What If? Kevdak Edition

Anonymous asked: If Kevdak didn't have damage resistance from his totem, which attack would have killed him? Would Grog still have gotten the killing blow, and if not, how would the fight have likely progressed from there?

Supposing that Kevdak- with his 310 HP- was a Path of the Berserker barbarian and not a Path of the Totem (Bear) barbarian, he would have taken full damage from any hits that did not deal bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing damage.  So, Vex’ahlia’s Longbow of the Sky Sentinel attacks would deal full lightning damage, Pike’s Spiritual Weapon attacks would deal full force damage, Scanlan’s Fireballs would deal full fire damage, and Keyleth’s Firestorm would deal full fire damage. 

Counting the damage that Grog dealt to Kevdak in Episode 51, Pike would have gotten the killing blow on Kevdak at 1:25:02. 

Just for fun, let’s suppose that Kevdak didn’t have damage resistance at all.  Vex’ahlia would have gotten the killing blow on Kevdak at 0:57:59.

Terrifyingly, Matt has said that the Herd of Storms would have absolutely not stopped fighting had anyone other than Grog gotten the killing blow on Kevdak.

Umbrasyl Predictions

openthepocketwatch asked: Sorry if you're already answering this, but based on the state/location of both the party and Umbracil, how many rounds would it take to take down Umbracil at this point if a) Grog Vax and Scanlan or b) the whole party did their average amount of damage during a round? I'm wondering how long Vax and Scanlan can survive in there before Umbracil is taken down.

No worries, we’re answering it now! Note that many of these assumptions, while we think they are reasonable, will probably wind up being completely different from what actually happens in episode 55. Vox Machina, Matt, and the dice always manage to surprise us.

General Assumptions:

• Average damages per hit from this sheet. Note that Grog’s current average damage may be slightly higher than this- there have not been enough uses of the Titanstone Knuckles (or Enlarge) to increase his average over all episodes yet.
• Our estimated HP for Umbrasyl of 1156. This estimate came by multiplying the average ancient HP of an ancient black dragon (367) by 3.15. This number came by dividing Rimefang’s health total of 630 by the average adult white dragon HP (200).
• Umbrasyl makes it back to the lair, resulting in a time delay that allows both Grog’s rage and Vex’s Boots of Haste to wear off.
• Matt keeps the initiative order from the first half of the battle (only matters for finding the killing blow).
• Grog uses his second Frenzied Rage of the day (giving him 3 attacks per round).
• Vax always uses his bonus action for an offhand attack.
• Percy reloads at the pistol’s rate (since Bad News is currently broken).
• Vex leaves Trinket in the necklace and uses both of her attacks per round.
• Keyleth, Scanlan, and Pike all hit once per round.
• No one misses a turn due to being unconscious, dead, or out of range.

If we don’t take missed attacks into account:

• If Vax, Grog, and Scanlan are forced to face Umbrasyl on their own, Grog kills him at the top of the 5th round.
• If somehow the rest of the party manages to catch up, Vex kills Umbrasyl at the top of the 3rd round.

If we assume a hit rate similar to the first half of the battle:

• If Vax, Grog, and Scanlan are forced to face Umbrasyl on their own, Grog kills him at the top of the 6th round.
• If somehow the rest of the party manages to catch up, Umbrasyl still dies in the 3rd round, but Vax gets the killing blow instead of his sister.

Update: Anonymous submitted, “In a grand upset, Scanlan gets the killing blow on Umbrasyl using Vicious Mockery.” Heeheeheehee.

State of the Party after Ep54

We’ve talked about Umbrasyl. Let’s talk about how the party is doing.

