Lets Go Scanlan!!!! Vox Machina 3x02 Episode 2: Prisoners of Ank'Harel Reaction

[@Peanutbutter2512]

Gunslinger was a homemade template that Matt created for Talisen after they ported their Pathfinder game over to DnD 5e. It's a subclass of fighter

[@MrSmile078]

I always wondered if the Percy would be an artificer if only critical role had made the Pathfinder to 5e pivot a few years later, since character wise he fills the role of an inventor a lot more than just a firearmed fighter.

[@ChevaliersEmeraude]

@@MrSmile078 Also, the Tasha book, it introduced the Gunslinger feats, which allows the character to use firearms without having to bother with the Reload feature they come with; so as many attacks as you can, really. Add to that the Battlemaster subclass of the Fighter, which have many abilities that are very similar to what Taliesin gave to Percy, and would work with a pistol, and basically you can very much make a character very similar to Percy there, within the Fighter class, and without relying to any homebrew! Just saying! :)

[@caffeinedelusions]

@@MrSmile078That’s an interesting point, because I feel like there’s a substantial difference between the build we would use for Percy now, when we’ve seen the scope of his story and the growth of new mechanical systems under him, and the build he had in the actual play and home game.

[@zippomage]

​@@MrSmile078probably not. percy was particularly invested in the advancement of science without the aid of magic.

[@Ozgarthefighter]

​@@MrSmile078Artificer wasn't added as a class into D&D until after Critical Role started streaming.

[@sms2131]

I think Mosco is the first reactor I've come across who realised that a vestige shouldn't have been damaged by the explosion! I certainly missed it the first time around

[@rashenditrash]

Same I can’t believe I did realize it either. Very clever.

[@nickioleary8577]

14:21 Fun fact: Sam Riegal (Scanlan’s VA) also plays Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney

[@JacqueGumu314]

I forgot, you're right!

[@alexkoder1982]

**Applies whip** This is not a courtroom Phoenix Wright.

[@maximoose6854]

Ripley being obsessed with guns is actually clever foreshadowing for the reveal that she dimension-traveled to Tal’Dorei from America to spread freedom, democracy, and McDonalds.

[@ematuskey]

The "Taste of Tal'Dorei"-branded goblet was a bit of a giveaway about Ripley's true nature, but it was only onscreen for a second. :D

[@wildbronco038]

Wait until Ripley starts her Make Exandria Great Again (MEGA) campaign.

[@sandpiperr]

It's amazing how much sense that makes...

[@JonflipZoosa]

If everyone had guns the world would fall into chaos, but if everyone also had burgers and fries there would be no need for violence.

[@MehrGills]

I love that the term Emprex was so seamlessly introduced. I honesly missed it on first listen (only saw it after seeing reactions), but I already knew J'mon used they/them pronouns from the campaign, and am so happy with how they animated them.

[@pippastrelle]

"Their Majesty" was also such a clever way to seamlessly integrate their pronouns to the characters and audience :D

[@OculusObscurum]

One of the most striking lines from this episode, IMO, is Ripley’s “That’s equality” It reminds me of the old saying “God created all men, but Samuel Colt made them equal” Same concept, same fundamental misunderstanding

[@IceMetalPunk]

It's a very right wing worldview, the kind those who fantasize about being the "good guy with a gun" espouse.

[@tlaragihai5953]

Yess, i am not the only one who remembered this quote!

[@AnthAnath8641]

6:44 Grog has an intelligence score of 6, he knows what he’s doing 😜

[@charizardag]

14:21 Scanlan channeling his Phoenix Wright right here XD

[@elbruces]

Same voice actor.

[@charizardag]

@@elbruces oh I know lol

[@joshuamillar5019]

J'Mon Sa Ord (they/them) is such an awesome character, it's so cool seeing them animated finally. Definitely my favourite NPC from campaign 1 and I'm really excited for you to learn more about them

[@thehikingviking2049]

"Pike's a cleric, Grog's a Barbarian, what is Percy?" The word you're looking for is genius.

[@BothanJedi]

Genius, nobleman, playboy, adventurer. He is this universe's Tony Stark.

[@thehikingviking2049]

@BothanJedi Stan Lee walks in like "Are you Percival Frankenstein Van Muscles Kawasaki del Rolaids the third?"

