Gunpowder Plot: Part 1 | Critical Role: VOX MACHINA | Episode 31

[@GodBear97]

The fact that Scanlan convinced the party to let him take on an entire house of bad guys on his own is impressive enough, but the fact that he was right about being able to handle it is just incredible

[@trapical]

That’s why I never get why people want to play melee fighters. Spell casters are absurdly more impactful. A mid level fighter can kill a man in one round, a mid level Wizard/Sorcerer/Bard can destroy an entire town.

[@julian7247]

@@trapical its not about power its about the feeling

[@Deady4u]

@@trapical How abt level 20 Scanlan altering the whole world

[@alexgulino335]

when you can teleport instantly 500 feet away in the same turn that you can create an AoE crowd control ability, being a distraction is the easiest thing in the world when no casters are present. Thats why his first question was if there were any obvious spell casters around. 1 counterspell and he was dead.

[@ChevaliersEmeraude]

Technically you can't do that, @Alex Gulino! If you want to cast 2 spells in the same turn (one Bonus Action spell, one Standard Action spell), one of them has to be a Cantrip; you can't have 2 slot-using spells on the same turn! Matt allows it, and that's fine, but rule-wise you can't do stuff like that! Otherwise you end up with a Tiberius situation where he can cast 2 Fireballs on the same turn with his Sorcerer abilities, and that gets way too strong! As for @trapical's comment: Games like D&D are not about being the strongest! Sure some people like to play it that way, but it's in large part a role-playing game! So a martial class might fit the role you want to play than a caster! For exemple, if you're making a former gladiator, or an ex-military soldier, or even a mercenary: Wizards and Sorcerers don't fit that role at all, but Fighter and Barbarians would!

[@Greglarr]

For me, the most impressive thing about Scanlan's fight is that only he and Matt were playing, and yet the whole table was invested. They both made the interaction so engaging that no one minded just sitting there and watching. In fact they were all engrossed in the action. And the fight lasted around 40 minutes! That's a while to be on the sidelines.

[@OneHippiesMusings]

On my first watch of season 1 and that was my single favorite moment from season 1 or 2 as of now.

[@kolrengenify]

Two excellent story tellers at the peak of their craft!

[@luigi580]

Don't mean to drag Orion's name in the mud more than it already was in his final episode, but it's pretty apparent what people are more willing to watch. Would you rather watch someone shop around for something for obvious power-gaming reasons, fail at most of them because the ideas were ridiculous, then constantly try more things that aren't working and wasting everyone's time? or Would you rather watch someone run for their life with cards stacked against them, then miraculously fight the odds and manages to take on the entire house with clever spellcasting? I think it goes without saying which is more fun.

[@Stronghand-yw1lk]

Travis wasn't bored for a change.

[@safi6749]

Yeah and it was Orion no one would have cared

[@Wanttowrite]

It was during this episode that Sam realized his joke character was no joke.

[@jordanw2009]

Orion stopped trying to upstage him lol

[@mrcopycat2355]

Its funny because 3rd edition Bard was nothing to scoff at if played well (had to get creative with illusions, he had no blasty spells like Lightninf Bolt). But, in 5e, he's a BEAST Never played Pathfinder but I'll guess, since it's a revision of 3e D&D, that bard shared similarities. That and Orion doing all kindsa stuff must have contributed to Scanlan thinking his class was weak

[@PrincessMeggala0913]

YEUP! GO SCANLAN GO!

[@Draeckon]

@@jordanw2009 I mean, sorcerers are basically designed to be blasters with the potential to dish out a lot of damage per round, over a wide area. Bards, meanwhile, are primarily meant to be more of a support, buffing allies or debuffing enemies - especially the kind of bard Sam made. They're far from weak or helpless, but you'd have to pick a very specific set of spells and tune your bard very particularly to outshine a dedicated blaster sorcerer. Orion didn't even need to really try that hard to have Tiberius overshadow most of Scanlan's magic contributions. That said, it's nice to see Sam flexing Scanlan's magic more now that he's the party's only source of arcane magic. Tiberius isn't there to dish out the arcane pain, so Scanlan has to pick up the slack.

[@spectralumbra1568]

@@mrcopycat2355 I played a bard in pathfinder once. It was years ago so I don't remember all of the specifics, but the highest level ability basically involves matching the tempo of a performance with a musical instrument to an enemy's heart beat and just gradually speeding up the tempo until the enemy's heart explodes.

[@theanyktos]

You know you've been binging too much CR when you look at the time on a youtube video and go "Oh, it's just two hours?"

[@thepaulsennator_2451]

I thought the exact thing. I was like it's crittmas so it must be a long episode. Only 2 hours haha I was cool im on the binge train.

[@sarahcaputi6297]

😂😂😂 same!

[@777goodgirl]

I literally just said that to myself XD

[@oggiwa]

@@777goodgirl haha did exactly the same

[@thespankmyfrank]

A year later and I did the exact same thing lmao. Thought "oh, this is a short one!". Weird, that. Some videos are 10 minutes long and feel way too stretched out, but CR videos could go on forever and I wouldn't be bored.

[@Poldovico]

Love the random comment in chat: "Remember, remember the Fifth of Gnomevember".

[@NopeJustPatrick]

Stunning...

[@Darthmechas]

The beginning of the gunpowder treason and plot, on the fifth of Gnomevember

[@arcadiandynasty8830]

The gunpowder treason and plot. I know no reason why the De Rolo Treason should ever be forgot

[@theDUDE-n4l]

I laughed entirely too hard at this

[@XCrawlFan]

Oooohhhhh...

[@Fireprooflawyer]

Matt: "Those two doors are locked" Sam: *is a triceratops *"No they're not"

[@kevinobill4818]

Which part?

[@azarinevil]

@@kevinobill4818 Beginning of Scanlan's one man wrecking crew section of this episode.

[@UrbanJackal]

This was epic. Only wish: that Scanlan had lightning bolted the guards while they were line up, before dimension dooring to the roof. ONLY thing that could have made it better.

[@kaeleastlord]

@@UrbanJackal I think matt was trying to push for that because he kept emphasizing that the guards were essentially in a straight line from Scanlan

[@caseybaker7935]

@@kaeleastlord I think he wanted him to trample them

[@Quadraxis]

Sam is the kind of player every DM wants. Just the right amount of chaos, loves to roleplay, reads his abilities thoroughly and, most important of all, knows and doesn't mind that his actions have consequences, but actively endorses it.

[@nuru666]

When I played my Bard my first rule of playing him was "WWSD?"

[@magonus195]

He's great, to be sure. But if it came to it, I'd prefer Travis, Laura, or Liam. They're more players, and Sam's more a comedian, if you take my meaning.

[@Ziaotic]

@@magonus195 yeah no. Sam has just as many impactful and emotional beats as any of them excpet maybe Liam. AND on top of that he's a comedian, episodes without Sam even feel like less. he's an essential part of the dynamic.

[@Reepicheep-1]

Sam also (mostly) _refuses_ to metagame!

[@0saintclark0]

@@Reepicheep-1 you know what...I think we have Orion to thank for that. I think it may have been Orion's absurd level of metagaming that annoyed Sam to the point he now point blank refuses to do it.

[@simongiles9749]

You know, for all the various reasons people disliked Orion/Tiberius, for me as a fellow DM the one thing that I feel is better is that Matt can finish a room description without somebody shouting "I CAST LIGHT PFFFFFSSSHHHT!" as soon as he mentions that it's a little bit dark.

[@LootFragg]

You see all these dirty farmhands toiling in the -- PRESTIDIGITATION -- all these clean farmhands toiling in the mud.

[@danielboyle435]

And one of those times it actually made it worse. At least let him finish describing before you do that otherwise it could be a situation where you walk into a room where enemies are doing something in pitch black and you're gonna immediately reveal your position.

[@Xylarxcode]

@@danielboyle435 Something I had to learn the hard way when playing a wizard, lol. It's not a great idea to immediately light up a dark room all willy nilly. Got the group ambushed that way twice before I learned to knock it off and let the darkvision and stealth crew have a look around before I throw spells into the mix. I understand the need to help the group, but sometimes I forget that others have useful abilities they'd like to use as well and in some situations, theirs are more useful than mine. But after getting a slap on the wrist, I do learn not to do it again.

[@mancerayder8010]

The night is dark and full of terrors

[@sweebos]

​@@mancerayder8010 For the the night is dark and full of terrors. 🤲

[@ThoseWhiteWhales]

scanlan just burned down one of the houses all by himself, while basically winging the whole thing. holy crap.

[@jibbajabba]

Now thats called a scanlan

[@funkyfox7996]

high level bards are nothing you want to mess with

[@NopeJustPatrick]

Bards, especially high-level Bards, are improvisational masters if played properly. Add to the fact that he's being played by Sam, and. It's no wonder that Scanlan is so good.

[@brandongalvan6603]

I might have spoiled myself by scrolling down into the comments, but this only brings a wide grin across my face in expectation of things to come in this episode.

[@NopeJustPatrick]

@@brandongalvan6603 It's possibly one of the most badass things Scanlan has ever done... No amount of spoiling will take that away, so I think you're fine.

[@mazie1874]

Vox Machina’s favorite enemy, the elderly. Vox Machina’s hardest, worst, least favorite of all time enemy, doors

[@timfrank7461]

Season 2 its chairs xD

[@PrincessMeggala0913]

DOORS ARE EVIL

[@ninboy01]

@@timfrank7461 Campaign 3 will likely be tables.