Health

• Grog 145/194
• Vex 118/118
• Percy 120/120
• Pike 72/109 (plus HP from level 12, max +9)
• Vax 72/100
• Scanlan 127/138 (plus Death Ward)
• Keyleth 134/134
• • Keyleth (Earth Elemental) 65/126 (loses form)

Magic and Abilities

Used Spells

• Vex’ahlia:
  • Vex’ahlia (2:43:54) Cast Hunter’s Mark (1st Level)
  • Vex’ahlia (2:31:30) Cast Pass Without a Trace (2nd Level)
  • Vex’ahlia (3:12:20) Cast Conjure Animals (2 Giant Eagles) (3rd Level)
  • Vex’ahlia (4:08:25) Cast Conjure Animals (2 Giant Eagles) (3rd Level)
  • Vex’ahlia (3:40:57) Cast Grasping Vine (4th Level)
• Pike:
  • Pike (3:00:06) Cast Spiritual Weapon (2nd Level)
  • Pike (3:56:00) Cast Blindness against Umbrasyl (2nd Level)
  • Pike (2:33:00) Cast Protection from Energy (acid) (Vex’ahlia) (3rd Level)
  • Pike (Nat19=29, 2:58:45) Cast Guiding Bolt against Umbrasyl (3rd Level)
  • Pike (2:32:17) Cast Death Ward (Scanlan) (4th Level)
  • Pike (2:34:40) Cast 4th Level Aid (Keyleth, Scanlan, and Pike) (+15 HP) (4th Level)
  • Pike (28, 3:28:13) Cast Guiding Bolt against Umbrasyl (4th Level)
• Keyleth:
  • Keyleth (3:35:17) Cast Earth Bind (2nd Level)
  • Keyleth (2:33:11) Cast Protection from Energy (acid) (Grog) (3rd Level)
  • Keyleth (3:05:22) Bones of the Earth (6th Level)
• Percy:
  • Percy (2:52:49) Cast Hex on Umbrasyl (1st Level)
• Scanlan:
  • Scanlan (3:08:58) Cast Dimension Door (4th Level)
  • Scanlan (25, 4:04:14) Cast Thunderwave (6th Level)

Other Abilities

• Bardic Inspirations: 3 of 5 Remaining
  • Scanlan (10, 2:55:00) Cutting Words
  • Scanlan (3:08:24) Inspiration to Keyleth
• Grit Points: 1 of 3 Remaining
  • 0 Percy (Nat20, 3:22:31) Bad News Wing Shot against Umbrasyl
  • -1 Percy (20, 3:50:15) Bad News Wing Shot against Umbrasyl
  • -1 Percy (30, 3:50:34) Bad News Wing Shot against Umbrasyl
• Bad News: Jammed (4:20:13). Retort still functional.
• Percy’s Action Surge: spent (3:50:45).
• Used Non-Spell Slots:
  • Vex’ahlia (2:43:45) Click Boots of Haste
  • Grog (4:15:11) Activate Titanstone Knuckles (Enlarge)
  • Pike (80, 2:29:51) Cast Divine Intervention
  • Pike (4:07:51) Cast Featherfall via Celestial Shield
  • Keyleth (3:36:03) Wild Shape (Earth Elemental)
  • Fassbender (3:01:45) Cast Slow

Current Attuned Items

• Vax’ildan
  • Deathwalker’s Ward
  • Dragonslayer Longsword
  • Fassbender’s Circlet
• Vex’ahlia
  • Longbow of the Sky Sentinel
  • Pearl of Power
  • Boots of Haste
  • Coldsnap Leather Armor (+1)
• Grog
  • Titanstone Knuckles
  • Belt of Dwarvenkind
  • Bloodaxe
• Pike
  • Gauntlets of Ogre Power
  • Sprinter’s Boots
  • Frostbrand Sword
• Keyleth
  • Circlet of Wisdom
  • Cloak of Displacement
  • Ring of Protection (+2)
• Percy
  • Amulet of the Shield
  • Ring of Lightning Resistance
  • Gloves of Missile Snaring
• Scanlan
  • Mythcarver
  • Acid-Resistant Armor (+2)
  • Ioun Stone

It should also be noted two of the three recovered Vestiges are inside Umbrasyl. The third is currently dangling beneath the dragon.

Picture courtesy of fl0wer-b0ys-art, also on twitter @fl0werb0ys!

