@@Precaricat This. It's how i describe the phenomena of reaction channels to people who are still totaly dismissive or confused by it. I used to be skeptical myself. But watching something for the first time, 'again', that's bang on lol.
15:19 “Are his feelings for Keyleth genuine?” He definitely is attracted to her, but, without going into too much detail, Kash just wants to help people. He spent his life training as a healer it’s just his experiences have left him jaded. Also he was Ron Stoppable in a past life, so he’s got a thing for badass redheads.
And out of character, the guy playing Kash (Will Friedle) is a total troll as well as friends with the cast. So I think Will having fun messing with his friend Marisha and her D&D character is a contributing factor, lol.
So quick explanation: Yes. The woman Vax has been seeing is the Matron of Ravens. The key thing to understand about the Matron of Ravens is this: She is the God of Death, Fate, and Winter. Her chief focus is safeguarding the transition of the soul once a person meets their fate. The duel with Purvan was a test of sorts to prove he was worthy of the armor. The test wasn't to defeat Purvon - it was to accept fate and his death at Purvan's hands. Fun easter egg! You know those golden threads you keep seeing whenever the Matron shows up? Re-watch the musical title sequence and you may notice something you previously overlooked when watching. Glad to see you're enjoying the show!
Liam and Laura actually have the same birthday, which is why they decided to play twins in the first place. They still refer to eachother as "my twinny" 🥰
I love that the Raven Queen didn't even say anything when Vax offered himself up. She just looked at him as if to say "Interesting. Let me get back to you on that later." The animators did a really great job with that and the whole show in general.
The figure Vax had been seeing was the Matron of Ravens. The visions weren't in the live stream. Because the show is essentially a revision of the live stream they know where the story goes and can foreshadow later story elements that would be near impossible to do during play. A game master can never predict what their players will do. no matter how well you know them.
I was told about that earlier today, I’m thinking that it was a combo of the two because he knows he just caused what happened, but also someone said that he doesn’t take his medication regularly…??
@@funnylilgalreacts Yeah, his hand tremors usually aren't that noticeable aside from those times when he doesn't take his meds, but they do pop up a bit more during high stress moments. And given he just got Vex insta-killed qualifies as a high stress moment I'd say.
@@funnylilgalreacts What I've heard from others with essential tremors is that these medications, like many, can cause some unpleasant side effects, so it's something of an ongoing balance day-to-day whether to try to reduce the shaking or live with it. And as one migth expect, the severity of tremor is absolutely affected by adrenaline, anxiety etc. There is a cute video from 2017 called "Taliesin Jaffe cuts Erika Ishii's hair - Geek and Sundry" (clipped from a different show on the same Twitch channel, no spoilers for Critical Role content) during which he remarks that yes, he did take his meds that day, but his hands are still shaking quite a bit because he's doing this, quote, (yelling) "LIVE ON THE INTERNET!!" Extra funny to watch because Erika (another voice actor and TTRPG personality, goes by all pronouns) is a Chaos Gremlin incarnate and really, reallllly struggles to ever contain their energy, let alone actually hold perfectly still. Plus there was a live studio 'audience' (crew/friends) who kept trying to make both of them laugh at the worst possible times. (Spoilers: It turned out great and Erika has kept a variation of the same hairstyle to this day! Tal was 100% right when he said it was a 'gateway haircut'...)
You saying Vex is pretty much the leader of the group. In a Q&A they were asked who the leader of the group is, and the answer was something like "The group doesn't have a leader...... But it's Vex".
In the original stream, they fought the beholder before they found the armor, and that's why Vex was low enough on hit points that the trap killed her.
Dont know if someone has mentioned before or if you know already, but when a player deals a killing blow to a someone Matt asks "How Do You Want To Do This". And the players gets to pretty much describe how they finish off a monster. Also I just found your channel and I love the way you do reactions.
Fun fact....the main reason that Matt gave Laura the amulet was to keep the group from spending too much time wrangling over how to get Trinket up ropes, across chasms, and out of battles. Speaking as a DM, pets can definitely slow down a campaign at times. Also, bears don't fare well against higher level creatures. Great reaction. Thanks for all your hard work!❤
Vex is a beastmaster ranger. Its her specialty. You get a cool animal companion when you select it. The problem was when they were playing originally, your cool companion like Trinket didn't get stronger along with you. Trinket was a level 1 beast and they were level 10. Trinket was pretty much getting left behind because a single hit from one of the Briarwoods or some other creature would kill him. Matt invented the broach and gave it to Vex in this tomb just so Trinket could start going along with them again. The best part of the broach is if Trinket is "killed" and drops to 0 HP, he just goes into the broach unconscious and wakes up. Its a "no dead pet" magic item. Secondly, the rules used to be either the ranger or the companion could attack. If Vex told Trinket to attack, she couldn't do any other normal action. Matt also changed the rules so Trinket could attack the same time as Vex. DnD changed the rules for beastmaster rangers essentially because people working there watched CR and realized how stupid the rules were. They still aren't the best, but they are better because Matt voicing Trinket made the game makers reassess things.
@@mikebreaddelancey4755 nope. Trinket it does not regain consciousness inside of the amulet. He can be unconscious in it but when he gets bamfed back out he is STILL unconscious and needs to be healed. But it was a buffer for being allowed to have some time to be able to bamf them out to be healed when Pike had healing spells back or they could get him somewhere where healing spells could be given by someone else if Pike wasn't there. because time freezes within the amulet. So it absolutely was used as a buffer and as protection for trinket. But it did not heal him and it did NOT bring him back to consciousness when he is inside the amulet. It only freezes time and keeps him safe from further damage. So it's not really a "no dead pets" item in the way that you described it to be. But kinda. It was created to save Laura's heart.
You already know the woman with the crystal ball at the end of that episode. She just has shorter hair, a weird hand, and her name isn't engraved on a gun anymore.
I find it very interesting how most reactors don't recognize her, yet I did immediately, thanks in part to being primed for her return after the Viktor scene. Usually, my mild face blindness means I'm the last to recognize anyone.
The flashback in the beginning is what's important. When Vax is fighting Purvan, he sees Vex from the flashback, and she says "Whatever happens, it's out of our control." That's one Vex line from the flashback at the beginning, but it reminds Vax of the other Vex line at the end of the flashback. "Sometimes you have to embrace what's in front of you. Not fight it." And that's how he survives, by taking that advice and just accepting what was happening.
Just wanna say, your curly hair is STUNNING & your passion for this story is also, just as stunning. Glad to see you on the journey with us all, and I hope the critters have been treating you well, they normally do ❤️
Yeah the figure in the first 2 Episodes were hinting at the thread between Vax and the Matron of Ravens. In Vasselheim, Vax sees her in front of her temple, which is present in the city but not one of the major ones, that figures like Pike regularly acknowledge.
Actually, the Matron of Ravens is one of the more well-known entities in Vasselheim's recognized pantheon. In the stream, it is actually Pike's goddess, the Everlight, that is far less well-known there. Her temple was in ruins and just starting to be rebuilt by a few followers when Pike first visited Vasselheim.
@@PristineTX I guess recognized was a poor choice of words, esteemed is probably more accurate. Her temple was kind of tucked away while others were more prominent. Most people recognize the importance of death, but it isn't a faith that many flock to.
The Matron of Ravens is as much a psychopomp as a goddess (that means she guides the dead to whatever afterlife there might be), so her appearance at Emon while the Chroma Conclave attacked makes sense. As to why Vax and only Vax saw her, well, that could be a complicated answer. For one thing, deities don't necessarily experience time linearly. Also, Vax is a trained and decently powerful assassin rogue, so maybe he had more of a connection to death than the rest of Vox Machina. The monster scene was VERY different in the stream. For one thing, it was a different monster, something called a Beholder (a fairly powerful monster with a lot of baggage attached to it, but is IP of D&D, not Critical Role itself, so they changed it). For another, they actually fought it BEFORE Vex's death, so also before Vax got the vestige. Also, Kima--remember her from season one?--was also involved in the exploration of the sunken tomb. So, they had to change a bunch for that fight. In the show, it looks like it was all to showcase the potential of a Vestige--although they actually changed THAT, too, combining it with another magic item Vax had that gave him a boost of speed and ability to attack (or move) once more on his turn. Not that the Deathwalker's Ward isn't impressive, too, it just doesn't make him fast.
If you think this version of meeting baby Trinket made you emotional, you should read Laura's original version of the story! When she originally wrote it Vex was totally alone, no one came to save her. She had to save herself. And the experience was so traumatic for Vex she never told anyone what happened. Look up 'The Saga of Trinket' if you want to read her version!
Not a spoiler, just lore. The Matron of Ravens is the goddess of not just death, but fate. She is not good, she is not evil. Consider if you will the intro to each episode, where a raven sends threads of light out weaving certain people together. Yes, Vax was seeing her beforehand (in the show). The monster was a show original, because they fought a beholder in the game, which is a D&D specific monster. It has similarities to it. Not so much a servant, but a paladin of a goddess. But his evolution isn’t done yet.
I am so glad you are also watching Previewed! Those guys are great. And like them, one of the things I really enjoy about your channel is your empathy and heart. I can't wait to see your reaction to the rest of the series!
So no. In the show almost nothing is already written. Matt has a main story he guides them along, but it's upto the players to respond and do with it what they want. In this animated series they took all that happened and made it a bit more cohesive, tied together, by adding more foreshadowing and they put more emphasis on the emotional and pure awesome moments. It's really well done. Also you're going to react to Severance!? I can't wait!
The dice rolls usually just determine success or failure. Using Vax's fight with the discount Beholder as an example, Liam would declare an attack on the monster and roll a 20-sided die. If the number on the die is higher than the monster's armor class (AC) then the attack succeeds. Matt Mercer's DM style is heavily narrative focused so whenever a major attack or kill happens he would ask the player, "how do you want to do this?" At which point the player would describe what their character does in that moment.
At some point, the members of the crew had an unspoken rule (don't know if it still holds) : if one of the characters die during a session, they'd go out immediately after and get drunk to process it.
Not that exact wording. they go to a local Irish bar and have a wake for the character. They don't "get drunk to process the death"... they celebrate the character's life as if they were a real person.