[@merlinwindrivver600]

Critical Role cast: Flies Vox Machina: Doors Mighty Nein: Chairs (which the final boss mastered btw)

[@PixelSageYT]

Honestly anything made of wood is just a nightmare for them across every game

[@Turd_Rocket]

One of my favorite things about this is that Scanlan always plays up being a comedic fun-lover who doesn't want to exert effort for anything, but when they planned to send someone in alone as a distraction he immediately volunteers. And even though this seems to be more as a means to brew some mischief for his own amusement, he composes himself like a true hero, is incredibly brave in the face of great danger despite being alone, and doesn't flee until he absolutely has to, likely hoping the distraction was enough to help his friends. He's far more valiant than he would have us believe.

[@DACnumber1]

In a sense, he's a true hero for that. He's not doing it for glory necessarily, but to better the overall situation.

[@Turd_Rocket]

@@DACnumber1 For real, dude. Like even after they link back up in after their battles, he doesn't really play up what he did to the rest of the party. He's just sort of like "'Sup, guys?" I love how low-key tactical Sam is, even though he never played any campaigns before this one. The jolly singing, real-life bard Sam, kid star on broadway and all that, is actually a genius tactician when it comes to playing his class mechanics. But he always just does what he can as best as a he can without drawing too much attention to the brilliance of it, and he's so silly about it, the silliness sort of glosses over his creativity as a dynamic player. It's only, I think, in the final episode when he is openly being smug about how awesome he is, but by then everyone, including Matt, respects him so much they totally accept it. Because by then he's totally earned it.

[@nickxcaliber7991]

It’s a game. Quit examining everything. What a loser.

[@kennylog1ns]

@@nickxcaliber7991 It's a game, but it's also a story. And stories are great to examine! :)

[@impiusmephisto4476]

@@nickxcaliber7991 Its a comment! Stop being an asshole! What a loser.

[@hannahe.t.4824]

"You can't get this on television" If he only knew. They even got the triceratops in the show!

[@joedabro9969]

I wish he would have used the triceratops a little more though. He was a 115 HP meat shield since he would revert back to full heath Scanlan if dropped to 0 in triceratops form. He should have stayed in that form and held his action so that when they were all lined up outside the dining room door he could have trampled through the line of them.

[@wren9725]

@@joedabro9969 This guy is really min-maxing a tabletop RPG

[@thebadkittystudio]

Well, technically he said "network television." So he was mostly right. lol

[@Frreak0zoid]

I'm making my way!!!

[@sweebos]

​@@Frreak0zoid ~ makintheirway ~

[@TheBoomstickBros]

I CANNOT WAIT to see Scanlan's epic fight get animated for the Legend of Vox Machina

[@alexas1173]

They MUST animate that scene

[@rault114]

@@alexas1173 We unlocked absolutely everything that happened during the Briarwood Arc, so expect it to be animated. ;)

[@mia7514]

Personally I look forward to Vax, Percy and Scnalan vs the door ;) But Scanlan's epic fight is a very close second

[@sandragoodhew2885]

I definitely want Percy to say Matt's line or a narrator to. That they fought illithid, kvarn, but this door, this door has bested them!

[@arthurloftis5192]

Me too

[@CryingPanSFX]

"Alright, think like a triceratops. I need... I need shelter." critical role has never been better.

[@ModernArtery]

Sam/Scanlan is a national treasure.

[@arcadiandynasty8830]

"My friends trust that this day is the day where you almost caught Scanlan Shorthalt, Esquire" jumping into bigby's hand middle fingers extended play a inspiring flute tune

[@Zombiewithabowtie]

"You're mad!" "Well thank goodness for that, cos if I wasn't, this would probably never work."

[@chaospatriot76]

Everyone's talking about Rambo Scanlan, which was very impressive, but right now I'm just super proud of Trinket for getting a HDYWTDT

[@sweebos]

🐻

[@grizzerotwofour7858]

Me during Scanlan's fight: " this must be how sport fans feel when their team intercepts the ball and scores a touchdown"

[@LoveNeko64]

Gooooooooooaaaaaaalllllllll!

[@jacobschmitz7304]

Homerun!!!!

[@justadummy8076]

Sophia Lindfield eSports: 👁👄👁

[@stevenh9474]

I've heard/read that fantasy football, basketball, etc. is just D&D for sports fans. An extension of this would be sports games like Madden, where you can pick a player to control, increase their stats, change their gear, etc. Basically sports rpg.

[@lockandbone6784]

As a huge football and Sam reigel fan, Scanlans badassary was waaaaay cooler. Gave me cold chills!

[@drewsherod6567]

This episode goes out to every fool who thought Bards are the worst class in D&D.

[@jeffreywiggins3502]

Drew Sherod My issue is that they're not fun unless you role-play the shit out of them.

[@Alesthes]

To be entirely honest, while I like the Bard class, what Scanlan did in this episode for the most part was just a clever use of his arcane spells and potions. Nothing a Wizard or a Sorceror could also do, probably in a more effective way. Bards certainly have things that render them unique and cool, but what was shown in this episode is not particularly evidence of that.

[@ChaoticChalice]

Merp321 however if you look at scanlan as a whole over the series, Sam does consistently show that he can play a bard perfectly and makes the bard naysayers wrong in that instance. I would agree though that this episode just shows off how cool arcane magic is if you get inventive

[@InquisitorThomas]

Also the College of Swords archetype did a lot improve the bard’s viability by making them strong in melee while also being full a full spell caster, also college of Lore bard getting access to six spells from any class is really good.

[@Eunostos]

No one has thought Bards are a 'weak' class since early 3rd edition, and even back then it was already basically a meme referencing the fact that it was objectively true in 2nd ed (an edition in which balance was not even an objective of the game design)

[@TheTrueRandomness]

Can I just point out how awesome Taliesin is as a player? He keeps track of the story, the NPCs, his complicated equipment, has his attacks pre-planned and thought out and to top it all of he can RP and improv at an amazing level!

[@RuptimusPrime]

He also works a lot with Matt outside the sessions to plan things out and save time. Like when he tries to design something, he always says: "I'm trying to build that thing we talked about" and that's that. I really like that, compared to, say, Orion who constantly did crazy shit without talking to Matt beforehand like "I'm buying 1500 mirrors".

[@wahlflower3517]

Taliesin is the best kind of player. Willing to try new ideas but has the forethought to consult the DM before the session starts. I wish some of the people in my group were more like him.

[@TheLastOneUsaw]

Its because he's DM'd a lot himself. He understands all the stuff Matt has to do in order to make this all happen.

[@danielmcgillis270]

They are all awesome in many ways. Taliesin has the most experience next to Matt I think. I am in a game now in the same position, an old hand player with a bunch of newbies. It can be a lot of fun watching players new to the game scamper around like kittens, reacting to everything with a "Bahhhhhhh! What the hell is that?" Seeing monsters for the first time, ect. I play a Mage. Best to have an experienced player run the spell caster, they can get killed to quickly otherwise and spells can be tricky.

[@wahlflower3517]

Daniel McGillis Don't remind me. The noob spellcasters in my group could remember their spells just fine but one of them wouldn't think of the consequences when using them. Consequences like casting fire spells in a highly flammable grass fields where some of allies were hiding. -_-

[@MrsMster]

Taken from littlecajunlady's Tumblr. Message at the bottom of the comment from me 10:30 - Start of recap (added by me, mrsmster) 13:40 - Game starts 14:55 - Scanlan the triceratops 18:06 - They all sing the Jurassic Park theme 19:25 - Scanlan vs. another door, the door wins 25:55 - Scanlan sent to set a fire but has no way to do it, they give Sam shit for it (triceratops gone) 29:10 - Dukes of Hazzard table slide, it’s not great 35:45 - Scanlan drinks the fire breath potion and starts setting the roof on fire 42:50 - Scanlan “I’m gonna kill everyone in this motherfucking house” 48:35 - Bigby’s hand catches Scanlan as he falls back off the roof 53:34 - Scambo lives 54:05 - Now it’s time for the rest of the team … 1:05:00 - Tylieri is a vampire 1:16:50 - Matt “You can’t get halfway in there & be like wait this didn’t happen” (who needs context) 1:23:12 - Keyleth thinks Vax’s table slide is awesome 1:32:10 - Trinket gets nat 20 & HDYWTDT on the vamp and bites his head off!! 1:50:58 - Keyleth casts sunbeam finishes off the vamp mist 2:11:05 - Vax slits last guard’s throat over the death of the child hanging from the Sun Tree 2:11:40 - Vex slams Percy against a wall, Percy “I feel cruel” I'm aware these timestamps get posted often in the series' comments section so I just want to say that these are for me so they're at the top, but if I can help someone else out by posting them then I'm not gonna complain!

[@theLoPlo]

Thanks!

[@Archon-El]

I really appreciate it because I'm starting over from the beginning again and thanks

[@aryaX98]

+

[@khpa3665]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@eruduma]

Thanks for this! 1:19:50 - is for when newly levelled up Percy uses his Hex for the first time which gets everyone else’s immediate attention…

[@Derkinderesser]

Vox Machina after being reprimanded for being incredibly violent continues to be incredibly violent...but far away from the people who told them not to.

