Blood and Dust | Critical Role | Campaign 3, Episode 33

[@flandomaltrizian4603]

HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing 0:15 Sam is a cat 3:20 Laura’s merch corner 8:10 Intro cinematic 10:00 EPISODE STARTS 13:10 Recap Ends 15:10 Team splits (Outside Team) 17:45 Scared to heal 27:00 Mister helps (pass) 30:45 Team Treshi 32:40 Quick trap check (falling down an ‘up’ escalator) 47:10 The lock recognizes the alpha 48:15 Howling at the lock 49:45 Treshi recognizes the alpha 52:05 Back to the Outside Team 59:35 FCG can be a car, not drive one 1:03:05 Get in, we’re escaping 1:06:35 Laudna and Otahan 1:12:20 Back to Team Treshi 1:16:45 We’re the Bells Hells, we’re not with you, you’re with us 1:18:20 Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal 1:30:20 Fearne opens the door 1:36:05 Otohan 1:40:30 BREAK STARTS 1:48:45 Art Montage 1:50:45 BREAK ENDS 2:02:15 Map out 2:05:30 Battle begins 2:08:05 Ashton down 2:11:55 Apologies 2:14:05 Chetney transforms 2:18:30 Imogen escapes into the house 2:29:05 Orym is out (Ashton out again) 2:33:25 Fearne is out (Mister’s revenge) 2:37:25 Sam will do an ad read while everyone dies 2:42:20 FCG has to choose who he likes more 2:47:25 Laudna goes down 2:50:05 Dorian Ex Machina 2:55:15 Chetney does not want to be left out 3:05:05 Laudna’s clutch 20 3:13:40 Orym’s final moment 3:18:40 Fearne down again 3:20:35 Careless whispers 3:25:10 Dropping Treshi 3:26:05 Messaging Otohan 3:29:40 Everyone is just staring at each other 3:32:00 Fearne’s last words 3:33:15 Chetney down 3:35:10 Imogen fights the storm 3:40:45 Wood shop’s closed 3:42:30 What would we do without Chetney (giving in) 3:44:10 Is she your favorite? 3:49:10 Dropping Laudna 3:52:50 Giving in 3:55:55 Episode Ends The in-game start date for the episode was the 18th of Sydenstar in the year 843. Samuel Brent’s gas has a card that says “I’m Wheelie Sorry” with a picture of a unicycle, and then opens to reveal:“… for murdering your friends” I mean, that was a lot. Gonna be an interesting episode next week. Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?

[@Skye_frog]

Praise flando

[@jackforbes30]

Thank you for being just the best

[@MehrGills]

You're so fast!!!

[@Nickson_ayo]

Wow, so fast

[@ScottTeibert]

My God, it's true, you're so fast

[@josuke4448]

CR Cast: "Here's a vest Matt. You look really good in it!" Matt: "Thanks!" *Cocks Gun*

[@justinpalumbo2447]

Been reading comments for a while, this one wins

[@PanzerYeena]

That vest is Brennan's Vestige of Divergence.

[@meghanna2034]

He's become too powerful!

[@smiteysmite2368]

This is the best comment.

[@stephanevalladier6210]

@@meghanna2034 " I would use this [sleeveless hoodie vest] from a desire to do good... But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine." ---Some Dude :P

[@Rodez2001]

Anyone else gonna mention how at 2:03:03 when Matt takes off a bracelet Travis goes “his power has weakened.” Only for this to be one of the, if not the, most brutal combat yet for the players. Theory: Matt’s bracelets actually restrain his power

[@1970joedub]

lol

[@WorldbuildyMcNPCface]

Ive seen Anime, this tracks.

[@rivendriftwood]

This is some Rock Lee type shit..

[@rosiecooper8030]

It's like handcuffs for the Psychic Damage ability that he seems to have 😂

[@shedricstaley2178]

Holy shit! The bracelets are Zaraki Kempachi’s eyepatch!!!

[@LAnimeMaster]

They gave Matt a vest and he returned the favor by giving everyone anxiety, panic attacks, and trauma. Why? Because Matt is a cat.

[@deepseascion5783]

The vest made him to powerful

[@themiazephyr]

That made me laugh. Thank you for that. :D

[@LAnimeMaster]

@@themiazephyr No problem. Happy to spread some joy. We could all use a laugh right now. haha

[@balasarius]

Yes! just Yes!!!! 😹😹

[@Marpaws]

the vest-ige

[@anzamanto4407]

I just wanna shout out Travis in this episode, dude is literally the perfect player. Self less, will keep encouraging everyone, keep trying, will hype up the dm, is fully invested, and will take the Ls like a champ

[@emmarod8746]

Travis is truly the positive chad TTRPG player.

[@themakerstoolbox9688]

And smart as fuck. He is always insanely invested in the small details of the story and everything the dm is trying to craft. He is constantly listening, critically thinking, and just fawning over Matts worldbuilding and story.

[@clintonbehrends4659]

chetney basically 1v1 otohan for a solid two rounds

[@Morejoeridi]

I aspire to be as good a table player as him one day, he really amps up the experience for everyone.

[@tom.m]

Also, not that he was ever a bad party member, but he has grown a ton over the years. It makes the player he's become even more impressive. There was a time he'd be practically falling asleep if things moved too slow, and mostly wanted to fight or visit taverns. We should all strive to get better like he has.

[@blindoutlaw]

Laura doing merch promo: We got cards with our character’s faces on it. Matt: Your first character’s face. Laura: What? Matt: What?

[@jodymarkgraf7625]

Laughs madly

[@PerfectlyFriedBread]

Fearne and Orym are the first ones out

[@dalecraig5446]

@@PerfectlyFriedBread damn.....

[@isaacgraff8288]

@@PerfectlyFriedBread Bertrand

[@CrabbyPattyLagune]

Scrubs sad theme.... merry christmas

[@BigSnail23]

Matt isn’t allowed to wear this new vest anymore. It’s too powerful.

[@odintheallfather6388]

That is the vestige of game masters

[@ChrissyPlus]

It's excellent marketing, though. It's clearly, truly inhabited by the Spirit of Beau, which came through to multi-attack everyone in the party into oblivion 😭

[@trolololo510]

"Delilah take the wheel" followed by Delilah taking the wheel is my favourite warlock moment now.

[@sirkinzalot1432]

Delilah, despite her being a god-awful person, did, in fact, take the wheel. I can't wait for the Delilah redemption arc😁

[@firedragonbri547]

@@sirkinzalot1432 i highly doubt that will happen

[@silversalmon9909]

@@firedragonbri547 she had redeeming qualities. Her unending love and loyalty to Sylas for instance. If that unending love and loyalty could be extended to Laudna and her friends, Delilah would make a powerful ally.

[@shiisa116]

@@silversalmon9909 I kind of want to see her react to Imogen going nova for Laudna and begrudgingly aknowledge her

[@sirkinzalot1432]

@@firedragonbri547 😁😁😁

[@okthen623]

Vex in battle: no no trinket!! stay back, you might get hurt!!! Fearne in battle: Go Little Mister, Bring Me Their Heads

[@allieofchaos]

I mean, Mister is a spirit animal and can't really perma-die. While Trinket was squishy and very mortal.

[@Wild_goat]

« Fly my pretties! »

[@SC052]

FETCH ME THEIR SOULS!

[@PancakeMonster359]

And the last words Dorian said to Orym through the sending stone, were "Don't die"

[@goldenwalzt1335]

in game i think it was a day before or 2 days before orym died

[@BenevolentImp]

Omg, I think you're right :D That's awesomely cruel/tragic!

[@enderbrightrubysheen]

You don't tell me what to do!

[@WasabiGoblin]

Dorian jinxed him 💀💀

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

@@enderbrightrubysheen "Hey, kid, you can't skate here!"

[@Jasper_Silva]

"Around Episode 30-ish is when stuff start getting weird" --Marisha

[@matthijsclaessen8152]

Around that time the players have sufficient levels and story for Matt to take off his gloves…

[@bigben028cards1]

​@@matthijsclaessen8152 it's very true. I've ran Curse of Strahd twice now and around session 30 is when Strahd usually tries to confront the group.

[@SPACEHARICE]

@@matthijsclaessen8152 24 is where molly died

[@matthijsclaessen8152]

@@SPACEHARICE hmmm that is quite a bit earlier. Probably also lower level. (It felt later. Oh well. As a DM I know I pull my punches when they are at lower levels…)

[@trishapellis]

I mean last time it was 26... but also last time all the most powerful members of the group all weren't there.

