Crisis of Faith | Critical Role | Campaign 3, Episode 61

[@flandomaltrizian4603]

HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing 0:15 Matt’s Twitter got hacked and someone tried to sell Macbooks 3:45 Mac to you 4:40 I checked, Candela Obscura is not on PH 5:25 Laura’s merch corner (3 bear, 2 moon) 7:25 Intro cinematic 9:10 EPISODE STARTS 12:30 Recap Ends (Prism prepares to scramble) 14:50 Battle begins 23:30 Not the bees 26:05 Probably sticking with Abbadena for now 32:00 Dynios is daddy 34:10 Rolling into the hit 36:45 Prism is about to be in the stink 43:20 Dawn Daddy 53:00 Armor full of blood 56:20 Deni$e can’t curse this guy out 1:07:05 The tryst is over 1:09:50 The laxative hits 1:13:25 A little bit spills out 1:17:20 HDYWTDT 1:23:55 Orym protects Prism 1:28:05 A better timeline 1:29:55 Laudna is having a bad one 1:35:45 To be fair, would not have clocked Abbadina as more merciful than the party 1:39:10 Pink eye battle 1:40:45 Then the angel shows up 1:46:00 Barlgura 1:51:50 What’s that smell? 2:09:35 Deni$e does not get help (Abaddina now has regrets) 2:18:35The leash of blood 2:21:45 The ‘up,up,up’ meant something 2:28:00 HDYWTDT 2:31:00 BREAK STARTS 2:39:20 Art Montage 2:41:20 BREAK ENDS (Orym mounts up) 2:44:55 Fastball special 2:56:55 Hyping up the demon 3:04:00 Matt is rapping 3:06:05 Bordor touches an angel 3:07:45 HDYWTDT 3:09:20 The demon is less compliant 3:11:05 Wrapping up the temple 3:23:00 Don’t give away money 3:25:10 The dealing with the survivors 3:28:15 Parallel with Keyleth to Kima in early campaign 1 3:33:30 Borgor is bummed about the angel 3:36:10 Going behind a tree 3:40:15 Orym and Laudna 3:45:50 Roll for jerky 3:52:40 An eidolon from eyeliner 3:59:15 Tucking Abbadina in (Ashton and Laudna) 4:02:45 Arcade tokens 4:04:30 Winnie the Poohing it 4:06:05 Bordor and Orym 4:11:15 They never washed their hands 4:15:50 Not the kind of magic you learn in ivory towers 4:23:20 The scry 4:34:10 Enough laxative for everyone in Vasselheim 4:35:40 Dariax scry 4:41:30 Scrying on Bordor’s ‘home’ 4:44:05 Bordor got a ring cam for some random house 4:46:30 Mother is GPS tethered 4:52:40 Episode Ends The in-game start date for the episode was the 22nd of Fessuran in the year 843. Marisha’s fan says “Separate Church and State” There’s a lot to unpack in this episode, morally, and I’m not going to be unpacking any of it here. All I will say is this: I’d feel a lot better if it was a harder battle. The fact that an angel and a Judicator, the boogeymen of the church, got absolutely smoked by this group does not promote confidence in the idea that Vasselheim can stand against what’s coming, and that’s scarier than if the team had limped away. Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?

[@gaines8807]

Thank you for all your hard work ❤

[@jamalsodipe772]

Thank you for your contributions to this community

[@samuraiko]

As always, thank you Flando (and Beau)!

[@lanakilarobinson6266]

Damn Flando we appreciate you, 1 minute in is craxy

[@galaxypenguins7888]

I just wanted to add ( mostly for my own use): 31:30 Talesin's realistic Raven sound (also Prism's pysychic turky) Thank you so much for your sevice Flando

[@viewer1738]

A balgura and a lethal inflict wounds. Somewhere on a pirate ship far far away, fjord and jester smile.

[@acollectionofthings]

By my count, there were 14 nat 20s in this episode's combat. Orym was shut out, Prism, Deni$e, and Ashton each had one, Laudna and Bor'Dor each had two, and Matt had seven. I have no clue if that's a record for one episode or battle.

[@samuraiko]

The record is currently 15 in one episode (M9, Episode 123 "Fair-weather Faith", per CritRoleStat's dashboards). Yasha had 5, Beau had 4, Fjord had 3, Jester had 1, Caduceus had 1, Veth had 1, Caleb had none (poor Liam), Matt had none. The Hells' current record before this was 13 (Episode 41 "Call of the Wild") - 2 for Orym, 2 for FCG, 9 for Chetney.

[@yozen1995]

@@samuraiko Huh both episodes with Faith in them had super high nat20s neat

[@StabbeyTheClown]

@@yozen1995 - It's a consequence of both episodes having 2+hours of combat in them each. The more rolls, the more chances to get a 20.

[@acollectionofthings]

@@samuraiko Awesome, thanks for the context on that. By the way, I always appreciated your videos for CoH. I sure miss that community, so it's fun to cross paths with names I recognize after all this time. (aka @Blondeshell)

[@samuraiko]

@@acollectionofthings Thank you! I'm so glad that you remember me and my videos! :D

[@tomkvideo]

Sam pulling up 20 macbooks slowly while making fun of Matt getting his Twitter hacked for a NordVPN ad may become a Top 5 Riegel ad of all time. Up there with his audiodrama and "The Birth"

[@k0pstl939]

Tal and Liam in pink muscle shirts

[@jackwriter1908]

It's definetly one of my new favorites... it's strange Sam makes so many crazy, confusing and downright terrifying ads, that when he puts down one where he just genuinly makes fun of Matt for something he did it hits differently... most ads where Sam pulls some emotional strings are at the top for me and it probably only works becazse there are so many ads out there that while you enjoy it still ask yourself what Sam is doing with his life.

[@kptkickass]

And knowing sam he probably actually bought them all for this 15,000$ joke lmao

[@paulchavez3039]

@@kptkickass yeah lol or borrowed them from the office 😂

[@vomitfountain]

"The Birth" still haunts me.

[@leslifrancoly5127]

Well goddamn no wonder the Dawnfather sounded so pissed when he spoke with Deanna

[@eater_of_grass_beater_of_ass]

fr id be throwing around ominous threats too if i were him

[@isaacgraff8288]

Even if they win the fight, the Dawnfather will remember... they all lost.

[@stumbling_]

I think he just always sounds like that, seems like a pretentious god

[@caseytatum5837]

Oops

[@xelyd7989]

@@stumbling_ Is it really pretentious when youre actually the S U N ? (or at least made it)

[@PancakeMonster359]

4:38:55 Orym's look when he saw Dorian in the scry. "Glad you are not here. Wish you were anyway."

[@Peytoneileen]

His expression was SO good and heartbreaking and perfect omg

[@driftnick7022]

I find it peculiar that after the last EXU special with the Crown Keepers, Matt almost seems like he's deliberately not wanting to tell what they've been up to. First the sending stones not working (granted that has a narrative explanation but still), now the scry showing the bare minimum of Dariax and Dorian looking frazzled. I'm so intrigued with what's been happening to them, and the almost deliberate choice of not telling anything makes me think there might be more EXU stuff coming up.

