Almost exactly one year ago, a Wildheart and a Dragonborn sat next to each other at a pool discussing seeing the eyes of a man who was drowning and, if the Dragonborn ever needed help, to give the Wildheart a sign. This episode was the sign.
Everyone has been bringing their A game to roleplay lately, compliments for everyone and I mean EVERYONE below: Rhi, Ophelia has been such a frightening badass lately, from Time to Die to Scrap Metal, just *chefs kiss* Katie, Daisy's constant caring for the rest of the party by doing what she does best, from the sweet words to the stolen rod, fantastic Kim, from Gruff's fearsome bestial energy to his loving dad energy to his knightly focus and moments of levity, you've nailed all of it and more Chris, Rowan's constant devotion to those around him drips from every spell you cast and every word he says, such a sweet sincere character you've created (and oml the phantasmal force kill threatening what happens when you mess with your friends, amazing) And who could forget Tom, what hasn't already been said in this comment section about Xan's roleplay this episode? Seriously well done leaning into his complexity, taking wild swings in emotions and turning them into a compelling watch. To quote some version of what you said in the first few episodes WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR POOR BOY 😅❤ Lastly, Mark, thank you for tying everything together and crafting not only phenomenal NPCs in an exciting world, but an incredibly intriguing combat with layers to peel back and a beautiful map to engage with. Thanks for making this world To the rest of the crew and folks supporting behind the scenes, thanks for helping bring this wonderful game/story to us viewers, we love you folks!! Thanks High Rollers. Happy holidays, enjoy the Jingle Jam and the break. Take care!!
Toms roleplay is really shining in this episode. Just great work both to him and Mark. I absolutely loved this story arc. Such amazing couple of episodes. Everyone just was so on point and invested in this all.. Absolutely great plays from Katie aswell
2:44:14 Rhiannon: "[Ophelia]'s just gunna keep circling around him just like..." Mark: "-like a predator just sort of like you know I imagine almost Veracity like (Rhi: dragging her/it along) scraping the ground like ✨🗡️sparks like... -staring at him" Rhiannon: "You call yourself a knight of the realm?! You don't protect the realm! You protect a pile of SCRAP Metal!..." Me: "H-GHGHGHGHGHGHGH" [a guttural noise that has no official phonetic spelling]
*SPOILERS* Ok my favourite parts of this absolute banger of an episode: - Lady Verithira's mass healing spell, I like to imagine everyone involuntarily takes a deep breath of fresh air - Xan cackling madly while drifting unconsciously towards the Crownsteel - ~*Daisy chain*~ - SCRAP metal
I haven't always liked Xantheus (to be clear, I like Tom) but seeing the Crown Steel as an analogy for drug addiction makes me much more sympathetic to him, especially seeing that his initial interaction that started him along this path wasn't even his choice.
Imagine, if you will, you are about to be put under for surgery and just as you start to fade out, you look into the gaunt face of your surgeon and hear : "Can I reckless" Ophelia really is terror incarnate
The bit of green dragon lore that Mark drops in pt 2 is a great example of why he is my favorite DM. Such a cool detail that made me feel more immersed in the world.
I was literally about to give him (joking) shit about just putting Warcraft's Green Dragonflight in Altheya and then I remembered that I did basically the same thing with my Blue dragons until the most recent revision sooooo...nevermind, haha That being said, I love Mark's world-building for Altheya (I've not watched the others). While there are some elements that are very reminiscent (or virtually identical) to other settings, which is a little jarring when I recognize it, the setting as a whole feels very unique and vibrant.
Phew, that was a ride. That was some stellar collective storytelling from everyone. That "always enough" line from Gruff caught me right in the feels - and I think it caught Tom a little off guard too. Just such a great installment in this amazing story!
I just love to see how, at some point of every session, Rhi is just losing it from some joke from the table and needs some time to recover)) I don't know, it just makes me burst with laughter and gives a huge morale increase😅 Thanks for everything you are doing guys! ❤
I started listening to Althea a few weeks ago, and just caught up. It's been great listening, and you guys rock! Thanks Mark for a lot of inspiration to GM my own group. A lot of great ideas, and just inspired me to be more open with information with the group. Some amazing moments this episode too. :)
Spoiler! What a great way to end the year! I'm really looking forward to seeing the aftermath of the battle and the RP with all of the dragons back in the city next year! And also looking forward to the Circle of the Loyal Hounds hearing about the mission! Also cant wait to see the new abilities after TWO level ups!!