[@888pil]

Laura on 4 sided dive: "Imogen's favourite thing about the world is Laudna" Matt: *the dm will remember that*

[@MetalFire1998]

Did she really say that? Aw man...

[@timfrank7461]

🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭

[@FiresofDarkness]

@@MetalFire1998 6s

[@jennamondry]

And Laudna’s first word after being brought back is “Imogen” ???? My gay heart can’t take it

[@lilbyrd27]

Oh man.. episode 34 gonna hit this line really hard

[@TheAusar]

Laudina just spraying darkness when she gets scared, like a squid would is extremely funny to me.

[@stingerjohnny9951]

It’s her version of Marine Layer XD

[@lefterismplanas4977]

But why do I think that this is what sparked odohun's attention ?

[@ronaldfarber589]

Big Fjord vibes

[@M0M0117]

@@lefterismplanas4977this is exactly it, why would a new recruit suddenly attack the boss if they weren’t doing anything wrong? It made no sense and Otahn did not suspect anything until that point.

[@chalor182]

​@M0M0117 nah she had her eyes out already no way the exfil would have gone unnoticed even without laudnas darkness. Their plan was too rushed from the get go, outside team tried to pull too much, just classic dnd clusterfuck lol..

[@raphaelmorasch4179]

Last 4-Sided-Dive Marisha, Sam, Ashly and Liam: "Why are there two people in your world called 'Ira'?" Matt: "And I took that personal." ...

[@TehCakeIzALie1]

It's Latin for 'Wrath', turns out.

[@HeroKiro]

@@TehCakeIzALie1 anger is the more proper translation, but yes.

[@TehCakeIzALie1]

@@HeroKiro If you want to split hairs, 'ire' is the most correct translation.

[@doomerbloomer6160]

@@HeroKiro Wrath would actually be more appropriate, don't try to be a smartass.

[@thedarkness125]

@@HeroKiro wrath is the most common translation though it can also be anger or rage. Dont try to correct people whith your google translate responses.

[@scottbrown2252]

For the last 7 years Matt has been saying, "I'll remember that" when the players intentionally needle him. He did, in fact, remember.

[@askthepizzaguy]

Now we know why the animation in the critical role opening theme features the players instead of their characters. Matt was planning on being brutal toward the characters this campaign. Anyone can die, including recently merchandised characters.

[@leylasalem4874]

Oh man I'm sobbing and your comment made me laugh thank you

[@ncpolley]

@@askthepizzaguy I don't... Think that's why...

[@invaderzam]

My boy taking a page from Brennan Lee Mulligan's playbook

[@TheJerbol]

@@ncpolley he said at the beginning of the campaign that this one would be different in a number of ways

[@135mikerules23]

I like to imagine Artana Voe was watching all of THAT from a distance going, “yeah I’m not getting paid enough for this”.

[@firestarter3824]

I would also like to raise Yu watching from a distance and going, "I'm not getting that crown back am I?"

[@azanthal]

Watching the people that can put them down get laid out by 1 person I feel like they're both watching thinking Fuck that noise I'm leaving her alone

[@RomnilWater]

God this comment gave me a good laugh. Thank you for that. I'm just picturing a chibi version of them going nope

[@samuraiko]

@@RomnilWater That is totally a Critical Role Animated thing... "Nope, nope, nope, nope, and NOPE."

[@invaderjae]

I was waiting the whole time going "Where the hell is Artana? Why isn't she jumping in?" And then Matt showed us why she wasn't jumping in. lol

[@madameghostie]

Okay but Imogen telling Laudna to run, just like how Imogen’s mother tells her to run… I’m 😭😭😭

[@dinosaurclub]

wooooooow good pull

[@mimikip]

I can only imagine how Opal and especially Dorian feel 😭 Remember the tooth bracelet Fearne gave Dorian before he left Jrusar? Remember how he said if it falls off, he'll know something happened? Imagine he hears the sending stone beep in his pocket and he pulls it out, only for the bracelet ribbon to come loose from his wrist, the tooth shattering on the ground. Then he would know...and feel the icy cold dread of losing the two he had become so close with. They were family.

[@the_person_without_a_name]

yes I love it, even more angst added to this!

[@catsandcrafts171]

I had forgotten that. Oh, what an image you paint. :(

[@Squall576582]

Dariax punching the air right now.

[@riverkath]

Welp, that’s depressing af

[@smashbrandiscootch719]

Except for the fact that they're going to just pop everyone back up as soon as the next episode starts, so it takes some of the sting out of it lmao

[@tomvg87]

“Dad, why is my sister’s name Rose?” “Because your mother loves roses” “Thanks, dad!” “No problem, Blood And Dust | Critical Role | Campaign 3, Episode 33”

[@TopDesu]

This

[@SamiJ1508]

I kind of hate this episode. Otohan is built like a tier 3 enemy. This kinda feels like bullshit. How tf did they even get in front of the crawler? It felt planted. They should have just made it out of the compound

[@Maegnas99]

​@@SamiJ1508 she's shown to be able to read minds and possibly find them psychically. She also has some kind of dunamancy effects so she's probably messing with time or space. I'm actually surprised she didn't take the party apart Way faster than she did.

[@theshadowfax239]

​@@SamiJ1508 They have been playing sloppy and recklessly with their plans, this encounter was well deserved by them (the characters, not the players). I'm glad Matt gave them a wake up call, they needed it.

[@Gladissims]

​@@ittapupu7406 M9 made their fair share of incredibly stupid decisions and bad plans as well. I just think you may be a bit biased because you've spent more time with them.

[@888pil]

gotta respect that even in the intensity of that battle, Travis made sure to talk Marisha through it when she was panicking, and also that Marisha told Matt "it's okay" when you could tell he felt bad about taking the shot at Laudna. I just love how these guys play man they care about each other so much

[@flawlix]

I loved the “It’s okay” moment. You can see Matt feeling conflicted, because Marisha loves playing Laudna so much, and she just smiles a little at him and says, “It’s okay.” Excellent little spouse moment

[@888pil]

@@flawlix excellent spouse moment but also great moment between a player and a dm who trust each other

[@haileydamian]

Where?!

[@dappel87]

@@haileydamian 2:48:00

[@doomskullv2152]

And kill each other so much

[@juliamcdonough4175]

You know it’s bad when your barbarian is down five minutes into combat

[@novas-requiem]

Seconds is what I think you meant

[@1qazwas21]

Fearne saying in ep 5: 'i dont know if i want to be without orym' has a different meaning now..

[@aaronluebke8046]

What's the time stamp for that?

[@1qazwas21]

@@aaronluebke8046 Context is that they're splitting up the health potions amongst the group and Imogen suggests giving one each to Orym and Fearne. 1:14:40 - 1:15:00 - CR C3 Ep 5

[@squirrels9470]

It's even worse because FCG can do ONE revivify, so as of the current situation, one of the two of them may come back, but only the one.

[@hakimzarif5413]

Factoid

[@telekarma]

Don't worry guys, all characters are backed up by Backblaze

[@timelessadventurer]

Hahaha this is good!

[@Antomausk]

Sam needs to use this if Backblaze is a sponsor next week, lmao

[@themorrigan7224]

Poor Yev, finally comes back and this is the shit he comes back to

[@smashbrandiscootch719]

Underrated comment.

[@coryirvin6651]

nailed it

[@Transona5]

Matt saw how high the threshold for emotional damage was in Brennan’s campaign, and he got IDEAS

[@LucasLopesComposer]

In C1 he does something similar with consequences that still breaks my heart in the best way possible.... I don't really think he needed to see Breenan's to do that.

[@davidjennings2179]

Brennan is an AMAZING DM - the tone is totally different, even when he's beating the party down Brennan is on their side, rooting for the players. We could all learn a lot from him, Matt included.

[@JubioHDX]

@@davidjennings2179 Brennan was on their side cause as he said many times during the campaign and as they all knew before it started, the calamity is inevitable its already written into the lore of the world and he was planning on killing them from the start. so he wanted to see them do what they could to struggle and fight back as much as possible but the expectation going in was that noone would live. which is different than a regular game when its usually the dm vs the players and trying to make things challenging while giving the PCs options instead of everyone involved vs the set in stone story that all being said theyre both really great DMs and calamity is my favorite minicampaign ive ever watched the combined role of brennans dmig, players like lou sam travis, and the world matt has built was a perfect combination of everything involved

[@davidjennings2179]

@@JubioHDX Absolutely - calamity was a slightly different style because everyone knew (more or less) how it would end. Brennan DMs over on dimension 20 too - if you watch their stuff you'll see he manages to keep up the same perfect balance between difficult fights but still loving the party, even in regular campaigns.

