Podcast Summary: Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry

Episode: Part 1: The Inquisitors | Starter Kit - Advanced D&D

Host: geekandsundry
Date: November 3, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively episode of Starter Kit, Geek & Sundry’s Jason Charles Miller and Dungeon Master David Nett guide a new table of adventurers through an urban mystery set in a dramatically expanded version of the classic Dungeons & Dragons setting, Greyhawk. Departing from traditional dungeon crawls, the team roleplays as members of the elite City Watch branch known as the Inquisitors, investigating a grisly mass homicide in one of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods. First-time and experienced D&D players unite to showcase fifth-level play, creative character backstories, collaborative storytelling, and the improvisational fun of an actual-play tabletop RPG session.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: City Adventure in a Homebrew Greyhawk (00:01-02:35)

• Urban vs Dungeon Adventure:
  The party pivots from classic dungeon delving to urban intrigue. Jason (A) and David (B) discuss how city-based games focus on investigation, roleplay, and non-combat problem solving, offering a different flavor than "kick down the door" adventuring.
  Quote (B, 02:10): "In an urban adventure, most of your adventure is interacting with non-player characters, learning things, figuring things out... solving mysteries."

• Homebrew Take on Greyhawk:
  David’s Greyhawk diverges significantly from standard lore—from population size to the composition of city guard branches—building on decades of personal campaign history.
  Quote (B, 01:02): "My free city of Greyhawk is a bustling metropolis of a quarter of a million people... a big sprawling city inside and outside of the walls."

2. Advanced Character Generation for One-Shots (02:35-03:29)

• The party starts at fifth level for a richer, more "powered up" one-shot or convention play experience.
  Quote (B, 03:01): "Fifth level is where a lot of characters come into their own... the wizard gets a fireball. Everything changes."

3. Meet the Characters: Inquisitor Squad Introductions (06:21-11:54)

Each player introduces their unique character—background, race, class, quirks, and how they're tailored to detective work:

• Gnarlak (A): Githzerai cleric/sorcerer, "better than all of you" attitude. (06:21)
• Shywin (C): Half-elf ranger, used to working undercover, carries outsider’s reserve. (06:59)
• Rayviel (D): Warlock wood elf, ex-police with survivor’s guilt and a demon "companion," Cha Cha. (08:06)
• Igneous (H): Earth Genasi druid, introspective, connected to Greyhawk’s bedrock. (09:50)
• Leona Amblecrown (E): Human fighter, City Watch legacy, aspiring to her grandmother’s Inquisitor legacy, possesses a magic sword and strong leadership qualities. (10:54)

Memorable Moment:
Leona gets praised for her "crazy high stats," generating lively banter about dice luck. (11:39)

4. Establishing Team Chemistry: Bar Story Time (11:54-19:43)

Players share in-character "tavern stories" from their year together, adding depth and mirth to team bonds:

• Rayviel: The "hot potato" with seized illicit substances—destroyed "because we are honorable." (12:37)
• Shywin: Undercover Griffin-busting with Igneous, embarrassed by a rare display of tenderness. (13:55)
• Leona: Scene-stealing tale of reserved Shywin silencing a heckler with perfect archery. (14:57, resumes after ad at 17:46)
• Gnarlak: Overblown heroics saving Rayviel—comically exaggerated. (18:13)
• Igneous: Poacher-hunting adventure with Leona, illustrating trust beyond appearances. (19:11)

5. The First Case: Called to the Scene (20:20-27:01)

• The squad is summoned by respected halfling Captain Smiles (22:29), then briefed by a rattled young Crimson Cloak: a murder with "a bunch of people dead" at a Garden District mansion.
  Quote (B, 24:25): "Did you see the bodies inside?" - "No, I was outside... I just ran as fast as I could here."

6. Initial Investigation: Entering the Crime Scene (27:01-34:54)

• Outside:
  Two slain private guards, victims of quick and professional knife work. The team uses a group investigation check (31:22–31:34) to analyze time of death and method.

• Inside:
  Seven more bodies scattered in a spectacularly bloody upstairs hallway; marks and clues suggest gang involvement.

