@@wiredjerk so true lmao! It's great that it fits so well, I'm not a critter but I do play TTRPGs right so you can tell when that happens but it's beautiful in the way it doesn't break the character just adds to them
@@wiredjerk I'm pretty sure it was a Laura to Liam quote... Not sure if this was a direct response to this bc it happened a couple times but the out of game chatter does happen as it does in most games and Liam has told Laura "as vex"---> "Vex your Laura is showing" lol
It was only fitting that they ended Season 2 in that manner. With one dragon felled, albeit barely, it gives everyone hope that the rest will be as well. And THIS fight left everyone running on fumes, with practically nothing left in the collective tank when it was over. And the reveal at the end? Perfect. For you have now been properly introduced to the fourth member of the Conclave: *Raishan, the Diseased Deceiver,* voiced by Cree Summer. And she absolutely lived up to her title with that reveal. And I definitely wasn't expecting our first inter-party kiss to be Pike and Scanlan. But they earned it. They definitely stepped up their game this season. Every relationship within the party, and that of the party itself, has been building up well in this adaptation, the pacing is near-flawless, and it's giving us the same story that was first told back in 2015 but telling it in a way that is fresh. I can only pray that it continues to be as consistent next season.
Grog wanted to run from facing his past. Keyleth wanted to run from her Aramenté. And Vax and Scanlan ran all their lives. But no more running from their fates.
Hey! EXU: Calamity is a GREAT 4-part series. Having Brennan instead of Matt DMing really changes how the game moves, but the entire thing is done with SO much care to Matt’s world. I worry the campaigns could spoil, but this is like… THE prequel to the world. Understanding what happens in that 4-shot just contextualizes everything for you. I don’t think (really really) it will ruin your experience.
As someone who watched campaign 1 & 2 bought Explorer's Guide to Wildemount and Taldorei Reborn then watched Calamity, I can testify it is equally satisfying to see an important sliver of what has only been glimpsed in lore dumps done justice. Travis's realisation when a certain NPC turns up minus their signature thing, there is an expression of confusion until he exclaims "oh of course!" As the events and our knowledge of this world sync up. Calamity is full of such epic moments as we come to see the Calamity and The Divergence not as lost to history but happening or about to happen with equal measures of excitement and dread. My personal hope is that Amazon film deal they announced is for Titmouse Animated Calamity. That would be extraordinary.
Can confirm! I need to watch it again, it is so far removed in the past I feel I didn't quite connect all dots to current campaigns, it had been so long since I had watched Campaign 1. But seeing Vex's vision of the Calamity, and gods including the Everlight, and the sphinx, makes me want to watch it again. The DM's storytelling was INCREDIBLE.
Brennan Lee Mulligan is a master storyteller, and the fact that Matt Mercer trusted him with this foundational story of his world of Exandria says a lot. Plus I’d love to watch your react videos! More content for the content dragon!
Such pure reactions and so exciting seeing someone experience this story for the first time. You mentioned "getting your fix" which I can relate to! I'd say that The Calamity series is pretty safe from what I recall, there is one specific reference that you'd get and won't be spoiling anything! The series is quite different as it's Brennan Lee Mulligan as DM rather than Matt but it contains the best D&D play I've seen, they really knock it out of the park and would 100% recommend!
The 4 Calamity episodes are possibly the greatest D&D actual play ever filmed. It's funny, it's sad, it's epic, it's tragic, every single player gives 110% to their characters, the story being told is tremendous and Brennan Lee Mulligan is *unbelievable* as the DM
If you watch ExU Calamity, feel free to do reaction videos! :D It's such a great mini-campaign, and it has so many absolutely mind-blowing moments! I'd love to watch you go through all the stages of grief while you watch it. ;D
Yes please do!! It is very deservedly pretty generally considered one of the best tabletop rpgs ever streamed. It’s set in the distant past of Matt’s world right before the apocalyptic Calamity event that wiped out most of all the people alive, so there’s no spoilers for Vox Machina or for Mighty Nein. It has Grog’s, Keyleth’s, and Scanlan’s creators/voice actors in it and some amazing guests and just everyone is at the top of their game 😊 It’s a brilliant mini series and more fast-paced than the main campaign due to only being 4 eps long. Much recommended!
And yes, it is technically possible that Calamity may even be made into an animated movie at some point but realistically it’ll be years since nothing has been officially announced. I don’t believe seeing the campaign now would ruin the awe of seeing it animated (if it will be animated) since I’m sure the animation has to be mind-blowing. Definitely would not keep Critters from watching you reacting to it 😁
If you're on Twitter, someone did an absolutely gorgeous animated montage of "The Beauty of the Art of the Legend of Vox Machina", and I also absolutely want an art book at the end of this series. I also can't wait for Spotify to release this season's soundtrack, and want digital and mobile wallpaper as well. It's just GORGEOUS, as good as any animation I've seen in my decades. So many goosebump-inducing moments!
If you want to get a Critical Role fix, there are some one-shots that are either semi-canonical or are completely separate from the main campaigns. I especially recommend "Critical Role Extra - The Return of Liam!", if I remember well it takes place in Emon before the Chroma Conclave and is a pretty fun evil campaign that was being DM'ed by Liam. Grog's One-Shot was also hilarious and worth checking out, Ashley's "The Nautilus Ark: A Johnson Corp Odyssey" was incredible aswell although it wasn't DnD, I still highly recommend it if you are a fan of Alien and Space Oddysey. And of course as mentioned, ExU Calamity is a masterpiece.
SO glad Vax got his wings in this way. In the campaign, that moment of falling was just the Raven Queen helping by slowing his fall briefly so he could be caught, then later, Gilmore actually identifies the vestige and shows him the wings. This was a great merging of the two events and really worked. Side notes from the Umbrasyl fight. I'm glad Fenthras is giving Vex access to the arrow shots she frequently used in the campaign (blazing bow string, Bramble shot, etc). I'm also glad Percy now has a working Bad News (his sniper rifle). "Fall damage is a bitch." ..... you have NO idea.
If you want to cry laughing via some powerful wholesomeness the "Narrative Telephone" games that they did over the pandemic are amazing and all posted on their channel.
EXU: Calamity is some damn good D&D and doesn't really have any main campaign spoilers that I can think of (though maybe some world building spoilers that may come up in later seasons of LOVM). Highly recommend it, just finished relistening through the podcast version on my daily commutes and I feel that void once again. Most folks are clamoring for it to be the first movie adaptation.
For those that are curious ab the DnD side of things and how the combat worked. Umbrasyl's invisibility was a legendary action and the rocks exploding were his lair action. Kinda cool to see it play on screen
They worked on season 1 and 2 at the same time. They were recording some of the songs for season 2 in 2020, for example. I think we will be lucky to get season 3 next year, but if anyone can do it, they can.
Your tlovm reactions have been the first thing I look forward to these past three days as I’ve been sick and stuck at home. You bring such an unbridled joy to these reactions that it’s infectious and it makes me even more hyped for season three. Speaking of season 3 a recent polygon article had an interview with Laura Bailey where she said that they had started recording for s3 before they had even finished their final pickups for s2. So I think we have a pretty good chance of getting more content sooner rather than later.
It's likely that ExU: Calamity will be the subject of their possible movie deal. You can watch campaign 1 up through the Briarwood arc. I wouldn't start the Chroma Conclave arc until after LoVM finishes it, since the events are being told out of order.
Echoing everyone else suggesting Calamity (and hoping you react to it). It's genuinely a masterpiece of TTRPG storytelling, and I say this having watched all of CR, most of Dimension 20's shows, plusso many others, and all the brilliant, heartfelt storytelling contained in those. Calamity is ...something special. It's a story that will now live rent free in my head forever. It adds so much richness and life to the distant history of Exandria, and every person at that table is giving EVERYTHING to their character.The table is alive with joy and emotion, between players and DM who all have full trust, and genuinely love what they do. I love it so much. [/rambling] ANYWAY, have really enjoyed your reactions to this! Season 3 cannot get here fast enough, I'm already running out of reaction videos to get my bonus fix from :p
I adore your reactions! Always such a joy! I get excited watching You get excited even though I've seen the episode already! XD You can definitely watch Critical Role's mini arch EXU Calamity. It's absolutely fantastic and spoiler free! You can also check out their One Shots, like "The Nautilus Ark" or ""Liam's Quest", if you're just looking for some fun dnd stuff not related to their current story. (They have a whole playlist) And yeah the early stuff from Campaign One are awesome too, you get to compare scenes and get more fun info.
