The Legend of Vox Machina Ep. 3

You can watch this episode right here.

Percy is having a nightmare about his past. His wealthy family killed by assailants. His sister running through the forest, shot in the back with an arrow.

He wakes up in the group's new keep.

The adventurers have breakfast together. Allura arrives to remind them that there is a party tonight that they need to attend. Dignitaries from across the realm have come to work out a new security pact.

That night, the adventurers arrive at the party wearing noble garb. Scanlan is wearing a bejeweled codpiece. They check their weapons at the door.

When Lord and Lady Briarwood arrive, Percy is stunned. Percy quietly explains to the group that they are the ones behind the death of his family.

Some of the NPCs at the dinner include: 

• Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei
• Empress Salda Tal'Dorei
• Arbiter Duala Juun, Master of Law
• Seeker Assum
• Lord and Lady Briarwood

While the rest of the heroes are at the dinner, Vax is sneaking around. He spots the fellow who drove the Briarwood's carriage. Distracting a pair of guards with a snake wearing an eyepatch, he slips into the room that the Briarwoods are staying in.

At the dinner table, the sovereign discusses Whitestone, and how no one travels in or out of the lands. Lord Briarwood, at the table, basically casts suggestion, forcing the sovereign to commit to leaving Whitestone be.

Vax searches the room of the Briarwoods. He finds a false bottom in a chest containing a book. In it is lore linked to "The Whispered One." Vecna?

Back at the table, Lady Briarwood claims that Percy's family abandoned their people to rot. Percy is seething. After the meal, Percy explains that the Briarwoods murdered his entire family.

The Briarwoods entered their room and find Vax. Lord Briarwood uses magic on him.

Scanlan distracts the party-goers with a song and his glowing codpiece.

Briarwood is a vampire. He bites Vax, who staggers back and then jumps through a window into a pool. The Briarwoods follow.

The adventurers grabs their weapons and run outside to battle the Briarwoods. Pike heals Vax, as Keyleth has a spell countered.

Lord Briarwood's sword cuts into Grog, and it actually grows in size. I am still used to the D&D cartoon... I get shocked every time I see blood in this show.

The group isn't doing so well. Keyleth uses a wall of thorns (which seems to be her go-to spell) to separate the villains from the group.

Percy thought he had them, and accosts the group. Pike's holy symbol seems to be losing power.

Percy points his gun at the Briarwood's driver, a meek fellow who seems to have no choice but to do the bidding of the villains. Percy puts on his plague mask, then actually shoots the driver. Before he can kill the driver, the Sovereign orders guards to arrest the group. 

Thoughts

Again, I think that the blue dragon story could have used a few more episodes. This Briarwood story came in very abruptly. I feel like something is missing, but I don't know what it is.

Part of it might be that I don't really have any strong feeling for the characters. They're all pretty funny and distinct, but in general I'm not really rooting for them. 

That moment at the end of the first episode, where the group is outraged at the death of the villagers, made me care. But here, when the stakes are more muddled, I have a hard time getting invested. 

My feeling right now is that the wackiness outweighs the heroism. The group prioritizes things like punching each other in the balls, rather than adventuring. It takes away from the momentum of the story. There needs to be just a bit more intensity to counteract all of the "magic codpiece" kind of stuff.

The Legend of Vox Machina Ep. 2

 

You can watch this episode right here.

We start this episode off with the dragon attacking a camp of soldiers. This show is doing a great job of showing how a scenario that might seem "basic" at first glance - a dragon attacking a kingdom - can be a top notch adventure or story. It's all in how you do it. I feel almost dumb for not having run a scenario like this.

The dragon wipes out a band of soldiers in the forest..

At the castle, the ruler confers with his council. Let's see if I can figure out the names of the NPCs in the castle are:

• Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei: The ruler, seems like a nice fellow.
  
• General Krieg: Jolly guy with a mustache.
  
• Allura: Blonde-haired human who accompanied the group on the airship last episode.
  
• Sir Fince: The shady guy.
• Lady Kima: Looks like a dwarf or halfling. Head of the city guard?

Vox Machina returns to the castle and talks to the sovereign. Fince thinks they should try to cut a deal. The general is impressed that the group survived.

Vax's dragon sense again goes off.

Leaving the castle, Vax and Pike go to buy something to kill the dragon with. They are going to... Gilmore's Glorious Goods.

One of the things I liked about the old D&D cartoon was the paintings of the different locales. In this show, they definitely don't skimp on depicting the different areas that the heroes inhabit. There's been a few overhead shots of the city that were insanely detailed, and this image of the shop is pretty great, too.

Gilmore really, really likes Vax. He has a "Lance of Dragon Slaying" (aka a dragonlance), which is 20,000 gp. The adventurers don't have that kind of money, so they toss Gilmore a few coins for info about blue dragons.

Gilmore breaks out a tome of dragon lore. "The wyrm shall only find defeat in the gorge where twin rivers meet." That's about it.

Scanlan and Grog are thinking about going to a brothel, when they spot Sir Fince. They follow him to a palatial estate. The rest of the group arrives at the mansion. They are having a hard time with the non-magical lock. Vax finally picks it.

