@@theexpatriate Honestly... the excitement your players get out of moments like this mean that the DMs job is well and truly done, regardless of how it plays out!!!
As a DM, it's always one of the greatest pains, but also one of the greatest excitements when somebody breaks your encounters. Whether it be through sheer genius or just insane rolls like this.
@@wowguy1243 idk ive always thought nat 20's should guarantee a success, it feels like such shit to get a nat 20 only for you to still fail the check. imo, if you cant succeed a check even with a nat 20 there should not even be a check.
@@wowguy1243 That's totally up to the DM. I count a nat20 in ways of asking a certain roll as a safe success no matter what. If it's below that, they have to add their stuff together. Nat1 is always a fail in my campaign, nat20 always success. That way, I let my players on the loose when they earn themselves a proper finish of hard situations.
I always understood it to be a Nat 20 on an attack roll or a Death Save always succeeds, but not on ability checks. But then again, every table is different. DM's word above all.
Yeah Travis has some uncanny ability to roll either a Nat 1 or a Nat 20 at the perfect time for the narrative, to make either a super epic moment or a hilarious prat fall. For instance the 3 Nat 1s in a row at the festival in Zadash
Grog’s two Nat 20s is arguably the greatest moment in VMs history. Grog, being such a dearly loved character...after making a poor decision as only he could (pulling that card from the DoMT)...having an entire episode dedicated to searching for him...getting the famous and satisfying HDYWTDT...and in front of a live audience. Incredible!
I hold that the double Nat 20 in The Search for Grog is far and away the greatest moment in CR History for me. It is the perfect storm: + 4(ish) hours of no Grog, so this is his first real moment in the One Shot + Two back-to-back Nat 20 Rolls + 152 damage in two hits (with the added bonus that Grog literally 86'ed the guy at the end) + following on from the previous, the HDYWTDT + Live crowd reactions Just... 😚👌 Perfect
not only was it two back to back nat 20s, the first attack was not reckless meaning he straight rolled the first. The second 20 does lose impact since it was an advantage roll, but nonetheless, two nat 20 attacks in a row to finish the fight was simply epic
The first two in this serve a valuable lesson: anytime you need to roll nothing under a natural 20, have marisha sitting beside you, bonus points if she sees/reacts to your natural 20 a half-second before you call it
I came here to say this; Marisha 100% confirms the natural 20 a microsecond before anyone has a chance to react, and it 1 million % sells the roll to Matt (and the audience). :) Makes me smile like an idiot whenever the cast reacts like they do when another member of the cast excels at something, but never more so when a natural 20 changes the pace or tone of the evening and someone just *goes off* as a result (doubly so when it's Marisha). :chuckle:
These freak outs are the best part. My last campaign I had a player that kept detailed notes of each session, NPCs they talked/heard about, random lore, cool moments. Whenever someone rolled a nat 20 (even me as the DM) he wrote in big letters) if a fellow PC rolled one he'd hop around and get hyped. After we finished the campaign we sat back and went through his notes as a highlight of the many months of adventuring. also any time the players make the dm say "mother fker" you are heading into a good time.
@@nuru666 I've been playing for about 6 years, dming for about 5. That group was by far my favorite and made me realize just how much fun this hobby could be. Everyone had a good spirit, even if i messed with them. They were all super into their characters and the story. They'd evolve their character based on the story, not powergaming. This same player was a fighter that had sort of found religion, he beheaded a guy that the rest of the group didn't want to. So the entire rest of the campaign they'd throw that in his face and the player spent 4 sessions communing with his god, trying to find a way to help the family of the person he beheaded and feeling terrible. He eventually took a rank in paladin to "atone for his actions". Really miss that group. Real life sucks :(
i nominate scanlan geting shot in the neck cuz good god that moment is magical, gets me every time. That and Fjord 3 nat1 in a row (travis and dice man, its a thing)
I don't know what it is a about Travis but every time he rolls 1's or 20's there's some cinematic shenanigans going down. Or at least some abrupt hilarity. It's like his superpower.
He's got a strange passive skill, I'll admit. Critical Moment: Causes you to roll either a 1 or 20 at any moment that is deemed character critical, whether you realize it at the time or not!
Arguably Xavier Woods joining Acq Inc is when D&D and wrestling merged... if you haven't seen those sessions I highly recommend them, it turns out he is perfect for this sort of thing
3:36 Look closely at Matt's face. That is the face of simultaneous Surprise, Defeat, and Pride. As a DM, whenever your players roll a Nat20 at a critical moment, you can't help but smile at your own ruin.
Actually... I'm pretty sure that's the look of disappointment. You're never supposed to grab the die after it's been rolled. You leave it so the DM can be assured it's actually what they say it is.
@@escobarisanoctopus I've never heard that about "grabbing the die," and I've played with folks who go all the way back to 2E. That sounds like a house rule when you don't trust all your players.
@David Zachary No shit. Otherwise you could just roll, say Nat 20 and scoop it up and move it to a 20 every time. The whole point is for the DM to verify it. Matt STILL leans over and checks the die and he's been DMing for them for how long now?
Wow, I just now realised that both battles where Grog went "Vox Machina, fuck shit up!" ended with him actually fucking shit up with a nat20 killing blow! When he really wants others to succeed is when he shines the most. His power truly comes from his friends
@@srslyimnotaspy101 Even if she had she would have been stuck in Thar Amphala. By the time they figured out what the whole situation was and gone after Vecnards the first time like they did they would have run into an undead Kiki.
This is why you always give your players the POSSIBILITY of success. Just because you don't WANT it to happen, doesn't mean you should take away the CHANCE of it happening. You might end up with something like this where the results are way more epic (or otherwise ridiculously memorable) than you could have ever expected!!
