"Fireside Chat & NPC Build with Matthew Mercer" (Sx34) is the thirty-fourth special episode of Critical Role. It was during this episode that the character of Orly Skiffback was created.
Synopsis[]
Introduction[]
Welcome. Glad you could join us for this little fireside hangout. Happy to have you guys here to relax and ask some questions, answer some questions, converse, generally nerd out I think is the plan for today.
Q&A[]
- How does it feel to cosplay as Pumat Sol?
- KYHawkeye: How long did it take for the team to make you up to look like Pumat Sol?
- It took about two to two-and-a-half hours to get in full costume and makeup. It was a mix between makeup and prosthetics. Matt and Brittany Walloch-Key went around and purchased all the prosthetics and makeup in advance, it took a full day. The makeup artist, Rachel Madison, was local to Indianapolis.
- KatettheGray83: What are your favorite qualities in a player?
- The ability to listen to the other players is huge, because it's a communal experience. Players who listen and let each other have the spotlight are appreciated, step up when it feels it's their time, or to help others' experiences as opposed to shut them down. As a DM, Matt also appreciates players that aren't too careful. Sometimes you have to be bold and dangerous. When things went wrong, they talked about it, or maybe someone did something really stupid and it succeeded and it was amazing.
- MagicThighs: How many hours of work did the party foist upon you by killing Lorenzo prematurely?
- Not too many. Matt doesn't prep much in advance. He will make outlines and bullet points for possible realms as a guide, and then it's just improv. Lorenzo was supposed to be a short-term villain as a task from The Gentleman: taking care of the Iron Shepherds in Shadycreek Run. Laura and Travis had to go to become new parents, so Matt decided to bring in Lorenzo earlier and make him a more of a primary antagonist, especially after the death of Mollymauk. Matt planned for Lorenzo to escape and perhaps head to the Jagentoth family or another ally to offer the party a choice to hunt him down and finish him. But sometimes things don't work out how you planned as a DM. Matt was frustrated when Lorenzo died, but also really proud of his players for their good tactics and having some good luck, and it was still a satisfying death and it wasn't robbed at all anyway.
- RegularGnoll: How do you determine who wins an NPC-only fight, like bar brawls or arenas? Do you actually roll the whole fight, or do you decide who you want to win and then add flair on top of it?
- You can do it either way. If it's inconsequential and for flavor, he might decide who would win. At the end of Campaign 1 when Arkhan told Vox Machina to go towards Vecna and he battled with the Black Knight, Matt played that fight to see if Arkhan could make it to the next one and what resources he would have left for the next one. Turns out a level 17+ oathbreaker paladin/barbarian can do a lot of damage in a very short time. As seen on Founders & Legends.
- GoththeMighty: How do you go about setting up recurring villains to create an invested narrative?
- It can depend. For Matt it's about creating a villain that has a reason to not directly fight the party. Villains that have interest in the world outside the party can make the world feel more alive, but also it leads to the possibility of having this obnoxious group of heroes who begins to dig into the villain like a thorn. So the villains have to give them some attention. For Matt, a good villain is the one who doesn't want to kill things directly and instead propose a deal or try to pay off the party. Also interecting with the party not just in battle. There's so many ways to do it
- SammyMantha1: What is your process for planning campaign arcs, and how do you recover from derailing events like Lorenzo failing to escape?
- Matt takes elements of satisfying stories to pursue for the players based on their characters' like flaws, motivations, and fears, and weaves story notes that can play on those personality facets, whether or not they're involved in that character's backstory. Think of an end goal and a cool centerpiece battle. With the little foresight Matt has can spontaneously drop hints and references, set up possible chance interactions, or offer bits of information that might help them their journey.
- Lay574: Has there been anything with having your own studio that you didn't expect, good or bad?
- The good: Having a space where they can creatively do whatever they want. All of the creative people are under one roof and that's been good to try things out and sometimes fail. It's a very good creative environment.
- The bad: Getting it set up and running was very stressful. Having to get the internet working in time for the stream, getting all the equipment necessary while staying on budget, and just making sure that they were ready in time for what they had promised to the fans. But everyone did an amazing job and Matt is very proud of and thankful for the team. Every time you have your own space, it has its own quirks, but everyone works through it diligently and with a smile on their face.