As they explore the interior, it looks like this is General Krieg's home. Sir Fince is in the basement, looting a scroll from a wall of books. Sir Fince starts to explain, when he is run through. Sir Fince dies. General Krieg is the one in league with the dragon.

Krieg somehow loses the heroes, possibly using a secret door. Exploring the mansion some more, the group notices that Krieg really likes dragons.

Tiamat? Cult of the Dragon? What D&D lore, if any, are they allowed to use on this show? Probably none, right?

It turns out that a life-size erotic painting of a dragonborn that Grog is drooling over is also a portal that can be stepped through.

Stepping through, they enter into an icy cave. In this cave is a massive pile of treasure.

Check that out. That's like... a Dragon's Lair treasure hoard.

General Krieg is here. "The age of man is coming to an end. When dragons ruled all of Tal'Dorei..." Krieg transforms. He is the blue dragon.

The dragon takes flight, making it difficult for the group to hit it. Vax notices cracks of energy in the neck of the dragon, "Where the two rivers meet."

The adventurers are hit by the lightning breath, but when the smoke clears, they are hurt but still standing. Vax cuts it in the neck, then Pike uses magic to make one of Vex's arrows like Hank's from the cartoon. The dragon is hurt badly. Grog charges and reduces it to a bloody mess.

Grog takes a tooth from the dragon as proof it's been slain. The entire cave is collapsing. Scanlan grabs just a bit of loot and the heroes flee through the portal.

Vox Machina are declared protectors of the realm, and are honorary members of the council of Tal'Dorei.

The group opens their reward chest. Inside are keys and a scroll. The group has been given the deed to a keep.

Krieg may have been part of a larger plot. There will be a banquet. Several dignitaries are on the way.

We cut to the dignitaries traveling by coach. They are Silas and Delila Briarwood. Bandits spring a trap. Silas slaughters the bandits, literally punching through one dude's abdomen. An ominous way to end the episode. I assume, if I was familiar with Critical Role, this would be an awesome reveal.

Thoughts

Good show! Not as epic as the first episode, but they totally won me over, and now I'm on board for the duration. It felt like this story could have been stretched out for another episode or two.

The Legend of Vox Machina Ep. 1

 

Now that I finally finished the D&D cartoon, I have decided to watch a contemporary D&D animated series - The Legend of Vox Machina, which is on Amazon Prime.

This cartoon is based on a real life D&D game played by actual voice actors, chronicled on the "actual play" show known as Critical Role.

Critical Role is hugely popular and, from what I can tell, has played a large part in drawing people in to playing 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons.

Critical Role has actually spawned a number of D&D supplements:

• Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting (I reviewed this book right here)
• Explorer's Guide to Wildemount (I reviewed this right here)
• Call of the Netherdeep
  

I've only watched one full episode of the Critical Role show, which I reviewed here. I liked it, but it was just too long for me to watch on a weekly basis.

The Characters

Grog: A Goliath who likes combat, women and ale. He used to travel with a violent barbarian clan, but that ended when he stopped them from killing a gnome. The clan turned on him, beat him and left him for dead. Grog was healed by a relative of the gnome, a fellow named Pike.     

Keyleth: A druid that loves nature and elemental magic, Keyleth is on a quest to discover herself.    

Percy: When nobles overtook his family's castle, Percy and his sister fled, but his sister was apparently killed by archers.    

Pike: A halfling cleric.

Scanlan: A gnome bard who is searching for a true gnome to fall in love with.

Vax'Ildan: A half-elf thief with a twin sister, Vex'ahlia. They left their father's elven settlement and wandered for a few years. When they came back, the place had been destroyed by a dragon.    

Vex'ahlia: A half-elf ranger. The sister of Vax. Neither twin was accepted by the elf community that they lived in with their father. She has a bear companion named Trinket.

The Show

I'm going to obviously spoil the show now, so I highly recommend that you watch this episode before reading. Check it out and then come back.

I'm coming right off from watching the '80's D&D cartoon, so this very jarring. The opening sequence, which involves Matt Mercer explaining the setting and story, has some really awesome art.

There's a great evil, and a band of heroes who greatly resemble characters from the Lord of the Rings try to deal with it, but they are slaughtered.

The rulers of Tal'Dorei argue about what to do about the evil entity. One sinister fellow wants to capture it and use it as a weapon, but the ruler wants mercenaries to kill it. They need to find "the greatest mercenaries in Tal'Dorei."

We cut to the heroes, drunk in a tavern. I am so taken aback by the swearing. The f-bombs are flying left and right.

They get into an altercation with another group of adventurer-types, which includes some kind of dog guy. Wait, there's a cat-person too.

What a great intro. Keyleth vomits in the dog guy's mouth.

The group wonders where Scanlan is. He's got a room with a lady. Good lord, we have full frontal nudity. I was 100% not ready for this.

The bartender puts a stop to the fight. The bartender seems to have the ability to turn into a minotaur at will.

Kicked out of the bar, the group is broke. They see a "mercenaries wanted" sign.

The heroes comes before the rulers of Tal'Dorei.

Scanlan tries to impress the ruler with a song about the group. The rulers have a quick, quiet conference and decide, "Why not?"

The group's task: Kill the evil entity. Their reward will be a chest full of treasure.

Next thing we know, the group is on an airship. The ship seems to be powered by a handful of large, glowing crystals affixed around the edges.