@@OriginalCreatorSama PREACH My friend had recently started DMing and this is one of the lessons that I hope he picks up on. At one point we were trying to unlock the entrance to where a lich was sealed (long story, not worth explaining), and the cleric used guidance, the bard gave an inspiration, and our rogue had expertise in thieves' tools All factored in, he got a 29 but my friend stuck too close to what the DM screen's suggested DCs were (He set it to the 30 "impossible" DC) and said that we failed and couldn't retry. He's really good for a first time DM, but that really reminded me that he is still a new Dungeon Master
@@OriginalCreatorSama Whenever making someone roll, you must always account for a success. Otherwise, what's the point? If it's impossible, don't have them roll.
Especially after a hard battle, like the one with Kevdak and how much hype everybody had after Matt asked Travis how he wanted to describe Grog finishing Kevdak off. XD Especially when thinking of Taliesin going "YES!! YES!!!", Marisha with "It worked!", then Liam and his epic "Poetic justice!!" on top of it!
@@ivenkohn3404 Yeah, it was after the trial thing. Chapter 4. Matt had everyone leave the room except for Marisha for her personal session. Pretty interesting
I love that this video is full of so much greatness that Matt's physical acting of the dragon in his final moments is just glossed over. Like. The way his face changes at the moment of the disguise drop, the heavy chuckle, and then just *thunk*.
While this one was a lot less hype since it wasn't a climactic story moment, Ashly Burch in C2 rolling on a stealth check with disadvantage and getting 2 nat 20s...that was pretty dope.
The first one cracks me up SO MUCH because Matt looks so damn smug when he says "Go ahead and make an intelligence check.", while also crossing his arms, so his reaction to the Nat 20 is even funnier. I love it.
Funfact: They fought the last creature on a tower, that if screamed into the winds around it every plane would here it. So in the last combat Grog literally declared to every plane in existence, that you infact DO NOT fuck with Vox Machina.
8:19 when the rest of the party is worried about whether grog has enough hp to survive.... And he just waves them all off with his hands; as if saying "shhhhhh". Following it up with an "I don't care" because he is totally engrossed in this moment and u can see he has resigned himself to whatever fate has in store ........ I remember when I saw this the first time, Travis caused me to cease jumping up and down, and hold my breath for what was coming next! so much for compiling theit has caused me to relive so much of the joyI got from watching this show/game/family/movement/most epic thing 🙏
Reminds me of a fight my party was in recently. Undead Dragon, gets knocked down real low, but is still dealing considerable damage. My Tabaxi Ranger is only on 15 health, but if the dragon doesn't go out this turn, then it won't just be me going down. Zephyr Strike plus Feline Agility means that the distance is closed instantly but still leaves me open to a reaction attack (not opportunity attack, unfortunately) that whittles me down to 5 health. While it wasn't a nat20, my attack still strikes true, but the dragon dying causes a magical explosion that hits me for my remaining 5 health, and I fall unconscious. Fortunately, we had a healer so I was quickly tended to without needing death saves.
amazing vid! i can't agree more that the nat20s for grog was the most cinematic bullshit i've ever seen done by this improv show. how poetic the dice can be to this day is so unbelievable lmao tbh
The best part about that last one where Grog get's the back-to-back 20's is...on the next special one-shot where they have to find Bob and escape, he rolls another Nat 20 on his first roll of the session...meaning Grog technically hit THREE 20's in a row.
First one, Matt: "holy shit, you would have needed to roll a 20." (passes pre-written paper to Liam) Talk about prep... I love how Travis turned 2 nat 20's in a live show into a full-blown WWE match.
@@Jacob-sb3su That was Avantika's journal, where she wrote about her plan after securing the relics of Uko'toa. But because it had been written in Avantika's personal script and style, it was made only so she could read it at leisure with no one able to discern the meaning. Hence why Liam asked if HE could given time and the ability to understand the syntax of language and stuff...and due to the uniqueness of said language/code, it was set at a rather difficult DC to beat.
After that second live show crit, you just see Matt thinking "he didn't need more than 20 damage to finish this guy off... This is beyond overkill...and I love and hate it"
Honestly throughout critical role’s history the most hype I have ever been from a nat 20 will always be kevdak. Literally would have been the death of Grog if not for that hit being a nat 20. I remember running out of my room screaming into the living room of my very confused family, very very confused.
If I had a nickel for every time Grog entered a fight late and immediately killed the boss in his first turn using a Nat 20, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?
One Natural 20 moment I love has been when Laura rolled it when all of Vox Machina were trying to revive Percy in Episode 69, after Vex makes her confession and tells Percy her heart is his, landing it on a persuasion roll, surprising everyone, as Travis gestures to Matt to come and see with Matt going "I trust you." while Laura is super psyched at getting her natural 20.
The way Matt shouted "NO!!" in complete disbelief & had to go check on the second 20 was so genuine, every once in a while i come back to listen to it again 😂
He didn't believe him the first time, but he did the 2nd. He just needed to see a historical moment of rolling Nat 20 a second time. There's a reason he made the cameraman catch that one.
I’ve likened these natural 20 moments to when your favourite sports team does something spectacular in the most clutch/last min moments. It’s an incredible feeling.
Grog coming out "pokeball style" is always so hype. To have hit a natural 20 after that too was just the cherry on top. Such an amazing moment I always come back for.