@@tithannisk7470 there's enough of a difference that I decided to correct you. Having a couple of drinks and getting tipsy to celebrate the life of a character is VERY different from getting drunk to process their death ...the emotional weight of those two scenarios are different. All I did was spit out what they have said in the past in pretty much the same words they used. 🤷♀️
I was one of the nerds who backed this series on day 1 of the kickstarter because Matt and the crew of beloved nerdy ass voice actors touched my heart with their ability to tell magical stories. It makes me so happy to see people enjoying the series and even better getting to know the people behind the characters/voice talent and enjoying clips from the dnd game.
I'm SOOOO excited to see you experience the ups and downs of this series over the next three seasons! Your visceral reactions to these episodes mirror what I felt inside during these moments, and it's so much fun reliving those emotions vicariously through you in this new format 🤗 Edit: Yes, that was the Matron of Ravens (or "the Raven Queen") It didn't exactly play out like this in the campaign. In the campaign, Kash DID resurrect her. Vax does still get the vestige, but it doesn't become "exalted" (when it turns golden, essentially symbolizing the bearer uniting with it) until later. Also, Kash and Zahra are much friendlier in the campaign. No spoilers on Larkin. 🤐 Bidet and beep beep!
I am hyped for Mighty Nine, just to see more of Jester. I saw all of campaign 2, and they way Laura played Jester is just soo awesome! It will take some time for it to arrive I guess, but we have Vox Machina now and it's awesome. Love your reaction to these episodes. 🥰
I love how other reactors mention Adam’s cosplay. You’re the second I’ve seen mention him. He was legit built to cosplay Percy. He’s got the rectangular head and everything.
1:50 Speaking as a player it's strange how connected you can get to your characters, particularly when you put so much effort into their backstories, motivations, and interactions with other players. I don't doubt for a second how nauseous Laura was feeling as that was playing out as had it failed Vex could've just been gone.
Definitely. Even a quirky character you initially made just to have fun can quickly grow on you, and their loss can hurt you in ways you didn't expect.
Agreed. I've been playing my favorite D&D character for over three years now, and I actually WANT her to die eventually because it would be the perfect culmination of her arc... but it's going to hurt when that happens. It doesn't matter that she's imaginary, or that she was designed to be a tragic character from the start - when it happens, it is going to hurt me. More than the actual death of many real people I know would. She's a part of me made manifest through countless hours of roleplaying, and losing her will be losing a part of myself. I still want it to happen, because that kind of attachment and loss is part of the magic of games like D&D. I don't think I'll be able to say that I enjoyed her death when the time comes, but I know I'll value the experience.
didn't Pike die before the stream series? she knows there's resurrection.... that's why Matt nerfed it because he knew it was going to be a minor inconvenience for them, all with having a cleric, a bard, a druid and a half paladin in the same party. a party of _a punching bag who won't die,_ a _cursed MF who is too stubborn to die,_ and _four other people who can cast resurrection in one way or another_ ... with the only squishy one being Vex.
@@bcn1gh7h4wk Matt didn't take the team comp into account for the nerf. It was always to make death matter, regardless of many people have access to it. Beside, he can always manage the access to the material components, so it never matter how many people can resurrect in the party. Whether you have 5 clerics or only one, if there's only 300 gp of diamonds, there's only 1 revivify. Lastly, how could Matt even consider Vax being part Paladin for the nerf, when the nerf happened before Vax took any paladin level ?
Once you've finished this series maybe react to Exandria Unlimited: Calamity! It's a phenomenal series that occurs before Vox Machina and events that take place in it indirectly influence the creation of the vestiges! Mind you that's definitely getting animated in a few years considering Campaign 2 is already greenlit for a series of its own
1:15 yeah, you're good:) Taliesin is a tough one, but you got it. He actually has a condition that makes his hands shake, it's not necessarily a sign of distress for him.
As others have said. "Larkin" is an inside code for critters who know how the chroma conclave arc progresses. If you look up who Larkin is, you'll be spoiled. It's a way for us to chat about spoiler things without spoiling others by proxy
I believe the string connecting Vex and Vax symbolizes the bond they share being twins, at points in the show the twins have been able to sense things between each other such as in the first fight with the Briarwoods where Vex had a feeling the Vax was in trouble. It could also represent a fate that they shared and now that it has been severed their paths may begin to drift apart.
Yup. Vax was seeing the Matron of Ravens in EP. 1 & 2. In EP. 1, Umbrasyl ironically announces himself by saying "death has come to Emon," and lo and behold, Vax first sees her as she's collecting dead souls while the dragons are rampaging. In EP. 2, the Matron of Raven's temple in Vasselheim catches his eye and -- consequently -- he spots the Matron of Ravens once again. There's even more foreshadowing dating back to EP. 2 of Season 1, but that's spoilery.. I think?
I have really been enjoying your reactions and your interest in learning more about the characters, players, world and story. I love it! The magic amulet was something Matt came up with. Trinket was so big, how does he go down ladders or climb a rope? It became quite the hassle for Laura (Vex) and that is why you see Sam (Scanlan) making jokes about how useless Trinket is. With this new magic item Vex could pop Trinket into the amulet while (for example) they went sea-diving, then bring him back out when they got to dry land or whatever.
@@jcbass2u basilisk for petrification, I assume? No need, one of beholders' eye rays also petrifies. At least they went with that instead of disintegration or death ray.
I haven't watched the whole livestream campaign yet, so I don't know how deeply the Matron of Ravens will tie in as the series goes on, but I find something interesting: That yellow line tied between Vax and Vex, and then Vax and the Matron - Makes me think about the raven in the intro that bursts into the yellow lines that seem to tie the group together. I wonder just how involved the Matron has been the whole time.
Also you should listen to “Willing”- a fan song from Vax’s POV regarding Vex’s resurrection and his deal with the Matron of Ravens. No spoilers in it, just feels!
The figure Vax had been seeing was indeed the Matron of Ravens. She wears a mask, always. Likely to protect her identity as she is unique among the gods in that she was once a mortal. The cast did a Q&A after their watch parties for season 1 so if you want a take on Vex's whole deal with Keyleth straight from the player herself: ua-cam.com/video/n-lwWHpx2pc/v-deo.html from 23:30 - 26:39 The monster is probably a budget beholder lmao. Beholders are copyrighted material so we get a knock-off version instead. Also just a sweet thing I wanted to note. Laura Bailey (Vex) gave Liam O'Brien (Vax) a ring engraved with raven feathers and the phrase "Do not go far from me" for his birthday. She gifted it to him on stream I believe.
I think that the person dying in bed was the past owner of the destroyed shack that Vex and Vax are standing in front of. He now sees visions of past and future deaths due to the Matron. It makes sense since I have not seen the games these are based on.
The little kid isn't Larkin, but you're on the right track. 😁 Taliesin and Liam really get into their characters, and I know that when something bad happens to one of his character (or something bad happens because of a bad decision he's made as a player) Taliesin takes it very hard. Campaign 2 has stuff that he didn't get out of bed for several days after. I love that people are really seeing why Vex is so protective of her brother now. You now are getting to meet the Matron of Ravens (the goddess over the passage of death, of fate, and of winter). She is neither good or evil. She's neutral like death itself. You also got to see the Calamity, which was the war with the gods that Osysa talked about (when the Vestiges were created). I only just noticed the fight with Purvan was about acceptance, in this case of both death and fate; you can't beat them; you can't outrun them; you can only accept them as they are.
Oh wow! Taliesin definitely seems to be the emotional one of the group. From what I’ve seen at least. Well now I feel dumb that I put it out there that I thought that was Larkin but I don’t even know what that even means 😂😂 I didn’t want to ignore the fact people were commenting #Larkin2023 without a guess of what they were talking about
@funnylilgalreacts He is definitely one of the emotional ones. Liam tugs on the heart strings. Sam has his ways of doing it. Laura super emotionally invested. Everyone takes their turn. Don't worry. The Larkin thing is purposefully code right now. You are very much on the right path to figure out who Larkin is (when they show up). The Matron is the individual Vax saw in episodes 1 & 2, and you've also met the lady at the end of the episode before as well.
Vax is now more than a servant. The champion of a deity in Critical Role is the highest honor. They don't tend to have a lot of them. The Matron only ever has one at a time. It's something that the clergy recognize as a holy figure, personally touched by the god and their direct agent in the world.
@@funnylilgalreacts Larkin is something that will pop up in Critter community in this (and possibly next) season. If you want to avoid spoilers, just trust that it will all make sense in hindsight, as many other foreshadowing moments from previous episodes. The benefit of having the whole story rather than progressing it as it's being created is having access to Matt's brain from the get go and all the massive behind the scenes content he prepared for his players, which typically pops up in the show as those little foreshadowing hints here and there. Veteran Critters are blessed because we know where to look for those hints and it's like and Easter Egg hunt for us which keeps the plot interesting even though we know where it's heading (just like in movie adaptations of books). New viewers, however, get more surprises along the way and can experience this masterful storytelling for the first time, which always forms a most precious connection with any kind of good story. Ultimately, everyone wins in such a faithful adaptation.
Yeah, Taliesen has said that he was experiencing about of insomnia during the session where that incident happens in C2. He then didn't sleep the next night as well and had a LOT of emotions about it and to quote him " curled up in bed and cried until the sun came up." So yeah he had a really ROUGH time after that moment in campaign 2. Things that happened in the campaigns definitely do effect him. Or at least they effect him significantly when things are rough in his own life as well.
Taliesin has hand tremors anyway, but they do get more pronounced when emotions run high. I dont know what, if anything, they fought then in the campaign, but this was a new creature designed for the show. And the woman with the orb at the end was Ripley.
It was a beholder that had moved into the ruins. They actually fought it before opening the grave, and that was why Trinket had enough HP left to survive the trap but Vex didn't.
"I drink and i know nothing" me being like: Hey, i understand that reference! The ones in the bed, weren't that the Briarwoods, or maybe just the people who used to live in that house, i just thought they looked alot like the scene where Delilah went and sold her soul for Sylas life.
I think... Or sorta took the fight with Purvan, whose role basically represents "Death's Champion", ending with Vax surrendering to... Death... As what the fight was about. I dunno. I don't remember that specific bit from the stream.
Its fine not to love Vex that much she is kind of a ... yeah. Anyway, Taliesin shakes at the best of times its just a thing. He's in fine health. In the game I believe they actually fought a Beholder, but since that is a specific monster owned by Wizards of the Coast, they opted here for something made-up.