  • Important discoveries:
    • Multiple tattooed symbols on bodies/arms indicate rival gangs.
    • Trail of blood leads into servant quarters. Quote (B, 28:50): “Seven more bodies upstairs in various states of torn apart.”

• Notable Quotes:

  • (B, 32:05): "These guys were put away pretty professionally."
  • (C, 39:59): "Pull up the sleeves... you find this is the symbol of the Harpies... an important gang in the thieves quarter."

7. Clue Analysis: Gangs, Symbols, and a Hidden Path (34:54-44:03)

• Multiple tattoos point to a brewing gang war or a meeting gone wrong.
  • Leona identifies the "Rivers" gang's mark—intel from her brother, a beat cop.
  • Shywin identifies the "Harpies" tattoo (but lacks deep gang knowledge).
  • Igneous observes an arm "torn, not cut" (36:28), marking unusual violence.
  • Gnarlak follows a deliberate "paintbrush" blood mark to a servants’ hallway. (43:44)

8. Servants' Quarters Exploration & Sudden Peril (44:03-49:22)

• The party investigates, room by room. After two empty servants’ bedrooms, Shywin hears movement next door (46:20–46:26). A cloaked figure bolts—Igneous gives chase.

• Initiative is rolled; Igneous tackles the suspect (48:39), but as the young man tries to confess, horrific tentacles emerge from his mouth.
  Quote (H, 49:22): "Oh, no."

• Cliffhanger Ending:
  The session halts at the emergence of this nightmarish parasite—setting up a tense standoff for part two.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On why fifth-level play is fun:

  "Fifth level is where a lot of characters come into their own. The game's a lot more balanced now than when I started. Fifth level is where a wizard gets a fireball. Everything changes, right?"
  – David Nett, 03:01

• On creating personalized Greyhawk:

  "It's not a lot like the published version ... With all the history that all my games have brought to it, lots of intrigue and mystery, and a lot of things that, again, if you think about the Greyhawk setting as it was published, that has nothing to do with my game." – David Nett, 01:02

• On D&D milestones:

  "This is my first time playing, and I've already got a dice collection."
  – Shywin (C), 05:48

• Humor & Camaraderie:

  "You can never have too many dice, right?"
  – David Nett, 05:44

• Shywin’s quiet steel:

  "...she wordlessly whips out her bow, shoots an arrow across this alley, pins the shoulder of his garment to the wall. He's pinned, stunned silent. And then she just turns and walks away."
  – Leona (E), 17:46

• First signs of horror:

  "...he opens his mouth like he's gonna tell you something. And you see coming from the back of his throat, these two mandibles that just like start to stick. And these tentacles crawl out of one side of his face, the other, long tentacles, like, sticking out from his throat, reaching toward you."
  – David Nett, 49:22

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Urban Setting: 00:01–02:35
• Fifth-Level Character Design: 02:35–03:29
• Character Introductions: 06:21–11:54
• Team Bonding Stories: 11:54–19:43
• Captain Smiles’ Summons: 20:20–24:25
• Arriving at the Crime Scene: 27:01–28:50
• First Forensic Investigation: 31:22–34:54
• Tattoo Analysis & Gang Lore: 37:32–39:59
• Following the Blood Trail: 43:44–44:03
• Confrontation in Servant’s Quarters: 46:20–49:22
• Cliffhanger (Tentacle Creature): 49:22–49:33

Conclusion

Episode 1 plunges the Starter Kit squad of Inquisitors into the heart of urban mystery and supernatural horror, deftly balancing quirky team chemistry, rich world-building, and atmospheric tension. The combination of seasoned narration, detailed roleplay, and unexpected escalation (from gang violence to Lovecraftian menace) offers both new and veteran players a taste of D&D’s versatile storytelling potential. The episode closes on a high-stakes cliffhanger, promising even more intrigue, danger, and roleplaying drama in part two.

Tune in next time to discover the truth behind the mansion massacre, the secrets of Greyhawk's underworld, and the horror that lurks within...