Matt Mercer is The DM because he rolls with these moments so fluidly. When a player outwits him, he ENJOYS it. He spotlights it. He makes players feel awesome. Take notes, people. That's what separates good DMs from great ones.
As a DM myself, I love it when my players outsmart me XD it shows they are really invested and are enjoying themselves. It's also really cool to see what they come up with
@@tarab_95 Well yes, a few probably, that is correct. But if it's just a few, then that means it would be normal to enjoy a situation like this as a DM, I'd say.
One thing that was pointed out in other highlight videos on Jester's cupcake moment. One person made a great observation that Jester never actually agreed on giving up her hands. She insinuate, she hem and haw, she stalled and play up the miseries. But she never actually said yes or agreed to go through with it. For me, that's shows how in tune Laura was playing a trickster domain cleric.
... i dont get why thats special to mention OBVIOUSLY she never agreed and if the modify fails she runs xD she would have never given up the hands it was all a bait for the cupcake i thought that was pretty obvious
@@DaxRaider Well the way she acted it out it was as if she was going to accept, and that the whole cupcake thing was a sort of "last hurrah" with having both hands.
@@DaxRaider The observation came from: The Hag was considered a Fae creature. European folklore have specific warnings when dealing with the fair folks. Combining with the way the hag was making a deal. It was important that Jester did not verbally agreed to anything. It's important, at least, maybe, as a technically. Because that's the approximation of how Jester gauge how the hag worked.
WAIT YOU MAKE A FINE BLOODY POINT JESTER SHOULD NOW HAVE FAE STATUS CUZ THAT'S HOW ONE GETS FAE POWERS IN MYTHOS-- And let's be real Jester would ABSOLUTELY love being treated as a fae creature.
I remember a lot of people in chat were calling her stupid and wanting them to just fight the witch. Their tone immediately changed when her plan was revealed, but before that a lot of people were being pretty rude and nasty.
@@pyris8587 dude it was savage in the comments that night. It did not feel like critter community. I mean i low key wanted to see every ome go in but at the same time I (as a dm) knew how excited mat was to get the fivht started and then right before roll they just cut the epiaode
@@tylamcgilverson3923 Yeah, there were quite a few people who were getting bored because there hadn’t been any big fights for a while and some of them decided to just be assholes about it. The community is usually alright with a few bad apples, but that night just had some people going off and saying some pretty awful stuff specifically towards Laura.
Cupcake thing - I love how Matt CONFIRMS for them that she failed the wisdom save, and yet everyone freaks tf out when she says "It has been such a long time....."
Because there was no guarantee modify memory would have the outcome they expected. What if she outright disbelieved her new memories, or Matt decided she would 'return from the high' sort of thing, feeling as though whatever joy she felt in her false memories had passed and her bad decision to free Nott should be rescinded. Just because the save was failed, doesn't mean everything goes the players way. They couldn't believe it worked until Matt confirmed it.
@@justmonica9253 And the best part is, there's a strong implication that as time passed, the hag does realise what happened. But, a contract is a contract, and as long as Jester is never around her again, she can't make recompense.
@@justmonica9253 really? a player makes a nice play, but the dm could say "heh, dont like, nope, you did ur play and the save was failed but I DECIDE that it doesnt work anyway" that's plain bad. really. with that kind of dm i would totally stop thinking of other ways, coz they wouldnt work anyway.
@@Laguccia If Jester had cast 'charm person' instead and they failed their save, would he throw his arms up and declare 'encounter solved!'? What about 'suggestion'? What about 'fireball'? The enemy failing their save does not entitle you to being victorious, it entitles you to what the spell says it does. And 'modify memory' clearly lays out that players may find things incongruous, and do not have their entire worldview changed. All it does is change a memory. I might have made the same Matt did in the moment and give them this temporary victory, but I am not a terrible dm if I don't.
@@justmonica9253 sorry, but that's a stupid example, suggestion can't be compared at all. fireball? pff . cmon. if you outright cut the legs of ur players because you want things going your way, yes you are a terrible dm. you can't charm someone and tell them to suicide, u cant suggest something totally out of character and modify memory DOES indeed make you believe you did something. if u can get out of a modify memory by saying "oh yes i did whatever it was but i changed my mind RIGHT THIS INSTANT" that spell becomes literally useless. there are rules, just follow them :v
Can’t believe Sam made the worst character he could think of for what was meant to be a one shot special... 5 years later... “that’s why I move as closer bitch”... the power of D&D.