The adventurers disembark and visit a village that was hit by the evil entity. A villager asks Pike to bless their home. Pike tries, but seems like she doesn't know what she's doing.

The heroes learn that the creature has wings and that it is really big. Using the nose of Trinket, they begin tracking the entity through the forest. They eventually find footprints of a humanoid.

Suddenly, a dragon rises up and breathes massive bolts of lightning.

The group considers running but Grog says, "F*ck that." Keyleth casts what looks to be call lightning, which seems to make the dragon stronger.

The group ends up buried in rubble, and the dragon flies away. Grog has a hideous wound. Pike heals him.

The heroes discuss abandoning the quest. "Who gives a soggy anus..." Keyleth is in shock. Pike reminds the group that the people need them. 

Vax explains that she can sense dragons, and that she sensed one in the palace. "Someone in the council must have been in contact with the dragon."

The general feeling seems to be that the dragon is just too high-level for them to take on.

Upon their return to the village, they see that the entire village has been wiped out. There is one survivor - a kid who is badly wounded. No.. wait. Pike has no healing left. The kid passes away.

The group changes their mind. They're going to kill the dragon.

Thoughts

I have actual chills. That was so good. The art, the music, the writing... just amazing. This episode is the D&D session you hope to run.

It makes me wonder why Hasbro hasn't created a D&D cartoon like this in recent years. I know there's a movie coming out (made by the people who made Game Night, a movie I love), but it seems like a no-brainer. You could either tie it to the old cartoon, or create some contemporary heroes and each season run them through a TV version of one of the adventures.

They could do Acquisitions Inc., even. It's kind of odd that they never did.

I hope Vox Machina is a huge success (I'm guessing it is) so we see more of this type of thing.

Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series Ep. 28

In the DVD set, we are given a bonus - an audio version of the actual final episode of the series, which was written but never produced as a fully animated episode.

First I watched/listened to the "radio play" in the DVD set, then I watched the fan-made animated version. The fan version is a lot of fun. They also added to the ending, and in my opinion, the fan ending is far, far superior to the original in the script.

The images I am using for this come from the fan version, which you can watch right here.

There is apparently also a comic book version of this episode. I'm not really sure where you can get it, though.

You can buy the complete series right here. 

Check out the previous episode recaps: 

Part One (Episodes 1-6)
Part Two (Episodes 7-13)
Episode 14
Episode 15
Episode 16
Episode 17
Episode 18
Episode 19
Episode 20
Episode 21
Episode 22
Episode 23
Episode 24
Episode 25
Episode 26
Episode 27
Episode 28

Episode 28 - Requiem

Dungeon Master and Venger meet in the Plane of Dreams. Venger wants to test the courage of the heroes - to challenge them without Dungeon Master's aid. The DM agrees.

The heroes fight a hydra. Well, run from it.

They had to use different voice actors. Bootleg Uni sounds very odd.

The group is having a hard time fighting the hydra. They spot Dungeon Master and shout for his help. Dungeon Master says they must defeat it themselves. Eric is outraged.

Hank's superbow blows a hole in a rock wall, allowing the group to flee. But, the hydra follows. They run through a swamp, the hydra close behind.

They enter a green bog and scatter. The hydra blunders into the bog and sinks into the murky depths.

Continuing on, the group comes to a crossroads. The sign has fallen to the ground, and the group isn't sure which way to go. Eric wants to go one way, Hank the other. Eric is sick of Hank being the leader. The group is split on which way to go.

Hank says the group is mad at Dungeon Master, not each other. Hank lets Eric choose which way to go. They head to the Sea of Sorrows and make camp, as night has fallen.

Eric says they are all prisoners of the Realm. Shiela wonders what they'll do without Dungeon Master's help.

Venger appears, and says that he can help them. He tells them to travel to Realm's Edge, where they will find a key in a cenotaph. If the group throws the key into a chasm, he will send them home.

Eric decides to go ahead with Venger's plan. Hank, Bobby, Diana and Uni refuse. Presto and Shiela go with Eric.

Eric, Presto, and Diana find a ruined ship. Presto makes it float, and it becomes a flying vessel for them to use.

Hank sees this and decides they need to go to Realm's Edge to stop them. A bronze dragon arrives. It offers to give the group a ride.

Hank asks Diana why they're in the Realm. She thinks it is to defeat Venger. Hank thinks it might not be that simple.

The dragon catches up to the ship and Hank tries to force them to land. He fires an arrow that bounces off of the cavalier's shield, causing a jet of lava to shoot up and strike the ship, which catches fire and sinks down toward lava. 

Hanks and the adventurers on the dragon lose sight of the ship. They continue on, thinking their allies are dead (!).

Watching on, Venger tells Dungeon Master that the group's desire to return home is stronger than anything else.

The group reunites at the entrance to the cenotaph, and are happy to see each other.

Presto uses his hat to shatter the entrance door. They end up being attacked by an ooze. Bobby buries it under debris.

Climbing up and exploring more, the group comes to the literal edge of the Realm. It is the "ultimate gulf," an endless cliff. They spot continent-sized pillars that support the Realm itself (this isn't really depicted in the fan version, I imagine it would be difficult to create).