- FliptheSwitch12: What is you favorite part of sharing your love of D&D with your spouse?
- Matt's past partners had not a lot of interest in his hobbies. He'd gotten them all involved to some degree, but being able to share it so strongly with Marisha and be both excited has been a huge boon. Getting excited about a class idea or a new book coming out or debrief after playing a story together. Not all passions overlap; there are things that Marisha is into that he is not, and vice versa.
- AdelynJoanna: Do you plan on any solo sessions on stream or otherwise with Laura, Travis, and Ashley?
- No. Not enough time in the week, and the narrative they went through is not dynamic enough for a separate session. Matt meets with Laura and Travis and talks with Ashley in-depth about what events transpired and what they saw or heard during that time period, so they'll be up to speed. So like anybody who runs a game, when life gets in the way of players schedule, you adapt and do your best to make it work and feel natural within the narrative. That kidnapping scenario was the best Matt could do while still raising the stakes and making an intense shift from Hupperdook.
- As someone who's playing an Order of the Lycan Blood hunter in my home game, do you have any tips or advice on how to add some unique flair so it's not a stereotypical werewolf character?
- Werewolves classically are cursed with lycanthropy that they want to keep hidden, and worry they will do terrible things if they can't keep it at bay. The Order of the Lycan are training them to keep it under control, to stay focused enough to use it to their benefit, through the hunter's bane and the order that helps them. They don't always have to be a grim, dark character. What if in their a cage lion Jolly wolf who likes to be pet? Or they lean more towards a dog or a pet persona they can't really control? Sometimes they just want to get scratches behind the ears or to make the party leader happy by bringing them dead animals? Remember, lycanthropy doesn't always mean werewolf; there are all sorts of werecreature out there.
- AnotherMatt: Did you expect the critters to pick up on Lorenzo's being an Oni?
- Matt assumed it was going to happen, but wanted it to be a slow roll. While the players don't pick up on it, Matt know people in the community will, like other DMs or people who have read the Monster Manual pretty intensely. Matt loves it when the community pontificates about mysteries, and it was fun to watch people debate it. And seeing them happy when it's confirmed.
- Wonbology127: What gave you the initial idea for creating the lingering soul class along with its subclasses?
- Part of it was just trying to think of what would be the possession rules for those ghosts in the game and it would be fun for a player to have the ability to possess things, like a living person to expend their soul would be weird. Then Matt had a conversation about variations to death beyond dying if a character really has unfinished business as part of the narrative. If a character's life has been spent around a specific goal but then happen to die, that can be dissapointing. So the idea was to keep playing as that character but still be dead since ghosts, poltergeists, and monsters exist.
- Who needed the Taco Bell more after the last episode, you or Marisha?
- No Taco Bells were open that late. Matt has been been trying to avoid Taco Bell as it doesn't sit well with him. They've been hitting Jack-in-the-Box on the way home, which is not as healthy as one would hope.
- What was Lorenzo eating?
- It was a child. Like Onis are wont to do. He's a fucked up guy.
- What was the first homebrew class you ever created?
- For 5e, it was the blood hunter, which started as the witch hunter, from the "D&Diesel" (Sx03) one-shot based on his character Kaulder in The Last Witch Hunter. He took a base ranger and customized elements to fit the movie trailer, because it wasn't even out yet. He made a flaming weapon that he can turn on fire, and gave him faster reflexes. But then people wanted to know the class Vin Diesel played. It was not very well-balanced and very simple. With helpful community feedback (some very strong) Matt kept iterating on it. The Matt wanted to make it his own, he began to customize it and completely changed its design to be the blood hunter. He didn't want it to overlap too much with existing classes and its unique feature is the character using their own blood and vitality as a source of power.
- Emay: Is Trent Ikithon an NPC you came up with and threw at the players as part of the Wildemount world building they could have known or was it a character Liam has thrown at you in Caleb's background and you integrated him into the world?
- Matt had already created him, not knowing of the player's story yet. He had already built out some of the major factions around King Bertrand Dwendal. When the players were developing their backgrounds, Liam asked what individual might be responsible for events pertaining to his, and Matt suggested Trent. He sent Liam information about Trent that no other players know, and Liam tailored his backstory around Trent and what his purpose was and his doings. Then it became a collaboration from there.
- UselessRogue: Just how much did you enjoy the many layers of meta in the Dwarven Forge game at GenCon?
