Monster Analysis: Cloaker

• First Appearance: 10 Yug'Voril Uncovered
  
• Armor Class 14
  
• Speed 40 ft (flying)
  
• Darkvision 60 ft, Passive 11
  
• Average, Max HP: 78, 132
  
• 80 taken + unknown from Clarota, 23 HDYWTDT by Vax'ildan
  

The cloaker is an opportunistic hunter who stealthily follows parties in the Underdark, embracing the shadows and waiting to strike after battles or until a potential target wanders away from the heard. It then wraps itself around its victims, blinding and suffocating them as it continues to bite them. Would-be helpers will have difficulty against it as any attacks they deal at this time will also transfer half the damage to the victim. Both the victim and any allies can attempt to tear the cloaker off with a relatively high strength check, but the cloaker can also still defend itself in this state with its tail. It can also generate up to three illusions of itself to obscure its true location; attackers who successfully hit the cloaker’s AC then have to roll to determine if it was a successful hit against the cloaker or one of its illusions. Even when the group remains together, the cloaker can force fright on those who fail their wisdom save against its terrifying moan.

That said, it’s not as terrible when it’s confronted as a group, or when said group manages to put a lot of distance between it and them. Vox Machina did just about everything right for this fight, including keeping it at distance, grappling it with Bigby’s Hand, and taking away its eyes before putting it out of its misery. Even when it wrapped itself around Tiberius early in the battle, the dragonborn telekinetically ripped it off before anyone else attacked it, or before it could deal additional damage to him. This was also a great battle for player character firsts, including Scanlan’s Bigby’s Hand and Grog’s amusingly successful Intimidating Presence.

Monster Analysis: Ghouls

• First Appearance: 10 K’Varn Revealed
• Armor Class 12 (Ghast: 13)
• Speed 30 ft
• Darkvision 60 ft, Passive 10
• Immune to poison damage (Ghast also resistant to necrotic)
• Immune to charmed, exhaustion, and poisoned
• Ghoul average, max HP: 22, 40
• Three ghouls killed by 32 Fireball from Tiberius
• Ghast average, max HP: 36, 64
• 67 damage taken, 18 finishing blow by Vex’ahlia
  

Much like zombies, ghouls endlessly pursue decomposing flesh to fill an appetite that will never be satiated, including hunting and killing any present living creatures so they may have decomposing flesh to eat. Unlike zombies, however, ghouls are blessed by Orcus himself, with their undead origins coming directly from the Abyss. Ghouls are significantly more dexterous and swift than zombies and can paralyze their targets for up to a minute. Despite their relatively low challenge rating, a horde of ghouls can still pose a significant threat to a low-rolling lone adventurer of any level.

On top of their intelligence, ghouls are sometimes blessed with additional abyssal energy, becoming ghasts. While a ghoul lashes out indiscriminately, a ghast has intelligence and command, in addition to resistance to effects that Turn Undead. They can even give mental orders to nearby ghouls to focus on the most strategic target.

Vax found himself in the unfortunate position of being surrounded by a small pack, separated from the rest of the party. A single failed Con save (DC 10) was enough to render him paralyzed. Although he took a relatively light amount of damage and his party was still present enough to assist him, a larger pack could have represented a significant threat to the half-elven rogue. It’s also worth pointing out that the portion of the cave where they settled was thrice damned with opportunists: a small crew of ghouls waiting for a lone wanderer, a trapped treasure chest ready to detonate on the greedy, and a stealthy aberration waiting for prey to let down its guard.

Seemingly

anonymous asks: How many times has Matt said "Seemingly" .... this will be a daunting task.

It was, indeed. Times Matt used “Seemingly” in a sentence: 20

Updated through episode 36.

03 Strange Bedfellows

• (0:37:14) “…meaning things were seemingly either fleeing…”

05 The Trick About Falling (rusty-diamond)

• (2:07:22) “… seemingly unaffected by the damage…”
• (2:10:50) “… seemingly unaffected by the additional damage.”

08 Glass and Bone

• (0:24:08) “You seemingly do so…”
• (0:27:09) “…the mountain, seemingly out of nowhere, extends…”

10 K’varn Revealed

• (1:05:28) “…seemingly unaffected by the bolt”
• (2:26:36) “This also serves as, seemingly, a laboratory for K’varn.”

14 Shopping and Shipping (rusty-diamond)

• (0:44:30) “… you’re all seemingly healthy and still here…”

15 Skyward (rusty-diamond)

• (1:21:52) “They are seemingly employees.”

19 Trial of the Take Part 2

• (1:08:34) “…this long, seemingly…”

20 Trial of the Take Part 3

• (1:10:41) “You pull it off, seemingly without him noticing.”

21 Trial of the Take Part 4

• (3:50:55) “Seeing this little druid girl, seemingly unphased…”

25 Crimson Diplomacy

• (1:54:50) “…standing there, seemingly unscathed by the event.”