Yup, to all of those. They’re gonna have to deal with the mountain of Crown steel. Gruff completed his task as he brought Hope to the hopeless region of the ash hills. And finally, perhaps most interestingly xantheus is going to have to deal with the consequences of hiding his crown steel from the Duke since now not only does the Duke’s knight know but also a green dragon.
Mark your story stuff is getting better all the time i am always hooked in these. The RP this session was amazing, everyone did SO well i love all this. You are all awesome
COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT. APPEASE THE ALGORITHM! jungle jim season lets fnnn goo!! This episode was so PEAAAK. Amazing RP yall!!! The encounter design cooked so hard too haha
That’s a statement that a lot of people need to hear. It’s powerful, but without being directed at the person who needs to hear it specifically it likely won’t reach them for they will assume it’s not for them. If you see somebody who needs to hear this tell them directly.
Reactions technically do not happen on your turn. Also, the rule about not being able cast more than one leveled spell on a turn only applies to actions and bonus action spells.
I love that Verathera is like "I can help cure them!" and Eldrak is like "FUCKING CUT MY ARM OFF!" Does the Regeneration spell exist in Altheya? Cause that would make the loss of the arm a lot less traumatic.
Great, finally pick my life up and catch up on high rollers, just to try to buy some clever toad dice... sokd out... ill be watching, wazowski, always watching
Kim and Trott's parallel conversations K: "What's my head?" T: "Something I want!" I had to rewind it and listen more closely to realize Trott was talking about Aipom's tail.
Fantastic Episode again. [mildspoiler] Tom getting more and more obsessed and driven toward full 'Crownsteel Mode' and Trotts genius use of Silent Image, were my Highlights. [/mildspoileroff] 4 weeks waiting to go on from here will be hard, but at least it's Chrishmash Time! ❤
Ya'll question alot how a spell or ruling works alot. Dnd beyond is in front of you. Just read pass without a trace abd grapples. Will save you all headaches every time im sure.
I think things are just confusing with two sets of rules, and things gets mixed up. Especially if they try to read a spell on D&D Beyond and read the new version by mistake.
Does anyone have a written explanation of how the fate dice work? Has Mark released a version of the rules he is using or no? I know it’s for attack rolls, saving checks and devils bargains but is there anything else to it? Also is it better declare you are using it before or after? I’m thinking of adapting it to my homebrew D&D with my group
Almost exactly one year ago, a Wildheart and a Dragonborn sat next to each other at a pool discussing seeing the eyes of a man who was drowning and, if the Dragonborn ever needed help, to give the Wildheart a sign.
This episode was the sign.
Everyone has been bringing their A game to roleplay lately, compliments for everyone and I mean EVERYONE below:
Rhi, Ophelia has been such a frightening badass lately, from Time to Die to Scrap Metal, just *chefs kiss*
Katie, Daisy's constant caring for the rest of the party by doing what she does best, from the sweet words to the stolen rod, fantastic
Kim, from Gruff's fearsome bestial energy to his loving dad energy to his knightly focus and moments of levity, you've nailed all of it and more
Chris, Rowan's constant devotion to those around him drips from every spell you cast and every word he says, such a sweet sincere character you've created (and oml the phantasmal force kill threatening what happens when you mess with your friends, amazing)
And who could forget Tom, what hasn't already been said in this comment section about Xan's roleplay this episode? Seriously well done leaning into his complexity, taking wild swings in emotions and turning them into a compelling watch. To quote some version of what you said in the first few episodes WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR POOR BOY 😅❤
Lastly, Mark, thank you for tying everything together and crafting not only phenomenal NPCs in an exciting world, but an incredibly intriguing combat with layers to peel back and a beautiful map to engage with. Thanks for making this world
To the rest of the crew and folks supporting behind the scenes, thanks for helping bring this wonderful game/story to us viewers, we love you folks!!
Thanks High Rollers. Happy holidays, enjoy the Jingle Jam and the break. Take care!!
Toms roleplay is really shining in this episode. Just great work both to him and Mark. I absolutely loved this story arc. Such amazing couple of episodes. Everyone just was so on point and invested in this all.. Absolutely great plays from Katie aswell
i want tom to be cool but he acts kind of annoying most of the time
@@mixmastermike2128 I wish you were cool but that was annoying
The roleplay was on POINT this episode! It was so good!