Yay, me next... hahah 😉 & yes the person vax is seeing is the matron and for content now you have seen her. The matron has the domains of Death, Fate, Winter, Twilight, Inevitability & everything is all connected
Just so you know their is a Vox Machina s2 ep6 spoiler Scanlan video out, so don't watch until after you see the episode. It is will just mess up the flow. Can't wait till you actually watch episode, awesome.
Your reactions are some of the very best to this series, I really enjoy how genuine you are. One major spoiler you are going to LOVE the Mighty Nein!!!! Vox Machina is amazing but there is a special magic to the Nein. I have cried every time I’ve rewatched that announcement, and I’m tearing up a little right now thinking about. One of the things I loved about this episode was the subtle, beautiful between the beginning and ending scenes. We first see a young Vax and Vex meeting Trinket, but in the process Vex guides Vax to show mercy on Trinket’s mother by ending her suffering, and in the end you have the Matron of Raven’s silently showing Vax the same thing with the suffering man, though that one was interrupted by Vax’s fear of what he’s become. When talking about the first season they “Critical Role” said that the golden threads represent the threads of fate, which is also the domain of the Matron of Ravens. So the golden thread between Vax and Vex was his fate being bound to hers, that thread was severed and his fate is now bound to the Matron of Ravens as her Champion.
Hey critters. Stop spoiling shit. Yes that includes dropping names we havent heard in the show right when something relevant has happened. Some people are actually smart and will put 2 and 2 together and youll end up spoiling shit. Stop it. You all know how amazing it was to witness the twists. Let her experience the twists herself. Its not cute throwing out spoiler references.
I'm fairly certain that the woman with the crystal ball at the end of the episode was Ripley. I haven't finished the chroma conclave arc of campaign 1, but all I hear is that she is bad news.
And now you have seen the amulet, it's funny because that item only exists because laura constantly bring trinkt everywhere and sometimes matt forgot about trinket so he created the item to hand wave trinket being with the party all the time. And as you asked about how it happened in the campaign so all the main story beats are there but it's moved around a bit for example the fight happened first and it was against a beholder but because of copyrights and other stuff it's changed in the show, as for the power vax got in the show that's a bit wiblly woblly for creative reasons they basically combined a bunch of vaxs magic item from the game in to the vestige eg: boots of haste is how he moves so fast in the game
Taliesin shaking, while undoubtedly exasperated by the stress, has to do with a tremor condition. He commented on it when cutting Erika Ishii's hair. I actually stumbled onto that video before the Critical Role stuff. Later after noticing the tremor during the CR campaign put two and two together.
Zahra wasn't that bad in the actual table game. She was a lot more like Vex. Arrogant, haughty and a bit rude, but not one to willingly put people in danger, and she was able to work as a team.
not sure how much the critters have informed you about the main cast.. but a couple of things that might enhance the experience of watching both the show and the played campaign: Liam and Sam are best friends IRL. Liam is the one who started it all because Matt ran a 1 shot DnD session for his birthday on his request..and that's how vox machina came to be. Incidentally, it was also Laura's birthday (only a couple years appart)... Liam and her sharing a birthday is what brought the idea of the twin characters. Laura and Travis are married and have a child (who was born somewhere in the second half of the campaign airing) Matt and Marisha married after the conclusion of the vox machina campaign (had been together since before it aired).. Taliesin and Matt have been friends for a long time.. I'm not entirely sure how/when Ashley came to join the gang in general, most of these actors have known each other one way or another for a long time, and they have become a real found family over the fairly recent years of this crazy adventure. it helps that they share a profession, a cultural background (and relevant studies)... and in general a lot of life experiences. so, yeah... they are actors who live their characters.. when something bad happens, it can get emotional :P
I think the more fitting terminology here is 'champion' rather than servant. For the names think of it this way V(a)x = (A)dam, V(e)x = (E)ve... Vex was very cold and callous in the beginning of the live play and did eventually warm up to everyone so what you are feeling about her is on point. Also 'who are you?' that's Ripley - the woman whose name was on percy's gun. The one who got away in s1.
@@funnylilgalreacts I didn't say you were wrong, I said it's hilarious. I refuse to tell you if you are wrong or right because I am positively infuriating 😁
To answer some of your questions, it was Kashaw that brought her back in the stream in terms of casting the spell. But the way you can bring back someone from the dead in D&D doesn't suit Matt's tastes as it makes death trivial so he makes them undergo a ritual that they have to roll for to see if it succeeds. Vax's contribution to it was basically the dialogue you saw in the show. Matt has up to 3 people contribute, there is a roll each one makes so when Matt makes the final roll, it can make the final roll harder or easier. You've seen a short clip of it no doubt of Vex's death but it probably ended before Kashaw stepped in with his magic. Here is a timestamped link to the campaign just as Kashaw is casting the spell: ua-cam.com/video/KHsA0R_GovU/v-deo.html It is 4 and a half hours into the almost 5 hour episode. The hints of the Raven Queen were not a thing in the stream. It is something they likely worked in based on how the entire campaign played out and taking all that into consideration, I would definitely say yes, it was the Matron Vex you were seeing as a foreshadowing of what was/is to come. Someone else in the comments described the creature accurately. They can't use what Matt used in the campaign in the animated show so they just made simple modifications that make the reference obvious without copying it. It is one of Matt's favorite monsters and it also happens to be very deadly in D&D so they did a good job of it. They did not find the vestige yet in the campaign when they killed it. Zahra was the one who killed it in the stream. So this episode played out differently than the stream but all the key references are there. They have to cram a lot into a 30 minute animated episode from the hundreds of hours of material available. Campaign 1 is 115 episodes with each episode being at least 4 hours long on average.
Great reaction! It's always a treat to follow along your discovery of Vox Machina. I'm stoked about campaign two becoming an animated series! C2 was my gateway into the Critical Role universe; the first campaign I watched from the start. I wouldn't be surprised if we have to wait at least two years for it to come out though. They just announced the green light so presumably they are still some time away from even starting production. I totally understand if you want to go in blind for that reaction as well, but I think there is enough time until C2 comes out animated for one to have time to watch the campaign play videos.
I must say I found you because of lovm season 1 and have since watched a TON of ur vids and I must say ur such an amazing sweet caring person who also enjoys the spice of life I appreciate you so much, thank you!
The Matron of Raven's (i.e. the Raven Queen) is also the goddess of fate, so Vax kept seeing her because she already knew his fate. Also, notice that the raven at the beginning of the opening titles is also sending out golden threads to everyone in the group. Raven, Matron of Ravens, golden threads, fate...do the math.
23:00 "Legally distinct from copyrighted material" totally Not-a-Beholder. Campaign 1 Episodes 44 and 45 are what this episode and episode 3 are primarily based on. Vex's Death is the ending of 44.
Talking about Talieson's shaking. He actually does have tremors. He usually hides it well, and it's not noticed except in certain circumstances. You'll see he often has his hands clasped or hidden, and he fidgets, which makes the shaking less noticible.
I see everyone making suggestions on one shots for you to watch that won't spoil anything so I'll throw one out... Marisha Ray's Honey Heist! Follow the efforts of Trinket and some bear friends of his on a hilarious romp around Whitestone to try and steal some goodies to eat! Ocean's 11 style!
As someone else mentioned, a lot of the fights are dramatized and adapted pretty heavily, so even some of the epic moments (like Vax throwing the dagger and then spiking it with his boot) aren't necessarily drawn 1-to-1 with the game. However, it does line up with how Matt handles finishing blows. When a player lands the final blow, Matt will ask them "How do you want to do this?" The phrase is well known to critters, and is always used to signify the final blow in a big fight. Depending on the fight, it can be for every notable enemy, or for an enemy killed in a particularly tense moment, but sometimes it's reserved just for the last enemy or the biggest one. When Matt says it, the table erupts in celebration. Fans have even tracked each "HDYWTDT" the players have earned in each campaign (Matt even got to ask himself "how do I want to do this" once when an NPC helping the players got the final blow). The interpretation of the rules can be as simple as "hit target for X amount of damage; if target's health is reduced to 0 you win." However, Matt encourages narrative flair at his table. When he asks "how do you want to do this," he is inviting the players to bring some character and flair to an important moment. Different players will answer the question differently. Sometimes they'll give a general description of what they do, or even just describe how their character feels in the moment, and Matt will turn it into a narrative description of the final blow. Other times (and Liam in particular is known for this) players will give a detailed description of their own for exactly how they want the attack to land. Although Vax's epic kill isn't pulled from the stream, it's very much the kind of description Liam might give for a final blow. Usually, when it's a HDYWTDT, there is no additional roll to see if the action succeeds. The player rolled and hit successfully, and their reward for getting the final blow is the opportunity to put some flourish on it. Additional rolls might be called for if a player were trying to add a flourish to a regular attack before you know whether it's a final blow or not.
Small Trinket made me cry :( I wish they didn`t make Zahra *that* antagonistic in this episode :( She went away too easily. Vax himself doesn`t know what he has done. This is so sad. (And I think people in his vision, a pair at the house, were once residents of this house, which is now abandoned) Who kills a monster is usually not written beforehand and not defined (in rare cases, dm can ignore last 2-5 of monster`s health points and give a kill to a certain character, if this makes sense for the story, but it`s *very* arbitrary thing, some people never allow it during the game . And this battle went differently on the stream - it was just some monster in the tomb and they haven`t found the Vestige yet, so it made no difference who would kill them)
Yes new episodes, Wow are they staring to differ from the game. Also man are they making Zahra out to be more of a antagonist/villian than she ever was in the game.
@@funnylilgalreacts They didn't start close. in the campaign they first met at the slayers take yes, but the take forced Vax and Vex on separate missions, Zahra meets Vex there and they were both very similar in personality, verbally sniping at each other.
@@funnylilgalreacts I have no clue. More cinematic? I know Laura and Mary are friends IRL maybe they just wanted to make things spicier. Zahra and Vex were kinda frenemies, but like quippy not try and kill you with a Beholder. Great episode anyway. Why do I kinda want flashback Purvans skull helmet? Edit: In the GAME Zahra got the killing blow on the Beholder (toothy guy) maybe thats why they had it come from her. Vax moving real fast isnt a role its just this broken thing he could do because of magic items in game. [Boots of haste]: double your movement speed and give you an extra hasted action. So Vax as a rogue has an Action and a Bonus Action and 30ft of movement per round(every 6 seconds) 30ft becomes 60 action/bonus/hasted action x2 for each action if he want to Dash. Vax can move 480ft in 6 seconds and thats without the Vestige armor.
