Race to the Ziggurat | Critical Role: VOX MACHINA | Episode 34

Catch Critical Role live Thursdays at 7PM PT on Twitch: goo.gl/D9fsrS
Listen to the Critical Role podcast: goo.gl/jVwPBr
Vox Machina vs. The Briarwoods: Who will survive? And what terrible secret waits for our heroes beneath Whitestone?
Thanks to @CRTranscript and all the #critters for closed captions!
Watch the next episode on Geek and Sundry now! geekandsundry.com/critical-rol...
For more on RPGs, go to bit.ly/GS_RPG
Visit us on geekandsundry.com
Subscribe to Geek and Sundry: goo.gl/B62jl
Join our community at: geekandsundry.com/community
Twitter: / geekandsundry
Facebook: / geekandsundry
Instagram: / geekandsundry
Google+: plus.google.com/+GeekandSundry/

[@dom5pawn13]

So Percy flicked Percy in the nut, while Percy put a bullseye on it, and Percy stood back and shook his head.

[@chadgeary2653]

and Cassandra just stood there with 3 different expressions on her face....

[@Hawwwlucha]

Now how to draw that....

[@jennessabeckett3949]

God this is the weirdest thing I've seen done with seeming and noone I play with make any good or smart decisions. Even with the cows earlier.

[@lexus3934]

@cak01vej This is something I was not expecting on seeing at midnight cleaning out my inbox

[@CreamyPesto505]

While a massive horror bear Percy stood next to one of the Cassandras.

[@TiffanyHaworthlee]

My god, Mercer is evil. He surrounded Vox Machina with their most dangerous enemies...doors!

[@slipperyfish]

Still a tame enemy in comparison to the likes of THE DREADED CHAIR!

[@draygontaygen677]

The door is the worst enemy of all adventures. Ask any DM 😂, the worst is magic doors. (or was it Unlockable doors hmmm I forget, damm memory wipe spells)

[@IrisCorven]

@@slipperyfish I feel like the chair is the natural evolution of the door.

[@teganzahnow7203]

My group of players also has trouble with doors. The rouges can't open them, but the street urchin sorceress has no problem.

[@haku8135]

They'd have been SO much better if keyleth could remember SHE'S A DRUID! Fucking, GIANT EAGLE!

[@willnelson9906]

shoutout to the fact laura bailey deadass leaves an award show to go play dnd with her friends TWICE

[@SebasTian58323]

If I had a nickel for every time Laura bailey left an award show to play DND in critical role, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's strange that it's happened twice

[@alexotero7105]

@@SebasTian58323 a man of culture, I see

[@lornbaker1083]

Those award shows are boring anyway. Hell I Would use It as an excuse to get out Of doing boring events. Even if I didn't have a game to actually go to.

[@DQuartermane]

Ashley Judd apparently refused hosting the Oscars because University Of Kentucky Basketball (of which she is a huge fan) was the same night. Laura Bailey just took it to the next level.

[@Eriatha]

Grog - "Can I hit this gem?" Grog - "Can I hit this gem?" Grog - "Can I hit this gem?" Grog - "CAN I HIT THIS FUCKING GEM?"

[@jakisz]

So, what did Grog want to do?

[@OGEdger]

@@jakisz I don't know. Something about eating jam?

[@sirchadwickification]

Can I pet that dawg!? Can I pet that DAWG!?

[@awalkingdichotomy]

Every time Scanlan counterspells a teleportation I'm just "YOU LEAVE WHEN BURT REYNOLDS SAYS YOU CAN LEAVE!!!" >8D

[@alchimage7813]

Favorite scanlan quote

[@morganalefae3137]

Thank you for the visual, I loved that moment

[@HenriqueErzinger]

Yeah, tho the original quote wasn't a counter spell. It was Bigby's hand, which he used to hold down an adult white dragon who was trying to fly. Even more badass (and he almost died right after, but still, he succeeded xD")

[@TreVotheJoke]

Omg I still see the stash

[@platyclysm4633]

I think you mean >8[D

[@VampireHunter5790]

"They wouldn't make a trap room" - Scanlan Famous Last Words.

[@niallcowman0]

VampireHunter5790 Indiana Jones thinks that every morning only to be disappointed

[@CrypteGardien]

Well technically they did never build a trap room

[@EMPMusic-nc3bn]

Crypte Gardien yeah that’s true they only modified an existing room

[@CrypteGardien]

Well the thing is even after the modification it wasn't a trap room. It was a residuum production facility.

[@cademackey8450]

I literally stumbled upon this comment as Sam said it. Perfect timing

[@presleydejean4638]

Matt : this seeming spell has fucked everything up Sam : *visible satisfaction*

[@stevenweller9413]

When I first started watching I didn’t realize that while he makes certain he is comic relief, Sam is a much better player than I at first thought. Not sure if he changed or I just let the good moves be blocked by the humor but he is making “the most useless class and race combo” work.

[@goldencalf13]

@@stevenweller9413 bards are op (if built right) but I get the point being made

[@thunderflare59]

That's how you win D&D

[@jameshopkinsipg]

@@stevenweller9413 Bards are far from useless. They may be one of the most powerful being one of the few classes that can dip both arcane and divine spells like they can.

[@stevenweller9413]

@@jameshopkinsipg “most useless class and race combo”is a direct quote from Sam Reigel talking about what he asked Liam when making Scanlan. Bard is very subtle but extremely powerful class with a good player. I was honestly saying I misread how good Sam was playing it when I first started watching.

[@jasonhale8836]

Matt: Why do you guys have trouble trusting NPC's? Also Matt: ......

[@Keira_Blackstone]

the last npc that betrayed them was literally a mind flayer. they should not have trust issues at this point, other than realizing they were idiots for trusting him in the first place.

[@michaeltodd343]

I loved that Vax referred to Trinket as "my nephew", that was so cute

[@PrincessMeggala0913]

Oh THATS what he said? Ha. Cuuuuuute

[@Nixo66]

2 of many Percy's

[@shannononeill482]

If you watch the honey heist's you get the feeling that Trinket sees Vax as Papa...and he calls Percy "papa in law". It's adorable.

[@melvinat0r]

time stamp

[@barbarianking477]

@@melvinat0r 45:59

[@violetsapphire952]

Lady Delilah Briarwood: the second of Vox Machina's enemies to learn the harsh truth: that she will leave when Burt Reynolds tells her to leave.

[@TreVotheJoke]

The Scanlon get like a plus 14 do his Constitution because he's Burt Reynolds as well I'm just saying Burt Reynolds he did Gator Man

[@carlyaskren359]

"The portal doesn't dismiss you, I do."

[@3XC4L1B3R]

🎵 "That's the sound of a gnome fuckin' with ya spells!" 🎵

[@ClokworkGremlin]

only second?

[@mastadon6384]

He needs to say that, and then next round say I changed my name. Its Turd Fergeson. I would lose it if he did.

[@razzledazzlecheeseontoast9808]

Keyleth: Can I water-bend acid?? Grog: Not a lot of hydrogen or oxygen there... For a split second Grog was possessed by Percy's great granny the chemist and nobody even noticed his big brain moment.