Another suggestion would be to read the Dark Horse comics series about Vox Machina. It won't spoil anything because it's about the events that happened PRIOR to the battle with Brimsycthe in Season 1. A prequel if you will.
BTW, the glowing rock formations that exploded when the dragon called out were a Lair Action. Since this was Umbrasyl's lair he can access a number of special effects to make fighting him there more challenging.
ExU Calamity takes place thousands of years before Vox Machina. It's very short but an amazing series. Mighty Nein shouldn't have C1 spoilers but maybe a few references here and there. ExU Prime/Kymal and Bell's Hells, aka C3 has major connections and spoilers to both C1 and C2. For now I suggest watching CR oneshot which are pretty fun. You can even watch series from Dimension 20 that some players from there frequent as guests on CR.
Yes, as a Ranger, Vex gets perks when dealing with her favored enemy, which is dragons. Raishan's title is the Diseased Deceiver, so trust at your own risk. They have art books for sale on their website, but it's fan art of the campaign, not the studio art for LoVM.
I think you can watch Campaign 1 up to Episode 63 "The Echo Tree". That is what has been covered in the animation so far-ish. There are a couple other moments that where cover in the animation that is after Ep63 in C1. As far as spoilers for the animation you will be safe up to Ep63!
Love your reactions to this. It's been fun watching! Found you via Jay and Adam. I'm a fellow recent Critter as well, only discovering them after season 1 came out last year. I've since watched pretty much everything (got through C1 in 5 weeks lol), only a few oneshots still to get through. With watching C1 you'll be pretty safe working through it until about ep 60/61. That's were LoVM is up to. You could even just watch up until the end of the Briawood arch to be really safe and save the Cromo conclave until they have finished this arch in the show. I love this world so much purely for how much care and attention Matt and the team have put into it and also how you can see they are such genuine friends and family. Can't wait until S3 is out and hopefully M9 isn't that far away either. We'll never really know how much they have been working on behind the scenes, apparently the Making My Way song was recorded all the way back in 2020! We'll just have to be patient.
@Omn1Media Since you asked where you can get your Critical Role fix and nobody has mentioned it yet, I recommend "Kith and Kin." It's a Prequel Novel about Vex and Vax. Some of it was adapted for flashbacks in The Legend of Vox Machina, like the flashback where they acquire Trinket. I highly recommend purchasing the Audio Book version of it since that version is voiced by Laura and Liam and Narrated by Robbie Daymond (Fire Ashari Chief in Legend of Vox Machina).
You should be able to watch Vox Machina up to the end of the Briarwood arc as well as EXU Calamity. Might want to save the Chroma Conclave stuff until that is entirely finished (probably next season) to be safe. I would avoid the regular EXU because there is a bit of spoilers.
In addition to REALLY REALLY recommending Calamity, I also have to mention that Matt did An Intimate History of Exandria, a kind of a lore recap video that I’m sure you would like if you want to know more. Personally I don’t consider it spoilery since the aim is to give you more info on the world building, the gods, and historical events on for example the Divergence and it means in Matt’s lore. It think it would only enhance your experience and enjoyment. That said they have a lot of truly great oneshot games, Beneath the Sheets interviews, Narrative Telephone craziness etc. that are definitely worth a watch
As for your CritRole fix? ExU: Calamity is a prequel with like... NO spoilers for the future, but it DOES show you the origins of the Calamity and even the impact some of the Gods had before the modern world! And then there's the Comics! Maybe steer clear of Mighty Nein Origins, but Vox Machina Origins follows the Campaign universe specifically, even showing how the party meta Pike and Percy when they first show up! So that SHOULD be safe! And then there's the FULL ASS NOVEL "Kith and Kin", which talks about Vex and Vax's past between them running from home and meeting Vox Machina. Lastly, if you want some more CR, there's a comic series called "Tales of Exandria: The Bright Queen" which goes into some of the world building we'll be dealing with in Season 2, but nothing that would actually spoil the story! That's all I can recommend, other than Campaign One all the way to the death of Umbrasyl (so episode 54 or something...) so good luck with that!
Watch EXU: Calamity if you don't want to be spoiled. The DM is one of the best not named Matt Mercer (Brennan Lee Mulligan) and the story provides so much lore that ties into all campaigns without spoiling anything. It's just 4 episodes so it's not too taxing. But it's so damn good dude. Must watch.
I absolutely love all the backstories, the actions scenes were incredible, but my favorite scene was Vax’s conversation with the matron of ravens. He became my favorite character as well. I’m so sad the season is over. Also, shout out to whoever composed the score for this series. The score is amazing.
EXU: Calamity is a great mini campaign to watch that won't have spoilers. Also Liam's 3 one shots as well. They are amazing. I would also recommend looking into Dimension20. They have some great ttrpg content as well.
It's got its... moments (particularly thanks to Sam/Scanlan) but my gods the whole table is in on "the fun" when you watch it unfolding. This is what happens when a bunch of friends get together and their guard is down and they just *relax*.
I really have enjoyed your reactions to this show, your near tears excitement was all of us during the live stream ;) Here's a list of specials and or oneshots that are not really connected to the main plotline and if so, any connection is superficial: "D&Diesel" "Critical Role Extra - The Return of Liam!" "CelebriD&D with Joe Manganiello" "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" "Critical Role: Grog's One-Shot" "Trinket's Honey Heist" "Honey Heist 2: Electric Beargaloo" "Liam's One Shot: The Song of the Lorelei" "Honey Heist 3: Tova’s Honeys" "Stephen Colbert's D&D Adventure with Matthew Mercer" "Dignity: An Adventure with Stephen Colbert" "To the Poop!" (an all goblin pathfinder oneshot they did while still at geek and sundry)
@@Omn1Media there are a bunch more u can Google for an official list of what has been released... But from what I've shared here I think the goblin one shot is super silly but all the players really got into being gross little gobbos, and the reveal about where the adventure came from at the end is chef's kiss level good.
I love the Honey Heist episodes but there are some Vox Machina spoilers. Like many others, I recommend EXU:Calamity, both because it is VERY good but also because it takes place about a thousand years before Vox Machina. So no spoilers! A few threads that connect, but nothing that will hurt your enjoyment of other things.
dude, i super appreciate the "sound of his wings" reference. i dig your reactions as always. that said, i'd say i can also recommend EXU calamity. it's a safe bet for not spoiling the rest of the campaigns. i'd dare say you're in a great spot to watch it. if you'll do a reaction for it, i'd dig that. but i'd def understand not wanting to do the editing for it, so no worries on that. that said, it's one of the things i love to rewatch. if you'll simply watch EXU calamity on your own, i'd be glad if you let us know your thoughts afterwards. now, keeping things within the show, while i'm a bit fuzzy on chroma conclave's details, looking at the hints within the episodes, looks like thordak aspires to become a god - i think he has exactly one line where he indicates that. and fun fact, i think raishan's presence had already been hinted at earlier in the season - when the refugees arrived in whitestone, she was definitely that little kid with the green eyes. there's lots of threads woven in, and i'm confident they'll make use of them all.
You can watch C1 until Umbrasyl's Death... that's a lot of hours. And EXU: Calamity is a MUST WHATCH. It is set 1000 years before Vox Machina. A lot of lore there.
We really need someone to make a breakdown video on Raishan, from both seasons. She has done countless shady things in previous episodes, - Like Sending people to the Orb at ZipperTwat, -Giving them wrong information on the tree so they would fall out of the sky and much more
The first one was definitely the real Yennen. The second one could have been Raishan, but I don't think she had substituted for Yennen yet at that point. I think this episode was the first time we saw Raishan as Yennen.