They find a sarcophagus with the visage of Venger on it - presumably from when he was a good guy.

Opening the sarcophagus, there is nothing inside except the key. Eric wants to throw it into the void. They raise their weapons.

 

The ooze is back. Eric goes to throw the key, but Hank grabs him and stops him. Hank says he thinks Eric is right, the Realm itself is a dungeon - and this is the key.

Bobby uses his club against the ooze, causing Hank to drop the key and fall over the edge. The ooze surrounds the group.

Eric has the key. Venger shows up and tells him to throw it into the abyss. Eric spots a keyhole in the vault door nearby.

Venger tries to attack Eric, but the ooze grabs him in a tendril. Eric races over to the vault door and puts the key in the lock.

As the vault door opens, light spews forth, causing the ooze to vanish. Venger is transformed by the light. Magic rolls over the land, opening portals in many locales in the Realm. Even Venger's servants see portals to their home worlds open. Even shadow demon!

I should note that in the fan version, a ray of light shatters Venger's home - his first home, that is. The hanging stalactite one.

Hank is hanging on to the side of the cliff. The group pulls him up.

Venger is hit with energy.

The energy transforms him into a noble, majestic human - his old self. Hank realizes that their mission wasn't to defeat Venger, but to redeem him.

Venger kneels before Dungeon Master. "Father, I have returned."

Venger explains that he chose to follow a master of evil, but that the group has set him free.

Dungeon Master opens a portal to Earth. Good lord, he could have done that at any time?! He gives the group a choice - go home, or stay and have more adventures.

They take one more look at the land...

That's the end of the "official" version. The fan version creates a much more elaborate ending, and it is much better, in my opinion.

This was a pretty great episode. The fan version was kind of amazing, though redeemed Venger's voice was no good. I feel like Matt Mercer would have been nice enough to lend his voice for those 5 lines and it would have been tremendous.

Also, my mind is boggled that Dungeon Master could have sent them home at any time. He literally risked the lives of little kids to deal with his rotten son.

I would say the one issue I have with this whole endeavor is that they didn't include Tiamat in the final story. Tiamat was a big part of the show, and to not include her in the finale feels wrong. 

Redeemed Venger, teaming with the heroes, to defeat her once and for all seems like something that should have happened.

Stuff that Presto's Hat Does:

63. Turns a ruined ship into a flying vessel.
64. Calls forth a bolt of energy that shatters a door.

Hank's Bow Can:

76. Shoot an arrow that wraps all of a hydra's heads together.
77. Blow a hole in a rock wall.

Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series Ep. 27

This one is... not great. 

You can buy the complete series right here. 

Check out the previous episode recaps: 

Part One (Episodes 1-6)
Part Two (Episodes 7-13)
Episode 14
Episode 15
Episode 16
Episode 17
Episode 18
Episode 19
Episode 20
Episode 21
Episode 22
Episode 23
Episode 24
Episode 25
Episode 26
Episode 27
Episode 28

Episode 27 - The Winds of Darkness

This is the last episode of the series. However, there is an audio version of the actual final episode of the series included in the DVD set. We'll cover that one next time.

The episode starts off in chaotic fashion. Hank's leg is fading away? A scarecrow is menacing the group with magical fog. Bobby runs into a village for help, where a mob is accosting an old woman.

The mob disperses, and the woman seems friendly enough. She has a shack built on a cart pulled by an ox or rhino or something. When Dungeon Master's name is mentioned, the woman seems to know who he is.

Back in the scary forest, Hank vanishes.

Bobby and the woman, Martha, arrive. The scarecrow flees.

It would be kind of cool, for a party to have a mobile shack like this as a home:

Martha says the scarecrow is a "darkling." He can control an evil fog. Once the darkling takes its victims away, they are never seen again.

Dungeon Master shows up and says that he can't help Hank. Martha mysteriously claims that Dungeon Master ruined her life.

The group blames Dungeon Master for what happened to Hank.

Martha wants to take the group to a town called Mindral, but they insist on trying to save Hank.

We learn a little bit of darkling lore: The darkling appears for only 3 nights every 33 years, taking one victim each night. Once he takes 100 victims total, his winds of darkness will destroy all light in the Realm, forever.

The group arrives at Mindral. Martha heads in alone to find a place for them to stay.

The darkling lurks nearby, sending his fog to snatch Presto.

Presto tries to use his hat, but he uhh drops it and nothing happens.

Martha returns, seeing the group struggling against the fog. Martha emits a globe of light to protect the heroes.

The darkling ends up taking Martha's little furry pet.

Martha wants to flee. The group urges her to stay. She says that Dungeon Master told her the same thing once. She takes her cart and leaves, telling them they can find the darkling in the Grotto of Darkness.

Dungeon Master shows up and urges the group to defeat the darkling, as he probably doesn't have anything else to finish the session.

Martha decides to turn around. We see that the beast pulling her cart has a rhinoceros horn, but it has two prongs on the end.

At the grotto, Martha battles the darkling.

Presto's hat actually does something. He drains the darkling's fog into his hat. Then, Martha blasts the darkling with light.

In the grotto is a dungeon, where all of the victims of the darkling are. Hank is among them, as is Martha's pet.

That's it.