Im almost through for my first time cant wait for second campaign!! Felt like slight spoilers but seeing nat 20s in clutch situations is one of lifes greatest joys 😊😊
The last clip in particular brings me so much joy. I’ve done theater. There’s something about the rush of a hyped audience that just…electrifies you, gets all that adrenaline and endorphin pumping and gives you a rush you can’t possibly describe. It also speaks as to just how mesmerizing CR is - that at its heart, it’s just a group of people engaged in group oral storytelling, sometimes with little miniatures. And yet there’s a sold-out crowd of fans as crazed as those watching a rock concert or a sporting event. They can SEE and FEEL the story alongside the actors. They get just as swept up in it as if it were played out in full, with life size monsters and dungeons. What CR’s done is so “lightning in a bottle”. They’ve tapped into this niche that hadn’t really been explored in mass media before. And it’s made them superstars.
VOX MACHINA SPOILERS 6:57 this moment is now immortalized in animated form… it was FUCKING GLORIOUS!!! It was EXACTLY as it was described, HOLY FUCK! Edit: almost exactly. The metal music was SO HYPE!
Percy's maintaining hex after being fire bombed is probably my second favorite one from C1, pokeball Grog is easily my favorite simply from Matt's reaction alone. Haven't started C2 yet so I don't have a favorite yet.
The one from Exandria Unlimited Prime where Liam pretends to be Aimee’s 4 year old daughter Nancy, Aabrea makes her role for deception with disadvantage and then she gets 2 Nat 20s will not only forever be the most insane Nat 20 roll for me but also the funniest having Liam succeed in pretending to be her daughter.
Actually, I think that paper was for a necklace they scored earlier, since deciphering the journal as going to take all night, and Liam/Caleb wanted to Identify the necklace first before delving into the journal.
This video has my two favorite moments in CR history. Both of them are from Best Boy Grog. The best live moment and the most Hype moment has to be the double Nat 20s in the search for Grog. But even that awesomeness is topped by the final blow of the Kevdak fight. The Kevdak fight was like 5.5 hours long and it ended it the most poetic way I could possibly think of. It feels scripted but its not, the dice helped tell an amazing story that I will never forget. These moments will always help cement Grog as one of my favorite characters in CR history.
Seeing this made the memorable 2 nat 20 by Lionel followed by 2 nat 1 by grog (ep 100). That was *chefs kiss* perfection. And also made me realized i miss grog and pike dynamic.
The more I play D&D and watch Critical Role, the more I’ve come to realize that if you set a DC that requires a Natural 20 to succeed, the player is gonna succeed.
the visual image of grog, confused to hell and back, just swinging at the first thing he sees is just stupidly funny. its not at all what happened but its such a hilarious concept.
I ENTIRELY agree with the first clip (Caleb deciphering Avantika's book) because it changed the tide of pretty much EVERYTHING that happened afterward. There would have been no meaningful evidence for Beau to present the Plank King, AAAH EVERYTHING COULD HAVE GONE SO WRONG IF IT WEREN'T FOR THAT FATEFUL DICE ROLL
Man, Grog’s double-crit? That happened to me as a DM. Major characters involved: Fothal Serevin: female white dragonborn barbarian, sold by her parents at birth to two of the Sin Incarnates, sparking a custody disagreement between the two. When that was settled and she was made to live on her own at age 10 in the wilds of Hell (Biblical Hell, btw), she grew to hate all seven of the Sins, and especially their master, Lucifer. Emperor Palpatine, AKA Lord Sidious: the Sin of Sloth. Not one of the two that claimed Fothal, but one of the sins, regardless. Context: after thr first campaign ended and just before the second one with the same group, same characters began, I was approached by two people, both were friends with two of the current party members. One of them plays Fothal. I wanted to give Fothal and the other new player (not important for this) some magic items that were up-to-par with the main weapons of the other party members. So, I homebrewed what I calll the Greataxe of Fear. It’s a +2 greataxe that deals an additional 2d4 psychic (the rest of the party had Wakened Dragon’s Wrath weapons at this time), that on a crit, the target must make a DC 17 Wisdom save or become frighened for three rounds (can repeat the save at the end of the turn). Story: How I had Fothal join in on session one was simple. She was posing as a guard for the Gates of Hell, which the rest of the party were tasked with bringing down. Soon as the other barbarian fumbles his stealth roll and gives away their position, Fothal turncoats and crits an imp, turning it into paste with her greataxe. Fast-forward a little bit, and the party is locked in battle with the Sin of Sloth, Darth Sidious. Fothal’s up, and she’s gonna smack with her greataxe. Nat 20. She’s a lvl 9 Berserker barbarian at this time. Brutal Critical. I look at Sidious’ sheet, and noticed something. I didn’t give him immunity to fear. He makes the save, but still… takes a lot of damage. She has another attack, so she goes for it. Nat 20. Since she crit twice in a row with the same axe on the same target, I gave Sidious disadvantage on the save. Failed. But it didn’t matter, because that final crit, dealing 42 damage (party record until the other new guy did 59 in a single hit against the next Sin, Lord Voldemort) was the killing blow. HDYWTDT?: The first crit with the axe rakes across his chest, exposing bone. He’s visibly on the brink, but still cackling maniacally. He turns back to Fothal, only for her to give him a *splitting* headache. She sunk the axe through the top of his head, down to the jawbone, his eyes going wide with terror from both his own realisation of his imminent death, and the axe. That was ended when she used her final, Frenzy attack to smack the haft of the axe farther into his corpse, which bisected the Sin of Sloth down to about mid-sternum. So, yeah. That’s how a Dragonborn from Hell killed a Sin.