The most Vax thing ever: sneak alone, get nearly killed. I don`t fully get why the reveal is there, I`ve expected it being later, and now I`m confused. Hoping for an explanation in season 3. But ohhhh, the reveal was good! And Scanlan 10000% deserved that kill, especially after what Umbrasyl had done to Kam. Thank you for your reactions! ♥
The way you have all of the sandman books, I’m the same way about wheel of time. I have all the books and bought premium dust jackets for all of them, but haven’t read any of it yet because the tv show was announced. I might read the books now since I heard that adaptation is not very good, but that’s still a 15 book series to read through. I know Robert Jordan sadly passed away before he could finish the books, but I’m a huge Brandon Sanderson fan, it’ll be interesting to see see their different writing styles and how he somehow gave that fanbase a satisfying conclusion.
As a devote of the RQ well before CR happened I have to say this season have been a fucking treat to me getting more concreat images of my Goddess and what she sounds like.
I want to second Barry Hall's comment about eXu: Calamity -- it adds a Ton of context to the events that is shaping the story of Vox Machina, without spoilers for later campaigns. It was my first Critical Role series watching, and Brennan is perfect in the storytelling and care of the lore. I 1000% recommend it, and even a few reaction vids of the miniseries would be amazing!
Seems like the dragon is using the gold to boost up the eggs in some way- since he likely did not lay them, it may be a spell of some sort since we know they use magic. Even as campaign watchers we can only guess because there are many differences in the way the story is told in the animation. I imagine it's some of Matt's original story beats, stuff he may have imagined during the campaign but never got to tell based on the group's choices. And you should totally watch the original campaign! It's incredibly satisfying to watch these actors around the table, and the one big thing missing in this show is Matt's beautiful voice telling the story and describing the world. EXU Calamity does not spoil this show! It does give a back story for this world, as it takes place hundreds of years prior. There is a History of Exandria video on the Critical Role channel you should watch before Calamity, and then do all of Calamity.
Interesting bit of trivia: Rules as Written, past a certain level it's almost impossible for a barbarian to be outright killed by fall damage if they've got a decent Con. Fall damage caps out at 20d6, and around level 12-13 a barbarian will typically have more hit points than the max amount that can be rolled. Even if they're at 0 hp when they hit, the roll can't exceed their max hit points in order to kill them instantly (though they'll still fail a death save). If they're conscious and raging (halving the damage), or have a Con higher than 15 they're in even better shape.
even a barbarian with a +0 to con if they rolled max on there hit die per level they would equal the max roll on fall damage having the more realistic con of 3-5 and the level needed to out health fall damage just gets lower
Thank you so much for your reactions to this show! It's one of my top favorites too, and this season just went completely above and beyond my already high expectations. I can't wait for season three, and your reactions to it! I'd love to watch your reactions to other CR content that you feel comfortable watching. Like you said, EXU: Calamity would be a good one because it's a bit detached from the age that all the campaigns have taken place in, with one or two friendly nods to familiar names or places. For the one I'm thinking of, you would actually recognize it having watched the first two seasons of LOVM, so it might be fun.
Now that you've seen the wings....Go ahead and look at the items cards for the 4 vestiges we got.....Deathwalker's Ward, Fenthris, Mythcarver, and Titanstone Knuckles
I just want to say it’s funny that vax is all this is fate not luck but in the actual game he had a feat called luck and would use that any time he could
Well it was said that he is fate touched, and while the feat is called luck it basicly does let him manipulate his fate. So while the schematics are different, the final result is the same.
Hey, here’s some context for the show and general lore of D&D for you, don’t worry they’re not spoilers, just some tidbits of information that will help you in getting a better understanding of the world of Critical Role. For starters Umbrasyl, The Hope Devourer, is an Ancient Black Dragon. Ancient Dragons have lived for thousands of years, and thusly have an immense amount of power and knowledge. Black Dragons, also known as Swamp Dragons or Skull Dragons, are the cruelest of all Dragon Kind. Despair, Hopelessness, Dread, and Hate, are all like different flavors of ice cream to them. So while say a Red Dragon, like Thordak, would be much more concentrated on getting gold, Black Dragons, like Umbrasyl, would rather be out torturing and maiming people. This isn’t to say Black Dragons aren’t greedy like other dragons, they are, it’s just that their greed comes from pain and suffering. They see a ruined castle as a work of art, they think a lifeless bog and swamp, full of man eating bugs and on the brink of stagnant water, is the perfect home, they hear people begging for their life as beautiful concertos, and to them, being a tax collector or manager isn’t as fun when compared to flaying people alive. This is why Umbrasyl is willing to betray Thordak, since no True Dragon would ever subjugate themselves under another being.
12:11 Yeah her big magic, she can still club a dragon to death the old fashioned way lol. (It's just if anyone gets badly hurt they're shit out of luck).
It's interesting half way through this second season i also started watching Critical Roll: Vox Machina. Learning more and more about D&D. Now wathing these last 3 episodes wondering. What kind of dice rolls they made.
This season was so good! I really loved all of it but especially everyones character arcs/moments that were just so perfectly weaved in, it's soooo good! And I love to see your reactions to this! :D
Since Thordak has been fused with that magic fire gem his eggs would not b normal, nor would the creatures who hatch from them. Normal red dragons just need the lava to hatch. These need the lava AND molten gold. I am so hyped to see what comes of it (since I've watched the whole og stream I have my ideas) but we will see next year 🎉
so freakin good! I loved watching through this show with you, your insight and reactions to each moment was wonderful. thank you, Im looking forward to whatever comes next!
Watch Campaign 1, Vox Machina's story. If you start at the beginning, you will get the Craghammer story that Scanlan referenced in his dream. Plus it would take you so long to catch up to this show, you can get that fix and not spoil anything.
I think you could watch the first 56 episodes of Campaign 1 without LOVM spoilers. I think technically we've seen scenes from 57 and 58, but I think there's also some stuff if those episodes that *may* come up in S3 and beyond. Also, yes Calamity!
I'd suggest watching EXU: Calamity but a lot of people think that the "first look" deal for a movie is best served for a EXU: Calamity movie. So I think their non-campaign one-shots are probably safe. They don't have anything to do with the Exandrian timeline & aren't likely to be animated. "Critical Role Extra - The Return of Liam! aka "The Screw Job" is a one-shot DM'd by Liam. It's an all-rogues one-shot set in Emon before the Chroma Conclave attack. But as far as I know, it's not canon. "Trinket's Honey Heist" - Marisha DMs a honey heist game where a bunch of the male cast play bears. The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood one-shots. There's 3 of them & Matt, Marisha, and Liam take turns DMing them. The Nautilus Ark: A Johnson Corp Odyssey - Ashley DMs for the 1st time & it's basically an ode to Alien. Elden Ring One-Shot: O Ye of Little Faith - Matt DMs a group in the Elden Ring world. It's quite funny & enjoyable.
Soooo... if you're looking for more Critical Role content as a fix until season 3 but don't want spoilers, the One Shots and mini-series are your best bet. EXU Calamity is one of the few set in the Tal'dorei universe that you can get away with watching. it takes place during the Calamity time period so doesn't really spoil any of the animated stuff, just does more of a deep dive into the Calamity backstory which will probably act as good companion viewing to the animated series as you've already had the Calamity referenced in Vax's visions. There's also an older One Shot run by Grog for several Vox Machina members which is pretty funny and shouldn't be spoilery. Also I guess the Honey Heist One Shots which have bears as players (& Trinket), should be safe to watch but not really connect to anything at all from what I remember. There are some you want to avoid for spoilers which are: any Battle Royale episode - just for the fact they're showing off certain characters, their items and what they can do at different levels the other EXU stuff - acts as a sort of prequel for some characters of Campaign 3 so best avoid if you don't want to watch Campaign 3 stuff The Search for Grog, The Search for Bob, Dalen's Closet & Adventure of the Darrington Brigade - for all being extensions of Campaign 1. Pretty much all the other One Shots are not related to Tal'dorei Universe at all so safe to watch if you wish. Some I can recommend are: The Nautilus Ark - Ashley Johnson's OS heavily inspired by various sci-fi movies Any of Liam's OS - the earliest ones are a sort of meta thing revolving around the voice acting cast of critical role, very funny. Generation Nord - A Sam Reigel OS based off of his insane NordVPN hacker bits Club of Misfits - a Harry Potter inspired OS GMed by Laura Bailey
Two more one-shots that Sam GMed that I absolutely love: Crash Pandas and then the one that's just called "Sam's one-shot" with the rest of the regular cast being unavailable he ran a Love Boat-themed adventure with all the guest players as public domain fairytale characters. Both are UNHINGED and so, so fun.