[@ShadowAtronach666]

I have to say grog is basically the violent one like he gets a pass barbarians and beserkers don't care they just love the fight

[@renkanestark6945]

So what now, feeling bad for dominatrix vampires?, this is ludicrous.

[@darkbunny9994]

Against the people that they got in trouble for being violent against.

[@relint12]

lol for sure, Keyleth evaporates a dude who’s trying to surrender, Vax slits some crippled guy’s throat, then Keyleth turns, “Percy are you sure you can keep your darkness in check... you’ve got to control yourself...” o-o

[@btCharlie_]

Well Grog enjoys violence, Scanlan enjoys fun in every shape or form, Percy is possessed by some demon of vengeance, Vax doesn't particularly care about the lives of their enemies, Vex cares a little bit more than Vax, but not really that much, and Keyleth often struggles to get get her point across persuasively enough to change the others' minds. This group is bound to be more violent than necessary.

[@Zakiel97]

"it's like duel of the fates" cut to Scanlan literally force pushing a swordsman off of a roof

[@harmunkainth754]

This is reminding me of the home alone movies. Child sized gnome taking out crazy odds, all by himself in a big house. What more could you ask for?

[@warriorgirl1220]

+Harmun Kainth I was thinking the exact same thing, especially since Seeming is technically still up. Technically, he still looks like a little kid taking on this entire house by himself!

[@ericburton3963]

It’s funnier when you remember he actually looked like a child due to seeming

[@virginiamooney4105]

Gnome Alone

[@Moola868]

I love how Matt's infinite wisdom and forethought when planning for these games, had him previously making maps for basically the entire town not knowing where they were going to go, but this time he was not prepared for Triscanlentops to enter a building and see like 8-10 enemies staring him down and decide "I'm gonna run into the next room" so he had to draw the next room on the fly. It's nice to know he is, in fact, human after all. Or at least, he was back in these early episodes.

[@gothmissstress]

"at least he was". Im only starting with critical role (while waiting for new episodes of High Rollers), is he even cooler later??

[@unofficialjuijin]

@@gothmissstress it gets quite awesome

[@TheFrozenFlame05]

@@gothmissstress Clear Skies my friend, I'm doing the same thing

[@sweebos]

Triscanlentops....nice. 😄👍

[@DavidGonzalez-zl3dz]

​@@gothmissstress It's his whole ass job now. Making maps is all he does

[@eros5420]

Its neat to see the old players encounter things that I think influence their next characters. Travis becomes a Half-Orc because of the brawl. Liam becomes a wizard because of Orion's "Utility," Ashley becomes a barbarian because of Grog, and Sam becomes a Rogue because of the Doors.

[@thesouthernfire2112]

underrated Scanlan vs Door joke

[@str8Jonesing]

The Scanlan vs doors sent me!!!😂😂💀🥀

[@thefiresworddragon927]

And Marisha becomes a monk because bashing a guy's head in as Keyleth

[@shambhvilokre]

Nah Liam chooses Sam's class and even race sometimes

[@rickybell]

42:40 when scanlan said "imma kill everyone in this mother f***ing house" i believed him...

[@thomhitzelberger7876]

I was sad he didn't lightning bolt them all after the DM said "they're all lined up for a lightning bolt."

[@daxdleader719]

Dagger Dagger Dagger Hunters Mark! I would like to rage... Goin Minxie! Bigby's Hand! These should all be tshirts

[@ilana3783]

Don’t forget “Your soul is forfeit!”

[@PorkyTheGamer]

Dagger Dagger Dagger is a t shirt

[@RainbowFox8]

Or one shirt! Just have something from everyone!

[@WexMajor82]

@@ilana3783 "The butt flap is down!"

[@anthonydavis5288]

"Can we leave trinket behind?"

[@TheRandomCrapSection]

I'm more bothered than I should be by how much Laura and Matt both forgot about Trinket's armor. His AC was 18 when they got back to Emon after escaping from Yug'Voril. When she provided the Bullet hide to the smith, the finished product gave Trinket the original 18 for AC, +2 additional points (which is why she'd written "+2" on Trinket's sheet), totaling an AC of 20. In addition, he gained resistance to non-magical piercing/slashing/bludgeoning damage, which Matt specifically told Laura to remind him of whenever it came up. It grinds my gears and rustles my jimmies. I love that big sweet boi.

[@thespankmyfrank]

YES!!! I remember she said something like "it's 18, I can't remember why I put 20 on the side" the first time the AC was brought up and I just thought, oh, that's the armour! Can't believe they forgot about it. Trinket's a beast, he's stronger than they remember and that makes me sad.

[@andresarevalo8430]

I think the +2 note was once trinket got stoneskin casted on him

[@ega3246]

​@@andresarevalo8430 No its not, read stoneskin description. It has nothing to do with AC

[@ironclad4451]

@@thespankmyfrank They forget a lot of things that bite them in the butt and it makes me sad. I'm not very knowledgeable about the rules, but trinket attacks an enemy that is currently grappling grog and while previously they've been given advantage when attacking an opponent who's grappling trinket is not given advantage. however, the enemy who is stated to be gripping grog, is STILL able to land an attack of opportunity on trinket. poor trinket gets screwed over every time, which makes trinket seem useless, which is why scanlan is always like "leave trinkett" I feel like some effort should have been made to ensure trinkett wasn't useless. But this is not the first time that they have made poor decisions or forgotten things that hurt them. Forgetting buffs, forgetting hunters mark, not using abilities, not absorbing or understanding matt when gives them blatant hints/advice. makes me sad because I am always rooting for them.

[@hannoush2694]

Just saying they have a week in-between each episode, as opposed to us who are probably binge watching these. However, I agree and got upset about that too when she mentioned the circled 20 and he told her to go with the 18. As well as everytime they forget the resistance from the armor.

[@joojooisoo]

Grog takes 6 crossbow bolts to the chest. Grog still has 85% of his HP left.

[@AlaskanCookie]

Has higher HP then Boromir. 😂

[@Metal_Slyme]

@@AlaskanCookie In his defense, Boromir was a Ranger and iirc a semi-pro estimate of the party at the time placed them around Level 4

[@schattepoezel8541]

@@Metal_Slyme i’d say he had extra attack. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were definitely higher leveled though

[@trealosgaming3345]

I would fear if grog was a druid barbarian. Rage and wildshape is a pain. Though last night i brought a druid barbarian out of bear form two times.

[@Vamirez]

@@Metal_Slyme In LotR basically everyone is a Fighter or maybe a Rogue, there are almost no magical items, and only Gandalf can cast any spells (and he seems to be limited to Daylight ;)). Hence, a large group of any type of enemy is a big threat. Gandalf's problem is that he has to protect a number of lower-level squishy people all the time - that's why most of the journey is running from things :)

[@spencercox7931]

Matt: what are you doing, Scanlon?! Roll initiative!! Vox Machina: (singing jurassic park theme because Scanlon's a triceratops).

[@Fqceless]

Scanlan soloing a whole house and then telling everyone "You're on your own" xD

[@TalonWren]

After all he did. Wowza.

[@danielmetcalfe5589]

Matt setting Sam up to be able to accomplish his task, and create chaos and Sam following through by making the right decisions is D&D at its finest. Matt didn’t have to let that potion set the entire house on fire, or allow Bigby’s hand to catch Scanlan, but he recognized that Sam had played the scenario brilliantly and he rewarded it. Sam/Scanlan got his big moment, and Matt helped him achieve it. By far my favorite fight so far.

[@misterdayne2792]

43:45 "You can't get this on network television, ladies and gentlemen." - Liam O'brien, 2016 One day. Maybe one day, you sexy wizard of Rexentrum.

[@DeathToRain]

tv is dead, maybe a Netflix deal

[@thatsmuggamer]

How about Amazon Prime?

[@matthewrobinett1012]

All hail Caleb Widowgast

[@bonzupippinpaddleoxacoppil484]

Even Amazon Prime couldn’t capture it in all its glory but it sure held a candle.

[@SteveUnderhill]

And then some!

[@SwitchbackCh]

Vax slitting the guard's throat after finding out he's one of those who hung the child is a perfect dramatic finish to that fight, especially when you know Liam's a dad with his own children.

[@pleton80]

ok a year late from responding to this comment and 20 years too late from the ep lol but i swear this is my frist time watching today 4/28/2022. why didn't anyone catch on to the fact matt was handing them the information on a silver platter that they have a spy among those townspeople that knew they were going to attack.

[@a_cynical_mad_man_vods]

@@pleton80 there's a mole in the town? I have just started the episode but so far I haven't noticed a spy amongst the villagers in the past episodes in all honesty.

[@mcmann2243]

Awww, good old art dad, murdering the bad men 😊

[@Archangelous1337]

@@pleton80 Yeah I'm wondering why none of them seemed to pick up on that. He made mention of them knowing they were due to make an attack at least two times but none of them asked who told them.

[@ALJ9000]

I’m not a father, but I am with Liam 100,000%

[@January_Silence]

Were I Sam in the moment he trust-fell onto Bigby's Hand off the roof, I'd have taken a moment to look back at the guards and go, "Gents, you will always remember this as the day that you almost caught, Burt Reynolds!" and then let myself fall onto the hand and book it (lol XP).

[@screams1977]

If only

[@MrRovag]

There should be a "Captain" in there somewere ;)

[@greatnatebolton8805]

Major Shirow omfg whyyy didn't he think of this?!?! omfg I would have exploded.