I play dnd with grog in mind. If you play the character right the dice will roll what is deserved at the time. Things you mean to fail will, things you need to succeed will be spectacular
The moment I was thinking about and will never forget was season 1 when grog came out rolled a nat 20 killed his uncle and vex rolled a nat 20 for intimidation that fight and that moment was just crazy in critical role history never be forgotten
Liam: I need a nat 20
Taliesin: You’ll get one
Liam: I rolled a nat 20
Taliesin: ‘,:)
he’s an ancient eldritch pyramid, he can manipulate some insignificant maths rocks
He played it real cool after as well. What a G.
The spirit of percy showing his colors
Matt: 👁👄👁
*cue segment of "Card Sharks" music for winning game and match, then the following theme"
I love the look on Matt's face when something is supposed to be near impossible and a nat 20 happens. Like he gets excited for it too haha
it's takes a great man to be as excited for them as he is while simultaneously realizing all of his work planning going down the drain
@@theexpatriate Honestly... the excitement your players get out of moments like this mean that the DMs job is well and truly done, regardless of how it plays out!!!
I’m fairly convinced that Matt’s smug look on Liam’s roll for Avantika’s journal caused that natural 20. It’s science.
Maybe it's the pure astonishment from having a sideplot crumble in one roll lmao
As a DM, it's always one of the greatest pains, but also one of the greatest excitements when somebody breaks your encounters. Whether it be through sheer genius or just insane rolls like this.
Player: Natural 20
DM: so what’s that total?
(The most terrifying phrase that can be uttered)
@@wowguy1243 yeah, still, that means the DC is incredibly, terrifyingly high.
@@wowguy1243 Thank you Captain Obvious ;)
@@wowguy1243 idk ive always thought nat 20's should guarantee a success, it feels like such shit to get a nat 20 only for you to still fail the check.
imo, if you cant succeed a check even with a nat 20 there should not even be a check.
@@wowguy1243 That's totally up to the DM. I count a nat20 in ways of asking a certain roll as a safe success no matter what. If it's below that, they have to add their stuff together. Nat1 is always a fail in my campaign, nat20 always success. That way, I let my players on the loose when they earn themselves a proper finish of hard situations.
I always understood it to be a Nat 20 on an attack roll or a Death Save always succeeds, but not on ability checks. But then again, every table is different. DM's word above all.
Travis doesn't crit often, but when he does, it's damn epic
Like the time he decked a fomorian in the 1st campaign.
@@tahaabbas6616 That moment was glorious
Yeah Travis has some uncanny ability to roll either a Nat 1 or a Nat 20 at the perfect time for the narrative, to make either a super epic moment or a hilarious prat fall. For instance the 3 Nat 1s in a row at the festival in Zadash
Just like that time he got 3 natutal 1s in a row. Epic!
He even fails epicly.
The 2 20s from Grog are making up for Fjords 3 1s.
Wouldn't that be the opposite? 3 nat 1s as payment for 2 nat 20s.
@@mattevans4377 perfectly balanced, as all things should be
Actually, it's 3 in a row. Travis rolled another 20 in the one-shot after to resurrect the elf that came with them.
So for those who didn't bother to calculate, Grog did 192 damage in two swings.
152 my bad
Grog’s two Nat 20s is arguably the greatest moment in VMs history. Grog, being such a dearly loved character...after making a poor decision as only he could (pulling that card from the DoMT)...having an entire episode dedicated to searching for him...getting the famous and satisfying HDYWTDT...and in front of a live audience. Incredible!
192 damage in two shots. Even a god would wince at that
152 sorry slight miscalculation
What does HDYWTDT stand for?
@@FirstLast-gk6lg "How Do You Want To Do This"
@@Kakyo01 ty
I hold that the double Nat 20 in The Search for Grog is far and away the greatest moment in CR History for me. It is the perfect storm:
+ 4(ish) hours of no Grog, so this is his first real moment in the One Shot
+ Two back-to-back Nat 20 Rolls
+ 152 damage in two hits (with the added bonus that Grog literally 86'ed the guy at the end)
+ following on from the previous, the HDYWTDT
+ Live crowd reactions
Just... 😚👌 Perfect
They didn't just find Grog that day, they found Grog's groove too
Not to mention grogs very next roll which was also a Nat 20 in the search for bob
Absolutely right, it's so perfect how it all came together. :)
He also rolled a 20 on the first roll in cp2
not only was it two back to back nat 20s, the first attack was not reckless meaning he straight rolled the first. The second 20 does lose impact since it was an advantage roll, but nonetheless, two nat 20 attacks in a row to finish the fight was simply epic
The first two in this serve a valuable lesson: anytime you need to roll nothing under a natural 20, have marisha sitting beside you, bonus points if she sees/reacts to your natural 20 a half-second before you call it
I came here to say this; Marisha 100% confirms the natural 20 a microsecond before anyone has a chance to react, and it 1 million % sells the roll to Matt (and the audience). :) Makes me smile like an idiot whenever the cast reacts like they do when another member of the cast excels at something, but never more so when a natural 20 changes the pace or tone of the evening and someone just *goes off* as a result (doubly so when it's Marisha). :chuckle:
And have Taliesin around to bless it
These freak outs are the best part.
My last campaign I had a player that kept detailed notes of each session, NPCs they talked/heard about, random lore, cool moments. Whenever someone rolled a nat 20 (even me as the DM) he wrote in big letters) if a fellow PC rolled one he'd hop around and get hyped. After we finished the campaign we sat back and went through his notes as a highlight of the many months of adventuring.
also any time the players make the dm say "mother fker" you are heading into a good time.
