"4-Sided Dive: Still Blessed" (4SDx23) is the twenty-third episode of 4-Sided Dive, discussing episodes of the third campaign up through "Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93) with guests Aimee Carrero, Aabria Iyengar, Matthew Mercer, and Liam O'Brien.
Synopsis[]
Aabria Iyengar is the 23rd Tavern Keeper for tonight!
What the Fuck is up with That?[]
- FCG's sacrifice. Sam Riegel has a habit of doing ridiculous things that nobody expects and dragging the emotion out of everybody. For Aabria it was the exact right emotional beat for that moment even if she was devastated; Sam is a sniper for that. Liam knew he was going to do it as soon as FCG cast Guiding Bolt on his chest. Liam was very confident at the start of the fight they were going to trash Otohan Thull, still doing it at a cost, but not like being close to have everybody out. Aabria was so proud of Matt.
- Matt says he had to find the balance between the power jumps between level up of the characters. And a lot of that is trusting that the players will find a way through. Otohan's encounters were meant to have a terrifying impact. It's a character built for the majority of the campaign, and Matt didn't want it to be a combat that was easily fought. Also, Matt rolled really well for Otohan and the rest of the cast had a hard time with some of the rolls.
- Liam was still confident even when Otohan nuked Chetney Pock O'Pea in just one round. Two-thirds into it, he realized she still had a lot of resources left. Matt says it's challenging to make a Fighter character for a solo encounter that has a lot of utility such as Otohan. It just so happened that when the combat did arrive, some Bells Hells members had already expended some of their resources.
- Otohan had under 40 hit points when FCG sacrificed himself.
- Liam thought at best just a couple of people (not including Orym) were going to make it away and bring in a bunch of new characters. This was the closest the party ever came to a Total Party Kill, because Liam could see Matt sweating.
- Matt says it was a rare opportunity to close the chapter on a character in a meaningful way.
- They knew the crossover moment with the Crown Keepers was going to happen a little in advance, but definitely not FCG's heroic sacrifice. Sam basically throw a narrative pinkeye to Aabria to carry on. The hardest part of that handoff for Aabria was Orym's Sending message to Dorian Storm. She had to come to the table with big energy but Liam made her cry a little.
- No one does sad boys like Orym. He started off the campaign in pretty good shape, near finding acceptance with the way things were. But then all the wounds got opened up.
- In Campaign One when Vax'ildan said to The Raven Queen to take him instead of his sister, Liam didn't think Matt would flip that and put them in a roller coaster for the rest of the campaign. In Campaign Two when Liam told Matt about Caleb Widogast being part of this wizard school where they brainwashed him, he didn't know that these people would be in the center of the whole thing. In Campaign Three Liam told Matt what happened in Orym's past, but didn't know some baddies were going to be testing Keyleth so hard.
- For Matt, Orym in particular is one of the rocks in a group of deeply broken characters, but his is the soldier's journey called by duty imposed by others, by himself, by the memory of those he's lost, and by what it means to rise up to the heroism that is expected of you. That takes its toll. Watching his journey is interesting and relatable. Excited to see how the post-Otohan processing goes.
- Aabria shouts out Aimee for going all in on PVP with Opal. The mechanics of the game are not Aimee's strongest suit but she knew she would be all right with the role play.
- It was cool and cold for Aimee to sit by herself on one side of the table, but it was necessary to show how Opal was isolated from her friends. Aabria's plan was that if one of the Crown Keepers had died, they'd join Aimee sitting next to her, but Aimee really didn't want that to happen.
- Aimee really kicked hard with Opal's build. Aabria made it clear that she didn't build the character for Aimee, even if Opal's build share some similarities with Laerryn Coramar-Seelie from Exandria Unlimited: Calamity.
- Aabria is still upset with Dariax Zaveon for using Bless. Matt rolled badly except for the saving throws to hold the Bless. He's built for that with War Caster and the dwarven Constitution.