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

"e-MOWW-shun-al DAAA-mage!"

[@zedbee2736]

"We're the Bells Hells, we're not with you, you're with us!" *proceeds to hand her over immediately*

[@chloe-historyandgames]

i feel like they all paid for that betrayal, i don’t think they should have done that, they could have recouped later to work out a plan before going straight into pushing her into the other guys’ hands

[@uhkingdom]

Yeah I really feel like they dropped the ball there lol that was way too quick of a betrayal. Sure was funny tho

[@dominikgose6770]

Laura's play this session was super poor. Exceptionally rash decisions without trying to take input from the others. Got em killed for being too hasty in making a decision. Hindsights 2020 of course but good lord.

[@jamescandalino3458]

I mean, Laura said beforehand that she didn't lock the manacles, so she might've known that Artana would get free and disappear?

[@daniellewasdelayed8921]

@@jamescandalino3458 Yeah, it's kinda wild to see people have OP's take when Laura clarified, within seconds, that it was with the knowledge that Artana's manacles weren't locked. They also knew that she can turn invisible, that they might have aligned interests, and that her planned escape route would only work when she's alone, even if all that info wasn't explicitly said out loud. On top of that, the move solidified them as allies of Ratanish... even if that probably won't hold since there's the whole Otohan... 'encounter'

[@brendonfernandez]

I'd just like to acknowledge that part 1 (before the break) was a masterclass in theatre of the mind! I saw that firefight, I saw the siege, I saw the chaos. Matt Mercer, you are a gift!

[@scepta101]

100%! I can still vividly recall what it all “looked” like. Excellent imagery from Matt

[@fanzel123]

And in the second half we felt the Anguish and the pain of the cast

[@djburk7930]

The absolute crushing emotional turmoil of the second half aside, I think the first half is what really got me hooked on this episode. Then again, I'm one more for narrative over combat.

[@fanzel123]

@@djburk7930 literally started watching this while at work as a bartender 💀 i HAD to finish. Not a bell in hell am i waiting 8 hours to finish

[@Emarella]

Same! I may also need a show where all sound effects/foley are purely Matt's voice acting.

[@najadetwo22]

There are three things a wise Critter fears: the sea in the storm, a night with no moon, and a DM in a brand new sleeveless vest that makes him far too powerful.

[@adamn8156]

Well put. When Matt has a snazzy new vest and then rolls out an encounter with one solitary enemy...be afraid, be very afraid.

[@samuraiko]

The whole "a night with no moon" thing in Exandria would be terrifying. "Where's Ruidus?" "Where's CATHA?!" Oh, the scenarios I could run with that...

[@kathrinjenner5179]

The anger of a gentle man was inside matt all along

[@najadetwo22]

@@kathrinjenner5179 maybe the real anger were the vests he collected along the way

[@godwinstone1170]

Crazy that the original quote ("“There are three things all wise men fear...") is from Patrick Rothfuss who guest starred on Critical Role!

[@NopeRyan]

Can’t wait to settle in and enjoy what I can only imagine is going to be a totally chill and uneventful episode

[@m.v.s.saketh2955]

That was my plan, relax after a long day at work, glad nothing went wrong :)

[@RoboKingdom]

I've heard nothing but good things about this episode so I'm hoping it'll be as epic as people said

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

I was snickering as I was reading the live chat on Twitch. Someone kept on whining that they weren't enjoying it at all.

[@Bluewolf09]

@@Quotenwagnerianer They may not have been. Even I'm unsure how to feel about this episode overall.

[@edgeymon6290]

Yup! Definitely don't have minor anxiety from managing to avoid all spoilers but still knowing something's going down!

[@ADiceySituation]

I love how Ashley's reaction at the end of near every episode is "Just 10 more minutes, please?!"

[@johnnyb368]

Me halfway through the episode: What's everyone so stressed about this episode is awesome Me second half: 💀💀💀💀

[@claclarolo1]

Bells Hells second half: 💀💀💀💀

[@vi8440]

@@claclarolo1 WOW.

[@jv11t4]

And then there is me, eating popcorn and enjoy the danger that remind me season 1 danger vibes.

[@herz5159]

Attention youtube critters!!! This comment section contains *MAJOR SPOILERS* for this episode. There are many shocking and emotional twists in the second half, so if you don’t want to be spoiled scroll back up

[@smashbrandiscootch719]

TBH if they're reading the comments before seeing the episode, they're kinda asking to be spoiled o.o

[@mathewbenford2981]

Well done brother, I came here to say the same thing after accidentally reading an article by Polygon.

[@herz5159]

@@smashbrandiscootch719 not all episodes have twists THAT big and they're very long, so alot of people just see minor out of context spoilers and are fine with it. Warnings in the comments for big episodes are helpful especially for new critters who started at C3 so they haven't seen an intense episode like this before

[@vasten100]

i woke up last friday morning and saw that critical roll was live streaming (i catched like the last 30 min)... i should have slept longer

[@milenacosta8299]

^^^

[@wyrmfeast]

"I DON'T WANNA BE THE ONLY ONE NOT DEAD!" "I respect that."

[@CrabbyPattyLagune]

Scrubs sad theme.... merry christmas

[@youtubey9887]

meanwhile Ashton is already Jrusar looking for a possible 'Nobodies#3' group

[@rachelbreault700]

@@youtubey9887 Season 3 is about to be about the adventures of Ashton and FCG and their lost parties 🥺

[@laurens.6940]

"Let's what we can do."

[@hcdhcdhcd41]

The last time they rolled real well at the start of an Epidode, was Molly vs Lorenzo

[@ieatpie315]

AhhhHHHHHH

[@Dakarn]

Marisha: "Delilah take the wheel." Delilah: "Be careful what you wish for."

[@CoinGoblin97]

Armon Treshi is just chilling in that hole the whole time

[@DavidSimonTetruashvili]

The hole time

[@Nobody-dl4tm]

whistling... kicking rocks

[@darkmagicfan]

After all the heartbreaks i kind of hope he just suffocates in that hole all alone

[@JeremyOsborne1981]

Suffocating

[@Chibipayne]

Should have tossed a light in there so he could read his book 😂

[@celesteelka]

The music dropping out after "We've met before." "Yeah." *CHILLS*

[@sweebos]

👏👏👏

[@cedric3773]

3:14:48

[@Caitydid561]

Did it really? Shit, I didn't even notice. I was too preoccupied with how easily Matt asked Liam to describe Orym's last moments. It felt like a total 180 from the last time we had a PC death in this show.

[@stMystic]

anyone know where I could find the music for that scene?

[@toobert]

It started so well. Several natural 20s, a bunch of crazy cool moments and an easily won fight. Should have seen the writing on the wall.

[@uhkingdom]

When Travis got 2 Nat 20’s in a row for what felt like maybe not-so-critical moments, I knew problems were a-brewing. Early nat 20 rolls are always a bad omen

[@moore2life_2012]

Major kudos to Travis for keeping a good half the cast calm while trying not to panic over his own characters issues.

[@Drekromancer]

It's times like this when we see why he's the leader. It showed in the C2 finale, too.

[@christopherkecun8349]

@@Drekromancer absolutely, he is a tactician and knows when it is necessary to confront the crap.

[@harrycunliffe1914]

By far, he is my model player. Enthusiasm up to the gills and everything is something to be excitement over, success AND failure whilst also being grounded to make decisions when the chips are down. Stellar player.

[@keiganbenny3008]

@@harrycunliffe1914 agreed, just because you don’t succeed it doesn’t mean you failed. Iv seen a lot of good rolls that ended poorly (once rolled percent dice for a magic item, doubled my speed but for every turn not moving I took damage)

[@EmbryW]

He's so good at keeping everyone's head in the game. He did the same with the final battle for M9

[@ninasimpson6639]

The first half: Oh dang this is a good episode, its so fun! The second half: AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

[@lghtngblt]

you for got the NO!s lots and LOTS of NO!s

[@miro-jz1si]

*Mighty Nein spoiler ahead* Like in the episode when M9 fought the white dragon in the first half was fun and then the second half was stressful!