[@majorzipf8947]

His face, with no words, brought tears to my eyes

[@majorzipf8947]

@@driftnick7022makes me wonder if they’re planning another mini-series so he’s reluctant to give detail because it’s not known what they’ll be doing yet

[@Angela-hn6mb]

@@majorzipf8947 Wondering the same thing here.

[@paradoxified]

I have so many feelings about how Liam said on the last 4SD that he created Orym to be a character who holds onto kindness for as long as he can, and now that everything's fallen apart, Orym's starting to fall apart too...

[@Skip6235]

Orym breaking bad is going to be awesome

[@johnjoe5846]

​@@Skip6235I would love it if they do a "demons run when a good man goes to war" thing with orym

[@aFoolsMartyr]

​@John Joe I think that's a cringe trope. I'd rather have a classic Liam drama.

[@ljmiller2016]

Stressed out, Orym is my favorite Orym.

[@whattheflyingfuck...]

and Liam loves the emo cry baby characters

[@mushuable]

Great to see Tal resume his "minus a D4" role from C2 :')

[@michaelrumsey7932]

I'm so glad he does it in such a kind/fun way bc saying it all the time like that COULD become annoying and come off as being a prick, but he never does it in that "gotcha" way

[@TheAlmightyGoiter]

Rules lawyer for justice

[@basvanderwerff2725]

he needs a minus a d4 shirt

[@samuraiko]

@@basvanderwerff2725 If he wants to cover both BANE and BLESS, it should be "... d4!"

[@dimitrisdimitriadis4913]

@@basvanderwerff2725 @Laura_Bailey

[@09spidy]

Emily is the anti Wil Wheaton.

[@riverkath]

Put them in a room together, see what happens.

[@brennoutof10]

She borrowed Ally Beardsley’s dice luck for critical role

[@august.finley]

@@riverkath the world explodes

[@toshmagosh666]

​@@brennoutof10she always rolls like that on nadpod

[@tannarcrossman9808]

The Savior. The Chosen.

[@flintyoungblood]

Marisha campaign one: I can use trees to attack and travel Marisha campaign two: I use a big stick to attack. Marisha campaign three: I'd like to be a tree.

[@Pailzor]

Marisha campaign one: "We're basically gods!" Jumps off a cliff and dies. Marisha campaign two: Dope monk shit so that can't happen again. Marisha campaign three: That was fun, now let's die as much as possible.

[@known_film4081]

@@Pailzor it all comes back to the cliff

[@VonSnootingham]

>"Marisha campaign three: I'd like to be a tree." Did you just...? Is that a reference to what I think it is? /)

[@faelight2260]

she's returning to her roots

[@Rhyder77]

​@VonSnootingham glad I'm not the only one who caught that😂

[@Rabidpixy1989]

I love Emily Axford. She's always a delight. Happy to see her on the show. When she said, "there is nothing you can do that would disappoint me." was very wholesome and gave me a smile

[@rolandschulz9799]

rp wise i agree.. bending and stretching rules in combat not so much

[@Oniguy_05]

@@rolandschulz9799 what'd she bend/stretch

[@c0dy99]

but I feel like he did, in fact, disappoint her in an episode or two

[@Rabidpixy1989]

@@c0dy99 from an rp standpoint sure

[@d4s0n282]

​@@Oniguy_05only thing I can think of is having the book be another creature thus she can stay a lot safer

[@seanpinkey2188]

I'm waiting for Ashley and Emily to sit at an extended table together giving Sam a run for his money while Marisha and Travis attempt to breathe.

[@X.davidWilliams]

Huzzah

[@michalpinkney4049]

You're so right, on another note I've never meet anyone outside of my family with the same surname. Lol

[@necronomicronicv8011]

​@Michal Pinkney u still haven't...

[@vagrantgentleman13]

No. It's too powerful. It cant happen.

[@CerotheDemon]

Imagine a table with Ally being included in that mix, poor Matt would need to double team with Brennan to stand a chance.

[@KLLRBeeDriver]

I love the captions for Taliesen’s sound effects i.e. Taliesen: *eerily good crow noises*

[@riverkath]

I mean… it was eerily good. I legit thought he was playing a crow noise from his phone.

[@JennyDolfen]

There was a moment in C1 like that, right? Someone with "mediocre crow noises" and then Taliesin with eerily good crow noises?

[@florian_mambosa]

​@@JennyDolfenYes, correct. Watched that one recently. It's in ep49

[@Mars34582]

It's a Taliesin trademark, all the way from C1 with "Destressingly accurate crow sound" 😂😂

[@samminicksm]

*Taliesin

[@amymurata]

Bordor going from lying in a fetal position amidst plant monsters to getting 2 HDYWDT with a paladin and angel is the character growth I need this year

[@beetehotraroy3468]

I think the flameguard is a cleric/paladin/celestial warlock, because Guardian of Faith is not a wizard spell, but it is in the spell list of those classes, and also it fits thematically!

[@williambeck8966]

Dude the flameguard kill was the coldest kill until the angel death. Got to be something going on with him. No farmer is that capable at spell casting.

[@Kaosbunny000]

Pretty sure they were a paladin not a wizard

[@amymurata]

​@@beetehotraroy3468 oops that makes more sense than "wizard" haha

[@ndfan2007]

​@@williambeck8966 the "enough" sent a chill down my spine. Do you think he is the dawnfather or someone similar?

[@adampalcek6382]

I love the difference between these two groups that have formed. Team over at the pole are like: We save celestial dark souls bosses and give them little cute bows. And team over here is like: Shit potions we pour, fuck up angels we do. lmao

[@holi117]

Shit potions and fighting angels 😂

[@A_Dragovich]

As one fan art states: "We're getting fucked by a follower of the Dawnfather", and the complete opposite meanings of that statement

[@jasonreed7522]

Its extra hilarious considering team North Pole is also team time bomb (FCG, Chetney, and Imogen all could easily turn against the group, and Fern has fae morality). And other than making a robot werewolf they have mostly been doing good things like saving ancient beasts and destroying child labor based buisnesses. And this team is supposed to be the stable one: Orym, Ashton, and Laudna are all in control of their actions, with the biggest wild card being how permanent Delilah's death/eviction was. And the first thing they do is join a rebellion and have a kaiju battle in a church between a Judicator, Earth Elemental, Dawn Father's Angel, and a Balgura. (Not to mention laxitive laced beer)

[@A_Dragovich]

@@jasonreed7522 The ticking bomb knows who it is. Because it knows who it isn't...

[@riverlady982]

​@@A_Dragovich I'm not gonna lie I think I had to read that 4 or 5 times before the full depth of what you were saying hit me like a cast iron pan to the head. The other group is definitely a beautiful example of that. Thank you for putting that comment here, I found it after the episode and really needed it.