Gruff was positively radiating dad energy.
2:44:14
Rhiannon: "[Ophelia]'s just gunna keep circling around him just like..."
Mark: "-like a predator just sort of like you know I imagine almost Veracity like (Rhi: dragging her/it along) scraping the ground like ✨🗡️sparks like... -staring at him"
Rhiannon: "You call yourself a knight of the realm?! You don't protect the realm! You protect a pile of SCRAP Metal!..."
Me: "H-GHGHGHGHGHGHGH" [a guttural noise that has no official phonetic spelling]
Has no one else had the idea to call daisy’s telepathy “The Daisy Chain”?
*SPOILERS*
Ok my favourite parts of this absolute banger of an episode:
- Lady Verithira's mass healing spell, I like to imagine everyone involuntarily takes a deep breath of fresh air
- Xan cackling madly while drifting unconsciously towards the Crownsteel
- ~*Daisy chain*~
- SCRAP metal
Yeah, Daisy chain got me pretty good too
I haven't always liked Xantheus (to be clear, I like Tom) but seeing the Crown Steel as an analogy for drug addiction makes me much more sympathetic to him, especially seeing that his initial interaction that started him along this path wasn't even his choice.
Imagine, if you will, you are about to be put under for surgery and just as you start to fade out, you look into the gaunt face of your surgeon and hear :
"Can I reckless"
Ophelia really is terror incarnate
Bruh, this got me good 😂😂😂
The bit of green dragon lore that Mark drops in pt 2 is a great example of why he is my favorite DM. Such a cool detail that made me feel more immersed in the world.
I was literally about to give him (joking) shit about just putting Warcraft's Green Dragonflight in Altheya and then I remembered that I did basically the same thing with my Blue dragons until the most recent revision sooooo...nevermind, haha
That being said, I love Mark's world-building for Altheya (I've not watched the others). While there are some elements that are very reminiscent (or virtually identical) to other settings, which is a little jarring when I recognize it, the setting as a whole feels very unique and vibrant.
Phew, that was a ride. That was some stellar collective storytelling from everyone. That "always enough" line from Gruff caught me right in the feels - and I think it caught Tom a little off guard too. Just such a great installment in this amazing story!
That last sentence from Ser Eldrak and seeing the emotion on Mark's face was truly touching. Great episoge, HR crew!
What a cool episode! I just can't shake the image of four adults trying to stop a kid from eating crayons, lol. Love it
Great episode. Feels like things are really kicking into high gear.
The steam engine that is the plant has finally warmed up and it’s ready to go
I just hope nobody falls off the train
Oh my god, such a great ending to a fantastic arc. Can't wait to see what happens from here.
im catching up so a little behind but this episode was so good and cinematic and it feels so natural, absolutely delightful to watch. :D
I just love to see how, at some point of every session, Rhi is just losing it from some joke from the table and needs some time to recover))
I don't know, it just makes me burst with laughter and gives a huge morale increase😅
Thanks for everything you are doing guys! ❤
Incredible episode! The wait between each one is getting harder and harder.
1:52:00 Xanthias is doin a Dark Souls NPC laugh
2:51:47 I KNEW IT!!!
THE BATTLE, THE RP, THE TWISTS UPON TWISTS - HUGE PROPS AND CONGRATS TO ALL PLAYERS AND MARK 💛💛💛
Those were some very cool lines. Those were some touching moments that will be remembered.
I started listening to Althea a few weeks ago, and just caught up. It's been great listening, and you guys rock! Thanks Mark for a lot of inspiration to GM my own group. A lot of great ideas, and just inspired me to be more open with information with the group.
Some amazing moments this episode too. :)
What an amazing culmination of this arc and encounter! Incredible play and storytelling, that ending got me right in the feels.
Spoiler!
What a great way to end the year! I'm really looking forward to seeing the aftermath of the battle and the RP with all of the dragons back in the city next year! And also looking forward to the Circle of the Loyal Hounds hearing about the mission! Also cant wait to see the new abilities after TWO level ups!!
Yup, to all of those.
They’re gonna have to deal with the mountain of Crown steel.
Gruff completed his task as he brought Hope to the hopeless region of the ash hills.