Sam never made Scanlan. That was, initially, Liam being a troll because he made Scanlan for that reason. So Sam decided to just play it like he did to prove Liam wrong LOL
@@aphelion4616 I mean, not really. Sam was trolling Liam into making the worst possible character so that Sam could play it as a joke. Liam was just making suggestions until Sam specifically told him to build a bad character for what was meant to be a one shot. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3xhn5u7hIRg.html This was from their "All Work No Play" podcast in 2013. The character creation starts at around 6:00 minutes Sam says "Ok, so we established I'm going to be a Garden Gnome." Liam, "Oh, you were going to do Gnome?" Sam, "You're picking my character for me."
Gotta love everyone else telling him that his movement was a bad choice, to the point of Matt saying "too late to take it back now," and Sam just holding on.
Even then to fully understand it you need to watch the build up to it, where all the other players go and can't agree to the offers. The hag is such a scary and horrifying creature that it makes Laura's actions even more impressive.
These are all so fun and incredible moments, but Jester's cupcake for me really is on another level. In a 30 second time span the twitch chat went from insane grief over the potential end of Jester's character to absolutely crazy over the absolute audacity of Laura Freaking Bailey. Also watching Taliesin's face journey through the whole thing is about as entertaining as the moment itself.
Cannot like as you are at 69 likes but I posted this separately. It was inspired by the one shot and my desperation for a sequel. Please enjoy as equally as you would a "70th" like. Chutney Choco-cane Was an ornery ol'e elf With a hentai whip and a chisel pick And his heart left on a shelf Chutney Choco-cane Made his toys of wood and clay But was he surprised when before his eyes Circuitry had claimed the day There must have been some poison In that cocoa cup he'd foun' For after he'd had his first sip He began to plot at dawn Chutney Choco-cane Was as sure as he could be With his chisel pike And a hammer strike He could kill the Claus, Sandy Down from the North Pole With his Chisel in his hand Hiding here or there or among stuffed bears Saying, "Time to be a man" He led them up, to bug filled butt To pass the cube he hopped And he only paused a moment when He'd heard the bleeding'd stopped Chutney Choco-cane Had to hurry on his way He'd failed his try To kill that fat guy And for now his crime he'll pay Stabbity, Stab, Stab Stabbity, Stab, Stab Look how Chutney dies Stabbity, Stab, Stab Stabbity, Stab, Stab What is that that rise? Stabbity, Stab, Stab Stabbity, Stab, Stab Hollow One that cries Stabbity, Stab, Stab Stabbity, Stab, Stab Chutney claims his prize Chutney Choco-cane Had a rib or two or three With gleam in eye Sequel worth a try Yells, "I'll get you yet Sandy!" I will get you yet Saaaaaaaaaaa-ndy! Stabbity, Stab, Stab Stabbity, Stab, Stab ...
The most amazing thing to me is that Matt has confirmed Isharnai has overcome the Modify Memory spell, but the old fey was so disgustingly pleased with the trick that she’s just keeping tabs on Jester to one day get her back, instead of actively hunting her with killer intent like you’d expect.
There is a video of Joe talking about it. When they discussed his character coming in for that episode, Matt already knew that Arkhan had heard that there might be a powerful relic back in the hand that could help him free tiamat or something like that, but as far as the actual specifics of the plan, Joe had pre-planned it, but he didn't tell Matt what his actual plan was. Matt only knew that Arkhan was there a specifically because he thought he might be able to get something to help him in his quest to free tiamat.