Grog's one-shot has more spoilers for late-campaign C1 than you might originally suspect - not so much plot points, no, but character interactions and relationshipa
It mirrors the table top game very well in that a savvy DM has to balance the spotlight shines on different characters. If one has been at the fore for a while the story should turn to give other characters a chance to shine. Good players will also know to step back at those times and let their fellow players have their moments.
I can't wait for the animated campaign 2 to come out. Because Vox Machina might seem like a bunch of crazy characters but the Mighty Nein are so much more chaotic 😂
In my mind, the threads of fate, and Vax talking about destiny and none of their adventure being chance is a meta commentary on the role of the DM in the storytelling. Of course it also works in universe.
If you want a CR fix, you can always watch their 1 shots that have nothing to do with the campaign. They're pretty amazing. Dimension 20 is also a great live-play show to fill a D&D fix without spoiling CR campaigns.
Fun Fact: You can pinpoint the EXACT moment Raishan sneaks into Whitestone in episode 1! Hail Saint Vax'ildan! He IS prepared!!! And wow... Scanlan killing Umbrasyl instead of Grog tied into his arc beautifully! Thordak apparently needs the gold so he can melt it down and use the molten gold to help hatch the dragon eggs... Not looking good! To me, Raishan is one of the deadliest, if not THE deadliest enemy Vox Machina ever dealt with... Things get bigger scale, sure, but this scaly bitch? Next season gets PERSONAL. I hope you're ready! Whenever it comes... Until then, MIGHTY NEIN HYPE! If you love this group of dummies, you're gonna LOVE the Nein as well!
Well i think the kill going to Scanlan is good for his story. And also Grog killed Kevdak 2 episodes back. I think they want to share the big bad kills around the group. Basicly everyone in the group had their "How do u want to do this moment?". And while i think Raishan is one of the most cunning enemies VM had. I think Ripley is the most deadly. Think about it, she does not have the strength of dragons, Kevdak or Sylas. She has no magic like Delilah. All she has is her inteligence and whit. And she makes hell for VM with just that. Imagine the confidence she had to have to just stroll into Westruun. A city overrun with barbarians to just walk up to an ancient black dragon and make a deal with him. And we all know she aint done yet.
@@miafiolekova5817 Oh, Ripley's a menace, but in the Streams she never even comes close to Westruun... Show Riley is probably a menace, but Stream Ripley was NOWHERE NEAR as big a threat to VM as Raishan... ESPECIALLY considering the... 'Consequences' of facing both of them...
@@RenatoGPadilla Honestly consequences were the same. (dont want to spoil the fun) And she was able to do something Raishan did with her magic, with just a few henchmen and firearms. But u are right that in the campaign Ripley was not in Westruun, or so we know. Remember in the campaigh we only see what the heroes see and put together. In the show we also see what the villians are doing. Soo who knows if she was not around somewhere.
For something containing no spoilers for the campaigns, I would suggest you look at Exandria Unlimited: Calamity. It is a prequel set LOOOONG before any of the campaigns begin. However, if I'm willing to bet what Critical Role would want to make into a movie, it would probably be that.
After watching these 2 Seasons of TLoVM I can assure you: You can watch Campaign 1 of Critical Role up to Episode 60-ish without getting spoiled. But not up until the Raishan reveal as it was in s2 ep12. They mixed up the timeline there a little. Update: I checked up, you can watch up until Episode 63 without getting majorly spoiled. This contains the Kraghammer-Underdark Arc, the Briarwood Arc and the most of the story we got in the 2nd season of Legend. So if you need your fix, you got over 60 Episodes with at least 2,5 to 3 hours of content each. Some going way longer (4 hours, some up to 5 hours) You would end up at the end of their journey to the Feywild. So enough to watch. ExU and ExU Calamity is a little separated from the main story, but they spoil some things or you would need to understand the lore behind the pantheon and the beginnings of Exandria. You get that from watching C1 and C2. Also, I don't know if they scramble up the timeline in the Mighty Nein Series as much as they did with legend. If they make it an ongoing series without being limited on episodes, they can really go episode for episode with M9. Then you could watch the episodes parallel to each other.
I don't thing getting bigger makes the landing any softer. If anything, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. There is more surface area to affect your fall.
I would usually agree that Exu Calamity would be safe to watch but we already know CR has a movie deal with Prime and of all their properties Calamity is the only one that makes sense to turn into a movie with what lore has already been revealed in VM. Most other oneshots with movie potential require VMs or MNs story to be over to make sense
Rewatch Season 2: Raishan hasn't been seeing after Episode 1. The little girl with green Eyes ? Jop, that was here, being in Whitestone even at the end of Episode 1. Every Single time after that, they showed 3 Dragons at most. Raishan is by far my Favorite Dragon :)
The first taldorei book (not Reborn) iirc is set after season 3's events. I'd say go ahead with C2 cos we won't get it adapted for like 2 more years and it'd take probably 5 seasons at LEAST. Its very character driven so they;d need to adapt so many character moments rather than building around monster slaying)
I suggest you just start watching campaign 1. There are many many many hours of contents to watch before they reach the chroma conclave arc in either ep 38 or 39. And there’s about 24 episode of about 4 hours each before they even get to the Briarwood arc. And also, if it doesn’t need to be critical role content, I would also recommended pretty much any campaign from Dimension 20.
That shot of Vax going “and I am no longer afraid!” gives me chills every single time
That coupled with the music… tears without question
I seriously want that shot as a print. I would gladly hang it in my apartment
"I'll go, I'm fast as hell in this armor" is such an at-the-table moment lmao
So is Vex’s “I got a broom and you get fuckin wings..?” 😂 100% Laura coming through the character.
@@wiredjerk so true lmao! It's great that it fits so well, I'm not a critter but I do play TTRPGs right so you can tell when that happens but it's beautiful in the way it doesn't break the character just adds to them
@@wiredjerk I even think that's a direct quote :D
@@flintmakesmusic6039 I think so too, but I can’t remember if it was said as Vex, or Laura at Liam while needling him with her eyes 😂
@@wiredjerk I'm pretty sure it was a Laura to Liam quote...
Not sure if this was a direct response to this bc it happened a couple times but the out of game chatter does happen as it does in most games and Liam has told Laura "as vex"---> "Vex your Laura is showing" lol
The sound of HIS wings. What a callback!
I know right
if you know you know, but damn if I don't o.0
@@christopherjunkins lool, same, not sure but I only know the sound of her wings, from The Sandman
It was only fitting that they ended Season 2 in that manner. With one dragon felled, albeit barely, it gives everyone hope that the rest will be as well. And THIS fight left everyone running on fumes, with practically nothing left in the collective tank when it was over.
And the reveal at the end? Perfect. For you have now been properly introduced to the fourth member of the Conclave: *Raishan, the Diseased Deceiver,* voiced by Cree Summer. And she absolutely lived up to her title with that reveal.
And I definitely wasn't expecting our first inter-party kiss to be Pike and Scanlan. But they earned it.
They definitely stepped up their game this season. Every relationship within the party, and that of the party itself, has been building up well in this adaptation, the pacing is near-flawless, and it's giving us the same story that was first told back in 2015 but telling it in a way that is fresh.
I can only pray that it continues to be as consistent next season.
As long as the CR crew continues to be in charge of where this show goes, I have faith it will be an absolutely beautiful adventure
Fall damage is a bitch! - Yeah but they're practically gods... 😐🐠
Fall damage is maxed out at 20d6. Grog can take that.
@@knighthawk3749 in the 5e core rules maybe but Matt definitely houseruled that one, the highest fall damage in CR was over 300 points
@@knighthawk3749 Just a nod to a fan-favourite moment from the campaign, might turn up in Season 4.
iykyk 😆
Best moment of C1, I hope they do it in the show :)
Grog wanted to run from facing his past.
