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gostaks · 6 years

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Final Talks Machina Q&A summary

This was my best attempt to summarize everything live so please forgive any abbreviations, spelling errors, etc. Also warning this is long

Underdark

Q: why did clarota turn on the party?

A: he wanted to be connected to the elder brain again

Q: Why was Percy flashing his name around knowing that the briarwoods were out there?

A: Tal: percy spent most of the game in an intense nervous breakdown and was flashing around his name in an attempt to bring some attention

Q: what did pike do during her time off sailing?

A:She wanted to become stronger and spent a lot of time doing "simple boat work"

Q: why was percy crafting bullets while vex never crafted arrows?

A: the party bought about 1,000 arrows before the stream and they were so cheap that Matt just stopped worrying about it

Q: What moment made Vax start having feeling for Kiki?

A: Liam's not entirely sure but he thinks it might have been the whisper. He knew Vax had the crush for a while and wasn't thinking about leaving any hints and was planning to wait longer, but the Briarwoods forced it out

Q: What about Grog's Mother?

A: Grog never really had a family except his dad Stonejaw and the herd so he never really figured out who his mother was

Q: Who took out the contract on the Rakshasa?

A: One of the members of the Arcana Pansophicle (sp?) (Allura and Drake are members) who was working on a portal to the 9 hells and needed demon parts and didn't know or care about the cycle of vengeance

Q: Did Matt plan to have Kima and Allura to hook up from the beginning?

A: that was part of their originally planned past history and the reunion at the beginning of the stream sparked their rekindling their relationship

Q: Is there a story behind Keyleth's antlers?

A: She had a circled that was one of the last things she'd brought with her from the Ashari/her mother and Kit Buss drew her with antlers (she also added a lot of little things like Vex's feathers)

Q: What would have happened if they had made a better relationship with the Thunderbrands?

A: They would have had a whole story with a lost relative and might have sent a spellcaster along with VM into the Underdark

Q: How did a sphinx end up beneath Vasselheim?

A: There are lots of followers of Ioun and they're big on disseminating knowledge so when Ioun was wounded they (including Osisa) went into hiding and now end up as whistleblowers because if you're public about following Ioun it's dangerous. Osisa is the heart of a communication network centering around the slayer's take and vasselheim

Q: Where was the second Horn of Orcus?

A: Matt's not telling because it might end up in the next campaign along with a bunch of artifacts and vestiges

Briarwoods

Q: what was Assum's plan to investigate the Briarwoods?

A: He wanted to figure out if they had the political power to actually be in charge of the bridge and either prove they were trustworthy or catch them in a lie

Q: When travis broke the pencil how close was he to murdering liam? grog to vax?

A: Travis says mechanical pencils bend really well to anger and Grog went on a long prank streak. Liam didn't realize how angry Travis was about the beard-shaving incident

Q: Who was the woman who Percy saw in his nat 20 on the sun tree?

A: She was a hunter and she could have given them info about current political situation or ratted them out to the briarwoods

Q: What did Liam think when the briarwoods killed vax?

A: he thought he was out and it was time to vomit out his monologue of thoughts before he left the game

Q: What tipped Sam off that Percy's gun needed to be destroyed

A: He did crazy shit while using it and he was doing weird marking-off stuff. Scanlan wasn't very wise so it took a long time. Also Tal was really shocked and dismayed when Scanlan destroyed the gun. The gun was priceless and impossible to recreate. Matt: the only way to free percy was to destroy the gun or kill orthax

Q: Is Matt keeping track of stuff that happens to VM to tie into the next campaign?

A: Matt doesn't want to tie in the campaigns too much but VM's choices will effect the next campaign

Q: How much of sylas and delilah's arc was Tal's notes and how much was Matt?

A: Tal's notes only included what Percy knew (almost nothing) and Matt added the rest. Delilah was a lesser mage at some academy in Dwindal (sp?) and Sylas got sick so she went on a quest to find a cure and by the time she did he was dead. She got really angry and Vecna started talking to her in her dreams and slowly led her to one of his laboratories and found the rites of vampirism for a price. Necromancy is illegal in Dwindal so they were chased out, met Ripley near Taldorei and started working on Whitestone

Q: Did vex have feelings for Percy during this arc?

A: Darling take the mask off was definitely a thing + vex finds edginess attractive. Percy didn't know the voice in his head was real, he was in the middle of a nervous breakdown and didn't connect that orthax was real until the briarwood arc. Orthax didn't manifest until the moment of possible vengeance.

Q: Would kiki have left if VM had continued to kill without morals?

A: Yes, Keyleth would have left to continue her aramente and Marisha would have rolled a new character

Q: What would have happened if they'd left Ripley in the cell?

A: Ripley would have tried to escape or once they'd defeated the Briarwoods she would have tried to manipulate VM into letting her out so she could abscond with VM's stuff

Q: What happened to the bodies of the de rolos?

A: The briarwoods needed to instill fear to continue their rule, they murdered the family and left them in public, hanging from the sun tree

Q: Is pike's astral projection a sign that she's special to Sarenrae?

A: Ashley would like to think so but mostly it's because she lives across the country and she's thankful that Matt found a way for her to participate. Also she did help bring sarenrae back to vasselheim so she is special

Q: What would have happened if delilah's ritual succeeded?

A: She did. She didn't expect the siphon and thought she failed but they succeeded entirely. VM might have discovered that it was successful if they'd really dug in but when she resurrected Vecna started to whisper and prepare her for the next siphon

Q: What did Travis expect from the sword when he read the card?

A: Travis didn't know what a sentient weapon was and Grog really enjoyed having a new friend who talked to him and helped him stab things (it worked out great)

Q: How did Matt intend for VM to escape the acid chamber?

A: They could have focused on the residuum wall or the acid spouts or waited until the briarwoods left and fiddled with the buttons

Q: What would Scanlan have done differently if he had known about his daughter before Kaylie confronted him?

A: Not have tried to get with her. He would have run away and tried to avoid her

Q: Who was the final barrel on the list meant for?

A: Tal thinks it's disappointing, it was his way of saying that the list wasn't the end and that the list would be an unending cycle of awful. He was planning to start a new six-person list to kill. Percy knew what he was doing when he built the gun, he expected everything to go horribly wrong and be responsible for thousands of deaths in his lifetime

Q: How did vex get vax's snake belt back?

A: Vex flirted with the guards, there was a lot of winking involved

Q: If he had failed the saving throw would Percy have been forced to kill cass? would she appear on the gun?

A: Yes, it was designed to be a crux moment that showed Percy what what he'd done

Q: What would have happened to Percy if he had killed everyone on the list?

A: Six more names would have appeared (Tal: thank you). Percy wouldn't have blinked

Q: Is this arc where Kiki began to realize she could be a leader?

A: No, she was still super self-loathing and dealing with a lot of insecurity. Keyleth didn't fully believe it until she got the mantle. One of the bigger turning points was the kracken fight.

Marisha Q: If she hadn't rolled a nat 20 what would have happened to Kiki when she stuck her hand in the siphon?

A: Keyleth would have spagettified, took a shitload of damage, and ended up in the shadowfell on the outskirts of thar amphala. It would have changed the game quite a bit. If Keyleth had died they would probably have fought her when they finally got to thar amphala

Chroma Conclave

Q: Did matt plan who would die when the conclave attacked or just roll dice?

A: He planned the soverign would die to transition to the council and shock the players. He also planned out which council members would have been on the front lines

Q: Would Vax have left if the conclave hadn't attacked?

A: He wouldn't have left without Vex but Liam's not sure whether he would have left. Vex would have fought but left with him if he convinced her

Q: Did the conclave attack because VM messed with the orbs or would they have still attacked?

A: they would have attacked anyway but because they'd messed with the orbs they could recognize VM's faces and put them on Raishan's shitlist

Liam Q: Was Matt planning the conclave during the home game?

A: Yes, and playing once every six weeks it would have happened about now

Q: What was Percy's plan to take out grog in the workshop over the skull?

A: Percy can impose disadvantage on every roll and knows what's in the workshop so he could have used stuff in bottles, set him on fire, and stayed out of the way.

Q: How close was Gilmore to dying before VM found him in his shop?