[@Mazzus21]

I felt this so much! The first half way so funny and kinda silly and then we come back from the break and it's just straight trauma. As a new Critter, I love/hate it so much. I hadn't experienced this kind of "oh...oh no....OH NO" pain to this extent while watching a CR show yet.

[@Cyyberslam8]

First half gave me some major "M9 steals a pirate ship by accident" vibes.

[@LadyStarflower]

We went from Mission Impossible to Suicide Squad

[@penguingonemad]

"Is she your favourite?" will haunt me for months. This isn't the first time Laudna has been put in harms way simply to send a message to another character. And she deserves so much better than that.

[@fireflyinspiration639]

Oh my god I didnt even think of that 😭😭😭😭😭

[@Wyrmshield]

@@fireflyinspiration639 And both times to send a message to one of Laura's characters

[@DarthRioBarbossa]

I mean this in a genuinely loving way: Oh SCREW you!! My HEART!

[@Drekromancer]

@@Wyrmshield Fuck.

[@Alec0994]

@@Wyrmshield I mean yeah, technically, but the Briarwoods was to send a message to Percy, and the rest of Vox Machina. Not for Vex.

[@frodrickfronkenstien582]

I love that lighting effect that makes it looking like there is actual sand blowing across the map. The attention to detail is crazy.

[@jackakimbo5718]

Next episode Laura should definitely capitalize and launch their new shirts with a "I was irrevocably traumatized by Matt Mercer and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" print

[@PeTTs0n88]

I need one. Or two.

[@kylehahn4410]

I think that we often take the "villain killing the protagonist's friends to hurt the protagonist" for granted a lot without considering the individual ramifications. This episode takes that trope and really nails in how brutal it is, because the rest of the party are protagonists in their own right, they're not side characters to Imogen, but right now they're being targeted mercilessly like this in association with her. They've been turned from protagonists into collateral damage, with so much of their own story left to tell possibly cut short because of another's, it's an unfairness that I love seeing be portrayed this way.

[@BigBoss-qm1bq]

It only adds to the tragedy that Otohan is also responsible for Wills death and kills the other Crown Keeper in the party right after Orym

[@skeletorscaboose]

I didn't even think of it that way at first but that really heightens just how fucking brutal this was.

[@theanyktos]

Honestly, that's a great way to describe it. I was having difficulty putting my finger on what exactly it was that destroyed me so much about this... event (yk, besides some of my favourite characters being dead or dying), and I think you hit the nail on the head. Yeah, Imogen has always given strong "main character" vibes, but she really wasn't, because the rest of the cast were all also main characters. Now she's been shoved into that position in the most brutal way possible. And all the others got somewhat unceremoniously demoted to side characters. I can't wait to see how/if they come back from this, and if they do, how they go back to their usual ensenble cast format.

[@HumbleCrow27]

Spoiler

[@Xxdragonfantasyxx123]

i think another part of why its so brutal is because whether its as a player or as a character, the villain doesnt care about surrender. What good is their surrender? Instead, the lives of the other characters became a burden as they attempt to survive and retreat, from a foe who has no intention of letting them leave, and is fully capable of cutting them all down once they get their mind into it.

[@calebwalters1736]

From the shock of everything I completely forgot this episode started with a “I’m a cat” AD

[@Gregnier]

The heaviest episodes always start with the hardest laughter.

[@liviasantiago1686]

See Sam anoucement in episode 26 of campaing 2

[@Dani_77709]

Honestly this very much reminds me of the Pusheen C2 episode

[@JeffreyMcLain]

Underrated comment is underrated

[@christopherkecun8349]

bounce... there is an economy quip in there somewhere.

[@justbeingjason4486]

Travis the CEO in the middle of the most stressful combat thus far: Guys. You're standing tall. Sit in your chairs.

[@colton72395]

Ya idk what that was about

[@colton72395]

It seemed like a a-hole move to me

[@justbeingjason4486]

@Colton Boo he was reminding them that they were out of camera shot. It was merely a, "Hey guys. I know you're super excited right now, but we're filming this and the audience can't see you."

[@colton72395]

Maybe you could see them thou idk maybe I saw something there that wasn’t there

[@KoNekoNoUta]

Someone is being sensitive.

[@not_really_a_cat]

I think that this is what would've happened to Caleb and the Nein if Trent had encountered them early on in the campaign

[@raychances6251]

kind of wish this is what happened. the Trent fight in C2 wasn't rough enough for my liking 😅

[@clintonbehrends4659]

@@raychances6251 yeah I was hoping it would have been harsher too and I'm sure if they didn't have that collar it definetly would have been

[@lordhelmchen3154]

@@clintonbehrends4659 I mean at that point they had just fought an entire abomination of a city and the remnants of the most powerful wizards of the age of arcanum, a single Assembly mage is not going to be a bigger challenge than that, no matter how powerful he is. I'd argue it was good that this fight was easier because it was mostly about finishing Caleb's story after the final fight was already fought, and Trent almost TPK-ing the group would have undermined the epic real finale they already had.

[@clintonbehrends4659]

@@lordhelmchen3154 I agree with you and I knew he wouldn't be too hard for the group but for the time he was able to fight he was doing really well with the invincibilty up made me curious what a long term fight would have played out.

[@johnraymma]

A reminded me of how at the end of return of the King The hobbits fight saruman in the Shire after defeating the big bad kind of anticlimactic

[@livhrefna3885]

"it's not a creature, it's a body" hite so hard omg

[@angelicalicari8355]

3:23:40 for those looking

[@budget_3811]

Matt’s exited child noises while getting a vest while at the same time thinking about how to murder the party is great.

[@CrabbyPattyLagune]

i spit apon you

[@svenr.3803]

I dont think he did. But they provoked it with their blatant disrespect and miscalculation of danger and power levels for a stupid npc extraction:D

[@budget_3811]

@@svenr.3803 Wow, really? I would never have guessed!?! I have never made a joke before.

[@melinnamba]

"It's really hard to find a good sleeveless vest". Matt is so excited about the new vest he forgot how words work. I love seeing people so happy.

[@valerialopez-trujillo123]

Remembering that Orym's "better together than we are alone" speech was this morning... And everyone's on their own at this episodes end, one way or another.

[@TinycanKill]

That thought...just gives you the full body chills

[@sweebos]

😔

[@RaXXha]

Dude...

[@leavyonblake4188]

Makes the old saying valid "that the truly good die early" hit hard since he was the only one well put together

[@tonymaurice4157]

Critical Role might as well be a soap opera. It's clear to me that the majority of people who watch the show would watch it even if Dungeons and Dragons wasn't involved

[@ProjectPeachy.]

Matt's face looking at his wife as the only person in range and saying "You're the only one in range..." No mercy mercer :D

[@BlueEyedBrunette]

But that she says, "It's okay."

[@InTheZone87]

I really appreciated the honesty of that moment.

[@DSas2300]

Only when there is no way out. Otherwise, he is Matt the Mercerful.

[@willstebbins5338]

Due to the REAL big bads of each campaign being doors and chairs, I heard Matt's statement as "I didn't want you to miss out on an opportunity to fight a door, it's a 'chair-ished' pastime."

[@isaacpittaway]

Same! I laughed when that happened, in my own campaigns it is also doors and furniture that are the hardest foes.

[@Amethystar]

Caught that as well. And stairs are my nemesis! Whenever the DM asks me to roll when I'm on or near stairs, it never ends well.

[@jasonutty52]

My campaign doesn't have a door or a chair. It has... A glass of water...

[@iuricoutinho6496]

Ashley in the opening song: "Two by two we fall"

[@simcard_101]

stapppp ;(

[@iuricoutinho6496]

@@simcard_101 it had to be done, sorry

[@henkmalan13]

Matt's shirt: "Emotionally Exhausted" All of Critterdom at the end of the episode: "Yeah, no shit... 😳😭"

[@Tr3nchAn0n]

That a Phil defranco shirt right?

[@SSJKenpachiZaraki]

@@Tr3nchAn0n it is! what a fun reference to see here haha

[@hillarymargaret4237]

I was wondering if someone was going to see the shirt and know it was Philip DeFranco lol

[@OnyxheartWolf]

after this episode, four words can destroy a critter's entire psyche: "Is she your favorite?"

[@munchkin5679]

I'm broken. It was so impactful. That has "I broke the world for us", "you were not born with venom in your veins" levels of impact.

[@anicientbolt]

Definitely up there as one of the lines that will cause a critter pain, for me "I'm sorry Liam" always hits.