[@laserlights9684]

Travis somewhere in the studio: BARLGURA!!! *Eyes roll back*

[@MunkeeGamer]

I love our guests but I miss the whole crew being together. It's so weird how I miss them so much. Especially when orym was talking to laudna 😢

[@grilledleeks6514]

ok bruh@@MunkeeGamer

[@ladyhella7560]

@@MunkeeGamer I don't always like guest episodes, and I am really liking these. But yeah, at the same time I really miss the whole cast together, it's a weird feeling

[@samuelstensgaard4828]

This has got to be one of the best executed combats I've ever seen on CR, it felt like they were all of similar mind and solving problems one at at a time rather than all at once.

[@ceeceepg]

Yes! This group is a perfect mix of people who love the chaos but also love immaculate strategy!

[@kuddiu]

@@ceeceepg and also know their rules and how to use them: Liam, Taliesin and Emily for sure put some nasty combo sometimes (not on par with this one, I'm behind at ep.46)

[@ViPxRampageXx]

@@kuddiuWhy are you in the comments if you're not watching the ep? not trying to be rude, genuinely curious

[@LWT1331]

Yeah, my favorite battle of the campaign so far.

[@BuddhaMonkey7]

Absolutely wild combat. The demon vs. the angel. The introduction of Laudna's hound. The all-earth-elemental fastball special. The powerful cleric who ended up a spell component. Bor'dor's kiss of death. Just an instant classic.

[@donald4312]

There is something particularly perverse about a freshly killed holy woman's blood being used to summon a demon IN a church. Gotta love it!

[@snaggy13]

@@donald4312 I don't think I am okay with where this party is going in this episode... we shall see where this goes!

[@treecox7286]

I agree with you, @Greg Adams. Before the phasing out of the alignment system, the actions of tonight's episode would have almost certainly been constituted as evil. The killing of a high-level paladin and desecration of a temple of one of the most powerful entities in Exandria was bad enough; then, they killed an angel. In classic DnD, this almost certainly would have led to a number of alignment shifts, which, in turn, would impact social encounters and reputation at the very least and quite probably holy based powers as well. Setting that all aside, though, the actions the party took tonight fly in the face of everything they have been fighting for. Abadina explicitly said she was supportive of Pradathos' return, which the party has been actively trying to stop. Abadina didn't pause or hesitate when Laudna pointed out that people would die and a power vacuum would follow in Pradathos' wake. Abadina was okay with that.

[@f2pcoder92]

@@treecox7286 predathos is cool tho imo

[@TheGrumbleduke]

If anything that shows the problems with the classic alignment system. They stormed a temple, killed the cleric, used her blood to summon a demon, killed both the temple's guardian and a celestial sent to protect it... and yet what they did wasn't evil. They were not motivated by greed or selfishness, or hatred, they were motivated by compassion and empathy, wanting to help the locals who were being unjustly (from their perspective) oppressed by a foreign power occupying their town. Siding against the temple does seem to fly in the face of everything they have been fighting for, but I'm not sure it actually is contrary to what they've been doing. They weren't fighting Ludinus because he was trying to destroy the gods (they didn't know that until fairly late) but because of the evil he was doing (killing people, including Laudna and Orym's family). They've agonised a few times over whether they should be supporting or opposing his goal, and generally concluded that even if they support it they oppose his methods (and the uncertainty of what will happen if he succeeds). Which seems to be what Matt is going for with this campaign; challenging ideas about the gods, whether the world would be better without them, and what they should do about it. He has set up oppressive and monstrous aspects of faith (the judicator back in Yios, this situation, interactions between Deanna and the fairly-oppressive Dawnfather in Wildemount), with a largely secular party, but also made their primary antagonist (so far) driven by hatred of the gods. They stormed the temple because Matt nudged them on that path - and what they did was perfectly consistent with their actions so far - as they discussed in the episode they are all about dealing with the problem right before them. Evil oppressive church => destroy it. Evil mage trying to kill the gods and not caring who he kills in the process => oppose him.

[@MaximumMatador]

Liam is so good at ground the party in the stakes of the world. Makes everything, and everyone, feel more real. I really appreciate that

[@operative2136]

I know sometimes folks give Liam a little flack for tending to play dramatically somber characters, but at the same time I feel like nobody inspires cast members to really reach for those moments of character development like Liam does.

[@moistnugget141]

​@@operative2136yeah this is what I missed most of the other half. They were amazing and it was fun but lacking for my taste lacking in seriousnes and somberness

[@Gala-yp8nx]

Orym is Captain America.

[@bdletoast09]

@@operative2136 I really like Liam because of this tendency. Sometime, it feels like he's the only one reminding the rest of the party the actual moral position their taking here.

[@wintersal7274]

I prefer that. The rest are making poop jokes while killing good aligned people

[@campfirecompanions]

One thing you have to give Critical Role props for is their choice in special guests. They're thrown into the campaign and always seem to find their feet and match the energy at the table. Really enjoying this little arc you're all doing!

[@sinisterplank3113]

I think that boils down to a: the guests are good players and b: Matt does good on boarding and the original team are welcoming players.

[@ephraimjohnson8146]

Emily Axford is one of the most like...tactical players I've ever seen in live plays. She's so smart about what she does and idk if the chaos of it is intentional or just a byproduct of genius.

[@rakkasaniron1696]

As a former infantryman with a lot of interest in military history/strategy/tactics, I think I can reasonably say that if Emily Axford had become a General, she could be the next Hannibal or Scipio Africanus, or Julius Caeser. Because she isn't simply an expert tactically. You see that all the time. Emily Axford is an innovator. Ylfa Snorglesen's Bottleneck? When she improvised a fly spell out of abilities that weren't actually designed to do that as a Monk in Sleeping City? And if you give her spells there isn't anything powerful enough on Earth to stop her. Tabletop RPGs were adapted from old war simulation games. And they simulate battles and battlefield engagements more accurately than people realize. There are definitely way more tactically realistic games out there than D&D. (Like Cyberpunk 2020's Friday Night Firefight system which is probably the most realistic combat system ever designed.) But all tabletop RPGs have the blood of military engagement simulators at their core. (For one famous example of how accurately these simulators do what they do, the Japanese Navy accidentally simulated more or less the exact outcome of the Battle of Midway down to the precise number of carriers and support ships they lost. They disregarded the result because the guy playing as the Americans in the simulation attacked from the East based on the assumption that the Americans knew they planned to attack. Which they did.) My point is that Emily Axford is a far better tactician than even the people who realize that might think.

[@rakkasaniron1696]

Continued: Seriously, just look up Julius Caeser's the Battle of Alessia or the detailed accounts of the Battle of Illerda (Julius Caeser as well) and try to tell me that isn't the exact sort of crazy stuff Emily Axford would come up with. Particularly the Battle of Illerda in which Caeser actually lost the fighting bit of the battle but decicively won through a combination of positioning and mind-games. I'm not using hyperbole when I say this: Emily Axford with an actual army at her back would be unstoppable.