[@havenomouth]

The little boy with a fake gun is actually a fey demigod trying to usurp one of the prime gods power, one little blue teifling at a time.

[@Eimi.Signo.]

But in the campaign he was Grog and Vex's secret love child who was stolen by the fey to become a changling.

[@alexkoder1982]

Using the power of blueberry cupcakes. Those things will change anyone's mind.

[@rhokesh4391]

And voiced by Travis' actual son, if I remember correctly?

[@Meithanos]

​@rhokesh4391 Indeed, that entire scene is the Bailey-ham Fam. Grog: Travis Little Girl: Laura Little boy: their son, Ronin.

[@grifgrif_4]

In the campaign, the leader of that city state was actually a dragon. I'm pretty sure they kept it the same and that's what Vex was sensing. Not the psuedodragon, which is what the little dragon is.

[@kateorgera5907]

The little boy is played by Grog and Vex's son

[@erictighe1683]

Percy is a customized Fighter. Critical Role started in their original home game playing pathfinder Percy was a "Gun Slinger" in pathfinder and Matt ported the character over to 5th edition when they stared streaming on Geek and Sundry. And yes Percy is the inventor of the Firmarm in Exandria (Something he is not proud of).

[@Meithanos]

You can see his "traditional fighter" background when he is in melee, especially in S1, he will brandish his firearm like a rapier.

[@flaminyawn]

Really looking forward to the banter between the "spice" dealer and Viktor the black powder merchant when Vox Machina hire them to build a giant drug bomb.

[@Blazingstoke]

Dealer: "Ohhhh. You want _pumpkin_ spice."

[@RogueCel]

FLUFFERNUTTER

[@SCUBAguypnw]

Lot of C3 Easter Eggs next to that Taste of Tal'Dorei. The little boy that Grog talked to was Travis (Grog) and Laura's (Vex) son. Make sure you listed to the song in the credits. Will tie into another series. Sung by Matt himself. Well spotted, most reactors (including myself the first time around) did not notice the plate was damaged.

[@BothanJedi]

Surely their son can't be that old yet... He was born halfway into the Might Nein Campaign, and that wasn't that long ago. Was it?

[@cas2762]

@@BothanJedi he was born pretty early in the Mighty Nein (pretty sure the Iron Shepherds arc, episodes 26-32, happened because of his birth?), and he’s now about six years old!

[@Eimi.Signo.]

The Ruby Singer by the sea that Dr. Drenzle sings about is foreshadowing of another red dragon (in human form) that will be revealed as the mother to Thordax's brood...

[@Scailalia]

Ain't it about "The Ruby of the Sea"? The famous courtesan from campaign two?

[@rhokesh4391]

Your journey from hating Scanlan's guts to rooting for him was so fun to watch 😁I predict, by the end of the show, he's going to be your favorite character (behind Pike).

[@mushwoom]

Gunslinger was a homebrewed subclass for fighters. they transitioned from pathfinder to 5e for the live stream, so Matt made some pathfinder items and Taliesin's character fit for 5e

[@Sammacias5]

[Mod] Hey everyone! Remember to keep the comments free of any spoilers of future episodes for Mosco. Have fun & be creative with fake spoilers! Also, make sure we’re keeping the comments cool & comfortable for everyone here. Enjoy the reaction y’all!!!

[@yiklongtay6029]

We have permission to give wrong spoilers though. 1) Vax and percy gets freaky in the tub 2) Keyleth tried cliff jumping once 3) Sam the VA pisses everyone off

[@benjiammin]

Fun fact, that kid that was playing was voiced by Travis (Grog) and Laura's (Vex) son.

