COUNTERSPELL BATTLE | Critical Role C3E75 Highlights & Funny Moments

[@UponThisAltar]

I have never gone from thinking "TPK" to "HOW ARE THEY WINNING" so quickly. What an amazing combat encounter. Also, Matt making everyone have a claustrophobic panic attack in the first half was pretty hilarious.

[@dylanfooler]

What got me was that what tipped me off it was a 'real' Ludinus, if he was really there I think he would have been way more deadly and less merciful

[@mazurkian]

It's probably because ludinus held his actions and did basically nothing other than float Fearne around. Had he been casting each round they'd get dominated.

[@thegriffin88]

The best part is they don't know how they're winning either XD

[@cryofpaine]

So, basically Travis is Delilah Briarwood. Empowering Marisha through berating and instilling self-doubt. 😁😜

[@dayngeros]

Delilah is probably real proud of Laudna at this point given her personal history with the Cerberus Assembly.

[@vespernight4236]

​@@dayngerosI mean if she still has plans to take over laudna body/get her to bring her back. Then I think she'd be delighted to have some of the wizards on her level already dealt with. Less loose ends to tie up.

[@joshg6910]

My friend and I joked that after fake Ludinus had his 9th counterspelled like that he just decided to end it. He was never going to live that down

[@Lynch2507]

Ludinus walked into the cave, got his evil speech interrupted, his alien friends got bodied by a lil man with a letter-opener AND his big 9th level spell got countered by Laudna in peak No-good, very bad roll mode. Honestly, id jump in the lava too

[@Hexen_Wulf]

I'm *really* looking forward to a character getting access to Dispel Magic. I just know if they did, the next time they see his Simulacrum ass they're gonna end combat before he's opened his mouth.

[@riverkath]

“And now they shall all di- HOW THE FUCK DID SHE COUNTERSPELL THIS!? Okay, okay. I still have another Counterspell that should- OH FUCK THIS. IM OUT, PEACE.” -Ludinus

[@celesteelka]

@@Lynch2507 Honestly the hands down best description of that encounter 😂

[@fieryhephestus]

16:01 this isnt the first time an air ashari has curb stomped an enemy into lava, kiki did this to a duergar in very early c1

[@alhemičarka]

Otw to save Kima, right? Kraghammer arc?

[@TheCrankymuppet]

I was saying "Go to sleep, shh shh, go to sleep." as Orym was beating him into the lava. And laughing my ass off.

[@felixfelicis86]

​@@TheCrankymuppet it was the determination with which Liam was attacking too, different tone but it still fit 😂 Kiki would be proud.

[@riverkath]

If I had gold for every time an Air Ashari curbstomped an enemy into lava, I’d have 2 gold. That isn’t a lot but it’s weird it’s happened twice.

[@BoneTheory]

Oh my GOD DJ Khalid at Overwatch League Grand Finals was bleached from my brain because I saw it live. It was so so so fucking awkward. I remember walking home from the Barclays center with my friends just cackling about it. Thank you for searing into back into my brain.

[@marisharaygun]

you witnessed history

[@xhopsalong]

I was in a fairly quiet bar that somehow had that playing on the flatscreen and for a moment I was certain I was having a real bizarre dream, so seeing it referenced on critrole was a gift lmao

[@princessjello]

my friend group discord has a sticker of when he says "over watch me"

[@MrSpannners]

They said "Widen the hole" and "Tongues" multiple times in the space of a minute... And no one made any joke about it!! Either they're finally maturing, or they didn't notice. Either way it's worrying, I hope they're okay.

[@NotJustABarista]

Hahahaha I was thinking the same thing! Waggling my eyebrows at Laura like, “I’m waitinggggg”

[@chad8767]

She was too stressed out. I'm not sure what spelunking show came on in the last couple years but clearly ALL of them watched it. (Taliesin can just move through it apparently so he didn't care).

[@kerimullane298]

I love Matt's innocent sounding "what?" at 3:13. This is a man that knows what he's doing and is enjoying every moment.

[@JustinSIsTank]

Most joyful 14 ever rolled in the history of Dungeons and Dragons.