[@VegetaLF7]

In another life he was clearly a master alchemist and would know lots about chemical makeup

[@tordix4467]

The way (most) acids work is by punting off hydrogen atoms. So there are a lot of H and O in there. He may have been possessed, but in peak Grogg fashion his science was wrong. 😂

[@razzledazzlecheeseontoast9808]

@@tordix4467 Thank you, this makes it even better xD

[@lornbaker1083]

​@@brownkidnumber2,Are there any other kind? Because this is fascinating. Like what kind of acid is used to melt metal the most efficiently. Or why isn't Glass reactive to most acids? Chemistry is a passion Of mind that I find fascinating. Also, my warlock is an alchemist, so this would really help with Explaining a lot of the chemical science b s that I get up to.

[@user-cp2xo7nr8y]

Actually, there would be a lot of both. HNO3 contains both hydrogen and oxygen H2SO4 too HCl or HF contain hydrogen at the very least (and water in case of aqueous solutions). Therefore Keyleth could certainly try and bend the acid without any trouble.

[@Scifodn]

Vex shoots the button, from off in the distance you hear “I cast telekinesis”

[@warren4765]

Hahaha, that jumped into my head, too. The mood instantly lifted for the better when he left 😌

[@mellowmoodify]

😂

[@caritahearts2405]

*shudders* don't invoke the name of his vile curse

[@vincentlevarrick6557]

@@caritahearts2405 Pfthfthfthfthftht

[@Keira_Blackstone]

ngl I've had a slight urge to make a red dragonborn sorcerer in BG3 specifically so I can waste every turn casting telekinesis and then quicken spell to cast it again for no apparent rational reason. only problem is that game actually counts your spellslots. maybe I'd need a mod that gives you infinite spell slots and sorcery points to truly represent the experience...

[@radkittykat]

Vax: You’re still very pretty. Lady Briarwood: And taken, my darling. Vax: [quietly] Me, too 😭😭😭

[@Marpaws]

So cute 🤩

[@DariyusKabraji]

Liam as Buddy the ogre: oh, your pwetty!

[@mythicxgod5428]

time stamp?

[@DimaJeydar]

@@mythicxgod5428 2:20:40

[@samd4800]

@@DimaJeydar you are a saint

[@oscargimblett1990]

I see the briarwoods went to the bond villain school of "Hope the hero dies in your really convoluted death machine, but don't stay to make sure it happens"

[@eamonnryan8490]

"There's no way he is going to make it out of there alive, let's just leave him to rot" -every villain in mcgyver

[@Moralatheist101]

First thing I thought about too :) Except mine was more the Austin Powers scene that ran through my head.

[@bloodydove5718]

@Agent Smith Thats pretty much the exact same kind of excuse bond villains give; they have more pressing matters to tend to, as they believe the hero has no way of surviving

[@azarinevil]

This is why you never really want to anger the DM.. we can make death traps that actually get the job done, we just don't. The world should be glad that we aren't super-villains.

[@amberblackwell7687]

They've clarly never read the evil overlord's list. You never assume the hero is dead. You make sure that shit worked.

[@nikhilkrishnakumar]

The way Sam looks right as he's about to cast Counterspell is like a dog who knows he's about to get a treat. Excitement 180%

[@stargazer1946]

Oh man, his counterspells are all clutch

[@pokfen1812]

Imagine if he exclaimed: "Objection!"

[@thehikingviking2049]

I love how this ends with Liam shouting "You're a bad man! A good DM, but a ba--" *FREEZE*

[@victorlong8828]

Sees Ashley on skype: "Oh thank god they're not going to die"

[@insan3dovahkiinfoos827]

Honestly

[@romanabanin2216]

even though I watch it after campaign 2 I'm still a bit nervous about in game events in Whitestone. Also knowing Ashley is here means that there will be some dreadful fights

[@deansheets]

Truth

[@liamking9494]

I know this is an old comment, but as a new fan catching up between episodes of campaign 3, I really miss Ashley being a constant cast member. She brings so much joy to the table and, much like Vox Machina, the viewer can feel the difference when she isn't there.

[@TheHighKingKeo]

I thought this exact thing when I saw it. Thank Jesus, whoever that is 🤣

[@toriedominguez1483]

people it's a bad idea to get involved with: - your roommate - your coworker - your sister's best friend Vax manages all three in one woman.

[@luckyfluf0]

Oof... You're absolutely right!

[@literatouristin]

Vax: "Oh.. I got a BINGO!"

[@alpaslankilavuz5470]

@@literatouristin "Oh.. I got a JENGA!"

[@LednacekZ]

done 2 out of 3. wasn't bad at all.

[@shibby758]

Dam all in game I hope?!

[@drtoonie]

3:47:11 “I broke the world for us” gives me actual chills.

[@OneWolfPup]

Thank you for the time stamp!

[@Dreikdan]

Well, it was great to see this one animated 🤤

[@envymordecai4429]

A hero would sacrifice you to save the world. A villain would sacrifice the world to save you.

[@benedictlegreid8173]

When Laura/Vex is making her death saving throws and Liam/Vax says "Pike, please help her" and there's just that break in his voice as he says please......well if that didn't shatter my heart.....

[@catrinac.8948]

4:26:43 time stamping this bc holy shit the acting from Liam was so intense this episode

[@doihavetobeg]

And me screaming (the audience too, I'd imagine) at them to just stabilize her for the time being since the orb shrinking obviously cast some kind of anti magic field at the surrounding area. Man, they really should have had an intervention episode so that Matt could properly explain to them how KO, death saves, and stabilization works...

[@tobyrichardson5488]

they are my favorite siblings ever

[@tobyrichardson5488]

Liams RP and Tali's one liners seem so under appreciated. Or maybe I just love them IDK lol @@catrinac.8948

[@elysseussy]

"what are you at?" "oh, 76." "okay. you take 75 points of necrotic damage." "owo"

[@jonathancoyne8034]

Fun fact, one more point of damage and Vex would have been Lady Briarwood's zombie pet forever. Lol

[@u.s.s.chucklefucker1657]

@Evert van Dalen He fudges rolls a lot more than he'd ever say. It's just because they play for entertainment versus realism/some other factor.

[@edwardnygma5055]

To be really honest, he could have just used power word kill instead of stun earlier

[@chrisparker6517]

@@u.s.s.chucklefucker1657 to be fair, most DM's fudge rolls.

[@8Bitnoobgamer]

@Evert van Dalen I mean he didn't ever like, ask what her health was at, so he may have genuinely not realized, cause that was a long pause of understanding after he heard Vex had 1 hp left.

[@IrisCorven]

Percy One-liners: "YOU FOOL, YOUR SOUL IS FORFEIT!!!" Keyleth One-liners: "YOU SCARED, BRO?!"

[@addaptinginthedark]

I thought she was gonna go Wizard of Oz "You scared of a little fire?" But then "you scared of a little.... gnome and druid?" Bless her. She's not my fave character, but man Marisha is a fun player to watch. She is all in all the time, and I love it so much!

[@daviddupuis592]

Keyleth is not the brightest bulb in the string

[@porkchop4401]

@@daviddupuis592 But the most colorful maybe

[@ThisisCitrus]

Shows who the better roleplayer is. Actual actor versus friend of actors.