[@greatnatebolton8805]

MrRovag correction, there should be an esquire in there 😂😂😂

[@guy31978]

@ Major Shirow, yes this!

[@Roguekriger]

If Keyleth didn't have feelings for Vax before she definitely does after watching his sick ass slide across the table

[@roflgoblin]

45:26 I think Matt misunderstood the question. While Polymorph and Dimension Door do not gain additional effects from being cast at higher level they most certainly can be cast by using a slot equal to or higher than that of the spell itself. Players Handbook pg 201.

[@crimson1919]

ROFLGoblin but the Bigby swag exit was so much better anyway.

[@ArshikaTowers]

Matt fucked up a lot on this episode.

[@NopeJustPatrick]

No, Matt didn't misunderstand the question, Sam flat-out just asked the wrong one. Sam asked if he could cast the spells at a higher level, not whether or not he could cast the spells with a higher level spell slot. There is a difference, especially because the language of the first question("at a higher level") is specifically used when casting spells with more/stronger effects at higher levels. He should have asked if he could use an X level spell slot to cast the spells he was requesting. That way it's clear what he's asking.

[@JD2jr.]

It was pretty clear why he was asking though, so a "no, but you can use a higher level slot to cast it" would have been the appropriate response, especially since the next thing he says is "Well I guess I can't use my spells anymore then" or something to that effect.

[@NopeJustPatrick]

@@JD2jr. True, but then again, these things are always much easier to see after the fact. Even if for no other reaaon than that we have more time to think about something that occurred for them maybe only for a few seconds.

[@MaxHimbigger]

Grogs playlist better be titled "I would like to rave"

[@steffaniee2292]

I spit out my water so hard

[@grayfarron5077]

Its just BFG Division now

[@DannyMakesVideosIGuess]

@@grayfarron5077 Genius and glorious

[@josefzalusky7307]

*Aggressive vibing*

[@Jeffrey_Watkins]

It took one player to tear an entire building apart, kill all the baddies in it, and set it all ablaze. It took three players to open a door. (Edit: I am mistaken. Scanlan did not manage to kill anybody. He did however survive a group onslaught by himself.)

[@IoanCenturion]

The same player was even in both situations.

[@kaeleastlord]

Welcome to Vox Machina

[@UrbanJackal]

Ouch. Truth hurts, yo.yo. 😆

[@zacharydunn6577]

Scanlan certainly did a lot, but he didn't kill anyone in his house.

[@skullsquad900]

@@zacharydunn6577 didn't he technically burn them all alive as they were trapped in the house...?

[@konstance13]

Obvs Scanlan's whole adventure this episode is amazing, but I also really love how everyone else supports and cheers him on. Like there's no whining that he's taking the spotlight or boredom from those not rping.

[@padenbang7375]

Dude, everyone except Travis was telling him how stupid an idea it was, and to run away so he didn't die, while face palming. Travis was the only 1 who believed in him. Everyone else was acting pretty shitty until they realized how well he was doing. At 1 point Marisha even mocked him saying "I told you last week I'd go with you but said you didn't need any help etc etc." It was condescending AF

[@konstance13]

@Paden Bang This was a really old comment, so I probably don't remember everything, but my original comment wasn't meant to reference how they reacted to his plan or lack thereof. I totally agree it WAS a stupid idea to go into a dangerous setting with zero backup, a giant enemy, and unknown amount of guards. And I think the rest would've said that no matter whose idea it was. In fact they did complain about Vax doing similar stuff. I also disagree on Marisha being condescending. If I was in a group and a member wanted to go into very dangerous territory and i offered backup, and instead of "thanks but no thanks" or explaining a plan of any sort, they just repeated "I don't need help"...I'd be annoyed too. My comment was in regards to when things went well, everyone was cheering him on and not acting like Matt was focusing too much on one player. It was fun.

[@sweebos]

I live for everyone's reactions at the table. Matt's storytelling is badass and there have been many quiet moments and combat scenarios like this one where a particular player or two gets to shine... But my favorite thing about this show is, during all of those moments, how supportive and reactive everyone at the table can be. I sometimes run back scenes several times just to take in everyone's reactions. 🙂

[@DarthRioBarbossa]

1:16:54 Matt: “You can’t get halfway in there and be like ‘wait! This didn’t happen!’” Talisin: -SNORT- Travis: -busts out laughing- Talisin: “Thank you for coming with me on that journey.” I thought it too, boys! I thought it too.

[@Kasino80]

Me too

[@vampiremage2]

Was that bit a reference to something?

[@Kasino80]

@@vampiremage2 don't believe so, but it was a line that could be interpreted in a more...intimate way, and I think Taliesin and Travis went there.

[@vampiremage2]

@@Kasino80 Thank you kindly.

[@TheKazragore]

@@Kasino80 Either that or it was a lowkey dig at Orion's playstyle. Though, knowing these people, it was probably the potty humour, which is just endearing.

[@MistahBryan]

@2:01:00 Vex yells "Your death has been provided by Gilmore's Glorious Goods!"

[@FeyzaOnay]

I read this comment just when it happened 😂

[@bonniefazman9065]

Gilmore: ... A strange marketing tactic, but I'll allow~!!!

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

Do you know why you lost this battle? Because you didn't buy from Gilmore's Glorious Goods.

[@Mewchu14]

This episode honestly just showcases how smart a player Sam is. He makes literally all the right choices during his whole excursion and it’s so much fun to watch.

[@sandragoodhew2885]

I'd have stayed a dinosaur until my hit points ran out as a dinosaur. They were all lined up for a perfect charge. Stinking cloud was good yes, but he should have left himself a couple of more spell slots to work with.

[@CelineWhitetail]

Except that when you're Polymorphed you keep the entire stat sheet of your creature, including it's intelligence, so when he turned into a dragonfly, which has an intelligence of 2, he should have completely forgotten what he was doing and flown aimlessly for an hour until Polymorph ran out and his entire incursion never should have happened. It took them the entirety of campaign one and until Jester got Polymorph to finally realize this.

[@matsh5633]

Not entirely, he wasted 1 invisibility on the roof. Other than that, preety damm good.

[@theadtheogrekiller5629]

He could totally of cast dimension door at higher level tho, other then that it was a very good side mission.

[@aeashenemby]

@@CelineWhitetail Matt's ruling is that when you self polymorph or polymorph an ally you maintain your sentience and self control. Its how hes portrayed it throughout the whole campaign, essentially a higher cost beast form. Its definitely not accurate but its fun.

[@zachlewis9751]

Orion takes 10 minute round: boring, agitating and builds a lot of unnecessary party tension. Sam takes 45 minute cutscene: Scanbo. Awesome, high action, and has consequences that the player accepts and doesn’t retcon their own actions or movements. Proves to player that they actually have a good character.

[@masterreaper115]

Thats because orions 10 minute round is "Ok i cheat using x y and z hoping you dont notice, wiat you noticed z? ok so scrap all of that i did none of it. Now i cheat in a different way"

[@emerald9194]

From what I’ve heard there was also some real-life tension with Orion so that probably didn’t help, whereas everybody seems to like Sam

[@Keira_Blackstone]

the most refreshing part is he didn't try to use any of his abilities to do shit they don't actually do. Orion, Marisha, Laura and Taliesin did that shit all the time.

[@zachlewis9751]

@@Keira_Blackstone it seems to me like Sam actually knew what his character could do and paid good attention to his abilities. Marisha and Laura didn’t fully pay attention and forgot some stuff often. And it seemed like Taliesin mostly got confused with the pathfinder/dnd change. Orion seemed wholeheartedly intent on misusing abilities and items. That’s just what it appeared to be to me.

[@orangeball8872]

biggest difference is that orion would legit try to fight all those enemies on his own and multiply the time of the scene by atleast 5

[@dangerdan2592]

2:00:26 *Grog takes off a guys leg with his war hammer* Scanlan: He's Legolas Lmao that was a good pun but no one in the group laughed.

[@princessblazena]

I am ashamed, I had to stop and think about it for a minute 😭😅🤣🤣

[@OmniValor]

I think he said "Leg-o-less" alluding to Legolas and also the fact that he has no legs. Sam has the most top-notch jokes consistently, he's amazing lol

[@MrBizteck]

Scanlain has totally forgotten he has a crown with a lvl 3 lighting bolt preloaded for bloody ages !

[@MrCandyMan9832]

he doesn't he traded it to tibs for that ion stone thing

[@garethhughes7430]

That IS the Ioun Stone....

[@MrBizteck]

that's what I was thinking... he used it once. it gets mentioned a few times in later episodes but not used.

[@AbramsEX]

I believe Matt mentioned before as well (to Tiberius) that unused spells in the spell-storing stones or rings lose their charge after so long of non-use. In other words he hasn't used it in so long that he probably doesn't have a charge left anymore anyway.

[@joshwilhoyte4453]

@@AbramsEXthat’s not how that works

[@amber854]

"You can't get this on television" ...well actually Liam, 2 more weeks and I'm hoping this is exactly what we'll get! 🤣 43:45

[@andreadewing8153]

We got scanbo!!!!

[@sbollimpalli]

I come from the future… it’s so good. It’s so fucking beautiful

[@DAUGHTERofIRIS]

I gotta say... Scanbo MIGHT be my favorite episode

[@ladysilkwing]

@@DAUGHTERofIRIS It's mine

[@lordallyjim]

Just under 2 months before season 3 and I'm excited watching these through for the first time

[@ChaosWolf1982]

Scanlan takes Favored Enemy: Doors.