[@Laurantalasah]

It's also what... SPOILERS FOR C2 AHEAD... Caleb roled on his Counterspell against Avantika, 14 and 19 at disadvantage "SHE FAILS!". But I think you are right, this was even more clutch!

[@AdamEspersona]

Absolutely ranks up there with the most clutch Counterspell moments in all of CR, right alongside the final battle in C1 and the triple counter against the Tombtakers in C2. And even better, it was Ludinus getting blocked by a fun-scary witch who so happened to be “mentored” by one of his former associates. I just know that somewhere, Delilah is cackling at her ex-boss’s own impotence despite his VERY long life.

[@Lynch2507]

ok i know the briarwoods are from wildemount and the cerberus assembly are that fckin sneaky to at least be aware of them but like surely not. right?

[@EclipseAtDusk]

@@Lynch2507Delilah had previously been in the Cerberus Assembly, but was kicked out for her research into Necromancy - bad form, to be seen looking into that openly like she was, desperate to bring Sylas back from the dead

[@baermithoodie]

To be fair, this was also the rule of cool from Matt. If you counterspell a spell from the same lvl (like counterspell) it automatically succeeds. He let this incredible roll happen, and imo it made it better.

[@ThomasUfnalCrowlake]

​@@baermithoodieshe countered it at level 3, question is what level Big L used

[@ArtWithSR]

The moment Laudna hit that Counterspell, I imagine Delilah's ghost just came flying out and waved a multitude of middlefingers to Ludinus' face, cackling like a whole Laura Bailey XDDDD

[@ShesAaRebel]

Getting flashback hype of "I cast Wall of Fire" from Imogen's move with the lava in this episode. Man, mages are just so fucking awesome.

[@vanitas9855]

liam's reactions when those two were lava diving are priceless

[@lanaebabs8675]

It was like he was reliving vax losing a foot 😂

[@chad8767]

I didn't know how Matt was ruling, because I was on my seat remembering some sort of rule from I don't know what edition saying "3rd round, instant death". This made the lava scene the most terrifying of the most terrifying of episodes for me! I couldn't even sit down.

[@TheSpectacledSteve]

Not gonna lie that counterspell came in clutch, even my friend was screaming in his room.

[@itsBonezLive]

I audibly screamed for the first time in a long time watching CR live - was an amazing moment. NGL i kinda wanted to see what spell Ludinus was casting lol.

[@astralluna]

@@itsBonezLiveif it sates your curiosity, he was most likely casting the 9th level spell weird! it’s really fucked up, totally worth a google it’s so fun. almost wish he’d pulled it off for the sheer fuckery of it all

[@cardboardcreationsart]

soo clutch! It was so epic! And the counterspell against the counterspell technichally didnt need a roll but it being a roll and failing was much cooler 😎

[@stevenclark5173]

Technically Matt waited too late to counterspell the counterspell. You can't wait to see if the first one succeeds before trying to counter. @@cardboardcreationsart

[@cardboardcreationsart]

@@stevenclark5173 oooh fair point! great observation! I didnt catch that :DDD

[@Zyemeth0]

As Orym had his moment I'm sitting there whisper-cheering "Fighter. Fighter. Fighter." xD

[@itsregal]

Orym's crazy battlemaster lava dunk wombo combo had me YELLING that was so goddamn cool even if he had to spend everything to do it.

[@amhales98]

2:16 - When watching live, I couldn't stop thinking about digging straight down in minecraft, and how it is a bad idea. This could have ended poorly.

[@The2econd3vil3xes]

I dunno how you do it, Ms Raygun, but almost every time i come home from a shit day at work, you've got a new highlight vid up. My sanity thanks you.

[@angelicalicari8355]

"What doesn't kill you makes you hotter" should've been called "Liam is stressed" 😂

[@blackout2189]

TRAVIS IS THE BEST HYPE MAN IN THE BUSINESS FIGHT ME.

[@theomcinturff1213]

Honestly, EXU Calamity wouldn't be half as cool without him there reacting.

[@chad8767]

@@theomcinturff1213 (in Chetney) I'm duel purpose, I can be there for insight or I can be there for hype....baby!

