Oxventure Dungeons & Dragons
Spicy Rat Caper
- When Dob's attempt to incapacitate the guard goes wrong, things go south and Prudence ends up using Eldritch Blast on him, resulting in deaths which the party did not want. After his initial anger towards Prudence and Merilwen for using (potentially) lethal force, Dob apologises for losing his temper and appreciates he shouldn't have had a go at them for trying to help.
- Towards the end of their first adventure, Prudence is getting ready to burn down the crypt Channail is using, but advised Corazon, Merilwen and Dob to get back and not get caught in the blast, as she's started to care about them. Considering her usual apathy towards people, this is quite a step forward.
A Spot of Bother
- Dob mentions over drinks that he had expected Corazón to shoot once the previous adventure was done, and is pleasantly surprised when Corazón says that should stay together. Granted, it's because the pirate is afraid of his old crew coming to murder him, but it's still sweet.
- Egbert the Careless makes his introduction to the audience and party by volunteering to help a team of adventurers he's never met. While there's the motivation of wanting atonement, he also genuinely just wants to be helpful.
- To celebrate the adventure end, the group decide to stay on the ship and just relax with music and some improvised fireworks.
Wild, Wild Woods
- After the gang sees Merilwen react in horror to the plight of the Woods, they all reluctantly agree to help because it's her.
- Prudence tells Merilwen to look away when she's violently killing at least one goblin, showing a softer side.
- While the rest of the Guild just takes the piss out of Binbag, Merilwen shows him nothing but sincere appreciation and reverence.
An Orc-Ward Encounter
- Their fourth D&D adventure ends with Luke suggesting a song, and he begins to play 'Vengabus' on his ukelele and sing it. Within three words, Ellen is joining in, and by the second line, all five of them are singing it. It's just a lovely moment to see, all five of them having a sing-along together.
Quiet Riot
- At the end of the fifth D&D adventure, after Merilwen scuttles the crew's chances of having an epic battle with an Owlbear by using her ability to befriend animals to charm it, despite being vocally annoyed Corazón and the others nevertheless agree to neither kill the animal anyway or sell it into slavery despite being tempted to because they know that if they did, Merilwen would never forgive them.
- That Dob is the first person to give up on fighting the Owlbear and side with Merilwen speaks volumes about how much he values Merilwen, and also his good heart in general.
Brawl of the Wild
- After years searching for one another, Dob reunites with his sister, Suzette. The experience is so genuinely happy that Ellen is in tears.
Ship Happens
- An out of plot moment to be sure, but at the close of the adventure the OX Crew thanks Johnny and congratulates them on their successful (then-)new job with Dicebreaker... by gifting them an Adventurer's Guide straight from Wizards of the Coast signed by everyone who makes Dungeons & Dragons. Johnny, who is characteristically unflappable, is rendered too touched and stunned for words - even as the others get the crowd hyped and going again, they simply go along with it, trying to process such a grateful gesture.
Rolling in the Deep
- Combining with Funny, Prudence's little speech about how she feels really accepted by the group. Admittedly, the thing she feels most gratified that they've come to accept is that she's a murderer, but it still counts, and anyway, this is D&D.
- Even though Prudence willingly tricked Corazón into opening a chest of spiders, she just-as-willingly willingly defends him when he gets hit by a grell.
Peak Performance
- When Dob falls in a pit and badly injures himself when a spike impales him, Egbert jumps in to heal him with pretty much no hesitation.
- It's also a massive Tear Jerker, but Merilwen gives Simon the burial he deserves.
Exhibition Impossible
- After around two years of rivalry (if not more), Corazón and Paniers finally bury the hatchet and work together to find more of the coins. They part at the end of the story, if not as friends then at least with a newfound respect for the other.
Faire Trial
- After a So Bad, It's Good pun from Luke regarding renting a horse as being "a la carte", Johnny gives inspiration. Not to cheapen it, but the group has been in incredibly rare form painting the scene. A difficult challenge given that this was the first session the group had to play remotely due to the COVID crisis, making it very hard to play off each other as they normally do.
Sect Appeal
- Drunk Prudence clings to Corazón and hugs him, saying that he won't leave her. The mood is slightly changed by her saying that's because she'll kill him before he can, but he takes it in stride and keeps looking after her.
The Corn Ultimatum
- Corazón initially gets a bit defensive with Rust-on-the-Harbour and how impressive he is, and plays up his image. Rust picks up on this, and tells him that he's fine and likeable just the way he is. In turn, the normally aloof pirate draws a picture of the two of them as best buddies, giving it to Rust with no strings attached.
Elf Hazard
- Pretty much everything about Merilwen's parents, making a nice contrast with the rest of the party (who are orphaned, abandoned or otherwise strained with their own parents). Even when banshees are swarming towards the party and the rest of the village flees away, they stay with their daughter and refuse to abandon her despite not being combatants. Finally, she picks a new elf name for herself despite not wanting it, and even though they don't fully like the name they appreciate the effort.
- That Corazón would burn Eroan's house not just out of greed or spite, but because the elder was racist towards Prudence.
Watch Out
- Throughout the adventure, Johnny is watching Luke DM with a look that commenters described as "proud dad".
- Hengist isn't particularly graceful leaving the party, but agrees to look after the old cat and find it a new home as he leaves.
Snow Mercy
- Icewind Dale isn't remotely prejudiced against the kobolds, being very fond of them, and actually argues that the villain's plot is not representative of the town as a whole.