Keyleth wanted to run from her Aramenté.
And Vax and Scanlan ran all their lives.
But no more running from their fates.
Honestly, everyone but Pike was running from something
Hey! EXU: Calamity is a GREAT 4-part series. Having Brennan instead of Matt DMing really changes how the game moves, but the entire thing is done with SO much care to Matt’s world. I worry the campaigns could spoil, but this is like… THE prequel to the world. Understanding what happens in that 4-shot just contextualizes everything for you. I don’t think (really really) it will ruin your experience.
As someone who watched Calamity as my intro to critical role, can confirm that it didn't really spoil anything!
As someone who watched campaign 1 & 2 bought Explorer's Guide to Wildemount and Taldorei Reborn then watched Calamity, I can testify it is equally satisfying to see an important sliver of what has only been glimpsed in lore dumps done justice.
Travis's realisation when a certain NPC turns up minus their signature thing, there is an expression of confusion until he exclaims "oh of course!" As the events and our knowledge of this world sync up. Calamity is full of such epic moments as we come to see the Calamity and The Divergence not as lost to history but happening or about to happen with equal measures of excitement and dread.
My personal hope is that Amazon film deal they announced is for Titmouse Animated Calamity. That would be extraordinary.
Can confirm Calamity is worth watching. Best D&D watching experience I’ve ever had.
Can confirm! I need to watch it again, it is so far removed in the past I feel I didn't quite connect all dots to current campaigns, it had been so long since I had watched Campaign 1.
But seeing Vex's vision of the Calamity, and gods including the Everlight, and the sphinx, makes me want to watch it again.
The DM's storytelling was INCREDIBLE.
Brennan Lee Mulligan is a master storyteller, and the fact that Matt Mercer trusted him with this foundational story of his world of Exandria says a lot. Plus I’d love to watch your react videos! More content for the content dragon!
Scanlan avenged Kam with the vestige he gave him 🥲
Such pure reactions and so exciting seeing someone experience this story for the first time. You mentioned "getting your fix" which I can relate to!
I'd say that The Calamity series is pretty safe from what I recall, there is one specific reference that you'd get and won't be spoiling anything!
The series is quite different as it's Brennan Lee Mulligan as DM rather than Matt but it contains the best D&D play I've seen, they really knock it out of the park and would 100% recommend!
The only spoilery thing I can see is the reveal about the Matron's origins, but how big of a spoiler that is, I don't know.
@@playlistb3795 even with that, it's not outright revealed the exact origin, just someone of that era.
The 4 Calamity episodes are possibly the greatest D&D actual play ever filmed. It's funny, it's sad, it's epic, it's tragic, every single player gives 110% to their characters, the story being told is tremendous and Brennan Lee Mulligan is *unbelievable* as the DM
I want so badly for them to animate Calamity
If you watch ExU Calamity, feel free to do reaction videos! :D It's such a great mini-campaign, and it has so many absolutely mind-blowing moments!
I'd love to watch you go through all the stages of grief while you watch it. ;D
Yes, I would LOVE for more people to do filmed reactions for Calamity!!!
Please make this happen!
Yes please do!! It is very deservedly pretty generally considered one of the best tabletop rpgs ever streamed. It’s set in the distant past of Matt’s world right before the apocalyptic Calamity event that wiped out most of all the people alive, so there’s no spoilers for Vox Machina or for Mighty Nein. It has Grog’s, Keyleth’s, and Scanlan’s creators/voice actors in it and some amazing guests and just everyone is at the top of their game 😊 It’s a brilliant mini series and more fast-paced than the main campaign due to only being 4 eps long. Much recommended!
And yes, it is technically possible that Calamity may even be made into an animated movie at some point but realistically it’ll be years since nothing has been officially announced. I don’t believe seeing the campaign now would ruin the awe of seeing it animated (if it will be animated) since I’m sure the animation has to be mind-blowing. Definitely would not keep Critters from watching you reacting to it 😁
If you're on Twitter, someone did an absolutely gorgeous animated montage of "The Beauty of the Art of the Legend of Vox Machina", and I also absolutely want an art book at the end of this series. I also can't wait for Spotify to release this season's soundtrack, and want digital and mobile wallpaper as well. It's just GORGEOUS, as good as any animation I've seen in my decades. So many goosebump-inducing moments!
Oh I saw that and it was gorgeous!
If you want to get a Critical Role fix, there are some one-shots that are either semi-canonical or are completely separate from the main campaigns. I especially recommend "Critical Role Extra - The Return of Liam!", if I remember well it takes place in Emon before the Chroma Conclave and is a pretty fun evil campaign that was being DM'ed by Liam. Grog's One-Shot was also hilarious and worth checking out, Ashley's "The Nautilus Ark: A Johnson Corp Odyssey" was incredible aswell although it wasn't DnD, I still highly recommend it if you are a fan of Alien and Space Oddysey. And of course as mentioned, ExU Calamity is a masterpiece.
SO glad Vax got his wings in this way. In the campaign, that moment of falling was just the Raven Queen helping by slowing his fall briefly so he could be caught, then later, Gilmore actually identifies the vestige and shows him the wings. This was a great merging of the two events and really worked.
Side notes from the Umbrasyl fight. I'm glad Fenthras is giving Vex access to the arrow shots she frequently used in the campaign (blazing bow string, Bramble shot, etc). I'm also glad Percy now has a working Bad News (his sniper rifle).
"Fall damage is a bitch." ..... you have NO idea.
If you want to cry laughing via some powerful wholesomeness the "Narrative Telephone" games that they did over the pandemic are amazing and all posted on their channel.
To quote " VOX MACHINA. FUCK. SHIT UP!!" - Grog Strongjaw
EXU: Calamity is some damn good D&D and doesn't really have any main campaign spoilers that I can think of (though maybe some world building spoilers that may come up in later seasons of LOVM). Highly recommend it, just finished relistening through the podcast version on my daily commutes and I feel that void once again. Most folks are clamoring for it to be the first movie adaptation.
For those that are curious ab the DnD side of things and how the combat worked. Umbrasyl's invisibility was a legendary action and the rocks exploding were his lair action. Kinda cool to see it play on screen
They worked on season 1 and 2 at the same time. They were recording some of the songs for season 2 in 2020, for example. I think we will be lucky to get season 3 next year, but if anyone can do it, they can.
Your tlovm reactions have been the first thing I look forward to these past three days as I’ve been sick and stuck at home. You bring such an unbridled joy to these reactions that it’s infectious and it makes me even more hyped for season three. Speaking of season 3 a recent polygon article had an interview with Laura Bailey where she said that they had started recording for s3 before they had even finished their final pickups for s2. So I think we have a pretty good chance of getting more content sooner rather than later.
It's likely that ExU: Calamity will be the subject of their possible movie deal. You can watch campaign 1 up through the Briarwood arc. I wouldn't start the Chroma Conclave arc until after LoVM finishes it, since the events are being told out of order.
Echoing everyone else suggesting Calamity (and hoping you react to it). It's genuinely a masterpiece of TTRPG storytelling, and I say this having watched all of CR, most of Dimension 20's shows, plusso many others, and all the brilliant, heartfelt storytelling contained in those. Calamity is ...something special.
It's a story that will now live rent free in my head forever. It adds so much richness and life to the distant history of Exandria, and every person at that table is giving EVERYTHING to their character.The table is alive with joy and emotion, between players and DM who all have full trust, and genuinely love what they do. I love it so much. [/rambling]
ANYWAY, have really enjoyed your reactions to this! Season 3 cannot get here fast enough, I'm already running out of reaction videos to get my bonus fix from :p
I adore your reactions! Always such a joy! I get excited watching You get excited even though I've seen the episode already! XD
You can definitely watch Critical Role's mini arch EXU Calamity. It's absolutely fantastic and spoiler free!
You can also check out their One Shots, like "The Nautilus Ark" or ""Liam's Quest", if you're just looking for some fun dnd stuff not related to their current story. (They have a whole playlist)
And yeah the early stuff from Campaign One are awesome too, you get to compare scenes and get more fun info.