[@cronocritcal6490]

I hope Fearne becomes some kind of fire arch fey.

[@KraakenTowers]

What if the boon she got from the captain was like a once-per-day transmute fire damage to cold damage, and then she gets the Fire Titan powers? She'd be like a walking ice age.

[@matthijsclaessen8152]

Not sure if the world can handle an über powerful Fearne. But I will surely be there to watch it go up in flames!

[@chad8767]

Chaos Titan! But honestly, she deserves it, without her Ashton would have to roll a Nat 20 to get it out, even with advantage that's rough. But Fearne dislodged it and helped bring it out. It just fits too well!

[@Fujjums]

Bless you for taking the time to find the DJ Khaled clip. :D Also how dare you I didn't need to see that again ever D:

[@theomegazed213]

Is it just me or does Orym’s pushing attacks have the same energy as Cad’s “empathise” Commands at the end of C2

[@josiah6969]

Oryn's onslaught on the large enemy is such a good highlight. Liam does such a good job role playing his actions as a martial character, it's always a blessing to witness.

[@lydiamcdaniel4088]

Sam singing just reminded me that yes, that man was on Broadway as a child and dang his voice control and tone just 👌 perfection

[@celesteelka]

It's so obvious Fearne should take the shard. The tease was extremely real this episode, I couldn't take it lol

[@Shmeat]

Yes, the person with absolutely no ties to the titans... should take the titan shard...

[@EntrappedSoul]

@@Shmeat but wouldnt it be HILARIOUS if it was Mister who ended up with it? LOL

[@celesteelka]

@@Shmeat Name another character with ties to titans.

[@hyperfreeze2714]

@@celesteelka you serious? Theres no character that has ties to the titans in BH? None at all?

[@celesteelka]

@@hyperfreeze2714 an·oth·er /əˈnəT͟Hər/ determiner 1. used to refer to an additional person or thing of the same type as one already mentioned or known about; one more; a further.

[@theGhoulman]

@19:53 ... Marisha rolled a 14, exactly what she needed to counter the 9th level spell. wow!

[@hypnos2434]

I really love seeing Marisha's smile/reaction whenever Sam does his ads.

[@DrgnDrake]

The body turned into snow, that's Simulacrum, right? That's a nasty thing to know your villain is using.

[@troikas3353]

It's a nasty surprise the first time but in practice I think it just means they need to try casting dispel on any future Ludinus' they run into. Good way to burn a spell slot though I suppose.

[@erinhansen1857]

I appreciate getting a better view of Sam’s unhinged expressions while singing (he’s so talented though!)

[@MissSunFlower94]

"what if I said I ship Chetney and Ashton?" you'd be correct

[@honeysuckel1351]

I celebrated that 14 like I'd watched England win the world cup

[@diggerdog9205]

I so wanted Travis to be wearing Sams teeth when they came back from break

[@mustang1888]

I've been sick and going to bed early last 2 weeks. Missed the stream. Thanks so much for doing this edits. Reading ReCaps is great but the funny bits is what I miss.

[@Awkward_Ramble]

Not going to lie, these highlight videos are an embarrassingly high point of my week. XD

[@mateusmarcilio5892]

Thank God Matt forgot (did he though?) that a 3rd level counterspell automatically cancels a 3rd level spell (Laudna's counterspell)

[@jacquelynwilcox9708]

Ashley: Hates when Sam sneezes, Also Ashley: Ooo yummy, burps

[@chelseacristoffor]

God, everytime I need a laugh from these guys, you upload one of these. You're an angel!

[@kevgmor]

I have your videos/playlist running in my home all day. Thank you :)

[@felixfelicis86]

Same. They're so well put together ❤

[@averyfossett]

This episode started with one of the worst CR moments and ended with one of the best 😂

[@Comicsluvr]

And this is why dice are used in RPGs. That tension just before a roll is palpable!

[@overdrive7349]

Never has a 14 felt so good to roll!

[@jackm915]

“I see why you took so long at soundcheck” 😂💀

[@darkdragonite120]

i cant wait to see orym’s sword dances animated

[@seancain2216]

Orym's round was probably the best he's had all campaign. I love the idea of him just going to TOWN on a Juggernaut.