Unreal Estate
- At the end of the adventure, Corazón is understandably angry and bitter upon realising his father tried to buy the house and was completely nonchalant about trying to murder him. The others all try cheering him up by redecorating the house and singing a shanty. Finally, Merilwen offers Corazón a hug, which he seems indifferent towards... until she offers a literal bear hug, which he happily agrees to. It's super adorable.
- Dob even declares them "family of choice".
Silent Knight
- Surprisingly, the Guild find themselves back in Inkwater, and in contrast to many towns and cities they've been back to before, they find out they're heroes to the town for liberating them over two years ago, with a festival celebrating their victory.
- The team is genuinely wowed by how much the town appreciates their actions. Of particular note, when Johnny is describing how the town have memorialized Merilwen's Meat Grinder (as a slide down a hill into a tickle pit), Ellen gets a gigantic grin on her face and covers her mouth with both hands.
- Despite several close calls, not a single Inkwater citizen is killed, and the Guild remain heroes in the town.
Sail of the Century
- Rust-on-the-Harbour returns, surprisingly in Liliana's employ as a mercenary. As soon as he finds out that he's been hired to kill his friends, the Guild, he agrees to hold a duel to see if he'll defect. When he loses, he willingly sides with them against Liliana.
- The Guild are themselves happy to see Rust, even if he was working for Liliana.
High Moon
- Egbert's access to moonbeam and speak with animals has given both him and Corazón a ton of ammunition for Trolling Merilwen, which they've been using relentlessly. Then the time comes for Prudence to reveal that she's a werebear...and instead of going down the same route, the
Chaotic Evil warlock tries to handle it with as much delicacy as possible and spares Merilwen's feelings to the best of her ability. It really shows how close the two are. - Corazón sneaks out to tail Prudence when a strange woman named Jamila wants to speak with her since he's concerned for her safety. Once he finds it's on the up-and-up, Corazón simply sneaks back to give Prudence her privacy.
- That Jamila and Frankie have been in a relationship for a year despite the latter being a werebear.
- Although the werebears in the town are perfectly happy with their status as werebears, they are happy to help cure Prudence if that's what she wishes. She eventually sticks with it, but is grateful for the offer all the same.
Monky Business
- When Harmony accuses Prudence of having no friends, Merilwen hugs the tiefling warlock without hesitation. Although it is partly to piss the "True Heroes of G'eth" off, Prudence happily returns the gesture, showing the two are really firm friends despite their weird differences.
- Realizing that the gnome Brigid is sort of on the outs with her guild and having a rough time, Corazón makes her a bacon breakfast sandwich and Egbert offers her a pamphlet. This is despite the fact that her guild are rivals.
Dine Harder
- The usually selfish and aloof Corazón, when cutting the rope and sending Bush Ranger to his death, uses Feather Fall on the rest of the guild present, but also takes time to cast it on the lift operator, saving his life. For someone so vain and sometimes self-centred, it's a surprisingly kind gesture.
Legacy of Dragons
- Bismuth, usually a source of Black Comedy at her expense and amorality, risked herself by smuggling the dragon eggs out from Liliana's nose and to the guild.
- When the five eggs are found, Merilwen names the golden one "Simon", in memory of her wildcat companion. Nobody in the Guild objects.
- While Corazón usually hates his birthname, he happily names the newly-hatched gryphon "Percy Junior".
- "Percy Junior" in general, being one of the few things that Corazón shows care for outside of the Guild.
- We eventually find out just why Egbert was banished from Mistmire: he wanted to free the golden dragon trapped below the citadel, citing its treatment as inhumane. Sadly, the escape attempt he engineered failed, killing two paladins, for which Egbert feels genuinely guilty. Barring some snark from Luke as Dob, this is met with no judgement by his peers.
- Egbert eventually talks to the dragon, and advocates for its freedom once more. Once the council votes in favour of it, he personally oversees the process. Possibly because Egbert was so kind to him, the gold dragon assists in the defence of Mistmire... as in, he obliterates the army besieging the city and leaves it safe once more, even though it wouldn't have been hard to fault him for abandoning his captors to their fates.
- The sight of the gold dragon itself, in an odd way, motivates the demoralised Order to launch an inspired defence of the citadel. It turned out to be wholly unnecessary, given the aforementioned Curb-Stomp Battle, but still goes to show that for all its errors, the Order really does view golden dragons as bringers of hope.
- Although it is partly Played for Laughs, the fact that the gold dragon and white dragon from the Necropolis peak became an Official Couple is oddly sweet. It's rare for this to happen in any D&D continuity, with the two species often bitter enemies, so it's a refreshing change.
- At the end of the story arc, Egbert is offered reinstatement with Le Dragon d'Or. He eventually declines, citing that the Oxventurer's Guild are found family, but is genuinely touched by the gesture. Shattershield doesn't hold it against him in the slightest and indicates that after years of disrepute, Egbert has won his respect back for good.
Oxventure Presents: One-Shot Wonders
Dread
- Killian's devotion to rescuing Eric, even when it's unlikely he'll make it much longer, is genuinely heartwarming. The aloof Brad and logical Madison insist he leave the unconscious camp counselor behind, since the extra weight is slowing them down, but he refuses, saying that they have a moral duty to save him. Tragically, saving Eric from the drifting vessel off the river means pulling the Jenga tower, and Andy sadly causes it to collapse, meaning that both Eric and Killian die in the river.
Teatime Adventures
- Teatime Adventures is a cozy, sweet adventure to begin with and everything is warm and sweet. Even the troublesome dog who ruined the food gets to redeem herself by digging up the necessary lettuce.
Blade Runner: Electric Dreams
- At the end, Static and Purvis are heartened that there are people who care enough about replicants to undo the trauma they've been inflicted with their Restraining Bolt traumatic memories.