- Matt and Liam played with Joe Manganiello, Satine Phoenix, Stefan Pokorny (Dwarven Forge founder), and Peter Adkison, the head of Gen Con, in a game run by Nate Taylor of Dwarven Forge to unveil their new forest set. There were a lot of fun and plot threads around this court jester who was kidnapped known as Mercer the Magnificent, and trying to save him from being sacrificed in the forest. They had a miniature of tiny Matt in chains. That was hilarious. They will be doing more fun things with Dwarven Forge pretty soon.
- How do you avoid making every dwarf Scottish?
- Scottish brogue is one of Matt's favorite dialects ou there and he fights the urge to make all Exandrian dwarves Scottish and wants to mix it up a little so it doesn't become too classic fantasy.
- What's your craziest dream for Critical Role?
- No idea. No ones expected to Critical Role to have grown into this and they try to catch up. Produce more content, listening feedback, and wants to make a safe space for people of all backgrounds. They're pushing to show more diverse people in the community and other shows. Lots of ideas.
- What's your favorite part of the Sam shirt?
- The fact that Matt has three, and got to unveil one at a live show. He wanted to do it for a while but he's been so busy and never got around to actually ordering a shirt or finding the right image for it. Liam was a good friend and picked up the slack for him and provide that.
- World of Warcraft game and the CelibriD&D with Terry Crews
- Matt roots for both the Alliance and the Horde. He's played on both sides since the friends and family beta before the launch. Huge fan but doesn't play it much these days, he misses it. Sometimes he'll log on and just do some quest, just to feel the old feeling. He has to be careful because he's disappeared into that game before.
- Matt's been such a huge fan of Terry's work like Brooklyn 99. He admires how Terry's been a positive figure who's been outspoken about male sexual harassment, #MeToo, and toxic masculinity. They'd met briefly last year at Comic-Con between panels, and Terry was as sweet, excitable, passionate, humble and genuine as Matt could have hoped. He loved playing with Terry and talking with him about the game before and after. Matt would love to have Terry guest on Critical Role at some point depending on his schedule and if they can afford it. He's amazing.
- Thoughts on The Adventure Zone?
- It's amazing. He likes everything the McElroys do and that they're just a tight knit, really clever, fun, and loving family. He's only talked with Griffin briefly online via DMs. He's hung out with Travis McElroy now multiple times and he's an absolute joy. Would love the opportunity to get one of them on the show in the near future. They're proud that there's a lot of crossover in their communities, too. Matt's proud their graphic novel is doing so well, it makes him happy.
- Beesoutzubiddydeebopbopbop: Of the many planes that exist in the multiverse, do you have a personal favorite or one that you would particularly like to make your players explore?
- Matt loves Planescape. He's happy Dice Camera Action's been exploring it. It's actually the Nexus of all the universes and it's where he learned to mispronounce the word "siggle" or "sigil". For the time being, Matt wants to keep things in Exandria.
- CorvusGlaive: How do you make magic items with interesting backstory and magic items with mind and self-consciousness?
- After you've built your magical item, think about where its power may have come from. If it's a weapon that can create a fiery burst of magical energy, perhaps it was forged in a volcano. Where was that volcano, and who would have forged it and survived? Perhaps it was an elemental lord who wanted to make this the crowning symbol of his power, until his people fell and the blade was lost, frozen in ice that slowly melted over time until it was scavenged. It's a lot like creating another NPC for Matt. Once again, consider the enchantments and the history involved. Perhaps at the moment the elemental lord was about to die, gave the last bit of his consciousness as a vengeful detonation that would ruin the assassins that assaulted him, and unbeknownst to him, that last shred of his consciousness fused with the blade, and now there's a fragment of his soul that's slowly grown over time within there that wants to be released, or wants to find something that he can implant himself into. There's great guidelines in the Dungeon Master's Guide and on the DM's Guild from the community on how to develop intelligent magical items, too.
- Archenix001: How did Shakäste end up captured by the Iron Shepherds?