Damage Totals on Umbrasyl

Art by jollybean37

Total damage Umbrasyl has taken: 691

1. Grog 177
2. Vex 155 (108 from first round)
3. Percy 109
4. Herd 79
5. Pike 57
6. Scanlan 50 (38 from the immovable rod)
7. Noja 49
8. Vax 15

The closest encounter to having this much health was Rimefang, who went down with 630. Even with damage resistance, Kevdak only had an effective HP of 620 (310 total HP).

Monster Analysis: Umbrasyl, The Hope Devourer (Part 1)

Art by Andrew Ian Shaw

• First Appearance: 39 Omens
• Encounter Appearance: 54 In the Belly of the Beast
• Armor Class 22
• Speed 40 ft, 80 ft Fly, 40 ft Swim
• Blindsight 60 ft, darkvision 120 ft, Passive 26
• Immune to acid damage
• Legendary Actions
• Legendary Resistances (2/3 used)
• Suggested Average, Max HP: 367, 567
• Our Estimated total HP: 1156 (actual 825)
• 691 damage taken before end of episode

The long-awaited Umbrasyl stats and write-up! Part one, of course. Part two hasn’t aired yet. (Update: Now Part two has!)

What We Know about Umbrasyl

Even though his HP was (predictably) increased, the rest of his abilities seem fairly on par. All demonstrated attacks came at the expected damage. Even the breath weapon, which rolled at 82 and 81 acid damage per attack, was well in range of the standard 15d8 acid damage. The difficulty classes of the wing attack (DC 23 Dex) and the breath weapon (DC 22 Dex) also met textbook standards for an ancient black dragon.

We saw that 23 hit Umbrasyl. Unfortunately, we did not see any attacks at 22, the AC of a textbook ancient black dragon. We suspect that since Raishan’s hide was tougher than that of an ancient green’s, The Hope Devourer’s AC is also probably increased by one. We won’t know for sure until an attack lands, though!

What Went Right

We got this, guys!

The first round was where most of the good decisions happened. Vex focused all of her attention straight away, dealing 108 in the first round. Percy’s Hex ensured that Umbrasyl stayed tied down for a full round, making the dragon have to wait to take to the air and to use its breath weapon. The herd also served their purpose quite well in the first round, allowing most everyone to get a few good licks in. Even when Umbrasyl succeeded on his disadvantaged save, Scanlan’s Cutting Words gave Grog room to avoid a tail attack. Grog’s Reckless Attacks also went to great use in this encounter.

Umbrasyl blew two of his three Legendary Resistances. Even if he somehow gains a short rest in the time it takes for the party to catch back up to him (which we find highly unlikely), those will not reset until the next day.

What Went Wrong

…Or maybe not.

The battle started to turn once Umbrasyl broke from the trap and chains. At the beginning of the battle, the teams consisted of Umbrasyl (1) vs. Vox Machina (7), Fassbender (1), Noja (1), and the herd, including Zanror and Worra (26): 1 vs 35. By the time Umbrasyl fled at the end of the fourth round, the herd’s numbers had been reduced to five. With Worra, Noja, and Fassbender effectively out of the battle, the numbers for the second half of the battle decrease to 1 vs. 11.

It has yet to be decided if having two small party members trapped inside the dragon is in fact a bad thing. We wouldn’t consider it a good thing, honestly, but any little bit of damage from the inside helps. Fassbender also was little use this battle, as he spent one of Vax’s actions to unsuccessfully cast Slow, and has yet to recharge his slow ability (though Umbrasyl is already out of range- 120 feet- for it).

The party member who has the most to be concerned about is Grog, who has lost his acid resistance and is dangling in the air as the only visible target. Even Vex’s broom, which has a Dash speed of 100 ft, can’t compare to Umbrasyl’s Dash of 160 ft. Include the additional 15 ft. it gains for using a wing attack as a legendary action, and Umbrasyl can travel 175 ft. per round. How the other half of the party is going to catch up in time to join the battle with the other three is a mystery that only time will tell.

What We Expect at Gatshadow

Art by Feylen

At the end of Episode 54, Umbrasyl took off near the end of the fourth round. Assuming initiative order holds steady, Pike, Vax, and Scanlan will get the next turns to finish the round, respectively.

