Ayden

Ayden
Player character
Official art of Ayden, by Hannah Friederichs.[art 1]
Basic information
ActorNick Marini
RaceHuman (Variant)[1]
Class
Biographical information
Pronounshe/him
TitlesThe Dawnchild
Also known asPelor
Age15 (in mortal form)
LanguagesCommon, Abyssal, Celestial, Druidic, Primordial[1]
Places
Status
StatusReturned to the divine form
Mechanical information
Creature typeHumanoid
BackgroundKnight of Solamnia[1]
Level20[2] (Barbarian 1/Druid 2/Paladin 8, Cleric 9)[1]
HP
255		 AC
23		 DC
19
Strength
20		 Dexterity
20[3]		 Constitution
20[4]
Intelligence
20		 Wisdom
20		 Charisma
20[5]
Stats reference[6][1]
Appearances
First seen"Downfall: Part One" (3x99)
Last seen"Downfall: Part Three" (3x101)
StreamCampaign 3 (3 episodes)

Ayden is a human barbarian / cleric / druid / paladin multiclass and avatar of Pelor during The Calamity. Ayden is played by Nick Marini in Downfall.

Description[edit | edit source]

Ayden is a teenage boy with brown eyes and hair. He carries a shield and a staff, the latter of which is etched with constellations.[7]

The Dawnfather sent Ayden as the aspects of himself that was most of all resembling the aspects of the Everlight, because the Dawnfather was worried for her the most out of all the gods and wanted to support her. Ayden is the cleric of peace, which isn't the domain of the Dawnfather, but the domain of the Everlight.[8]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Downfall[edit | edit source]

Ayden arrived in Hawk's Hill with Trist. Upon hearing the requirements for those granted entry to Aeor, he tried to heal a sick elderly man, but the man died. Emhira told him he cannot save everyone, and he told her he had to try.[9] He also secretly cast Create Food and Water for a group of beggars.[10] While boarding, he saw an elderly gnome woman and her family be kicked off for carrying a symbol of the Dawnfather, and made eye contact with her.[11]

Ayden lit up the Chamber of Seasons when the group met with their Betrayer God counterparts,[12] and along with Trist, opposed the destruction of all of Aeor, arguing instead for destroying just the relevant machinery.[13] He also defended Trist when Milo Cowst mocked her.[14] Ultimately, he, Trist, Arcadia Cerenvetorix, and Milo all went to find a way to gain entry into the Genesis Ward.[15] He also cast Rary's Telepathic Bond on all present, which simultaneously restored the ruined temple; and Death Ward on The Emissary.[16]

Ayden prayed to the family the gods had once been before they left the temple, and as he did, Trist realized that someone had prayed to her recently within the temple on behalf of her son Hallis. After some investigation and assistance from Emhira and Umleta, Ayden, Trist, Milo, and Arcadia went to Exeletor Hospital within the Opus Ward where Hallis was being treated.[17] As Trist prepared to heal the boy, Milo left, and Ayden followed him. Milo asked him why they couldn't keep their truce after this mission, harming one of the physicians at the hospital as he did so.[18] Ayden cast Protection from Evil and Good to release the physician and Milo angrily left. Ayden then channeled divinity to heal the injured, and addressed a "father", asking to be hope and a new dawn.[19]

Once the group at the hospital realized they were needed at the Obtenebrator, Cassida Previn, Hallis's mother, Teleported them there[20] and Ayden cast Guiding Bolt on the badly damaged device before granting Tishar another attack to destroy it.[21]

Ayden went to the Factorum Malleus with a number of the other divine avatars, serving as a tank and healer for much of the ensuing fight.[22] He also argued with Acastriel, who was extremely angry with him.[23] After a number of the wards of the Latimus Princeps were broken, he cast Sunburst, killing most of the remaining foes and blinding Primarch Selena.[24] After the weapon and wards were destroyed, he left with Trist, Asha, and Emhira, and, crying, told Trist that he had hoped to be able to save the people of Aeor.[25] He then asked Asmodeus why it had to be like this, and Asmodeus angrily told him it was his fault and that he hated him. Ayden told him not to lie to him, and in doing so, resumed his form as the Dawnfather.[26]

Character information[edit | edit source]

Notable items[edit | edit source]

Abilities[edit | edit source]

Human (Variant) abilities[edit | edit source]

  • Bonus feat (Remarkable Recovery)[1]
  • Bonus skill proficiency[1]

