History WebVideo / CriticalRole

* KilledOffForReal: One of the homebrewed rules is that resurrection spells can fail; if they do, then the target's soul is lost forever. [[DownplayedTrope A True Resurrection or a Wish spell]], as well as a Cleric's DivineIntervention, has a possibility of reviving the character even if a Resurrection Challenge has failed. But the spell then has to pass a DC check before it works. This was shown in detail at the end of Campaign 2, where [[spoiler:the cast tried to revive Mollymauk's soul after defeating Lucien as the FinalBoss. It was a DC 10 check, lowered to a DC 5 after three PCs contributioned to the ritual, but Matt rolled a Nat 1, and the resurrection failed. Caduceus then used a successful Divine Intervention to buy a reroll. Matt rolled a 12, and the soul was returned.]]

** In the penultimate episode of Campaign 2 [[spoiler:the initial ritual to resurrect Mollymauk failed. Caduceus successfully rolled for Divine intervention, but even though the entire cast (including Matt) wanted to see the ritual succeed, Matt re-rolled for the resurrection instead of giving it to them outright, allowing for the chance that it would fail twice.]]

* KilledOffForReal: One of the homebrewed rules is that resurrection spells can fail; if they do, then the target's soul is lost forever. [[DownplayedTrope A True Resurrection or a Wish spell]], as well as a Cleric's DivineIntervention, has a possibility of reviving the character even if a Resurrection Challenge has failed. But the spell then has to pass a DC check before it works. This was shown in detail at the end of Campaign 2. [[spoiler:The cast tried to revive Mollymauk's soul after defeating Lucien as the FinalBoss. It was a DC 10 check, lowered to a DC 5 after three PCs contributioned to the ritual, but Matt rolled a Nat 1, and the resurrection failed. Caduceus then used a successful Divine Intervention to buy a reroll. Matt rolled a 12, and the soul was returned.]]

-->'''Sam:''' If I ever have to roll a new character, I'm calling him "Vix".\\
'''Matt (DM):''' I will cut you.
* PlotArmor: Averted. If a character dies due to dice rolls and actions, they die. This has both helped and hindered the players. In Season 2 [[spoiler:Molly dies after going unconscious and automatically failing all his saving throws upon being attacked by Lorenzo. Lorenzo himself was defeated and reduced to a smoking corpse after Caleb made his [[YourHeadASplode head explode]] from a well placed scorching ray. Matt admitted that Lorenzo was supposed to get away...but the dice said he died, so he died.]]

** How the Season 2 campaign begins, with everyone coming into the same inn for breakfast. Played with in that they're divided into three groups who all knew each other beforehand: Caleb and Nott (Nott saved Caleb's life in a recent battle after traveling together for awhile); Fjord, Beauregard and Jester (who took on a job for a fisherman together); and Mollymauk and Yasha (who work at the same circus).

* DemonicVampires: One of the monsters [[GameMaster Matt]] homebrewed to use in season 2 is the Nergaliid, a devil with the appearance of a corpulent, humanoid toad. Like a vampire, it feeds by siphoning lifeforce from its victims' bodies, and those who die from being fed on are resurrected as zombies.

* KilledOffForReal: One of the homebrewed rules is that resurrection spells can fail; if they do, then the target's soul is lost forever. [[DownplayedTrope A True Resurrection or a Wish spell]], as well as a Cleric's DivineIntervention, has a possibility of reviving the character even if a Resurrection Challenge has failed. But the spell then has to pass a DC check before it works. This was shown in detail at the end of Campaign 2. [[spoiler:The cast tried to revive Mollymauk's soul after defeating Lucien as the FinalBoss. It was a DC 10 check, but Matt rolled a Nat 1, and the resurrection failed. Caduceus then used Divine Intervention to cause a reroll, this time lowering it to a DC 5 check. Matt rolled a 12, and the soul was returned.]]

