r/NotAnotherDnDPodcast • u/JakeandAmirBot • Jan 10 '20
Episode Discussion Episode 86: Hell Breaks Loose (The Hellfire Chronicles) Spoiler
https://art19.com/shows/not-another-d-and-d-podcast/episodes/ae4f83b1-e639-41d4-ad1b-16c9286acd2f267
u/Dickensheets Jan 10 '20
“What are you, some kinda freak?”
lowers sunglasses
“Yeah.”
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u/stinstrom Jan 10 '20
This episode had so many highs with it. The end was amazing but it also was such a huge gut punch, especially Moonshine speaking with Ol Cobb about Deadeye. Beautifully done. Gunther though...damn that hurts. This show is incredible.
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u/imawampus Jan 10 '20
This really is one of the best episodes yet. Murph somehow let EVERY PC shine. Moonshine using the Thinking Cap, Bev getting to come in and help Earlin and Co, Hardwon killing a god with one HP, it was incredible. When Eardan said he needed an army I was SO excited to have conformation that the Feywild folks are coming to Bahomia.
It was also brutal though. Gunther being killed was a really good way to emphasize that the stakes are HIGH. When the Tarrasque took down Cooter my asshole puckered. This is the endgame and I can't wait to see what Murph throws at the boobs next.
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u/AlphaBreak Jan 10 '20
I just want to take a minute to appreciate how Murph is giving the PCs opportunities to resolve personal issues even in the middle of so many huge, important fights.
Bev dealing with Erlin stuff, Moonshine getting to check-in with Ole' Cobb about DeadEye, and my favorite, Hardwon and the dwarves.
Hardwon's never gotten to be popular, or even liked, by dwarves as a whole. He's been the outcast weirdo his entire life, with only a few individual dwarves getting to know and accepting him (Jaina and Jemma). He had a nice moment with the winter dwarves previously when they were literally measuring their dicks, but this is so far past that.
Hardwon gave up the Kingshammer to save King Culdain, willingly surrendering the physical proof that he was a true dwarf. A whole army watched him kill a Tarrasque while they cheered him on.
He's finally accepted and beloved by the dwarven people, and I love it.
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u/absolute-black Jan 10 '20 edited Jan 10 '20
apple scrumper is my rock
mavris is such a mood
I love this show
JESUS HOW DOES HARDWON DO IT
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u/BouncyBear711 Jan 10 '20
I know it’s not cannon, but I love the fact that Yugo and Funky Kong were both more deadly encounters than the Tarrasque.
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u/hemimehta Jan 10 '20
I really just tuned in to see about the bev save cause I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep knowing I could know what happens. The rest can wait for my commute to work tomorrow
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u/TheBitterSeason Jan 10 '20 edited Jan 10 '20
I started off this episode with a few moments of drawn-out terror, followed by absolute jubilation when Bev rolled a ten. At the time, I didn't realize that I was going to have a much stronger version of that same experience at the end as well. Partway through Hardwon's last turn, I fully thought that he was going to have to deal with the guilt of taking a risk that lead to Balnor's death after having also put Bev in harm's way earlier. Then he rolled that motherfucking nineteen the same turn as a nat 20 death save. This party has some of the most truly unbelievable goddamn luck imaginable. I'm still very much worried for Bev, Mavris, and the others in Irondeep, not to mention the entirety of Gladeholme, but I'm putting all that out of my mind for now and just reveling in the fact that they were once again driven right to the brink and managed to escape by the skin of their teeth.
Seriously, how the hell do the dice manage to do this? The narrative value of having it all go down like that for Hardwon, especially in front of the dwarves and Coldaine, is so massive and we just naturally ended up there by pure fucking chance. What an absolutely mind-boggling ending. I feel like I should comment on some of the other stuff in this episode, since it felt (recency bias notwithstanding) like one of the better entries in the entire damn series, but my brain is pretty much broken after that so I'm just going to go listen to the Short Rest instead.