The since-abandoned Vox Machina wiki, originally maintained by Matthew Mercer himself, says this about Gatshadow:

The ominous mountain that lords over Westruun and the southern base of the Cliffkeep Mountains, Gatshadow's peak is nearly always obscured by storm clouds or mist. The actual stone that comprises the monstrous landmass is of a darker, more dense stone that is considered to be the finest for crafting on this side of the world (hence why many craftsmen and smiths make the dangerous journey there to harvest the rock... and not all return.

Several critters have questioned whether or not Umbrasyl could have set up his lair in Gatshadow in the time since the Conclave announced his presence, as black dragons tend to lair in swamps rather than mountains. However, we consider the perpetually-obscured peak of the mountain as a potential clue that Umbrasyl may have set up shop there long before.

With that in mind, should the battle continue in Umbrasyl’s lair, that will add a number of wrinkles to the battle. The first will be traversing the dangerous journey to the lair itself, which will magically take twice as long to traverse as a regional effect, and will be guarded with traps as is the way of paranoid dragons. The second will be lair actions, an extra ability that Umbrasyl will be able to evoke near the beginning of each round that will greatly increase the difficulty of the battle.

The third wrinkle (which is entirely speculation on Lauren’s and Andrew’s parts) is the potential communication he will make with the rest of the Conclave. Brimscythe had a series of gems that granted him contact with the rest of the dragons, and there is reason to believe that Umbrasyl will have the same system in place in his residence. While it is unlikely that the Conclave would arrive in time to provide support, paranoia and defenses will likely be increased, and any hints of resistance will be immediately crushed. Westruun may also not be as safe to return to as Vox Machina might have hoped.

But, hey, we can speculate, or we can just wait and see what happens. #IsItTwoThursdaysFromNowYet

Art by Ty Wilkins

The List Kill Times

Anonymous asked: Do you have a list of the episodes and times in which Percy killed those who where marked on his barrels?

• Sir Kerrion Stonefell- Episode 29 (3:21:52) Percy
• Professor Anders- Episode 33 (p1. 2:00:15) Percy
• Lord Sylas Briarwood- Episode 34 (3:45:12) Percy (turned Sylas to mist) and Keyleth (Sunbeam)
• Lady Delilah Briarwood- Episode 35 (2:05:15) Cassandra

While we’re at it:

• Doctor Anna Ripley- Still at-large
• Cassandra de Rolo- Alive and well

In the future, for all of your Roll-related questions, check out our All Rolls chart!  For all of your Vox Machina kill-related questions, check out our Total Kills page!

Media References for Episode 54: In the Belly of the Beast

Funny enough, not one reference to how one would train a dragon…

• (0:01:58) Ashley: *sings* Dick in a box! (“Dick in a Box” by The Lonely Island-NSFW)
  
• (0:22:14) Sam: Sort of like The Crying Game.
  
• (0:37:00) Liam: Billy Mays here for the Ashari Tribe!
  
• (0:53:11) Travis: I found us Boba Fett, sweet! (Star Wars)
  
• (1:12:18) Liam: You found Dabney Coleman?
  
• (1:13:40) Travis: It’s more like a Coke can.
  
• (3:44:14) Laura and Ashley: I whip my hair back and forth! (“Whip My Hair” by Willow Smith)
  
• (4:05:52) Matt: Have you seen, in Akira, when…
  
• (4:10:29) Marisha: It’s not a tumah! (Kindergarten Cop) 
  

Natural Crit Stat Sheets

rowanfalls-deactivated20170127 said: @the person who asked about the stat sheets, If you're looking to make your own, try Naturalcrit It's easy and looks pretty authentic and you can save your work and return to it as long as you have the link.

The link to Natural Crit is here.  We haven’t tried it, but it looks neat! http://www.naturalcrit.com/homebrew/  Thanks!

Matt's Stat Sheets

Anonymous asked: Do we know how Matthew makes those enemy sheets and magical item sheets that he occasionally shows to viewers on his twitter? I would like to make the same things for my campaign.

He answered it on Twitter: He has an Excel doc template that he made.