In the campaign, they fought and killed a beholder that was living in the temple (they changed the monster enough to avoid copywrite issues in the animated show). The players want a break from the tension after a battle, so they tend to get lax. That's why Taliesin forgot to check for traps. Kash did the resurrection spell 'raise dead'. I think others have explained that Matt developed a system where three people help with the ritual. Usually you're supposed to appeal to the soul of the deceased to return to the body, but Vax decided to make a deal with the Matron to take Vex's place. When Vex came back to life, but the Matron didn't take Vax's soul, they didn't know what it meant at first. The armor didn't magically appear on Vax. No one even put it on right away. Kash and Zahra were never working against them. And the magic locket was with the armor. It's called Raven's Slumber and it still had Purvan's familiar in it. Sadly Galdric the wolf isn't vital to the story.
Things that were different from the campaign: Zahra does not want to betray Vox Machina. Zahra does not unleash the aberration in the temple; its name is Yar-voss and it is summoned by the kuo-toa who live in the tombs. Vax does not get the Vestige during the fight with Yar-voss. The fight with Yar-voss happens before Vex dies. Pike was not present for that fight or for Vex’s death; this was due to voice actor Ashley Johnson being away for another job. And the girl at the end was Dr. Anna Ripley.
Okay - a lot to unpack. The figure Vax was seeing was indeed the Matron of Ravens, aka the Goddess of Death. The creature they were fighting is an original creature LOOSELY based on a Beholder. They could not use a beholder because of copyright issues. The woman at the end was Anna Ripley, the one-handed woman that abandoned Vox Machina to fight the Briarwoods alone and the one who tortured Percy. The locket that Vex is using was referred to by the cast as the "Pokeball". Matt gave it to Laura because they kept forgetting about Trinket and it was a pain trying to keep a bear travelling with them. In the live game, the locket had an additional benefit that if Trinket ever dropped to zero health, he would instantly get teleported into the pokeball to keep him from dying - effectively giving him plot armour. A final thing going forward to help you and anyone else not familiar with D&D: It is incredibly hard to permanently kill a character in D&D, especially at high levels. There are many mechanics in place to stave off death or even reverse it, because having your character die and having to roll up a new character is not fun for most people. Not to say it does not happen, but it is rare. I hope you enjoy the rest of the season! These episodes have really taken large detours from what happened in the live game, so even us OG Critters are being surprised.
In general what you said about dying in D&D is true, but Matt has some custom homebrew rules for resurrections in their game. They make it more of a challenge, and it has the possibility to fail. It also gets harder and harder to bring someone back the more times they've died. For them, resurrecting someone really is a full-blown ritual, with offerings and everything.
I'm trying to be as vague as possible, but lets just say that ultimately when things fall into place from what happened in this episode, it was so strong that it made Sam cry at the table. Not in character, he himself cried. The only time in all these years.
The Matron of Ravens is the Goddess of death and fate. The critters have been waiting for this episode since the first time the opening sequence was shown last season. The raven and the yellow threads of fate in the opening like the one she manipulated in this episode takes on a whole new level.
The tooth monster was a beholder in the campaign, but they've deliberately changed any and everything that might be copyrighted by Wizards of the Coast (the company that owns dungeons and dragons).
@@funnylilgalreacts You're all good! It makes it harder to recognize her since she cleaned up after escaping, before she had unkempt hair and bags under her eyes
Wow you really get this show. I love your reactions. Sometimes you catch more of the through lines and themes than I do in this show and I’ve watched c1 like, multiple times 😂
The vestiges each have 3 levels. 1) dormant, powerful but not overly special 2) awakened, you are a major threat 3) Exalted, you are the most badass of badasses! ....oh & there are as of the playing of this campaign; there were 5 types of "Cromatic/evil" Dragons Red, white, green, blue & black & 5 types of "Metalic/good" Dragons Gold, silver, copper, bronze & brass And I'm THIS game/world They can all SHAPESHIFT
Vox Machina (original name: The Shits) began as a birthday present for Liam; he and Laura played twins because they share the same birthday. I think those are kobolds, in the flashback? *chokes on Pepsi Max laughing at reaction to Percy during titles* Matt came up with a resurrection ritual that's more interesting than just casting a spell; now you've seen this, you can go watch the rest of that video. Cool to get a glimpse of the Calamity, can't exactly do that in the stream. The creature is their copyright-avoiding version of a Beholder, considered the second most dangerous thing under dragons. Vestiges have several states: dormant, awakened, exalted. When Vax accepted death, the Matron accepted her new champion and awoke the armour. That said, Vax already had Boots of Haste for a long time before this; I guess they just lumped the effect of the boots into the armour. I'm hoping we'll see its exalted state, but there's no telling in this version. Zahra's medallion was originally Purvan's, and contained his wolf companion; it ended up guarding the forests around Whitestone. It's amazing how many people don't recognise Ripley, just because she got a haircut and built herself a new hand. ;p
The woman at the end walking towards Westruun is Dr. Anna Ripley, the one who tortured Percy and Cassandra as kids, and got away right before the zigguraut fight
"Did they bring her back the same way?" Yes & no. Yes that Kash started a "revivify" spell. However, the homebrew rules for "revivify" in C1 were altered when CR started C2. Now in C2 and C3 if they do a revivify spell, only the healer casting the spell rolls & adds their bonuses to the roll. A certain DC needs to be met or beaten & then the person comes back to life. In C1, they were doing the revivify spell more akin to what they do for "resurrection" spells and the "raise dead" spell - where 3 people have to perform a skill check as part of the ritual. They have to do something to assist the ritual to coax the soul back to the body. It could be a persuasion check, for instance. The person doing the skill check rolls their D20 and adds any bonuses they have on that particular skill. Successful ability checks lower the DC by 3 & make it easier for the soul to come back. A failed check raises the DC by one. Then Matt the DM rolls to see if he beats the DC. If they do, the person comes back alive. If it doesn't beat the DC, the person remains dead. In the streamed episode, they fought a Beholder first. (in the animated show, they can't use a Beholder because of copyright so they used what people are called a "legally distinct one-eyed monster." Lady Kima was also in the fight & was hit down a pit. Vax went down the pit to bring Kima back up. While he was down there, Percy touched the armor with Vex & Trinket nearby. A wave of death hit out. Percy succeeded on his dexterity saving throw while Vex & Trinket did not. ua-cam.com/video/KHsA0R_GovU/v-deo.html 56 points of necrotic damage hit them both. Due to the fight with the Beholder, Vex had something like 41hp when she was hit with the death trap. On this particular homebrew trap, if a creature was brought to 0 hp, they died. No rolling death saving throws; no state off unconsciousness; instant death. During the revivify ritual, Percy, Zahra, & Vax assisted on the ritual. The Raven Queen appeared for everyone to see during this ritual & everyone heard Vax say "take me instead you Raven bitch." The ritual worked & Vex was brought back to life. So the changes are that Kash's spell fails; no one but Vax sees the Raven Queen; no one hears Vax's offer; and the armor doesn't magically get put on Vax.
"I am not a fan of cliffhangers. I don't like cliffhangers. They hurt me... they hurt me real bad." I'd have thought The Expanse might have trained you to handle them. ;) This show won't be any easier on you, and I am here to share your pain.
I really love the detail that to be accepted as the Champion of the Matron of Ravens, you have to first accept death.
Yes...and fate. She's the goddess of death and fate, so naturally, her Champion must be able to give himself to her domains.
I thought that was very poetic. I am loving this series, so hyped that they have a long term deal with Amazon (from what I have heard).
Also, severing their fate connection, tieing Vax's fate to herself after he accepted his fate and hence death...yeah, very very symbolic
Also worth noting that no matter how hard you fight, you can't beat death. It's going to win, so you may as well accept it and be at peace.
@@zenmastermtl Which makes a certain big bad we'll hopefully see in future seasons the perfect counter point to her.
And we watch reaction channels so we can see more people process those moments in real time. We thank you for your service.
It's the only way to watch something for the first time twice!
Or many times
@@Precaricat This. It's how i describe the phenomena of reaction channels to people who are still totaly dismissive or confused by it. I used to be skeptical myself.
But watching something for the first time, 'again', that's bang on lol.
It also helps me understand why I like something
@@gmbryant746 Good point. Hearing others articulate things in a way you might not have realised you were also.
15:19 “Are his feelings for Keyleth genuine?”
He definitely is attracted to her, but, without going into too much detail, Kash just wants to help people. He spent his life training as a healer it’s just his experiences have left him jaded.
Also he was Ron Stoppable in a past life, so he’s got a thing for badass redheads.
He was also The Batman of the future, so doing the right thing is in there deep down lol
And out of character, the guy playing Kash (Will Friedle) is a total troll as well as friends with the cast. So I think Will having fun messing with his friend Marisha and her D&D character is a contributing factor, lol.
Also, Will was a childhood crush of Marisha's :) So they had fun riffing on that.
HOLY JESUS THAT'S WHERE I RECOGNIZE HIM FROM??? I knew that I recognized his voice but I didn't think that was where from.
Kash is also married* haha
So quick explanation: Yes. The woman Vax has been seeing is the Matron of Ravens. The key thing to understand about the Matron of Ravens is this: She is the God of Death, Fate, and Winter. Her chief focus is safeguarding the transition of the soul once a person meets their fate. The duel with Purvan was a test of sorts to prove he was worthy of the armor. The test wasn't to defeat Purvon - it was to accept fate and his death at Purvan's hands.
Fun easter egg! You know those golden threads you keep seeing whenever the Matron shows up? Re-watch the musical title sequence and you may notice something you previously overlooked when watching. Glad to see you're enjoying the show!
I really should not be reading those comments, cause you're pulling me into the lore, man.
so basically she is the psychopomp of exandria?
@@ShingenNolaan read more comments. Matt Mercer does a FANTASTIC job world building.
You have quickly risen through the ranks of my favorite reactors, can't want to see more from you!
She was taken my #1 spot
Liam and Laura actually have the same birthday, which is why they decided to play twins in the first place. They still refer to eachother as "my twinny" 🥰
I love that the Raven Queen didn't even say anything when Vax offered himself up. She just looked at him as if to say "Interesting. Let me get back to you on that later." The animators did a really great job with that and the whole show in general.
This is more or less when Vax multiclassed - in addition to being the group's Rogue, he's now a Paladin (holy warrior) of the Raven Queen.
