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captainofthetidesbreath · 4 years

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Insight Check! — A Look at Insight Checks Against Player Characters in Campaign 2

I often joke that someone calls an Insight check much more often against Fjord than against any other player character, particularly when he gets to talking biographical details. But I got to wondering: is that actually true? (Spoiler, because I take forever to get there: yes, it is.) It’s become much less common as the campaign moved forward, but what ARE the numbers on Insight checks against other players?

I’d like to thank the Critical Role Wiki for their repository of episode transcripts, without which this would’ve been a lot harder. I’d also like to thank @critrolestats for their work in general, but in terms of this project, their All Rolls record was deeply helpful in checking much of my work—too much of which, such as roll values, didn’t make it to this post—and also in making it possible to build the larger context of all Insight checks made so far. I could not imagine building that context without the immense aid of their All Rolls list.

On to the numbers, attempting to start with the broadest and most contextual numbers first and then moving into smaller and smaller scopes. Naturally, this is very image-heavy.

This is as of 2.99: “High Seas, High Stakes”.

Some Things To Keep In Mind

Unless otherwise stated, “Insight check” or “check” without additional qualifiers refer specifically to Insight checks made against another player character.

Certain graphs and charts include guest characters, certain others don’t, and still others represent them in specific ways, so watch out for that; if I haven’t specified otherwise, guests are represented in the numbers.

In reference to Taliesin’s rolls, unless otherwise stated, Molly’s and Caduceus’ rolls are always considered separate categories.

I’ve done the best I can to double-check my numbers, but it’s a lot of data and I’m fallible. (And my Excel workflow and methodology could be so much better.) Let me know if you spot a mistake, or if you have an alternate take on the reading, summarizing, or interpreting of the data here.

I’m trying to work out how to post the graphs in the most readable format. Clicking on them on desktop sidebar-thing off the dashboard does indeed expand them to a readable size. I can’t figure out how to make it work on my theme, so I may upload them elsewhere and link them! Stay tuned. ETA, May 22: I’ve added direct links to the images as hosted here on Tumblr. The links will open in a new tab or window.

Against Player Characters vs. Against Non-Player Characters

There were fifty-nine (59) Insight checks made against another player character so far, out of a total of one hundred and eighty-two (182) Insight checks in general. So, about thirty-two percent (32%) of Insight checks made, or one out of three, were against another player!

Not part of the charts, but Travis asked to make or declared an Insight check “on the DM” (as opposed to against an NPC) three times: 2.64 “A Dangerous Chase”, 2.78: “Between the Lines”, 2.88: “Unwanted Reunions”. Nobody else has tried.

The Insight checks each regular player character made divided into checks against PCs and checks against NPCs. Guest PCs are not represented by their own bars, but checks made against them are included in the totals. [Link to image]

Insight checks each regular player character made against PCs and against NPCs as percentages of their totals. Guest PCs are not represented by their own bars, but checks made against them are included in the totals. [Link to image]

Caleb, Veth, and Molly made more checks against player characters than they’ve made against non-player characters—though, Caleb barely squeaks into this category with sixteen (16) checks against players and fifteen (15) against non-players. Veth and Molly made over seventy percent (70%) of their Insight checks against another player, with Molly leading with 76.9% percent (nice).

A note: Molly rolling more often against PCs than NPCs is not unexpected. As detailed in the next section, rolls against PCs were much more common in first handful of arcs than in the rest of the campaign. By the time of his death in 2.26: “Found & Lost”, over 50% of the total checks against player characters were already made.

Beau runs in the opposite extreme and rolled three (3) checks against PCs and thirty-four (34) against NPCs, making her currently the only player character to have made less than 10% of their total Insight checks against another player.

You’ll notice I’ve left Yasha out. Personally, Ashley’s infamous schedule—having appeared in only 44 of the 99 episodes of Campaign 2 so far—makes it difficult for me to commit to describing the sorts of rolls she’d make. But, Yasha and her grand total of one (1) Insight check, made against Kiri, indeed puts her as having rolled more often against NPCs than against PCs at a perfect 100% against NPCs.

Over Time and Per Episode

Perhaps the most important context for these numbers is that the overwhelming majority of Insight checks against other player characters were made in the earliest arcs of the campaign.

