Fresh Cut Grass

Fresh Cut Grass, or F.C.G. for short, is an automaton cleric and a member of the Campaign Three adventuring party. F.C.G. is played by Sam Riegel.

Appearance
FCG has yellow metallic plating, with four chestplate stripes that look like blades of grass, and rolls around on a tiny wheel. He has big blue eyes of different shapes.

FCG eats metal rather than organic food for sustenance. They described it as a very complicated self-repairing system that their creator Dancer designed for them that needs raw materials to operate. The portions of consumed materials that they don't require (such as the non-metallic components of ore) are excreted through their mouth.

Personality
FCG is extraordinarily kind, polite, and helpful. He considers Ashton Greymoore a close friend and is keen to aid in their various crude pursuits. FCG is well aware that he is an automaton and does not believe that he has a soul.

Background
Fresh Cut Grass was part of a group of adventurers working out of Bassuras/Bosarus. A couple of months before joining the Campaign Three adventuring party, they were hired to clear out a silver mine (near Evishi in the Oderan Wilds) from unknown monsters, possibly one-eyed. The adventurers camped outside the cave to rest for the night, with FCG going into a stasis not far from the group. On the following morning, he awoke from the stasis to find the other party members deceased.

FCG met Ashton when the latter was sent in on a job to find what happened in the mines. Ashton discovered FCG, who was glad that Ashton had come to help them. Together they buried the bodies, but FCG kept some of the other automaton parts with him, including the sawblade used in combat.

Chapter 20
FCG had accompanied Ashton to the Spire by Fire Inn on a search for employment when a magical disturbance nearby created several animated objects that threatened to attack innocents. To fight the constructs, FCG and Ashton spontaneously coordinated with two other groups: Imogen Temult and Laudna; and Dorian Storm, Fearne Calloway, and Orym. The seven individuals' effectiveness as a team impressed Bertrand Bell, who promised to make introductions to high-placed people in the city to help them with their various goals, and took them to see Lord Ariks Eshteross.

Ashton Greymoore
Ashton has been FCG's closest companion since the incident at the mines. The two both live at Krook House, and FCG occasionally helps Ashton cheat at cards.

Abilities
Per Matthew Mercer, FCG is playing a homebrewed subclass of cleric. Though they use the game mechanics of a cleric, their magical abilities appear to be something they were built with, rather than something they get through worship of a god.

Cleric abilities

 * Divine Domain: Empathy Domain
 * Channel Divinity
 * Sympathetic Binding
 * Transfer Suffering: As a reaction, FCG transfers half of the damage dealt to a nearby creature onto FCG instead.

Domain spells
Fresh Cut Grass always has access to these spells.

2nd level

 * Detect Thoughts

Cantrips

 * ''Guidance
 * Spare the Dying

1st level

 * Bless
 * Healing Word
 * Shield of Faith

2nd level

 * Spiritual Weapon

Notable items

 * A sawblade attachment
 * Grappling cannon
 * Goggles of Object Reading

Behind the scenes
Fresh Cut Grass's race and class were decided by Liam in a manner similar to how Sam's previous characters Scanlan Shorthalt and Veth Brenatto (as a goblin) had a race and class suggested by Liam O'Brien, though Liam stated that it was a mandate in Campaign Three. Fresh Cut Grass as a character is mainly inspired by Jack McBrayer, who is a friend of Sam's. He felt that McBrayer's personality as "a ray of sunshine and optimism" perfectly suited an automaton's programming. He also noted Ted Lasso as a likely influence, as he was watching the series before the campaign. He further asked Matthew Mercer if he could play as a therapist, and this resulted in the development of the homebrewed Empathy Domain.

Quotations

 * "Smiley day there."
 * (after someone accidentally dumps a piss bucket on him) "Sorry I was in your way. I apologize."
 * "Shiny day to you!"

Trivia

 * FCG uses he/they pronouns.
 * As has become standard for Critical Role campaigns, FCG's race and class were chosen not by Sam Riegel, but by Liam O'Brien.
 * FCG was named by their former associate and creator Dancer, who named all her creations after her favorite smells, including Oatmeal, Apple Pie, and Pussy.
 * FCG's Miniature was accidentally broken by Matt Mercer during his debut episode.
 * As they are both a robot and an apparently healing-oriented cleric, Fresh Cut Grass is literally a "healbot". The term usually describes a support player who focuses only on healing other members of the party, often to the point of ignoring other abilities they may have and often in a manner considered repetitive and rote.
 * As of 843 PD, it is considered unusual for an automaton to talk.
 * FCG is the first Cleric in a main Campaign to have no apparent connection to any Deity or lesser idol.