The Taliesin one-shots are also really good fun too.
Another suggestion would be to read the Dark Horse comics series about Vox Machina. It won't spoil anything because it's about the events that happened PRIOR to the battle with Brimsycthe in Season 1. A prequel if you will.
BTW, the glowing rock formations that exploded when the dragon called out were a Lair Action. Since this was Umbrasyl's lair he can access a number of special effects to make fighting him there more challenging.
ExU Calamity takes place thousands of years before Vox Machina. It's very short but an amazing series. Mighty Nein shouldn't have C1 spoilers but maybe a few references here and there. ExU Prime/Kymal and Bell's Hells, aka C3 has major connections and spoilers to both C1 and C2. For now I suggest watching CR oneshot which are pretty fun. You can even watch series from Dimension 20 that some players from there frequent as guests on CR.
Yes, as a Ranger, Vex gets perks when dealing with her favored enemy, which is dragons.
Raishan's title is the Diseased Deceiver, so trust at your own risk.
They have art books for sale on their website, but it's fan art of the campaign, not the studio art for LoVM.
I think you can watch Campaign 1 up to Episode 63 "The Echo Tree". That is what has been covered in the animation so far-ish. There are a couple other moments that where cover in the animation that is after Ep63 in C1. As far as spoilers for the animation you will be safe up to Ep63!
i believe that their comics Vox Machina Origin , is backstory of how the group met it's adaptation of their home game sessions
The first Tal'Dorei Campaign guide is set just AFTER the Chroma Conclave. There will be spoilers for Season 3 if the conclave arc ends there.
Love your reactions to this. It's been fun watching! Found you via Jay and Adam. I'm a fellow recent Critter as well, only discovering them after season 1 came out last year. I've since watched pretty much everything (got through C1 in 5 weeks lol), only a few oneshots still to get through. With watching C1 you'll be pretty safe working through it until about ep 60/61. That's were LoVM is up to. You could even just watch up until the end of the Briawood arch to be really safe and save the Cromo conclave until they have finished this arch in the show. I love this world so much purely for how much care and attention Matt and the team have put into it and also how you can see they are such genuine friends and family. Can't wait until S3 is out and hopefully M9 isn't that far away either. We'll never really know how much they have been working on behind the scenes, apparently the Making My Way song was recorded all the way back in 2020! We'll just have to be patient.
At least when Grog fell he wasn't a goldfish. 😂And the key? Well...it certainly is magnificent, isn't it?
I’m so glad you found CR and this show! They did such an amazing job translating the campaign to the show.
@Omn1Media
Since you asked where you can get your Critical Role fix and nobody has mentioned it yet, I recommend "Kith and Kin." It's a Prequel Novel about Vex and Vax. Some of it was adapted for flashbacks in The Legend of Vox Machina, like the flashback where they acquire Trinket. I highly recommend purchasing the Audio Book version of it since that version is voiced by Laura and Liam and Narrated by Robbie Daymond (Fire Ashari Chief in Legend of Vox Machina).
You should be able to watch Vox Machina up to the end of the Briarwood arc as well as EXU Calamity. Might want to save the Chroma Conclave stuff until that is entirely finished (probably next season) to be safe. I would avoid the regular EXU because there is a bit of spoilers.
In addition to REALLY REALLY recommending Calamity, I also have to mention that Matt did An Intimate History of Exandria, a kind of a lore recap video that I’m sure you would like if you want to know more. Personally I don’t consider it spoilery since the aim is to give you more info on the world building, the gods, and historical events on for example the Divergence and it means in Matt’s lore. It think it would only enhance your experience and enjoyment. That said they have a lot of truly great oneshot games, Beneath the Sheets interviews, Narrative Telephone craziness etc. that are definitely worth a watch
As for your CritRole fix?
ExU: Calamity is a prequel with like... NO spoilers for the future, but it DOES show you the origins of the Calamity and even the impact some of the Gods had before the modern world!
And then there's the Comics! Maybe steer clear of Mighty Nein Origins, but Vox Machina Origins follows the Campaign universe specifically, even showing how the party meta Pike and Percy when they first show up! So that SHOULD be safe!
And then there's the FULL ASS NOVEL "Kith and Kin", which talks about Vex and Vax's past between them running from home and meeting Vox Machina.
Lastly, if you want some more CR, there's a comic series called "Tales of Exandria: The Bright Queen" which goes into some of the world building we'll be dealing with in Season 2, but nothing that would actually spoil the story!
That's all I can recommend, other than Campaign One all the way to the death of Umbrasyl (so episode 54 or something...) so good luck with that!
The fact that Scanlan described reading a story to his grandkids as “the best dream” gives me so many emotions 😭
So glad you were happy with the season, man. Amazing imo.
Watch EXU: Calamity if you don't want to be spoiled. The DM is one of the best not named Matt Mercer (Brennan Lee Mulligan) and the story provides so much lore that ties into all campaigns without spoiling anything. It's just 4 episodes so it's not too taxing. But it's so damn good dude. Must watch.
I absolutely love all the backstories, the actions scenes were incredible, but my favorite scene was Vax’s conversation with the matron of ravens. He became my favorite character as well. I’m so sad the season is over. Also, shout out to whoever composed the score for this series. The score is amazing.
EXU: Calamity is a great mini campaign to watch that won't have spoilers.
Also Liam's 3 one shots as well. They are amazing.
I would also recommend looking into Dimension20. They have some great ttrpg content as well.
Great reaction series, I have just binged the whole lot in a day XD I will be back for S3!!
I love this show I can't believe my friends think it's childish
U need some critter friends dear.
It's got its... moments (particularly thanks to Sam/Scanlan) but my gods the whole table is in on "the fun" when you watch it unfolding. This is what happens when a bunch of friends get together and their guard is down and they just *relax*.
I really have enjoyed your reactions to this show, your near tears excitement was all of us during the live stream ;)
Here's a list of specials and or oneshots that are not really connected to the main plotline and if so, any connection is superficial:
"D&Diesel"
"Critical Role Extra - The Return of Liam!"
"CelebriD&D with Joe Manganiello"
"Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz"
"Critical Role: Grog's One-Shot"
"Trinket's Honey Heist"
"Honey Heist 2: Electric Beargaloo"
"Liam's One Shot: The Song of the Lorelei"
"Honey Heist 3: Tova’s Honeys"
"Stephen Colbert's D&D Adventure with Matthew Mercer"
"Dignity: An Adventure with Stephen Colbert"
"To the Poop!" (an all goblin pathfinder oneshot they did while still at geek and sundry)
Thank you! That's so helpful! I really appreciate that!
@@Omn1Media there are a bunch more u can Google for an official list of what has been released...
But from what I've shared here I think the goblin one shot is super silly but all the players really got into being gross little gobbos, and the reveal about where the adventure came from at the end is chef's kiss level good.
I love the Honey Heist episodes but there are some Vox Machina spoilers. Like many others, I recommend EXU:Calamity, both because it is VERY good but also because it takes place about a thousand years before Vox Machina. So no spoilers! A few threads that connect, but nothing that will hurt your enjoyment of other things.
Great season recap. I dig the passion Omn1. Well done. The wait for S3 is gonna be looong.
dude, i super appreciate the "sound of his wings" reference. i dig your reactions as always. that said, i'd say i can also recommend EXU calamity. it's a safe bet for not spoiling the rest of the campaigns. i'd dare say you're in a great spot to watch it. if you'll do a reaction for it, i'd dig that. but i'd def understand not wanting to do the editing for it, so no worries on that. that said, it's one of the things i love to rewatch. if you'll simply watch EXU calamity on your own, i'd be glad if you let us know your thoughts afterwards.
now, keeping things within the show, while i'm a bit fuzzy on chroma conclave's details, looking at the hints within the episodes, looks like thordak aspires to become a god - i think he has exactly one line where he indicates that. and fun fact, i think raishan's presence had already been hinted at earlier in the season - when the refugees arrived in whitestone, she was definitely that little kid with the green eyes. there's lots of threads woven in, and i'm confident they'll make use of them all.