The figure Vax had been seeing was the Matron of Ravens. The visions weren't in the live stream. Because the show is essentially a revision of the live stream they know where the story goes and can foreshadow later story elements that would be near impossible to do during play. A game master can never predict what their players will do. no matter how well you know them.
Just a quick mention, as far a "Taliesin shaking," he has a condition that causes involuntary hand tremors, so that might have been a factor.
I was told about that earlier today, I’m thinking that it was a combo of the two because he knows he just caused what happened, but also someone said that he doesn’t take his medication regularly…??
@@funnylilgalreacts Yeah, his hand tremors usually aren't that noticeable aside from those times when he doesn't take his meds, but they do pop up a bit more during high stress moments. And given he just got Vex insta-killed qualifies as a high stress moment I'd say.
@@funnylilgalreacts What I've heard from others with essential tremors is that these medications, like many, can cause some unpleasant side effects, so it's something of an ongoing balance day-to-day whether to try to reduce the shaking or live with it. And as one migth expect, the severity of tremor is absolutely affected by adrenaline, anxiety etc.
There is a cute video from 2017 called "Taliesin Jaffe cuts Erika Ishii's hair - Geek and Sundry" (clipped from a different show on the same Twitch channel, no spoilers for Critical Role content) during which he remarks that yes, he did take his meds that day, but his hands are still shaking quite a bit because he's doing this, quote, (yelling) "LIVE ON THE INTERNET!!"
Extra funny to watch because Erika (another voice actor and TTRPG personality, goes by all pronouns) is a Chaos Gremlin incarnate and really, reallllly struggles to ever contain their energy, let alone actually hold perfectly still. Plus there was a live studio 'audience' (crew/friends) who kept trying to make both of them laugh at the worst possible times.
(Spoilers: It turned out great and Erika has kept a variation of the same hairstyle to this day! Tal was 100% right when he said it was a 'gateway haircut'...)
On Mini Prime Time it comes up. It's actually worth seing because Will shows him a hack to stabilize the hand while painting details.
@@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll I gotta find that video!
You saying Vex is pretty much the leader of the group. In a Q&A they were asked who the leader of the group is, and the answer was something like "The group doesn't have a leader...... But it's Vex".
In the campaign, Kash was Keyleth's first kiss.
Also, the "optical guy" was a non-copyright beholder.
Ahhhh, I was right then. The toothy mouth and the one big eye, along with the petrification, I thought it had to be a beholder.
That sucks because beholders are way more cool and unique than this monster. I loved it, but beholders are so much more interesting
In the original stream, they fought the beholder before they found the armor, and that's why Vex was low enough on hit points that the trap killed her.
One could say it was... a Copyrightholder
@@TheJerbol i honestly thought this thing was way scarier. I always thought beholders were kinda goofy looking.
Dont know if someone has mentioned before or if you know already, but when a player deals a killing blow to a someone Matt asks "How Do You Want To Do This". And the players gets to pretty much describe how they finish off a monster. Also I just found your channel and I love the way you do reactions.
Fun fact....the main reason that Matt gave Laura the amulet was to keep the group from spending too much time wrangling over how to get Trinket up ropes, across chasms, and out of battles. Speaking as a DM, pets can definitely slow down a campaign at times. Also, bears don't fare well against higher level creatures. Great reaction. Thanks for all your hard work!❤
Vex is a beastmaster ranger. Its her specialty. You get a cool animal companion when you select it. The problem was when they were playing originally, your cool companion like Trinket didn't get stronger along with you. Trinket was a level 1 beast and they were level 10. Trinket was pretty much getting left behind because a single hit from one of the Briarwoods or some other creature would kill him. Matt invented the broach and gave it to Vex in this tomb just so Trinket could start going along with them again. The best part of the broach is if Trinket is "killed" and drops to 0 HP, he just goes into the broach unconscious and wakes up. Its a "no dead pet" magic item. Secondly, the rules used to be either the ranger or the companion could attack. If Vex told Trinket to attack, she couldn't do any other normal action. Matt also changed the rules so Trinket could attack the same time as Vex.
DnD changed the rules for beastmaster rangers essentially because people working there watched CR and realized how stupid the rules were. They still aren't the best, but they are better because Matt voicing Trinket made the game makers reassess things.
@@mikebreaddelancey4755 nope. Trinket it does not regain consciousness inside of the amulet. He can be unconscious in it but when he gets bamfed back out he is STILL unconscious and needs to be healed. But it was a buffer for being allowed to have some time to be able to bamf them out to be healed when Pike had healing spells back or they could get him somewhere where healing spells could be given by someone else if Pike wasn't there. because time freezes within the amulet. So it absolutely was used as a buffer and as protection for trinket. But it did not heal him and it did NOT bring him back to consciousness when he is inside the amulet. It only freezes time and keeps him safe from further damage. So it's not really a "no dead pets" item in the way that you described it to be. But kinda. It was created to save Laura's heart.
You already know the woman with the crystal ball at the end of that episode. She just has shorter hair, a weird hand, and her name isn't engraved on a gun anymore.
Hahahaha, that last piece is super helpful!
I find it very interesting how most reactors don't recognize her, yet I did immediately, thanks in part to being primed for her return after the Viktor scene. Usually, my mild face blindness means I'm the last to recognize anyone.
The flashback in the beginning is what's important. When Vax is fighting Purvan, he sees Vex from the flashback, and she says "Whatever happens, it's out of our control." That's one Vex line from the flashback at the beginning, but it reminds Vax of the other Vex line at the end of the flashback. "Sometimes you have to embrace what's in front of you. Not fight it." And that's how he survives, by taking that advice and just accepting what was happening.
Also, the first line is the one she says before Vax kills the mother bear. And after remembering that Vax accepts death. 😢 This show is so damn good!
Just wanna say, your curly hair is STUNNING & your passion for this story is also, just as stunning. Glad to see you on the journey with us all, and I hope the critters have been treating you well, they normally do ❤️
Yeah the figure in the first 2 Episodes were hinting at the thread between Vax and the Matron of Ravens. In Vasselheim, Vax sees her in front of her temple, which is present in the city but not one of the major ones, that figures like Pike regularly acknowledge.
Actually, the Matron of Ravens is one of the more well-known entities in Vasselheim's recognized pantheon. In the stream, it is actually Pike's goddess, the Everlight, that is far less well-known there. Her temple was in ruins and just starting to be rebuilt by a few followers when Pike first visited Vasselheim.
@@PristineTX I guess recognized was a poor choice of words, esteemed is probably more accurate. Her temple was kind of tucked away while others were more prominent. Most people recognize the importance of death, but it isn't a faith that many flock to.
Yes! Adam from previewed’s Percy cosplay is amazing hahaha
The Matron of Ravens is as much a psychopomp as a goddess (that means she guides the dead to whatever afterlife there might be), so her appearance at Emon while the Chroma Conclave attacked makes sense. As to why Vax and only Vax saw her, well, that could be a complicated answer. For one thing, deities don't necessarily experience time linearly. Also, Vax is a trained and decently powerful assassin rogue, so maybe he had more of a connection to death than the rest of Vox Machina.
The monster scene was VERY different in the stream. For one thing, it was a different monster, something called a Beholder (a fairly powerful monster with a lot of baggage attached to it, but is IP of D&D, not Critical Role itself, so they changed it). For another, they actually fought it BEFORE Vex's death, so also before Vax got the vestige. Also, Kima--remember her from season one?--was also involved in the exploration of the sunken tomb. So, they had to change a bunch for that fight. In the show, it looks like it was all to showcase the potential of a Vestige--although they actually changed THAT, too, combining it with another magic item Vax had that gave him a boost of speed and ability to attack (or move) once more on his turn. Not that the Deathwalker's Ward isn't impressive, too, it just doesn't make him fast.
If you think this version of meeting baby Trinket made you emotional, you should read Laura's original version of the story! When she originally wrote it Vex was totally alone, no one came to save her. She had to save herself. And the experience was so traumatic for Vex she never told anyone what happened. Look up 'The Saga of Trinket' if you want to read her version!
Yeah, I was really bummed out that they decided to change it in the animated series.
So fun seeing the show through your eyes. You also have extremely intelligent insights. Looking forward to more.
Not a spoiler, just lore. The Matron of Ravens is the goddess of not just death, but fate. She is not good, she is not evil. Consider if you will the intro to each episode, where a raven sends threads of light out weaving certain people together. Yes, Vax was seeing her beforehand (in the show). The monster was a show original, because they fought a beholder in the game, which is a D&D specific monster. It has similarities to it. Not so much a servant, but a paladin of a goddess. But his evolution isn’t done yet.
Yeah, I'm guessing anyone who's nursed a pet through their last stages found Trinkets Mum particularly hard.
I am so glad you are also watching Previewed! Those guys are great. And like them, one of the things I really enjoy about your channel is your empathy and heart. I can't wait to see your reaction to the rest of the series!
So no. In the show almost nothing is already written. Matt has a main story he guides them along, but it's upto the players to respond and do with it what they want. In this animated series they took all that happened and made it a bit more cohesive, tied together, by adding more foreshadowing and they put more emphasis on the emotional and pure awesome moments. It's really well done.
Also you're going to react to Severance!? I can't wait!
The dice rolls usually just determine success or failure.
Using Vax's fight with the discount Beholder as an example, Liam would declare an attack on the monster and roll a 20-sided die. If the number on the die is higher than the monster's armor class (AC) then the attack succeeds.
Matt Mercer's DM style is heavily narrative focused so whenever a major attack or kill happens he would ask the player, "how do you want to do this?" At which point the player would describe what their character does in that moment.
At some point, the members of the crew had an unspoken rule (don't know if it still holds) : if one of the characters die during a session, they'd go out immediately after and get drunk to process it.
Not that exact wording. they go to a local Irish bar and have a wake for the character. They don't "get drunk to process the death"... they celebrate the character's life as if they were a real person.
@@AnxietyRat Same difference. I was tired and couldn't find my words.
@@tithannisk7470 there's enough of a difference that I decided to correct you. Having a couple of drinks and getting tipsy to celebrate the life of a character is VERY different from getting drunk to process their death ...the emotional weight of those two scenarios are different. All I did was spit out what they have said in the past in pretty much the same words they used. 🤷♀️
I was one of the nerds who backed this series on day 1 of the kickstarter because Matt and the crew of beloved nerdy ass voice actors touched my heart with their ability to tell magical stories. It makes me so happy to see people enjoying the series and even better getting to know the people behind the characters/voice talent and enjoying clips from the dnd game.