[@MrNoahTall]

I smell genius in Axford’s processes and actions.

[@JonBackhus-rw3yo]

One secret that Emily has, people underestimate her. She has more time at the dnd table per year than any of the main cast or guest cast. People underestimate her with her cuteish voice and mannerisms. She strives on chaos and she produces it better than anyone. Looking at her first episode, you can tell Matt was not prepared enough for her. Only Emily would produce moving, talking dead body puppets on a whim like that. Emily can somehow convince Matt to have a NPC, so freely, scribe a Devine casted spell into an arcane. He even knew what he was doing by mentioning it.

[@riomochaccino2108]

@@rakkasaniron1696 And to think that she studied Religion and Russian Literature in college.

[@caentaurili]

Taliesins stare after Bor'Dor dropped that kiss of death on the angel with the word "enough" is gold.

[@badwolfCR]

Marisha’s description of the Hound was so amazing!

[@Skip6235]

Right! Can’t wait to see that animated!

[@mushuable]

This really is my favourite Marisha character ever. She's so good at playing AND roleplaying it

[@mordirit8727]

Specially after having seen the Hounds of the Briarwoods in the first season of the animated show, could see the whole thing play out with her description shit was so good

[@taylorsmith9197]

Marisha with the whole "undead" warlock class/subclass has been great to see.

[@stevenweller9413]

It actually scared me for a second that Laudna was about to collapse, LoL.

[@lune_dba]

I am so in love with the guests this campaign! They've all been such seamless additions to the group and brought great characters to the table. I sincerely hope that the players are invited back for some more games.

[@macinvictus]

When Aimee said Deni$e was going to rage I expected to hear Travis yelling from backstage

[@shadowmich]

tbf i don't think they stay to watch the whole thing :p

[@copycrow4486]

1:28:05 - God I can just imagine this entire bit being animated. Watching it all until we/the camera, pulls out through the glass of Ashton's head, and then we get the better timeline, as described.

[@stumbling_]

Ashton and Matt’s homebrewed wild magic Barbarian was designed to be cinematic as fuck so I agree.

[@AtaraxicOne]

Love how chill and deadpan Utkarsh is while delivering some hilarious shit

[@rickrack4325]

omg same, so funny

[@wasitum]

Utkarsh : "that is very goading" Liam : loses track of what he was saying 😂😂

[@ghomerhust]

well, he IS a skilled actor. i loved his work in Free Guy, he was hilarious

[@LeyliaFireheart]

Hes so funny its unreal. I was crying laughing all of last episode

[@135mikerules23]

Gotta say if this campaign ever gets animated like VM & M9, I can’t wait to see the Bor’Dor angel moment.

[@lucascova7875]

I could see that entire scene in my head and it was glorious

[@wintersal7274]

They wouldn’t do it. They don’t make any that show their character on the more villainous side of an encounter

[@Caitydid561]

@@wintersal7274 Yes they do

[@darlhiatt8136]

For sure, Liam's opening to the fight reminded me of a moment in the X Men animated series opening, tons of epic stuff in this fight.

[@Yeti_Boop]

Emily is an absolute Goblin and yes that is a compliment.

[@leojamesclune1730]

The temple starts to light up and a deep voice starts to come through *Counterspell* "Shut up, God!"

[@mayalewis2956]

I know there'd be at least one other god who'd see that and laugh

[@f2pcoder92]

thats not how counterspell works.

[@kendrickrochelanzot2053]

​@@f2pcoder92facts

[@helplmchoking]

@@mayalewis2956 I can think of a certain squirrel who would love it

[@sathalel4084]

it's a joke.​@@f2pcoder92

[@mong82191]

Emily dropping a System of a Down reference just makes me love her more!

[@samuraiko]

And then Matt just RUNNING with it.

[@csarmii]

Where

[@sybariticcupboardrat3763]

@@csarmii 3:04:10 They're referencing Chop Suey!

[@curs0n]

That was brilliant. I absolutely love what Emily brings to the table.

[@TAmore-94]

Bulgura's gonna grab a little angel! Jump on the ground going to maim him! (chef's kiss)

[@RandomlyBrent]

On today's episode: Judge Judy meets their match between a border collie and an angry hair stylist

[@samuelstensgaard4828]

He's lucky that she didn't pull out a sandel

[@Laughing_Dragon]

​@@samuelstensgaard4828 *la chancla...* It terrifies all who have felt its accuracy and sting...

[@StoryRecap-ajfx4]

poor Judy

[@TakeWalker]

very cool to see Matt get to peek in on and describe a character he actually played rather than someone else's character or an NPC :D

[@Hex_the_Warlock]

4:23:20 I know why Matt didn't do it, but it would have been hilarious if the scry ended up showing Chetney in his... group activity with Fearne and Deanna

[@sarahanonymous3770]

It wasn't timeline accurate. At the point of the scry (a few days after the event) the group was still on their way to Uthodern, it took them several days of travel to get there.

[@Hex_the_Warlock]

@@sarahanonymous3770 Correct, still would have been funny.

[@TheSkullivan12]

One thing I think not a ton of people are picking up on is how much Matt is pushing the Dawnfather in particular as being a more antagonistic force in the conflict, more so than the other gods. Remember the Commune spells the other group cast right before we switched over to these guys? When the Changebringer spoke to FCG, she warned them of upcoming danger and pleaded for their aid. When the Dawnfather spoke to Deanna, he angrily demanded servitude and obedience. I think the bigger conflict here isn't as clear cut as "for the gods or against them."

[@matthijsclaessen8152]

Setting the DF up to be devoured maybe?

[@Maugrin9]

While Pelor is known as a good-aligned god, part of that is perhaps a martial tendency in his stance against evil. The CR source books purposefully leave a lot of room for interpretation, but we do have this: "destroyer of evil, the Dawn Father is often the patron of paladins and rangers who follow a similar creed. He is also known for his defeat of the Chained Oblivion". His commands directed at Deanna could be viewed as antagonistic, or a result of a lawful god with a particularly serious characterization responding to what is the worst-case scenario for the gods. He's facing a potential genocide of the gods after all. You're totally right, it's a super complex conflict for all involved. What I love is that the complexity isn't the usual "shades of gray" moral complexity, since gods and mortals are fundamentally different beings.

[@DSas2300]

Well, he is the only god with "father" in his name and you know what the CR crew likes to do with paternal figures.

[@nunbeam]

@@Maugrin9 I think we've mostly seen the gods earn asshole points other than when their effects are called up by player's spells. Gimme Matt playing the "good" prime deities with actual "good" character traits to balance it out and validate the complexity.

[@ViPxRampageXx]

@@nunbeam Wildmother always helps out, she blessed Seedling and Orym doesn't even worship her particularly.

[@mackdaddie222]

Maybe CR's best executed complex combat ever, those battles are hard to run, everyone was fabulous.