[@azimuthheathdanielboyer8314]

HAHAHAHHAAAAAA

[@nyxmaoam]

It's amazing. I struggle a lot with Doors in Pen and Paper. Like A LOT. I'm not the only one xD

[@AnthonyFlames275]

The saga of the door returns

[@randomlygeneratedname]

I think it's doors take pefered enemy scanlin

[@darkbunny9994]

REVENGE

[@TheBlackGhost0]

1:54:30 I love how once Matt know's Vax hit all three daggers he very clearly does not pay any attention to the damage rolls because he know's that guy's dead haha.

[@Force2reckonVods]

The image of Scanlan standing on a building, fire spilling a bit from his mouth, the sides a flame, a giant purple translucent master hand like construct floating above and behind connected to his hand by a thin strand of arcane essence, his hand glowing, his other grasping a cone which looks like it was designed to shout through. Rain pouring down lightning streaking across the sky. That made me so happy.

[@Force2reckonVods]

Also you can ALWAYS cast a spell using a higher level spell slot, but not all spells have enhanced effects from it. Bigby's hand also allows you to move it AND cause an effect as a bonus action on subsequent turns.

[@Force2reckonVods]

Wh...whyyyyy would it be an issue for Keyleth to figure out that the mist was a vampire, technically it's a cloud the size of a person, not some short low to ground thing like Matt described it, and they're fighting vampires, anyone would probably sunbeam/light the mist just to be safe, especially there to kill a person who may or may not be a vampire and fighting has been going on in the other room for 18-20 seconds. Also they've passed random information off on each other out of turn order all the time, but this one time Matt took offense, maybe it finally got on his nerves enough, but I imagine there were bigger plans for that NPC and he got really Meta strict all of the sudden.

[@Maurenriques]

My only hope is that they animate the ENTIRE Scanlan sequence when the time comes

[@saeosthavula9908]

Almost, but just as epic

[@Stronghand-yw1lk]

They pretty much did.

[@Contevent]

@@Stronghand-yw1lk It was even better

[@rickmyers1582]

Scanbo is my favorite part of season 1.

[@YormanGina]

Yep, Scanlan is definitely my favorite out of the group. His witty one-liners, creative use of spells and ability to recognize situations makes him shine amongst the group.

[@vinsyd7743]

I really wasn't keen on his character at the start but he quickly became one of my favourites.

[@Lexiy76]

This is exactly how I feel. Was at the bottom of my list at the start, but now he's near the top.

[@zachnightingale8156]

Started from the bottom now he's there

[@gravybatter]

Scanlan has been at the top since day 1 for me

[@schweppes1313]

@@zachnightingale8156 He's a top man, knows his business. I mean, he's a total asshole, but he's really good at his work. He's good at what he does, when he can do it. Started out as a bottom-man, now he's a topman. Worked his way to the middle, mostly. Middleman. Top of his field as a middleman, top of the middle, worked his way from the bottom. Started from the bottom, now he in the middle, man. Top of it.

[@luxe.8419]

I love how you can see a tiny hint of a smile on Matt's face as Liam says "I slit his throat" just admiring Liam's roleplay. Just perfect. I'd be proud of my player for coming out with something like that, too.

[@awesomechainsaw]

Lux E. Yeah Liam/Vax gets a lot of shit for that among the Tiberius, and Percy crowd, but it makes sense for a good character to slit the throat of someone who helped kill a child.

[@Kasino80]

@@awesomechainsaw yes, but dammit, he should have gotten more info out of him. Who the hell is telling the Briawoods about them? How did they know they were coming? The rest of the group needs to have someoneelse interrogate people going forth.

[@RepKyle95]

@@Kasino80 I was thinking that exact same thing, though from an RP standpoint I can understand how it would be more in-character for him to be impulsive as a reaction

[@eboni2957]

@@awesomechainsaw yeah I don't get why that is Liam is a dad irl and Vax moral alignment is mostly good so expecting him not to get upset about it is kinda bullshit

[@michellepehrsondupont3756]

@@Kasino80 I see your point, but Vax is generally speaking one of the better ones of the group at intimidation. He’s great at the bad-cop routine, knows the right questions to ask and (generally) isn’t the hot-headed type. As far as I recall, this is the first time we’ve had a rash reaction from him during an interrigation, and as the mother of a 1 1/2 year old boy, I was clapping my little hands when this happened 👍🏻👍🏻

[@scabbynack]

Scanlan's play style is what Bards should aspire to hahah It's so funny the crazy shit he comes up with and he's still really effective. A little more debuffing and stuff would be good but he more than makes up for it.

[@John-sz7vf]

Scanlan is similar to a bard I played for a bit. Not super strong but scrappy as hell and completely full of shit.

[@shawngillogly6873]

There is no better 5e debuff than Counterspell. And he casts blindness and dominate all the time. Both are killer spells a lot of players (including myself, TBH) overlook in favor of nuking.

[@TomasPabon]

Well he actually seems to rely mostly on support and utility spells

[@ethanpeterson5640]

I have a kobold wild magic sorcerer who I'm using in Tomb of Annihilation that's just as crazy but half as effective. A trap is going to kill him soon...

[@hello_beeeez]

I can’t remember, were they still under Seeming during these fights? If so, the house Scanlan took out saw a kid wreaking havoc on them, and it looked like that vampire was killed by a donkey.

[@xAlecto]

...oh shoot you're so right 🤣🤣🤣

[@dig8634]

Don't think Seeming works once you Polymorph into a differently shaped creature. Not sure how it would work witht that spell though.

[@walfman100]

@@dig8634 During the cows episode matt said that Sam and Marisha both still looked like cows even though they polymorphed and beast shaped

[@dig8634]

@@walfman100 Well, that is his perogative as dm to make that decision, but given how seeming can't significantly alter your shape from bipedal to quadropedal or things of that nature, I don't think it RAW would let you do that. Beast shape and polymorph could be fine if the things they changed into had four legs and weren't too small or large relative to a cow? I think you are talking about giant birds though?

[@thespankmyfrank]

I know this is 2 years late but "...and it looked like that vampire was killed by a donkey" made me snort laugh reading it. Thank you.

[@maple3845]

1:16:55 "You can't get halfway in there and be like, 'Wait this didn't happen.'" *Grog and Percy have Tiberius 'Nam flashbacks*

[@Liam-vu7wo]

That definitely put Matt on the couch for the night 😂

[@zacharydunn6577]

I think it works better to think of something like that like chess; until you finish your turn and take your hand off your piece you can change what you did. Obviously it's a little different with D&D, but to some degree I think that should still apply. She had done nothing meaningful with her turn, so there was no reason she couldn't have adjusted.

[@alexgulino335]

Nah Tal laughed because of the sexual innuendo of it. When Travis noticed how Taleisan laughed(like there was a hidden meaning) he thought about it again in that light and realized what Tal was laughing at and laughed too. You can read it all on their faces, and then Tal said "thank you for going on that journey with me" edit: also, the reason he said it like that was because she pissed him off right before that 1:16:45. He was trying to be nice about it beforehand, but after that he went the other direction a bit too far later on with the whole "you don't know mist = vampire" when a character literally told them as much in game 15 minutes before. It's the only time I've ever heard anyone say anything close to that to Matt while dming

[@skullsquad900]

@@alexgulino335 nah, I would've ruled it the same way. She would've had to take her turn to roll an Int check to determine what was going on. It could've been a Fog Cloud spell for all she knew. She kept calling it a Black Mist, when he never said that. It was just *"Mist."*

[@besterich277]

@@skullsquad900 Yeah I agree, that's where the misunderstanding came from. Marisha kept saying the mist was something that would obviously catch the eye, while Matt quite pointedly said that it's just a mist. Mist is normal and in a battle wouldn't catch your eye, the intelligence check was to determine whether it caught her eye. People seem to think it's as simple as Keyleth having the knowledge that mist = vampires? when there's plenty of context missing.

[@gingerosity244]

Percy: "I don't know if I can use minor illusion right now." Me: ...Minor illusion? Percy: "Okay, I'm just going to Hex that guy right there." Me: ...HEX?! *finally realizes what the heck is going on*

[@bastien1591]

Hexblade warlock multiclass ?

[@ElphabaoftheBlueBox]

@@bastien1591 hexblade subclass didnt exist then its more likely a homebrew style feind

[@maximillionchaoswolf]

I think you mean what the HEX is going on.

[@darkvizardking69]

@Jacob Treuer I imagine because there wasn't a way for him to pull warlock with his fighter and how he was building it then. There are homebrew evocations, one of which let's you make a firearm your pact weapon. Meaning yes now you can make a fighter/warlock like percy.

[@toastybreadkatt5079]

I just Keep thinking Hero Squad when they put a illusion hat on a warforge

[@stevenritter8719]

Just came from the previous episode and was hoping Geralt would be looking at me.

[@stevenritter8719]

We get to hear elder scrolls music now. YES

[@stevenritter8719]

+Steven Ritter they were expecting six humanoids. Not one triceratops.

[@drizzt102]

Can I just take a moment. Marisha and Taleisin (spelling?) their acting chops and friendship are both 15/10. The way they are like 'grab each others hands, we can do this' as people but just last session roleplaying that conflict of spirit and ideals as well as they did, it was so well done.

