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Critical Role |OT| Is It Thursday Yet?
- Thread starter Dream Machine
- Start date
- Video/Streaming OT
I'm really surprised Matt allowed them to find the group so quickly, this is not how I expected things to go.
I kind of wish they'd plan during breaks, this is always the worst part of the show. Just fight before Matt decides to do it next week.
edit: here we go! should be a good one hopefully
edit: here we go! should be a good one hopefully
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Have they thought about the fact that they have no one in their party that can revive someone...
I missed the first half due to my own new D&D nite.
That was an amazing Post-Hiatus episode. It raised the stakes 100000%.
If their panel was not going to be packed before, it is going to be goddamn packed now.
Matt gave Lorenzo an amazing personality, too. One that made him a badass but didn't feel "ok now you're fighting a BIGGER BAD GUY". He's gonna be a great Arc Boss.
And we still have yet to deal with Trent. I would not be surprised if Lorenzo and Trent were working together, the new Briarwoods, as it were.
That was an amazing Post-Hiatus episode. It raised the stakes 100000%.
Can't wait to see Jaffe's new character. And it's right before their panel, too.
If their panel was not going to be packed before, it is going to be goddamn packed now.
Matt gave Lorenzo an amazing personality, too. One that made him a badass but didn't feel "ok now you're fighting a BIGGER BAD GUY". He's gonna be a great Arc Boss.
And we still have yet to deal with Trent. I would not be surprised if Lorenzo and Trent were working together, the new Briarwoods, as it were.
I'm... WHEW.
It was a rough way to go. Casting Blood Maledict and accidentally knocking yourself out. I don't know where things go from here, but then again, if some resurrection shenanigans are going to happen it makes perfect sense for a character like Molly. I'd like to see them bury him and have him wake up again with no memories of his prior life with the Nein. I think that, aside from the likely route of Tal making a new character altogether, would be really interesting.
Whew, what an episode.
While I'm sad that Molly had to die, his death set up a great villain. They hadn't really had a tangible main villain this whole campaign that gives the whole group a tangible stake.
I'll be interested to see what Taliesin's next character is gonna be.
I'll be interested to see what Taliesin's next character is gonna be.
I'll miss the fan art but not the character. Hope he remembers to make someone even slightly interesting next time.
Hope there's no resurrection shenanigans.
Hope there's no resurrection shenanigans.
Not sure why the spoilers in here, I thought it was established that you shouldn't come in here if you haven't seen the latest.
Anyway, I've always thought the "the show is scripted" stuff was ridiculous, but it did seem a bit odd that Ashly immediately ran away from the fight. Like as if Matt told her "look this guy is really powerful so just hang back since we have you booked for future episodes". Probably not, but her actions were odd for someone who wanted revenge. Matt did look legit shook at how things turned out though.
Anyway, I've always thought the "the show is scripted" stuff was ridiculous, but it did seem a bit odd that Ashly immediately ran away from the fight. Like as if Matt told her "look this guy is really powerful so just hang back since we have you booked for future episodes". Probably not, but her actions were odd for someone who wanted revenge. Matt did look legit shook at how things turned out though.
Sorry, about the use of spoilers, I didn't know that rule.
Keg's actions were bothering me for a while until we got a good look at how the boss acted. I'm willing to bet he did something pretty nasty to her and her slave friend when she was kicked from the group. The guy seemed pretty sadistic, and I can understand wanting to roleplay the scars from that backstory.
The whole plan seemed kind of poorly thought out. Even at full strength plus a guest It would have been a hard fight. No healer and only one real caster, against 7 was terrible odds. On the bright side I now am super invested in seeing these guys get taken down. Besides Trent, this story hasn't had any looming villains yet, but now we have 4 more.
What I wasn't quite sure of from the way Matt phrased it was whether they actually had a shot or not. I think Lorenzo must be like level 10 or something and the fight was already pre-determined. Matt loves to use the "get your ass kicked, get stronger, and come back for round 2" narrative device so that would be likely, but the way he talked made it sound like it was just bad luck. It certainly didn't seem like he was expecting what happened to happen though.