This is like... a new DM who has a pet NPC that does everything important in the adventure while the players just sit there. This was Martha's show. The heroes did nothing.

The worst part is how they built up the darkling as this unstoppable foe, and yet Martha defeated him with ease. She just shined light at him, and it was over. What was she so scared of?

A pretty terrible way to close out the show. But! We do get to check out Requiem, the actual final episode of the cartoon.

Stuff that Presto's Hat Does:

62. Drains the darkling's fog.

Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series Ep. 26

Faerie dragons! A rare Venger-less episode. The series is just about over.

You can buy the complete series right here. 

Check out the previous episode recaps: 

Part One (Episodes 1-6)
Part Two (Episodes 7-13)
Episode 14
Episode 15
Episode 16
Episode 17
Episode 18
Episode 19
Episode 20
Episode 21
Episode 22
Episode 23
Episode 24
Episode 25
Episode 26
Episode 27
Episode 28

Episode 26 - Cave of the Faerie Dragons

The heroes are swimming in a lake at the base of a waterfall. Here's Dungeon Master. "Greetings pupils," he says.

His riddle includes this phrase: "A giant sacrifice may be required to save a tiny friend."

Giant ants burst out from the ground and attack the group. They run. A mysterious creature saves them by leading them to a cave behind the waterfall. In it is the creature who helped them - a faerie dragon.

I always get faerie dragons and pseudodragons mixed up.

The dragon's name is Amber. She likes Presto, and climbs in his hat while he's wearing it.

Passing through a tunnel in the back of the cave, they encounter another tiny dragon. Apparently the queen of the faerie dragons has been captured. The adventurers decide to help.

The people who abducted the queen is demanding the treasure of the dragons. She shows the group the castle where the queen is being held.

Most of the group heads down into the dungeon under the keep. Eric and Uni stay on the ground level.

They find the cell where the queen is being kept. Magic doesn't work in this cell. The bad guy, a human named King Verin, locks the group in. Despite the fact that the group was split up, everyone is somehow in the cell (except Amber, who slips out).

The Queen explains that the faerie dragons lived in the Forest of Mists, but a volcano erupted and destroyed it. They want to relocate to another forest, but for now they are living in a cave.

Amber flies to the caves to get help.

Presto evades the anti-magic shell by holding his hat through the bars in the cell door, using his magic hat to summon termites, who eat and destroy the wooden door.

The queen casts sleep on two guards to help the heroes escape the keep.

Back in the caves, the queen shows the group the treasure horde of the faerie dragons. She offers the group treasure, but they decline.

Amber helps Presto use his hat to make a rock float like it was a balloon.

The humans invade the cave. Here's a new one: Hank fires an arrow that summons a wall of glass, which the humans immediately shatter.

The group flees.. right into the treasure room. Wow guys, what a choice.

In a mirror, a portal to Earth appears. It turns out that the mirror is a magic item. "The mirror reflects what you desire most."

Hank causes the mirror to show the forest that the faerie dragons want to go to.  The dragons fly through, and the heroes dump the treasure through as well.

The humans force their way into the treasure room. Eric breaks the mirror, so that the humans can't follow.

Taken before the king, the adventurers refuse to say where the forest is. Presto uses his hat to cause the humans to float. I guess this is like reverse gravity.

The heroes walk away, talking about how they will have more chances to go home. Dungeon Master, peeping on them from a distance, says that they are closer than they think. 

Kind of a nothing episode. I'm not sure why, but I don't like the way the faerie dragons were depicted.

Stuff that Presto's Hat Does:

59. Summons magical termites that eat a wooden cell door.
60. Makes a small rock fly.
61. Casts reverse gravity on a band of evil humans..

Hank's Bow Can:

74. Fire arrows which change course in mid-air, and sick into a wall to give Presto a ledge to stand on.
75. Fire an arrow that summons a wall of glass.

Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series Ep. 25

This episode is about Venger's sister. She has a costume like his and everything.

You can buy the complete series right here. 

Check out the previous episode recaps: 

Part One (Episodes 1-6)
Part Two (Episodes 7-13)
Episode 14
Episode 15
Episode 16
Episode 17
Episode 18
Episode 19
Episode 20
Episode 21
Episode 22
Episode 23
Episode 24
Episode 25
Episode 26
Episode 27
Episode 28

Episode 25 - Citadel of Shadow

Orcs have the group surrounded. Hank uses his trusty encounter-busting bow to clear a path through the orcs that the group uses to escape.

The adventurers seemingly escape the orcs, but end up in "the hills of never," an area littered with statues of monsters. This whole monster statue thing never explained. Seems like a really cool place.

Making camp, Eric blames Shiela for almost failing to secure a magic ring that the heroes need to get home. Despite the fact that the heroes did acquire the ring, Shiela starts crying.

The next morning, Shiela and Uni wake up, hearing someone calling for help. Wanting to prove herself, Shiela decides to deal with it alone.

In a cave is a girl trapped behind a magic wall. She urges Shiela to press her hand through.

This immediately causes Venger, who is elsewhere, to sense it. "The spell is broken! She must be stopped!" Look how dramatic:

The rest of the group wakes up, wondering where Shiela is. Dungeon Master has arrived. He tells them that "the ring of the heart must be placed above the ring of the mind."