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Yeah, really love them as tablemates in this campaign. A good mnemonic for "Taliesin" is that, being an Eldritch Goth Lord, his name naturally contains the words LIE and SIN. >:-D

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Well, he has mentioned that he occasionally needs to remind Welsh friends to "stop saying it right!" XD (Tal-YES-in being the traditional pronounciation, rather than Mr. Jaffe's TAL-isin.)

[@Archdaemos]

Nooooo, they've all forgotten Trinket takes half bludgeoning because of his fancy armor. :c

[@QaRajhCreations]

Yep, because Laura only wrote down "New armour 1AC 18 (20)" she didn't mark that extra one down. However, I'm not surprised at all; Given how perplexed she is whenever it's her turn, and she fumbles hopelessly through what she can do, instead of just learning the few two-three skills she almost always end up using.

[@iGuttsi]

Archmortal add Matt says a lot, if you don't write it down you don't have it

[@morganalefae3137]

I've been screaming that at the screen for weeks now

[@Bled420]

Archmortal No one cares enough to remember it 😂

[@Idofphoenix]

Scanlan remembers...

[@torjones1701]

Did Will Wheaton come in and "Bless" Matt's dice for this session?

[@mileseximius]

he must have

[@OzixiThrill]

Will's blessing is him drawing out all the low rolls from it, making the dice only ever roll above 5 and consistently above 10 for the rest of time.

[@arcadiandynasty8830]

He to the reason

[@ScorchHellfire]

Consider all those natural 20s he rolled when attacking Grog with tons of guards, yeah, no.

[@OmniValor]

Will Wheaton deserves his terrible luck

[@stirlinggerbic-forsyth3345]

I will never not love VM planning here. "Let's have one person attack one house as a distraction for the guards." Proceed to attack both at the same time, which prevents guards having enough time to run to the distraction attack, meaning the entire plan was useless, other than to let Scanlon show off.

[@tearay1073]

Meanwhile, Scanlan gets to wreck shit with as much showmanship as possible and disagreements over metagaming and breaking role-play ensue. Welcome to D&D.

[@Birthday888]

To be fair, that portion of the plan was disrupted by Grog being a little over eager to get to the killing part of their plan before they finished the stealthing bit.

[@SocialistSadako]

vm is so fucking dumb.

[@Postoronniy]

@@Birthday888 To be even fairer, last episode Vax did tell Grog to "go for the door" (even though Liam immediately denied it after Grog ran off to storm the house).

[@SocialistSadako]

@@Postoronniy it was definitely vax's fault. i think vax gets way too much of a pass even though he usually acts as stupid or even stupider than grog.

[@megankrempasanka1426]

I love Liam's voice rising two octaves with "Why are you not dimentioning door out of there????"

[@shadowrain1000]

For rewatching purposes, since I can't find one of these in the comments: 9:05 - Matt gets VERY excited ;) 10:10 - Further explanation of the title 13:40 - Recap ends 14:55 - Scanlan's Dino Attack (A Legend is Born) 18:07 - Jurassic Park~ 23:27 - Taliesin and Marisha share a moment 24:35 - Upper Camera stops working, starts again at around 26:00 25:13 - Idiot guard is an idiot 25:55 - Scanlan and the others realize that he has no fire spells, Marisha gives him what for 26:53 - Critical Cloud 32:01 - Scanlan regains his sense of self preservation 34:44 - Scanlan find the key to success 35:46 - Scanlan drinks the potion 41:47 - BIGBY'S HAAAAAND *shamone* 44:02 - Those guards probably regret their life choices 48:33 - Scanlan's epic escape 53:33 - The Legend of Scanlan "Rambo" Shorthalt 54:02 - Meanwhile... 1:16:53 - Taliesin and Travis share a moment 1:32:45 - How Do You Want To Do This? (1:32:00 for full attack/Nat 20) 1:50:00 - Metagaming? (Honestly don't agree with Matt's call here, since in my very limited D&D experience, talking is a free action. I feel that Percy or Vax should have been able to shout something to Keyleth. Probably the only time I disagreed with Matt in the entire series. Rant over) 1:50:50 - Keyleth finishes the Vamp 2:00:29 - Advertising 2:07:14 - Only Keyleth and Scanlan remember the plan 2:11:04 - Percy's not the only one with no mercy 2:12:21 - Percy aka JOHN CENA

[@davidonstreet6313]

shadowrain1000 a

[@jmanjoshua1982]

Thanks for the time stamps! Maybe also consider kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYe2mHdnnqdkfZIh25m51s showing how Matt is a great DM yet again. He is fair and just in his actions, also willing to admit when mistakes are make, proving he is in fact the DM who is able to make technical adjustments to the reckless attacks by Grog, but rarely looses focus on the story. Such an amazing show to watch, even for the second time through.

[@RandomLoverOfNoodles]

40:16 - Stand off with Vedmire

[@willschwartz6181]

shadowrain1000 blah

[@newfire2280]

I’ll say I think that the “treading a thin line with metagaming” is fair because he didn’t say that they were doing it but they were coming close. To do it a little better someone should have told her during their turn since they know she has the sunbeam thing. I think he was pretty lenient with allowing that to pass and he said that her using the bonus action would make up for it and make sense

[@KingNefiiria]

This is the episode where the skyrim music started playing. rip french horns you will be missed. Hello skyrim, baby

[@S_047]

Lol I kept wondering why frost trolls and bears kept coming to mind

[@cheerio3442]

@@S_047 lmaoo such a pain to walk on the roads and enjoy the sights

[@OrionX700]

I love how Vex's weapons are listed as a longbow and Trinket.

[@dontedoestuff]

I love how Grog's says Great Axe and Rage

[@BloodrealmX]

Despite not having used a Great Axe for ages.

[@BoZoiD57]

OrionX700 Tibirius' was metamagic and spells.

[@OrionX700]

BoZoiD57 Yeah, but I'm just picturing Vex swinging Trinket like a flail

[@phonejackson]

Trinket isn't a weapon it's a vanity pet

[@bradleywindham4927]

There's something really funny to me about Travis saying "know your rules kids" after being corrected on rules by a DM who literally messed up the rules on that same turn. That's D&D baby

[@herbivorethecarnivore8447]

Matt: "No, you went inside. Not gonna retcon it." [Orion cries in the distance]

[@RepKyle95]

The players all pause, as if there is a voice that only speaks in a whisper. If they strain themselves, they swear it says, "oh, well then I don't do that."

[@morganbenedict4665]

Good riddance I say so happy he’s gone

[@stevenwillet1873]

Just reached this part in the video. Ouch but that was one of the things that bugged me about Orion.

[@NanaMamaS]

Bahahahahaha 😃

[@CaffeinatedKing]

I always felt like people took the "glory hog" meme with Orion too far, I don't think his intent was always quite *that* selfish. But I did find it somewhat tiring at times when he'd describe an elaborate plan and go "I don't do that. Instead I..." Sometimes it was fair enough to not do something, the others have reversed decisions as well, but he definitely needed to just roll with the punches sometimes and play along. I always felt like Orion's issue was more just a general lack of self awareness in a social situation. (Which is why Tiberius's wisdom was so low I bet.)

[@LeftClick]

Remember remember, the 5th of Gnomevember

[@Lexiy76]

Damn it, I have to give you a like for that one. But I'm not happy about it!

[@myrixica4222]

It's not like you got short changed on the humour value of it.

[@pojot]

The Gnomepowder Treason and plot

[@michaelhofler8944]

your pf pic is so great

[@SirDankleberry]

@@Lexiy76 Gnome Fawkes.

[@razamatar]

Percy and his demon are giving off a very peter parker and the symbiote feel. If he starts snapping his fingers walking down the street kill him.

[@2tired2p15]

(That scene with thanos)

[@RonquixoteDIII]

@@evilwarrior9522 "now dig on this" *pelvic thrusts rhythmically*

[@OmniValor]

*finger guns*

[@ZimtPorridge]

Matt: draws a map of the whole house, makes a triceratops sheet and finds a figurine for it as well. Sam: Immediately morphs back, teleports to the roof and sets the house on fire. Matt: I'm not even mad, this is hilarious.

[@kotorlady13]

Every single episode I still think the same thing: Taliesin is an incredible player and a very handsome man

[@NopeJustPatrick]

Yeah, he's probably the best and most respectful player out of all of them. Can't speak as to how handsome he is though, I've never been good at judging my own sex.

[@thej8172]

@@NopeJustPatrick Dude you should see how he looked as a teen with long blond hair, so pretty :3

[@IlviaggiodiMartis]

Agree, and he seems a very gentle person!

[@UVjoint]

While I love all the other cast members' reactions and joke contributions, I think he has the best ones because he misses almost nothing and has a whole range from subtle, witty one-liners to red-faced, out-of-breath laughter. It's a delight to watch him!

[@Darksnakemrniceguy]

after orion he is the worst player at the table, and he looks like a cross breed of a peacock and a sack of potatoes...

[@ryanpye5715]

who else is pissed that Laura forgot that trinkets new armor give him 20 ac and resistance to bludgeoning

[@agustinmolina6660]

i am. she wrote a (20) next to his 18 and forgot why she did it so she erased it forever. what a waste of a +2

[@Rekabeck352]

@@agustinmolina6660 to be fair a few episodes ago Matt asked for Trinkets AC and she mentioned the 20 in brackets and he said no his AC is 18 I don't know why you wrote that

[@raldhem]

@@Rekabeck352 Bulette armor got his AC up to 20, but they forgot about that.