[@munchkin5679]

@@anicientbolt oh man no that's the worst because it WASN'T in character, it WASN'T a line, it was just a pure moment of love and sadness between two REAL best friends.

[@judgedredd2039]

All critters took psychic damage with at one.

[@Rellyks]

@@anicientbolt That is the heaviest

[@EngEduMS]

*Long sequence of nat 20s at the begginging* Me: This mission is gonna be a huge success!

[@tylerhecht6476]

Oh sweet summer child

[@jojosworld8957]

Waah, waah...

[@seanmiller2644]

Yeah, I think Matt took that personally.

[@manonvanderhaeghe6664]

I will forever defend Laura for doing what she did in this episode. The twitch chat was absolutely awful to her, calling her dumb for not letting go, while Laura knows what she's doing. It was extremely stressful, but Laura has proven time and time again that she's one of the most passionate rps at that table. She did what Imogen would have done, and I wholeheartedly support that. The twitch chat is trash, acting like this is our game when it's not. Have some respect and have a smily day.

[@ragnarrocksoft9096]

As someone whos refusal to act out of character led to the death of my first ever ttrpg character I wholeheartedly agree

[@timothyhedi3798]

While I don't agree chat bashing the cast for their decisions in game, I don't agree that her decisions were "what her character would have done". Let's break this down from what we know has happened: 1. At this point, it is still not certain that Otohan is in her dreams, it is very likely but not 100% 2. Orym is the only one familiar with the echoes. It is uncertain if Otohan is the only person that can do this, but likely Otohan 3. A history check was done on Otohan and it is likely that was relayed to the group. A legendary warrior etc etrc (i.e. DO NOT FUCK WITH THIS NPC), the same thing happened in C2 when they fought the Iron Sheppards despite Matts attempts to put his friend hat on to let them know how dangerous they are. 4. Imogen is shit scared of what she thinks is Otohan IN HER DREAMS. Let that really sink in. And then she somehow has the courage to initiate combat? Not only did she initiate combat but she placed her spell in a way that divided the entire group. 5. With all her friends getting the shit beat out of them and some even dying, she still did not give in. 6. Making a statement like "Laura knows what she's doing", when she is literally saying out loud "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO" makes it quite clear that she had no idea what she was doing. 7. Making a statement like "It's what her character would have done" is firstly presumptuous on your part. We have no idea what she "would have done" so we don't know. Second, and repeating my statement above, she was literally saying out loud that she doesn't know what to do. Taking that into account, she may or may not have "been in character". It's something we will never know so falling back on "she knows what she's doing blah blah blah" is bias and not entirely correct. 8. When shit hits the fan, Laura has a really bad habit of metagaming and being forceful on what she wants to happen and influencing other players decisions, it is really frustrating to watch honestly. She did it with Dorian at the ball when they were trying to steal the ring and she's done it multiple times in this episode. She's done it in many other episodes as well. She is the worst mannered player at the table and frequently cracks the shits when she doesn't get her way or rolls poorly or worst of all, invades someone else's decision with what she wants to happen. The above are things that have factually happened. My opinion on "playing her character", which is a complete assumption because I didn't write her character, goes is this: Combat should have never initiated and it is Laura who caused this to happen by doing so. Continuing on, If you are terrified of something she believes is in her dreams, you're not going to magically step up when you see that thing in real life. The likely thing that would happen is crippling fear or at the very least a conversation or handing over Treshi. The other thing that is likely is that Laura was flying and could see a majority of what was going on (seeing her friends get brutalised), it is entirely logical for her to give in for two reasons. First, Otohan was going to continue until they were all dead, Matt had made that pretty clear by this point. Second, she really had nothing to lose. If she really wanted to help her crew, she wouldn't resist as it is her only other option. It was very obvious that Matt was trying to give her an out and did so multiple times. You can't mix in something that throws her a bone like "it was extremely stressful situation" and then back her and say she was playing her character and it what her character would have done. It is fairer to say that it was extremely stressful and it would be difficult to play her character because of the tension between what she wants to do and what her character wants to do, therefore she made some mistakes (which is completely fine btw). Lastly, her passion for rping at the table has nothing to do with anything. All of the cast have a passion for rping, it doesn't excuse her which is what a comment like that implies. Again, chat bashing her for her decisions is not okay, however it was incredibly frustrating to watch Imogen play this out for the reasons mentioned above.

[@manonvanderhaeghe6664]

@@timothyhedi3798 Yes, you’re right. I should have phrased that differently. Of course she had no idea what she was doing, but I do believe that Laura made a conscious choice not to give in, because she has no idea what that would result in. Her giving in could have easily killed everyone around her, she just didn’t know. What I mean with ‘she knows what she’s doing’ is that I believe that Laura realized that Matt was giving her hints and that that was an option, she just chose not to because she was scared of the consequences, as Imogen would be. But I’m agreeing with you on that part. And of course it’s presumptuous of me, that’s always the case. People can always do things we never saw coming, but judging from how she has reacted in the past, it’s most likely that she would do what she did. That was the only thing she could think of because that’s what she has been doing and that’s what has worked for her. She was indeed shit scared. She knew she was a danger, but she didn’t know any more than that, so she went with her gut reaction. It’s the same thing she does in her dreams. She confronts and when she realizes she can’t do anything else, she runs. That doesn’t make it a good thing to do though, especially not in this scenario. Again, it’s very true that I have phrased ‘she knows what she’s doing’ wrong. That’s entirely wrong on my part, because indeed none of them had any idea of what was going on. On this part, I was defending Laura against people screaming ‘WTF IS SHE DOING?’ ‘SHE DOESN’T REALIZE SHE HAS TO GIVE IN’ ‘SHE’S BEING STUPID!’ etc. None of them knew what was happening, they were hurting and scared and doing what they thought was the best option, and yes, it was the wrong option. But then again, would running have worked? We have no idea what would have happened if they ran or talked or whatever. As soon as Otohan realized who Imogen was, she wanted her to give in. But yes, Imogen, and with that Laura, did feel too confident and she made the wrong decision, but it was a conscious decision. All I’m saying is that I believe Laura made this conscious decision to not give in, and I believe that that aligns with her character. We have seen her fight back in her dreams because of how scared she is of what it’ll do to her. Also, I don’t think we are really sure if she knew that two of her friends were actually dead; she definitely couldn’t see if they were breathing or not. We know that Laudna means the most to her, and even if that makes her sound bad, it’s true. She was entirely focused on that, and at that point it was already too late. When Laudna was taken down, and with the recognition that we aren’t sure if she saw her friends die, that was her cue of “I will lose everything I have here if I don’t stop” because Laudna is everything she has. That was when she realized that she couldn’t protect them like she tried to do. But still, she didn’t give in. She was going to go with Otohan. At that point she was still trying to protect her friends, because one important thing is that she didn’t know what was going to happen if she gave in. She was so controlled by that fear of both losing the ones she loves and losing herself, that even when that was the last thing she could do, she still didn’t do it. And I do think that that’s an important detail. I love how this episode went down and I love the decisions Imogen made, because it made her realize what's at stake if she kept being controlled by her fear. And we can so clearly see how it changed her and how it changes how she reacts in her dreams. And I love having discussions like this, so never think that I'm trying to put you down or anything; I'm really not. Imogen is such an interesting character to speculate about, but yes; we will never 100% be sure what she should or would have done, but that makes it so much more fun, right? As long as it's not disrespecting Laura, I'm fine with anything.

[@meowcat-z7d]

@@timothyhedi3798To be fair, there’s fight vs. flight, seems like Imogen is fight. When people see scary things they usually either try and run away or try to kill them.

[@scanneringdark4793]

Love Laura but there was obviously some bit of miscommunication here, Matt had to incorporate a wisdom saving throw at the end in order to get her to ‘let go’ and stop a tpk from happening, I don’t think laura quite understood what he was asking. I think she thought he was asking if she wanted to go with otohan or something

[@jonathannobels8150]

Travis: "I don't want to be the only one left living.." ... Best CR episode so far.

[@uhkingdom]

*not dead but yeah I just passed that part maybe 10 minutes ago and I love it. He’s definitely a “go down with the ship” type

[@Spckeck]

Sam is right, Chetney is the most important thing and Critical Role's greatest creation. His willingness to stand up to the tyranny of St. Nick is an inspiration to us all.

[@chillywilly883]

As is his bloodthirsty vengeance toward crooked shop keeps.

[@alvimpaulo]

@@chillywilly883 crooked shop keeps that most likely asked for the standard price from the book :p

[@shanegallant9018]

BWA HA HA !!!!