Feats[edit | edit source]

  • Spelldriver[27]
  • Remarkable Recovery[28]
  • Squire of Solamnia[1]
  • Knight of the Crown[29]
  • Tough[1]
  • Warcaster[1]

Barbarian abilities[edit | edit source]

  • Rage
  • Unarmored Defense

Cleric abilities[edit | edit source]

  • Spellcasting
  • Divine Domain: Peace Domain
    • Implement of Peace
    • Emboldening Bond[30]
    • Channel Divinity: Balm of Peace[31]
    • Protective Bond[32]
  • Channel Divinity
  • Destroy Undead

Druid abilities[edit | edit source]

  • Spellcasting
  • Druidic
  • Wild Shape
  • Druid Circle: Circle of Stars
    • Star Map
    • Starry Form[33]

Paladin abilities[edit | edit source]

  • Divine Sense
  • Lay on Hands
  • Fighting Style
  • Spellcasting
  • Divine Smite
  • Divine Health
  • Sacred Oath: Oath of Ancients
  • Extra Attack
  • Aura of Protection[34]

Other abilities[edit | edit source]

  • Ayden has a blindsight within 10 ft f him.[35][1]
  • Ayden is resistant to damage from spells and disease.[1]

Proficiencies[edit | edit source]

Proficiency Source Ref.
Athletics Background (Knight of Solamnia) [3][1]
Insight Paladin [36][1]
Nature Cleric [1]
Perception Cleric [1]
Persuasion Paladin [1]
Survival Background (Knight of Solamnia) [1]

Spells[edit | edit source]

Note: As of "Downfall: Part One" (3x99), the specific sources of most of these spells are unknown; see notes in table.

Spell Level Notes Ref.
Guidance Cantrip Cleric or Druid [37]
Guiding Bolt 1st Cleric or Druid (Star Map) [21]
Heroism 1st Cleric (Peace domain)
Longstrider 1st Druid [38]
Protection from Evil and Good 1st Cleric or Paladin [39]
Sanctuary 1st Cleric (Peace domain) [40]
Aid 2nd Cleric (Peace domain)
Lesser Restoration 2nd Cleric, Druid, or Paladin [9]
Warding Bond 2nd Cleric (Peace domain) [38]
Beacon of Hope 3rd Cleric (Peace domain)
Create Food and Water 3rd Cleric or Paladin [10]
Sending 3rd Cleric (Peace domain)
Aura of Purity 4th Cleric (Peace domain)
Death Ward 4th Cleric[fn 1] [41]
Otiluke's Resilient Sphere 4th Cleric (Peace domain)
Greater Restoration 5th Cleric (Peace domain)
Rary's Telepathic Bond 5th Cleric (Peace domain) [16]
Sunburst 8th Druid [42]
Mass Cure Wounds 9th Cleric [43]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Nick wanted to create the best support character he could, focusing his build on Cleric and Paladin classes. He chose the Cleric's Peace Domain, because the Dawnfather (his deity) and the Everlight (the deity of his close ally) shared 2 out of 3 Domains ("Life" and "Light"), and the Dawnfather was missing the Everlight's 3rd domain—Peace. Narratively, Ayden became a Cleric while training under Trist's tutelage.[1]

The Dawnfather has his unique domain of "Nature", which the Everlight is missing, and Nick chose the nature-based Oath of Ancients. He took 9 levels into Paladin, because at level 10 the Paladins get the ability to be immune to frightened condition, which Nick didn't want to take. Nick said that he "felt that fear played too large a role in the reasons the gods were here [in Aeor]," and the ability wasn't right for Ayden—"he had to fear in order to reinforce his need to hope."[1]

Nick set on the first two classes relatively quickly, and before choosing Druid with Barbarian, he considered the Fighter's Battle Master subclass to shield his allies and rapidly heal/protect them with Action Surge, and the divination Wizard subclass. The fighter levels gave Nick the idea that Ayden has spent some time training under a warrior. However, when Nick started developing the visual for Ayden, he came to a realization that these Fighter and Wizard ideas weren't capturing Ayden's personality and he discarded them. The early sketches of Ayden gave Nick the idea to make Ayden a druid who brings hope to people in a form of agriculture, and brings to a remote tribe still engaging in hunting and gathering, which gave his the idea to replace the fighter with barbarian.[1]