[@sampizarro2458]

WE HAVE AN ARMY!! WE HAVE A SCANLAN!! this battle needs to be animated asap

[@Spiffy35]

Oh you don't have to dream now

[@oninoni]

@@Spiffy35 it might. The tv series is supposed to do the briarwood arc

[@nuru666]

"We have an army!" "We have a Scanlan!" "...We would like to negotiate our immediate surrender."

[@bobbysingh6052]

@@oninoni this... this is the Briarwood arc.

[@oninoni]

@@bobbysingh6052 i know. Will be fun.

[@JB940]

02:09:50 I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the last guard they killed in the house and interrogated says "The briarwoods mean well" in the same sentence he said he hung a young boy from a tree. These guards are all obviously charmed or controlled in some way and nobody noticed.

[@frankyquilavafireblast895]

I hope they eventually remember that trinket has half damage from bludgeoning thanks to his armor

[@aNovelQuest]

@@mixmastertdawggyd it was ths windwall damage that was bludgeoning damage

[@DINGOlord]

Non-magical bludgeoning damage. Wind Wall deals magical bludgeoning damage

[@dig8634]

@@Story_Sandwich People in the way of her arrows? That's not actually a thing in 5e. I believe there is a halfling trait that lets you get half cover behind medium sized allies, but otherwise there is no rule that people can block line of sight. Matt sometimes rules differently, but that's his discretion as DM. Or are you just talking about that single barrage? Cause that really didn't matter at all. Her allies had high health, almost full, and the enemies had low health, same for that lightning arrow the other episode. Someone mentioned that she pointed out the 20 AC written in parentheses and Matt said that was wrong, so she erased it. I don't remember that, but if that's true it's not on her. The whole group is awful when it comes to remembering rules (how many times did Matt say crits double only the dice the last three episode?), so remembering why that 20 AC was there is not that bad. I think she wrote it in parentheses because they hadn't picked up the armor yet when she wrote it, but that could be wrong. The bludgeoning thing I can't say anything about. Maybe she didn't write it down, or maybe she wrote it somewhere she hasn't spotted yet. And Trinket is generally a liability, but that's not really her fault. Ranger is pretty crappy built, and you can't expect her to factor that into her decision when this character was her first one. Keep in mind I'm not saying she's brilliant. They are not exactly strategic masterminds, but I think calling her especially bad is not all that fair, and I think expecting any more than what we are getting is too much. You can expect more if you really want to, but that means you should watch another show, not complain about this one. The very first thing Matt said in the first episode was that number-crunchers should turn that off. Complaining is pointless and worthless.

[@arlanengin6904]

@@dig8634 Also they’re just people having fun, playing Dnd, and literally no one in the group would claim Trinket is there for the fights. He’s there because having a pet in the story makes Laura happy (if not evidenced by her attachment here, then later by the following campaign when she gets... Sprinkles, I believe is the name of a ferret I’ve only heard of but not “seen”). Even if she was a DnD expert and knew the in’s and out’s of classes and optimal building, that isn’t always the greatest desire for players (and in my opinion, shouldn’t be) and more likely she was more motivated by the creative and narrative implications of being a Ranger and it’s associated abilities/visual. Obviously a player with a masterful control of their build and an understanding of how to bend the rules of the game is really impressive, but this is again, just a group of friends having a good time together that we’re being allowed to enjoy, and if all the choices they made in DnD were based around the strongest choice in the meta, they’d end up being pretty creatively limited (and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say we’d be pretty bored). I do wish they remembered things that help keep Trinket alive, just because the emotional state of the characters is impactful, and my attachment to their well-being like most viewers means Trinket getting hurt is stressful. But remembering the sheer amount of stuff they have to, in the heat of the moment, with multiple other people around you to pay attention to, and with the subliminal pressure knowing they’re on live camera... I doubt I’d be any better.

[@dig8634]

@@arlanengin6904 For real. I enjoy analysing their gameplay to see what stragegic blunders they make, but I have never understood the people that think it's an actual issue with the show. Sometimes it annoys me if the thing they are missing is kinda important to what they are doing, but I always enjoy the show more than enough to make up for the tiny amount of irritation a perfectionist like myself feels when they mess up. I'm not sure I can say I would be bored if they powergamed to the extreme, but that would be a completely different show, not at all story driven like this one is, and the audience such a show attracts would be very different too.

[@DeithWX]

Once again Scanlan brings down the ruckus, best character ever. On side note: Matt gave them literally a clue on what to do saying "our contact was good and said you were coming" and nobody catched on that missing important piece of information.

[@playtoyx]

You're right but I think Liam went for the roleplay instead. I mean he helped kill a child.

[@dextright]

+DeithWX he also gave them a bunch of bottles of alcohol to make molativ cocktails with. They just threw them in the bag of holding and forgot about it though like they have been with most things. I'd love to hear the ideal solution Matt came up with when he designed these encounters compared to how they actually ended up doing it.

[@lorddvanity13]

+Angelous Mortis I would assume they do exist, considering it's just a bottle of alcohol with a rag inside, dipped in something flammable.

[@lorddvanity13]

+Angelous Mortis probably. If they were like a researcher.

[@shinon748]

+Angelous Mortis I'm sure they do I always though of Alchemist's Fire as Molotov Cocktails. The concept of a bottle being thrown and it bursting to flame is the same behind both.

[@ravenpiper2737]

09:05 - Matt gets VERY excited ;) 10:10 - Further explanation of the title 13:40 - Recap ends 14:55 - Scanlan's Dino Attack (A Legend is Born) 18:07 - Jurassic Park~ 23:27 - Taliesin and Marisha share a moment 24:35 - Upper Camera stops working, starts again at around 26:00 25:13 - Idiot guard is an idiot 25:55 - Scanlan and the others realize that he has no fire spells, Marisha gives him what for 26:53 - Critical Cloud 32:01 - Scanlan regains his sense of self preservation 34:44 - Scanlan find the key to success 35:46 - Scanlan drinks the potion 41:47 - BIGBY'S HAAAAAND shamone 44:02 - Those guards probably regret their life choices 48:33 - Scanlan's epic escape 53:33 - The Legend of Scanlan "Rambo" Shorthalt 54:02 - Meanwhile... 1:16:53 - Taliesin and Travis share a moment 1:32:45 - How Do You Want To Do This? (1:32:00 for full attack/Nat 20) 1:50:50 - Keyleth finishes the Vamp 2:00:29 - Advertising 2:07:14 - Only Keyleth and Scanlan remember the plan 2:11:04 - Percy's not the only one with no mercy 2:12:21 - Percy aka JOHN CENA

[@thoronbar]

Commenting to boost

[@jnm92]

Bless you

[@Harry-ju8yw]

CRITICAL TIMESTAMP. you rock

[@AL3K_o_5]

*I love these timestamps*

[@kafnfriends]

+

[@jmb711]

Reposting my timestamps for myself from my tumblr 13:40 - Game starts 14:55 - Scanlan the triceratops 18:06 - They all sing the Jurassic Park theme 19:25 - Scanlan vs. another door, the door wins 25:55 - Scanlan sent to set a fire but has no way to do it, they give Sam shit for it (triceratops gone) 29:10 - Dukes of Hazzard table slide, it’s not great 35:45 - Scanlan drinks the fire breath potion and starts setting the roof on fire 42:50 - Scanlan “I’m gonna kill everyone in this motherfucking house” 48:35 - Bigby’s hand catches Scanlan as he falls back off the roof 53:34 - Scambo lives 54:05 - Now it’s time for the rest of the team . . . 1:05:00 - Tylieri is a vampire 1:16:50 - Matt “You can’t get halfway in there & be like wait this didn’t happen” (who needs context) 1:23:12 - Keyleth thinks Vax’s table slide is awesome 1:32:10 - Trinket gets nat 20 & HDYWTDT on the vamp and bites his head off!! 1:50:58 - Keyleth casts sunbeam finishes off the vamp mist 2:11:05 - Vax slits last guard’s throat over the death of the child hanging from the Sun Tree 2:11:40 - Vex slams Percy against a wall, Percy “I feel cruel”

[@TheSolitaryGrape]

Thank you!

[@IzzyM801]

Boostin

[@charlesboots6508]

Bumping timestamps.

[@savvyshiafan]

Bump bump

[@machinegun_noise]

Thanks

[@nitidiuscula]

This whole Scanlan fight sequence is the most goddamn bonkers thing I have ever witnessed. I love Sam so much 😂

[@MrDavidock]

That was the most amazing display of use-of-abilities and roleplaying I've ever seen done by one party member. Bravo. Sam Riegel is so obviously my favorite VM party member.

[@julian7247]

Scanlan"the revolution will not be civilised" Shorthalt

[@jimjam7928]

So many amazing moments in this episode: The peasants rising up to fight a zombie giant. Vax sliding across the table, and then Keyleth imitating him. Percy blowing someone's head off. Trinket mauling a vampire. And, of course: Scanlan turning into a tricerotops and knocking down doors, farting his green mist over a bunch of guards, shoving a goliath off a roof, and burning a mansion to the ground. Amazing.

[@singerofsongss]

"I got 26. I got distracted." I am Taliesin. Taliesin is me.

[@jacksonh6797]

I mean, it’s in your name

[@MinimaTheWarrior]

Timestamp?