[@morsorcus8152]

Minus the angel showing up which made no sense. Apparently a God is so stupid he'd rather help the God Eater than the group trying to help the gods. All cuz his own followers are assholes who abuse townsfolk and take people offering information prisoner.

[@StoryRecap-ajfx4]

I just love how one of the most feared warriors the Judicator just got chest bumped into death by a dogo and a demon

[@OptionZero]

Let’s all take a moment to appreciate Emily rolled a nat20 for her PC to inspect the mural, which depicted Brennan’s BBEG being smashed by Dawn Daddy Also, no one’s buying Utkarsh’s act right? “What is a cantrip?” “What is a d6?” This dude recognized the angel was prone, giving advantage on melee attacks, and upcast inflict wounds intentionally

[@munchkin5679]

He's played dnd literally with Matt before! I'm so confused by the act lol Force Gray

[@k0pstl939]

Emily said that he has advantage

[@paulchavez3039]

Yeah I think utkarsh is pretending to be full of shit because his character is full of shot somehow. Like the fact that he's a dog. Lol I'm pretty sure nobody is buying it, we're all just waiting to see the reveal

[@Sternraum]

@@paulchavez3039 Calling it now - probably one of the gods or other high-ranking people like Archfey

[@bluemagix16]

well in their previous combat he laid down prone so i imagine someone told him about it then.

[@HunterPanoch]

Ashton would benefit so so so so so so so much from a relationship with Caduceus and I think thats such a charming and sorrowful aspect of Tals character creations

[@bananafish58]

4:35:18 Emily making up well-known "Practitioners of Magic" trading cards, then slipping in that they were "canonically established." Like Brennan always says, "You can't knock the hustle." 😄

[@Thorn99855]

ngl. It is kinda cool to see the players get to fight an angel. Rarely is the situation appropriate and they usually sit unused in the monster manual except as a set prop.

[@hannahcardall]

Watching Marisha explain what the fuck Taliesin is doing with Ashton is peak comedy!

[@magnetronman298]

Yeah and utkarsh going "damn that's awesome"

[@chipsalom]

Man for being so new to DnD I LOVE how incredible a job Aimee has done personifying her characters and planting them in pre existing story that even incorporated her narrative telephone character concept. Deni$e with a dollah... Err a "munny" sign, lol. And even though there's obviously a comedic element, she's not playing it for laughs. She's bought in narratively completely

[@Pailzor]

I remembered her doing a money sign thing in a name before, but forgot it was the same character from her Narrative Telephone until Liam mentioned it in the latest 4-Sided Dive.

[@oldfrend]

Deni$e with a dollah, i dig it. poetic in a jersey shore kinda way XD

[@softmarshmallowcloud]

shes not new to dnd only BorDor is

[@Ailieorz]

@@softmarshmallowcloud she's relatively new, ExU was her first campaign

[@chipsalom]

@@softmarshmallowcloud Aimee? Her first campaign ever was ExU. But i get ya, compared to Utkarsh she's got a year or so on him. But i spose that does indeed make it "relatively", lol :). For how utterly obsessed and immersed she's has dived in though from day one (man she couldn't stop tweeting about how absoultey in love with DnD she fell from day 1).

[@sabersight908]

i love how Matt was able to make Taliesin mistake of not rolling extra dice for attacks canon, because Ashton has some timey wimey stuff going on in his head xD thats amazing how well it worked

[@skylark7921]

I know! It actually felt like a natural description of how his abilities present, even tho it was to correct for an error

[@helplmchoking]

Yes! Love when you can work things like that into your character or the wider lore, I'm very much team RP > tactics so it always feels good

[@ajaxdonqueso9597]

I'm so happy Matt finally gets to play a character that reflects his internal monolog. The dialogue with Deniyos at 32:07 isn't the book, that's just Matt lmao

[@brandonvangieson8087]

Laudna: "There's a thin line between beening a savior and being an oppressor." Abadeena: "Well, thank you for being our saviors." Ooooweee, was it just me or is that a low key spicy clap-back?

[@DSas2300]

Well, the party did murder a few lawful good priests, soo...

[@Benisuber1]

Sometimes these characters need that clap back when they get that sanctimonious

[@claraprado5401]

I think it is and it's not at the same time? Like it could mean "well, you're being an oppressor now by thinking you understand the intricacies of what led me to my choices", but it could also mean "I'm glad we could have someone to save us anyway." 🧐 this arc is really interesting to me! So complex 😅

[@Tusitala1967]

@@Benisuber1 Thanks for saying what I was thinking. I threw up in my mouth when she dropped that inane line.

[@camillagrandi4201]

​​@@Tusitala1967 it makes sense that she says that, though, as Delilah to her was both a saviour and an oppressor. I don't think she was being sanctimonious, i think she was recalling the last 50 years of her life

[@britters220]

background information on the skit: Around early May a bunch of celebrity twitter accounts, including Matt's, were hacked and posts were made saying... "Hello twitter family ! I have 10 MacBooks that I will personally sign myself, that you can purchase for $600 and free Shipping ! First come first serve basis, and all proceeds will be going to charity! MY DMS ARE OPENED IF INTERESTED" This is the best skit yet! Amazing!

[@Picklescape]

Orym: "The only thing I have to go on is the track record of the people trying to bring Predathos out" 👏🏼

[@plagueknight1797]

I absolutely adore Prism's reaction to first experiencing beef jerky 3:46:10

[@zenlor-c88]

Once again Marisha was absolutely brilliant. Love watching her portray her characters.

[@JackJester21]

13:45 wow! Great camera work on the battle map! Really enjoyed that

[@MycoArsenic39]

It's interesting to see the whole dynamic of this group and to see their individual conflicts on what they did, especially with Bell's Hells. Even though most of them don't really have that much faith in the Gods, their overall goal is to save the world and to stop a madman from ending it. But after what they did to help a village, they feel conflicted and frustrated with the fact that they did the complete opposite in order to complete this task.

[@beyzaturan6793]

I knoww. I was so frustrated that they didn't properly investigate what was happening and why the temple was there. I love that Matt tried to relieve them of their stress a bit by giving justifications after the fact but it doesn't change the fact that they blindly went into that battle for a scry spell and killed an actual angel. It felt wrong and I'm glad they acknowledged that later on.

[@darkstick50]

@@beyzaturan6793 Yeah like, they spent the first chunk of the episode make jokes about the folk horror vibes of the town, then immediately decided the local spiritual leader has a good idea and should be sided with. After their only interaction with the temple was that a guard was rude to bunch of heavily armed people who wandered into a remote wilderness town during a major crisis.

[@HallowedKeeper_]

@@darkstick50 I can understand why they may get that vibe, it is an innate bias with authority figures much like we see in our reality. The simple citizens seemed concerned or even afraid of the armored guards, and from an outsider perspective that may seem like an abuse of power. Like how in our reality, people are often terrified of police officers. It probably doesn't help that Laudna, Orym and Ashton are stressed and absolutely terrified for their friends after witnessing what happened in Marquet

[@jaimeruiz7837]

yeah, hey let’s kill the holy figures under the dawn father who are most definitely arming themselves and the people to fight against the threat to all gods and life on Exandria. I just read in another post that the dawn father has had people release asmodeus causing the calamity, and now it’s repeating… he has members leaving his order and turning his temples into cult locations. I’d be big mad as well.