- Opal saved Dariax's life with Mass Suggestion. He wasn't going to leave and was prepared to take a last stand for Opal. Aimee was also very close to using Forcecage but didn't have time to use it and she also knew that Dariax and Dorian's wisdom was not very high.
- Aimee thought about coming as Deni$e Bembachula when Dariax and Dorian were at the tavern. In Aimee's headcanon, as soon as the episode ended, Dariax was grappled from behind by Deni$e. In Matt's head, when the two were at the bar in Zephrah, Dariax would have accompanied Dorian with Bells Hells and become a helpful side NPC, but Robbie Daymond took care of it in the most heartbreaking way.
- Aabria wanted to kill everyone and send Dorian off alone. It did feel very good to accomplish the main purpose of having Dorian reenter the campaign with the idea that he left Bells Hells to save his brother, and in the end that was the only one he lost.
- Part of the reason Aimee took Mass Suggestion is because she knew Dorian would not leave the Crown Keepers of his own volition, and if she had the opportunity to use it, it would be on Dorian.
- Aabria says Erica Lindbeck wanted to rebuild Morrighan Ferus because she didn't like how she looked in Exandria Unlimited: Kymal and didn't want to be a rogue anymore. So Erica made her lean into being a paladin of Matron of Ravens. It was very fun for Aabria until Morrighan cast Haste.
- Having Morrighan embracing a deity and Anjali Bhimani have Fy'ra Rai talk to the Wildmother was a opportunity for Aabria to talk about the bigger themes of the campaign. It's getting real dark for all of the deities in Exandria. Even if the Pantheon is divided between the Prime Deities and the Betrayer Gods, what happens when you have an existential threat? What is more human than the desire to persist? So even if the Prime Deities know that the Spider Queen is "bad", they can also see that Opal can be useful in some ways. Aimee thinks it's a nice way to tie it into the storyline of Bells Hells.
- Liam likes the idea of Opal running around now in service of the Spider Queen. Matt says there's a number of individuals that are in service to the gods as a unit and everything is pointing in one direction.
- Aimee is looking forward to what happens between Dorian and Orym. Liam has no idea what she's talking about. Also there seem to have been something between between Dorian and Dariax. Matt is not discounting any sort of romance, but Dariax doesn't think about romance very often. He is very much pulled by the winds. Dariax sees more Dorian as a brother figure; he wants to be like him. He responds to romance but he is not the initiator, and Deni$e makes a lot of sense.
Tower of Inquiry[]
- How do you plan pacing both your own story arc and the overall party's? As a player, do you have a rough idea of roleplaying moments you want to have throughout the campaign? Or, as a DM, do you set up specific scenarios to push an arc/interaction/feeling? For Aimee, you don't have as much time as you think you have and sometimes you have to take opportunities. For Liam it's a negotiation with your DM about the ideas you have for your character. Matt develops the possible end points to chapters and has a loose idea of where he wants to take things, then analyzes the characters' backstories and tries to be fluid and open.
- What would the evil mirror universe version of your character be like? For Orym, shut up all doubts, cut the ties and kill a lot more. For Opal: we already had a sneak peek of that but with more goo. For Deanna Leimert it would be her thinking that death is not that bad and she will be really loose with the saving people part-- could be a dark Paladin turn where she turns away from the Dawnfather. Dariax would be a manipulative narcissist.
- Real world locations often inspire fantasy ones. Where on Earth have you traveled to that felt like it could have been right out of Exandria? Or if Matt is a part of answering this, what real world location have you been to, that inspired you to add something new into Exandria? For Aabria it is Edinburgh and Scotland in general; Aimee hasn't been there, but Iceland feels really otherworldly; for Liam it's the Warner Brothers lot, which he put into a D&D game. There are parts of the western side of the Dwendalian Empire, specifically north of Deastok, that were inspired by a city called Rotorua in North New Zealand.
The Deep Dive[]
- Liam: Orym's high perception is often the ability that keeps Bells Hells the safest, as he can see threats coming very often. Does Orym feel any extra weight on his shoulders due to this? Everything is heavy, he's a little guy. Orym was designed to be a protector.