You can watch C1 until Umbrasyl's Death... that's a lot of hours. And EXU: Calamity is a MUST WHATCH. It is set 1000 years before Vox Machina. A lot of lore there.
We really need someone to make a breakdown video on Raishan, from both seasons.
She has done countless shady things in previous episodes,
- Like Sending people to the Orb at ZipperTwat,
-Giving them wrong information on the tree so they would fall out of the sky and much more
The first one was definitely the real Yennen. The second one could have been Raishan, but I don't think she had substituted for Yennen yet at that point. I think this episode was the first time we saw Raishan as Yennen.
The most Vax thing ever: sneak alone, get nearly killed.
I don`t fully get why the reveal is there, I`ve expected it being later, and now I`m confused. Hoping for an explanation in season 3. But ohhhh, the reveal was good!
And Scanlan 10000% deserved that kill, especially after what Umbrasyl had done to Kam.
Thank you for your reactions! ♥
The way you have all of the sandman books, I’m the same way about wheel of time. I have all the books and bought premium dust jackets for all of them, but haven’t read any of it yet because the tv show was announced. I might read the books now since I heard that adaptation is not very good, but that’s still a 15 book series to read through. I know Robert Jordan sadly passed away before he could finish the books, but I’m a huge Brandon Sanderson fan, it’ll be interesting to see see their different writing styles and how he somehow gave that fanbase a satisfying conclusion.
As a devote of the RQ well before CR happened I have to say this season have been a fucking treat to me getting more concreat images of my Goddess and what she sounds like.
I want to second Barry Hall's comment about eXu: Calamity -- it adds a Ton of context to the events that is shaping the story of Vox Machina, without spoilers for later campaigns. It was my first Critical Role series watching, and Brennan is perfect in the storytelling and care of the lore. I 1000% recommend it, and even a few reaction vids of the miniseries would be amazing!
"Fall damage is a bitch"
*cries in cliff moment*
Seems like the dragon is using the gold to boost up the eggs in some way- since he likely did not lay them, it may be a spell of some sort since we know they use magic. Even as campaign watchers we can only guess because there are many differences in the way the story is told in the animation. I imagine it's some of Matt's original story beats, stuff he may have imagined during the campaign but never got to tell based on the group's choices. And you should totally watch the original campaign! It's incredibly satisfying to watch these actors around the table, and the one big thing missing in this show is Matt's beautiful voice telling the story and describing the world. EXU Calamity does not spoil this show! It does give a back story for this world, as it takes place hundreds of years prior. There is a History of Exandria video on the Critical Role channel you should watch before Calamity, and then do all of Calamity.
Interesting bit of trivia: Rules as Written, past a certain level it's almost impossible for a barbarian to be outright killed by fall damage if they've got a decent Con. Fall damage caps out at 20d6, and around level 12-13 a barbarian will typically have more hit points than the max amount that can be rolled. Even if they're at 0 hp when they hit, the roll can't exceed their max hit points in order to kill them instantly (though they'll still fail a death save). If they're conscious and raging (halving the damage), or have a Con higher than 15 they're in even better shape.
even a barbarian with a +0 to con if they rolled max on there hit die per level
they would equal the max roll on fall damage
having the more realistic con of 3-5 and the level needed to out health fall damage just gets lower
Thank you so much for your reactions to this show! It's one of my top favorites too, and this season just went completely above and beyond my already high expectations. I can't wait for season three, and your reactions to it! I'd love to watch your reactions to other CR content that you feel comfortable watching. Like you said, EXU: Calamity would be a good one because it's a bit detached from the age that all the campaigns have taken place in, with one or two friendly nods to familiar names or places. For the one I'm thinking of, you would actually recognize it having watched the first two seasons of LOVM, so it might be fun.
Love your reactions! As a campaign watcher, this season was amazing! Can't wait for the next season!
Now that you've seen the wings....Go ahead and look at the items cards for the 4 vestiges we got.....Deathwalker's Ward, Fenthris, Mythcarver, and Titanstone Knuckles
Yeah, fall damage is indeed "a bitch."
I just want to say it’s funny that vax is all this is fate not luck but in the actual game he had a feat called luck and would use that any time he could
Well it was said that he is fate touched, and while the feat is called luck it basicly does let him manipulate his fate. So while the schematics are different, the final result is the same.
Hey, here’s some context for the show and general lore of D&D for you, don’t worry they’re not spoilers, just some tidbits of information that will help you in getting a better understanding of the world of Critical Role.
For starters Umbrasyl, The Hope Devourer, is an Ancient Black Dragon. Ancient Dragons have lived for thousands of years, and thusly have an immense amount of power and knowledge.
Black Dragons, also known as Swamp Dragons or Skull Dragons, are the cruelest of all Dragon Kind. Despair, Hopelessness, Dread, and Hate, are all like different flavors of ice cream to them. So while say a Red Dragon, like Thordak, would be much more concentrated on getting gold, Black Dragons, like Umbrasyl, would rather be out torturing and maiming people.
This isn’t to say Black Dragons aren’t greedy like other dragons, they are, it’s just that their greed comes from pain and suffering. They see a ruined castle as a work of art, they think a lifeless bog and swamp, full of man eating bugs and on the brink of stagnant water, is the perfect home, they hear people begging for their life as beautiful concertos, and to them, being a tax collector or manager isn’t as fun when compared to flaying people alive.
This is why Umbrasyl is willing to betray Thordak, since no True Dragon would ever subjugate themselves under another being.
For a DnD fix in place of many spoiler heavy Critical Role projects, I highly recommend Dimension 20 from DropOut.
12:11 Yeah her big magic, she can still club a dragon to death the old fashioned way lol.
(It's just if anyone gets badly hurt they're shit out of luck).
It's interesting half way through this second season i also started watching Critical Roll: Vox Machina. Learning more and more about D&D. Now wathing these last 3 episodes wondering. What kind of dice rolls they made.
This season was so good! I really loved all of it but especially everyones character arcs/moments that were just so perfectly weaved in, it's soooo good! And I love to see your reactions to this! :D
Since Thordak has been fused with that magic fire gem his eggs would not b normal, nor would the creatures who hatch from them. Normal red dragons just need the lava to hatch. These need the lava AND molten gold. I am so hyped to see what comes of it (since I've watched the whole og stream I have my ideas) but we will see next year 🎉
so freakin good! I loved watching through this show with you, your insight and reactions to each moment was wonderful. thank you, Im looking forward to whatever comes next!
Thank you for the Video
I've seen the campaign and I was still on the edge of my seat through the finale
Watch Campaign 1, Vox Machina's story. If you start at the beginning, you will get the Craghammer story that Scanlan referenced in his dream. Plus it would take you so long to catch up to this show, you can get that fix and not spoil anything.
If you start c1 I would recommend episode 27 or somewhere around there, reason being is there’s a ‘That guy’ at the start.
Watch campaign 1 up to where they are at on the show. You could even watch and upload I'm sure some critters would love that.
I think you could watch the first 56 episodes of Campaign 1 without LOVM spoilers. I think technically we've seen scenes from 57 and 58, but I think there's also some stuff if those episodes that *may* come up in S3 and beyond. Also, yes Calamity!
"Fall damage is a bitch"
If you know you know
I'd suggest watching EXU: Calamity but a lot of people think that the "first look" deal for a movie is best served for a EXU: Calamity movie.
So I think their non-campaign one-shots are probably safe. They don't have anything to do with the Exandrian timeline & aren't likely to be animated.
"Critical Role Extra - The Return of Liam! aka "The Screw Job" is a one-shot DM'd by Liam. It's an all-rogues one-shot set in Emon before the Chroma Conclave attack. But as far as I know, it's not canon.
"Trinket's Honey Heist" - Marisha DMs a honey heist game where a bunch of the male cast play bears.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood one-shots. There's 3 of them & Matt, Marisha, and Liam take turns DMing them.
The Nautilus Ark: A Johnson Corp Odyssey - Ashley DMs for the 1st time & it's basically an ode to Alien.
Elden Ring One-Shot: O Ye of Little Faith - Matt DMs a group in the Elden Ring world. It's quite funny & enjoyable.