Well the plan wasn't well conceived and mistakes all around, but I think they were intended to lose in the first place, just not with any planned deaths. They really should have tried searching the cages for their friends while sneaking at night or while invisible way before any combat was initiated. Trying to break someone out of cage/shackles during a fight would take 3+ rounds and however many rounds it would be to find someone useful in a fight without equipment....
So we got no damage from Nott or Ashly's characters when the odds were already against them. Plus, the sneak attack damage on Molly should never have happened (was at a disadvantage), and Slow can only be dispelled per person instead of AOE, which is meant more towards an ongoing effect like Wall of Fire (Caleb's ongoing Slow wasn't a continuous cube of slow, as the people affected by the Slow spell can move wherever they want and still be slowed until they make a save or Caleb's concentration is ended). It all just added up to things going badly for them, and they didn't roll that great either.
So we got no damage from Nott or Ashly's characters when the odds were already against them. Plus, the sneak attack damage on Molly should never have happened (was at a disadvantage), and Slow can only be dispelled per person instead of AOE, which is meant more towards an ongoing effect like Wall of Fire (Caleb's ongoing Slow wasn't a continuous cube of slow, as the people affected by the Slow spell can move wherever they want and still be slowed until they make a save or Caleb's concentration is ended). It all just added up to things going badly for them, and they didn't roll that great either.
That sucks. She was really fun for most of the episode, and provided the only real narrative reason for the rest of the party to survive. Her character has a chance for a really interesting arc now.
I'm sad about Molly, but the entire story just got very interesting. I really hope this defeat drives them to be much more sneaky. I feel like this could be like the book Best Served Cold, and the M9 can just try to isolate and pick off each of these guys one by one over the course of the campaign.
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Yikes yikes yikes yikes yikes yikes yikes.
Not sure why Sam stuck to the unlock the cages plan when he clearly saw they were randos who wouldn't be able to help them. I was fine with Ashley roleplaying disadvantage against a guy her character was afraid of on her first turn, but they really could have used Nott's help at least. That battle was basically 3 on 7. That dispell magic shouldn't have been that powerful either, but it is what it is. This is great for roleplaying, stakes, and the story, though. I'm just bummed that "fans" are going to be incredibly nasty over the next week.
Also, what the hell was Lorenzo's class?
Next week should be interesting. I have a feeling the next new character will be a HEALER.
Not sure why Sam stuck to the unlock the cages plan when he clearly saw they were randos who wouldn't be able to help them. I was fine with Ashley roleplaying disadvantage against a guy her character was afraid of on her first turn, but they really could have used Nott's help at least. That battle was basically 3 on 7. That dispell magic shouldn't have been that powerful either, but it is what it is. This is great for roleplaying, stakes, and the story, though. I'm just bummed that "fans" are going to be incredibly nasty over the next week.
Also, what the hell was Lorenzo's class?
Next week should be interesting. I have a feeling the next new character will be a HEALER.
Ugh, that is horrible to hear. I was really hoping people wouldn't be like that. It was a perfectly reasonable roleplaying choice to act scared of Lorenzo when trying to confront him. I dunno if any of the other slavers were available for her to go into melee range with, without approaching Lorenzo? If there was, she should have done that to help the party some while still under the effect of the self-imposed "frightened" effect.
I think either high level Ogre Mage or Oni that has changed shape.
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Ooooh, I see. Thanks.
After some cursory research, Oni seems likely.
I 100% love the new camera angles. The new combat cameras in particular are sooooooooooooooooo nice.
Well, that's a way to baptize the new studio.
I wasn't terribly fond of Molly as a character but... Well... That was a shock.
And i hope they won't find a way to bring him back. They need to have a player character to actually stay dead for a change (Vax doesn't count).
I wasn't terribly fond of Molly as a character but... Well... That was a shock.
And i hope they won't find a way to bring him back. They need to have a player character to actually stay dead for a change (Vax doesn't count).
The best angles.
Good setup for a new villain, seems like he's an oni, which is interesting. Molly wasn't a favorite of mine out the gate, but the character grew on me.