A: Very close, he wanted them to choose between the treasure that had been taken by looters and Gilmore and if they had gone for the treasure he would have been dead and they would have known that it was their fault he'd died. They were really scared because they hadn't dealt with in-game death before.

Q: What did Vex find under Gilmore's bed?

A: A bunch of love letters between him and his first boyfriend (aww). Matt didn't say the name but it would have been a Markesian (sp?) boy

Q: What could have happened if they'd fucked up Kash's ressurection of Vesh?

A: Vesh is powerful and dangerous. It wouldn't have been too dangerous but it might have caused her to meddle with VM. The deal with the RQ circumvented a lot of Vesh's possible power and the RQ would have overriden Vesh's powers. Vesh isn't really a god

Q: How did Pike feel that getting her armor (the plate of the dawnmartyr) made the difference between Daxio being destroyed or not?

A: Very happy about it. The armor was huge and getting the vestige was a huge part of Pike feeling important in battle and going into the middle knowing she'd be fine.

Q: How did Kevdak get the dragonstone knuckles? What did he want to do besides be a dragon's lackey?

A: He beat the shit out of the previous owner. Kevdak wasn't the leader but the knuckles helped him become the herd leader. He mostly wanted to expand the herd and just took advantage when the dragons disrupted whitestone. He planned to bend Umbrasyl to his will and become some sort of dragon king but Matt doesn't know if it'll ever work out

Q: What was in Senekir's (sp?) box?

A: His wife's ashes, he was being completely honest. Ashley still doesn't believe it

Q: Was Liam intending to multiclass into paladin before the RQ's tomb?

A: Yes, he was forming a relationship with Pike and was pushing towards following Sarenrae. Liam didn't want the armor at first but it was a really heavy thing for him for a while. Now he wouldn't change anything

Liam Q: Was fate-touched always going to be a thing?

A: Matt decided on the fate-touched thing because he knew that Liam was going through a rough time and wanted to give him some light but it made sense for the RQ to latch onto him in the moment

Q: Did travis go into the kevdak fight thinking he could win head-on or did he plan for VM to come in?

A: He didn't know what would go down and it felt good for Grog to face him head-on. If Grog had won solo it would have ended up into some sort of tense diplomatic situation with the herd

Q: When did Laura find out she was assigned a change in alignment and did it change the way she played Vex?

A: Laura doesn't think she deserves it and was planning to give Gern a bunch of dragon scales but he walked away too fast. People wonder why Percy's alignment didn't change, but according to Matt people can have fucked up thoughts it's whether you act on it that matters (thx matt). Matt had been considering the alignment change for a while for a while and the broom sold it

Q: What was in the letter that scanlan gave to pike?

A: Scanlan was super in love with Pike but now he wants Pike to take care of Kaylie if he dies (someone will post the clip on tumblr it's so good I can't transcribe fast enough)

Q: Which vestiges did Matt plan to go to which player?

A: Matt was planning for mythcarver, the knuckles, and the spire to go to who they went to but the other were planned to be mixed around. He didn't know who would take the deathwalker's ward and left the rest for people to take those choices.

Q: What did the party have to say to convince Percy to come back from the dead?

A: Tal had some plans for things he'd ignore like religion, but he was looking for reasons to come back. When Vex dropped the bomb that really convinced him

Q: What was Raishan doing with thordak's corpse?

A: A type of speak with dead that tortures and extracts info from a soul and she wanted the secret to her getting rid of the disease. She sealed VM off, finished the ritual, and went to Opesh's lair. The force wall was just to keep VM off for a bit

Q: what was up with the eggs?

A: Thordak was mutating and becoming something else (side convo: the soul curse was real and she knew that he was telling the truth). The eggs were unexpected. When they soul anchored thordak in the elemental plane he "life finds a way"d some primal elemental dragon eggs. As far as VM knows they got rid of all of the eggs

264 DM facepalms

Break, Guests come on

on screen we have Garthok (jason charles Miller), Tova (Noelle Stevenson), Zahra (ME Mcglynn), Kash (Will not-wheaton), and Sprigg (Darrin Depaul)

Q: What's the big difference between playing on CR and other DnD?