The overall progression of total Insight checks made against another player. At the bottom, the number of such Insight checks made in each episode is displayed in bars. Guest player numbers are included. [Link to image]

By the time the group leaves Trostenwald at the end of 2.04: “Disparate Pieces”, nine (9, nein!) checks have been made, or 15.3% of the total 59 checks made so far. By the time they arrive in Zadash four episodes later at the end of 2.08: “The Gates of Zadash”, an additional ten checks for a total of nineteen (19) have been made—32.2% of the overall.

The fifty percent (50%) mark is hit in episode 2.18: “The Whispers of War” with 52.5% of checks made. Caleb’s Insight check against Caduceus in 2.28: “Within the Nest”, the episode Caduceus is introduced, pushes the total into 66.1% of the checks made.

Because it’s just Nice™, the group hits 69.5% of the total checks made in the episode where we meet Marion, 2.33: “The Ruby and the Sapphire”.

This sort of trend is expected—as the characters increasingly trust each other, and the players come to better understand the personalities and backstories of each character at the table, calls for an Insight check against each other become less common.

2.08: “The Gates of Zadash” had the highest number of Insight checks made against another player character with 5 checks. The fifteen episode stretch starting at 2.75: “Rime and Reason” and ending at 2.89: “Lingering Wounds”, inclusive, is the longest streak of episodes where no checks against another player were made.

Insight Checks Rolled

Total Insight checks made by each player character. [Link to image]

Caleb made the most checks against another player with sixteen (16) checks, 27% of the total. However, Taliesin ties Liam for player who had made the highest number of checks against other players because Molly’s (10) and Caduceus’ (6) totals add up to 16.

Molly and Veth tie for the second highest number of checks made with ten (10) each. However, Veth made one less roll than Molly, because Veth made a single roll against both Jester and Yasha, who were telling similar lies with individual Deception checks, in 2.18: “Whispers of War”.

Yasha is the only regular player character to not roll an Insight check against another player. Shakäste is the only guest so far to roll one.

Insight checks each player character made per episode. [Link to image]

The player character with the most checks made in a single episode is a tie between Caleb, Veth, and Molly. Each made two checks in a single episode in:

2.04: “Disparate Pieces” (Molly)

2.05: “The Open Road” (Caleb)

2.08: “The Gates of Zadash” (Caleb, Molly)

2.09: “Steam and Conversation” (Caleb)

2.16: “A Favor in Kind” (Caleb)

2.18: “Whispers of War” (Veth), though, again, she made only one roll

2.74: “Manifold Morals” (Veth)

Of the 10 checks Veth made, six of them were joke checks or for comedic effect. Arguably seven, depending if one wanted to count her check in 2.23: “Have Bird, Will Travel” to discern if Beau was lying about Hupperdook being a party town at night.

Total number of Insight checks made by each character, plotting the overall progression of the checks. Guests are not represented by their own line, but checks made against them are included in the numbers. [Link to image]

Player Characters Checks Were Made Against, Or Insight Checks Subject To

Of the 59 checks, 8 were not specifically to discern if a deception is going on, if the character is being honest, or if the character is hiding anything:

2.01: “Curious Beginnings” — by Molly against Jester to cold read her for a Tarot reading

2.07: “Hush” — by Veth against Shakäste as a general read, though an attempt to discern if he was being honest about taking people to safety was part of that

2.07: “Hush” — by Shakäste against Veth to discern if he notices her looking at him

2.11: “Zemnian Nights” — by Molly against Veth to discern what she’s whispering to Fjord

2.28: “Within the Nest” — by Caleb against Caduceus to discern if Caduceus is a threat to them

2.30: “The Journey Home” — by Veth against Fjord to discern if he’s different from before

2.55: “Beneath the Well” — by Veth against Yasha to notice if she was Charmed

2.60: “A Turtle By Any Other Name” — by Jester against Fjord to discern if he was acting strangely for any untoward reason (Matt: “Best you can tell, Travis is just being weird.” Travis was stuttering.)

Player characters Insight checks were made against. [Link to image]

Fjord has the greatest number of Insight checks rolled against him at thirteen (13) checks. Veth closely follows, however, with twelve (12) checks made against her. As a comparison, an Insight check was rolled against Essek fourteen (14) times.

Of the total 59 Insight checks, five (5) were against guests: Shakäste, Caliana, Twiggy, and Reani twice. Reani is the only guest to be subject to an Insight check more than once.