I wanna play in a group with someone like that
@@nuru666 I've been playing for about 6 years, dming for about 5. That group was by far my favorite and made me realize just how much fun this hobby could be. Everyone had a good spirit, even if i messed with them. They were all super into their characters and the story. They'd evolve their character based on the story, not powergaming. This same player was a fighter that had sort of found religion, he beheaded a guy that the rest of the group didn't want to. So the entire rest of the campaign they'd throw that in his face and the player spent 4 sessions communing with his god, trying to find a way to help the family of the person he beheaded and feeling terrible. He eventually took a rank in paladin to "atone for his actions".
Really miss that group. Real life sucks :(
We need memorable nat 1's next!! This video is soooooo good!!
i nominate scanlan geting shot in the neck cuz good god that moment is magical, gets me every time. That and Fjord 3 nat1 in a row (travis and dice man, its a thing)
Or the double ones from Scanlan and Vex, when she tried to stop him from modifying her memory.
Three of them are probably going to fjord
I agree!, I would like to see the three from Fjord at the festival!
The three in a row from fjord at the festival needs to happen!
I don't know what it is a about Travis but every time he rolls 1's or 20's there's some cinematic shenanigans going down. Or at least some abrupt hilarity. It's like his superpower.
He's got a strange passive skill, I'll admit.
Critical Moment: Causes you to roll either a 1 or 20 at any moment that is deemed character critical, whether you realize it at the time or not!
It's called being a professional and very fantastic actor! 😄
It's called faking rolls for dramatic purposes.
@@kendyer8761 Think about going through life believing things which are so, so wrong
@@barrkongsteien do we have direct video of the die as they are rolled? No? Then its absolutely possible.
Grog's 2nd nat20 at a live event was when D&D turned into pro wrestling for a few minutes.
Matt: ……….. How do you wanna do this? 😂😂
Arguably Xavier Woods joining Acq Inc is when D&D and wrestling merged... if you haven't seen those sessions I highly recommend them, it turns out he is perfect for this sort of thing
@@curtisholsinger6023 As a reminder, Big Show(Paul Wright in AEW) played a one-shot with Magenello & Willingham a few years ago.
*glass shatters* BAH GAWD! STRONGJAW!! GROG STRONGJAW IS HERE!!
3:36
Look closely at Matt's face. That is the face of simultaneous Surprise, Defeat, and Pride. As a DM, whenever your players roll a Nat20 at a critical moment, you can't help but smile at your own ruin.
Actually... I'm pretty sure that's the look of disappointment.
You're never supposed to grab the die after it's been rolled. You leave it so the DM can be assured it's actually what they say it is.
"Huh, this is a new feeling... pride in someone else..."
@@escobarisanoctopus I've never heard that about "grabbing the die," and I've played with folks who go all the way back to 2E. That sounds like a house rule when you don't trust all your players.
@David Zachary No shit. Otherwise you could just roll, say Nat 20 and scoop it up and move it to a 20 every time. The whole point is for the DM to verify it. Matt STILL leans over and checks the die and he's been DMing for them for how long now?
@@escobarisanoctopus Your comments match your pfp.
Wow, I just now realised that both battles where Grog went "Vox Machina, fuck shit up!" ended with him actually fucking shit up with a nat20 killing blow!
When he really wants others to succeed is when he shines the most. His power truly comes from his friends
0:45 Matt looks so smug thinking "He'd have to roll a nat 20 to get this, there's no way"
and then looking at Taliesin when he says "goddammit", he knows exactly who's to blame XD
I know it wasn't hype in the moment, but Keyleth's nat 20 after touching the orb was very important
Oh indeed. Imagine how different the campaign would've been had she not survived that.
No way she survives that. She did that right after they fought the Briarwoods. She would've been grated cheese.
@@srslyimnotaspy101 Even if she had she would have been stuck in Thar Amphala. By the time they figured out what the whole situation was and gone after Vecnards the first time like they did they would have run into an undead Kiki.
Yeah, if she had rolled anything but a nat 20 for that, Keyleth would have been gone for good.
@@nuru666 to be fair.... she does have plane shift..... if she survived..... there was a chance she could come back.
The avantika journal nat 20 will always be my favorite,that was the only way of shutting her down
Exactly! Everyone’s talking about Grog’s 2 nat20s, but this one really saved their asses and made for such a cool moment!
This is why you always give your players the POSSIBILITY of success. Just because you don't WANT it to happen, doesn't mean you should take away the CHANCE of it happening.
You might end up with something like this where the results are way more epic (or otherwise ridiculously memorable) than you could have ever expected!!
@@OriginalCreatorSama PREACH
My friend had recently started DMing and this is one of the lessons that I hope he picks up on. At one point we were trying to unlock the entrance to where a lich was sealed (long story, not worth explaining), and the cleric used guidance, the bard gave an inspiration, and our rogue had expertise in thieves' tools
All factored in, he got a 29 but my friend stuck too close to what the DM screen's suggested DCs were (He set it to the 30 "impossible" DC) and said that we failed and couldn't retry. He's really good for a first time DM, but that really reminded me that he is still a new Dungeon Master
@@OriginalCreatorSama Whenever making someone roll, you must always account for a success. Otherwise, what's the point? If it's impossible, don't have them roll.
@@RDR911 Exactly. Just don't mention the door or something
I kid you not, no mater how many times I watch it, I get chills when Grog goes "FOR STRONGJAW!!!"
Seriously, the kill shot in Kevdak was insane!
That look on Matt's face at 6:55 is such pure glee. Those are the moments I love DM'ing for.
That 2nd nat 20 by Grog, and the audience reaction, is like the gamer equivalent of the world cup of D&D team winning the penultimate award.
Why penultimate?
"How do you wanna do this?" Has to be the best thing to hear in these moments
Especially after a hard battle, like the one with Kevdak and how much hype everybody had after Matt asked Travis how he wanted to describe Grog finishing Kevdak off. XD Especially when thinking of Taliesin going "YES!! YES!!!", Marisha with "It worked!", then Liam and his epic "Poetic justice!!" on top of it!