Having freed the girl, named Korina, Shiela and Uni now accompany her in the search for a second magic ring. Her brother put the ring in.. the citadel of shadow. Check it out:

Somehow, the rest of the group ends up in a valley where rocks are falling on them.

Shiela, Uni, and Korina enter the citadel. There is a spell on the doors which prevents Korina from opening them. Shiela opens a door and, in the room beyond, sees a magic ring radiating energy. Uni thinks something is up. Shiela avoids some traps and brings the ring to Korina.

Putting on the ring, Korina cackles. The rest of the group arrives. So does Venger. It turns out that Korina is Venger's sister. Korina and Venger start shooting energy at each other.

The heroes flee the tower, which is destroyed. Korina emerges from the rubble. She asks the group for the other ring.

The group is being duped and are about to willingly hand over the other ring. Sensing his adventure is about to go off the rails, Dungeon Master appears and tells Korina to go away.

The adventurers realize that they need Korina's ring to go home. They think maybe she's in Venger's lair. That's right, Venger has another new lair:

In Venger's lair, Korina is wearing Venger-style garb.

Shiela turns invisible and rushes Venger's lair alone, trying to make up for her past mistakes.

Orcs spot the rest of the group. Hank implausibly uses a lightning arrow to create a square prison to trap them in.

Invisible, Shiela taunts Korina and snatches the ring off her finger.

Rejoining the group, they try to figure out how to use the rings to open a portal home. They hear Venger attacking Korina and decide to help her. Shiela throws both rings at Venger, causing him to get sucked into another dimension or something.

Somehow this... frees Korina of evil and becomes Venger's prison. That's what Dungeon Master says, anyway.

Korina and Shiela become friends. Erik isn't impressed and falls in a hole. The end.

So, we know that Dungeon Master is Venger's father. Is he also Korina's father? Who is the mother? Why does Venger look demonic, while Korina appears to be a normal "human" (with bat wings)?

This whole show seems to be about Dungeon Master using the kids to turn Venger to the side of good. Here, in one episode, Korina is turned good just through the use of a ring. Kind of weird.

Stuff that Presto's Hat Does:

58. Summons dynamite.

Eric's Life is Horrible Because:

23. He makes fun of Shiela, causing the group to resent him.

Hank's Bow Can:

72. Fires arrows into a group of orcs, clearing a path for the group to run through.
73. Fire a single arrow that becomes a square prison for a band of orcs.

Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series Ep. 24

In this episode, Eric actually makes a friend.

You can buy the complete series right here. 

Check out the previous episode recaps: 

Part One (Episodes 1-6)
Part Two (Episodes 7-13)
Episode 14
Episode 15
Episode 16
Episode 17
Episode 18
Episode 19
Episode 20
Episode 21
Episode 22
Episode 23
Episode 24
Episode 25
Episode 26
Episode 27
Episode 28

 Episode 24 - Odyssey of the Twelfth Talisman

Diana is voluntarily being chased by a herd of monster horses. She jumps a river, while the animals fall in. They're trapped.

This was apparently Eric's idea. The group intimately congratulates him.

Wait. They got out. The herd begins chasing the group.

Elsewhere, some random kid finds a magic talisman. He tries to trade it for some bread at a caravan, but they say no.

He ends up being chased by members of the caravan who think he stole the bread.

The kid ends up running into the group. The amulet begins firing purple lightning from the amulet that disperses both the herd and the people chasing him.

Lorne is the kid's name. Hank invites him to join the group.

The heroes make camp by a waterfall.

This show has a lot of really nice camping locations. That's something that should probably be in D&D campaigns more - nice, or fun, places to make camp.

Eric and Lorne do not get along. They put each other down constantly. Bobby: "That's all we need - two Erics."

The group brings up that they are looking for a stone of Astra, but they don't know what it looks like. The camera zooms in on Lorne's amulet. The stone on it bears a star symbol. Zooms in some more. HMMMMM

Resuming their journey, the adventurers journey through a forest. Dungeon Master has arrived again. He says the stone of Astra must be destroyed. The amulet protects only the wearer, it can do harm to those near him.

An evil wizard from the caravan is watching. He sends boulders flying at the group. The energy shot from the talisman destroys the boulders and knocks over a bunch of trees that the group barely avoids.

The wizard hides. The group tells Lorne to destroy the amulet, but he refuses and ditches the group.

The group makes camp and convinces Eric to go find Lorne. Eric finds him and convinces him to come back, but they're both lost.

They end up captured by the caravan. The evil wizard appears and demands the talisman. He uses magic that literally makes the sound effect from Star Wars when Luke trains with the lightsaber.

The group shows up but immediately gets trapped in a field of energy by the evil wizard guy.

Looks like the bad guy has won. Lorne tosses him the talisman... but Dungeon Master catches it. He's really intervening on his own scenario, here. Things must have gone way off the rails.

DM offers Korloc, the wizard, the amulet. He explains that it is cursed, more or less. But wait, here's Venger.

Venger starts flinging bolts of energy and Korloc uses the amulet to force Venger to flee. Then, Korloc tosses the amulet back to Dungeon Master.

The next day, Lorne joins the caravan.

There's something about that bother me about these episodes that introduce a new NPC.. I guess it's because the NPC is only on for that one episode, then they are never seen again. What's the point?