I could see him rerolling with the ghost class, but would rather see a new character at this point. And with his backstory, I think it'd be interesting to run into Molly in 50 episodes in a crowd with no memory of the party, or any interest in finding out who they are.
I guess if you're gonna lose someone it might as well be the one that didn't have a player created back story. Then it's Matt's narrative loss instead of the player's, and Matt has to drop plot elements all the time.
It turned out to be quite the foreshadowing that last episode Molly was saying how he was really afraid of death.
I'm sure Liam will have some choice words with Matt over that Slow dispel.
I agree about the tactics, but I imagine Matt would've found a way to make it so they couldn't free Jester, Fjord, and Yasha no matter what they tried, since this is after all Matt's way of dealing with Travis and Laura (and I guess Ashley J) being gone. At most they might have been able to verify that they were in there.
As far as I know Nott only saw one person in the cages, so she didn't really know who was in there. But yeah we don't know if Jester/Fjord/Yasha were in that cart, and if they were, did they survive the cone blast (I doubt Matt would be so cruel though).
Ashly's acting impulse was a good one so I can't really lay blame at her feet, and I certainly don't condone the internet man-child behavior towards her. But I don't think she realized the gravity of the situation and how she was actually an integral part of the party surviving or not surviving the battle.
RIP Molly, we hardly knew you.
I'm sure Liam will have some choice words with Matt over that Slow dispel.
I agree about the tactics, but I imagine Matt would've found a way to make it so they couldn't free Jester, Fjord, and Yasha no matter what they tried, since this is after all Matt's way of dealing with Travis and Laura (and I guess Ashley J) being gone. At most they might have been able to verify that they were in there.
As far as I know Nott only saw one person in the cages, so she didn't really know who was in there. But yeah we don't know if Jester/Fjord/Yasha were in that cart, and if they were, did they survive the cone blast (I doubt Matt would be so cruel though).
Ashly's acting impulse was a good one so I can't really lay blame at her feet, and I certainly don't condone the internet man-child behavior towards her. But I don't think she realized the gravity of the situation and how she was actually an integral part of the party surviving or not surviving the battle.
RIP Molly, we hardly knew you.
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I'm sure that was rough for Taliesin, but I REALLY hope they don't just bring Molly back somehow. Introducing stakes like this to their game (right after 3 other party members have been kidnapped, no less) is awesome. I really don't want them to undercut a big character death like that.
Just think of all the extra drama that will be added to the game now. Jester, Fjord, and Yasha were already going to be affected by their kidnapping, but now when they return they will have to deal with the fact that one of their friends died trying to save them. And it happened because they weren't there with him. Oooooo, I can't wait.
But really, that slight panning in the battle was great. Just a small detail that made the whole thing more dynamic.
Also, nice that they have a system for showing us their fancy map now. I wonder if they are worried about damaging the map by just having it out in the middle of the table at all times? It would be nice if the the camera can show it whenever they are discussing geography related information. They might not want it out all the time in case of stray dice rolls scuffing it up or spilled drinks, but it's very slick and helpful to have the map visible to the audience like that. I'd prefer they didn't have to do 30 seconds to a minute of setup every time they want to show it to the audience, but it's up to them.
Just think of all the extra drama that will be added to the game now. Jester, Fjord, and Yasha were already going to be affected by their kidnapping, but now when they return they will have to deal with the fact that one of their friends died trying to save them. And it happened because they weren't there with him. Oooooo, I can't wait.
I live for that second or two of awkward framing after Matt sits down.
The best angles.
But really, that slight panning in the battle was great. Just a small detail that made the whole thing more dynamic.
Also, nice that they have a system for showing us their fancy map now. I wonder if they are worried about damaging the map by just having it out in the middle of the table at all times? It would be nice if the the camera can show it whenever they are discussing geography related information. They might not want it out all the time in case of stray dice rolls scuffing it up or spilled drinks, but it's very slick and helpful to have the map visible to the audience like that. I'd prefer they didn't have to do 30 seconds to a minute of setup every time they want to show it to the audience, but it's up to them.