[@daisykid3]

That might be one of Sam's best ad reads yet, omg I'm crying a little!!! 😂😂😂

[@jackwriter1908]

Yes 😂 he somehow keeps coming up with better skids 😂 Though I am kind of happy it was explained at the end... Or I would have created the image in my mind that Matt got scammed and accidently bought 20 macbooks or my _favorite speculation_ that Matt did a give away for 20 MacBooks and Sam somehow was avle to get his hands on all of them...

[@necronomicronicv8011]

​@@jackwriter1908 I must've missed that explanation. What's the deal with the bit?

[@kapteenikosmos]

apparently matt's twotter got hacked and someone was trying to sell macbooks on it or something like that

[@theonionqueen3519]

God I love Orym. It’s so refreshing that he’s not vengeful over the deaths of his husband and father, he just seems more sad and tired. He knows that avenging them won’t bring them back, he is just so kind and good, even after everything he’s been through.

[@inplfw]

The conflict between becoming despondent or holding onto hope that washed over Liam's face during Deni$e's scry was beautiful. It always surprises me when some of Liam's best roleplaying moments are nonverbal.

[@LaraLeeCupcake]

100% Liam's face is why I tell people to watch instead of listen to the podcast.

[@ghomerhust]

he's an absolutely unreal voice actor, but he would perform beautifully on-screen methinks.

[@NatiPeltz]

just realized i've never actually SEEN emily shoutout the two crew. have i heard it hundreds of times? maybe. but it sure was EXCITING

[@starringtoy935]

Dog fist bumping a demon before fading away is some Asura’s Wrath shit.

[@Mightymajin]

That's funny because Asura's VA is AT the table

[@Zombiewithabowtie]

​@@MightymajinWaiting for Liam to make a Scourge AasimarbAstral Self Monk

[@TheOneNotTheOnly]

Liam’s comment that there is a “honkin’ devil” makes me wonder if he was making a reference to Emily’s character from D20 Neverafter. “Grandma your teeth are honkin’ big!”

[@Nebularzzz]

I laughed so loud!! It absolutely was I think😂 the little look they shared made my heart so happy!! HONKIN

[@nathancarter8239]

No spoilers, but I have to say: my dog was taking a nap when I was watching this episode, and when Matt did the dog noise at around 1:34:39 (plus or minus) she sat up and listened, so props to Matt for his good sound effects!

[@Maxx.3104]

My Favourite Orym/Liam moments 3:40:15 - Laudna and Orym 3:51:52 Prism and Orym 3:56:51 he leaves :( 4:05:03 Bordor and Orym 4:23:00 Orym Comes Back 4:38:13 DORIAN BONUS: Sam’s ad at 0:20 is amazing

[@jaredking5737]

Matt forgetting that paralyzed creatures have an autocrit on them is very very kind of him. Intentional or not

[@DSas2300]

100% intentional

[@sladebrannick9406]

Still gotta hit though, it's an auto crit not an auto hit

[@TheOneNotTheOnly]

@@sladebrannick9406 yes but crit damage is much more hp that she would have taken. Rolling to hit or not.

[@michaelrumsey7932]

I mean correct me if I'm wrong but I feel like the autocrit is a little harsh, the paralyzed condition isn't that rare

[@DSas2300]

@@michaelrumsey7932 Them's the rules

[@AARK06]

Never thought I'd hear "shout out to the two crew" on Critical Role, but I'm all for it.

[@Rontlens]

What's the time stamp?

[@jamjo85]

Three Cree, rise up!

[@Misfit_Kitten]

SPOILERS! ! I can't help but wonder if Team Issylra's actions today are why the Dawnfather will be so snippy with Deanna later.

[@chaoticnachos380]

i think its gonna be more like "denying any divine intervention that could help this group cause they attacked the faithful"

[@Blacktwinswords]

In the words of John Wick, "Consequences".

[@trise2033]

I suspect it's because he knows the true nature of the threat, and he doesn't need nor want our pity. The gods aren't in danger; "we" are.

[@internettevarolanadam]

​@@chaoticnachos380well he should have talked to the faithful to help them instead of sending an angel when shit hits the fan.

[@pirrupartist3526]

I don't think so, because matt would have no way of knowing what this group would do before the temple of the dawnfather. The conversation with Deanna happened way before this.

[@TAmore-94]

that moment 1:16:27 when the classic conundrum of does "double the dice" mean 'double the number of dice rolled' or 'multiply the damage by two' seen. I adore seeing those DnD-slice-of-life moments like this on big streams like CR and Dimension20.

[@riverkath]

Ah, crit damage... No one knows how to do it.

[@JacopoSkydweller]

Double the dice, because rolling more shit is fun.

[@MrPtrlix]

@@JacopoSkydweller unless you are a 19 level rogue. It's 22d6 then counting the shortsword

[@JacopoSkydweller]

@@MrPtrlix Point still stands, math skill becomes pretty freaking important then haha.

[@leonqubick7716]

yall never played original star wars rpg with only dice being d6's... use a force point and roll 26d6 vs 30d6 :D @@JacopoSkydweller

[@anttisaarilampi]

Matt's constantly impressive but that Chop Suey rendition was amazing!

[@lucascova7875]

When

[@cloud_sauce]

@@lucascova7875 3:04:12

[@steverodgers4307]

This comment is way too low and way underappreciated

[@samuraiko]

From the *SINGLE BEST SAM RIEGEL AD OF ALL TIME* (it took a *lot* to top seeing Liam and Taliesin in matching pink muscle t-shirts and spiked collars) to an absolutely INSANE battle, and some fantastic RP all the way through, this episode was AMAZING.

[@aFoolsMartyr]

Personally the birth ad (I have news from the womb) is still better. Maybe the musical from the first episode of C3, too. Definitely a fav of mine.

[@dejvo9997]

which one is the pink muscle shirt?

[@samuraiko]

@@dejvo9997 Sam's ad at the start of C3E50.

[@DillonParker-eb4mw]

Laudna is the best character to bring to a battle with holy denizens in a church.. That hound of ill omen explanation was great!

[@tankersstuff315]

Matt doing the chop sue and not fumbling is so impressive

[@alexwalker1771]

Can somone with artistic talent make a drawing of the demon standing atop the celestial with orym and denise on its back with the statue of the dawnfather in the background? Cause that would be such a cool scene

[@irenecaldana6444]

Damn Marisha was spectacular during combat! Amazing strategies and reactions

[@tomcaza]

Yes, indeed, she was brilliant. It has been a great season to see her character grow -- at first hitting like a wet noodle and not sure how to be impactful, and now an influence every single turn!