Stuff that Presto's Hat Does:

56. Conjures an apple.
57. Summons some bananas.

Eric's Life is Horrible Because:

22. Comes up with a plan that ends with the group being chased by a herd of monster horses.

Hank's Bow Can:

71. Miss an entire herd of monster horses.

Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series Ep. 23

 

Somebody thought it would be a good idea to do an episode where A NAZI from World War 2 fell into the D&D world. So.. here we go.

You can buy the complete series right here. 

Check out the previous episode recaps: 

Part One (Episodes 1-6)
Part Two (Episodes 7-13)
Episode 14
Episode 15
Episode 16
Episode 17
Episode 18
Episode 19
Episode 20
Episode 21
Episode 22
Episode 23
Episode 24
Episode 25
Episode 26
Episode 27
Episode 28

Episode 23 - The Time Lost

The heroes are in a forest, resting, as Presto gives Eric a hair cut. Suddenly, a blue dragon swoops down from the sky and attacks.

Oh no. A US fighter jet attacks the dragon and chases it off. It's going to be one of those episodes, huh. 

Venger, on his flying steed, chases the fighter jet. Venger is keeping up with the jet even though it is traveling at "Mach 1."

Dungeon Master gives the group a couple of cryptic, useless lines.

The pilot is captured and imprisoned in a ziggurat with a massive crystal globe on top of it.

In the prison cell are other humans who are from other times:

• A samurai.
• A civil war soldier (north).
• An astronaut.
• A viking.

Outside, Venger goes into explainer mode. The ball on the top of the ziggurat is the "crystal of chronos." It is the thing that is opening portals to various time periods on Earth. Venger is waiting for... a nazi to come through. A NAZI.

We cut to world war 2. A plane has been hit and passes through the portal.

The plane lands near the heroes. Oh my god it's a German. His name is Josef Muller.

I googled him. He's a real life dude:

"He was a member of the resistance during World War II and afterwards one of the founders of the Christian Social Union (CSU). He was a devout Catholic and a leading figure in the Catholic resistance to Hitler."

Phewww. Together, they head toward the portal.

Josef quietly throws his armband in the river. It has a "plus" on it rather than a swastika. The heroes see this happen, and have questions.

Josef explains he doesn't want to be part of the war. The group immediately accepts this and invites him to come live in their time.

Venger shows up and starts blowing things up. He abducts Josef and flies away.

Hank does some ridiculous stuff with his bow, blowing up a waterfall to put out a forest fire.

Here's Dungeon Master. He explains that Venger is hoping to change Earth's past, so that the heroes don't exist.

Venger tells Josef he could take the modern US fighter jet and bring it back to World War 2, to help the nazis win.

The heroes just walk right up and Venger tells them his plan. The portal opens, Josef takes flight.

Josef flies his plane up, but instead of going back to World War 2, he blows up the crystal of chronos, which sends all of the "Time Lost" NPCs home.

Venger is caught in an explosion and turns into smog or something.

What a ridiculous episode.

Stuff that Presto's Hat Does:

53. Summons a picnic blanket, glasses, wine, and food.
54. Conjures a small fire extinguisher to fight a forest fire with.
55. Catches one of Venger's blasts in his hat.

Eric's Life is Horrible Because:

21. He falls off a rock and Bobby makes fun of him for it.

Hank's Bow Can:

69. Collide with one of Venger's blasts, causing a fireworks display.
70. Shoots one arrow that blows up a waterfall, causing a massive flood that puts out a waterfall.

Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series Ep. 22

Today we watch one of the most intense, most "D&D" episodes of the entire series!

You can buy the complete series right here. 

Check out the previous episode recaps: 

Part One (Episodes 1-6)
Part Two (Episodes 7-13)
Episode 14
Episode 15
Episode 16
Episode 17
Episode 18
Episode 19
Episode 20
Episode 21
Episode 22
Episode 23
Episode 24
Episode 25
Episode 26
Episode 27
Episode 28

Episode 22 - The Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn

The heroes are in a ruined city. Erik is carrying a black chest. It is a "box of balefire" that Dungeon Master requested. This alone sounds like it could be a great adventure - searching a ruined city for a mysterious chest.

Bringing the box to the group, Eric decides to open it. It shoots a shaft of light into the sky which apparently has alerted a powerful entity.

Shadow demonflies to a tower and alerts Venger. Is this another new Venger tower? Or is it the same one? It looks different. 

Venger is horrified to find out what the group has done.

As a storm rages, Dungeon Master instructs the group to bury the box.

A massive column of light and lightning approaches Venger's tower, destroying everything in its path. This thing is Venger's master. It is not pleased that Venger has failed to take over the Realm.

The entity blows up a mountain. It has found the group. Dungeon Master explains: "He is not life as we know it. He has many identities on many different worlds. All know him as Evil, the ruler of many universes. His goal is to rule the entire cosmos with evil."

Dungeon Master teleports the group far away, which tires him greatly. The entity catches up immediately and the group ends up back in the ruined city.

Dungeon Master actually blames Hank for allowing Eric to open the box, and urges the heroes not to look on the entity's face.

Eric, of course, looks it right in the face. This is Eric's lowest moment.