* PlotArmor: Averted. If a character dies due to dice rolls and the actions, they die. This has both helped and hindered the players. [[spoiler: In Season 2 Molly dies after failing his death saving rolls, and Lorenzo, the arc villain that killed Molly had his head exploded and body burned due to a Critical attack. Matt admitted that Lorenzo was supposed to get away but the dice said he died, so he died.]]

** In Episode 115 of the second campaign, [[spoiler:eight of nine characters in the party fail a saving throw against an enemy stun effect, leaving the one success to fend off a CR 17 monster alone. The players immediately start murmuring about a total party kill being imminent.]]

** Resurrection spells have a chance to fail. If they do, [[KilledOffForReal the target's soul is lost forever]]. [[spoiler:Initially averted at the end of Campaign 2. The attempt to bring back Molly failed, then was reversed with Caduceus' successful Divine Intervention, which was seemingly successful since the soul that came back remembered the Nein. Unfortunately, after Jester cast Greater Restoration on him, the soul forgot the Nein, decided to identify as Kingsley Tealeaf, and considered Molly a deceased older brother.]]

* DeathIsCheap: Downplayed. In comparison to the rules-as-written, Matt has added [[http://geekandsundry.com/use-critical-roles-resurrection-rules-in-your-own-campaign/ homebrewed rules]] that makes it possible for a resurrection spell to fail with no chance for a recast, with every successful resurrection making the next one on the resurrected person that much more difficult. Every resurrection ritual throughout the series has been a success, and the only permanent party deaths come from the fact that there was no one who could resurrect them, but failure is an option for coming back from the dead. [[spoiler:The attempt to bring back Molly failed, then succeeded with a Divine Intervention from Caduceus, then it turned out that the Mollymauk Tealeaf we know and love is gone.]]

* AsHimself: In ''Liam's Quest'' and ''Thursday by Night'', the party plays fictionalized versions of themselves.

** In ''Liam's Quest: Full Circle'', where the cast play as younger versions of themselves, 15-year-old Ashley is so metal she intimidates the carnivorous cat creatures using a the body of one of their own, and [[spoiler: wears her friend's corpse as armor.]]

* YouAreTooLate: Happens at critical moments in the first two campaigns. In Episode 66 of campaign 1, Vox Machina sneaks into Mistress Asharru's house [[spoiler: only to find her murdered and the Cloak of Cabal's Ruin they were searching for has been stolen.]] And in campaign 2 the Nein enter Vess [=DeRogna=]'s room [[spoiler: and discover she's been murdered by Lucien while they slept.]] Also, in Campaign 3, Hell's Bells return to Jrusar after [[spoiler:resurrecting Laudna]] only to find [[spoiler:Lord Eshteross murdered in his home.]]

* YouAreTooLate: Happens at critical moments in both campaigns. In Episode 66 of campaign 1, Vox Machina sneaks into Mistress Asharru's house [[spoiler: only to find her murdered and the Cloak of Cabal's Ruin they were searching for has been stolen.]] And in campaign 2 the Nein enter Vess [=DeRogna=]'s room [[spoiler: and discover she's been murdered by Lucien while they slept.]]

* {{Retcon}}: The upper-class Dragonborn of Draconia who lived in the floating city were referred to as "Skywalkers" by their slave caste, the Ravinites, who lived below. Likely due to [[Franchise/StarWars legal issues]], this has been ignored in all future mentions and official publications, and they are now referred to as Draconians or Draconbloods.

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' one-shot in 2023. Johnny Cage (Sam Reigel), an in-universe movie star, is the first to bring up how he's available for a fighing tournament due to the ongoing writers' and actors' strike.

* ComicalCoffeeCup: Sam brings a new one to each campaign, making sure it fits his character in some way. The first one is the least relevant, being simply shaped like a tankard that fits the fantasy setting. For the second, he brings a small metal flask, similar to the one Nott drinks from (he later replaces it with a giant version). For the third, he brings a gasoline jug, since his character is a robot.