29 Whispers

• (0:21:52) “…Seemingly uneventful…”
• (1:13:30) “…Seemingly without recurring incident.”

30 Stoke the Flames

• (2:02:01) “Largely empty, and seemingly unkempt”
• (2:04:02) “She’s gathered as much and is seemingly off-put by the whole presentation.”

31 Gunpowder Plot

• (p1. 0:15:24) “…with guards, all seemingly prepared.”

32 Against the Tide of Bone

• (2:56:00) “…as it seemingly, out of nowhere, this giant feast…”

35 Denouement

• (p1. 1:39:20) “Seemingly featureless across its body…”

Princess Keyleth

anonymous asks: Hello! I have a request. I'd like to know how many times Tiberius addressed Keyleth with her title, "Princess".

Her Grand Vinespeakerness of the Air Ashari: Keyleth!
Times Tiberius addressed Keyleth by a royal title: 11
Times Keyleth was addressed by the party with a royal title: 14
Updated through episode 36.

04 Attack on the Duergar Warcamp (thesingingbadger)

• Tiberius (0:47:49) “Her majesty, Keyleth!”

07 The Throne Room

• Tiberius (2:15:45) “No, no, you’re brilliant, your highness!”

08 Glass and Bone (thesingingbadger)

• Tiberius (1:23:16) “Lady Keyleth, if you will…”

09 Yug’voril Uncovered (dragonmustang01)

• Tiberius (1:27:43) “Your Highness…”

10 K’varn Revealed

• Tiberius (1:36:35) “As soon as I see Her Royalty go in…”

14 Shopping and Shipping (rusty-diamond)

• Tiberius (1:20:41) “That’s fourteen days, your highness.”
• Tiberius (2:42:22) Keyleth: That line [of credit] we’re talking about right now. Tiberius: Well said, your majesty.

17 Hubris

• Tiberius (2:45:12) “We tagged him first. Warcraft rules!” “I don’t know what that means, your Highness!”

22 AraMente to Pyrah

• Vex’ahlia (0:39:22) “Keyleth!  Lady Keyleth!”
• Vax’ildan (1:22:38) “Here’s what I think: Lady Keyleth has been talking about this for a long time…”
• Tiberius (2:39:54) “Lady Keyleth, is that you?”
• Vex’ahlia (2:48:03) “Would you like us to follow you, Your Majesty?”

26 Consequences and Cows

• Tiberius (2:17:10) “You’re Princess Pretty-face.”

27 The Path to Whitestone

• Tiberius (3:16:35) “Eloquent, my lady.”

Dagger, Dagger... Wait, those aren’t daggers.

For those moments when words AND the way of blades aren’t piercing enough. Thanks to The Singing Badger for organizing this list! Updated through Episode 36.

Logged Vax’ildan Birds: 18

03 Strange Bedfellows (BillieBluJean, rusty-diamond)

• (1:50:07) Double bird when leaving duergar war camp.
• (2:00:26) Double bird towards Duergar War Camp.
  

04 Attack on the Duergar Warcamp (burdenedwithnopurpose)

• (2:26:04) Single bird in response to a duergar soldier missing him.
  

07 The Throne Room (rusty-diamond)

• (1:10:43) “I’m thinking of the middle finger” to the Illithid attempt to bore into his mind.
  

09 Yug’voril Uncovered (rusty-diamond)

• (2:19:12) Two separate single birds to the dwarf body whose armor cursed him with cold when he tried to grab it.
  

10 K’varn Revealed (rusty-diamond)

• (0:58:48) Double bird to the cloaker while fleeing.
  

11 The Temple Showdown (rusty-diamond)

• (4:22:49) Double bird toward Undead K’varn when the beholder fails to hit Vax with a psychic beam.
  

13 Escape from the Underdark (rusty-diamond, dragonmustang01)

• (0:54:55) Double bird toward the Intellect Devourer who fails to take over his mind. “That’s to the brains, the brains. (Little bit to Matt.)”
• (0:55:25) Double bird toward the other Intellect Devourer who also fails to take over his mind.
  

18 Trial of the Take Part 1

• (0:11:35) Matt acting as Vax, flipping off Grog.
  

24 The Feast

• (3:09:48) Invisible bird to Vex during the dinner.
  

25 Crimson Diplomacy

• (2:47:40) Single bird to The Broker before the fight begins.
• (3:03:15) Double birds to monk’s first attempt to breach the Anti-life Shell.
  
• (3:03:26) “That’s unfortunate.” Double bird to the Broker’s monk.
  

30 Stoke the Flames

• (0:55:10) While not technically birds, Vax does the eff-you under-the-chin flick at a Vampire Spawn
  

34 Race to the Ziggurat

• (1:12:36) A begrudging single digit to one of the opals in the copper room.
  

35 Denouement

• (p1. 1:45:09) While not technically birds, Vax’ildan does the eff-you sign after Keyleth casts light beam.
• (p2. 56:45) At Grog after his failed attempt at pantsing Vax’ildan.