"Did I succeed?" "...yup" You could just hear in Matt's voice that, while proud Laura managed to pull it off, how annoyed and upset he was that this whole encounter was foiled by a cupcake. And that is why, (along with maybe Sam's counterspells on Vecna), it's one of the best moves the CR cast has pulled on him
Agreed. Though I don't like that 'roll secretly behind the screen then tell them the result ("yup") anyways.' If you're going to give the result anyways, then why would you need to roll behind the screen. That's why I don't fudge the dice - roll it out on the table for everyone to see. More dramatic for the players, hanging on every bounce of the die, and it increases trust among the group. What if he'd have answered, "nope, it failed?" Everyone would've wondered (forever) if he that's truly the result or if he had fudged the numbers. I mean, if you're going to fudge the numbers... you may as well just not even look down at the dice. Just go ahead and be upfront about it and tell me a bedtime story if the dice don't matter. As a player, I won't even play in a game where the dice are hidden. If the DM says it's so I can fudge the numbers when I need to, then I don't wanna play. It means my choices and tactics (good or bad) don't matter and neither do the rules. All that matters is how the DM wants it to play out? F that. I don't say F that because I want to compete with the DM. I say it because I want to know that my choices matter within the context of the system we chose to play and its rules.
@@cra2cra226 Okay but…he didn’t fudge the dice tho. And what about someone like Ashley who is on a screen? They can’t see her rolls either. It’s bc they trust each other and have integrity for the game. Your rant honestly sounds quite personal and I’m sorry if you’ve played with people you can’t trust.
@@Firerider129 True. Matt thought it was an option, but thought his players wouldn't take. Still that move was amazing. Doesn't bet Laura though, Laura had EVERYONE fooled.
@@SuperEdvinsson More at stake, sure, but losing one's hands is much more personal, and becomes especially sad when it's from a character so adorable as Jester, whose drawing skills are a big part of her life. The beacon? Sure, it's a larger scale thing, but it didn't have any emotional meaning to anyone.
Everyone is like "Why is Laura investing in this bit so heavily... this whole thing is gone on too long..." Even Taliesin is getting antsy and he usually lives for this sort of shit... And Laura is just like: "Shush, Mama is using her Flea Market powers."
I remember the chat for Jester's Cupcake. People having absolutely no faith in her, that she had given up, and then immediately turning to shock and awe at Laura's goddamn audacity.
I didn’t see the chat, but I remember how I felt. It wasn’t lack of faith in Jester. It was poignant awe at her selfless heart. She had us all conned because she was honest with it. Jester is the type of character who, if it really came down to it, would sacrifice her hands to restore her friend to her body and life.
The best part of chutneys betrayal in my opinion, was the look on matt's face as he realized what was about to occur "OH MY GOD" I would be shocked if he didnt put the pieces together at that point
@@Hellscrap3r I think a big part of it was acting. You have to remember that Julie's character was a Cleric of Santa so she was literally watching one of her party members attempt to murder her Chosen Deity and source of her powers.
At the end and hearing Matt talk about building up towards something, and I can't help but remember when Caduceus shipwrecked some pirates with Control Water
I watched that episode not too long ago, and it was hilarious! I feel so bad for Matt with all the time he put into planning that encounter, only for Cad to instantly negate it 🤣
I seriously think Laura and Jester are the most dangerous combination in the history of D&D. If I were Matt, I would be afraid every time Laura spoke after that cupcake moment. I literally had to park my car when I was listening to this episode cuz of how hard I was laughing. What a dangerous character.
That's interesting because the Cast disagrees. They said, I believe on Talks Machina, that the difference between Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein is that Vox Machina never wanted to be heroes, nor did they operate with a hero mentality. Vox Machina were only out for themselves. Hell, they barely tolerated each other for the longest time. But The Mighty Nein, unlike Vox Machina, are inherently good people that aren't just out for themselves. They want to do good in this world and avoid the conflict that Vox Machina so readily sought out. The Mighty Nein, by the Cast's own admission, are more heroic than Vox Machina ever was.
@@ForeverDegenerate doesn’t mean they’re right. Fjord actively unlocked one of Ukatoas locks despite knowing how bad Ukatoa was. Jester was willing to commit identity theft and trick a bunch of innocent people into furthering a cult by a self proclaimed god. They practically tortured a man just cause he was being a nuisance to Jesters mom, not to mention destroy one of nicodronises biggest sources of power. Nott was willing to let the war continue just to get her body back. Heck they only got involved in the war because they were helping her get her husband back. They chose to help known criminals instead of help the empire or do their own thing. The person of witch being one of the few good higher ranked empire people. Sure vox machina were practically forced into the hero role but the mighty nein up until now have only done things to help themselves. Heck even trying to take down the members who started the war has its own case of problems and even cadeuces, essentially the moral compass of the group, was against it at first.