[@Drummer4President]

It’s so cute that all the Critical Role kids have now had speaking lines in the show

[@neintales1224]

Gunslinger is a subclass of "Fighter" in D&D so you were remembering right =)

[@katyharford5175]

Percy is a gunsling which was a homebrew Fighter Subclass Matt Mercer made from Pathfinder

[@jonathanhibberd9983]

Every year, the cast dresses up in costume for their Halloween episode. There was one year where they all dressed as characters they had voiced in other projects. Sam came dressed as Phoenix Wright, which as others have said, is what the "Objection!" line is referencing. It's worth looking up compilations to see all their costumes (I especially like the year where they came as villains from campaign 1 - Laura and Travis as the Briarwoods were smoking!). The one thing I will say - they had one year during their Mighty Nein run where the costumes contained spoilers. You can tell which year it is because it was during the pandemic and they are all seated separately, in their own Brady Bunch boxes. Travis is dressed as a turtle. When you see that, you can take a moment to appreciate the costumes, but don't listen to what they're saying because they will spoil certain things from both this and the next campaign. Just skip to the next year.

[@alexkoder1982]

I tell ya, I fully expect Vox Machina to need a bath after their trip to the 9 Hells.

[@hansonrowe234]

Fun fact one of the children grog talks to is voiced by travis and lauras son

[@chrisd7047]

In the scene with the children, when Grog finds out where Ripley took Percy, the tiefling girl is played by Laura Bailey and the little boy is voiced by their son, Ronin.

[@littlewormyguy]

Gunslinger is a homebrew class made by critical role that i believe is a fighter subclass

[@elbruces]

Percy is actually a silver dragon.

[@pheonixalchemist]

It was Victor the black powder merchant all along.

[@BadNinjaStudios]

6:48 A great quote from Grog from the campaign (before the events of the show) was, "Um, I have an intelligence of 6, i think i know what I'm doing." He was then later rendered catatonic after not doing very well in an encounter with an Intellect Devourer. 😂

[@rickymoranjr9609]

Percy's Inner Demon has *Literally* come back to haunt him but worse! 😧😵

[@Ironoclasty]

But he's not Percy's inner demon anymore, he's Ripley's, believe it or not.

[@rickymoranjr9609]

@@Ironoclasty yes but it has come back to haunt him after exorcising it from his body first season

[@Blazingstoke]

@@Ironoclasty Well played, comrade, well played.

[@Ironoclasty]

@@rickymoranjr9609 Yeah, but he wasn't exorcised from his body, he was electrolycized from his pepperbox. He was fairly externalized for an inner demon. That raises the question of whether Orthax is an introhaunt or an extrohaunt . . . Hmmm . . .

[@rickymoranjr9609]

@@Ironoclasty good point

[@darrenl3289]

The little boy that Grog talks to about where he saw guns was voiced by Travis and Laura's son.

[@wildbronco038]

The kid with the tree gun was voiced by Travis (Grog) and Laura (Vex)'s IRL son. They told a story about how they were having trouble getting him to say his lines because he wanted to be a dragon so he kept making dragon sounds.

[@executionflux91]

Well, let's just say you'll see just how much Vex likes him next episode

[@tlaragihai5953]

4:58 five-seconds call :DDDD Prepare for the next episode :DD

[@hollowbrinethehollowfiedsu6365]

percy is technically an artificer. they use their mind to create things, usually guns or potions or explosives

[@PristineTX]

0:17 Surely I can’t be the only one chuckling as the Scottish person struggles with the pronunciation of Ank’Harel. Now she knows what it’s like for us when perusing place names like Auchtermuchty or Milngavie. I can’t say we are immune to that either in Texas, with places like Quitaque, Refugio, Bexar, Nacogdoches or Buda (which looks easy, but is not pronounced how you think it is.)

[@pykeembers1575]

Fun fact that I haven't seen in the comments yet, the little boy with the stick gun is actually Ronin, Travis and Laura's son

[@NRMRKL]

While Critical Role played 5th edition D&D on the stream, they originally played Pathfinder 1st edition in their home game. In Pathfinder (both 1st and 2nd edition), Gunslinger is a class. For the stream, Matt homebrewed a Fighter subclass that emulated the flavour of Percy's original class.

[@richardsuplee8137]

Ank'real is so beautiful and the design for J'Mon is amazing. Hope to see more of them.

[@SilverScribe85]

Fun Fact The title of Emperex is meant to be used as a unisex/gender-neutral term for royalty, much like how Tal'Dorei used Sovereign instead of King for Uriel. I only say this because the leader of Ank'Harel is a non-binary character...for reasons yet to be officially revealed

[@SK-qo4qs]

OBJECTION!!!!! Scanlan bringing out the Phoenix Write that was inside of him all a long.