** The infamous ''Talks Machina'', hosted by Brian W. Foster on Twitch and Alpha. Brian and the cast are great friends in real life, and he is dating Creator/AshleyJohnson (Pike Trickfoot), so the show has an incredibly informal atmosphere. Viewers on Twitch can ask questions of the guests regarding the previous episode of Critical Role, and Alpha subscribers get an extra section at the end dubbed ''Talks Machina After Dark'' in which they can ask their own questions. Many revelations about character intentions and motivations have been revealed on ''Talks''. It even has a similar sign-off - "Don't worry, it's almost Thursday" to match Matt's "Is it Thursday yet?" on the main show.

* TalkingToHimself:
** Matt by necessity, as he is the DM, and thus every NPC.
** Taliesin voiced both Caduceus and Mollymauk during Campaign 2. The two characters only met face-to-face in the penultimate episode of the campaign, making Taliesin voice both characters talking to each other.
** Sam voices both Scanlan and Tary in Campaign 1, and the other players ''make sure'' there's at least one scene where they're forced to talk to each other.

* MythologyGag: ''Exandria Unlimited'' starts out with Matt Mercer's Dariax [[WhatDidIDoLastNight waking up on a roof,]] and the first living being he sees is a pigeon.
-->'''Liam:''' I thought the metagaming pigeon would come in much later.

** Sam and Taliesin (in their early 40s at the time) become the youngest characters (around 7 or 8) in-game.

** Ashley, then in her mid-30s, transformed to about her mid-teens.

** The Briarwood Arc in Campaign 1 was particularly personal for Percival de Rolo. Upon hearing that the Briarwoods, the ones responsible for murdering his entire family, were coming to Emon, he and Vox Machina set about trying to get revenge. They later go to Whitestone to clear their own names (since Sovereign Uriel was under the Briarwoods' magical influence and attacking the Briarwoods with no proof did not look good for them) and liberate it from the Briarwoods' rule.

*** Rooting out corruption in the Dwendalian Empire and stopping the war between them and the Kryn Dynasty meant Caleb has to face the man who brainwashed him into killing his parents, and Beau had to root out the corrupted elements of the Cobalt Soul that allowed her to get [[LockedAwayInAMonastery abducted there against her will]] as a teenager, due to [[AbusiveParents her father's bribe]]. Nott the Brave and Yasha get personally involved, too, when [[spoiler: Nott discovers the Kryn kidnapped her husband because he was working for the Empire, and Yasha gets temporarily possessed by the the demons who were stoking the war in the first place.]] In the final epilogue, [[spoiler: after freeing Yeza and Yasha and helping both sides call a truce, seeing Trent, Zeenoth, and Beau's father all put on trial and punished was incredibly cathartic for the Empire Siblings.]]

*** Orym is on a mission to find out who was behind the attack on Keyleth, the Voice of the Tempest (and a [[HeroOfAnotherStory member of Vox Machina from Campaign 1]]) that killed his husband and father-in-law. The cause ends up being tangled in a larger conspiracy that was also responsible for Fearne being separated from her parents and Imogen's PsychicPowers. As of Episode 66, [[spoiler: Keyleth herself has a much more personal stake as well, since the attack was actually bait to capture her lost love, [[TheLostLenore Vax]].]]

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'':

* BadassBaritone: Creator/WilWheaton with Thorbir and Creator/TravisWillingham with both Grog and Fjord. [[ManOfAThousandVoices Matt]] sometimes puts one on for villains, such as Sylas Briarwood.

* VillainEpisode: In the ''VideoGame/DOOMEternal'' one-shot the player characters are members of the demonic horde that is currently consuming the Earth, all partaking in the bloody slaughter of worlds. They have been called by Deag Grav to find and assassinate [[BigGood Dr. Samuel Hayden]] and stop his weapon.