@@ForeverDegenerate That's very weird, because the Mighty Nein don't seem heroic at all. In all honesty, they just seem like a bunch of assholes (with the exception of Caduceus) that only seek out their own goals and ambitions.
@@gazelle_diamond9768 idk, it seems like their own goals and ambitions end up being “whats best of the most people,” especially recently. caleb and beau especially have been actively working to improve their government and their world for a long time, even if there was a sense of intense grief and fear on caleb’s side.
that moment sold me on playing a trickster cleric in one of my games. its a move worthy of classic trickster of myth. you make the target feel like they are in charge and they have won then you offer them something extra when they agree you pull the rug out from under them. even taliesin "you Greteled his Hansel"
With the Cupcake, Marisha was having an emotional breakdown because she gets so invested over her characters that she was unsure what was happening by the end.
If you wanna do ocean stuff in D&D get it done early, or make it a BIG encounter, like a sea monster or a super strong pirate ship that can cancel water magic. If you go any less at the higher levels of play there's just so many ways to end the battle instantly.
@@tacomeat5689 It's such beautiful storytelling, as well. She was shown that sacrificing yourself to save another is never the only option. You can rely on your friends to help, always.
Marisha and Taliesin being legit pissed at Sam thinking he made a mistake on that second one while Travis is just trying to back him up. Love Travis so much.
I love Travis as a player. He always seems so excited for everyone else and just enjoys whats going on around him without judging. The Taliesin and Marisha being annoyed was really irritating. By this point, Sam had proven how superior he was to both of them tactically numerous times especially Marisha. The fact that she had the nerve to criticise him even if it had been a mess up is ridiculous.
@@Earthcouldnotanswer they were in a high stakes battle, possibly the final one of the entire campaign, so she was very stressed and that probably made her a bit snappy
@@Earthcouldnotanswer The thing about that move is that Sam was trying to hide what he was doing so that Matt, and by extension Vecna, wouldn’t catch on. Taliesin and Marisa getting pissed at him actually helped his case a bit because it would help the “bad move” smokescreen Sam was going for. Travis and Liam both could tell he had a plan in the shadows so they were letting him do what he was doing. In essence, he used an intentional mistake to cover up a ballsy play like using a small skirmishing force to lead a larger army into an ambush.
Taliesin freaking out and in panic while Laura pulls her cupcake masterpiece off is especially delightful when you understand that as an eldritch being himself he realizes next to whom he sits and all his eternal being fights to gets away from the terrible avatar of chaos that Laura playing Jester is.
It's not just you. I don't play D&D but the dungeon master and the manticore stabber were on an episode of Smosh's try not to laugh a while back. This video popped up in my suggestions at the weekend and I thought "Hey, why not?". I've now binged their highlight reels, favourite moment is still "It was just business".
Slowly....this is how they get you. My journey started with fanart of Nott/Veth and I gave in with fan animation of Nott shooting Beau with her cross bow to test Cad's healing abilities as a feking joke and almost killing her. Caduceus is now my favorite.
“But there’s the fat man.......I can do this...” Paired with everyone’s individual expressions, as they realize what’s about to happen. And then the tension and drama in Chutney’s voice, as he says “I move toward. Saint. NICK!” That shit was fucking Shakespearean. Which is just ridiculous for a Santa’s Elves Oneshot.
During Jester's Cupcake, Matt's face when she starts detailing what the new memory will be is pure, "What are you doing to me and HOW are you making me like it?"
It still gives me actual goosebumps and makes me shiver with adrenaline when Laura describes the dust's wisdom disadvantage effect, it's like the part in a film where the twist starts to unveil itself, and I love it to absolute bits
"are there any restraints on santa?" 👀 "Yes, he's tied down" 😶 "I STAB HIM IN THE CHEST" 🗡️😈 Edit: This was the first time I had ever heard of critical role. Shortly after watching this video I checked them out. Watched all of campaign 1, caught up on campaign 2, watched all their other vids and am up to date on campaign 3. They introduced me to D&D and I am glad I came across them!
watching sam's vecna move scene again I think Liam knew, look at his face he's the only one not confused though gotta love that Joe not only pulled off such a baller move BUT MADE IT CANNON TO D&D BEFORE EXANDRIA WAS AN OFFICIAL REALM
My favorite part is Sam sitting quietly letting the rest of the party think he's made a mistake just to keep Matt in the dark about being in counterspell range as well. Next level play.