[@amaryp777]

I completely missed Ashley taking in Sam’s burp when I watched the live. Equal parts hilarious and disgusting 😂

[@Droolbaby]

Disgustingly hilarious...nothing better than laughing as you throw up a little in your mouth.

[@AARK06]

Liam's having flashbacks of when vex lost his leg to lava lol

[@caitthew8223]

ive been obsessing over ashton as the empress and fearne as the potential emperor since i saw the ep. my god. how fucking cool. i love them.

[@chad8767]

Ashley wafting Sam's burp into her face is the, WHAAAT? of all WHAAATS.

[@theeLonelyRedPanda]

but the bumba loompas of button wonkas factory that was lost at sea

[@kiedragerl8119]

Dont forget Ol' Buttonbeard. He had buttons for beards.

[@EclipseAtDusk]

God the first half of this episode is literally a nightmare of mine Nutty Putty Cave Disaster Nuff Said

[@Moon-Goddess]

Yup, also went there.

[@bg3929Z]

Oh yeah. In the full ep Matt fully admitted to watching documentaries about that stuff over the pandemic, which sprouted this fear/nightmare.

[@oldfrend]

@@bg3929Z haha i wonder if some part of matt was hoping one of the players would get stuck and gnaw off their arm to get free XD

[@Rowlurorowf]

That's real friendship right there... you know someone loves you when they do a smell check on your armpits

[@gogoguppi]

I love Ashley so much but she just watched Ashton jump into lava while having heat shield available to cast 🤣

[@alvintollah]

So what was that 9th level spell Luda (LUDA!) tried to use?

[@joshuamaloney8294]

The dive into the lava was incredible on both parts. Absolutely incredible.

[@RainaThrownAway]

That fucking descent was so harrowing it triggered my claustrophobia. Damn my imagination

[@hoosier09R]

Critical role has crossed through the nether portal and entered Minecraft. Lol.

[@RiskyFriskyHandle]

Excellent episode

[@joshyboy1983]

Counterspell.....the BANE of every MTG player.....WHO DOESN'T RUN BLUE.

[@meander112]

Belated engagement! Hooray!

[@Blackheart_618]

7:16 I can't wait to see this animated😭😭

[@skyeoleary1935]

Around 57:00 on the episode Travis drops his dice lol

[@Lynch2507]

its probably because i actually looked at the comments for the first time, but the amount of people annoyed that the counterspell may be technically against the rules/ wondering why fake ludinus didnt roll the party/ why ashton and fearne didnt die in the lava once they went under... like motherfuckers, ya'll know this is a STORY and not a CONTEST, right? there's no trophy at the end, jeez

[@thisiscait]

Exactly. GM is the arbiter, and can choose how things play out, in this case opting for the rule of cool. It's not our table.

[@itsBonezLive]

Aside from my main group, I've been in and watched few games and most people's experience with DnD is mechanics, rules and they play it like a board game. No tensions, drama or RP - which is fine for most people, but CR is different and is why we love em!

[@TheCrankymuppet]

People forget the DM/GM shouldn't be seen as an enemy; the GM shouldn't be *trying* to kill you, just tell a story. And that the rules, as someone once said, 'are more like guidelines'.

[@Lynch2507]

​@TheCrankymuppet the "why didn't Ludinus just do X" was one that really got me. Like "oh if he cast this big Crowd Control spell turn one and then nuked them all with meteor" like we get it, you're not fun to play with, gosh

[@felixfelicis86]

There are people who are rules lawyers, and they are no fun to have at the table. If it doesn't break the game and still fits within the mechanics, then why not go for it? You can certainly try, after all 😊

[@_snowylil]

'Widen the hole' 'Tongues' both repeated constantly and NOBODY PICKED UP ON IT?

[@SunniBao]

matt and marisha are wearing the same shirt sjalkjdfadkjasldja hhhhhh

[@wit6665]

the Nutty putty cave episode.

[@alexanderburke2973]

Could one of the theater nerds in the room let me know what song Sam was doing a parody of?