It's their whole huge studio to do with what they want. They could legitimately just frame the map or otherwise mount it to a wall and have a permanent camera on it. Then they could use laser pointers (provided a non reflective surface) to indicate things when they want to use it that way. There's lots of options they could implement.
So Matt of course has been corrected on Dispel vs Slow by the internet, but he also said it would still have played out about the same because the most important people in the fight would have been the ones without slow.
Also they did chose to to into a fight where they knew they were outnumbered and had no healer.
Meanwhile, in New York...
Also they did chose to to into a fight where they knew they were outnumbered and had no healer.
Meanwhile, in New York...
Wait, Molly's was a Matt -created backstory?
Either way, I do not expect the Resurrection of Molly plot to just drop off. There's too much meat there. Maybe they'll find another resurrected dude.
I trust that Matt will make the right narrative choice on that, and I think Taliesin is adult enough to not push hard for Molly's return. It has to suck going out in part by your own hand though. Though let's be real, he was probably going down with those 4hp left anyway.
I think Matt was much more affected by it than Tal was. Props to him for playing the DM and going through with it, but it looked like it was about to break him.
Well to be fair, they didn't know just how powerful those guys were. Sam did mention healing and looked for potions, but it was kind of "well we gotta rescue our friends from slavery". Sneaking into their camp might've been the better option, but it would've probably ended in a fight regardless because Matt wasn't about to let his narrative go to pieces.
I don't want to see a broken Jester, or any of them for that matter, but especially not Jester.
Taliesin, like Molly, doesn't know his life before his resurrection. He left that part to Matt. And any look of recognition that made it seem like he knew what his former life was, like when first meeting the Black Tabaxi, is because he confused them with something from his post resurrection life.
Same. If Molly doesn't die here it really feels like nobody is ever going to be in any real danger. Burying Mollymauk and running into someone else in his body down the road in the campaign would be fun and fit in well with his backstory though.
There was no way they were going to win that fight.
D&D is all about the action economy and it was 4 against 7.
Unless there is a huge level difference the one with the most turns usually wins.
I honestly expect Molly to crawl out of his grave with no memories next episode.
It would allow them to follow up the plot points of Molly while Taliesin can still create a new character.
Molly would probably just be an NPC then that they would run into later.
I don't know about that.
Taliesin looked pretty upset when he left the table.
Just compare his reaction to Molly's death compared to Percy.
I don't think I have ever seen Taliesin so sad outside of the time that he coudln't save Vax from the Raven Queen :(
As a DM myself, having a character like Mollymauk die brings to mind a dearth of possibilities story-wise. Mainly, I'd love to see the party hold a funeral and bury Mollymauk only for him to rise from his grave and return as an NPC with a wholly different personality.
Alternatively — and this is something that I think would make for stellar storytelling — Mollymauk returns from the dead with a wholly different personality as mentioned, his old group finds him, and he and they become antagonists in a future arc. There was clearly some nefarious shit that went down with Mollymauk's old crew that he was unaware of, and I don't think that his death should invalidate the grand reveal of that arc. In fact, him not being a playable character and actively avoiding it means that Matt could have full control over Molly's arc in a way that could turn out to be incredibly interesting.
As for a straight up resurrection, I'd rather not see it happen. I think having stakes introduced at this point in the campaign is, from a thematic standpoint, really appropriate. Molly died at a time where the group had done their first real no-strings attached good deed; at a time where everyone felt good about helping others with no thought of personal gain. Introducing a permanent character death makes for a very stark tonal shift from what had just occurred in the last session, and that kind of gut-punch makes for truly memorable moments.
Alternatively — and this is something that I think would make for stellar storytelling — Mollymauk returns from the dead with a wholly different personality as mentioned, his old group finds him, and he and they become antagonists in a future arc. There was clearly some nefarious shit that went down with Mollymauk's old crew that he was unaware of, and I don't think that his death should invalidate the grand reveal of that arc. In fact, him not being a playable character and actively avoiding it means that Matt could have full control over Molly's arc in a way that could turn out to be incredibly interesting.