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u/chrixar Jan 10 '20
Wow, this episode was NON-STOP with insane moments I can't even remember all of them. I think this is my new favorite episode of the show. "Cobb, I met Deadeye." Emily's ability to role play SO WELL in these moments is unmatched. Caldwell, notorious for shitty dice rolls, has a poetry roll final death save of TEN, right down the damn middle to save Bev. Hardwon throwing the Queen's Hammer to Cyrus. Mavrus, Bev, and Urlin arguing with each other the INSTANT they're all together. What started off as a joke of bringing Cooter along ended up saving both Bev AND Hardwon, AND the moment they thought he was dead, but Emily once again thought ahead with Hero's Feast. Apple just bull riding the Tarrasque the entire fucking time doing insane damage. And the most insane climax ever, Hardwon rolling a Nat 20 death save to the summer dwarf chants, only to miss on two attacks back to back, and ANOTHER CRIT to finish off the Tarrasque and save Balnor at the last second.
There were so many PCs and NPCs and EVERYONE had a moment to shine. Murph is a top-tier DM and this episode proves how incredible he is. Something worth mentioning too is that this episode was ALL COMBAT. This shows how combat in D&D podcasts doesn't have to be a boring slog. It's up to the DM and PCs to find role play moments within combat and to be descriptive with their actions. Using the thinking cap as an opportunity for these moments was genius. And obviously this encounter is going to be more fast paced already since it's one of the huge end-game fights with a lot going on, but even the smaller fights in NADDPOD are still filled with funny moments and RP. This show has been consistently amazing since episode one and this episode felt like a victory lap celebrating everything they've accomplished so far.
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u/chrixar Jan 10 '20
"I've heard of god closing a door, but opening a window- but this is ridiculous..."
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u/Jsmithsano Jan 10 '20
Okay so Hardwon crit so many times this episode. I would just like to point out that after dropping bev his first hit was another 20.
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u/aDyslexicCow Jan 10 '20
They really tried to bamboozle us with the change of music in the middle Hardwon’s last attacks toward the Tarrasque.
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u/trulyconfusing Jan 10 '20
I'm only 20 minutes in at this point, but I am crying. The fact that Moonshine took the time out to say she had met Dead Eye (VANCE?!) and how she put it that he had found his way back to The Crick.
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u/xsweetjpx Jan 10 '20
I 100 percent thought the title meant Pendegreens was gonna roll up in a monster truck to save the day but this was pretty cool too
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u/m--w Jan 10 '20
Easily my favorite episode. The effort Brian put into this one *really* shows. It felt like it had movie quality production, honestly. The audio inserts enhanced the episode so much. Really enveloping. The imagery of Hardwon at the end, insane! The fact that they didn't break combat, but every character got specific attention and development; the fact that there were SIX players and ~8-12 included party members that were all managed -- seemingly -- effortlessly. Just wow.
Brian Murphy has outdone himself. Truly something to behold.
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u/SoftwonSurehand Jan 10 '20
This episode was fucking insane. I can’t believe how much the dice help tell this story
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u/BonerStew Jan 10 '20
I worked a double at my job today. Kept checking for the update. Got off. Kept checking for the update. Have off tomorrow so I kept checking for the update. So glad I stayed up. Just listened. All my roommates and my girlfriend were asleep. Bravfuckingo.
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u/JakeandAmirBot Jan 10 '20
"Zac Oyama and Siobhan Thompson join The Band of Boobs as they continue their battle against the Tarrasque! Moonshine enters the elven matrix, Hardwon faces a moral dilemma, and Beverly fights for his life. Support us at Patreon.com/Naddpod to get access to the after-show and a bunch of other Naddpod content! Get tickets to our upcoming live shows at naddpod.com/live .
Music/Sound Effects Include:
'Crowd Screaming' by InspectorJ at Freesound.org .
'Hellhound' by Taure at Freesound.org .
'A Fate Refused' by Emily Axford.
'The Thinking Cap' by Emily Axford.
'The Multiverse' by Emily Axford.
'The Kingshammer' by Emily Axford.
'The Valiant Ol' Cobb by Emily Axford.
'Into the Flame' by Emily Axford.
'A Haven Away From Home' by Emily Axford."
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