[@TempestLM]

@@ThisisCitrus they are both great roleplayers. Keyleth is a young girl with low charisma

[@WereDictionary]

... As much as the Briarwoods had it coming, Delilah's reaction to Sylas' evaporation was heartwrenching.

[@ALJ9000]

Man, why do the villains get the good relationships?

[@luciewalker8098]

I do snot cries every time

[@Tr3nchAn0n]

Shows that passion can imitate love. True love is moral and always good. Whereas passion can be found across all alignments and is a strong and compelling emotion. Compels others to feel it as well.

[@julietminusromeo1249]

@@Tr3nchAn0neven though the briarwoods are objectively very evil, they themselves probably believed they did good. Believe is a strong thing.

[@briansandford3596]

Props to Liam for playing his charmed character with honesty and integrity and to Sam for NOT meta gaming when he could easily have done so on several occasions.

[@michaelford6261]

That’s why they’re some of my favorites (player wise) because they do their best to never metagame. Travis and Talisen are pretty good at it too

[@piranhaplantX]

Yeah, unfortunately Laura and especially Marisha have their metagame moments. Not quite as bad or disruptive as Orion by a longshot. But still causes a sigh every now and again.

[@RoninXDarknight]

@@piranhaplantX You're not wrong but it is important to remember that this was a live show and in the excitement of the moment it's easy to see how they might forget what their characters do and don't know. The fact that the two of them are the worst of the group in terms of staying in character only compounds that. It may be frustrating to watch in hind-sight but it's not something I can fault them for either. I think the biggest difference between them and the other guy is that they don't really argue when they get called out for it...which I take to mean it was accidental.

[@LazyTitan72]

@@piranhaplantX honestly I don't get why that small level of metagaming is a problem. It's bad when it's super obvious like you talking to ppl when you aren't around them or knowing what a monster is as a player but not as a character. But for small things like healing Cassandra immediately and wanting to sunbeam the mist (as a druid and they've been fighting vampires and undead this whole time) it's kinda just like bruh let it go.

[@CarlBrain493]

Yeah agreed. Taliesin is usually great at it too that’s why the trying to not kill lady briarwood felt like a real disappointment, felt like he only did it cause of group input and wasn’t in character.

[@DWIMoonturtle]

I've been binging this series and it's actually incredible to see how Pike has gone from being Everyone's fave Gnome Friend to being almost the party's patron saint or something

[@MetaMdad]

Maybe because a cleric in an undead campaign is basically godmode.

[@azarinevil]

Clerics are the moral center of the group.. they almost always bring out the best of everyone. Plus she managed to get two references to crit role written into Blindspot, so you are not wrong.. she gave them their first mainstream pop culture references ever.

[@hazylittlecherry5423]

Welcome to high level Clerics *finger guns*

[@DredgenStorm]

My party only has 1 Cleric....and she's an NPC. The very instant our DM introduced her, it was unanimously agreed (unspoken might I add!) That she is protected from harm at all costs.

[@sierra2bork29]

I was my party's cleric.i was the relectant healer as everyone kept dropping and not calling out for help. So I would start every battle yelling out "stand on your fuckin feet people." We also judged that it was time to nope out of a dragon fight by how low I had gotten.

[@beretperson]

Me, 2 years after this happened: YOU'RE RAGING, YOU CAN'T BE CHARMED, YOU'RE RAGING, YOU CAN'T BE CHARMED Travis: Wait...I'm raging, can I be charmed? Me: Oh good, he heard me.

[@seanmcneal6330]

Mateo Gg literally my reaction just now while driving home 🤣🤣🤣

[@huntresstea6806]

Good to know I'm not the only one who discovered this two years late.

[@ron.c.koster]

Alll i keep thinking is hunters mark HUNTERS MARK every game xD

[@kinglycaon0024]

When Vax gets charmed by Silas: YOU'RE A HALF-ELF, YOU HAVE ADVANTAGE AGAINST BEING CHARMED!

[@chasewaldron1446]

KingLycaon00 he rolled with advantage but advantage doesn’t stack

[@RedBlitzen]

Vax, sees Pike charging towards him and the Briarwoods. "What are you doing!?" Pike uncharmes him. Vax, "What am I doing!?"

[@kiwisvideos0]

55:50 Travis starts mimicking Grog using the holy oil on his axe and accidentally getting some on his eye. Loved it.

[@iank472]

It's amazing to watch all the little ways Travis adds to Grog through subtle stuff like this. Outside of combat Grog can't contribute that much due to low Int (and Travis never metagaming with ideas waaay above Grog's Int) so Travis adds loads of fun, silly little things.

[@Lettumkno]

Even with nobody else paying attention he was still roleplaying. Awesome dude

[@maple3845]

Alternate Title: "Matt stunlocks Liam for 4 and a half hours"

[@Grovesie35]

Lady Briarwood is like a lv20 litch, she ain't no dummy. Any good wielder of control magic knows to CC the rouge.

[@lukemclaurin3481]

Grovesie35 she isn’t a lich

[@syegfryedhellscream9508]

@@lukemclaurin3481 he said "she is like" not she is one.

[@Oridian22]

@@syegfryedhellscream9508 moot point when she's trying to summon vecna

[@caseyc9841]

@@Oridian22 spoilers for people who haven't seen cr season 1 homie. Might wanna delete.

[@dspi61]

I can't help but notice how Ashley has something in her frame that makes it look like Travis' sleeve is refusing to be blocked by a screen

[@villlynn]

Omg yes, just noticed too!

[@norokodven4768]

The Ring

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

I noticed....and now I cant unsee it. Thanks for that I guess.

[@asheerwee]

My god..

[@lyntoncollins2758]

Yeah that was amazing - it is the bed sheet on her hotel room bed I think.

[@MissCandiDandi]

I love that the twins ALWAYS seen to roll at least one natural 20 when one of them is in danger 🤣🤣 The dice know.

[@goldencalf13]

Their dice are pure of ... heart?

[@CricketsTavern]

@@goldencalf13 the dice are wicked with pure moments

[@jakisz]

That or they are afraid of angering Laura.

[@strifenineteen]

It's because they have the heart of the cards duh

[@ignisx3791]

The heart of the dice! Yugi... would be proud? Maybe? I know he had a stint with dice once.

[@kaniamia]

I imagine that in the first days of plotting out the animated series version of this section there was a whiteboard with a list of ideas, and at the top of that list were the words, “No f***ing Seeming spell.” 😉

[@ninbrannon5777]

I may be in the minority, but I really freaking hope so. Maybe for a gag, even up to the crypt fight, but not for the climactic battle.

[@magnusprime962]

@@ninbrannon5777 So I’m saying this as someone who watched the show first and then started working my way through this: the show made the right call not including the Seeming. It makes for some fun gags in the game, but story-wise the show handled this climax much better.

[@iank472]

@@magnusprime962 I love that they managed to sneak in the Scanlan blaming Keyleth for suggesting going home with the evidence and abandoning the rebellion followed by Grog saying "I'm very disappointed in you Keyleth!". It works with or without the seeming spell due to Grog's less than stellar Intelligence stat.

[@RoninXDarknight]

@@iank472 I think they did a pretty good job streamlining everything while still fitting in a lot of the major story beats and jokes and keeping the overall tone. Stuff was cut and changed for sure but nothing that I felt...so far at least...overly affects the story.

