Uphill Both Ways | DesiQuest Episode 5

[@timothymaher5328]

Every episode I forget about Sandeep's German accent, and every episode it's a new joy to behold. Like hearing Christoph Waltz for the first time.

[@ohheyal22]

THATS WHO it reminded me of! thank you!! yes, the accent is a main character at this point

[@effinfunny]

This is like the greatest compliment of all time to me

[@meandkitty8387]

I'm gonna tell you something I've never told anyone before: "it's not your fault" Laddoo auntie is so real plz 😭😭😭😭 its an emotional scene but I cant stop laughing

[@dnd_jamaica5542]

28:10 Erika geeking out about being at this particular table is my exact mood

[@wiseathena97]

Unrelated to story thusfar, damn Jasmine has been slaying in all of her fits this campaign! I appreciate you serving every week, GM

[@madeline569]

Omg glad I'm not the only one that noticed!

[@nataliebland3078]

My last job was as a simultaneous translator in a factory, and that was bad enough; more power to Erika’s character doing it in the wilds of an accursed forest 😂

[@saskiascott8181]

WITCH streamer???? Jasmine Bhullar I LOVE you. Also, super excited for Erika

[@bookwormwithwings]

"I just want to formally apologize for using a flamethrower Eldritch canon on you..." Man I love DND. Marvelous!

[@hardtshapedz]

"they SEETHE with it" is a fantaaaastic line!!! 🤯🤣

[@westbromdude]

I love the exchange between Erika & Jasmine that starts at 1:36:00, such a brilliant and insightful scene!

[@Vaidin]

This series has been excellent in literally every way! The characters, role-playing, visuals, audio, and editing are especially top-notch. Every guest has fit in so well, too.

[@cryptocorner2253]

The unadulterated joy that the cast experience is apparent. Desi Quest is like no other TTRPG series in its quality storytelling, production, and cast.

[@dnd_jamaica5542]

I agree

[@ohheyal22]

one of my favorite parts of every episode are all of omar’s genuine reactions to everything. i’m usually gasping along with him 😂

[@lndcruz721]

i love all the lore and worldbuilding and such detailed characters. like its so easy to immerse myself every episode

[@jamishaamin]

So excited about the next episode. Genuinely looking forward to watching this every two weeks!

[@effinfunny]

Thank you for watching!!! As a heads up, the premiere of Episode 6 is being pushed to tomorrow Wednesday 2/7 @ 6pm PT!!!! (Technical difficulties are the worst, but we’re committed to releasing only the best!)

[@jamishaamin]

@@effinfunny I’m devastated (just kidding :D, can’t wait!!)

[@nicolascuccimarri8981]

"...I don't know you, and I've heard that you're white, ... but I'm sure that you're great!" Hahaha! That was great Jasmine! Hahaha!

[@michaelt1154]

I'm ready for this 🙌 Erika can be such a little chaos goblin

[@sarahbettany7546]

I love this campaign so much, and keep telling everyone I know who might be interested in live play about it, not sure if they're tuning in, but By the Goddesses I'm trying!!!

[@effinfunny]

We so appreciate you spreading the word!!

[@chelseab42397]

“I’m sure you’ll get access to healthcare soon!!!” MADAM I AM DECEASED

[@xANN28x]

Super excited to see Erika in this awesome group. I'm looking forward to the chaos.

[@William_R_Wight]

Love Erika! What a great guest. They always bring a great energy. You guys don't miss!

[@lazzydaisy3]

That ending visual description of the spiders jumping through realms is the most magical thing 🤩

[@gardnering]

I love the combat effects more than I can say. It's inspiring. Thanks.

[@Bosleybird]

They are trying so hard to get rid of Priya! 😆

[@effinfunny]

by they you mean Anjali lol, she ain't sharing a co-lead credit

[@Bosleybird]

@@effinfunny She will not be anyone's supporting role

[@kuiin96]

i did enjoy the show!!!