[@Drummer4President]

6:57 Grog has an intelligence of 6. He knows what he’s doing 😂

[@Bloodyshadow1]

I love your vox machina reactions, I hope you keep them up and react to mighty nein that should be out in a year or so. There are at least a couple reasons I think you're gonna love it

[@laurahart1337]

Scanlan’s going through it right now, poor dude.

[@crbliese]

The Phoenix Wright objection... I literally facepalmed from that easter egg.

[@TheNeojanus1]

Scanlan becomes a Disney Princess for a day. Also he's in DuckTales.

[@pheonixalchemist]

No… he’s not in Duck Tales … you must mean Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[@TheNeojanus1]

@@pheonixalchemist Objection!

[@SkylarMixtape]

The eyes of the ruler really caught me off guard, like who in this universe has eyes like that? I'm wondering if Pike is going to get the armor

[@yohohocow1291]

Scanlan saying objection is a reference to how his VA also voices Phoenix Wright

[@KirbyStarAnimation]

Can’t wait for Grog to get a new vestige, the axe of tartarus sauce.

[@TenebrousFilms]

Percy is a Fighter with the Gunslinger subclass, which I believe Matt adapted from whatever system they were using before to 5e... was it Pathfinder? Things are going distinctly differently at this point, but I'll always appreciate more Ripley than we got the first time around. Intelligent antagonists are *hot.* Guess the J'mon reveal will have to wait... I'm just disappointed that Scanlan called in such a mundane favour.

[@graywulf19]

I really can't wait for your reaction to Ep 3.

[@acwolf92]

Percy is a artificer/fighter gunslinger.

[@IceMetalPunk]

There's a spin-off game of D&D called Pathfinder (specifically, a spin-off of D&D's third edition) which has a gunslinger class. Critical Role started as a Pathfinder game among friends, and Percy was a gunslinger. When they started livestreaming their games, they switched to D&D's fifth edition, because they figured it would be easier for the audience to understand; so Matt Mercer created his own custom (homebrew) subclass of the Fighter class to try and maintain Percy's gunslinger-ness. So he's a Gunslinger Fighter, even though Gunslinger isn't a standard class in D&D 😁 ...man, when it starts crossing multiple game systems, I can definitely understand why people zone out hearing TTRPG explanations 😂

[@DeutschRevolver]

Really hope the views do well with this show for you.

[@cookypower3157]

I loved this episode so much!!!

[@Dragon_Lair]

Fake Spoilers ahead: Scanlan becomes a wrestling champion in Emon after farting on Thordak's face, the gas from the fart and the heat from Thordak causing a massive explosion that destroys all the eggs. Pike proposes to Scanlan's arm after Grog chops it off because it got bitten by another zombie. Vex, Keyleth and Pike discuss their boy problems and decide to switch things up to see if each of them can fix the other's guy. Pike takes Vax, Keyleth takes Percy and Vex takes Scanlan. Vax single-handedly survives everyone else dying, all the while calling out "(insert name) NOOOOOO!" after each one dies. Raishan and Keyleth become best friends.

[@MehrGills]

Nah, you got scanlan's wrong. He becomes a butcher and lives the rest of his life peacefully in his shop with his daughter

[@kaniamia]

Percy dies. And Vex dies. And Grog dies. Everyone dies; it’s a TPK. I can’t wait for you to meet all the new characters! (These are fake spoilers, in case anyone is unclear. 😉)

[@btgardener39]

My going theory for the Emprex (and given that I haven't watched anywhere near the fullness of campaign 1, it's just me guessing) is that they are a shapeshifted, and very old, gold dragon (just as Raishan is green, Umbrasyl was black, etc, etc). The Emprex's eyes appear very similar to how Raishan's looked during the confrontation in Whitestone at the end of season 2, for one thing; they have what looked like a hatchling gold dragon on their shoulder and flitting about them; they identified Mythcarver at a glance and apparently have lived long enough to collect multiple vestiges in the past (something that Vox Machina only discovered recently with the aid of Osysa, another ancient entity, and had to go through a hell of a lot to obtain); and most critically, they stated that they have seen firsthand what Thordak's fury looks like. How many non-dragons out there can say the same, and lived to tell about it?