I'm SOOOO excited to see you experience the ups and downs of this series over the next three seasons! Your visceral reactions to these episodes mirror what I felt inside during these moments, and it's so much fun reliving those emotions vicariously through you in this new format 🤗
Edit:
Yes, that was the Matron of Ravens (or "the Raven Queen")
It didn't exactly play out like this in the campaign. In the campaign, Kash DID resurrect her. Vax does still get the vestige, but it doesn't become "exalted" (when it turns golden, essentially symbolizing the bearer uniting with it) until later. Also, Kash and Zahra are much friendlier in the campaign.
No spoilers on Larkin. 🤐
Bidet and beep beep!
It's still not exalted yet, just awakened. There's one more crucial feature of the armor that comes with being exalted.
I am hyped for Mighty Nine, just to see more of Jester. I saw all of campaign 2, and they way Laura played Jester is just soo awesome!
It will take some time for it to arrive I guess, but we have Vox Machina now and it's awesome. Love your reaction to these episodes. 🥰
I binge watched campaign 1 and campaign 2 from April 2022 to December 31 2022. Start to finish. I’m on episode 54 of campaign 3 now.
I love how other reactors mention Adam’s cosplay. You’re the second I’ve seen mention him. He was legit built to cosplay Percy. He’s got the rectangular head and everything.
Did you notice Keyleth's reaction after Vax killed the eye-tentacle-thing-that-is-not-a-trademarked-Beholder? Someone likes a badass xD
1:50 Speaking as a player it's strange how connected you can get to your characters, particularly when you put so much effort into their backstories, motivations, and interactions with other players. I don't doubt for a second how nauseous Laura was feeling as that was playing out as had it failed Vex could've just been gone.
Definitely. Even a quirky character you initially made just to have fun can quickly grow on you, and their loss can hurt you in ways you didn't expect.
@@bouboulroz Shout out to Buttscratch Tumbledown.
Agreed. I've been playing my favorite D&D character for over three years now, and I actually WANT her to die eventually because it would be the perfect culmination of her arc... but it's going to hurt when that happens. It doesn't matter that she's imaginary, or that she was designed to be a tragic character from the start - when it happens, it is going to hurt me. More than the actual death of many real people I know would. She's a part of me made manifest through countless hours of roleplaying, and losing her will be losing a part of myself.
I still want it to happen, because that kind of attachment and loss is part of the magic of games like D&D. I don't think I'll be able to say that I enjoyed her death when the time comes, but I know I'll value the experience.
didn't Pike die before the stream series? she knows there's resurrection.... that's why Matt nerfed it because he knew it was going to be a minor inconvenience for them, all with having a cleric, a bard, a druid and a half paladin in the same party.
a party of _a punching bag who won't die,_ a _cursed MF who is too stubborn to die,_ and _four other people who can cast resurrection in one way or another_ ... with the only squishy one being Vex.
@@bcn1gh7h4wk Matt didn't take the team comp into account for the nerf. It was always to make death matter, regardless of many people have access to it. Beside, he can always manage the access to the material components, so it never matter how many people can resurrect in the party. Whether you have 5 clerics or only one, if there's only 300 gp of diamonds, there's only 1 revivify.
Lastly, how could Matt even consider Vax being part Paladin for the nerf, when the nerf happened before Vax took any paladin level ?
Once you've finished this series maybe react to Exandria Unlimited: Calamity! It's a phenomenal series that occurs before Vox Machina and events that take place in it indirectly influence the creation of the vestiges!
Mind you that's definitely getting animated in a few years considering Campaign 2 is already greenlit for a series of its own
1:15 yeah, you're good:) Taliesin is a tough one, but you got it.
He actually has a condition that makes his hands shake, it's not necessarily a sign of distress for him.
One thing I love about this episode is that the opening is not just a back story of Trinket but has another layer to it.
Can we just take a moment to credit Liam for what an incredible performance that was? Seriously, he should get some sort of Emmy nomination for that.
As others have said. "Larkin" is an inside code for critters who know how the chroma conclave arc progresses. If you look up who Larkin is, you'll be spoiled. It's a way for us to chat about spoiler things without spoiling others by proxy
I believe the string connecting Vex and Vax symbolizes the bond they share being twins, at points in the show the twins have been able to sense things between each other such as in the first fight with the Briarwoods where Vex had a feeling the Vax was in trouble.
It could also represent a fate that they shared and now that it has been severed their paths may begin to drift apart.
The monster they fought was "Similar to but legally distinct from" a beholder.
Yup. Vax was seeing the Matron of Ravens in EP. 1 & 2. In EP. 1, Umbrasyl ironically announces himself by saying "death has come to Emon," and lo and behold, Vax first sees her as she's collecting dead souls while the dragons are rampaging. In EP. 2, the Matron of Raven's temple in Vasselheim catches his eye and -- consequently -- he spots the Matron of Ravens once again. There's even more foreshadowing dating back to EP. 2 of Season 1, but that's spoilery.. I think?
I have really been enjoying your reactions and your interest in learning more about the characters, players, world and story. I love it!
The magic amulet was something Matt came up with. Trinket was so big, how does he go down ladders or climb a rope? It became quite the hassle for Laura (Vex) and that is why you see Sam (Scanlan) making jokes about how useless Trinket is. With this new magic item Vex could pop Trinket into the amulet while (for example) they went sea-diving, then bring him back out when they got to dry land or whatever.
I believe the eye creature was their version of a Beholder. But, obviously changed for copyright reasons.
That’s what I was thinking as well.
A cross between a roper and a beholder mixed with a basilisk perhaps....definitely the first two for sure.
@@jcbass2u basilisk for petrification, I assume? No need, one of beholders' eye rays also petrifies. At least they went with that instead of disintegration or death ray.
@@Mordring Yes, that is true. I know a Beholders abilities well, it's one of my favorite monsters to throw at smug murder hobo parties.
I haven't watched the whole livestream campaign yet, so I don't know how deeply the Matron of Ravens will tie in as the series goes on, but I find something interesting: That yellow line tied between Vax and Vex, and then Vax and the Matron - Makes me think about the raven in the intro that bursts into the yellow lines that seem to tie the group together. I wonder just how involved the Matron has been the whole time.
She is the Goddess of Fate.
...you'll see.
Also you should listen to “Willing”- a fan song from Vax’s POV regarding Vex’s resurrection and his deal with the Matron of Ravens. No spoilers in it, just feels!
The figure Vax had been seeing was indeed the Matron of Ravens. She wears a mask, always. Likely to protect her identity as she is unique among the gods in that she was once a mortal.
The cast did a Q&A after their watch parties for season 1 so if you want a take on Vex's whole deal with Keyleth straight from the player herself: ua-cam.com/video/n-lwWHpx2pc/v-deo.html from 23:30 - 26:39
The monster is probably a budget beholder lmao. Beholders are copyrighted material so we get a knock-off version instead.
Also just a sweet thing I wanted to note. Laura Bailey (Vex) gave Liam O'Brien (Vax) a ring engraved with raven feathers and the phrase "Do not go far from me" for his birthday. She gifted it to him on stream I believe.
I think that the person dying in bed was the past owner of the destroyed shack that Vex and Vax are standing in front of. He now sees visions of past and future deaths due to the Matron. It makes sense since I have not seen the games these are based on.
The little kid isn't Larkin, but you're on the right track. 😁
Taliesin and Liam really get into their characters, and I know that when something bad happens to one of his character (or something bad happens because of a bad decision he's made as a player) Taliesin takes it very hard. Campaign 2 has stuff that he didn't get out of bed for several days after.
I love that people are really seeing why Vex is so protective of her brother now.
You now are getting to meet the Matron of Ravens (the goddess over the passage of death, of fate, and of winter). She is neither good or evil. She's neutral like death itself. You also got to see the Calamity, which was the war with the gods that Osysa talked about (when the Vestiges were created). I only just noticed the fight with Purvan was about acceptance, in this case of both death and fate; you can't beat them; you can't outrun them; you can only accept them as they are.
Oh wow! Taliesin definitely seems to be the emotional one of the group. From what I’ve seen at least.
Well now I feel dumb that I put it out there that I thought that was Larkin but I don’t even know what that even means 😂😂 I didn’t want to ignore the fact people were commenting #Larkin2023 without a guess of what they were talking about
@funnylilgalreacts He is definitely one of the emotional ones. Liam tugs on the heart strings. Sam has his ways of doing it. Laura super emotionally invested. Everyone takes their turn.
Don't worry. The Larkin thing is purposefully code right now. You are very much on the right path to figure out who Larkin is (when they show up).
The Matron is the individual Vax saw in episodes 1 & 2, and you've also met the lady at the end of the episode before as well.
Vax is now more than a servant. The champion of a deity in Critical Role is the highest honor. They don't tend to have a lot of them. The Matron only ever has one at a time. It's something that the clergy recognize as a holy figure, personally touched by the god and their direct agent in the world.
@@funnylilgalreacts Larkin is something that will pop up in Critter community in this (and possibly next) season. If you want to avoid spoilers, just trust that it will all make sense in hindsight, as many other foreshadowing moments from previous episodes.
The benefit of having the whole story rather than progressing it as it's being created is having access to Matt's brain from the get go and all the massive behind the scenes content he prepared for his players, which typically pops up in the show as those little foreshadowing hints here and there.
Veteran Critters are blessed because we know where to look for those hints and it's like and Easter Egg hunt for us which keeps the plot interesting even though we know where it's heading (just like in movie adaptations of books). New viewers, however, get more surprises along the way and can experience this masterful storytelling for the first time, which always forms a most precious connection with any kind of good story. Ultimately, everyone wins in such a faithful adaptation.
Yeah, Taliesen has said that he was experiencing about of insomnia during the session where that incident happens in C2. He then didn't sleep the next night as well and had a LOT of emotions about it and to quote him " curled up in bed and cried until the sun came up." So yeah he had a really ROUGH time after that moment in campaign 2. Things that happened in the campaigns definitely do effect him. Or at least they effect him significantly when things are rough in his own life as well.
Taliesin has hand tremors anyway, but they do get more pronounced when emotions run high. I dont know what, if anything, they fought then in the campaign, but this was a new creature designed for the show. And the woman with the orb at the end was Ripley.