Three of these Insight checks resulted in a whisper. Two were from the player rolled against: Laura to Liam in 2.08: “The Gates of Zadash” (she whispers the whisper she got from Matt to Liam, who seems to have checked Jester just for that purpose) and Deborah to Taliesin in 2.45: “The Stowaway”. One was from Matt to Sam after Veth checks Fjord in 2.30: “The Journey Home”, though that check appears to have been rolled mostly for comedic purposes and the whisper was extremely short.

Regular player characters Insight checks were made against. [Link to image]

Insight checks made against each player character per episode. [Link to image]

Caleb has the highest number of checks made against him in a single episode, having been rolled against four times total in 2.04: “Disparate Pieces”.

That episode also sees him rolled against simultaneously by three people, a record among player characters. He said he and Veth were not going to sneak out of town while the rest of the party was confined to the inn due to house arrest; Fjord, Jester, and Molly didn’t initially believe him. If memory serves, the one time this was matched was when Jester, Beau, and Fjord simultaneously rolled checks against the Gentleman after Jester disguises herself as Marion and he claims to have only heard of the Ruby of the Sea in 2.85: “The Threads Converge”.

Fjord is the only player character to get checked more than once in a single conversation against distinct statements by two different people. This happened twice, both times involving Molly and Caleb:

2.05: “The Open Road�� — by Caleb, against pretending he didn’t spit up seawater, and then by Molly and again Caleb, against saying he doesn’t understand much about his falchion

2.16: “A Favor in Kind” — by Caleb, against having started filing his tusks down as a child due to bullying, and by Molly, against there being blood on his mouth because he bit his lip

Technically, so has Caleb in 2.08: “The Gates of Zadash”, as Molly was discerning if he was truthful about not having kids and Beau was discerning if he had kids but the kids are no longer alive. However, I don’t personally consider these distinct statements.

Reani is the only other player character to get checked more than once in a single conversation against distinct statements, both times by Veth in 2.74: “Manifold Morals”.

Total Insight checks each regular player character was subject to, plotting the overall progression of the checks. Guests are not represented by their own line, but checks they made are included in the numbers. [Link to image]

Rolling Against Fjord’s Childhood Damage And Lies About Uk’otoa

One super interesting thing the charts don’t show is that of the thirteen (13) times an Insight check was rolled against Fjord, eleven (11) were specifically to discern if he was making a deceptive statement, and for eight (8) of those 11, he was honest and forthright. The remaining 3 checks, in which he was dishonest or deceptive, were all against moments where Fjord was attempting to lie about or hide a dream of Uk’otoa he’d just woken up from.

Also, he was checked against statements in which he openly and honestly divulged “childhood damage”, backstory details, or biographical information three (3) times—more than any other player character. (Really proving his reluctance to tell anyone a damn thing right!)

2.16: “A Favor in Kind” — by Caleb, regarding Fjord filing his tusks down due to relentless bullying over his orcish heritage (This is the check that prompted Marisha to exclaim, “My childhood damage— Insight check!”)

2.58: “Wood and Steel” — by Caduceus, regarding Fjord stating that he doesn’t know his family because he grew up an orphan (Sam: “Aggressive move.” // Taliesin: “I have been waiting for something.”)

2.91: “Stone to Clay” — by Caduceus, regarding “Stone” being the “shit last name” the orphanage gave him

The following are similar moments, though they don’t really feel comparable given that Fjord was attempting to be forthright about elements of his personal life that haunt him:

2.01: “Curious Beginnings” — Veth, checked by Fjord against her lying she’s not running from anyone

2.02: “A Show of Scrutiny” — Molly, checked by Fjord against his false story about his swords and family

2.04: “Disparate Pieces” — Caleb, checked by Molly against saying he and Nott escaped prison four or five months ago

2.08: “The Gates of Zadash” — Caleb, checked by Molly and Beau against saying he does not currently have nor ever had children

2.08: “The Gates of Zadash” — Jester, checked by Molly against saying she lost her cart and horse because she left them on the side of the road

2.09: “Steam and Conversation” — Yasha, checked by Caleb against saying nobody is chasing her

2.24: “The Hour of Honor” — Molly, checked by Jester against saying he’s done shady and illegal things in the circus, similar to what the Gentleman asked them to do

2.67: “Beyond the Eyes of Angels” — Yasha, checked by Nott against saying she’s never been to the King’s Cage before

When it comes to divulging personal damage, Fjord has been Insight checked for it most often and unlike any other player character.