Marry/Will: this was the first game both played and they liked being thrown down into the deep end

Darrin: It's pretty cool + it was cool to play sprigg again

Tova: People actually care about your character

Darrin: When you play at home you don't get fanart

Mary: We're part of a community of positivity, creativity, building

Will: it's like going to a convention and seeing that other people share your interests

Darrin: it's like going home

Jason: it's the aftermath that makes the difference, people care about the characters

Q: Mary/Will what was it like being part of the early episodes vs coming on later?

Mary: the first time was terrifying because I'd never played before, goal was 'don't kill the team'. It felt safe and at home

Will: philosophy was smile, nod, and shift paper around like you know everything. Improv is easy but the rules are confusing

Will and Mary would meet up and work together as players and characters

Darrin: first time on set was when Kash kissed Keyleth

Will: that was when he realized how big the fandom was

Q: What was it like for Jason to play a character who wasn't on the same side as the players?

Jason: I wasn't on the same side but there was an uneasy truce which made things easier

Q: What surprised you the most?

Jason: sitting next to liam and he had the chat open and the chat went wild

Q: What was it like for Noelle to jump into such an intense episode?

Noelle: would have liked to play a shopkeep/shopper but was playing Tova as a burner character. She was trying not to step on too many toes but it was fun to be in the intense scene + Tova canonically survived

yeah he wasn't that memorable

Q: What's more terrifying, coming in at the beginning or waiting?

everyone: waiting

Will: it's the difference between starting at the beginning of the river vs jumping into the rapids. There are times where you know it's okay if you die but it's scary to think you might cause VM's deaths

Mary: Zahra and Kash considered going out in a blaze of glory but bad rolls got them killed

Q: Sprigg's story was really about redemption, what's it like to play a character who lost everything and found Ioun?

Darrin: loves that he got redemption, he planned to be less good but the goodness of VM brought out the goodness in him. "I love playing funny characters who are also tragic"

Noelle wore her nice flannel for her appearance

Q: What's something from your experience on critical role that you'll definitely take with you?

Mary: It's amazing that they're roleplaying but there are amazingly emotional moments like Vex's resurrection and it's great to completely invest yourself in creating a story.

Darrin: This is as special for the players as for the fans

Jason: He was playing a concert and someone yelled "we love you Garthok"

Will: DnD transformed his life and getting to know the cast and the relationships are special

Darrin: Working with Matt was and the moment with Marisha

Tova: the community and the way that people connect through dnd, "it's not just about you and your character, it's contributing to this much wider thing"

Darrin sings a song

Tary

Q: if Scanlan had been revivified during the raishan fight rather than the ritual would he still have left?

A: yes, it was the dying that made him leave. There was a long buildup starting with kaylie that went on for a long time but then he died twice and everything just sorta happened

Q: Could VM have killed the kraken and what would have happened?

A: The lodestones would have unsealed the elemental plane and eventually sunk Vesra. They would have had to find a new kraken to avoid destroying the ecosystem

Q: What would Pike have said if she was there for scanlan's departure?

A: Ashley got into some of it when they met back up with Scanlan. Pike and Grog were really hurt and Ashley as a player missed Scanlan. She doesn't know what would have happened but she thinks she might not have stopped him. Sam: she would have stopped me. Sam's original plan was to go on alone but then Vex suggested hanging with his daughter

Q: what would have happened if Keyleth had failed her aramente?

A: there were no second chances, she would have gotten a place on the council but someone else would have been chosen to take on the aramente. Keyleth could have tapped out at any time

Q: Did exposure to Tary's wealth mellow out her greed?

A: No, getting her own money mellowed her out

Q: What was the plan for Hotis (the rakshasa) if VM hadn't ended him?

A: He would have tried to get Vax, failed because Vax was dead, and turned towards Pike. He would have gone after people Pike cared about

Liam Q: Did Tova live?

A: yes, only because of the ring of invisibility

Q: When was scanlan meant to come back?

A: Sam only expected Tary to last for a couple episodes but everyone fell in love with him so he stuck around. There was no timeline for when scanlan would come back but he spent a long time getting revenge on the dudes from Ank'harel (sp?).

Q: Could VM have used the soul stones from Dis?