And finally, perhaps most interestingly xantheus is going to have to deal with the consequences of hiding his crown steel from the Duke since now not only does the Duke’s knight know but also a green dragon.
Mark your story stuff is getting better all the time i am always hooked in these. The RP this session was amazing, everyone did SO well i love all this. You are all awesome
This is by far one of my favorite episodes. I've watched it 3 times already❤
Several incredible and memorable lines in this episode, great rp all around
With this, I have finally caught up. What an episode
COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT. APPEASE THE ALGORITHM!
jungle jim season lets fnnn goo!!
This episode was so PEAAAK. Amazing RP yall!!! The encounter design cooked so hard too haha
Also. TWO LEVELS??? HES CRAZYY
Tom is the perfect player for this character. I'm so glad he gets to rp this.
Beautiful. Well crafted all! Great episode!
ANTI SPOILER BARRIER
Saints and Scions be with you, your work is always appreciated
We luv birb
Work ever importend. Always appreciated.
Keep on flying little burb❤
Saints and scions bless your continued work
Verily, thou art quintessential!
FOR THE EMPRESS!!!! FOR THE ALGORITHM!!!!!
Great episode guys! Loved all of the strong RP moments
THIS WAS SO DAMN INTENSE
"You have always been enough"😢
That’s a statement that a lot of people need to hear.
It’s powerful, but without being directed at the person who needs to hear it specifically it likely won’t reach them for they will assume it’s not for them.
If you see somebody who needs to hear this tell them directly.
I honestly wanted tom to like absorb all the crownsteel haha
❤
Such a great episode!!! Thank you
This is the best episode yet
Reactions technically do not happen on your turn. Also, the rule about not being able cast more than one leveled spell on a turn only applies to actions and bonus action spells.
Great video and story. 😊
oh wow, what an episode!
Dread Lord Xantheus Rise!
Cool encounter, like it a lot.
But... but... now i have to wait for more? But i want more please?
1:15:00 such a badass line!
For the Empress! For the Secret VOD squad!!
I love that Verathera is like "I can help cure them!" and Eldrak is like "FUCKING CUT MY ARM OFF!"
Does the Regeneration spell exist in Altheya? Cause that would make the loss of the arm a lot less traumatic.
Great, finally pick my life up and catch up on high rollers, just to try to buy some clever toad dice... sokd out... ill be watching, wazowski, always watching
Awesome episode!
Xen laughing like Gear 5 luffy 😆
Amazing, but I'm not happy about having to wait a month for more! 😢
Kim and Trott's parallel conversations
K: "What's my head?"
T: "Something I want!"
I had to rewind it and listen more closely to realize Trott was talking about Aipom's tail.
cant wait for new episode 🥺
Rhi i love ur hair
Take a shot every time Mark describes Verethira(?) as full-figured lol. (Not hating, I just find it funny)
Fantastic Episode again.
[mildspoiler]
Tom getting more and more obsessed and driven toward full 'Crownsteel Mode' and Trotts genius use of Silent Image, were my Highlights.
[/mildspoileroff]
4 weeks waiting to go on from here will be hard, but at least it's Chrishmash Time! ❤
i spent all of winter break catching up and now i dont know what to do with my time :(:(:(
Ya'll question alot how a spell or ruling works alot. Dnd beyond is in front of you. Just read pass without a trace abd grapples. Will save you all headaches every time im sure.
For the Engagement!
Reactions arent bonus actions, you can counterspell a counterspell on your turn
🔖 2:31:51
Are they using 2024 for casting spells? That's the only way shield interferes with casting an action spell.
I think things are just confusing with two sets of rules, and things gets mixed up. Especially if they try to read a spell on D&D Beyond and read the new version by mistake.
@@joluotoit’s very easy to not do that, though… it indicates which version you’re looking at
Hic Sunt Draconis
Does anyone have a written explanation of how the fate dice work? Has Mark released a version of the rules he is using or no?
I know it’s for attack rolls, saving checks and devils bargains but is there anything else to it? Also is it better declare you are using it before or after?
I’m thinking of adapting it to my homebrew D&D with my group
It’s WAY better to decide to add them afterward, imo. Bardic inspiration changed this wording for that reason.
bravo
How hard is “make an attack” to understand for someone that’s played DnD weekly for years? Goddamn