I also like where beau is getting tapped in her training but just gets pissed and throws 2 blind haymakers getting natural 20s on both
What episode?
@@ianmurphy9335 3 or 4 I believe, sorry I dont know exactly
@@ivenkohn3404 Yeah, it was after the trial thing. Chapter 4. Matt had everyone leave the room except for Marisha for her personal session. Pretty interesting
I love that this video is full of so much greatness that Matt's physical acting of the dragon in his final moments is just glossed over. Like. The way his face changes at the moment of the disguise drop, the heavy chuckle, and then just *thunk*.
While this one was a lot less hype since it wasn't a climactic story moment, Ashly Burch in C2 rolling on a stealth check with disadvantage and getting 2 nat 20s...that was pretty dope.
in plate armor no less. imagine that, a silent clanking kitchen.
11:35 Ashley hugging Travis like he's a teddy bear will always be one of my favorite clips
The first one cracks me up SO MUCH because Matt looks so damn smug when he says "Go ahead and make an intelligence check.", while also crossing his arms, so his reaction to the Nat 20 is even funnier. I love it.
Funfact: They fought the last creature on a tower, that if screamed into the winds around it every plane would here it.
So in the last combat Grog literally declared to every plane in existence, that you infact DO NOT fuck with Vox Machina.
That's badass!
That's one way to send a clear message.
Legendary
*[Everyone will remember that.]*
... and that's how Ludinus Daleth knew about them and started to figure out his plan to bait Vax by almost killing Keyleth
you could say they were
*Critical Rolls*
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
*Badum tish*
I see what you did there!
@@nicholasjoldersma4138 i've been waiting to do this pun for so long, you have no idea
Slow clap
8:19 when the rest of the party is worried about whether grog has enough hp to survive.... And he just waves them all off with his hands; as if saying "shhhhhh". Following it up with an "I don't care" because he is totally engrossed in this moment and u can see he has resigned himself to whatever fate has in store ........ I remember when I saw this the first time, Travis caused me to cease jumping up and down, and hold my breath for what was coming next!
so much for compiling theit has caused me to relive so much of the joyI got from watching this show/game/family/movement/most epic thing 🙏
Reminds me of a fight my party was in recently. Undead Dragon, gets knocked down real low, but is still dealing considerable damage. My Tabaxi Ranger is only on 15 health, but if the dragon doesn't go out this turn, then it won't just be me going down. Zephyr Strike plus Feline Agility means that the distance is closed instantly but still leaves me open to a reaction attack (not opportunity attack, unfortunately) that whittles me down to 5 health. While it wasn't a nat20, my attack still strikes true, but the dragon dying causes a magical explosion that hits me for my remaining 5 health, and I fall unconscious. Fortunately, we had a healer so I was quickly tended to without needing death saves.
The crowd cheering on Grog as Matt said “how do you wanna do this?” Absolutely amazing!!
amazing vid! i can't agree more that the nat20s for grog was the most cinematic bullshit i've ever seen done by this improv show. how poetic the dice can be to this day is so unbelievable lmao tbh
The best part about that last one where Grog get's the back-to-back 20's is...on the next special one-shot where they have to find Bob and escape, he rolls another Nat 20 on his first roll of the session...meaning Grog technically hit THREE 20's in a row.
AND the last roll in campaign 1 was a natural 20 from grog, which makes it *4* in a row
@Madelyn that third one was hilarious. He literally intimidated a corpse into returning to life Barbarians, yo.
When grog killed Kevdak and Ashley said “fuck you” she sounded exactly like Ellie😂
First one, Matt: "holy shit, you would have needed to roll a 20." (passes pre-written paper to Liam) Talk about prep...
I love how Travis turned 2 nat 20's in a live show into a full-blown WWE match.
The thing about being a dm is you need to be prepared for EVERY single possibility
probably had it ready in case they ether found the key to the cypher or somehow got it out of her
it was her spellbook, im assuming he makes item cards for any spell casters spell book for organization
@@Jacob-sb3su That was Avantika's journal, where she wrote about her plan after securing the relics of Uko'toa. But because it had been written in Avantika's personal script and style, it was made only so she could read it at leisure with no one able to discern the meaning. Hence why Liam asked if HE could given time and the ability to understand the syntax of language and stuff...and due to the uniqueness of said language/code, it was set at a rather difficult DC to beat.
After that second live show crit, you just see Matt thinking "he didn't need more than 20 damage to finish this guy off... This is beyond overkill...and I love and hate it"
Honestly throughout critical role’s history the most hype I have ever been from a nat 20 will always be kevdak. Literally would have been the death of Grog if not for that hit being a nat 20. I remember running out of my room screaming into the living room of my very confused family, very very confused.
Not only that the whole thing might have been a tpk that fight went terribly
That whole fight was so nutty
That was an insane fight and is to this day my favourite CR fight in either campaign.
Tbh i love the twiggy moment but it makes me sad cuz canonically none of the characters saw it, and sure she got the dragon tooth, but still.
I think Tal rolled Insight and Cad believed her, but I forget
That smile on Matt's face at 11:25 he knows what gonna happen next! That's right, everyone losing their minds!
If I had a nickel for every time Grog entered a fight late and immediately killed the boss in his first turn using a Nat 20, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?
One Natural 20 moment I love has been when Laura rolled it when all of Vox Machina were trying to revive Percy in Episode 69, after Vex makes her confession and tells Percy her heart is his, landing it on a persuasion roll, surprising everyone, as Travis gestures to Matt to come and see with Matt going "I trust you." while Laura is super psyched at getting her natural 20.
The way Matt shouted "NO!!" in complete disbelief & had to go check on the second 20 was so genuine, every once in a while i come back to listen to it again 😂
What's funny is how Matt is so incredulous at Travis' second Nat 20 that he actually stands up to go check.
He didn't believe him the first time, but he did the 2nd. He just needed to see a historical moment of rolling Nat 20 a second time. There's a reason he made the cameraman catch that one.
You can just tell Mat gives up when he says “How do you want to do this?”
The Kevdak moment was so sweet, but let's not forget, if it wasn't for how well Taleisin did earlier, would've been a whole different situation
Again with the godling, Percy and his action surges...
People are... touching? and... hugging?? each other. Was that ever a thing? I can't remember...
Long ago, in the Before Times
@@nuru666 Before the dark times, before the Empire
before the Fire Nation attacked.
Do you recall before the quarantine, Mr Frodo? Meeting people, hugging each other?
I don't recall it, Sam...
Talking like a dream from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.
"Just give it a minute..." They had no idea what was coming 😆
Grog VS Kevdak, absolutely chilling every time.
This show's been going on for years, but imo they still haven't had a fight better than The Kill Box.
For! STRONGJAAAW!!!
For me, the most memorable will always be Vex's nat 20 confession. I cry every time.
which ep was this again?
Same. It was my first thought!
@@Isogyre_ Ep 69 at about 1:11:40
I’ve likened these natural 20 moments to when your favourite sports team does something spectacular in the most clutch/last min moments. It’s an incredible feeling.
Travis is such a perfect hype man for his fellow players and he celebrates the best.
That actually make me so happy when they jump up and cheer for each other.
This video gets me so emotional!! Thank you for this!
2:33 look at Taliesin blessing the dice with his eldritch powers with a quick kiss.
Sometimes we forget just how impactful Caleb's nat 20 was and how much it changed the game
“How do you wanna do it?” The greatest statement in any RPG 😂
Grog coming out "pokeball style" is always so hype. To have hit a natural 20 after that too was just the cherry on top. Such an amazing moment I always come back for.
oh the memories! thank you for this video! i was smiling the whole time! i think i'm gonna rewatch campaign one again
Im almost through for my first time cant wait for second campaign!! Felt like slight spoilers but seeing nat 20s in clutch situations is one of lifes greatest joys 😊😊
This was so much fun to watch, thank you for putting it together :).
The last clip in particular brings me so much joy. I’ve done theater. There’s something about the rush of a hyped audience that just…electrifies you, gets all that adrenaline and endorphin pumping and gives you a rush you can’t possibly describe.
It also speaks as to just how mesmerizing CR is - that at its heart, it’s just a group of people engaged in group oral storytelling, sometimes with little miniatures. And yet there’s a sold-out crowd of fans as crazed as those watching a rock concert or a sporting event. They can SEE and FEEL the story alongside the actors. They get just as swept up in it as if it were played out in full, with life size monsters and dungeons.
What CR’s done is so “lightning in a bottle”. They’ve tapped into this niche that hadn’t really been explored in mass media before. And it’s made them superstars.
VOX MACHINA SPOILERS
6:57 this moment is now immortalized in animated form… it was FUCKING GLORIOUS!!! It was EXACTLY as it was described, HOLY FUCK!
Edit: almost exactly. The metal music was SO HYPE!
Pokégrog will always be the most badass HDYWTDT to me.
the kevdak fight is my favorite VM moment and i’m so happy we’re getting it this season
The damn live one. Two nat 20's in a row! God damn. If my players ever do that i'd leave.
I didn't have to even watch to know that two of these would have Grog in it.
Percy's maintaining hex after being fire bombed is probably my second favorite one from C1, pokeball Grog is easily my favorite simply from Matt's reaction alone. Haven't started C2 yet so I don't have a favorite yet.
The one from Exandria Unlimited Prime where Liam pretends to be Aimee’s 4 year old daughter Nancy, Aabrea makes her role for deception with disadvantage and then she gets 2 Nat 20s will not only forever be the most insane Nat 20 roll for me but also the funniest having Liam succeed in pretending to be her daughter.
Liam: I am going to do this crazy deciphering with a nat 20
Matt: hands it to him on a paper, already prepared.
Actually, I think that paper was for a necklace they scored earlier, since deciphering the journal as going to take all night, and Liam/Caleb wanted to Identify the necklace first before delving into the journal.
You can see the life of matt leave his eyes everytime he hears "nat 20"
This video has my two favorite moments in CR history. Both of them are from Best Boy Grog. The best live moment and the most Hype moment has to be the double Nat 20s in the search for Grog. But even that awesomeness is topped by the final blow of the Kevdak fight. The Kevdak fight was like 5.5 hours long and it ended it the most poetic way I could possibly think of. It feels scripted but its not, the dice helped tell an amazing story that I will never forget. These moments will always help cement Grog as one of my favorite characters in CR history.
The whole ONE SHOT will live on forever in the annals of CR lore and myth forever. Am I right?
Oh man Grogs double 20....There is nothing better.
I can name one. Grog getting 2 natural 1's and then Lionel getting 2 natural 20's. The character interactions were great
Damn, I really need to finish campaign 1 so I can watch that one shot! I love how animated they get during live shows.
"How do you want to do this" a man that has given up all hope
I love that we live in a time where there's an audience for a d&d game and natural 20s are celebrated like touch downs.
Seeing this made the memorable 2 nat 20 by Lionel followed by 2 nat 1 by grog (ep 100). That was *chefs kiss* perfection. And also made me realized i miss grog and pike dynamic.