A: A quick high or possibly an initiative boost, but not much else. A tiefling might get a slightly stronger effect

Q: there was a moment where it sounded like Percy might have killed scanlan, what would have happened if Vex hadn't intervened?

A: sneak in, cripple him, took all his stuff

Q: Of all the woman that Grog flirted with, was there one who got away?

A: No

Cast Q: What about the nymph

A: no, it was a bit suggestive but grog didn't know what was going on and it was just her bequeathing the heart and Matt trying to make Travis uncomfortable

Q: Were there any small things the group did that weren't revealed?

A: Percy and Vex broke up and got back together, it was quiet and personal. They got married in front of the Sun Tree with Trinket

Q: What were the consequences for being caught at the Theater?

A: If you're caught they find you, take your soul, and make you a member of the Theater. Everyone there was either caught or wandered in

Q: For Percy and Vex who proposed? How? Who knew?

A: Percy and Vex were out on a walk and talking about marriage. They didn't want to be like Vax and Kiki so they just went for it. It was more of a life is short thing. One asked the other as a joke and then it just happened. Maybe Zahra officiated. Tary knew first because he lived with them. Vax was super heartbroken that he wasn't there

Q: Was scanlan close enough to hear Pike with the earring when she talked to him?

A: The range is 1,000 feet so no, but he prayed to Sarenrae quite a bit

Q: How many people found Scanlan during the break but got hit with modify memory?

A: None. Pike and Grog really tried but didn't know where to go or what to look for and they expected Scanlan to still be in Taldorei but he was in Marquet

Tal Q: Did Scanlan ever shoot the gun?

A: Once, during the end episode. He never had cause to shoot the gun. He comissioned a bunch of paintings holding it

Q: If Vax had found out about the wedding before Vecna how would he have reacted, especially after she specifically told him not to marry in secret?

A: He would have asked why. It was a bad time for it to come out but the marriage did come out in the end. It would have been different if Vex hadn't told Vax not to get married.

Q: Did Keyleth ever consider giving the staff back?

A: She considered it but thought it would be more useful with her than in a museum.

Q: Would Ashley have liked to play an evil!Pike if the stories were true?

A: Yeah, it would have been amazing. Ashley didn't know that anything was going to happen but she thinks it would have been fun to play an evil!Pike. The cast was scooby-doo'd

Q: If Sam hadn't convinced Lord Darrington to back down how might that have gone?

A: That would have been the end of the family unit. Tary would have been estranged and his mom would have had to change. It would have been an opportunity for him to stay with VM longer

Laura Q: Did Matt have plans for the Hag to cash the favor from Vax?

A: Yes, but everything got complicated fast. He figured that the Raven Queen would scare her off a bit

Q: How long did it take for Grog to get angry at Scanlan for leaving? Would he have been mad if Lionel hadn't been a barbarian?

A: He wasn't angy until Scanlan got back. Grog got really jealous and was basically ready to murder him.

Vecna

Q: How many gods could VM have talked to? How many trammels could they have gotten?

A: They went to the gods they thought they could find and they didn't have time. If they had gone to a 4th god vasselheim would have been destroyed + he would have gotten his miracle, 5 would have put Vecna in Taldorei

Q: Why did Scanlan choose to go to Ank'harel? Why did he stay longer than just revenge?

A: It took a long time for him to get revenge on the traveling assholes, and then he got a taste for the crime power. Power tastes like pleather

Q: Was there a moment when Pike's feelings for scanlan began changing?

A: A lot started in the letter. Even in the home games Pike and Scanlan would flirt a bit but she didn't take it very seriously and didn't think he was serious. When he left she realized how much she cared and missed him and when he came back he seemed more mature. It was a slow climb after the letter

Q: Where did Vecna keep his phylactery?

A: Only Matt knows and he's not telling

Q: Did Vex take the name De Rolo after her marriage?

A: Yep

Q: When the knuckles vibrating what were they trying to tell Grog?

A: They were close to where they were built plus the gauntlets could have done extra damage to the titan to slow it down from the inside at the cost of notifying Thar Amphala that they were there

Q: Was Percy troubled by the escape of Sylas?

A: No, he'd transferred a lot of his angst to other people by then and he felt certain that if sylas came back he could take care of it. It was never really about Sylas

Q: Who was the death knight?

