"Critical Role One-Shot: Epic Level Battle Royale" (Sx30) is the thirtieth special episode of Critical Role. Grog Strongjaw, Keyleth, Percy de Rolo, Scanlan Shorthalt, and Vax'ildan fight to the death.
Synopsis[]
Pre-Show[]
Final Game of 2017! Before returning in the new year with a new campaign. Ashley Johnson is not here tonight, she's still busy in New-York and Laura Bailey is at The Game Awards because she has been nominated for Best Actress for her role in Uncharted.
Announcements[]
- This episode is sponsored by Marvel Puzzle Quest
- Satine Phoenix will do a charity stream on Saturday December 9
- "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) will air on Thursday December 14, with some additional questions possibly answered in the new year
- Critical Role notebook is in the merch store
- Matt and Marisha will help hosting a Gwent Card Game tournament next weekend, the specifics will be annouced soon
- Vox Machina Origins 3 is now out!
- Percy's Playlist and Vax's Playlist are now available
- Podcast will likely be updated the week of December 14
- Liam and Marisha are on the last episode of Madness
Introduction[]
Not long before you finish your preparations for the final battle with Vecna, you all spent an evening going to rest with unease and as sleep took you, a vision fills your mind. Groggily you come to, wiping the insides of your eyelids, trying to find some means of grasping the scenario around you. As unfamiliar smells of stale water and crushed stone begin to fill your sinuses, the light blearing into your vision, you slowly focus to look around you and find a strange assortment of structures in the vicinity. And there above you, cracking through the clouds with a thunderous boom, you see a cloaked figure descend from the heavens, hands held aloft, palms up to the sky as bolts of energy arc around its form. As it slowly drifts, hovering above this central tower, the sconces of flame below burning with embers that drift up with the wind and vanish. The cloaked figure spins around, revealing the face beneath the hood, a well groomed, beautiful, familiar beard and his perfectly combed hair.
One side of his body contains unique armor with a series of spines of metal seemingly protruding into his arm, as if to keep it in place. As he spins around, making eye contact with the five of you members of Vox Machina, his voice billows out, "You've come again. And here you are, and since you're here I think it's time that you show me what you've got. Show me what you've got!" With a thunderous clap he vanishes. You see a singular column of green energy left behind where he stood, that now rests upon the top of the pillar. You watch as these two disparate towers on two ends of the battlefield begin to slowly spin as energy crackles throughout them. You look around the field for any sort of view of your opponents and all you see are your friends, and you know in that moment that this is another challenge from the Great Colville, to show who amongst you is most powerful.
His voice cracks out from the heavens, "Roll initiative..."
Part I[]
Matthew Colville encouraged five members of Vox Machina to "show me what you've got" during their sleep the night before the fight with Vecna. He ordered them to all "roll initiative."
Over the course of eight rounds, only Scanlan took significant damage. Keyleth cast Sunbeam and used five successive elemental forms, negating any damage she took. Percy used all the charges in Cabal's Ruin to severely damage Scanlan. Grog broke down several doors, but failed to attack anyone. Vax hid from the group [and the audience] in the central tower, casting Fog Cloud and using his wings. Scanlan initially attempted a strategy of stealth and enchantment, but shifted to constant self-healing, occasional attacks, and reversing gravity on the central tower.
Break[]
- Becca Scott previewed Illimat
- Self-punishing Taliesin monk ad for The Chronicles of Exandria Volume One: The Tale of Vox Machina
- Mattbot GM Tips ad
Part II[]
After a number of rounds, the outer force field began to shrink, eventually confining combatants to the central tower area.
Keyleth successfully Plane Shifted Grog to the Elemental Plane of Water, leaving his fate to the Kraken and eliminating one opponent.
After Scanlan successfully counterspelled Keyleth's Feeblemind, he used Wish to Feeblemind her in return, rendering her a mindless Archdruid wild shaping on pure instinct. The mindless Keyleth used an Earth Elemental form to attack the tower, causing Percy to fall and damaging herself. Percy shot Scanlan into unconsciousness and killed him with a sword.
As Vax continued to attack Keyleth, she successfully incinerated him with a Fire Elemental form. Percy was unable to wear down her elemental forms alone, and was crushed to death between the tower wall and the force field. Everyone was restored to life, and Keyleth won the grand prize of Colville telling her "good job" (which she was unable to comprehend).
Featured Characters[]
Vox Machina[]
New[]
- The Great Colville