[@Drekromancer]

@@tomcaza It's fascinating to see it all unfold. Especially since she's still pretty bad at attacking - but her buffs, debuffs, utilities, and reactions are all devastatingly effective. It makes her feel more in line with her theme as a horrifying, ominous figure. She's not the one who kills you - she's the dark portent that leads you to your untimely fate.

[@Lionbug]

lets ignore the 5 dmg fireball tho xD

[@ehudshapira2745]

"The goblin that comes out of the moon" is a beautiful line ❤

[@trumpeteer4601]

I'm finding it a little weird how the characters seem to have forgotten some of the info they've found out about Predathos that is relevant to the dilemma. Namely, the Titans sided with the gods in sealing it away, so there's no reason to believe it would leave the eidolons alone as they are the heirs to the titans, especially if its actually intelligent like Prism theorized. Also, Predathos creates its own lifeforms, which are going to want to a home after the god eater wakes up and, from what we've seen for in Imogen's dreams the mind control of the Ruidusborn Exaltants, they will not be coming in peace.

[@belzedk]

Honestly the whole fact that they are teaming up with a village to do a "Jan 6" against the Pelor church is insane to me.

[@des-trina]

@@belzedk It's less a "Jan 6" and more a "Storming of the Bastille." One was justified, one wasn't, but both were political violence.

[@belzedk]

@@des-trina What makes you think this was justified?

[@des-trina]

@@belzedk They were fighting back against theocratic oppression. Whether or not the Dawnfather is ontologically good, his followers are not ontologically good. The papers the party found revealed the church was moving in to take control of the newly shifted ley lines, forcibly converting the locals to cement its power. Colonized peoples have a right to use force to push back their oppressors, and the leader of the locals spared the lives of all their prisoners.

[@belzedk]

@@des-trina The papers also revealed that the church brought the land they are sitting on and is therefore the owners. And the "oppression" going on was the church reacting to a crises by asking people to "stay inside" while they are trying to get a handle on the situation. But the farmers heard a hateful man spreading lies about freedom and they chose to act on it.

[@exequielgaleano9947]

In a response during the conversation with Bordor at 4:08:25, the way Orym said "out of our moon" when refferring to the people that are trying to bust something out of there. To me it sounded so deep and personal. It got me imagining maybe he used to feel that moon as theirs. Now, that this moon, that once was half of a symbol of the love he shared with Will, is now being used by the same people who killed Will and their father. Even more, as far as he knows they're trying to release something that might bring up the destruction of the whole planet. All that added up to his feelings of failure at protecting Keyleth recently and his home in the past. I know I'm not saying anything new here and it's just what that single line triggered in my imagination, but I felt it just contained each one of those feelings he's dealing with. I don't know I suppose I just really like the subtle but ever present and deep way Orym is going through such an important moment of his life. Right now, I can only think of Imogen as the only other one of Bell's Hells who is touched so closely related to the whole situation with the moon. Whereas Imogen's relation and reactions have been more overt and explicit, Orym's have been more implicit and subtle (and complex in a certain way because of that). I just love it!!! And that single line got me thinking of all of it. My deepest respects to that line delivery by Liam!!! 😁

[@legitsc0pes695]

@@exequielgaleano9947 Amazing 👏

[@exequielgaleano9947]

@@legitsc0pes695 Hey, there! Thaaanks!!! Your answer got me to read all that again and relive how I felt. Hope you're enjoying the campaign as much as I did and that you keep doing just that with the following episodes!!! 😁

[@thevisualkiwi]

4:35:15 took me out, Emily's deadpan delivery of jokes is soo good omg, the trading card joke was so funny last episode as well

[@DarthTurkey28]

Taliesen's reaction to "Enough" was hilarious! I loved everyone's reactions to that moment. That moment is so good!

[@mushuable]

I watched all of C2, I'm caught up on C3, so naturally I've now started watching C1, very early episodes. Jumping from early C1 to C3 just shows how much it's changed from them ol'd paper drawn maps to these very fancy elaborate maps with battle cams and all. Well deserved success :)

[@reneeskedel546]

I started with and have maintained up with C3 but I’ve been watching a combo of C1 and C2 while watching Vox Machina. The difference is astounding but so wonderful. They deserve the success!

[@danitini14]

And going back to the old audio, none of the cool backdrops and lighting, its a huge difference for sure!

[@theonionqueen3519]

THAT THREE TRINKET MOON SHIRT IS THE BEST GOD DAMN THING I HAVE EVER SEEN. I HAVE THE ORIGINAL THREE WOLF MOON SHIRT, BUT NOW I WILL BE REPLACING IT.

[@Blue_Lunacy]

I didn't checked what the hacker did to Matt's twitter account. So it take me a bit to realize what Sam reference in his ads gag XD.

[@jvwriter9028]

Amy and Emily playing dnd together is everything I've ever needed.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

Emily strikes me as the type of player who could run a spell caster in PF2 and people complain about the spellcaster being too powerful. 😁

[@stumbling_]

4:35:18 I lost it at this point, her delivery of “that’s been canonically established” is so good.

[@Shovelchicken]

3:27:30 yeah, the village shaming a kid for practicing religious freedom definitely didn't feel good. This whole episode kinda left a sour taste in my mouth. Mad respect for Laudna for being the only one to call this out. There's ways to deal with overbearing missionaries other than breaking into a church and slaughtering them.

[@cloud_sauce]

I feel you. At times I couldn't help but think that, rather than listening to her people and looking to protect them, Abaddina might have been imposing her will, subtly manipulating them so they arrived at whatever conclusions she deemed correct. Especially since she seems to be the only one able to commune with the Eidolons. Then again, that suspicion could simply be the result of the party going into this without too much prior investigation. Perhaps the temple and its people were indeed oppressing and causing harm to the townsfolk. Maybe the party lucked out and were actually righteous in their actions. But we didn't really get to see the status quo, nor hear the temple's side of the story. So the situation remains very much morally ambiguous at best. Though it's also important to note that Abaddina did shout they should capture the missionaries, not kill them, when she saw Kiro slain. So it seems her intentions weren't as murderous as they seemed during the town meeting. I think the party members were the only ones who actually killed people.

[@drewesrock9414]

Emily Axford is my queen

[@nick-reynolds]

Felt great to hear a shoutout to the Two Crew on Critical Role

[@Mieknara]

Great combat sequences. The narratives afterward add some serious weight to the story. Bo'dor in particular as the everyday person asking the big moral question is fantastic.

[@MrSHADOWANGEL999]

And that is why you dont mess with the son of a sheepherder

[@unexardiximarion1920]

You messed up, Ed boy!

[@JacopoSkydweller]

It did go woolly baaahdly for him didn't it? Should have hoofed it out of there.