A: He was a nameless servant who had been guarding one of Vecna's wildmount laboratories. He was rewarded by becoming a death knight

Q: Is there anyone that Vax wishes he'd had time to say goodbye to before the RQ took him?

A: If he had a week he would have visited his father, Corrin, Gilmore, and Velora. That was his family

Q: Was Keyleth ready to lead her people by the end of the campaign?

A: Yeah, it would have been a learning process but she was ready to move on to the next chapter in her life

Q: Did you know that Sam planned to save Vax with his level 9 spell?

A: He knew that Sam might and gave him some info. When he used that level 9 Matt realized the full ramifications of the decision

Q: Scanlan can do basically everything except bring back Vax, how does he deal with that?

A: He can't reconcile it. He feels like it was an opportunity lost and he failed but he slowly realizes that it's okay to fail and he doesn't have to succeed in everything it's enough to make a difference. He tries to be there for Pike and his kids and he sometimes uses wish to try to get a message to Vax. Vax would never have seen Scanlan's counterspell as a failure.

Q: What was on the other side of the Tower of Entropis?

A: It had a bunch of ancient desicrated holy objects that they had used to learn how to make the seed.

Q: What was Tal originally intending for Percy's ending?

A: He was going to sell his soul and save Vax. He believed that it didn't matter where he went after he died under the assumption that he'd be going something awful anyway. Once doubt crept in everything sort of collapsed. Vax's assumption was that the only way he'd survive is if the RQ let him

Q: Why did Grog seek an education?

A: He just wanted to get smarter

Q: How did Syldor react to Vax's death?

A: Grief. He regrets the way he treated Vex and Vax and spent a lot of his life trying to make up for those mistakes. He's very proud of what the twins do and he's learned a lot about the xenophobia of Syngorn and is trying to change that culture

Q: Did Vex's relationship with her father change after she saved Velora's life?

A: Yes, later in life they made peace with each other. Part of it was having her own kids with Percy and realizing what family means and it became more important to reconnect

Q: What happened to Vax after his death?

A: Matt wants to leave it up to interpretation but he thinks that Vax was able to reconnect with his mother but also spent some time with the RQ doing her work

Q: Were there other ways to stop the titan?

A: Only destroying it from the inside or killing vecna

Q: Would Keyleth ever cast speak with animals on the raven who visits her?

A: She might eventually have tried but was afraid that it wasn't what she thought so not at first

Q: What were the final contents of the bag of holding?

A: silverware (assorted), candles, stones, caltrops, handcuffs, dried poo disk (broken), armor, a big black sapphire, expensive wine, a troll dick, and some mage robes

Q: How does Vax feel about his ending?

A: He wasn't bitter. It was heavy but he felt very full and knew that his sister would be okay

Q: Who was Pike's other love interest?

A: Percy. She recognized that he was fucked up and she spent a lot of time praying for his soul and that confused her. In the end it was always Scanlan but she was a bit taken by the dark side. Percy had no idea

Q: When your characters look back, what memories stand out the most?

Grog: dropping on kevdak out of the necklace

Vax: Saying goodbye

Keyleth: The cherry blossoms in the voice of the tempest ceremony

Scanlan: Cows

Vex: Talking to Trinket for the first time

Vax: Gilmore stabbing him

Vex: Flying

Keyleth: The hanging tree

Percy: Letting go when Ripley shot me and realizing I was in love with Vex

Scanlan: the stories that weren't epic and saving the world, the friendship was what mattered

Keyleth: The canonball competition

Vax: That last fight when Sam did the level 9 counterspell

Matt: Proving the people who say that Bards are a terrible class and Charisma is a dump stat wrong

Ashley: It's so personal and DnD changed everyone's lives

Q: Is Matt excited to continue on?

A: It's strange to feel like the greatest thing that he's acomplished was part of this [Matt starts crying] and he's excited for the next one

When god closes a door, he opens a new campaign January 11

#critical role #cr #critical role spoilers #shut up alan #text #this is 5295 words #which makes it the longest thing I've typed since 2013 #and possibly the longest thing I've ever typed in one sitting ever #it's 13 pages in the google doc I used to transfer it out of the discord server

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