[@disasterjones5798]

Fearne unsuccessfully trying to secure the brace with a Mirthful Leap only to realize her Stonky's Ring can easily move it out of the way has the exact same energy as the scene in A Muppet Christmas Carol where Rizzo and Gonzo are going through all the effort to get over the top of Scrooge's fence and then Rizzo remembers he forgot his jelly beans on the other side and just crawls between the bars.

[@samuraiko]

YES! OMG I was thinking that exact same thing! Oh, I hope some Critter fan artist recreates that scene with Fearne and Ashton in the roles of Rizzo and Gonzo.

[@iKvetch558]

The one that I came up with is Roger Rabbit only removing his hand from the handcuffs when it was funny. 😜😜💯💯✌✌

[@bryanfloyd1152]

Good pull

[@DarthFetid]

ha ha ha. a muppets reference, i fekn love it. gonzo for the win!

[@DarthFetid]

@@iKvetch558 oh yes... oh and btw your age is showing lol

[@nixonvanjustice3997]

Every time they go through these emotionally gut wrenching episodes I always think "do they have aftercare after these sessions?"

[@Pluveus]

The answer is yes, they've talked about it before. I have a feeling that tonight's trip to Taco Bell was a parking lot decompression session.

[@theloraxxz1753]

@@Pluveus is there a talk about it. I am really interested but new overall to critical role :O

[@angrilyFrenchunhappiness]

@@theloraxxz1753 I'm pretty sure it's mentioned in the video "Safety Tools Used In Critical Role" (which isn't by them but compiles clips of things they have said)! It has an after care chapter, but the whole thing is interesting too (edit: now that i think of it though, be careful, pretty sure it has spoilers for C1 and C2, since you said youre new.)

[@kendrac5191]

It started on screen with telling Matt how great the game was

[@DSas2300]

People are insanely weak these days. Aftercare. This is literally just a game. Annnnd... Death is an AWESOME part of the game! It gives so much meaning. Dying well or tragically or unexpectedly can be a highlight of a character's arc, or even the campaign.

[@Funkythulhu]

I love Liam and Tal standing for like half the battle: it felt that much more intense, seeing them right in it.

[@ninetailednaruto11a]

Not gonna lie, seeing them frantically read their abilities and pausing for a while actually made me feel better about me doing it. My D&D group has never made me feel bad for it, but I always feel bad for seemingly wasting their time.

[@Caitydid561]

Same here. I'm always reading my character sheet frantically in between turns, and then I'll forget what I just read 'cause of all the adrenaline of a battle scene and have to reread on my turn. "Just a sec, just a sec, sorry..." Yeah, that's pretty much my mantra.

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Same. Most of the time, I genuinely appreciate that they're not "expert players." They screw up and forget things and have to look shit up and guess what, they still HAVE FUN and make really awesome stories.

[@kyleweir689]

If only all that reading resulted in them getting their own abilities right. Alas, it doesn’t. Taking a moment to read your ability isn’t frowned upon at any table I’ve played at… but get your abilities right after reading them. Who knows if it would have meant anything, but Ashley JUST read the enhanced bond ability and STILL forgot to add the d8 to her healing.

[@incognitoburrito6020]

@@kyleweir689 There was so much going on at that point, I think it's fair to miss the numerical things like that.

[@kyleweir689]

@@incognitoburrito6020 it’s a pattern of behavior thing, really

[@fanzel123]

Such a nice wholesome shopping episode! Just like the good ol vox machina days! ❤️❤️

[@fanzel123]

Jenga 😟

[@Amethystar]

@@fanzel123 How dare you...

[@benchristopher392]

Matt was the one shopping here not the cast 😭😭😭

[@anarkizt]

@@benchristopher392 the cast was shopping . . . For new characters.

[@PolluxaC]

I'm so glad I'm watching this a year later. I can't imagine having to wait for another week after that cliffhanger ending. I'm NOT okay but at least I can just play the next episode right away omg

[@jorgealonso8956]

SAME

[@KatieSal1999]

Same OMG

[@nicolemelendez4415]

SAME never in my 2 years of playing catchup have I been more thankful to be behind, SHEESH

[@jaydemutnodjmet3914]

Samee.

[@EmilyTrytek]

Laura: “Get it off the table!” Sam: *Keeps trolling* Travis: “Just give me that…” *sends strong “you heard her…and I’d listen or we are all in trouble” vibes*

[@tatersalad76]

Travis out here casually saving Sam's life

[@jerkq]

timestamp?

[@EmilyTrytek]

@@jerkq 3:40 I don’t know how to do time stamps 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@moople9066]

@@EmilyTrytek hey you did it!

[@karbon6770]

“Don’t ruin things because your a cat”-Laura Bailey……famous last words

[@slywolfe]

Yeah, when the barbarian goes down that fast - _run_ Echo Knight abilities on a Psy Knight is *BONKERS* Matt, you absolute madlad

[@gctypo2838]

Except when the boss has so much mobility, action economy, and multi-attacks that running away is only going to get you killed faster

[@Sigfred42]

It just becomes stay and fight or run and die tired vs something like that.

[@Lurklen]

Wicked boss, honestly. Will use in the future lol.

[@snorpenbass4196]

He wasn't _letting_ them run. Every player that tried got singled out and slaughtered. This was intentional. A thousand Legendary Actions, constantly taking out anyone trying to leave the fight? Yeah, Matt just staged a fight with Mike Tyson versus a toddler and people are praising him. Unless the next episode is the best fix for this mess in the history of all games, I might actually drop CR. Hell, maybe Matt just wants to stop the game permanently and this is his way. I used to love his style, but...this? This feels way too railroady.

[@aresmuto]

​@@snorpenbass4196 chatting

[@PancakeMonster359]

3:11:36 Liam was writing something down and hid it from Laura. I think that was actually a 25-word message to Dorian

[@merindab]

I think so too

[@jayswizzle57]

Yes and how he dropped the sending stone when he fell. For sure he contacted somebody.

[@rachelthorn9915]

@@jayswizzle57 And Sending Stones are only connected with a buddy! He could only have contacted Dorian. But what did he say...

[@PancakeMonster359]

@@jayswizzle57 I don't think he successfully contacted Dorian. The cast normally only act during their turn and it happened before Orym's

[@AwesomeNuke]

@@jayswizzle57 he didn't contact Dorian, that was just flair for him going unconscious.

[@UItraVioIet]

Lol Laura bringing out the mum voice with Sam during the announcements. "Get it off the table!"

[@dourden77]

Ashley Johnson hugging Mister plush, with surprised opened eyes, like a child being carried away by a movie, is an incredibly cute moment ^^

[@volternoomi]

Only to later on be holding on to it for dear life with tears in her eyes

[@dirkboch128]

I wish she would start to actually ply dnd instead of backseat this like a child watching a movie.

[@kirkfogg8366]

You disturb me.

[@dans3379]

@@dirkboch128 🤨

[@PrettyGuardian]

@@dirkboch128just a friendly reminder that it's a lot easier for us to sit back and make comments like that than it is for players at the table. This episode was literal chaos, with a lot of players being featured, and the fact that she was completely invested speaks volumes about her.

[@Kaninchenbau]

The entire second half of the episode was just me going "Help, it's again" over and over again

[@morphingninja]

"It's bad we're running" (too bad the lady is quick AF...)

[@atosmic9035]

My biggest regret being so far behind in episodes and catching up late is that I don’t get to stand in the waves of incredible art pouring in and I gotta go digging. I need every piece of fan art of Imogens giving in moment right NOW

[@petersmittens6222]

Man, that moment at the beginning of the fight when Ashton goes down immediately is so fucking intimidating. Just travis' little "Ashton's down" sounds so scared omg

[@Drekromancer]

Fuck, man. That instant drop pretty much instantly caused BH to rout and scatter aimlessly. If they hadn't seen that happen in the first action of combat, they might have felt like they stood a chance - which would have led them to stand their ground and fight. And if they'd done that, I think they could have won. Maybe. That high initiative and series of heavy hits was ROUGH. Just imagine how this whole thing would have gone if Ashton had been able to rage at the very beginning.