@@zackkwilkes131 it was right before that. Probably the only reason Arkon was able to get away. Nothing any of them could do to stop him. Otherwise, they might have tried. Edit: never mind, you meant Sam's Bigby's hand move, not Arkon taking the hand. My mistake. 😁
I think Sam and Liam know the rules best besides Matt thats why Liam wasn't surprised. I hated Marisha this campaign. But notice how much she's improved in campaign 2. Love Beau way more than Keylath. Plus she improved as a player
Matt is no fool, you can tell he smells something fishy about the cupcake when he tells Laura to make a persuasion check. But he gets a bit too caught up in the cruelty of his own roleplay, and that just makes the deed so much more delicious. Tricking a witch with enchanted baked goods, indeed.
Of course he figured something was up but a question. Once she offered the cupcake couldn't have just refused it in anyway right? It automatically has to be rolled on? I'm assuming this was the moment the adventure was leading up to and there was supposed to be a big confrontation? Or he planned on her having to make that sacrifice and didn't expect her to get out of it any other way which she not only did, but she stopped the monster and got the curse removed with a cupcake. Lol I have no context and haven't played D&D since the 3rd edition. Even so most of my D&D experience is back in the THACO Days. Lol.
@@luvmenow33 He could have, I mean, even with a skill check he could just set the DC impossibly high. It wouldn't have been particularly sporting, a big part of D&D is trying to enable the players to do literally *anything* they could possibly want, and using rules and dice to determine the outcome. Matt has played so many thousands of hours that I think it's just second nature to him. From the hag's perspective, Jester has been honest and persuasive, and it's just a cupcake. The bigger flaw (which some people have pointed out) is that Modify Memory "doesn't necessarily affect how a creature behaves, particularly if the memory contradicts the creature's natural inclinations, alignment, or beliefs." (5e rulebook) But sometimes outwitting an encounter is cooler than bashing it to death, Jester did trick Matt, Laura rolled well, and it's cool as heck.
@@theomcinturff1213 To *try* To do. The DM alone decides when you roll for a skill check. Sometimes you just succeed, sometimes you automatically fail.
The moment with Jester is absolutely stunning. I'd always liked Jester and always loved Laura Bailey, but this was the moment I became in awe of her. Jester is so chaotic yet kind, so I was honestly terrified that she was going to actually do it. I'm so glad I got to watch this live 😁
Taliesin and Travis just going absolute bananas over the motherflippin clutch will forever be my favorite Laura Bailey moment on this show. My respects towards her solidified with that IMPRESSIVE play. This is why we play DnD. For moments like that.
Jester tricked the hag AND made her believe that she had a good time hanging out. It's an amazing moment and a perfect example of Jester's character. Mischievous, but also kind.
The Arkhan wasn't really surprising to Matt, I believe Matt and Joe talked about that as a possibility since Arkhan was sent by Tiamat seeking powerful artifacts.
Yeah they did. Matt talked about it on talks at one point offhandedly. Joe backed it up in an interview when talking about the adventure book he came up with (descent into avernus, I think?).
@@Mephiston He didnt come up with the adventure book. Adam Lee and Joe were talking and Adam asked where Arkhan would be. Joe said avernus and Adam asked him questions and Arkhan became canon. Below is the link to the interview that states the origin of it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TLWsG6a4xqM.html&t=
Another clip that you can include is when Percy gathered everyone in Whitestone and proceeded to stab what they all thought was Raishan. I don’t remember everything, but he was hinting at it for most of that episode and the reveal was pretty cool.
@@Eadwulf_Skald Only Taliesin could make an arrogant, pompous nobleman who made a deal with a demon into my favorite character in Critical Role history.
@@samuelstensgaard4828 Was surprised Matt didn't make him role deception for bullshit but Raishan might have decided to work with them anyway because of what was at stake so might not have mattered.