- Matt wanted to have Khary Payton back as a guest but didn't know when it would work out in the narrative. Khary's been filming The Walking Dead, and he let Matt know a few weeks ago that he was in town and would love to come back. Matt replied that most of their players were gone, asked if he was available for the live show in Indianapolis ("The Gentleman's Path" (2x19)) and Khary agreed. So Matt began to think about it, and not going in too deep with Shakäste's mysterious background. He's alluded to the fact that he works with a community of people independently, though they are of a similar mind, with the drive of pursuing free ideas, free speech, and freeing those from unfair bindings of an unjust entity. So that was why he was freeing people from the gnolls when they first encountered him. And he had that same drive while still in the southern part of the Empire, keeping an ear out for any such things he could possibly help with. He persue these threads and had heard about these people that were taken from the outskirts of Felderwin, which was the first stop that the Iron Shepherds had made heading up north, back towards Shadycreek Run. He began to stalk them in the middle of the night while they were camped off the road, break in and release them, and got caught. He did manage to free one individual, but they took him as tribute to replace them in the cage. That narrative got him in the place for the live show and gave him some investment in that final battle.
- How open are you about playing an evil player character, evil PC?
- It depends on the player and on how well you develop it. Matt would be uncomfortable with a player he has not played with much, because he's seen it bog down or ruin gameplay experiences when their character's drive to just be evil overrides their interest in making a cohesive story that's fun for the rest of the players. A really good player who knows how to pursue elements of an evil ideal or philosophical outlook, whether that's a retribution arc where they suddenly veer from the path, or finding creative ways to manipulate others to think they're good and worked them on the same path, or their actions aren't evil per se, they just lack the morality and need to learn about that and then make a choice.
- MagnusMilady: How do you name characters on the spot?
- Sometimes it's saying names off the top of your head. It helps to have a list of them. That's how you get Phil in recent episodes and the Cabal of Jamesons in the last campaign. Sometimes he'll have a few lists of names for various cultural backgrounds, depending on where the players are. For Purvan Suul, Matt had planned the name and just didn't say it out loud.
- HeiromiaFleiss: Are you excited to have two very different clerics in the party?
- Yes. It's a great opportunity to show that you can have multiple characters of the same class in the party who have very different play styles, where there isn't a lot of overlap. Now Matt can crank up the challenge rating too, as the Mighty Nein previously had a healer that didn't like healing. He's excited because grave clerics are "fuckin' badass."
- Kabida: Can we resurrect Phil?
- They have nine more days. It's up to the party.
- Sukhasana: What is your favorite type of terrain to have battles on and why?
- Matt prefers variety. Caverns are fun and he loves ancient ruins. He built it into the History of Exandria, where ancient societies that had access to advanced magical technology were wiped out during The Calamity, so many unearthed hidden facets of the Age of Arcanum exist all over the world. Like in Minecraft is when you're going through the caverns and suddenly stumble upon a stronghold. That feeling of, "Oh, shit, who built this and why? And what was its purpose? And what does this do?"
- "How's the Molly tattoo coming?"
- With GenCon they haven't had time to really sit down. Probably when he and Taliesin disappear into the desert at the end of this month, there will be an extensive conversation about the tattoo design. Matt wants to commemorate Molly as best he can.
- Have we passed by or seen any mimics?
- They've passed some. They never quite interacted with them. There may be more in the world, we'll see.
- What is my process for NPC voices?
- Sometimes he considers the character's background where they're rooted in the world. Like in the real world, accents and dialects are tied to culture, geography, and socioeconomic class. That helps define a character's place. R.P. British is generally considered very erudite, so when an NPC speaks with that dialect, you immediately assume that they came from money or the higher echelons of society. Whereas the more blue-collar workers of the UK, such as farmers, then you get into the West Country accent. When you meet an NPC that speaks like this, their family probably hasn't had much money for many generations. Sometimes, if it's a really unique NPC, he'll just think of a fun accent that he hasn't really done. He's been toying with Yorkshire and Welsh. Those are really hard, he's not very good at them yet, and is working on them. He's always studying dialects.
- Kavvykof: Will Yasha, Jester, and Fjord level up even though they weren't really a part of the Lorenzo arc?
- Yes. Matt uses milestone experience points doesn't want players to feel left out or punished because they had a baby or have work. They're all friends and they're there to have a good time.
- As a Canadian, was Pumat Sol intended to be Canadian?
- It wasn't specifically. He was writing the character, having so much fun, and the voice came out. He wanted to create a unique purveyor of magical items, and hadn't see much Firbolg representation, who he thinks are an underappreciated class. Sometimes characters have their own voice and it feels like they were already alive. There's Canadian and Minnesotan aspects to Pumat's accent, that bleed over into Chicago.