Calamity is amazing! But that would probably would get a movie made about it.
Soooo... if you're looking for more Critical Role content as a fix until season 3 but don't want spoilers, the One Shots and mini-series are your best bet.
EXU Calamity is one of the few set in the Tal'dorei universe that you can get away with watching. it takes place during the Calamity time period so doesn't really spoil any of the animated stuff, just does more of a deep dive into the Calamity backstory which will probably act as good companion viewing to the animated series as you've already had the Calamity referenced in Vax's visions.
There's also an older One Shot run by Grog for several Vox Machina members which is pretty funny and shouldn't be spoilery. Also I guess the Honey Heist One Shots which have bears as players (& Trinket), should be safe to watch but not really connect to anything at all from what I remember.
There are some you want to avoid for spoilers which are:
any Battle Royale episode - just for the fact they're showing off certain characters, their items and what they can do at different levels
the other EXU stuff - acts as a sort of prequel for some characters of Campaign 3 so best avoid if you don't want to watch Campaign 3 stuff
The Search for Grog, The Search for Bob, Dalen's Closet & Adventure of the Darrington Brigade - for all being extensions of Campaign 1.
Pretty much all the other One Shots are not related to Tal'dorei Universe at all so safe to watch if you wish. Some I can recommend are:
The Nautilus Ark - Ashley Johnson's OS heavily inspired by various sci-fi movies
Any of Liam's OS - the earliest ones are a sort of meta thing revolving around the voice acting cast of critical role, very funny.
Generation Nord - A Sam Reigel OS based off of his insane NordVPN hacker bits
Club of Misfits - a Harry Potter inspired OS GMed by Laura Bailey
Two more one-shots that Sam GMed that I absolutely love: Crash Pandas and then the one that's just called "Sam's one-shot" with the rest of the regular cast being unavailable he ran a Love Boat-themed adventure with all the guest players as public domain fairytale characters. Both are UNHINGED and so, so fun.
Grog's one-shot has more spoilers for late-campaign C1 than you might originally suspect - not so much plot points, no, but character interactions and relationshipa
Probably someone else already mentioned, but you could also check the comics. Those are before the series.
Great episode loving how it ended 😁😁
It mirrors the table top game very well in that a savvy DM has to balance the spotlight shines on different characters. If one has been at the fore for a while the story should turn to give other characters a chance to shine. Good players will also know to step back at those times and let their fellow players have their moments.
I can't wait for the animated campaign 2 to come out. Because Vox Machina might seem like a bunch of crazy characters but the Mighty Nein are so much more chaotic 😂
Vox machina Origins comics, Kith & Kin (Vex and Vax origins novel, prior to meeting the rest of vox machina) are great for new tlovm critters too!
In my mind, the threads of fate, and Vax talking about destiny and none of their adventure being chance is a meta commentary on the role of the DM in the storytelling.
Of course it also works in universe.
If you want a CR fix, you can always watch their 1 shots that have nothing to do with the campaign. They're pretty amazing. Dimension 20 is also a great live-play show to fill a D&D fix without spoiling CR campaigns.
I think EXU Calamity should be spoiler-safe for you. The main things i remember have already been covered this season.
I think it's safe you'll just watch the VoxMachina gameplay now up until the ChromaConclave
Fun Fact: You can pinpoint the EXACT moment Raishan sneaks into Whitestone in episode 1!
Hail Saint Vax'ildan! He IS prepared!!!
And wow... Scanlan killing Umbrasyl instead of Grog tied into his arc beautifully!
Thordak apparently needs the gold so he can melt it down and use the molten gold to help hatch the dragon eggs... Not looking good!
To me, Raishan is one of the deadliest, if not THE deadliest enemy Vox Machina ever dealt with... Things get bigger scale, sure, but this scaly bitch? Next season gets PERSONAL. I hope you're ready! Whenever it comes...
Until then, MIGHTY NEIN HYPE! If you love this group of dummies, you're gonna LOVE the Nein as well!
Well i think the kill going to Scanlan is good for his story. And also Grog killed Kevdak 2 episodes back. I think they want to share the big bad kills around the group. Basicly everyone in the group had their "How do u want to do this moment?". And while i think Raishan is one of the most cunning enemies VM had.
I think Ripley is the most deadly. Think about it, she does not have the strength of dragons, Kevdak or Sylas. She has no magic like Delilah. All she has is her inteligence and whit. And she makes hell for VM with just that. Imagine the confidence she had to have to just stroll into Westruun. A city overrun with barbarians to just walk up to an ancient black dragon and make a deal with him. And we all know she aint done yet.
@@miafiolekova5817 Oh, Ripley's a menace, but in the Streams she never even comes close to Westruun... Show Riley is probably a menace, but Stream Ripley was NOWHERE NEAR as big a threat to VM as Raishan... ESPECIALLY considering the... 'Consequences' of facing both of them...
@@RenatoGPadilla Honestly consequences were the same. (dont want to spoil the fun) And she was able to do something Raishan did with her magic, with just a few henchmen and firearms. But u are right that in the campaign Ripley was not in Westruun, or so we know. Remember in the campaigh we only see what the heroes see and put together. In the show we also see what the villians are doing. Soo who knows if she was not around somewhere.
For something containing no spoilers for the campaigns, I would suggest you look at Exandria Unlimited: Calamity. It is a prequel set LOOOONG before any of the campaigns begin. However, if I'm willing to bet what Critical Role would want to make into a movie, it would probably be that.
After watching these 2 Seasons of TLoVM I can assure you:
You can watch Campaign 1 of Critical Role up to Episode 60-ish without getting spoiled. But not up until the Raishan reveal as it was in s2 ep12.
They mixed up the timeline there a little.
Update: I checked up, you can watch up until Episode 63 without getting majorly spoiled.
This contains the Kraghammer-Underdark Arc, the Briarwood Arc and the most of the story we got in the 2nd season of Legend.
So if you need your fix, you got over 60 Episodes with at least 2,5 to 3 hours of content each.
Some going way longer (4 hours, some up to 5 hours)
You would end up at the end of their journey to the Feywild.
So enough to watch.
ExU and ExU Calamity is a little separated from the main story, but they spoil some things or you would need to understand the lore behind the pantheon and the beginnings of Exandria.
You get that from watching C1 and C2.
Also, I don't know if they scramble up the timeline in the Mighty Nein Series as much as they did with legend.
If they make it an ongoing series without being limited on episodes, they can really go episode for episode with M9. Then you could watch the episodes parallel to each other.
I don't thing getting bigger makes the landing any softer. If anything, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. There is more surface area to affect your fall.
I would usually agree that Exu Calamity would be safe to watch but we already know CR has a movie deal with Prime and of all their properties Calamity is the only one that makes sense to turn into a movie with what lore has already been revealed in VM. Most other oneshots with movie potential require VMs or MNs story to be over to make sense
EXU: Calamity is beyond brilliant! Please do a reaction to it!!!!!!!!! I will gladly watch it….for the 6th time😅😂😂😂
Rewatch Season 2:
Raishan hasn't been seeing after Episode 1. The little girl with green Eyes ? Jop, that was here, being in Whitestone even at the end of Episode 1.
Every Single time after that, they showed 3 Dragons at most. Raishan is by far my Favorite Dragon :)
The first taldorei book (not Reborn) iirc is set after season 3's events.
I'd say go ahead with C2 cos we won't get it adapted for like 2 more years and it'd take probably 5 seasons at LEAST. Its very character driven so they;d need to adapt so many character moments rather than building around monster slaying)
Also I really hope we meet Larkin next season
Finally some loot from adventure!)
Question: where! Does! Your strength! COME FROM?!
I suggest you just start watching campaign 1. There are many many many hours of contents to watch before they reach the chroma conclave arc in either ep 38 or 39. And there’s about 24 episode of about 4 hours each before they even get to the Briarwood arc. And also, if it doesn’t need to be critical role content, I would also recommended pretty much any campaign from Dimension 20.
Ya Vax could move very fast with haste and his wings he could move 480 feet in 6 seconds that is a little bit over 54 Mph or just under 87 Kph.