[@paytonchapley-stitchingout5282]

I've been thinking about this as well!! I could be wrong, but I think it's Being Alive, from Company

[@SabreWolf18]

Um... technicully... the counter spell didnt need a roll because its the same level spell. UNLESS she used a Warlock slot and it was auto upcasted to 5th... in which case Matt could have just done that. So i am going to assume that Marisha Counter Spell was actually a 5th, and Matt casted at 3rd...

[@mistamemewide]

Yeah but it was cool + ratio

[@itsBonezLive]

Don't let rules get in the way of cool moments for your players!

[@ShesAaRebel]

I think Matt was also just so excited that it worked, that he didn't want to ruin it. He used his own Counterspell as a teaching moment, in that he gets his reactions back at the START of his turn. Next battle, they will remember that. Also that maaaaaaybe Imogen should probably learn that spell. The value of having 2 people on the same team being able to do it is so valuable. The tag-teaming of Fjord and Caleb was a prime example.

[@SabreWolf18]

@@itsBonezLive no i agree with all that. Amd Matt has said that a 1000 times. Just stating a point.

[@stevenclark5173]

Um..technicully...you can't counter spell a counter spell after they have rolled to successfully counter, you have to call it as soon as they counter. You don't get to wait to see if it's necessary, that's like waiting to see if a spell hits before counterspelling.

[@cwengel22]

Liam getting lava flashbacks when Taliesin was talking about going into the lava... lol

[@Dazen101]

I'm so confused. Counterspells auto counter 3rd level spells. Why did Matt roll?

[@hsetz]

Would anyone know which episode had the ad read that was Sam's will

[@roblowe1711]

I want to say somewhere in the 30s.

[@phoebica]

E31 was his message for his great-great grandkids, if you mean that.

[@shywoofer1620]

[Taken from Campaign 2, Episode 67] The Last Will and Testament of Sam Riegel (Critical Role)

[@MeyeSelff]

Ashley is a whole mood and i love it!!!

[@SoliasSerene]

Does anyone know what Marisha actually rolled on the counterspell? Was it a NAT20 or just better than 14?

[@Blackheart_618]

Why didnt they think to put laudna through the hole initially? Cant she dislocate her body easily and squeeze through it?

[@theodoromattoso3489]

wait, ludinus' counterspell should've just worked right? 3rd level vs 3rd level? i'm confused

[@AbadonXXX]

“I have this feeling, history repeats itself with lava?” -keyleth probably

[@Syco108]

EPIC

[@itsmetimohthy]

despite fumbling the counterspell ruling, was a pretty fun episode

[@katemoon1594]

Sam Riegel for next Disney Princess, please. 👸 🎶 Lol 😆

[@mistamemewide]

By the way, before people beginning to yell “well that counterspell shouldnt work!” Imagine your at that table right now and your party just counterspelled a 9th level spell. Honestly we all forget and if you complain please exit this show.

[@HeyCee]

I always found counterspell at higher levels confusing, why shouldn't it have worked? does it not work for 9th level spells? I was more thinking the counterspell for the counterspell should've been automatic since that was against laudna's basic 3rd level one but making it a roll and failing was definitely matt rule of cooling it which makes for a far better story

[@vib2119]

One of the people in the comments said that Matt chose to counterspell her counterspell too late. Narratively, I interpret it as Ludinus being arrogant thinking that someone like Laudna couldn't counterspell his 9th level spell and so only reacted when he felt it would succeed so he had to roll for even the same level counterspell.

[@mistamemewide]

@@HeyCeewell the ruling to counterspell is that you can counterspell a counterspell, if it is casted at the same level or above, then it is dispelled.

[@unexardiximarion1920]

​​@@vib2119 Yep, since Marisha rolled and confirmed that counterspell worked, that means the spell "resolved" and cannot be countered anymore

[@lukivasive]

i loved this episode for many reasons but the part in the tiny hole is one of the worst experiences ive ever had watching cr and im upset

[@cryofpaine]

There have been some white-knuckle moments in CR. Vampires, necromancers, Kracken, Vocoda, dragons, demigods, eldritch beings - none of that was as stressful as that cavern.