[@viper2785]

@@iank472 A fun realization when rewatching and forgetting it was in the original or the context for it. It's so good either way.

[@mashmallowkyrielight1168]

@1:05:23 Is no one's gonna mention Percy's philosophical quote? "In the absence of good ideas, bad ideas are always reasonable." Also, Science!!!

[@toryfox4580]

Live that one right there

[@DarkDecenders]

Thank you Harry Potter...

[@toryfox4580]

@@DarkDecenders thought that was some kind of strange sarcasm until I realized the original commenter's name

[@kalistiaparks6115]

Lol. Sounds like Molly

[@MerelvandenHurk]

It makes me think of something Taliesin said in the Between The Sheets interview. They were talking about choices, and Brian asked if he regretted any choices he made and if he'd rather not made them, but Tal said 'at least they were choices. If you don't choose, you're just at the whims of circumstance.' Or something to that effect. Sounds like that philosophy was already in place here too, that choosing something bad is still preferable over choosing nothing if there aren't any good choices available.

[@onicalypso1684]

The quietest "How do you want to do this?" From Matt I've heard yet. No one really cheered... They all just looked at Tal... The gentle yet dramatic music played... Wow.

[@lezzleee]

I love how Matt crafted this. The ritual was so horrifying and there was so much mystery to the villain's ultimate goals.

[@semogecarg]

the music was PERFECT in this moment

[@donadavs]

The more famous critical roll quote: "How do you want to do this?" The more frequently said quote: "WAIT, before we do that I want to ______"

[@mateuspalaro]

Holy shit, Matt's voice clearly cracked when he announced 75 necrotic damage do Vex.

[@jcb3393]

Percy: "So excited about this new character I'm working on!" as he's getting pummeled. Great dry humor there.

[@jessiereacts3145]

also his backup character was molly!!

[@tinkercat8268]

@@jessiereacts3145 long may he reign

[@deranged_dragon9471]

Really shows how excited Tal was to finally play Molly....still hurts

[@boz8761]

“So excited about this new character who is a replacement for the replacement of my next character that I’ve been working on!”

[@skudpud]

Roses are red. violets are blue. My name is Scanlan. I scry through my poo.

[@krowodom5719]

Nice 😂

[@The_Lag_Monster]

Which is blue too hoohoo

[@melissasimmons186]

I love how Matt will say “that misses unfortunately” when someone rolls to low to hit, because he has proven time and time again it isn’t the DM against the players, it’s the players against their enemies and Matt is guiding them along that path. I have never seen someone DM a campaign so well.

[@a_cynical_mad_man_vods]

6 years old and yet I have yet to find a comment that mentions the fact that Laura managed to avoid instantly becoming a zombie BY 1 SINGLE HIT POINT! That ladies and gentlemen is a fucking miracle!

[@Andrew-ss7jd]

Haha just realized if it had hit Vax instead of Vex he would have died because Grog flicked him in the nads for 1 point of damage

[@thatguy5391]

​@@Andrew-ss7jd imagine lmao

[@sebastienl5169]

well dropping to 0 doesn't mean death, so no, she would have just been unconcious and get one fail death save with the fall. This is different than spells like power word kill. But no risk of becoming a zombie.

[@mariaenvoikertoa]

@@sebastienl5169 4:39:50 Travis asks and Matt confirms that she would have been dead instantly and come back as a zombie (I’m assuming due to the necrotic damage or the spell itself? Not familiar with the game mechanics)

[@kamrenjones1641]

​@@sebastienl5169 it's literally said in the game by matt .... take your "know it all but really know nothing" attitude elsewhere

[@SpartanOfLight]

And thus begun Laura leaving the VGA to play DND with some nerdy ass voice actors.

[@draygontaygen677]

Her friends are more important than her fame. Love that about Laura. 🐻

[@liv4themoments]

Every campaign it happens at least once. Its glorious.

[@JasonSmith-lb1nx]

The Very Gay Alliance. Wonderful.

[@lornbaker1083]

Those award shows are always boring anyway. I'm pretty sure most people that have to attend them. Wish that they didn't have to that. They could just stay home and get whatever that they won sent to them in the mail.

[@lunahaleraven6011]

"He is now afraid of Pike." *sudden mental image of a 6ft something vampire cowering behind a pillar from a gnome* Edit: 5 Years Later...Over 2k likes!!! wow thanks Critters!!!

[@antwone94250]

Luna Haleraven the exact image that came to mind haha

[@Arkatox]

To be fair, she's a fucking badass gnome made out of glowing energy from Sarenrae that just executed an epic leaping strike that dealed a lot of damage.

[@yargolocus4853]

Arkatox and barely survived an attempt of about a 50% chance to INSTANTLY DISINTEGRATE HIM

[@KickyFut]

Heck, I'm not a vampire and *I'm* afraid of Pike since she shredded those incapacitated duergar 's throats with her mace!😨

[@TaitRo1018]

HEY. Shes a very sexy and cute gnome. Oh and super badass. Hence the fear

[@jordanschleth1760]

I love how serious Liam was during that entire part with Vex. It was like him and a Laura were actually twins. I could only imagine how devastated Vax would've been if they didn't save her. The level of acting and the amount of talent this group has is insane.

[@richardcantrell1100]

"This astral projection is very hard to hold"...RP at its best.

[@caro666]

Travis' face when Laura comes in all dressed up is the sweetest thing ever

[@averagegirl7113]

I watched that part like 10 times just to watch everyone's individual reactions to her, and it's all just so cute and pure!

[@Bent773]

He's just like, "That's my wife!" :,-)

[@Logan_Baron]

I love that after all this time, they still have crushes on each othe.

[@danielboatright8887]

And to think he didnt even call her back in college.

[@annafantasia]

@@averagegirl7113 I DID THIS TOO hahaha my boyfriend from the next room was really confused

[@SwollaG7]

1:54:02 "Did I see Vax push that?" Another example of Sam being super careful about meta. Such a good boi.

[@aureliomanalo]

Sam is best boi

[@trunkskoolkid]

Sam is goodest boi

[@ErikNiceBoy]

Sam is bestest boi

[@Arkhivez]

Every DM’s dream player.

[@Natantiozao]

Boi is cow in Portuguese, the line stills funny

[@queenofbabble24]

Ohhh my heart when Liam tells Matt he's very good at this and he just blushes and giggles. 😍

[@LazyTitan72]

Timestamp?

[@stareyedwitch8980]

I too would like a timestamp please 💜

[@taylorbecker5721]

@@stareyedwitch8980 4:03:20

[@ApequH]

And that afther being unable to do anything most of the night, Liam is a better sport than me

[@henryohenry1504]

"What's a matter Silas? Afraid of a little Gnome and a druid? Ya scared of us?" -Keyleth, *most badass line ever*

[@hp3718]

"As you approach the summit of the Ziggurat are there any preparations you would like to take" Reaches into bag of holding and retrieves sunglasses, puts them on. Grog, " I would like to rage."

[@kathrynblakeley9823]

I need an image of grog doing this

[@Anonymous8031]

The shadow on Ashley's left looks a lot like the rest of Travis's arm

[@SpeakingSpellSword]

especially at 4:33:00

[@Surgequake7]

Anonymous8031 Good catch!

[@fullchicken4469]

Thank you! Glad I'm not the only one, who noticed that

[@TaitRo1018]

HAHAHAA THATS AMAZING

[@joshuastender4871]

Wow, that is pretty cool. Especially when the shadow ends, and you see the light brown underneath, it tends to line up with the end of Travis's sleeve.

[@jubomalseeco3117]

1:56:48 this line is really funny now that they actually got David Tennant in Legend of Vox Machina

[@Kasino80]

Was looking for someone to mention it

[@DanMarinerMan]

I said to myself… “no he’s the dragon”

[@matthewmccann-willis162]

What does Travis say before Marisha's comment? I've tried to figure it out a dozen times, but can't hear it.

[@angelacipperley]

@@matthewmccann-willis162 the cc says Purple Man. I think it's a reference to a Jessica Jones character.

[@alexotero7105]

@@angelacipperley it is. The Purple Man (or simply Kilgrave) is the nemesis of Jessica Jones. In the Netflix TV show he was played by David Tennant, hence the reference

[@spenceroneil4747]

"We can't lose you, I can't lose you" One of my favorite Keyleth lines

[@anferrr]

Her: "I'm taken my darling" Vax charmed anyway: "Me too" I'm sad it went un noticed that was cute xD

[@anavirginia7147]

I want this time stamp so baaaaad

[@anferrr]

@@anavirginia7147 OK imma try looking for it tomorrow if I remember x')

[@anferrr]

@@anavirginia7147 Hey hey hey! 2:20:41 !! :)

[@Draezeth]

I legitimately didn't hear it, so thank you for bringing it up so I could appreciate it!

[@anferrr]

@@Draezeth you're welcome! :D this moment was so adorable 😊

[@franc.s3290]

I swear Ashley can end any war just by saying "yeeeah :D"

[@michelleramshaw1639]

Cope pasted timestamps for myself/new viewers! 7:04 Pike & Grog SkypeFive(TM) 8:20 Recap starts 12:00 Game starts 13:10 In which Laura is a goddess. 14:18 Scanlan the Spiteful I 15:15 Bartering 16:27 Scanlan the Spiteful II 28:32 Vax questions Cassandra, exposition monologue 33:30 - Pike arrives 35:32 Bear Percy 39:51 - Vex lays down the law 50:04 Pike RPing Skype 1:08:18 Keyleth vs Interior Design 1:09:25 "IDGAF" Grog 1:17:58 Briarwoods!!! 1:20:40 Vax dissolves Vox Machina (1:19:18 ish for when the whole incident starts) 1:22:10 - Uh oh 1:26:40 Cassandra drops the bomb 1:29:25 Vax and Kiki 1:44:11 Percy gives Scanlan romantic advice 1:58:42 Break Starts 2:07:18 Break Ends 2:07:42 Pepperbox Drama 2:16:54 - They cool 2:18:13 Scanlan the Spiteful III (throws shade on Ben Carson) 2:22:33 Scanlan the Spiteful IV 2:27:40 Demonic Percy (2:29:31 - when it really starts) 2:32:15 Matt stops the game to play boss music 2:36:11 Bear Percy, redux 2:46:12 - Vax restored 2:51:22 - Percy tries Diplomacy 2:56:09 - Here comes the sun 3:03:49 - Scanlan inspires Percy 3:06:19 Pickup lines, Grog-style 3:08:55 - That music is sure familiar (Laura is into it :D) 3:19:23 - Let the sunshine in 3:21:30 - The Clutch Play 3:23:03 Vox Machina are rabid fans of Counterspell 3:23:45 - Scanlan inspires Grog 3:29:50 Clutch call by Travis! 3:36:00 - Percy FINALLY gets to use his gun! 3:37:20 - More Skyrim music for those who care 3:44:46 Dat one-liner tho 3:45:55 "Bag of Holy Dicks" 3:47:11 - Matt Mercer is so amazing at portraying his villains, yo. Man...mad props. 4:09:28 - Vex splits off from the group and vax calls out her name 4:14:00 - Brush with Death 4:18:55 - Vax loves his sister 4:20:50 - How Do You Want To Do This 4:24:50 - From bad to worse 4:33:20 - This could have been SOO bad

[@GoldenEagle98]

Bump

[@barlin07]

Thanks Man!!

[@miguelsouza6244]

Good

[@moonjoke]

Thank you

[@heathcw5281]

🤟

[@akhasshativeritsol1950]

I... understand why Legend of VM didn't include Scanlan's seeming spell making them look like Percy/Cassandra... But I'm also very sad we didn't get to see that

[@ChristieLily35]

I would have loved to have seen the chaos, but I also get it because chaos. Although, Trinket is the only one I really wanted to see

[@Ace5004]

@@ChristieLily35 he's like that "oops all nic cage" computer background that's just his face over lapped everywhere. Except it's percy

[@pyrosianheir]

It's so weird, keeping up with the Mighty Nein, and then coming back to this. The shifts in personas being portrayed, particularly with Travis, are very impressive. Almost like they're actors or something. XD

[@rainbowdash-eq9le]

So the mighty nein is after this? I'm not watching until I finish this

[@iamnord2765]

@@rainbowdash-eq9le The mighty nein's(C2) story is 20 years after the end of this one (if i recall correctly). There are no real spoilers in C2 for C1, atleast none i caught not having seen C1 before

[@rainbowdash-eq9le]

@@iamnord2765 thank you

[@joeyuzwa891]

IamNord no there are, there are a few VERY big spoilers that are mentioned in passing that I unfortunately didn’t avoid (I started watching c2 before I started c1)

[@rainbowdash-eq9le]

@@joeyuzwa891 much appreciated mi amigo

[@Kogobean]

i love Travis' face when he see's Laura. that a 'that's my wife she's so pretty' face.

[@Kogobean]

uh....?????

[@Kogobean]

i'm confused. what are you trying to say? like i said in my original comment ' that's a ' that's my wife she's so pretty ' face. cause you know, Laura and Travis are married.

[@Kogobean]

***** ah i see. goodbye Troll.

[@Kogobean]

***** they're not getting married, they are married. Travis and Laura have been married since 2011.

[@RecklessFables]

This conversation is funny since I see only your posts. That being said, I totally agree. He's got that "She really cleans up pretty" look on his face. :)

[@abrown6539]

Summary at 8:20. Game begins at 12:01. Break at 1:58:40; game resumes at 2:07:18 and continues until 4:39:32. [I'm doing this for every episode. If you find them useful, or think others might, please leave a comment so they stay near the top where they can be found. Thank you.]

[@Celestial93]

Thank you

[@ThomasFerguson22]

boost

[@williammountfield8508]

Thanks

[@Draezeth]

Boost

[@KibKibble]

Gogogog

[@EmperorKnightlock]

You know the funny thing is, if they kept expanding the tunnel underneath the sun tree in trying to find a way to heal it or purge the corruption, they could have skipped right to the ziggurat (The thing corrupting the sun tree) and foiled the Briarwoods plan.

[@RuailleBuaille]

I wonder what might have happened if Pike cast her "Hallow/Hallowed(?)" spell near the sun tree. She mentioned it many episodes back when they were going to try and find safe camping grounds or something, but iirc it sounded like it would purify/consecrate the area around it for like a month or something crazy. I've no idea if it would do anything (first time watcher) but I kind of wish she'd been able to cast it. Maybe it would have hampered the Briarwoods or cleared some of their zombie giants and vampires out.

[@tiril6681]

I'm sad they didn't look for the roots of the Sun Tree down here, when they were so focused on it being corrupted by the land (and then the ziggurat) earlier. Suppose my expectations were too high after watching the show, but maybe they find another way to heal it in canon.

[@mcmann2243]

It’s like doing a major skip in a speedrun, they could’ve been optimal!!!

[@Jacobacon555]

Near 2:21:08 Vas says to Delila "you look very pretty" Delila:"Haha, yes and taken" then Vax responds when nobodies was listening:"Me too..."

[@Jacobacon555]

+Jacobacon555 Before 2:21:08

[@TheKodiak72]

+Jacobacon555 2:20:48 is when he says it. No one even notices lol.

[@XxSircampsalotXx]

*Delilah

[@benyblancofrbx]

Wow....totally glad I read this... I missed it!! Great moment almost missed. Ty

[@ands1983]

It's at @20:20:40

[@thegreenlee5941]

I love the new campaign and content but these older episodes where they are eating hot wings and fries while playing really makes it still feel like a home game, I feel like there has been a palpable increase in professionalism which I think may improve content but I hope this never ever feels like a job to them.

[@danielboatright8887]

I think they've focused on streamlining gameplay for minimal distractions and maximum playtime. They do still eat on set, just not as much, like that time Laura ordered a huge box of donuts.

[@XCrawlFan]

I feel like I am learning from the whole group, especially the Mercer.

[@erisplaysgames]

Daniel Boatright also the camera doesn’t focus on the table as much in the second campaign so they can hide sweets more easily

[@iceman3317]

To be fair, it was the chat that was buying all the food for them. That probably doesn't happen anymore, so they only have small things like cookies and donuts ect.

[@DisneyLover258]

I mean, they definitely still eat on set. During the dinner with Essek, Laura and Jester get very distracted by cookies that she then frisbees to her friends on the other side of the table. Though Matt can't eat and can still barely drink because he's busy running the thing.

[@maggiemcmillan2649]

Vax's desperation to save his sister is just everything! Liam was so into it it was so tense and emotional to watch! I love the twins' relationship so much, I'm always into fun sibling dynamics, but those two specifically just make me soft! Also Percy taking 17 pints of falling damage to save Vex without a second thought and Taliesin's little "Done" and hand wave! Ugh! I just love it all!

[@Anti_thesis]

This was a great scene/moment from all of the cast as they tried to help Vex in different ways. But what was almost hilarious was all they had to do was use a basic healers kit which I think three VM members have or roll a medicine check of 10+ to stabilize her. Easy.

[@mariaenvoikertoa]

@@Anti_thesis on the other hand, the panic and not thinking of all the options works really well RP wise!

[@Anti_thesis]

@@mariaenvoikertoa Ehh dunno bit of a RP stretch that experienced 'adventurers' wouldn't know to use their healers kits when all other options were gone. But it was enjoyable to watch.

[@cianthompson966]

Wow 17 pints, he’s a heavy weight damn

[@practicaldeduction6862]

I really Admire Liam, Travis and Taliesin. Multiple time now their characters have been in situations where they were not completely under their control, or where being manipulated; and they play along so well with it. It can be hard to convince players to make even just difficult choices; let alone something like this. Even Sam had to be convinced by the DM that it was alright to know about the lightning bolt, since it was something Scanlan probably learned before. Props to them. Finished this episode on March 17th, 2021.

[@soundfxmaster]

I get it! that's why Matthew dropped them into Percy's backstory!!! for anyone who's seen Matthews DM tips at one point he pointed out that if a character wasnt quite into the game you should bring them into the spotlight and make them the important ones for a while help them get a bit more comfortable with being in the foreground, in the first arc I didn't even know Percy's name now he's my favorite​ character who's been fleshed out more than anyone as far as I've seen, Matt is the most incredible DM I've ever seen by far

[@jakubjanicki3989]

You haven't met many gm's did you? Matt is very good, I'm not trying to claim otherwise, but that particular trick is par for the course - nothing Matt does on it's own is unique to him as a GM, he is good because he rarely screws up the narrative and has excellent "crowd control" skills. He weaves the narrative like a pro - but he doesn't use any dark magic unknown to other gm's to do that.

[@Choko4343]

Jakub Janicki Matt being one of the greats doesn’t make you any worse, he’s just on camera. I’m sure you’re just as superb.

[@jakubjanicki3989]

How is that relevant to my comment? And no, I am not as good of a GM as Matt is, not by any capacity. In fact, I'm watching those videos to steal his tricks, aside of them being a lot of fun. I'm just saying that he isn't re-discovering America, is all.

[@django3422]

The OP is fair enough though. They said Matt is the most incredible DM that they have seen. As you say, he's not creating new ways of DMing, he's just employing the core tenants masterfully. As I'm sure many do. But Matt does have a stage to display these skills to a very wide audience. OP might not have met many good DMs. And Matt does weave all the skills together very smoothly.

[@jakubjanicki3989]

Now that I re-read my initial comment, it does sound much more abrasive than intended - I meant it as a rhetorical question, not a diss.

[@bradalexander817]

The fact that these guys take 5 minutes to RP a nut tap is what makes me love this show. Can't wait to go live, only like 100 episodes left...

[@mischa2643]

Brad Alexander I feel like I will never catch up 😭😭

[@MrMix1212]

I'm where u were at now. All caught up on season 2 though. I assume you've seen all of s1. I had such a hard time keeping myself from watching The search for Grog

[@am3703]

@@MrMix1212 Keep moving forward, i'll catch up some day

[@MrMix1212]

I'm all caught up! This last break was killing me.

[@SirDankleberry]

Nut tap is what I call my Wang.

[@cj18333]

Grog: Let's break the gems that locked us in here. Everyone else: Nah, we're just gonna panic and do our own thing.

[@christopherfleetwood5252]

But they did??? 😅

[@TheBfree14]

@@christopherfleetwood5252 After wasting a bunch of time trying other things and partially sabotaging themselves when they finally did destroy the gems haha.

[@nikkbertschman2200]

“You know what they say about guys with Bigby’s Hands…” They only last a minute.

[@eadrynvilendorin7305]

most underrated comment

[@finasol1019]

Man, Liam was so intense during this episode. When Vex was dying he was legitimately stressing out and I think even crying. Everyone else was still kinda fooling around but Liam was just in the moment. That was...intense

[@virginiamooney4105]

That's just Liam "always in character" O'Brien

[@deathless12345678]

Man i have to stop looking at the comments before i watch the whole episode.

[@remhawk73]

@@virginiamooney4105 Doesn't drop character until the dvd commentary.

[@nottodaybucko]

he realized he fucked up big time, for the second session in a row

[@megabobrulz]

remhawk73 LOL!!! Great reference!! Love that movie.

[@DAHOLYHERALD]

I like how Matt goes "Its only about 200ft tall, it's not that big", when that would make it the 8th tallest ancient pyramid on Earth

[@SoyDrinker]

STFU

[@forsakenoutsider8382]

@@SoyDrinker you okay there buddy

[@SoyDrinker]

@@forsakenoutsider8382 I won't sit back and allow anyone to insult Matt.

[@forsakenoutsider8382]

@@SoyDrinker first of all matt is no god, no one is. 2, please look up the definition of a joke, and finally consider that even online you are talking to real people and there is no reason to be a sack off dog shit, geez kiddo

[@treybrown5839]

Toxic fandom is toxic

[@ChristieLily35]

Liam/Vax: That had whatever that poison is I sold my soul to that hag for Laura/Vex: Don't say you sold your soul a hag! Liam/Vex: Let's deal with one problem at a time Such siblings.

[@LegendarySkip420]

I love the little story detail of Cassandra here telling a slightly different story of how she was discovered/captured by the briarwood’s

[@moonlight4665]

i didn't catch that, nice!

[@chilly3238]

“I’m grog I’m grog” his shirt is amazing

[@baseballjustin5]

On the back, it says "Also Ale"

[@fisharepeopletoo9653]

If only vax and vex were wearing their im vax and im vex shirts

[@kevinfelton689]

I usually listen to these while I'm driving to/from work but I happened to catch sight of this shirt and just started laughing.

[@willreading4958]

Props to the crazy bastards that manually caption every single one of these videos!

[@saulmighty]

Yep, really helps as a non-native speaker to follow along

[@sparklysapphic2556]

I have ADD and it really helps me to be able to relax and enjoy instead of needing to focus my attention on pinpointing a voice

[@jthompson7024]

@@sparklysapphic2556 You just made me realize why I like subtitles so much! As someone with ADD it can be hard to try to concentrate on the plot and who's speaking and also understand the words being said but reading them is so much better

[@sparklysapphic2556]

@@jthompson7024 Yeah dude subtitles are so sick! They help so many different kinds of people

[@opiumtaxadvisor8596]

I'm hard of hearing and have a difficult time following if multiple people are talking so the subtitles have been amazing. It makes the experience so much more enjoyable because I barely miss a thing.

[@arwo1143]

Mercer is fucking brilliant Didn’t notice the first time I watched it years ago He (or the Briarwoods) made a trap, that only VM could activate because they were enough people to do so, requiring 8 persons (Cassandra stepping in for Tiberius) That’s is simply brilliant XP

[@IRQ17]

Nope, Cass was planned as the one actually triggering the trap from the beginning. Pike was the Tibs replacement, Briarwoods had no idea about her before.

[@MajestDick]

Pike stepped in for Tiberius. The Briarwoods never met her

[@professionalyusukesimp]

I just realised, Travis chose to miss his wife’s award ceremony in order to play Dungeons and Dragons - and Laura was likely fully supportive of this. #relationshipgoals

[@nightflame69]

Travis and Laura are dating? I know Matt and marissa are married..

[@DeathsRoses]

@@nightflame69 Travis and Laura have been married since 2011

[@nightflame69]

@@DeathsRoses well considering that I just recently started watching this and am only 36 episodes in.. nope! I had no idea 😂

[@DeathsRoses]

@@nightflame69 😂😂 no worries, I only started watching about two months ago, I just have an annoying habit of researching everybody involved in my newest ADHD-fueled obsession... 🤪

[@FouEliane]

@@nightflame69 they have a child together

[@rileylarkin1254]

"Silas! A moment of your time..." I love this show so much.

[@magiv4205]

When two aristocrats hate eachother, this is what happens lmao

[@samuelstensgaard4828]

Percy has all the badass lines

[@everydayintrovert]

I am ALL about these sibling moments between Vax and Vex Like how when Vex dialed Vax pretending to panic, and despite the charm he had a moment where he just stopped (despite when Keyleth tried to dial him, he literally had no response. Really emphasizes how close these two are)

[@liamwelsh4665]

I feel so bad for Liam this is less than a week past his mother’s passing and he’s just being an absolute trooper.

[@Aetheria60]

This is actually before she passed (you’re thinking of ep 44), but he was still having a very rough time. 😧

[@muskls6877]

I love how Ashley's background is perfectly colored and positioned to look like it is part of Travis' arm.

[@Mewchu14]

Scanlan’s “what was thaaat?” After Keyleth says she can’t lose Vax is legitimately the funniest thing.

[@JustinPrime775]

That Sam would even ask the DM "Would I know that" shows how dedicated and excellent a roleplayer he is.

[@diablo595]

I watched the legend of Vox Machina before watching the show and Percy is WAY more violent and heartless in the animation. Plus the team seems like they barley know each other in the cartoon but their basically family in this version.

[@emils1615]

Yes, because in the videos they ate a high level party and did many adventures together on snd off screen. In the series they started with the briarwoods arc so thsy can't have the party like a big family from the beginning. About Percy, the characters in the shows are slightly different versions of the carachters from the campain because the story is a little bit different and the show is beeing adapted to be a tv series

[@milenamartins21]

Really? I never watched the animated version, so I'm glad I didn't miss much (I thought maybe it would be the story of how they met and all of the off camera stuff)

[@TheCynicalJay]

Yeah, the amazon show is total garbage. I started the same way, and am glad I didn't let it hold me back from giving this series a chance.

[@flyincoyotescales]

@@TheCynicalJayaww agree to disagree I guess. It's different from the campaign for sure, but I still enjoyed the animated show. Just one of those things that I view as an adaptation, not a 1:1 comparison between the two.

[@NeilSutherlandME]

After all the awkwardness in these virtual episodes, I totally get why Matt and team didn't want to try doing Campaign 2 virtually during Covid.

[@alexeidmitriev6235]

Bailing out on the game awards to play D&D with fellow nerds... Laura you are the representation of everything great about this show. Thank you!

[@alexeidmitriev6235]

Also... Rope of infinite ropness.

[@samuraichilton]

+Alexei Dmitriev I thought that was pretty cool too. This show has helped my RP ing so much. From playing to DMing to just talking about it and sharing ideas. DnD is so much more than just a game. I love the dynamic improvisation and imagination of not only the game itself, but how these players meld as a group and play individually.

[@cloudsteele1989]

+jesse chilton DnD is not just a game, it's a lifestyle. ...Lmfao.

[@altharrion]

You could say.. .she Bailey'd.

[@mrkhan]

I support this.

[@thej8172]

I keep forgetting that Liam and Laura aren't actual siblings. Edit: LOL Liam flustering both Marisha and Matt in the span of like two episodes is my new favorite thing

[@matthewswallow348]

Sam is a great player! Scanlan drinks an acid resistance potiion at the first mention of acid. Its funny and in character, but as soon as there's a room of acid he can jump right in. He's always finding a way to make smart game moves but keeping them in character.

[@busy_laziness]

In my opinion, Sam is the wittiest player at the table, not the smartest in terms of making the most of abilities, but definitely the most creative, he never uses meta information in a bad way, except perhaps as encouragement to the next player in turn, but this is normal, he never tries to play DnD like in Munchkin, he does not chase the maximum benefit, but simply plays literally his character, approaching problems with the proper level of ingenuity. This is exactly why I love him as a player, absolutely falling into the character’s image and acting based on the character’s logic!

[@TimStamper89]

Travis was struggling towards the end there and Laura spotted it right quick. That’s partner goals

[@thevoicesstalk]

One of the things I'm most excited about the animated series is seeing this all happen with them designed as various Percys and Cassandras

[@Chibipayne]

I wanna see Bear Percy... lol

[@foxydm88]

OMG bear percy!!!! Yes!!

[@brunoguenther9839]

Im kinda new in this, is there already a release date to the animated series?

[@erisplaysgames]

@@brunoguenther9839 I think it was supposed to be this year but it's pushed forward to 2021

[@andrewray4028]

I am very excited for the flying cow episode

[@crimsonfirecatgaming]

Also is it weird that this made me wanna know more bout the Briarwoods' past? Like the line 'I broke the world for us!!' really got me

[@Marpaws]

Check the campaign wrap up or keep watching all. You will get answers.

[@AnimexFiendFullmetal]

That line broke my heart a bit. It was clear the whole time that they loved each other but I didn't expect the heart ache. Didn't think I'd feel for such dark enemies.

[@konstance13]

Rewatching this now, I feel like I appreciate more how clever Matt was with the acid room trap. The whole "everyone press buttons simultaneously" is a common enough idea that it still takes time to think of, but the group would feel like it's the right solution once they got there. But if they had really been thinking logically, they should have questioned why such a mechanism would exist when the Briarwoods are only two people and probably bring at the most like 2 or 3 allies down there. Why would the room require nearly the perfect amount for VM to open it? Even more, they might have told Cass about the last gem so that she would be the only one outside the trap. Smart.

[@As-tray]

Not really, this whole room built specifically for a trap just felt off. Like, story-wise. There was no point for Briarwoods in spending resources on it; in making it the way it was; and especially in leaving VM inside while simply going away because, um, 'tight scheldue'. Not to say, that was the first time in Season 1 when I couldn't follow the narration enough to imagine the area and what exactly is happening, but maybe that's just because I'm not a native speaker.

[@konstance13]

@@As-tray It's been a while since I've watched, but I feel like we do have to hold some suspension of belief with stuff like this. Dnd villains are gonna use thinking traps bc they're fun for the players, rather than just a straight death trap. Plus from a character standpoint, they force your enemies to waste time and possibly spells and resources so if you must fight them they're hopefully less prepared. I don't remember having much trouble following the room layout, but like I said it's been a while so idk. To each their own, but I liked it.

[@hanab.475]

​@@As-tray same i have absolutely no idea what was going on in the first half, i would've been completely lost if i hadn't seen the series beforehand :D

[@tiril6681]

I was surprised that no one thought of the emptied tombs and the fact that Grog spotted the foot prints of seven people, including Delilah, walking through the mausoleum. I thought she'd used undead De Rolo ancestors to open the same room. Suppose now that might've just been a red herring and they were just sacrifices in her horrible wall of undead.

[@marauderdz]

@@As-tray The beauty of it is that the room could have been turned into a trap very easily. It was already designed to fill with acid, so the glass walls and the "hidden opal" that lowered them were probably already there. The 7 opal controls may have been the only things added to turn it into a trap, and all they needed to do was light up.

[@OmnsaeF]

Liam's brooding face, containing anger and frustration as Vex's hit with 75 points of damage...THE TENSION! Oh lord, this had me shaking. This episode had high tension and high stakes, along with a lot of anticipation. LOVED IT!

[@LoLCTHSKateer]

Just for anyone who's doing a rerun of the show: god Mercer showed his mercy at the 4:20:01 mark, triggering Pike to try magic for them to discover that there is anti-magic afoot, which in turn giving them a chance to save Vex in time. It's the little things, Matt. We know, you softy.

[@stevenclark5173]

Less that and more that Pike couldn't see the map so she doesn't know where she is in relation to Vex so it's only fair that he give her some option when she's asking "Can I get to them?".

[@mrcopycat2355]

Wouldn't be the first time he pulled his punches. In the ghost fight, he basically gifted a Turn Undead on Vax. The half-orc fighter at Vasselheim didnt finish Grog on the 2nd fight. So on and so forth It's clear that he wants the story to flow, as opposed to always obey the dice or encounter. IMO its ok, as long as players themselves dont intentionally do stupid stuff that jeopardize the team with no benefit. Also, because the encounters are challenging, he keeps players on their toes so as to prevent them from getting cocky and incentivizing strategy or clever thinking

[@ciaranmcguinness8900]

@@mrcopycat2355 so Keyleth in the Kraken fight

[@ciaranmcguinness8900]

He's a story DM, so he's ok with a little bit of plot armour for the characters, the added element of the show being live also means the characters become as established and as entrenched in a story as a TV show or film and this far in a new character being rolled could be extremely jarring for some fans. But at the same he won't break the rules to save them as the reason there was no saving Mollymauk with plot armour was because there was no cleric, druid or any kind of healer who could possibly save him from Lorenzo and thus no one to ressurect him.

[@robertthompson5701]

honestly, this episode, Matt kinda led them a lot. Good thing is, it didn't really diminish everything.

[@heavybooks]

Having Vex in this much danger made me realize how much I love her character. Vax's frantic attempts to save his sister really got to me. Liam is so good at the emotional moments

[@XmaXma6]

they could have just stabilized her using medicine before getting her out of there, she wasn´t in any real danger.

[@dr.snuffy7103]

I started sobbing when she failed her 2nd save..

[@Stormcrownn]

Michelle It's really cool seeing Liam's emotion depth here and in campaign 2. He's fucking blindingly talented.

[@thedarknightnicht]

wasnst Vax in Danger?

[@halorien1]

Liam O'brien is what I strive to be as a DnD player with the emotion he brings to his characters, as well as the character flaws that he portrays in his characters. He is the definition of the player at a table that gives so much more then they take when the moment demands it.

[@babserella2778]

Sweet Jesus, at the end trying to save Vex...Liam looks as wrecked as if he were trying to save a real-life sibling.

[@ChristieLily35]

Matt said at one point too that they don't do like a die and come back. Like death can be death, roll new character, goodbye, nice knowing you.

[@LexiconReader]

@@ChristieLily35didn’t they do that a couple times already? pike has definitely used revivify on percy before

[@ranniwolves]

@@LexiconReaderthey mean that finger of death is an insta kill if it leaves you at 0

[@abbyschwartz6289]

I love how Grog’s character sheet reads like he’s wielding a great axe and rage. Nothing else. All a man needs

[@srpalmer22002]

[spoilers] I love how each time one of Vex/Vax has almost died (here and the Jenga debacle in Emon), their twin has immediately busted out an epic natural 20 (or two). The dice gods appreciate drama!

[@srpalmer22002]

+srpalmer22002 Plus, how about that piano music while everyone's panicking over Vex's body... if ever there were music to TPK to, that's it. :-s

[@drakeunderscoremason]

"It's for grain storage." My respect for Sam just went from 10 to 20

[@rachel8453]

After watching campaign 2, seeing these level 11 players fight a former member of the Cerberus Assembly is /terrifying/

[@aramislima902]

Indeed, she is amazingly powerful

[@TheAceUpYourSleeves]

I hadn’t even thought of that!! Damn Vox Machina is broken!

[@viviangensokyo9013]

Underrated comment

[@TalesLord]

Years later, the "I broke the world for us." line still haunts me.

[@whitemoonwolf13]

And grey delivers it so well in the show