[@Birthday888]

​@@Drekromancer No. Otohan seems to be a end-game level character. I've seen people theorize she's around level 18 because she has 4 of the 5 Psi Warrior Feats. Add legendary resistances, legendary actions, action surge, the echoes and 4 attacks a round, and she's basically built to keep up with the action economy of a party that outnumbers her. They were kinda screwed the moment Imogen rejected the opportunity to talk and started combat. Which is deliciously ironic considering Imogen seems to be the only character Otohan might not be interested in killing. This definitely wasn't an encounter the party could've won by fighting. Which I like. Exandria is a world, not a videogame in which CR-appropriate monsters and enemies are generated to be around the players' levels. Imogen decided to fight a legendary war hero. And these are the consequences for her recklessness.

[@Drekromancer]

@@Birthday888 Well said. As much as I think Matt probably wanted to leave them some chance, you're right. This was never meant to be a fight they could win, but they took it anyway. And now we see what happened as a result.

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

@@Drekromancer Right. He got accidentally Worfed. Look up the "Worf Effect"... it's when a writer purposefully has the physically toughest character get thrown around or even incapacitated by the new bad guy at the start of the episode, to show that the villain can't be beaten just yet. It's to make sure the good guys don't immediately attack and all get killed, letting them live to fight another day, biding their time until they can figure out how to overpower the villain. But it was sheer bad luck (or lack of good luck) that Ashton didn't make it through that first round. I don't blame Matt for making her that strong, because when you're making a boss solo an entire party (especially one with access to Revivify), you _have_ to make them strong enough to do that or they don't stand a chance. Their only option is to remove threats. And she didn't double-tap until like 5 PC-drops in. When Ashton went down immediately, the party thought the only option was to run away. Just bad luck that he didn't go first and couldn't rage, he got hit every time, and thus he went down. Otohan didn't even finish him off... Matt was definitely playing her like this would be a winnable fight. If he'd have survived that first attack, I'm sure they'd have all ganged up on her and forced her to flee, perhaps with some of them down or even dead, but their actions would've been spent on DPS instead of dashing and hiding and thus she'd have been beaten. Instead, they all got the wrong signal and thought they could _only_ run away, which made them too inefficient to survive. Oh well. Excited to see how this plays out!

[@jackie2645]

The morale drop from having your tangiest character get downed is insane. Especially after getting so much good luck prior, the switch in atmosphere was so awesome

[@AVClarke]

That felt like one of those RPG story battles that you're not supposed to win.

[@SSJKenpachiZaraki]

I definitely got that vibe as well

[@Aranedlorwen]

This was a small group of adventurers taking on an experienced war hero. What could go wrong? *edit for typo*

[@Caitydid561]

Well, they knew it, and they tried to get away. It just...didn't work out that way.

[@battousaix4263]

I gotta admit I sometimes just glaze over battles when listening, but this one is probably the most hopeless battle I've ever focused on so far on Crit Role. Otohan taking out Ashton in one turn was such a huge morale hit

[@lifeisgood6279]

@@battousaix4263 it really wasn't unwinnable persay, its just that in 5e fighters are really good at fighting singular targets, and as a echo knight with 3 multiattacks once the party split up and made themselves effectively singular targets they were doomed since she could hit each with three attacks a turn instead of splitting her attacks. They should have used their numbers to gang up on her, they could have won. The wither and boom spell alone did a surprising amount of damage so if all their spellcasters got into fight as one otohan would be very very dead or forced to flee. Also a lv 11-16ish fighter is hardly an unwinnable fight for 5 lv 7(or 8 i cant remember) Pcs

[@Brakkenimation]

Matt:"Is she your favorite?" Me: "YES😭😭 "

[@christopherkecun8349]

I want to like that but 33 likes on the 33 episode seems perfect as is.

[@thefracturedbutwhole5475]

@@christopherkecun8349 lol, right.

[@christopherkecun8349]

@@thefracturedbutwhole5475 heh, i guess i get to add mine now. Thanks for the prompt.

[@Jessvsherself]

3:29:22 Sam whispering Ukatoa during Launda’s whispers cracked me up.

[@carlotaperes1031]

This episode is definitely going to stand out as one of critical role's most memorable ones, for better or for worse (for better, imo). This shit broke me, but in the best way possible, and no matter what happens, I think this is genuinely one of CR’s best. We’re all in this together- and remember to love each other :)

[@dessamator1420]

Easily for better. Tragedy in dnd adds to the beauty of the game.

[@d4radeas]

i spoilered myself accidentally, so I'm at least prepared to be hurt🙃

[@karlwilker579]

Haven't felt this much stress since Calamity.

[@SuperNiels91]

Meh, to me it all felt a bit forced and meaningless. Dying to an enemy far more powerful while trying to fulfill a mission that didn't seem worthy of dying for is a bit frustrating. It does set up a nice revenge plot and true motivation for killing Otto Hun. Only Orym seemed to have that before and he didn't even get to verbalize it.

[@Tauraherion]

@@d4radeas Me too, I thought I spoiled myself knowing about one thing... thought I was prepared for it... oh what an innocent child I was...

[@updog8562]

to all the people that were slightly disappointed with Liam and Ashley for not creating new characters for C3, this one's for you

[@askthepizzaguy]

What's updog?

[@Sceptile29]

Oof

[@nekolalia3389]

@@askthepizzaguy the body count, dog

[@rivendriftwood]

Gods, say it isn't so!! I was rooting for Orym!! 😭😭

[@mohawkmeteor7189]

Yoooo savage haha

[@michel0dy]

Me at the beginning the campaign: "Imogen is kinda like Jean Grey lol" Me now: "She IS Jean Grey holy shit"

[@eezmatv]

The first thing I said allowed when Matt described that ascencion was 'She's going full Dark Phoenix :O'! Wild.

[@darkmagpiestudios8222]

Does that make chetney wolverine?

[@Vercanya]

@@darkmagpiestudios8222 Omg it does.

[@jeremywengerd8151]

This!

[@tuffy1992]

@@darkmagpiestudios8222 I'd say Beast, personally

[@josephbeaulieu1569]

3:41:53 Liam and Ashley talking about Fearne meetings Orym’s family kills me

[@jonahgreallyryan4249]

This was one helluva episode, just glad it didn't happen before a week off

[@samuraiko]

Oh gods, that would have been beyond the pale in terms of cruelty.

[@Staticclism]

Right? That would've been torture!

[@creativeuserneim]

My thoughts exactly when Matt announced the end of the session, although I love mess and I would've enjoyed the sheer chaos and disarray of the fandom for the next 2 weeks😆

[@Dice_and_Beans]

I was so glad too, cuz that would have driven me up a wall of anxiety

[@ScreamsGeo]

Imagine having a character at death's door and not knowing whether or not they'll survive for not one week but two.

[@Mooshoojr]

Matt really looked at what Brennan did to Zerxus in Calamity and went 'Hold my beer'.

[@mvpscorpion4202]

He said hold my beer and grab shot your gonna need it

[@Joe-qs8in]

Travis going “That…was…AWESOME!” at the end and Liam adding, “What a great game, Matt,” is what it’s all about. Insane episode. It took me a while to buy into this campaign, but the last half dozen episodes have been some of the best in CR’s history. Astounding culmination of narratives and consequences for past actions.

[@Drekromancer]

Well said. It took a good bit longer for this campaign to build momentum compared to the last two - but everything since Yu's reveal has basically been slam dunk after slam dunk. I had faith that it was all building to something, even though some people doubted it - and goddamn, was our faith rewarded.

[@whitslebinkzaffrey5838]

Me too.

[@Xingmey]

the last few episodes? the best in CR history? you misspelled some of the most boring...

[@taelynjessica3875]

See I’m the exact opposite. I was excited for this campaign but god it’s disappointing for me now. It suffer from Main Character Syndrome, It’s trying to be something that D&D is not (by that I mean it’s being a production, a show) and it’s overall just feels way too focused on a singular narrative plot hook, which is what gives in to the Main Character syndrome. It feels very rushed and it’s not taking its time. And it’s felt that way since late in campaign 2. They just don’t play into high levels anymore, they either don’t touch on some characters stories at all, or far too much, and it’s very apparent that they’re going for a shorter/“better” story fit to be animated. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these things, but it’s just not for me. I think I’ll be hard pressed to continue this campaign.

[@in7incible]

Agreed. This campaign is the only one I ever watched all the episodes and ever since I caught up with the updating, I have been watching it weekly. When I binge watch the 20 or so eps to catch up, I wasn’t really invested in their story, and there were more than one time that I was not impressed and thought about dropping this show, e.g. I skipped the museum competition episode because it felt irrelevant and boring in my book. It has grown on these last quick paced and emotional episodes.