[@lukivasive]

@@cryofpainei can handle all that but claustrophobia is a nono

[@lukeamparo6586]

What was that spell? Meteor?

[@inevra4053]

It was likely Weird, since Matt described the beginning as reaching into their deepest memories and fears

[@SergeantSup]

Doubt I'll get an answer, but, where did the dude with the blue flow hawk get that shirt cause it is exactly my style

[@lollywit]

@@acid1override Hey - had no idea this existed - thanks!

[@Gowerrr]

Liam is too extra

[@lyianx]

"COUNTERSPELL BATTLE" So.. Im not really a D&D player, but.. personally, i think the idea of .. 1. Counterspelling a counterspell 2. Being able to cast counterspell WHILE you are currently Casting a different spell (ie, counterspelling a counterspell that is trying to counter YOUR own spell).. ..is stupid and both mechanically and especially, Thematically, broken and makes no real sense.

[@rubenELruben]

the thing about dnd combat is action economy. counterspell is a reaction while most of any other spells are actions/bonus actions. ludinus cast his 9th lvl spell with an action and cast counterspell as a reaction. this with the dice roll (if you are counterspelling a higher level spell) make me believe that it isn't broken, just very funny. but im not an expert on dnd so idk

[@swagpotato720]

Mechanically the idea is pretty broken, but I’ve always been a fan of the Rule of Cool. Getting your spell destroyed is a bummer for players, but going toe to toe with high CR enemies and getting one over on them can create some pretty stellar moments. I’d rather my players have fun and feel cool ass hell, rather than stick to the rules 100% of the time. That said, all DMs are different. One isn’t necessarily better than the other.

[@josh___something]

In the fiction, whatever the incantation is for counterspell is kneejerk enough to be cast as a reaction. And from the silly hold action to cast spell ruling where it expends a spell slot even if it didn't trigger, you can postpone the spell for about a few seconds before the spell dissipates. So, counterspelling in the middle of casting feels plausible. For Counterspelling a Counterspell, the mental image comes to mind a standoff but the "bullet" intercepts the path of the other instead of shooting someone.

[@consolescrub4031]

@@josh___something Counterspell only has somatic components iirc so I always picture it as you're doing the grand magic with one hand/chanting and just wave away the incoming magic with the other unless you're a bard in which case you ward away magic by sheer power of flipping it off with your free hand (not all bards have to be like that of course but sometimes nonsensical yet onbrand magic is the best kind of magic). It's sort of like in Star Wars if you have the force choke or whatever going from one hand and just use the other to casually wave away someone charging at you only more magic. To address the previous concerns, mechanically I wouldn't say it's that broken as you typically don't know what's being cast before you counterspell so it might just be a cantrip (and expending a third level spell slot or higher is generally a pretty significant commitment as that could have been a lightning bolt or similar). The DM will typically also have more characters in an encounter so it's not hard for them to win counterspell chains if it becomes problematic but you can see that there's something really satisfying about casting it to prevent something horrible from happening. It's like when the DM conveniently provides a bunch of weak enemies all tightly grouped together for the 5th level light cleric who just got fireball. Sometimes you just have to feed the fantasy. Of course, on the other hand if you want to cement a villain as a terrifying jerk you can always have them counterspell healing spells or perhaps even a featherfall spell...

[@TheGerdakaBM]

Just want to point out that texjnizally ludnias didnt have to roll to counter spell laudna back. Counter spell is third level and it counters all 3rd level and below immediately no role. GIVE ME MY PYSCHIC SCREAM MATT!

[@Aurora7]

I was really hoping Ashton was going to be punished for being an idiot... until another episode!

[@Gowerrr]

Laura is the worst, she must have been the kid who when she lost imaginary games she would insist they all go back in time and redo it so she gets another chance.

[@oldfrend]

is it just me or are sam and laura getting snippy with each other lately? sam was right that he couldn't guidance fearne since he didn't know what she was thinking but laura kept kinda berating him to do it.

[@HeaveStarvy]

I love that its cannon Fcg did a burnout on oryms gooch