- Will CR visit Australia please?
- They'd love to eventually. It depends on scheduling, and conventions that want to host them, and it's a big journey to try and get the cast out there. With fan support, it's definitely a possibility. Matt loves Australia and would like to explore it beyond Brisbane. MCM London is the first step outside of the US as a Critical Role experience, and if that goes well, hopefully they will do more world travel. Matt is amazed that there are Critters all over the world and his mind is blown by the reach of this community.
- Will Nott ever meet another firbolg that does know Pumat Sol?
- Possibly. We'll find out.
- BokunuPickles: Do you ever wish to mix up accents? Just high royal with a southern or Brooklyn accent?
- Yes, sometimes he does mix and mingle accents intentionally to make something unique to fit this fantasy world. For some NPCs people will say Matt's accent sounded terrible. Sometimes maybe it is terrible, but you don't know that because it's fantasy.
- SammyMantha1: What would you do with three simulacra of yourself?
- So much! He would clean up more often, get auditions done on time, and spend more time just playing video games again.
- Can Victor come back, please?
- Victor did not survive the assault on Vasselheim at the end of the last Campaign. He had outfitted his entire black powder shop with dangerous explosives, and lured in many dangerous necromancers and undead and took them down with him like a hero. But Victor wasn't the last of his bloodline and one of his descendants lives in Wildemount.
- NothingWorth: Shakäste has been met in mostly subterranean settings. Is he our connection to the Underground Railroad of freedom from the Empire?
- That wasn't intentional. It just worked out that way. But technically, that is an aspect of the group that Shakäste works with deal in.
- CodeJPG: I know you don't want to give too much away, but who came up with the wisdom saving throw for Caleb?
- Matt came up with the mechanics, but Liam requested there be some detriment to killing a creature with fire-based magic, when they were developing his backstory.
- TheScarecroxLover: If the party happens to miss a plot point or story element like an NPC, location, object, event, do you transplant the element, recycle it and use it later? Do you leave it as an unsolved mystery, or does it vary from case to case?
- It varies. If he thinks the players will really enjoy it, they missed it for no particular reason, and it's important to the story, he might try to guide them in that direction. Occasionally he'll recycle it if they don't go that way, it fits to a later narrative element. And if it's not too consequential to the narrative, it goes on a list of things that might come up later but if it doesn't fit into the story down the road, it might never.
- Do you have any plans for the Shattered Teeth?
- Maybe. Matt mentioned it briefly in Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting. There might be elements of this campaign or the next that it plays into.
- Why was Lorenzo southern?
- It just came to him. When he built this terible villain, he thought, how he could mix it up. He blends into the Shadycreek Run working-class element of society, and didn't want him to sound too astute or learned, which would possibly give away some of his essence or secret. One of the episodes, his throat was really shredded from an earlier session in the day and it couldn't go quite as deep as he wanted for Lorenzo, so he kind of sounded a little more like Cassidy. Apologizes to any Critters that he ruined Cassidy for.
NPC Build[]
So for those who aren't familiar, as part of this 826 LA charity push, on top of this fantastic hangout that we're having now, you guys all voted on the CritRole webpage on an NPC that I get to incorporate in the game, a community-made and crowd-sourced NPC. You've all voted so we're gonna unveil many aspects of it here and then we'll define a few aspects of personality and maybe some voice elements in the chat here. So without further ado, allow me to unveil what this character is. They may show up sooner, they may show up later, but they're definitely gonna show up in the campaign. I already have some ideas on where they're gonna come in, so you'll keep an eye out for whenever they do show up. It's not gonna be next episode, but some point in the future, so keep an eye out.
- The winner for the race of this NPC is a Tortle with 23,1% of the vote.
- The class chosen is a Bard with 23,8%.
- The background is going to be folk hero with 13,7%.
- The occupation of this NPC is an enchanted tattooist with 22,7%.
- The gender of this character is a male with 33,6%.
- Their aligment is chaotic good with 27,8%.
- Their age is going to be middle-aged with 48,5%.
Some ideas from the Twitch chat:
- Missing eye.
- Stuttering.
- Bayou accent.
Quotations[]
References[]
Art: