby, but it is quite worth it.
Ill explain how matt mercer makes his cast roll for revivals.
He asks his group to pick 3 players to bid for the soul to return to their loved ones body. The soul has to want to return to the body. So first its a choice of the player who died if they even want to come back or not. Then the 3 players have to roleplay a reason to bring the soul back. Some plead about how much the world or they need the player. Vax went a wild route and bid his own life to save his sister. Then the players have to roll to see generally how convicing they were. So a nat 1 can totally kill a good bid. A 20 can really lift their chances.
Each time a player dies it gets harder to bring them back.
Every Dam had their own methid behind revivals.
When you have time whether you react or not watch the BTS videos, they are a great watch for Critters.
3:52 to explain some light mechanics what's happening here is called a saving throw which are typically to avoid or negate detrimental effects in older editions of d&d it was common to have saving throws against traps that will instantly kill you (often called save or die) with set number values for different affects. But here this was some bad dice rolls and in the more recent editions of D&D saving throws have become based off your class /attributes you would add a modifer to the roll to see if you succeed. Strength, dexterity, constitution, etc.
Separating because I went on a big tanget
To reiterate no one knows how a game of D&D goes it's less one person is planning out arcs and creating a narrative it's more of the players emergent actions to the problems in front of them create a narrative. In fact this one moment a dice roll changed basically the entire perceived narrative because most likely the Death Walker's Ward was actually going to go to Percy in fact you can see his player Talisin was reaching for it but Vex/ Laura got to it first thus the clip (idk if its the way it is edited in this compliation but its alot more obvious that was happening in the VOD). Well I don't know about Matt's thought process when it comes to the vestiges of divergence while he was creating them I can make some educated assumptions. At least seems that at least he had had the idea of these magic items for a while and this was a good time to introduce them as a plot element. And maybe created them with abilities in mind that would best help one intended user. The only vestige we have proof of being specifically for a character are the Titan stone Knuckles Grogs Gauntlets since Travis willingham created them as a part of Grogs backstory with The Herd.
D&D campaigns don't have to be epic. They have one shot campaign ideas so you can complete an adventure in 1-3 sessions depending on your time availability and how much shenanigans you get up to lol Honestly goofing off is the most fun though. MY party had a horse wedding before. You just never know wth will come to mind.
If you rewatch i think it was episode one maybe two when they fled to whiterun after the dragon attack you see a little girl with green eyes that grog had a brief interaction. That is Rashan
Its difficult to imagine, I'd guess, (if you have never played ) the level of attachment you have for your character. Especially when you are dealing with characters that have been played over years. You spend 4-5 hours a week with this character for years and when they die or when one of your friends characters die, you feel it. Granted once you get to level 7 or so, death is rarely the end. Resurrection is usually on the table in some form, but its never a guarantee. I just wrapped a 6 year long campaign about a month ago and prior to the party's final battle they had an epic fight with an ancient white dragon and an undead skeletal dragon as well as two dangerous enemies. Every player was controlling 4 mercenaries as well as their own character, it was a true battle and it took 3 sessions to finish and near the end one of our players, his actual player character not a mercenary he was playing was frozen solid and shattered into a million pieces. He was devastated, his character's family had all been killed by this white dragon, the battle was personal for him and he died fighting it. But it became a rallying point for everyone else. Not long after they took down that dragon and destroyed the soul cage for the undead white dragon, finally ending that threat for good. Eventually a silver dragon (good dragons are metallic) they had befriended earlier in the campaign was able to resurrect the dead player and he got the final blow in the final fight of the campaign.
I always tell my players that the dice tell a story., sometimes it doesn't make sense at the time, but if you are open to it and follow it where it goes it ALWAYS ends up with an epic tale. With Critical Role we see that personified in their live play. But its no secret that being amazing voice actors helps sell it. Still I don't doubt that Laura's reaction to Vex's "death" was genuine, pro VA or not.
Ya'll should try a D&D one shot sometime, it probably seems complicated, but its way easier than it appears and I think people think of D&D as a game where its the players vs the dungeon master. Its absolutely not. D&D is one thing, its collaborative story telling, no more no less. The DM is your facilitator in that effort, not your adversary. And with the dm, the players and a bunch of silly dice, you create worlds and weave stories.
All you need to play is dedication and about 4-5 hours per session, typically once every other week.