The evil entity, from above the clouds, fires energy down at the group. Dungeon Master tries to counter it using the magic of the group's weapons.

There is a flash of light, and the group finds themselves in a cavern. Their magic items aren't working.

Dungeon Master staggers into the chamber, fading in and out. He explains that he has teleported the group to the "underworld," and that he has very little power left. 

The entity thinks the group is dead. Dungeon Master explains that he must cross the plains of fire, recharging his magic and the magic items in the Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn.

Venger and Shadow Demon are also in the cavern, and Venger is also weakened.

As the heroes head toward the dungeon, Presto falls off a cliff and lands on a ledge. The group can't get him, he's stuck there. The heroes move on without him.

Diana is left behind to fight salamanders.

Venger recruits some... evil gnomes, I think.Svirfneblin?

The heroes come to a circular stairwell. At the bottom is the entrance to the dungeon.

There's a purple worm in here! This is insane.

The worm shatters a section of the stairs. Eric stays behind to deal with the worm.

In the entrance is a cavern with a doorway full of light. That's the Heart of Dawn. Venger and his gnomes follow in and attack. Hank says he'll hold them off. Seriously now, how is he going to do that?

Dungeon Master staggers into the heart - a pool of glowing green liquid, and his power is restored. He teleports the group to him.

Dungeon Master recruits Venger to teleport up above to face the entity. But.. it's gone. Apparently, the embodiment of evil went to wreak terror and destruction on other worlds.

We close with a shot of the land, which has been ravaged by the entity.

What a crazy episode! Action from start to finish. This is prime material for an adventure. I guess if you want to nitpick, you can say that there is no actual "dungeon" here. Unless you count one room that is hard to get to a dungeon. Actually, a one-room dungeon sounds like a fun idea.

This is a really strong episode, very inspiring. It reminds you to bring the intensity when running your game.

Stuff that Presto's Hat Does:

52. Summons safety flares, an emergency radio, and a copy of "Ranger Fred's Guide to Survival in the Amazon."

Eric's Life is Horrible Because:

19. He opened a box that summoned the personification of evil.
20. Even after being told not to, he looks the personification of evil in the face, causing it to attack.

Hank's Bow Can:

67. Shoot two arrows into the ground, creating a massive pit.
68. Tie up Venger with a single arrow.

Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series Ep. 21

Today we get the rare Diana-focused adventure. Some good locations and a cool villain in this one.

You can buy the complete series right here. 

Check out the previous episode recaps: 

Part One (Episodes 1-6)
Part Two (Episodes 7-13)
Episode 14
Episode 15
Episode 16
Episode 17
Episode 18
Episode 19
Episode 20
Episode 21
Episode 22
Episode 23
Episode 24
Episode 25
Episode 26
Episode 27
Episode 28

Episode 21 - Child of the Stargazer

The heroes are resting in a pleasant field. Diana washes her face in a sparkling river. Hank and Shiela are sleeping awfully close together.

Staggering from a bush is... some dude. His name is Kosar. The group makes friends with him. He's been locked in a dungeon for ten years.

Dungeon Master pops up and gives us some exposition. The people of Tarrad are hoping a prophecy comes true tonight. The child of the stargazer will stand in the temple of light and banish a demon. The child will journey home.

A bunch of soldiers riding giant bat creatures attack, shooting energy beams from lances.

On a lot of these episodes, they introduce a love interest for one of the characters. Kosar is Diana's dude.

Apparently, the demon to be banished is the ruler of the city: Queen Silith. She has a demon arm, which she can shoot energy out of.

It turns out that the King is quietly opposing the Queen. He actually freed Kosar.

The adventurers head toward the city. A magical tornado suddenly teleports Diana and Kosar away. They appear in Queen Silith's chambers. They jump out of a window, and Diana does some acrobatics to survive the landing. They start running for the Temple of Light as the Queen shoots energy at them.

The rest of the group can't find the city. Dungeon Master tells them to follow a certain star.

As they sneak through the city, Diana says that her father is an astronomer. She could be the child of the stargazer, not Kosar.

The night sky is lit up. The "starfall" is occurring.

The rest of the group reaches the city and heads to the temple, where the Queen is waiting. Removing her hood, we see that half of her face looks like that of a demon's.

A star falls into the temple and hovers, like a glowing orb.

The Queen shoots Kosar in the back. Apparently, he's supposed to walk into the light. Diana does so instead.

Diana turns into a giant covered in magical flame. She turns the Queen into a full demon and banishes her. Then she opens a portal to Earth.

But wait! You're not going to believe this. Kosar needs healing. But if he is healed, the portal goes away! Or something. She heals him, he becomes a being of light and flies into space. No more portal.

Diana is probably the most neglected character of the series, so it's nice to get an episode focused on her. She could be doing a lot more on these shows, especially since the heroes run away so much.

Overall, a very forgettable episode. Frankly, it felt rushed.

Stuff that Presto's Hat Does:

49. Produces an electric razor and shaving kit.
50. Summons a hand mirror.
51. Summons a road map of Pittsburgh.

Hank's Bow Can:

63. Collide with an energy bolt, blocking it.
64. Light up the valley the group is in.
65. Shoot an arrow that ties up 5, count them, 5 guards.
66. Tie up the Queen before she can cast a spell.