[@alex6027]

@@btgardener39 That's a cool theory!

[@andyenglish4303]

I thought you said "groin relationship" between Vex and Percy at first. Not quite yet!

[@havenomouth]

Soon.

[@JRDickens20]

Fake Spoiler: Spread by the cast themselves, Percy and Vax fall in love and run away together.

[@ematuskey]

All those awkward glances, the stammering, the forced bravado--Vax and Percy clearly have it /bad/ for each other! But it's okay, they're both there when Vex and Keyleth finally pay off their own long-simmering chemistry with a grand wedding in the Feywild. :D

[@nicolaspereyra420]

Percy's class is gunslinger. The reason why you haven't heard of it is bc it's not one of the 13 common classes, it was literally created by critical role for this

[@carterdohoney4994]

Ish. It was originally created by Paizo for Pathfinder First Edition. Matt Mercer homebrewed the Pathfinder class into a D&D 5E subclass for fighters (complete with their Grit mechanic) when swapping systems for the jump to livestreaming... but it's not Matt Mercer's original concept the way content like the Blood Hunter class or the Cobalt Soul monk subclass are.

[@nicolaspereyra420]

@@carterdohoney4994 I know, I just thought that the full explanation was a bit much

[@stephen6503]

gunslinger - matt mercer (dm of critical role) homebrew subclass of fighter.

[@quincyconnors9391]

4:26 Worse. An assembly line. Maybe a whole factory.

[@lewiff]

I thought Percy was just an artificer

[@mathsalot8099]

Gunslinger is an official DnD 5e fighter subclass, but Percy's version predates it and was homebrewed by Matt.

[@boxlflox9094]

Ruby of the Sea Referenced.

[@sideswipeproductions5825]

Just wait for episode 3 there’s one scene that is awesome. Just one hint ‘Courage’

[@roxelmillian7242]

I absolutely fell in love with J'mon. Especially when described in the campaign. They did fantastic with them. 😍

[@alex6027]

Orthax is actually a demonic shadow pulled from Thordak from his time in the Fire Plane, as the Fire Plan is obviously revealed to be connected to the Hells

[@andyenglish4303]

what

[@Bookconsumer]

​@@andyenglish4303People leave fake spoilers so that Mosco can't tell when someone says a real one, this is a pretty good example.

[@kacperkrajewski8228]

The next one is ❤❤❤

[@garretthenderson5738]

Yeah, as much as I love your videos I had already seen about 4 reaction on VOX before yours published. I think they'll get views, just may take a little time

[@Brian-vn4xb]

Hi Mosco

[@fenrizsharp3938]

jmon sa ord is on of my favourite characters, also non binary icon. love them

[@TMNTCountryDragon]

Spoilers~ Can't wait for the episodes when Percy goes swimming with a teapot of sodium chloride, Grog punches a translucent cow and the party acquires a over-eager golden boy with a robot secretary!

[@jdogx211]

2:00, you talking about the SHOT or her TUSH?

[@alex6027]

(Yea, about the Emperex, J'mon Sa Ord, they're nonbinary)

[@spatialanomally]

Wee lass, you will probably lose it next episode 😂

[@shadowpuppy4824]

🐺❤️🐺

[@Dyerdon]

Percy was a fighter/warlock multiclass. Matt Mercer, the DM, homebrewed the fighter subclass, Gunslinger.

[@zippomage]

he didn't multiclass, he got hex from a feat

[@Dyerdon]

@@zippomage Orthax was his patron, he lost that when Scanlan tossed his pepperbox into the acid.

[@carterdohoney4994]

@@Dyerdon Arguable, but at no point did he have levels in Warlock. He took the Magic Initiate feat at level 12, drawing from the Warlock spell list.

[@zippomage]

@@Dyerdon according to the players themselves, no.

[@FrostyTheSnowPickle]

By the way, Mosco, since I noticed you said "her": Emperex J'mon Sa Ord is nonbinary, and uses they/them pronouns.

[@aro1284]

Percy actually died to a polearm attack by J'Mon Sa Ord and made a new character but I am excited to see where his character goes now that they retconed that sudden loss from a bad roll.