- Aabria: What was the inspiration for Ted and Opal's backstory being wrapped up in Dunamancy and The Luxon? The idea of having a soul split into two beings, in this case Opal and Ted. Aabria took inspiration from a Kalashtar in D&D and turned it into something Exandria-related of a sect in Tal'Dorei where people have that specific thing. It's a very rare gift, though. Also the idea of the Echo knight power between Opal and Ted.
- Aimee: Who was Opal's mother? Aimee wanted to explore her own background with her relationships with a mother figure. Aimee doesn't remember too much of what she put on Opal's backstory other than she left her of her own volition. She wasn't mind-controlled or anything, she just left. Opal's sense of adventure comes from her mother because she's very curious. Opal's mother also has heterochromia.
- Matt: Kreviris is a fascinating city built on half-remembered dreams. What was it like creating that city and what inspired it? A lot of things comes from dreams. The image of the central glass pillar and the city built around it in that cavern space came from one of Matt's dreams that he wrote down a year ago. That was around the time Matt started to build the society of Ruidus.
- Liam: How does Orym feel now that Dorian is back? What was it like for Orym to see him again? He's been thinking about him a lot because the story and what they're dealing with has gotten harder and harder. Thinking about Dorian's personality and the time they had together has been a little light he carries around. It feels really good to see him again and also, Orym was nervous because Dorian wasn't answering his messages. He obviously has feelings for Dorian but doesn't think that Dorian returns any feelings.
- Aimee: Despite everything, Opal is still not alone, having Fy'ra Rai with her even now. How does she feel having Fy'ra Rai at her side? At first Aimee didn't really know what that meant, so she was still trying to get her to go. Opal feels comfortable and confident that Fy'ra Rai is on the same team because she was afraid of her the most. She also feels relieved but a little guilty because she thought that Fy'ra could have had another life.
- Aabria: What was it like to take the reins for such a short amount of time, in the middle of such a hectic period for Bells Hells? Stressful. But bringing that different energy at the table was fun to do.
- Matt: Why is the Weave Mind so focused on bioengineering? Why would they be willing to join with Ludinus Da'leth if they have a world they themselves control and can craft? Bioengineering is an interesting thing to pursue when you have limited resources, when the majority of what you have to work with in a relatively barren world that you've essentially mined the majority of the useful resources is biology. You can expand, develop and mutate. The Weave Mind and Ludinus see each other as a mutually useful arrangement.
Tower of Inquiry[]
- What can you share about the logistics behind bringing on surprise guests? How do you avoid "cross contamination" with having everyone in the studio? Have there ever been close calls of the primary players discovering surprise guests? Marisha Ray usually knows because her production team has to coordinate schedules with the actors. She would have more information beyond the fact that they're bringing the guests in. They try to keep them very separate and have call times staggered in a way so that the players have begun recording and the guests can come in and arrive after the fact, sit in to hang out. If it's not that big of a deal, they can be a little more lax. The intent with guests is to surprise the other players like that. It's a challenge, but the production team is really good.
- What do each of your characters believe is the BEST case scenario for how their adventures will eventually end? What do each of your characters believe is the WORST case scenario for how their adventures will eventually end? Orym's best case would be to stop Ludinus in his tracks; his worst case would be that they would intentionally or unintentionally rip open the sky or bring mass levels of destruction on all people. Opal's best case is to do well in her duty then maybe convince the Spider Queen to let her go; worst case scenario is she dies defending her. Deni$e's best: reunite with Dariax, having children; her worst: having to start over. Deanna's best: getting to help her friends save the world because she doesn't have anything else; her worst case: being left alone again. Dariax's best case scenario: continuing to tell himself everyone's handling the big stuff and when they're done, they'll come and find him; his worst case: they don't.
For the Queen[]
The gaming portion of this episode is in a separate video "For the Queen | More-Sided Dive".
Quotations[]
Trivia[]
External Links[]
- The gaming portion of this episode is in a separate video "For the Queen | More-Sided Dive".
References[]
Art: