Grog: the Brains of the Group | Critical Role (spoilers episodes 1 - 59)

Several spoilers for the first half of Campaign 1
A collection of moments from Critical Role when Grog shows off his intelligence.
Please tag spoilers in your comments!
All clips belong to Critical Role: / @criticalrole

[@BriannaZumbro]

I also make dice! starlightdice.etsy.com

[@KanuckStreams]

Travis: "Oh! OH! I have a Belt of Dwarvenkind that lets me read Dwarvish! "Matt: "If you could read." Travis: *Deflates*

[@dovaqueen1110]

And there was also a low piano note that followed along with the deflate, lol

[@WorgenGrrl]

And Ashley's face going "Poor baby!"

[@ATK1734]

4:06

[@coltonhusher3876]

This moment was the conception of Fjord.

[@elusivegamergirl]

lol Matt just had to ruin the moment of excitement for him

[@timmara3296]

“I have an intelligence of 6, I know what I’m doing.” It was right then and there, I knew I was going to love Grog

[@VegetaLF7]

It pretty much explains Grog in a nutshell

[@JayfroC]

Still my favorite character in CR, and it all started with that line

[@TaitRo1018]

Travis is a fucking TREASURE

[@elusivegamergirl]

I need that line on a tshirt. It's an absolute favorite lol

[@scottdean185]

Man i know Travis got tired of being a dumb character but he was smart enough to play it so well the entry gentry and Math is Mathis lines had me laughing so hard.

[@owenwabie3401]

Yeah you gotta be smart to play a dumb character. It's much funnier when you're in on the joke, Haha.

[@ferrous719]

@@owenwabie3401 it's like parodies. It's hard to do well because you actually have to be cleverer than everyone else to make it work

[@kaeleastlord]

Its not that Travis got tired of playing the "dumb guy". Everyone changed it up for campaign 2. But Grog was the first time Travis ever played dnd and, because he didn't know anything about the game, wanted to play something that required no thought to play.

[@thudlite4319]

@@kaeleastlord That’s kinda funny and awesome.

[@dragonwithamonocle]

I remember him talking about how challenging it was when he switched to Fjord because "with Grog I could kind of just go full applesauce brain," which is a term I love and continue to use to this day.

[@thudlite4319]

The eagle transformation was funny. “Suddenly...you have feathers! What the shit?! And-“ *long pause as Matt looks at the stats and almost busts out laughing* “You’re smarter! Because giant eagles have an intelligence of 8!

[@AnimeWolf5193]

12:26 for those curious.

[@averongodoffire8098]

When you’re literally dumber than a FUCKING BIRD😂🤣

[@dude1nsanity]

Fun idea, as an eagle he could have technically learned how to read 😂

[@hamsterfromabove8905]

@@dude1nsanity He'd only be able to read while in eagle form. He'd forget what he learned when he changed back.

[@elusivegamergirl]

Just like when he had that option of Fox's Cunning and Pike stayed up all night to teach him letters and he forgot it all when the potion wore off

[@jstir6437]

Grog referring to numbers bigger than 6 as “legendary amounts” is my favorite thing ever.

[@frasscolegaming5510]

That just played when i read your comment

[@jasonandrews1770]

The one time he rolls a nat 20 on int and it makes perfect sense for grog to actually know something too. Love them dice

[@T0NI_]

Yeah the writers are amazing

[@AlsVikingen]

2:25

[@johnrodgers8457]

@@T0NI_ writers?

[@anmbaring]

@@johnrodgers8457 an inside joke. Some people were speculating that the show is scripted but they’re just that good 😅

[@johnrodgers8457]

@@anmbaring oh, heard that. I never had the time to watch past season one so I'm not current on the critterverse anymore.

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

I always thought it was a funny thing that Grog was in charge of the bag of holding. Then I remembered, his specialties are shapes, colors, and shiny things. The perfect person to keep track of the bag's contents.

[@venom_colada1512]

And also ale.

[@kyleking6101]

The fact that he kept tabs on literally everything for years!!! He kept perfect track of everything to the point where he says how long stuff had been in the bag when he gets it all out after defeating the Frigid Doom

[@emetanti]

The most lethal inventory keeper there ever was.

[@The2econd3vil3xes]

"Oh nymph, hear my balls!" *Marisha nearly spits out her drink*

[@semogecarg]

travis, having a stroke: "the clous where neher klite ash flaghy"

[@pixelmace1423]

Timestamp please

[@choopz6037]

@@pixelmace1423 15:49

[@Grim_Sister]

“I have an intelligence of 6, I know what I’m doing.” I need that on a T-shirt

[@shannononeill482]

Right??

[@ParanoidCritter]

Lauras stare during the Grog bartering moment is so intense :D

[@user-te4wj7xr8t]

Time stamp

[@sonan333]

@@user-te4wj7xr8t 1:23 ish

[@vecingettorix8645]

She can see it coming :D

[@eliasmolck5566]

"Vex will be so proud of me."

[@joshuagore2478]

I would have loved to listen in on that car ride home lmao

[@GeeGe.]

I'm convinced "Mathis" was the absolute perfect comedic answer to that question

[@antoninperron1307]

Just imagine him finding a headband of intellect. Now he will be strong and able to count to 18

[@sagescribe_]

The world would break if Grog got a Headband of Intellect A real Professor Hulk moment

[@GeeGe.]

For real, Vox Machina should look for that item exclusively for Grog's retirement lol he's already shown an interest in learning. Imagine professional writer Grog, helping Scanlan chronicle VM's adventures!

[@owenwabie3401]

When you're so dumb that the DM insults you. Love his reaction of trying to put the out fire, a very humble response.

[@420Crows]

i think my favorite joke about grogs intelligence is how grog doesnt know numbers and how the amount of numbers and what numbers he knows changes everytime

[@IceMetalPunk]

Six. It's six. Which is, um... more than 5, I think?

[@stone5against1]

When he asked for a number between 1 and 10, I expected the answer to be something along the lines of 12 or some other random number above 10. :p

[@SkilesHasFun]

It's because every time Grog learns a new number, his brain has to delete other numbers to make room for it.

[@demilung]

Huge cudos to Travis for playing an INT 6 character so well. Playing a stupid character can get really annoying after a while, but he stuck to his guns really good.

[@alexmansfield3268]

The man played sonic boom Knuckles, he knows how to play a hilarious dumb character

[@David-ob1jc]

I play a negative intelligence Goliath barbarian that’s actually a circus performer that believes he’s a halfling. Believe me when I say there’s nothing funner than playing a lovable moron. It doesn’t matter if you fail your intelligence rolls, fail your wisdom saves, or even fail a strength or attack role. Every outcome is a chance to roleplay something fun. And the party loves it when suddenly the 8ft tall pile of muscles gets all the best investigation roles and becomes Sherlock Holmes. Or rolls high animal handling and makes a wyrmling his beloved pet while the wizard fails

[@rynnmets7607]

My favorite Grog moment is when the party is fighting a giant gray ooze. Travis knows that hitting it with melee will cause Grog to take acid damage. However and i quote, "Grog wouldn't know that, he's an idiot." and proceeds to continue to fight the ooze in melee combat.

[@JasperForge]

I respect how Travis dodged the question about grog banging the nymph. I mean we had to wait for the campaign wrap up to get a definitive answer

[@danielcunningham4339]

There was an awnser!?

[@newsance2u]

@@danielcunningham4339 yeah nothing happened

[@deltablaze77]

Grog: "I have an intelligence of 6, I know what I am doing." Narrator: *He did not in fact know what he was doing*

[@alyssaboyles9793]

"Oh! I have a belt of Dwarven kind that lets me read Dwarvish!" *"If you could read...."*

[@MarcAmAlb]

I don't know how many times I've rewatched Grog negotiating for the potion, and i still cry of laughter every time. Laura saying "you're such a dick" is the cherry on top of the cake.

[@gregfisher4147]

Travis without a beard and Liam with a full head of hair is just messing with me

[@Ares9804]

Taliesin with his normal hair colour.

[@lauravturner]

“How can you have my back if it’s on me?” Genius.

[@pazz]

Props to Travis for always keeping a tab on what Grog wouldn’t understand. It can be difficult to play a character with super low intelligence properly, it takes someone who’s actually quite smart to do it right. The only time he kinda betrayed this was during the Kevdak showdown, used a few big words and such, but he had a lot of stuff on his plate in that arc, so I don’t blame him for slipping up a bit.

[@ronlittlejohn8046]

Honestly the way he played an idiot was, might I say, genius?

[@dragonfire4869]

Whenever he talks to his herd he speaks more intensely and properly. Someone made a theory that whenever he talks to them he’s talking in Goliath, so he can speak much clearer and knows what to say

[@tackyoptic]

@@dragonfire4869 I personally like that... it reminds me of a similar headcanon with the Heavy Weapons Guy from TF2- English isn't his first language so he speaks it pretty broken, but the idea is that he's very eloquent and well-versed in Russian and even has a PhD in Russian literature. It's a pretty wholesome concept.

[@stalhein62]

"Did you tell her you're her dad yet?" may be my favourite Grog moment, because it was both perfectly thematically correct and the table got the joke at different times so you can see all of them realise.

[@DoctahWAAwee]

"SaM NoT UsInG HaLfLiNg LuCk Is JuSt WhAt HiS ChArAcTeR wOuLd Do!" Grog: "Observe"

[@giaktour]

Νah you floozy, he's pledged to Liam not to use it because he thinks it's broken. Get off his back.

[@tennesseeponderer3146]

Halfling luck isn’t something a character does it’s an innate property

[@giaktour]

@@tennesseeponderer3146 Yeah but the players choose whether or not to use it.

[@Robbie_Riot]

Scanlan isn't a halfling so he couldn't use it anyways.

[@Hellscrap3r]

@@Robbie_Riot No, but Sam's new character is.

[@steele2015]

1:49 *Ahh, yes. The negotiator*

[@TheOneWhoReportsForDuty]

I imagine that whenever he has a stroke of knowledge it’s like when the little DvD bouncing thing hits a corner. The Nat 20s are it hitting twice in a row.

[@Zombiewithabowtie]

"He's counting hands, not fingers."

[@Hypersaiyanike]

Percy really does understand Grog the best.

[@dmdiaries7208]

My favorite part is everyone else frantically raising their hands in response while Percy just has a quiet mental breakdown in the bottom center

[@LightingbladeShen]

Talisen: What would vex do!? Travis: *thinking* she will kill be but Grog isn't the smartest goliath in a bunch Laura *perhaps knowing this is coming* premptive death glares Travis: *makes a deliberately bad trade in his favor because grog doesn't know any better* happy husband noises Jokes aside i respect this man's dedication to grogs stupidity And my enjoyment XD

[@ShaggyRogers1]

That's one of the things that makes Critical Role so good. Its always fine to just make a self-insert character to roleplay yourself into the character, but a lot of the best organic stories come from trying to roleplay as someone else. If all the cast did was just the voices, it wouldn't have nearly as much impact and lasting power but just a gimmick that would have gotten old years ago. You can argue that the cast members still tend to typecast the personalities of the characters they play, but the characters still make sense and it is the little in-character moments that turn these campaigns from being standard gaming fare to a big story world that I would not be surprised at all is written down in novel form at some point.

[@Jonathan_D12]

The funniest part of this is Travis IS the brains of the group

[@Grim_Sister]

Campaign 2: Nott: “Think about it-“ Fjord: “I’m the only one thinking about it!”

[@SkilesHasFun]

Every time I watch clips of Travis being an absolute goofus maloofus, the thought occurs to me, "This man is literally the CEO of this entire operation."

[@obsidianthe7th]

14:25 I feel like Travis was prepared to answer that question with that answer at the drop of the hat this whole campaign.

[@Bloodyshadow1]

i feel like what works so well with Grog is that Travis leans into Grog being an idiot so much. I see a lot of people playing low int or wis characters, they use their character's stats as an excuse to do what they want using the "my character's an idiot excuse," until something cool happens and they need to be able to do what they want the character to be able to do/figure out. But Travis leans so hard into the Grog is an idiot for the failures and the Triumphs so it works so goddamn well

[@WonTonSamurai]

It's so interesting to play a low int character. I have a Goliath cleric with 18 wisdom and I think like 7 intelligence. I just play it as not to smart but goeswith his gut on just about anything. I.e. getting piss drunk before trying to convince a powerful person to help the group. She said she didn't trust us, so I said well fuck, casted zone of truth, well no reason not to trust us now!

[@WonTonSamurai]

Oh forgot to say, we were completely surrounded by guards with spears in our backs not wanting us to move

[@Dragon_Lair]

@@WonTonSamurai Low intelligence Barbarians can be so much fun. All the player needs to do is remove the filter, let whatever flow out whenever and just not think ahead.

[@Riku16994]

I mean i just noticed that the pike cam at 3:07 lines up perfectly with travis' shoulder and looks like his arm and I'm kinda blown away

[@AllFouRoux]

It takes someone as quick as travis to play someone as dumb as grog and I love it.

[@michaelscott6022]

12:58 Grog had to _gain_ points in intelligence to be considered a 'bird-brain'.

[@johnnyb368]

4:10 The piano note syncs so well with Grog's reaction

[@oscarpines7927]

Thank god the traveler never met Grog as a God... he would absolutely try and gaslight him as a magician.

[@olga1231]

technicallyyy he has met grog lol

[@michaelbrucato7180]

@@olga1231 But not as a God

[@jstir6437]

Liam (Vax): My sister is very good at-do you know what math is? Travis (Grog): … mathis? Kills me every time.

[@futurecaredesign]

Hahahaha! "Mathis?" Next character I make I am naming Mathis to honour that moment. So incredibly brilliant and quick-witted, outstanding entertainment!

[@benjamindunne8132]

My girlfriend's DnD Elven Ranger is the funniest character I've ever played with. She's been LETHAL in combat since level 1. A true harbinger of death. She speaks 6 languages. Can't read any of them.

[@josefzalusky7307]

I adore this.

[@benjamindunne8132]

@@josefzalusky7307 she plays it with this kind of childlike naivety, where she takes almost everything at face value. She's also tamed a bear who travels with us that I've made leather armour for

[@anthonysunseri1865]

@@benjamindunne8132 So Vex'ahlia with Grog's intelligence.

[@Frank-zv4up]

14:12 I like how grog look genuinely disturbed when he found out the amount lmao

[@Tavish_Studios]

you know one of the best things with Grog and the Nymph, is that even with the comic book... we still have no idea what actually happened between them

[@kawikacortes347]

lol actually we do. was covered in... a talks episode if i remember right. been a bit. maybe end of campaign wrap.

[@isaacstevens1912]

Yeah in the campaign wrap up talks Machina they said nothing actually happened, the nymph just made some moves to make Grog uncomfortable but nothing more

[@AliasSirBias]

1 3 5 8? Did Grog almost discover the Fibonacci sequence?

[@thudlite4319]

Grog had a millisecond of clarity followed by his usual stupidity.

[@blueseeker93]

Those early days of critical role harsh audio..

[@G1NZOU]

lol so true, but it's a testament to how far they've come in production quality. Less audio issues, bigger set, more storage for miniatures, more office space. Marisha's backstage tour was super enlightening.

[@porkchop4401]

Oh my god yeah. I went to try and listen to the first campaign as I slept. Did not work out lol

[@georgenettleton1857]

The Piano note at 4:10 is such perfect timing for Travis' sag of disappointment

[@davidbergfors6820]

2:21 ooh! this one I remember! It's one of those brilliant moments! and the Eagle: 12:46! "That's how numbers work!"

[@cantini46]

I want a shirt that is grog with his axe going "I cast beheading!!!"

[@Ares9804]

I would want the "Muscle Wizard" shirt for my next DnD games as a stupid barb.

[@AnimeWolf5193]

What makes this work is his commitment. It's not that he pretends to be dumb, he purposefully makes dumb decisions.

[@Comicsluvr]

Matt: Make an Intelligence roll. Travis: *giggles like a loon* Seven?

[@askthepizzaguy]

He's gleefully waiting for the DM to describe in new and interesting ways how he doesn't learn anything from his intelligence checks.

[@Shadow-jw1kt]

I’d like to cast… BEHEADING! *cutting head off noises* 😂 I love Grog😂

[@TaitRo1018]

Grog is the one who rolled a high af investigation and found the Deck of Many Things.

[@joshuareznicek1010]

Watching Grog allows one to appreciate how much of a genius you have to be to play a complete idiot. Travis is really something else.

[@MilanousMedia]

Matt turned Grog into a literal "bird brain" and he got smarter

[@ToxicNeon]

In our campaign, my friend's barbarian has an intelligence of 6, and my bard has a strength of 6, so its become a running joke that he is as smart as i am strong lmao. And our dm likes to quote Grog's line at us now and again

[@RicardoMeansKing]

Grog is the best person you can meet, not the smartest, but the brightest being

[@jeffreyhymas6803]

I miss the early days man, when they were still trying to figure shit out. So much fun. Also, Grog is the best.

[@TheBangBangg]

7:56 Best anwser in all of critical role

[@Shadowkey392]

“Right. I have an intelligence of 6, I know what I’m doing.” 😂

[@kaitlynwickham6237]

7:52 Kashaw's reaction is so good. 😆

[@liambrandley2716]

Grog: vex will be so proud of me! Travis: Laura's going to kill me....