It was a beholder that had moved into the ruins. They actually fought it before opening the grave, and that was why Trinket had enough HP left to survive the trap but Vex didn't.
IRL Liam and Laura are born on the same day (but not the same year), so they decide it would be fun to play twins.
"I drink and i know nothing" me being like: Hey, i understand that reference!
The ones in the bed, weren't that the Briarwoods, or maybe just the people who used to live in that house, i just thought they looked alot like the scene where Delilah went and sold her soul for Sylas life.
I think... Or sorta took the fight with Purvan, whose role basically represents "Death's Champion", ending with Vax surrendering to... Death... As what the fight was about. I dunno. I don't remember that specific bit from the stream.
Its fine not to love Vex that much she is kind of a ... yeah. Anyway, Taliesin shakes at the best of times its just a thing. He's in fine health. In the game I believe they actually fought a Beholder, but since that is a specific monster owned by Wizards of the Coast, they opted here for something made-up.
Yay, me next... hahah 😉 & yes the person vax is seeing is the matron and for content now you have seen her.
The matron has the domains of Death, Fate, Winter, Twilight, Inevitability & everything is all connected
Just so you know their is a Vox Machina s2 ep6 spoiler Scanlan video out, so don't watch until after you see the episode. It is will just mess up the flow. Can't wait till you actually watch episode, awesome.
Your reactions are some of the very best to this series, I really enjoy how genuine you are. One major spoiler you are going to LOVE the Mighty Nein!!!! Vox Machina is amazing but there is a special magic to the Nein. I have cried every time I’ve rewatched that announcement, and I’m tearing up a little right now thinking about.
One of the things I loved about this episode was the subtle, beautiful between the beginning and ending scenes. We first see a young Vax and Vex meeting Trinket, but in the process Vex guides Vax to show mercy on Trinket’s mother by ending her suffering, and in the end you have the Matron of Raven’s silently showing Vax the same thing with the suffering man, though that one was interrupted by Vax’s fear of what he’s become.
When talking about the first season they “Critical Role” said that the golden threads represent the threads of fate, which is also the domain of the Matron of Ravens. So the golden thread between Vax and Vex was his fate being bound to hers, that thread was severed and his fate is now bound to the Matron of Ravens as her Champion.
Hey critters. Stop spoiling shit. Yes that includes dropping names we havent heard in the show right when something relevant has happened. Some people are actually smart and will put 2 and 2 together and youll end up spoiling shit.
Stop it. You all know how amazing it was to witness the twists. Let her experience the twists herself. Its not cute throwing out spoiler references.
16:56 You can't be Death's Champion if you don't accept Death. :')
I'm fairly certain that the woman with the crystal ball at the end of the episode was Ripley. I haven't finished the chroma conclave arc of campaign 1, but all I hear is that she is bad news.
And now you have seen the amulet, it's funny because that item only exists because laura constantly bring trinkt everywhere and sometimes matt forgot about trinket so he created the item to hand wave trinket being with the party all the time.
And as you asked about how it happened in the campaign so all the main story beats are there but it's moved around a bit for example the fight happened first and it was against a beholder but because of copyrights and other stuff it's changed in the show, as for the power vax got in the show that's a bit wiblly woblly for creative reasons they basically combined a bunch of vaxs magic item from the game in to the vestige eg: boots of haste is how he moves so fast in the game
Taliesin shaking, while undoubtedly exasperated by the stress, has to do with a tremor condition. He commented on it when cutting Erika Ishii's hair. I actually stumbled onto that video before the Critical Role stuff. Later after noticing the tremor during the CR campaign put two and two together.
I didn't realize until this episode that Vex was Trinket's mom. That makes her first rate in my book.
Zahra wasn't that bad in the actual table game. She was a lot more like Vex. Arrogant, haughty and a bit rude, but not one to willingly put people in danger, and she was able to work as a team.
When you got the tissues I was like "good you will need it for the first scene"
Did I think it would be because of a Trinket backstory? Nope. Regrets? NONE.
not sure how much the critters have informed you about the main cast.. but a couple of things that might enhance the experience of watching both the show and the played campaign:
Liam and Sam are best friends IRL.
Liam is the one who started it all because Matt ran a 1 shot DnD session for his birthday on his request..and that's how vox machina came to be.
Incidentally, it was also Laura's birthday (only a couple years appart)... Liam and her sharing a birthday is what brought the idea of the twin characters.
Laura and Travis are married and have a child (who was born somewhere in the second half of the campaign airing)
Matt and Marisha married after the conclusion of the vox machina campaign (had been together since before it aired)..
Taliesin and Matt have been friends for a long time..
I'm not entirely sure how/when Ashley came to join the gang
in general, most of these actors have known each other one way or another for a long time, and they have become a real found family over the fairly recent years of this crazy adventure. it helps that they share a profession, a cultural background (and relevant studies)... and in general a lot of life experiences.
so, yeah... they are actors who live their characters.. when something bad happens, it can get emotional :P
Ashley used to be neighbors with Travis and Laura. Incidentally, that's how Ashley met her fiancé Brian, because Brian is best friends with Travis.
@@Phi1618033 I figured they'd met professionally. first...
@@dehro They probably knew each other professionally, but they were friends because they were neighbors.
Also, Marisha is the youngest of the cast at the table… and thus they have Keyleth being the youngest of Vox Machina in the animated series.
I think the more fitting terminology here is 'champion' rather than servant. For the names think of it this way V(a)x = (A)dam, V(e)x = (E)ve... Vex was very cold and callous in the beginning of the live play and did eventually warm up to everyone so what you are feeling about her is on point. Also 'who are you?' that's Ripley - the woman whose name was on percy's gun. The one who got away in s1.
6:29 When asked someone said that "Vox Machina doesn't really have a leader, unless Vex is in earshot. Then it's Vex."
So, just a heads up Taliesin has an Essential Tremor that causes those shakes. He has said that stress can add to it as well.
The fact that you think the kid is Larkin is absolutely hilarious. You'll get no answers out of me, but it is extremely funny.
Oh no… I was wrong 😑 welp… I’ll keep guessing and getting it wrong 😂
@@funnylilgalreacts I didn't say you were wrong, I said it's hilarious. I refuse to tell you if you are wrong or right because I am positively infuriating 😁
You're a D+D virgin until your first character dies.
To answer some of your questions, it was Kashaw that brought her back in the stream in terms of casting the spell. But the way you can bring back someone from the dead in D&D doesn't suit Matt's tastes as it makes death trivial so he makes them undergo a ritual that they have to roll for to see if it succeeds. Vax's contribution to it was basically the dialogue you saw in the show. Matt has up to 3 people contribute, there is a roll each one makes so when Matt makes the final roll, it can make the final roll harder or easier.
You've seen a short clip of it no doubt of Vex's death but it probably ended before Kashaw stepped in with his magic. Here is a timestamped link to the campaign just as Kashaw is casting the spell: ua-cam.com/video/KHsA0R_GovU/v-deo.html It is 4 and a half hours into the almost 5 hour episode.
The hints of the Raven Queen were not a thing in the stream. It is something they likely worked in based on how the entire campaign played out and taking all that into consideration, I would definitely say yes, it was the Matron Vex you were seeing as a foreshadowing of what was/is to come.
Someone else in the comments described the creature accurately. They can't use what Matt used in the campaign in the animated show so they just made simple modifications that make the reference obvious without copying it. It is one of Matt's favorite monsters and it also happens to be very deadly in D&D so they did a good job of it. They did not find the vestige yet in the campaign when they killed it. Zahra was the one who killed it in the stream.
So this episode played out differently than the stream but all the key references are there. They have to cram a lot into a 30 minute animated episode from the hundreds of hours of material available. Campaign 1 is 115 episodes with each episode being at least 4 hours long on average.
Great reaction! It's always a treat to follow along your discovery of Vox Machina. I'm stoked about campaign two becoming an animated series! C2 was my gateway into the Critical Role universe; the first campaign I watched from the start. I wouldn't be surprised if we have to wait at least two years for it to come out though. They just announced the green light so presumably they are still some time away from even starting production. I totally understand if you want to go in blind for that reaction as well, but I think there is enough time until C2 comes out animated for one to have time to watch the campaign play videos.
Here's something that will blow your mind. If Vex had saved the trap, who would have put on the armor, and how? Leather can be worn by many classes.
I must say I found you because of lovm season 1 and have since watched a TON of ur vids and I must say ur such an amazing sweet caring person who also enjoys the spice of life I appreciate you so much, thank you!
The Matron of Raven's (i.e. the Raven Queen) is also the goddess of fate, so Vax kept seeing her because she already knew his fate. Also, notice that the raven at the beginning of the opening titles is also sending out golden threads to everyone in the group. Raven, Matron of Ravens, golden threads, fate...do the math.
23:00 "Legally distinct from copyrighted material" totally Not-a-Beholder.
Campaign 1 Episodes 44 and 45 are what this episode and episode 3 are primarily based on. Vex's Death is the ending of 44.
Toothy maw....
Talking about Talieson's shaking. He actually does have tremors. He usually hides it well, and it's not noticed except in certain circumstances. You'll see he often has his hands clasped or hidden, and he fidgets, which makes the shaking less noticible.
🦷🦷🦷👁🦷🦷🦷
😂
I see everyone making suggestions on one shots for you to watch that won't spoil anything so I'll throw one out...
Marisha Ray's Honey Heist! Follow the efforts of Trinket and some bear friends of his on a hilarious romp around Whitestone to try and steal some goodies to eat! Ocean's 11 style!
I'll add that the "Night before Critmas" is now going to be a tradition in my house every Christmas Eve.
As someone else mentioned, a lot of the fights are dramatized and adapted pretty heavily, so even some of the epic moments (like Vax throwing the dagger and then spiking it with his boot) aren't necessarily drawn 1-to-1 with the game. However, it does line up with how Matt handles finishing blows.
When a player lands the final blow, Matt will ask them "How do you want to do this?" The phrase is well known to critters, and is always used to signify the final blow in a big fight. Depending on the fight, it can be for every notable enemy, or for an enemy killed in a particularly tense moment, but sometimes it's reserved just for the last enemy or the biggest one. When Matt says it, the table erupts in celebration. Fans have even tracked each "HDYWTDT" the players have earned in each campaign (Matt even got to ask himself "how do I want to do this" once when an NPC helping the players got the final blow).