Checks Made vs. Checks Subject To

Caleb, Molly, and Caduceus are the only characters to make more checks than there were checks made against them.

Total insight checks made against each player character and each player character rolled. Guests are not represented by their own bar, but checks they made and checks made against them are represented in these totals. [Link to image]

Who Rolled Against Whom?

Caleb rolled checks against seven (7) different characters, the highest number of unique targets. Liam is the only player to make a check against every regular member of the table; however, he missed every regular player character, because Caleb never made a check against Molly.

Caleb also holds the record for most checks made against a single player character with five (5) against Fjord, which is 31% of his total checks. All of Caleb’s checks against Fjord were made in the first sixteen episodes of the campaign, the last one being in 2.16: “A Favor In Kind” against why Fjord files his tusks.

Veth is the only one to make a check against more than one guest player and to make more than one check against guests in total, having rolled one against Shakäste and two against Reani.

Insight checks by character each character rolled against. Guests do not have their own bar, but rolls made against them by regular players are represented. [Link to image]

Insight checks organized by the character rolling, then the character they rolled against. Guests are not represented in this chart in any way. [Link to image]

Veth has the highest number of unique characters making a check against her, having been checked by six (6) people including Shakäste; counting only regular members of table, she ties Fjord and Jester at five (5). Veth is the only character to have a guest roll an Insight check against her.

Thirty-eight percent (38%) of the checks made against Fjord were by Caleb.

Insight checks by the character who rolled the check. [Link to image]

Insight checks organized by the character the check was made against, then the character rolling. Guests are not represented in this chart in any way. [Link to image]

Duos

Insight checks made between two pairs of player characters. Guests are not represented in this chart in any way. [Link to image]

Of the 27 possible pairs of regular characters at the table, there are six (6) of them where neither character has made a check against the other; all six of those duos involve Beau or Yasha.

Caleb and Veth are the only players to have seen an Insight check in all their possible duos at the table, either made by them or made against them.

Continuing on “the number of checks Caleb made against Fjord is sort of ridiculous” trend throughout all this, the number of checks Caleb made against Fjord is greater than the total checks any other duo exchanged between one another.

Some Favorite Insight Checks Against Players

This endeavor involved looking at all the Insight checks against players and why they were being made. Here’s a few of my favorites, just for fun:

2.11: “Zemnian Nights” — Veth is caught going through Fjord’s bag, and she lies to him that she was hungry and looking for seafood. Fjord’s Insight check is a Nat 20. Veth: “I was not looking for shrimp.”

2.16: “A Favor in Kind” — The group discovered the journal about the Crawling King. Matt asks for Religion checks from anyone who wants to make one. Travis rolls for fun. Caleb and Molly failed their checks, but Fjord rolls a dirty 20. Despite Travis saying he wasn’t intending to count it, Matt counts it and Fjord “esoterically” (through his warlock pact) recalls the face of the Crawling King. This prompts an Insight check from Caleb on whether or not Fjord’s telling the truth about the source of the information being as if from a dream he isn’t sure really happened.

2.18: “Whispers of War” — Veth’s single-roll, double-check against Jester and Yasha was about them lying about there being an orgy in their room last night and, as Yasha provides, Jester and Fjord were making out.

2.24: “The Hour of Honor” — Veth refuses to believe that Fjord has ever had sex before. When Sam declares he’s making the Insight check, Taliesin exclaims, out of character, “Thank you!!”

2.25: “Divergent Paths” — Beau fakes passing out in Yasha’s arms when Yasha picks her up after a difficult battle. Molly attempts to discern if she really did pass out. He fails.

2.33: “The Ruby and the Sapphire” — Fjord attempts to discern if Jester is lying about having seen a sea monster tentacle one time when Fjord claims sea monsters are not real. She is. He rolls a 14, and Travis determines Fjord believes her anyway.

2.74: “Manifold Morals” — Veth makes checks against Reani to discern if she’s REALLY enjoying that cupcake and does she REALLY have no milk in the house.

2.92: “Home is Where the Heart Is” — The infamous Jester lies to Caleb that Essek said in his message he loves Caleb.

#Critical Role #Critical Role things #long post for ts #This is a VERY long post. And has 16 charts.#cr meta

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