Nick saw the Dawnfather as the god of the new beginnings, imagining the dawn of the human progress to correspond with the development of farming, which gave Nick the desire to give Ayden the ties to the land with druid and barbarian classes. Nick explained that the agriculture aspect of Ayden is the youngest phase of his life, represented by the barbarian-druid classes, then he moved into his Paladin era, and after finding Trist embraced the Cleric side of him.[8][1]

Visually, Nick wanted Ayden to be a dressed plainly, holding a shield he took from his mentor, but lacking a sword for striking. The artists (Hannah Friederichs and Cael Lyons) sent four sketches, and Nick chose the first image, because it was the simplest and "had this depth to his eyes that told the story of a much older soul in this 15 year old body".[1]

Nick Marini had Ayden's name carved across the top of his shield in the Ogham script (᚛ᚐᚔᚇᚓᚅ); it is transliterated as Aiden as the script does not have an equivalent to the Latin letter Y. Marini said that he has always loved Ogham and that, though it has origins in Ayden's backstory, the etching is more of a "fun Easter egg".[44]

Appearances and mentions[edit | edit source]

Quotations[edit | edit source]

"They think, and this will be their downfall, that we are more fractured than we need to be."[45]

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • Ayden is the first player character in Critical Role to multiclass into four different classes.
  • The binary code on his character card reads "Dawn".
  • Ayden is a variant spelling of Aidan. The name is derived from Aodhán, the diminutive of the name Aodh, which is in turn derived from the Old Irish áed, meaning fire. Aed (or Aodh) was the most common given name in early Ireland, and it was the name of numerous figures in Irish mythology and folklore, including the god Aed, one of the Children of Lir. Áedán (or Aodhán) was also a common name.[46][47]

External links[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

Footnotes:

  1. ↑ Ayden must be at least a 9th level Cleric to have Rary's Telepathic Bond, so it is impossible for him to be a high enough level Paladin to have 4th level spells in that class.
  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 Nick Marini's post on Tumblr with a deep dive into Ayden's mechanical build.. Nick also attached Ayden's D&D Beyond character sheet, which can be seen here.
  2. ↑ "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 3:00:58.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 4:49:31. Nick rolled roll a two with athletics that become a 13 (5 from Dex mod and 6 from proficiency), before using the deity's ability "Divine Prowess" to double the result to get a 26.
  4. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 3:10:54. Remarkable Recovery gave him a extra +5 hit points from his Mass Cure Wounds
  5. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 2:09:49. His aura grants a +5.
  6. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 48:59.
  7. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 48:52.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jenny Melzer. "D&D Shines When It Sparks On The Universal Part of Humanity:" Nick Marini Talks Critical Role.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 1:20:33.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 1:32:56.
  11. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 1:46:39.
  12. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 3:12:49.
  13. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 3:35:05.
  14. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 3:43:33.
  15. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 4:10:46.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 4:11:46.
  17. ↑ "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 1:49:58.
  18. ↑ "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 2:12:08.
  19. ↑ "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 2:14:18.
  20. ↑ "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 3:38:03.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 3:54:12.
  22. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101).
  23. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 2:35:38.
  24. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 4:40:23.
  25. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 5:35:50.
  26. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 5:37:57.
  27. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 3:11:56.
  28. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 3:11:36.
  29. ↑ "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 3:55:21. Ayden uses Commanding Rally
  30. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 1:18:08.
  31. ↑ "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 2:18:54.
  32. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 2:36:43.
  33. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 1:21:31.
  34. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 2:09:49.
  35. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 1:30:06. Precludes the gain of the Divine Awareness, which provided all gods with blindsight.
  36. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 1:26:58. Ayden got 30 on his Insight check.
  37. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 54:15.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 1:17:53.
  39. ↑ "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 2:15:02.
  40. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 3:09:21.
  41. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 4:14:35.
  42. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 4:40:56.
  43. ↑ "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 3:10:51.
  44. ↑ Nick Marini (@Nicholas_Marini) on Twitter: "It was mine! I've always loved Ogham. And it's more the latter, though it does have origin in his backstory" (July 15, 2024) — in reply to: "whose idea was the Ogham text spelling A I D E N on Ayden's shield? And does it have a hidden meaning, or simply a fun easter egg for the critters?" For more information on Ogham, see Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (1998) by James MacKillop, pp. 309–310.
  45. ↑ "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 4:13:24.
  46. ↑ Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (1998) by James MacKillop, pp. 3–4.
  47. ↑ "áed" in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language.

Art:

  1. ↑ Official art of Ayden, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
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