That's going to be awesome if included in the animated series!
Utter euphoria escapes me whenever u hear Matt say “How do you wanna do this…”
The look on Matt’s Face when Liam rolled the Nat 20 on Caleb deciphering Avantika’s Journal was just the “oh fuck” moment.
The more I play D&D and watch Critical Role, the more I’ve come to realize that if you set a DC that requires a Natural 20 to succeed, the player is gonna succeed.
Damn fine selection, I must say! I'd personally add Buddy's Nat20s from the Darrington Brigade one-shot, but these are goooood!
I remember I had simillar feeling dealing 139 damge to Strahd in one turn and killing him after looong campaign. Epic feeling :)
the energy in the crowd during the search for grog, i can just feel through my computer monitor.
I have never played DnD and I've never been more excited in my life to see these natural 20's
Besides Grog, my favorite of these:
Matt at 0:46 : There's no way he's going make this DC.
Matt at 0:56 : Oh s***. I think he actually made the DC.
all of these rolls are very important and poetic, but remembering that we’re getting to see the kill box animated in a few weeks…goodness gracious
That "how do you wanna do this"😂😂😂 the dm has obviously said this enough times thats its a phrase of surrender or defeat
The utter pride in that last Nat 20
the visual image of grog, confused to hell and back, just swinging at the first thing he sees is just stupidly funny.
its not at all what happened but its such a hilarious concept.
I ENTIRELY agree with the first clip (Caleb deciphering Avantika's book) because it changed the tide of pretty much EVERYTHING that happened afterward. There would have been no meaningful evidence for Beau to present the Plank King, AAAH EVERYTHING COULD HAVE GONE SO WRONG IF IT WEREN'T FOR THAT FATEFUL DICE ROLL
The violence in Ashley’s fuck you during the Kevdak fight is still one of my favorite things
Episode, timestamp
6:27
0:55 Matt's insane "Ah fuck!" glare.
im physically exhausted after getting so hype from this compilation.
Man, Grog’s double-crit? That happened to me as a DM.
Major characters involved:
Fothal Serevin: female white dragonborn barbarian, sold by her parents at birth to two of the Sin Incarnates, sparking a custody disagreement between the two. When that was settled and she was made to live on her own at age 10 in the wilds of Hell (Biblical Hell, btw), she grew to hate all seven of the Sins, and especially their master, Lucifer.
Emperor Palpatine, AKA Lord Sidious: the Sin of Sloth. Not one of the two that claimed Fothal, but one of the sins, regardless.
Context: after thr first campaign ended and just before the second one with the same group, same characters began, I was approached by two people, both were friends with two of the current party members. One of them plays Fothal. I wanted to give Fothal and the other new player (not important for this) some magic items that were up-to-par with the main weapons of the other party members. So, I homebrewed what I calll the Greataxe of Fear. It’s a +2 greataxe that deals an additional 2d4 psychic (the rest of the party had Wakened Dragon’s Wrath weapons at this time), that on a crit, the target must make a DC 17 Wisdom save or become frighened for three rounds (can repeat the save at the end of the turn).
Story: How I had Fothal join in on session one was simple. She was posing as a guard for the Gates of Hell, which the rest of the party were tasked with bringing down. Soon as the other barbarian fumbles his stealth roll and gives away their position, Fothal turncoats and crits an imp, turning it into paste with her greataxe.
Fast-forward a little bit, and the party is locked in battle with the Sin of Sloth, Darth Sidious. Fothal’s up, and she’s gonna smack with her greataxe.
Nat 20.
She’s a lvl 9 Berserker barbarian at this time. Brutal Critical.
I look at Sidious’ sheet, and noticed something. I didn’t give him immunity to fear.
He makes the save, but still… takes a lot of damage. She has another attack, so she goes for it.
Nat 20.
Since she crit twice in a row with the same axe on the same target, I gave Sidious disadvantage on the save. Failed. But it didn’t matter, because that final crit, dealing 42 damage (party record until the other new guy did 59 in a single hit against the next Sin, Lord Voldemort) was the killing blow.
HDYWTDT?:
The first crit with the axe rakes across his chest, exposing bone. He’s visibly on the brink, but still cackling maniacally. He turns back to Fothal, only for her to give him a *splitting* headache. She sunk the axe through the top of his head, down to the jawbone, his eyes going wide with terror from both his own realisation of his imminent death, and the axe. That was ended when she used her final, Frenzy attack to smack the haft of the axe farther into his corpse, which bisected the Sin of Sloth down to about mid-sternum.
So, yeah. That’s how a Dragonborn from Hell killed a Sin.
The best of words you can ever hear from a DM after a really tense battle is "how do you want to do this"
the look Matt gives when he say "Go ahead and make a Int Check"..... and the Look when the Nat 20 pops up xD
The best thing to hear from a DM: “How do you want to do this?”
I play dnd with grog in mind. If you play the character right the dice will roll what is deserved at the time. Things you mean to fail will, things you need to succeed will be spectacular
*takes notes*
"Just give it a minute." Understatement of the century.
The double nat-20's in the search for Grog is right up there with the Daigo parry in moments of pure fucking hype.
0:45 Notice how SMUG matt is upon telling him to make an intelligence check before getting destroyed 🤣
and then of course Talesin stating that Liam would get a good roll this time. :D
3:39 Mercer's is capable of saying "You motherfucker" just with his face
The moment I was thinking about and will never forget was season 1 when grog came out rolled a nat 20 killed his uncle and vex rolled a nat 20 for intimidation that fight and that moment was just crazy in critical role history never be forgotten
Grog has the best Natural 20 kills.