[@ohheyal22]

really loved erika’s makeup 🥹

[@evetobe]

I have a feeling that if I start drinking every time there is a pun in this episode, I should pick chai, because with alcohol I'll get drunk very easily 😅

[@Blondiej1]

43:11 I’m absolutely loving this episode!

[@Samara0-0Ray]

Pani sounding like Chucky Finster brings me unbridled joy.

[@madeline569]

Best guest so far! Love them, love this series so much 🙏

[@lyndallcave786]

My favourite episode so far!

[@bookwormwithwings]

Erika! What an excellent episode! Also everyone's outfits are excellent! Excellence all around!

[@erincraig11]

“It met you, it bet you” underrated

[@madeline569]

Love the space buns too!

[@ikeekieeki]

this episode is so good, i watched it live and immediately rewatched it when it was finished airing

[@pickthestickup]

No boys! Drink water! Go to bed at 7!

[@maestro-kcspice]

Great episode! Love all these colorful characters in this fantastic world

[@ljc5277]

Yay, new episode!🎉🎉🎉

[@sarahrahjane]

what a fun episode!

[@SDSkuld]

Re: Erika: tick tick tick tick tick tick tick...

[@princemills6022]

Omar, I need to see them notes now...idk about the others but I need to see them - for inspiration!

[@Sidsidsids]

Amazing!

[@austincairl259]

Yessssssss I can’t wait to watch

[@lanestovall1715]

This 👏 table 👏 fucking 👏 rules 👏

[@ShellEProductions]

#spiderchai

[@emlyann]

hey so an abandoned or scam storefront on gumroad is active and using your logo and old merch fyi.

[@effinfunny]

thank you! will investigate!! our official store is here: effinfunny.myshopify.com/

[@emlyann]

ty!@@effinfunny

[@dark_neverland]

Man youtube autocaptions does not like indian word inflection 😒

[@geeksdo1tbetter]

La Duwanti is my fav, so far

[@Peter_Cordes]