[@seansilence2697]

J'mon sa Ord, non-binary icon

[@vincentabramo7175]

The empress/emperor is actually an ancient brass dragon. They can sometimes take human form. They use they/their pronouns.

[@havenomouth]

I love how specifically incorrect this comment is.

[@vincentabramo7175]

@@havenomouth fixed it, my mistake

[@jdogx211]

"God made Man. Samuel Colt made Man equal."

[@Blazingstoke]

"Man kills himself off; Woman inherits the earth."

[@nigelhyde279]

Here I’m guessing, with no knowledge of Critical Role but some of D&D, the ruler is a Gold Dragon. She good, powerful and lawful and Vex was detecting her not the Pseudoddragon.

[@jdogx211]

12:52, he couldn't just tell her!? He already said he was here for the Vestige and wanted to see her. Why couldn't he just tell her that they needed the armor to kill ANOTHER dragon like what they did to Umbrasyl!?

[@jdogx211]

I get that Keyleth is PISSED to Hell at Riashon, but she is just spouting off about her any chance and saying WAY too much!

[@jdogx211]

Why didn't Ripley know it was fake! She was EXPERIMENTING on it, shouldn't she have realized something was up?

[@alex6027]

@@jdogx211 She had it for less than a few hours, and it seems like the set up she had was more a proof of concept visual for the ide she already had, she hadn't actually tried to use the Vestige to absorb fire yet it seems

[@bludfyre]

They probably put a minor enchantment on it to make it appear magical to a quick glance... and Ripley only got her hands on it right before Vox Machina showed up at Mistress Asharu's.

[@carterdohoney4994]

@@bludfyre She also may not have entirely groked that the reason her setup wasn't working was because the plate was a forgery. She may've been assuming she overlooked something in the engineering, which was why she wanted Percy to sign on to her concept and look over her rig.

[@jdogx211]

3:40, Percy is TECHNICALLY a magician I think in this case, not a Wizard. Maybe listed as an Engineer. Because he deals damage at range he was considered a spellcaster type. Its a little card to quantify him because, as far as I'm aware he DID invent firearms in D&D.

[@carterdohoney4994]

Vex also deals damage at range. That didn't make her a spellcaster, at least until she'd stacked enough Ranger levels to cast spells. Heck, technically Vax deals damage at range, since he primarily uses his daggers as thrown weapons... but he wasn't considered a spellcaster until he took levels in Paladin to represent his oath to the Raven Queen. Every single one of Percy's levels is in Fighter (using the homebrew Gunslinger subclass). While he has the Magic Initiate feat (which lets him tap some low level Warlock spells), he is neither magician, wizard, nor artificer. The animation doesn't even seem to be including that.

[@AiLiang-hh2zg]

idk if this counts as a spoiler or a clarification but J'mon Sa Ord is a dragon themself.

[@zippomage]

wtf

[@Bookconsumer]

Spoiler

[@cartersouthern]

Ya I don’t like premieres thanks for not doing one…

[@AAAndrew]

Fun fact, the little kids playing with the gun were played by Laura for the girl, and their son, Ronin voiced the little boy. So, it was a complete Laura, Travis and Ronin family moment. The Emperex (gender-neutral Emperor/Emperess) is a metallic dragon, which is why her eyes look this way. (Metallic dragons are generally more lawful and "good" than the chromatic dragons) Excellent catching that the "vestige" was damaged. I've not seen another reactor catch that.

[@MehrGills]

I know we are supposed to put fake spoilers, but this is too far. We saw the dragon already in the throne room... but actually, maybe better fake* spoilers for things

[@ghurcbghurcb]

Oh, COME ON! No real spoilers!

[@Bookconsumer]

Hey dude spoilers, not cool.

[@carterdohoney4994]

Just clear me on something... doesn't it defeat the purpose of requesting fake spoilers if real spoilers are actually identified as such by being called out like this? Seems like a protection against spoilage is being eliminated unintentionally.

[@Bookconsumer]

@@carterdohoney4994 maybe, but they still shouldn't have put actual spoilers down and there isn't really any other way to get them to change it except for calling them out.

[@Muskequeer]

Fun fact: The little boy with the toy gun is voiced by Travis (Grog) and Laura's (Vex) irl son!