When it comes to Dungeons & Dragons, very few groups can be compared to Critical Role’s core group. No matter the characters they play, they manage to bring them to life in a way that’s entertaining to watch. All six of the members in Vox Machina are incredible role players who know how to entertain.
Although there are more than ten instances, every session has a moment that makes it feel like the group has mastered the art of role-playing.
10 Black Powder Merchant’s Introduction Shows Off What A Great Dm Matt Mercer Is
Art by: Kit Buss
This is one of the best introductions in all of Critical Role, and it shows how skilled Matt Mercer is as a voice actor. He manages to bring the character to life, perfectly portraying everything you need to know about him with very little description needed.
It also established him in a way that made him feel like an actual character rather than just an NPC, a feat that is difficult to pull off with a character as throwaway as a shopkeeper usually is.
9 Vex Accidentally Shooting Scanlan Showed That Rolling A 1 Can Be Just As Fun As A 20
Art by: Kit Buss
For a game that’s all about numbers, it often gets lost how much fun failing can be in comparison to succeeding. For as epic as slaying the big boss can be, falling into a pit because of a 1 can be just as fun. That’s what happened when Vex tried to practice her archery while atop a flying broom.
Her second shot went wayward and struck party member Scanlan in the neck, leading to a great bit of roleplay from a scene that was nothing more than filler.
8 Grog Has A Heart To Heart Conversation With Craven Edge
As a character, Grog is the perfect complimentary piece. He’s never overbearing in scenes and contains the fact that he’s a low intelligence character to moments where it’s appropriate. However, the moments where it’s him and Scanlan alone are a gold mine of hilarity.
Grog had Scanlan play a tune outside an outhouse to cover up the noises, but in reality, he took the opportunity to have a heart to heart with his evil sword, Craven’s Edge. It was the perfect amount of silly.
7 Keyleth Plummets To Her Death, Proving All Actions Have Consequences
Art by: Kit Buss
Everything about this whole scene is amazing and a prime example of why all actions need to be thought through in Dungeons & Dragons games. Keyleth leaped off a cliff Pochohontas style to retrieve an item from the water below.
What Marisha, the player, didn’t factor in was how far a drop it was and the fact that the cliffside was sloped. After everything she’d survive, it was a cliff that did her in, and considering the hilarity that ensued, it was well worth it.
6 Scanlan Mistakes “Spice” For “Drugs” And Spends An Ungodly Amount Of Gold
While the others have their moments, Scanlan is the funniest member of the party. He’s the typical charismatic bard who’s always getting into trouble.
Nothing exuded that more than when he mistakingly thought that Fusaka spice was a drug, leading him to spend a ridiculous amount of gold on it in a backroom deal with someone. Little did he know that the spice was simply that and no different from curry powder that you’d find at a supermarket.
5 Vex Popping Up From Beneath The Water In Percy’s Bath Is Peak Critical Role Improv
Art by: Olivia Sampson
As a group, Critical Role does an amazing job of blending in humor with moving scenes, much like most Marvel movies do. In this case, Vax was having an incredibly awkward conversation with Percy in the baths.
He was telling Percy how much he meant to him and how he saw him like a brother before departing. As soon he left, Vex shot up out of the water gasping for breath, causing the whole group to break into laughter.
4 Scanlon Falls In Love With Percy To The Delight Of The Live Crowd
Vax gets Scanlon to ingest a love potion, forcing him to fall head over heels for the first person he sees. The effects only last an hour, and it’s a good thing because nothing would ever get done. Everything about this moment is incredible, showing just how great the entire party is at roleplaying.
They manage to enthrall a whole live audience from their interactions alone, and it’s not hard to see why. The contributions that Matt Mercer makes with his description and ripping up his notes are fantastic too.
3 Scanlan Uses Counterspell To Stop Vecna From Teleporting Away, Ruining His Chance To Use Wish To Save Vax
Art by: Stephen Oakley
Vecna was the big bad of Vox Machina, a lich hellbent on bringing chaos and destruction. During the final battle, it looked like he was going to teleport away, escaping his earned defeat at the hands of the party. To stop him, Scanlan used a level nine counterspell.
On its own, that would have been a standard play, but it’s the fact it took away his opportunity to save Vax that made it so poignant. The anguish was written all over Sam’s face afterward.
2 Scanlon Uses Wish To Allow Vax To Say A Few Words At Vex & Percy’s Wedding In A Tear-Jerking Moment
Scanlon finally getting to use his wish in a one-shot following the main campaign was both bittersweet and beautiful. What makes it more touching is that it’s entirely player-driven, Matt Mercer having very little to do with it at all, aside from setting the scene.
The pure emotion in this scene by all present was exactly what makes Vox Machina such a beloved group and why Critical Role is so great. All of the players truly felt like their characters.
1 Vax’s Soul Being Claimed By The Raven Queen Is So Emotional That It Doesn’t Matter That Everyone Knew It Was Coming
When the Raven Queen comes to claim Vax, it becomes one of the most emotional scenes in Critical Role, proving that even knowing the destination doesn’t make it any easier to handle.
All of the farewells were touching, showing the bonds formed throughout their journey, particularly Vax’s with Keyleth, who fully admitted how much she loved him. As with many great moments in Critical Role, it’s one completely driven by the players reacting to a scene Matt laid out.