I did it! I finished listening to all 100 episodes of the first campaign of Not Another DnD (NADDPOD) podcast. This campaign was everything I remembered and so much more. I remembered some pieces from the first time I listened, but there was so much I completely forgot about. I wanted to share some of my favorite moments from the last 50 episodes of NADDPOD.

In case you missed my first post summarizing the first 50 episodes, I wanted to provide a summary. NADDPOD is a TTRPG podcast where the cast are playing Dungeons & Dragons. The podcast follows three characters: Moonshine Cybin (played by Emily Axford), Beverly Toegold V (played by Caldwell Tanner), and Hardwon Surefoot (played by Jake Hurwitz). The campaign is DMed by Brian Murphy or Murph for short. The first campaign focuses on Moonshine, Beverly, and Hardwon as they attempt to save Bahumia again.

Spoilers for the last 50 episodes of NADDPOD

The History of Balnor – Episode #51

In episode #51, the characters are reunited with Alannis, one of the original saviors of Bahumia. She reveals a lot of background into how she tried to take out Thiala, another of the saviors of Bahumia. When Alannis speaks, she talks about Balnor and how Balnor came to them. Balnor was originally picked out of the “Deck of Many Things”, however, Alannis says that Balnor was placed there by her. Alannis found Balnor after his family was killed by Drow Elves. Alannis asked if Balnor wanted to help and he agreed. Alannis put Balnor in the card the group drew.

This was so heartbreaking! It shows what a good DM Murph is because of the way he links his stories together. Who would have thought a knight could have had such a tragic backstory? Balnor has helped the group so much and they would not be alive without him.

Hardwon getting turned into a Vampire – Episode #61

In Shadowfell, the group enters a vampire club. After some back and forth, a group of vampires attack and take Hardwon. Hardwon is drained by one of the vampires and after a tense moment, he’s let go. This forever changes Hardwon’s character because after escaping Shadowfell, Moonshine casts Reincarnate on Hardwon and he’s reborn as a half-elf instead of a dwarf.

I chose this moment because of how it shaped Hardwon’s story. His backstory is how he grew up in an orphanage and didn’t feel connected to the other dwarves. You could tell that Jake felt a little down after this happened. Once he’s reborn as a half-elf, he gets the respect of the other dwarven kings who accept Hardwon as worthy to keep wielding the king’s hammer even though he isn’t a dwarf.

Lydia Stormborn becoming the new leader of Shadowfell – Episode #69

Lydia Stormborn is Hardwon’s mom. Lydia was killed by Galad Rosell and became a Revenant. Hardwon kills Galad which traps Lydia in Shadowfell. The group travels to Shadowfell to save Lydia. After defeating Galad a second time, Lydia becomes the new ruler of Shadowfell.

Hardwon reuniting with his mom was so sweet. Lydia becomes an ally to the group and has several personal conversations with each of them. Despite everything she’s been through, she rises to the occasion and becomes the person she was always meant to be.

Moonshine meets her dad. – Episode #70

Before the events of the campaign, Moonshine never knew her father. It’s revealed that Moonshine’s dad is Lucanus, a high elf. In Bahumia, the High Elves are seen as high and mighty while the Crick Elves are seen as inferior and dense. Moonshine was shocked to learn that her father was a High Elf. This may not be the first episode where they meet, but it’s the episode where Lucanus asks Moonshine for a hug. While Lucanus is introduced later in the campaign, he helps Moonshine learn and evolve.

Moonshine Learns Counterspell – Episode #90

Speaking of learning and evolving, Moonshine learns Counterspell from Lucanus. For those who will be extra critical, Counterspell is not a spell Druid’s would be able to take. That’s the beauty of TTRPGs, you can homebrew anything. As someone who uses Counterspell frequently, it’s clutch to have someone in your party that can Counterspell.

This is a lovely moment between Lucanus and Moonshine. Moonshine is not known to study and Lucanus brings it out of her. There’s a moment later on where Moonshine does Counterspell one of Lucanus’s spells after he’s under the influence of a plague. He is so proud of her once he’s told of what happened.

Jaina and Moonshine getting together – Episode #99

One part of some TTRPG campaigns and live shows is romance. Jaina, one of Hardwon’s closest allies, approaches Hardwon asking if she can date Moonshine. It leads to an awkward and endearing moment between the two leaving Hardwon to give his blessing. Jaina talks to Moonshine and they have fun together before the final battle.

I love these two together! It’s not revealed if they have been together for a long time or if this was a fling, but I ship these two together.

Hardwon rolling so many critical hits on Thiala – Episode #100

In the last episode, the group goes after Thiala. Hardwon unlocks reckless attacks meaning he can attack with advantage. He’s a fighter which means he can get a critical hit on a 19 or a 20. I believe there was an ability where he could get a critical hit on a 17 or 18??? I can’t remember the mechanics off the top of my head. Hardwon rolled SO MANY critical hits against Thiala. He was carrying this fight.

I hope Jake saved the d20 he rolled throughout that episode. I picked this moment because, without Hardwon, I think the group wouldn’t have survived. Every group needs a party member who can deal huge amounts of damage.

Balnor being reunited with his family – Episode #100

To end the campaign, Alannis reveals that she can make a wish to return Balnor to the moment the Drow Elves attack his family. With Balnor leveling up with the group, he’s strong enough to defend his village. The group tearfully wishes Balnor goodbye and good luck as Alannis guides Balnor away.

I wasn’t crying. Nope. Not at all. I am so happy for Balnor! He gets to explain all of this to his son, Bobby. How his dad saved the world and how his dad protected him. This was a great send-off to Balnor who is arguably the most important NPC in this campaign.

This might be my all-time favorite TTRPG campaign. There were so many great moments. As far as what’s next, I’m going to listen to Trinyvale which is a campaign that Caldwell DMs. After that, I’m going to listen to Hot Boy Summer which Emily DMed. My goal is to get all caught up on campaign #3. It will be weird to have to wait for the next NADDPOD episode to drop. I still have some time before that happens.