The interpretation of the rules can be as simple as "hit target for X amount of damage; if target's health is reduced to 0 you win." However, Matt encourages narrative flair at his table. When he asks "how do you want to do this," he is inviting the players to bring some character and flair to an important moment. Different players will answer the question differently. Sometimes they'll give a general description of what they do, or even just describe how their character feels in the moment, and Matt will turn it into a narrative description of the final blow. Other times (and Liam in particular is known for this) players will give a detailed description of their own for exactly how they want the attack to land. Although Vax's epic kill isn't pulled from the stream, it's very much the kind of description Liam might give for a final blow.
Usually, when it's a HDYWTDT, there is no additional roll to see if the action succeeds. The player rolled and hit successfully, and their reward for getting the final blow is the opportunity to put some flourish on it. Additional rolls might be called for if a player were trying to add a flourish to a regular attack before you know whether it's a final blow or not.
Small Trinket made me cry :(
I wish they didn`t make Zahra *that* antagonistic in this episode :( She went away too easily.
Vax himself doesn`t know what he has done. This is so sad. (And I think people in his vision, a pair at the house, were once residents of this house, which is now abandoned)
Who kills a monster is usually not written beforehand and not defined (in rare cases, dm can ignore last 2-5 of monster`s health points and give a kill to a certain character, if this makes sense for the story, but it`s *very* arbitrary thing, some people never allow it during the game . And this battle went differently on the stream - it was just some monster in the tomb and they haven`t found the Vestige yet, so it made no difference who would kill them)
Yes new episodes, Wow are they staring to differ from the game.
Also man are they making Zahra out to be more of a antagonist/villian than she ever was in the game.
Yeah, I heard that her and vex were pretty close. I wonder why they decided to go in that direction
@@funnylilgalreacts They didn't start close. in the campaign they first met at the slayers take yes, but the take forced Vax and Vex on separate missions, Zahra meets Vex there and they were both very similar in personality, verbally sniping at each other.
@@funnylilgalreacts I have no clue. More cinematic? I know Laura and Mary are friends IRL maybe they just wanted to make things spicier. Zahra and Vex were kinda frenemies, but like quippy not try and kill you with a Beholder. Great episode anyway. Why do I kinda want flashback Purvans skull helmet?
Edit: In the GAME Zahra got the killing blow on the Beholder (toothy guy) maybe thats why they had it come from her.
Vax moving real fast isnt a role its just this broken thing he could do because of magic items in game. [Boots of haste]: double your movement speed and give you an extra hasted action. So Vax as a rogue has an Action and a Bonus Action and 30ft of movement per round(every 6 seconds) 30ft becomes 60 action/bonus/hasted action x2 for each action if he want to Dash. Vax can move 480ft in 6 seconds and thats without the Vestige armor.
In the campaign, they fought and killed a beholder that was living in the temple (they changed the monster enough to avoid copywrite issues in the animated show). The players want a break from the tension after a battle, so they tend to get lax. That's why Taliesin forgot to check for traps. Kash did the resurrection spell 'raise dead'. I think others have explained that Matt developed a system where three people help with the ritual. Usually you're supposed to appeal to the soul of the deceased to return to the body, but Vax decided to make a deal with the Matron to take Vex's place. When Vex came back to life, but the Matron didn't take Vax's soul, they didn't know what it meant at first. The armor didn't magically appear on Vax. No one even put it on right away. Kash and Zahra were never working against them. And the magic locket was with the armor. It's called Raven's Slumber and it still had Purvan's familiar in it. Sadly Galdric the wolf isn't vital to the story.
Things that were different from the campaign:
Zahra does not want to betray Vox Machina.
Zahra does not unleash the aberration in the temple; its name is Yar-voss and it is summoned by the kuo-toa who live in the tombs.
Vax does not get the Vestige during the fight with Yar-voss.
The fight with Yar-voss happens before Vex dies.
Pike was not present for that fight or for Vex’s death; this was due to voice actor Ashley Johnson being away for another job.
And the girl at the end was Dr. Anna Ripley.
Yeah, they changed things around, and of course had to change the Kua-toa and make Yar-voss not a Beholder, because copyright.
Okay - a lot to unpack. The figure Vax was seeing was indeed the Matron of Ravens, aka the Goddess of Death. The creature they were fighting is an original creature LOOSELY based on a Beholder. They could not use a beholder because of copyright issues. The woman at the end was Anna Ripley, the one-handed woman that abandoned Vox Machina to fight the Briarwoods alone and the one who tortured Percy. The locket that Vex is using was referred to by the cast as the "Pokeball". Matt gave it to Laura because they kept forgetting about Trinket and it was a pain trying to keep a bear travelling with them. In the live game, the locket had an additional benefit that if Trinket ever dropped to zero health, he would instantly get teleported into the pokeball to keep him from dying - effectively giving him plot armour.
A final thing going forward to help you and anyone else not familiar with D&D: It is incredibly hard to permanently kill a character in D&D, especially at high levels. There are many mechanics in place to stave off death or even reverse it, because having your character die and having to roll up a new character is not fun for most people. Not to say it does not happen, but it is rare.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the season! These episodes have really taken large detours from what happened in the live game, so even us OG Critters are being surprised.
In general what you said about dying in D&D is true, but Matt has some custom homebrew rules for resurrections in their game. They make it more of a challenge, and it has the possibility to fail. It also gets harder and harder to bring someone back the more times they've died. For them, resurrecting someone really is a full-blown ritual, with offerings and everything.
I'm trying to be as vague as possible, but lets just say that ultimately when things fall into place from what happened in this episode, it was so strong that it made Sam cry at the table. Not in character, he himself cried.
The only time in all these years.
The Matron of Ravens is the Goddess of death and fate. The critters have been waiting for this episode since the first time the opening sequence was shown last season. The raven and the yellow threads of fate in the opening like the one she manipulated in this episode takes on a whole new level.
The tooth monster was a beholder in the campaign, but they've deliberately changed any and everything that might be copyrighted by Wizards of the Coast (the company that owns dungeons and dragons).
The eye monster was a copyright safe beholder, the show often changes some monsters because licensing issues
21:17 here's a hint: that hand is a prosthetic
I didn’t even get it by the end of episode 2. I was editing and was like “Anna….RIPLEY” 😑
@@funnylilgalreacts You're all good! It makes it harder to recognize her since she cleaned up after escaping, before she had unkempt hair and bags under her eyes
18:06 _How do you want to do this?_
Wow you really get this show. I love your reactions.
Sometimes you catch more of the through lines and themes than I do in this show and I’ve watched c1 like, multiple times 😂
The vestiges each have 3 levels.
1) dormant, powerful but not overly special
2) awakened, you are a major threat
3) Exalted, you are the most badass of badasses!
....oh & there are as of the playing of this campaign; there were 5 types of "Cromatic/evil" Dragons
Red, white, green, blue & black
&
5 types of "Metalic/good" Dragons
Gold, silver, copper, bronze & brass
And I'm THIS game/world
They can all SHAPESHIFT
Vox Machina (original name: The Shits) began as a birthday present for Liam; he and Laura played twins because they share the same birthday. I think those are kobolds, in the flashback?
*chokes on Pepsi Max laughing at reaction to Percy during titles*
Matt came up with a resurrection ritual that's more interesting than just casting a spell; now you've seen this, you can go watch the rest of that video. Cool to get a glimpse of the Calamity, can't exactly do that in the stream. The creature is their copyright-avoiding version of a Beholder, considered the second most dangerous thing under dragons.
Vestiges have several states: dormant, awakened, exalted. When Vax accepted death, the Matron accepted her new champion and awoke the armour. That said, Vax already had Boots of Haste for a long time before this; I guess they just lumped the effect of the boots into the armour. I'm hoping we'll see its exalted state, but there's no telling in this version. Zahra's medallion was originally Purvan's, and contained his wolf companion; it ended up guarding the forests around Whitestone.
It's amazing how many people don't recognise Ripley, just because she got a haircut and built herself a new hand. ;p
The woman at the end walking towards Westruun is Dr. Anna Ripley, the one who tortured Percy and Cassandra as kids, and got away right before the zigguraut fight
Percy gets punched by Vax after accidently getting Vex killed.
"That went well."
You weren't stabbed.
So it DID go well.
"Did they bring her back the same way?" Yes & no. Yes that Kash started a "revivify" spell. However, the homebrew rules for "revivify" in C1 were altered when CR started C2. Now in C2 and C3 if they do a revivify spell, only the healer casting the spell rolls & adds their bonuses to the roll. A certain DC needs to be met or beaten & then the person comes back to life. In C1, they were doing the revivify spell more akin to what they do for "resurrection" spells and the "raise dead" spell - where 3 people have to perform a skill check as part of the ritual. They have to do something to assist the ritual to coax the soul back to the body. It could be a persuasion check, for instance. The person doing the skill check rolls their D20 and adds any bonuses they have on that particular skill. Successful ability checks lower the DC by 3 & make it easier for the soul to come back. A failed check raises the DC by one. Then Matt the DM rolls to see if he beats the DC. If they do, the person comes back alive. If it doesn't beat the DC, the person remains dead.
In the streamed episode, they fought a Beholder first. (in the animated show, they can't use a Beholder because of copyright so they used what people are called a "legally distinct one-eyed monster." Lady Kima was also in the fight & was hit down a pit. Vax went down the pit to bring Kima back up. While he was down there, Percy touched the armor with Vex & Trinket nearby. A wave of death hit out. Percy succeeded on his dexterity saving throw while Vex & Trinket did not. ua-cam.com/video/KHsA0R_GovU/v-deo.html 56 points of necrotic damage hit them both. Due to the fight with the Beholder, Vex had something like 41hp when she was hit with the death trap. On this particular homebrew trap, if a creature was brought to 0 hp, they died. No rolling death saving throws; no state off unconsciousness; instant death.
During the revivify ritual, Percy, Zahra, & Vax assisted on the ritual. The Raven Queen appeared for everyone to see during this ritual & everyone heard Vax say "take me instead you Raven bitch." The ritual worked & Vex was brought back to life.
So the changes are that Kash's spell fails; no one but Vax sees the Raven Queen; no one hears Vax's offer; and the armor doesn't magically get put on Vax.
"I am not a fan of cliffhangers. I don't like cliffhangers. They hurt me... they hurt me real bad."
I'd have thought The Expanse might have trained you to handle them. ;) This show won't be any easier on you, and I am here to share your pain.