[@cdlaws3]

Vox Machina is the dictionary definition of Chaotic.

[@gambit4021]

Don Lawson i would like to see a truly lawful dnd group tho XD without anything you can argue about

[@leavy]

Yannik this has never existed, the closest you get is someone who nails Paladin RP and (unsuccessfully) admonishes the group on acting evil

[@Jake007123]

@@leavy The last Paladin I played was with 3.5 rules (Lawful Good and one strike and you're out of powers!), and he never lost his powers, never left his path, and the party loved him to bits. Admonishing the group does nothing, it's better to just be an example and let them see what rewards you get for it. Let them follow freely instead of tying a leash on them.

[@azarinevil]

@@gambit4021 That would be a pretty difficult group to keep alive as a DM.. no rogues to help parties get around without fights every damn time.

[@8Bitnoobgamer]

And then the Mighty Nein came around

[@derrickzane5834]

I proclaim this the "Scanlain Gambit" which is to haphazardly commit random chaos everywhere at once.

[@pawemarzec5764]

I've heard Scarambo

[@kasiamleczarska9078]

Scanlan: I can do all kinds of things, I'm going there. And I will be fine, don't make me tell you twice, I can go alone, I'm fine. Also Scanlan: I don't know why I was sent in to this mission!

[@jeremiahbutler8638]

"How about the episode where Scanlan attacks an entire house by himself?"

[@OmniValor]

"Bards suck" lol

[@tiredjediknight3110]

There's a part of me that really wishes I could experience this again for the first time. It's honestly amazing

[@Maurenriques]

@@tiredjediknight3110 YOU WILL WHEN THEY *ANIMATE IT*

[@davidmorris6707]

@@OmniValor I just caught it unprepared for the first time!!! Dam now I wish I could do it again 😆

[@dservez]

You can always cast any spell at a higher level. Whether it gives you a bonus effect or not is the only benefit of casting at higher levels, but Scanlan could've used Polymorph or Dimension Door using one of his higher slots, just expending higher than he needed to.

[@paulg.4812]

Yeah, it wasn't communicated well, but it led to a far more interesting scene than if he had just used a 5th or 6th level slot on dimension door, so I guess rule of cool won out.

[@BigMac8000]

This is really useful to know. D&D needs better reference sheets.

[@roge220]

what about the reverse and casting spells higher than your level?

[@turambad]

You can cast a lower level spell using a higher level slot, but you can't do the opposite.

[@jimmydevron5480]

is that 5e or pathfinder

[@marnma11]

Can we take the time to appreciate Sam tying his tie around his forehead?

[@kaeleastlord]

He didn't have his beret

[@varenoftatooine2393]

I think we can just appreciate the whole man.

[@NuclearNova_]

8:00 Liam announcing he is playing a character on an prime tv show. It’s so crazy that little did they know 6 years later, they would be playing these characters on their own prime tv show

[@SkoloT]

wow, thats wild! hahah im happy we are in this timeline and got to see this beautiful world being brought to professional animation 😭

[@wrenchofdoom]

About that whole vampire-mist "metagame", I'm pretty sure they asked a dude at the temple in their hometown about the vampires and he told them about the mist. He also told them that religious symbols don't work. Or maybe it was a book? Idk I'm pretty certain thought that they knew that.

[@S_047]

Yes I vaguely rember that. The Sarenre priest that helped Vax

[@criz1394]

She also had a room full of allies telling her that the mist was a vampire (including Percy who was literally standing right next to her when she walked in the room). So that 17 should have been PLENTY to know that Vex telling her to sunbeam the mist meant she should sunbeam the mist lol

[@supervillainJ]

Disagree that situation was chaos. I have done this when my players try to.meta game

[@totallyrealname6376]

They dealt with the mist previously so I lean towards not metagaming, but since she did just walk into the room and didn’t really know what was going on I’d say it’s a wis roll and then RP the roll. Teammates in character screaming out of turn is against the rules however. PHB p.190 “You can communicate however you are able, through brief utterances and gestures, *as you take your turn*” highlighted important part. Though Matt himself admits this campaign is a rules nightmare (and lets be honest it really is) so that part doesn’t really matter, what matters is rule 0.

[@maebell1639]

I realize this campaign was years ago but this call really did upset me. I was frustrated that he didn't let her do it but was going to shrug it off, the meta gaming call made me so upset though. I'm only just getting back into DnD so while I don't know all the rules, the RP made total sense. Ignoring anything said by other players, this is my understanding of her perspective. They discussed a sabotage with Scanlan. He was supposed to cause a fire in the other house. Percy intended her to create the sky written symbol in the smoke from the house they were attacking, she consistently misunderstood and thought she was supposed to do it from the house Scanlan was attacking. She kept checking for that smoke because that was the only task she was given in this thrown together plan. Failing to see any, she rushes in. With both Pike and Scanlan absent, she is her party's best bet at healing. Seeing many enemies not looking at her, she immediately looks for her party members with healing in mind. They were just outside, there was no mist. As she walked in, there was no mist. Now, she sees Grog, Vex, and Trinket by an unknown and isolated mist. That's not much, BUT Grog is in a frenzied rage and while not at risk of falling, he is damaged. All the men on the balcony have crossbows and no signs of magic use but Grog has wounds from both bolts and what look like claw marks. He and Trinket aren't fighting and Vex isn't crying so no reason to think Trinket did it under possession or otherwise. Further evidence, no visible magic users why else would her friends all be ignoring the men on the balcony for some strange mist? They fought misty vampires and saw them dissipate just the night before. Honestly arguing that she DIDN'T make that connection is way harder. I'll admit Marisha is a very casual player, but this call was beyond sound.

[@DulishusWaffle]

Basically the motto of Vox Machina: "Do I double everything, or just the die?"

[@essexfuzz]

It annoys me a lot that 31 sessions in the players STILL don't know this rule.

[@JoULove]

I read that as "... or just die?" like double or nothing, which kind of sums up their playstyle as well 😂

[@seaborgium919]

@@essexfuzz It's a lot more than 31 sessions in, remember they played at home before going live. However, this just makes it better, because it's a lot more human. Not everyone is going to memorize every tiny rule when they have an entire life.

[@Jake007123]

@@seaborgium919 They played Pathfinder before they started recording, and changed to D&D 5e. You double everything in Pathfinder (with some exceptions).

[@midofae]

I literally made Sam's "The wind wall gets an attack of opportunity" joke in my head like 30 seconds before he did. This is spooky, I've been binging too much critucal role.

[@piratescribe]

"I've never been a triceratops before!" This is why D&D is awesome.

[@leonielson7138]

36:40 I'm just imagining the guards saying, "Did you know Gnomes could breath fire?" Tiberius would be proud . . . and probably envious.

[@NopeJustPatrick]

Tiberius would have turned Scanlan invisible and taken the praise for himself...

[@fawfulbenivictor5556]

@@NopeJustPatrick I know this is old but Not only would he do that but say he "rolled a natural 40" on turning Scanlon invisible

[@NopeJustPatrick]

@@fawfulbenivictor5556 No worries. If you do the math, I made my comment 3 years after the OP made theirs. In my book, that makes you about a year early.

[@ladaboy3507]

@@NopeJustPatrick but what if you were a year late?

[@TwentyItaliansLS]

"Witcher is coming to theaters in a couple of years." "Channing Tatum as Geralt?" 2019: "Toss a coin to your Witcher..."

[@tbm275]

Now to watch through another 100 episodes and see their reaction, should they give it on the show, to the casting of Cavill and the show...

[@bloodfoxtriberc]

@@tbm275 stop.

[@tbm275]

@@bloodfoxtriberc uh what? Am I or anyone else not allowed to be curious to know if they end up discussing it? Perhaps you should stop being a killjoy

[@DumpsterFyre38]

Toss a coin to your stripper, oh valley of plenty!

[@TheCycloneable]

@@tbm275 CR bingewatching-newcomer here, did they finally give their impression though?

[@Logatog]

Unless they get to it in part 2, the gang missed a significant bit of info from the final guard they were interrogating. He mentions them essentially receiving a "tip-off" and having a contact (or contacts) among the townsfolk; the time between making the plan and executing it was very short so I'm going to guess someone they trust is deceiving them.

[@Frellnikky]

I'm guessing it was the girl who owned the shop they were staying at.

[@SneakyBrazz11]

Absolutely love watching Marisha smiling and nodding across the table at the mention of Percy's hex, and Sam just isn't following, looking like the lost little boy Scanlan pretends to be

[@Owmxks]

Scanlan taking on the Duke was probably Sam's best performance on CR to date! Rivaled only by a moment that happened during episode 38-ish that I won't spoil for those who haven't caught up to that part yet ;)

[@playtoyx]

Honestly I'm just waiting for Scanlan to take leadership. I know Sam won't do it but Scanlan would be leader.

[@TehBluPanda]

I dunno, the little boy act wad pretty hilarious

[@OrphanHart]

+playtoyx He may possibly joke about being a leader but I don't think he would want to be one. He likes having fun too much and keeps dancing with death. He's great, but not leader material in my eyes. He even gets man handled in brothels :p

[@Pixl0311]

+MajorRoe "You leave when Burt Reynolds tells you to leave" and some of the stuff with the duergar king and queen were pretty epic.

[@pickybusiness8549]

+Bunny Rabbit I honestly think vex or percy would be the leader