As for a straight up resurrection, I'd rather not see it happen. I think having stakes introduced at this point in the campaign is, from a thematic standpoint, really appropriate. Molly died at a time where the group had done their first real no-strings attached good deed; at a time where everyone felt good about helping others with no thought of personal gain. Introducing a permanent character death makes for a very stark tonal shift from what had just occurred in the last session, and that kind of gut-punch makes for truly memorable moments.
I'm emotionally shattered. All my thoughts:
First, new studio, cameras, lighting etc was all very nice. Great upgrade.
Ashly is a great player, fuck those people mad at everyone.
Ok, meat and potatoes time.
They really shouldn't have gone into that fight. Outnumbered, knowing they were outnumbered, knowing that 3 other party members were taken out without a peep. Matt had already taken out their horses. They weren't prepared at all. They fucked up royally. (Plus, dude, there was no way that they were supposed to get their friends back that quick... but you know, metagaming.)
I'm probably in the minority in this group, but just rerolling a new character is the most boring outcome of this. The stakes were already high enough with a time limit on getting the others back before Lorenzo's men 'break' them. Out of all the characters to get bumped off at this point Molly is the one who makes the most sense lore-wise to bring back to life in some fashion. There are two different narratively appropriate crazy ways two bring him back, both would be way more interesting than simply rerolling a new character.
The first option would be Matt's "Lingering Soul" death/class, because Molly definitely had unfinished business in rescuing Yasha and it's a fun twist to his ghostslayer subclass if he becomes a ghost. Plus Tal likes trying out Matt's homebrew stuff and it would allow him to eventually come back to life (assuming he didn't die again.)
Second option: The body comes back to life, but as the previous personality/owner... but Tal still has to play him, and hey, no need to make a new mini! The ramifications of which would be fascinating.
Final fucked-up thought: Someone pointed out that if the others were still in the cart that they just watched their friend die trying to save them and couldn't do anything.
First, new studio, cameras, lighting etc was all very nice. Great upgrade.
Ashly is a great player, fuck those people mad at everyone.
Ok, meat and potatoes time.
They really shouldn't have gone into that fight. Outnumbered, knowing they were outnumbered, knowing that 3 other party members were taken out without a peep. Matt had already taken out their horses. They weren't prepared at all. They fucked up royally. (Plus, dude, there was no way that they were supposed to get their friends back that quick... but you know, metagaming.)
I'm probably in the minority in this group, but just rerolling a new character is the most boring outcome of this. The stakes were already high enough with a time limit on getting the others back before Lorenzo's men 'break' them. Out of all the characters to get bumped off at this point Molly is the one who makes the most sense lore-wise to bring back to life in some fashion. There are two different narratively appropriate crazy ways two bring him back, both would be way more interesting than simply rerolling a new character.
The first option would be Matt's "Lingering Soul" death/class, because Molly definitely had unfinished business in rescuing Yasha and it's a fun twist to his ghostslayer subclass if he becomes a ghost. Plus Tal likes trying out Matt's homebrew stuff and it would allow him to eventually come back to life (assuming he didn't die again.)
Second option: The body comes back to life, but as the previous personality/owner... but Tal still has to play him, and hey, no need to make a new mini! The ramifications of which would be fascinating.
Final fucked-up thought: Someone pointed out that if the others were still in the cart that they just watched their friend die trying to save them and couldn't do anything.
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Stepped away for a few months, seems a lot has happened. Last I watched they were doing the arena battles in the city. So they got a new set-up will they still be G&S or will they switch to the CR channel?
If Taliesin creates a new character which class would you guys want it to be?
I would like to see a sorcerer or a paladin.
I don't think they need to make another cleric because it is going to be kinda redundant when Laura eventually comes back.
I would like to see Taliesin make a Bard but he has mentioned that Scanlan is too hard to follow up on.
I would like to see a sorcerer or a paladin.
I don't think they need to make another cleric because it is going to be kinda redundant when Laura eventually comes back.
I would like to see Taliesin make a Bard but he has mentioned that Scanlan is too hard to follow up on.