I enjoyed this episode (and the series so far) but I have one small piece of hopefully constructive criticism for Jasmine (whose GMing style, storytelling, and NPCs I generally enjoy in this, Coffin Run, Battle for Beyond, etc.) 19:46 - Priya's magic tent was described as Leomund's Tiny Hut, but actually had none of the properties of Tiny Hut other than maybe similar size and duration. (Especially not being impenetrable to creatures and spells, so nothing outside is a threat unless it has Dispel Magic or Disintegrate to get through the "dome of magical force". Or if it can burrow up from underneath, depending on the GM's decision on Tiny Hut having a floor or not.) This led to multiple moments of dissonance for my expectations based on what I knew from the 5e rules based on calling it Tiny Hut. It would have worked better for me if it hadn't been given a name, instead of a specific name that implies a lot of things that would have been tactically relevant and useful to the PCs if they had been true. As an analogy, if I was reading a novel set in our world, and the narrator said that the party was picked up by a specific model of car, it would then be surprising if it turned out to actually be a rear wheel drive convertible when the actual car by that name is a 4WD SUV. And even more jarring if it then took off into the air instead of driving, especially if the narrator/characters didn't say anything about it, like that was normal for a car. The reader's expectations are thrown for a loop because the name implied a whole set of expectations for how it would behave. For an audience that knows 5e spells, describing this as Tiny Hut was similarly frustrating. On the initial cast, I was thinking "ok, that's fun flavour on casting Tiny Hut, and I guess they're hand-waving the mechanic that creatures can't pass through the wall unless they were in the area when cast." Critical Role campaign 2 did the same thing (but otherwise *did* follow rules-as-written for Tiny Hut as cast by the Wizard PC) which makes sense because micro-managing the logistics would just take up time at the table without imposing any meaningful limitations for the way they used it. When the Rachnids first showed up, I was thinking "good thing we have Tiny Hut; they're in literally no danger unless one of the goblins can cast Dispel Magic. At worst they could wait for it to end." Then a spider comes up behind Priya and is about to grab her? Did Tiny Hut end its 8-hour duration? No, Jasmine just said they were all "in the tent", although it must be close to done if they already got a full "long long" rest. So what the heck? So this is a version of Tiny Hut that has a door or something instead of letting the party move through the otherwise-impenetrable force wall? The spider pulling Priya out would end the spell once she leaves the area. So it seemed weird for Erika's PC not to try to warn Priya or do something defensive in that one turn before the phase spider could grab her. Keeping it out and shutting the door or something should make them all safe. (Although it's a phase spider, and Tiny Hut doesn't block teleportation in/out; that's not a magical effects -passing through-) But then narrating to Omar how the spider grabbed Priya (38:35 ), we hear the crash of a teacup from *outside* the tent? Priya was already outside? What a reckless crazy wizard! Even if their version of the spell allows the caster to be outside without it ending, why would you defeat the purpose of its safety in lands you're pretty sure are dangerous by not keeping watch from inside it? Half-orcs tend to look tough, but she's still a wizard. Then everyone else started running out of the safety of the Tiny Hut, making the difficult decision to leave safety to help Priya. (I guess they can't assume she has Misty Step or Dimension Door, so do need to save her.) Then at some point later I think we learned that the Tiny Hut tent wouldn't actually have protected them? I didn't rewatch the whole episode. I wrote a lot to explain it in detail just to make my point clear, not because this one thing ruined the show for me. Although to be honest it has been bugging me for several weeks since I watched this episode until now when I had time to get back to this series. But partly that's because I didn't comment about it at the time and have been kind of debating whether it was worth bothering anyone about. So I've been kind of stewing over it and it ended up the thing I remembered most from this episode, unfortunately. I do remember being repeatedly surprised by this Tiny Hut during my first watch, though, first that the caster wasn't in it, then that it wasn't being used for defense by the PCs (apparently terrible tactics), then that it actually wouldn't have kept the Rachnids out! Enough to really stick in my memory. Some of this is definitely a "me" thing, but I suspect some other 5e tactics / rules nerds who knew how Tiny Hut works off the top of their head (or paused to look it up because they wanted to know what was happening in the episode) would have some part of this reaction. ---- Just for the record: Tiny Hut 3rd-level evocation (ritual) Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Self (10-foot-radius hemisphere) Components: V, S, M (a small crystal bead) Duration: 8 hours A 10-foot-radius immobile dome of force springs into existence around and above you and remains stationary for the duration. The spell ends if you leave its area. Nine creatures of Medium size or smaller can fit inside the dome with you. The spell fails if its area includes a larger creature or more than nine creatures. Creatures and objects within the dome when you cast this spell can move through it freely. All other creatures and objects are barred from passing through it. Spells and other magical effects can't extend through the dome or be cast through it. The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside. Until the spell ends, you can command the interior to become dimly lit or dark. The dome is opaque from the outside, of any color you choose, but it is transparent from the inside. -------- In a PC's hands, a Tiny Hut would be even more exploitable if the caster could step outside, cast, and step back inside on their turn. They'd take at most an op attack or a readied action from an opponent outside. Their allies can already do that (especially a character with a ranged weapon and ammo; mundane ammo is an object that can pass through the dome if it started inside, so you can fire out. And the opaque dome means targets can't see their attacker, so advantage.) But in a small party there might not be many with ranged attackers other than the wizard. It also lets a wizard get a concentration spell up outside the hut then hide in it for the rest of the fight, with only Dispel Magic as a counter. Or if a tiny hut could be set up ahead of time as a refuge for the whole party to run to and dive in. RAW, it could be good for an offensive ambush for a round or two, but an opponent can simply leave in most cases so you can't kill them without coming out unless you can do a lot of damage in a couple rounds. --- TL:DR: don't call it Tiny Hut if it's so different from actual Tiny Hut that the name would create wrong expectations. It's better to use no name than the name for something else, IMHO. (Or if you have time to come up with a cool name like Priya's Portable Tent or something, that's even better.)