[@marielove5606]

"If you *could read.*" :)

[@dylandenney3980]

"How can you have my back if it's on me?" I mean, he's not wrong...

[@cpt.awesome7281]

I'm Grog

[@Auditore31]

Also Ale.

[@misterwipeout]

I like how they did episodes 1-59 cause we all known we'd be here all day if it went to the end of campaign one

[@ozpin8329]

During the trade at 1:35 I'm surprised the side of Travis' head didn't start to smoke from the way Laura was looking at him.

[@allthenamesiwantedweretaken]

11:20 such an underrated moment.

[@FoxGamer39618]

4:14 That sad note was so well timed when the wave of disappointment it Travis.

[@bulldozer8950]

If only grog was more persistent. It would be really funny if when bartering they get an offer of like 1500, and vex tells grog they should try to get 1200, and grog would just stare at them threateningly holding his ax until he heard 1200

[@swatkat2]

Truely great work on the compilation, Brianna! 10 out of 10! Amazing work on hiring and organizing all those laugh track employees! beep beep

[@ejanocrowsnatcher6785]

2:00 what a genius travis is

[@matthewward2058]

This edit was fantastic! 🤣You've just got a new subscriber.

[@BriannaZumbro]

Aw thanks so much!

[@user-py3kp9yl8l]

My favorite character I've played had a int. Of 5 and it was so much fun. The best part, she was a wizard.

[@vcefins]

um HOW

[@user-py3kp9yl8l]

She was a illiterate daughter of a groundskeeper at a Magical academy and learned spells through observation. I had to roll % everytime I cast to see how effective it was, but my dm was great about it and let me have some success. It was a blast and everybody at game was enjoying seeing me fail and trying to go with it.

[@VegetaLF7]

@@user-py3kp9yl8l A recipe for disaster with every roll. I love it.

[@rimurutempest4945]

@@user-py3kp9yl8l Wild Sorcerer in disguise

[@shadowstrider8295]

The scream of pain Talesin at 1:59 is amazing

[@JustinSIsTank]

11:38 I was SO thrown off by Travis being on the bottom row!

[@shugogh12]

I've not watched the old campaign in a minute, I needed that laugh.

[@nathanhettinger538]

The most replayed one with the Belt of Dwarvenkind literally has a dramatic low note JUST as Travis' shoulders slump as Grog... XD

[@theinsanegamer1024]

Missed the nat 20 arcana check, but otherwise it's good.

[@zacharyfreeman8579]

I want Mary Mcglynn to come back in season 3 for a few episodes. She fit in so well and her and Travis had me dieing of laughter

[@augusttambourpetersen9221]

Man I hope Travis plays a wizard or an artificer for the next campaign, so we finally get to see high int Travis

[@SkilesHasFun]

14:41 Matt: "Make an intelligence check." Travis: *cackles immediately*

[@Doctor_17]

I watched this before I started watching Critical Role, and... Grog is such a gem.

[@canthandlethislol]

Its criminal how many people arent subbing from how many views youre getting ):

[@Companion92]

That right here is great roleplaying

[@nathanmigneault8542]

3:24 I love travis shirt

[@methylphenidate1270]

" 'ocus pocus mutha fuckur"

[@tackyoptic]

"i would like to cast beheading" is so underrated

[@ExhaustedElox]

I love Grog so goddamn much.

[@klaytonrocks]

7:56 makes me laugh every time. My all-time favorite bit from Travis.

[@nicolascamacho9002]

''You are very impotent to me''. I almost drowned on my coffee

[@jametsuchan]

0:08 the way he so quickly says it after Vex asks the lady will never not be funny to me 😂

[@justthelegs]

I miss grog so much!

[@sillythygoose]

Grog sounds like Jack Sparrow, but with a deeper voice

[@JKnowlden95]

4:12 sick burn

[@adamcraig2575]

“Vex will be so proud of me” AWWW

[@RighteousWeevil]

I seriously miss how great the Scanlen Grogg one-two role play punch was

[@nomis269]

Can you polymorph me into a great eagle? Why? I need more intelect

[@ferrous719]

Travis: I have a belt of dawrvenkind that lets me read dwarvish! Matt: if you could read. Soundtrack, completely unnecessarily: ba Bum.

[@dairycream5]

Grog identifying the stone giant fortress makes me so happy😂 I'm so proud of him

[@ferrous719]

He has the best shirts