[@childofatom95]

After 7 years of streaming one might think that they would lose some of that spark of awe and joy for this game... OG critters know. This episode was incredible

[@VonSnootingham]

6:50 Laura, to Liam and Ashley: "Obviously your characters are already out." Oh my god, the unintentional foreshadowing.

[@ottomaroske8651]

What the heck

[@mohawkmeteor7189]

Haha omg that's perfect!

[@LydiaTereK]

omfg

[@Ζήνων-ζ1ι]

"They are the first out of the gate!" - Liam

[@ayebrotv6869]

Too soon

[@LiaStnwd]

When the episode ended, I first just sat there and said nothing. Then my boyfriend had the audacity to remind me of the brand new chibis they just had made for their characters and I deadass bursted out crying. NOOOOO

[@logicaloverdrive8197]

That's so fucked but so goddamn funny

[@stargazer1946]

We have panic moments for our home game like that. We try to get Hero Forge models when we can, and then the session after they are ordered someone will go down and get close to dying and it's a brief panic

[@RuuKa8]

Im happy to read this bc rn I'm crying too xD

[@Comrade2261]

"Look, I just don't want you to miss a chance to fight a door." 🤣 Damn Matt

[@stephaniemartins2281]

so excited to watch this episode where i know absolutely nothing bad happens :)

[@426shelby426]

Only sunshine

[@essylo]

I'm in pain looking at Ashley cuddling the plush after learning that Mister did not survive her

[@cameronsmith7990]

I’m sobbing 😭 it was so bad

[@gadgetronking4255]

well technically rules mister is still alive he's just back in the faewild or elemental plane of fire since he doesn't have his tether to material plane. But that's just rules as written the dm can honestly take it anywhere he wants to.

[@essylo]

@@gadgetronking4255 yeah he's not dead, Matt said that the flame inside her that tied him to this plane was no more so he dissappeared. I think it means he went back but still, he won't be in any of their lifes anymore

[@thefracturedbutwhole5475]

@@essylo a wildfire druid without a wildfire spirit, sounds like fun.

[@sleepyboldhijack]

Sucks to lose a buddy but luckily it's like frumpkin

[@SirSadness]

Barbarians are not just great damage dealers and tanks, they're also very important for party moral. That's why, when Ashton is the FIRST to fall in the FIRST turn of combat, we can see everybody's spirits breaking a little.

[@karlaegley8210]

They went into instant panic mode after that.

[@jiyuueno]

Honestly, this episode is peak DnD, and just proves Matt doesn't pull his punches. It was amazing and horrifying and authentic dungeons and dragons.

[@kingskelett6265]

I feel that in DnD, in some battles it is ok to pull punches. In some battles, especially at low levels (unless you want to go hardcore) or/and you have new players, I would recommend pulling punches. In some cases however, I think it is more realistic, authentic, and fitting to not pull punches. Even if it resolves into some truly tragic or horrific moments, like this episode, such things are also a main part of dnd. Biggest example are of course boss battles. Now I don't know if this can be considered a boss battle, sometimes it is more clear than other times, but Matt obviously had a very challenging and dangerous encounter planned that would also be a big moment. And in this instance, the best way to go is forward. The spirit of dnd: Fight till the end, and let the dice sort them out.

[@deetrixreed8961]

If he didn't pull his punches they would have all died when they went down the first times. Also when you are not pulling punches it's fair to be fighting against enemies whose powers you could never attain yourself in game no matter how hard or long you played. Chaining legendary actions is broken, give them ICD. Not pulling punches would mean all the other fights well before this would have been wipes. Not pulling punches entails you have specifically given you players enough information and time to understand what is going on and to make informed decisions, which I cannot tell was there. Otherwise your just punishing players for things they didn't know or were too stupid to see right in front of the eyes, which is real positive.

[@confused_dm_noises7717]

@@deetrixreed8961 I bet your game is really fun

[@snorpenbass4196]

@@confused_dm_noises7717 Honestly, if my GM killed my character and half the whole party using an NPC apparently fifty levels above me just so another player's character could have some "character growth" I'd walk away from the group. I don't play to be my GM's expendable NPC.

[@leannie9848]

@@snorpenbass4196 that's why they have discussed what is and isn't ok for how their game goes. They all know that this is a possibility and are here for it. Death makes the stakes real. There's a high probability that they'll be able to bring them back, if the beginning of the episode goes well. They have to get laudna up, and heal ferne who then heals orym. Or, immogens blast brings them back.

[@ijustdontcare]

Laura gives Matt a new vest. Matt proceeds to near tpk the party. He clearly gets his powers from those vests, come on guys.

[@justsomejoe8072]

58:10 Fearne stands there watching the chaotic scene, bodies falling, explosions, blood... And all she hears is Jazz.

[@toppieceproductions161]

🎶I don't want to set the world on fire🎶

[@andrewb7674]

"You're gonna carry that weight..."

[@LisaGrimm-LG]

I know what all the comments are about but I just want to say it's nice to see some appreciation for Wither and Bloom. It's such a handy spell, my necromancer uses it all the time to heal the party almost as often as our cleric, I just love this spell.

[@BadgerPride89]

as a cleric player, i appreciate that spell so much. really helps take some of the load off

[@coranbaker6401]

I have a sorcerer that brags about being the party healer right in front of the cleric every time he can. It's great.

[@kmoustakas]

You gotta have some way to get your fallen teamates up. If you can do it via spell and from range, even better

[@caidenpriaulx6492]

It’s also the perfect combo spell to use to heal Laudna, as her Bloodwell Vial allows her to regain 5 sorcery points when she rolls a hit die, which is huge.

[@rachellenaaaa]

My party doesn't have a cleric, so my druid often is forced to acts as the healer thought I would rather be a damage dealer. I LOVE wither and bloom because I get to help the party while doing some big damage!

[@CallsHimselfAWriter]

Somewhere Opal feels a change in the world and cries out “Nancy!”

[@Rosietea]

okay but she absolutely tweeted that on twitter haha!

[@paramitch]

(weeps while eating a slice of pie)

[@whitslebinkzaffrey5838]

Opal. Is gonna be pissed. Full spider queen revenge mode. And Ferns grandma too.

[@rooksnemesis]

See.. The way they have been tip toeing around this all C3, I am fully expecting Opal, dariax or possibly even now.. ( with this much death in the air lol ) another seen unseen moment with Vax.. Possibly even on Kikis behalf for Orym.. Wait.. Wait.. Damn.. That one hurt my head.. Liam as Vax shows up to take Liam as Orym away.. O.O OR seeing as Laudna is also "gone". Big and powerful Kiki herself banfs ins do to Orym being downed.. And those shadows being his target.. My head hurts SO much atm.

[@standingdoor7077]

@@whitslebinkzaffrey5838 I hope so!

[@wouldiwasshookspeared4087]

When in worry, when in doubt, Run in circles, scream and shout! -Fearne

[@swirlinghaze]

7:20 I am 100% sure by giving Mercer a Beauregard sleeveless vest, we imbued him with Monk shit powers that went into the dice and/or rolls for the night 😅

[@samuraiko]

Spend a Ki point to kill an extra PC each round.

[@bionicdragon5]

He was supposed to bring balance to the Dope Monk Shit, not leave it in darkness!

[@sinamy]

Also his excited voice brings me so much joy. He's like a kid on Christmas.

[@justinl56]

One of the most insane/intense episodes of CR… from any season.

[@tristandelasuertemexcla]

This was like the kraken episode but more entertaining. But just as dread filled

[@BigBenP]

This is every bit as compelling as VM's first fight against Vecna.

[@ceridwenaeradwr8105]

Only othet one I can think of that might be a contender is the C2 fight against the Tomb Takers, and no-one died there.

[@DarksideGmss0513]

When the Chroma Conclave attacked that was pretty intense aswell

[@johnblack8872]

It was only intense because matt actually attempted to kill them. We need more kill offs imo

[@Lurklen]

"You look really good in that vest." This did not save him...

[@h1ppyKat]

Well, if you remember how complimenting Matt worked out for Laura / Vex in one of the last fights of C1 (trying to avoid spoilers), they should have learned from her mistakes xD

[@Lurklen]

@@h1ppyKat Lol, kindness only angers the Dice Gods.

[@J0hnDoe89]

I love that Ashley's more upset that she can't do the cool thing she wanted to do rather than that she's down and is possibly going to die xD

[@dawiddulian2403]

She's a Fae irl, let's nod kid ourselves