Why I do believe Dust of Deliciousness is STILL my favorite moment. And to quote Ashley, Laura fucking Bailey. And the range of emotions that crossed Matts face. STILL LOVE IT
I was today years old when I realized Chetney and Chutney are the same entity basically and while I loosely understood the Santa jokes in C3 I never quite put it together 😂
Chutney is similar to what happened in my home Christmas one shot, except I was Cindy Lou Who. After the mental trauma from the adventure to save Christmas, she snapped and killed Santa to take over Christmas and force everyone to have a happy Christmas... or else...
Matt had an entire fight planned. Probably days worth of content involving the witch. ...only to be absolutely bombarded by Laura's outplay and to have everything gone to waste. Who knows how many long hours he burned setting up the witch encounter. And then.... beaten by a cupcake.
I don’t think it was supposed to be a fight. I think it was supposed to be an emotional moment where another character sacrificed something for their friend. Nott’s curse would have been ended, but at a price.
There were critters screaming and crying in joy in their homes when Laura pulled off the cupcake of deliciousness. The whole time the cast wanted to meta and stop her before hand(lol), Matt was stunned, and small moments like her leaving and opening the door was just the frosting on top...everything was freaking perfect!
God I love Taliesin's reactions to stuff, his expressions when jester tricks the hag are just beautiful and perfectly describe how we were all feeling in that moment
The dust of deliciousness may have been the greatest moment in the history of D&D. I mean, I've had (and heard) a lot of great D&D stories over the years, but that really takes the (cup)cake.
I've been the cuase of that before, I am playing a fey wanderer ranger. and around 4th level, after a battle we had a prisoner we could interrogate for the location of their base. Just to see if it would work I casted charm person and it did. the DC wasn't very hard because I didn't focus on my Wisdom stat compared to my other stats (we were all using standard array so there's no crazy high stat), he had advantage because he was hostile to everything as he was a prisoner. but we had a good friend for an hour willing to tell me nearly everything I wanted to know.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt every human emotion at once like I did watching Laura pulled the cupcake trick live. Literally one of the best parts of 2020 for me lmao
14:05 holy shit, i was rewatching this part, and i saw liam reacting BEFORE she said what she was going to cast modify memory. in other words, he knew what was about to transpire and was enjoying every moment of it.
it was still surprising in a way. matt said the option was possible but he wasnt sure how arkhan would be able to do that under the noses of vox machina. but that genius joe mango jello pulled it off
@@petrgalko4152 A player kicking out of a campaign that way isn't good RP since it will fuck up a lot of future planning for the DM and he now is forced into adding a new character into his campaign and adapting to it while working on a relative short time table (since CR is weekly) that's why such aspect should be planned as it is very different from a character death since you have control over that. And even in character death you should have some form of a reroll ready or you'll end up as awkward as was Caduceus' situations in the first few episodes.
But that wasn't Veth. That was Nott. Who is a Goblin. Veth probably wouldn't have gone through with the attack; maybe just make it a threat. Nott, on the other hand... well let's just say Goblin's are very prone to bloodlust. Also, that was the near the beginning of the campaign. Nott hadn't been around M9 long enough to be affected by them to allow the Veth side of her personality to assert dominance. All she's known up to that point is survival, crime, and Goblin Bloodlust.
@@ForeverDegenerate Also, if she's thinking as a mother would, she might reason that she doesn't want the possibility of another manticore growing up to terrorise the public.
when Laura said "...and it gives disadvantage on wisdom checks and wisdom saving throws," my hands just went up in the air. like, this is how you play D&D at master level. I'm stunned.
I think Taliesin might be my favorite part of the Laura's legendary cupcake move. The way he goes from genuine fear and concern at what might happen if the gambit failed, to utter shock and bewilderment at it's success is basically 1-to-1 with how I felt in the moment.
Marisha being completely and utterly in shock while Liam, Taliesen and Ashley are freaking the hell out is absolutely phenomenal. Absolutely no one saw that coming and I love it.
After 114 episodes she should have learned not to second guess the most tactical player at the table. Sam says he doesn't know how to play, but he is the MVP so many times
Can we just take a moment to appreciate Cory's reaction to the Manticore baby? Everyone in the party is "D8 oh no, the baby...!" Meanwhile Cory's in the corner like ">8D YES...!"