[@ArthurTorrias]

*Voice of the Tempest who has a longstanding allegiance with Vasselheim* Orym of the Air Ashari: "Forget dat!" I'm still wondering what they're hoping to accomplish here. They drove out Pelor's faithful. I'm gonna assume that Vasselheim, one of the most religious and powerful cities, is not gonna let this slide and will order some level of retribution. I'm honestly hoping Bell's Hells end up becoming villains. Would be interesting and it'd be awesome to watch Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein fk their shit up. Edit: Imagine being a faithful of an entity that helped create all of humankind only to be attacked by people summoning elementals, akin to the primordial titans who were hellbent on humanity’s destruction, and demons, creatures that are just straight up evil. These people are quite literally heretics against all of Vasselheim at this point.

[@rebeccatrishel]

I agree

[@joshuamiller7502]

Wait so what did the temple even do wrong here? And the Dawnfather? They built a big expensive temple and deployed some military forces in response to a very real threat. Did we see the soldiers do something bad? Did we hear about them doing something bad? I mean occupation is bad but... theres bigger fish to fry right now than fighting the dawnfather or vasselheim. Like the death of all gods. and it sounded like the townsfolk were generally just irritated that the temple was there at all rather than them committing some sort of atrocity. Ill be honest it really feels like a lot of the temple/gods hate is pretty unfounded so far. But maybe i missed something. EDIT: Ok the talk at the end really made me happy, just... acknowledging the gravity of the situation, thats what i wanted.

[@Scrubs4Life]

They drugged the guards, killed the head priest, summoned a demon and killed an angel in a church. They then proceeded to tell themselves how "This was good" when they never bothered to talk to anyone about the situation of the town other than one old man and a cult leader. They didn't even try to talk to the people in the church before leading a mob to them. They didn't do a single insight check to the Druid who peer pressured them into leading a mob with no time to consider or investigate the situation. They also beat and bound the remaining guards before saying the equivalent of "You can walk with no supplies out of this town with no weapons and probably die of exposure, or forsake your god and stay."

[@Shadenir]

I can't believe how much they don't see the subtext of their own actions in this campaign.

[@nikisha1077]

You're kinda forgetting that they were all overwhelmed already. They just landed on an entirely different continent, and they don't even know if their friends are alive. Orym, the moral compass, is especially in shambles considering how hopeless everything seems. No wonder they were ready to do whatever needed to be done to get ahold of that scrying well. Once they saw the towns people looked innocent, heard what they doing was supposedly the right thing, and then informed that it needed to be done tonight - there really wasn't much time to question. Not too much there's 3 new players (with Utkarsh being completely fresh to DND) at the table so everyone was naturally swayed to go towards the combat-fun side of DND, rather than the roleplaying-fun side. Which is why, Emily and Marisha did not think of the roleplaying consequences of summoning demons in a church. Moreover, drugging the guards with laxatives was Utkarsh's idea that no one knew about (They only knew he was going to bribe them with alcohol). Utkarsh, again, is a new player and nobody wants to trample on the toes and take away the fun of a new player's idea. Everybody went along with it because DND is about fun and this was this group's first big battle together. It's understandable with context why they rushed into battle. I give them leeway as well considering that the last 1/4 of the episode is spent with them regretting and questioning whether they made the right choice. Btw this is no hate to you of course, and I see your comment was from 10 months ago - I honestly felt the need to respond because a few comments share your sentiment and this was moreso a release for me to voice my thoughts lmao

[@mordirit8727]

Dawnfather, you not sending a single small bless at the fight against Ludinus but sending a freaking angel to defend a single building is exactly the type of action that has people wanting to kill all gods

[@DSas2300]

TBF, that's just inconsistency on Matt's part. Either that or he needed hallowed ground.

[@inevra4053]

@@DSas2300 This is what I thought too. But I also wonder if the Ludinus fight had something activated and running that prevented even the smallest of interference from the gods

[@DSas2300]

@@inevra4053 There was that antimagic pulse potentially

[@inevra4053]

@@DSas2300 oh right! I forgot about that

[@ryanb3254]

@@inevra4053 I am thinking it was the Gods were aware of the trap, and knew that sending ANYTHING would give Ludinus the Spark of divine he needed. Eventually Vax gave that spark either way, but I assume an angel could have been used as well.

[@Setiweb]

I wonder if Matt is trying some psychological conditioning on the two teams. Team 1 pro-god. Team 2 anti-god. And eventually the two teams will meet in some big battle and must choose sides - possibly fighting one another. If so, that's insidious and brilliant!

[@surge123456789]

i was wondering the same thing but if anything i believe that this campaign will change the face of their games world as we know it.

[@DSas2300]

Is team 1 pro god though...?

[@claraprado5401]

Is team 2 really anti-god tho...

[@seprich]

I was thinking the exact same thing! Still BH opinions on this scism seem quite mild - at least for now. None on the team 1 is a fanatic, maybe more of just a troll like FCG and team 2 very much shares Oryms "don't care about gods either way" attitude. So getting them to fight each other might be a strech but yeah at least some tension to the story. Which otherwise feels like being too bland or something. IMO this thing needs a lawful evil character played by a member, not just an NPC, to shake things up and make it interesting.

[@claraprado5401]

@@seprich they've never been god-lovers to begin with imo. It's not about saving the Gods it's about not letting the world end, and they're still pretty on track for that. Sunny D will get over it on grounds of "his church was literally oppressing a pagan village"

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Some of the best combat ever in CR in this one, IMO, and that's speaking as someone who frequently gets bored of long combats.

[@taylorforsyth4278]

So in the span of a single combat, Bor'dor killed a priest and an angel. If the Dawnfather survives this ordeal, Bor'dor's going to Extra-Hell for this.

[@RheaKano]

What a great episode! Still I am a little bit sad. They could have asked so many questions about the elementals and just didn’t. And I guess I will wonder forever how Abaddina would have reacted hearing that the elemental titans helped the gods to imprison Predathos.

[@jmillzoryan9763]

I know Utkarsh is new but damn. He came in clutch in that battle. Plus the "Enough" part with him and the angel was dooooopppe.

[@ventrue7]

I feel like this was the best fight of this campaign yet.

[@federicoantuanwilliams]

Frfr

[@Zasek2112]

The private orgy in the basement is going to be hard to beat.

[@Houster1000]

It was really bad. No tension what so ever, they steamrolled it. The angel just cast firball and was swarmed to death. Best fights are like vox machina vs herd of storms and kevdak. Like everything is going to fall apart every second... and a chaotic move changes everything.

[@ventrue7]

@@Houster1000 Not every fight needs to be back and forth imo killbox is one of my favorites fights as well but in this one everyone had a moment to shine they fullfiled their roles there were surprising moments and the consequences of this fight will effect the campaign as well and they managed this with 3 guests so with killbox we know they had time to get prepared for the fight they did message exchanges etc.

[@stormRed]

All of Bor'Dor's attacks being unintentional is role-playing genius.

[@Wolffang1996Hyano]

I like how Marisha silently took over Sam's roll of random little notes.

[@kbetker3475]

Emily's shout out to the 2 Crew referenceeee! 👌👌👌

[@joshuakarna8519]

shout out to closed captions for somehow being able to follow two complicated conversations at the same 2:48:15