With the third season of the Critical Role know that Vox Machina is full of fierce warriors, their stupid decisions at times bring their intelligence into question. That said, some party — like Grog or Keyleth — were clearly designed to shine in other ways, so not being the most intelligent Vox Machina character is hardly a surprise in their case.
As it's based on Critical Role's first campaign, Vox Machina is composed of archetypal Dungeons & Dragons characters. In turn, this paved the way for the Mighty Nein, Bells Hells, and the rumored Critical Role cameos in Honor Among Thieves. Although this means that Vox Machina's heroes can be predictable, the resourcefulness of each hero does come in handy at the most critical moments, which viewers can expect more of in The Legend of Vox Machina season 3. Based on what's been revealed about them on Critical Role and the animated series, here are all the Vox Machina characters ranked by intelligence.
8 Grog Strongjaw
Grog Strongjaw is definitely the stereotypical barbarian who loves a good fight and ale - but is not much in the way of straight intelligence. As Grog legendarily declared early on in Critical Role, "I have an intelligence of 6. I know what I'm doing." Not only does this show in his more reckless tendencies, but also shows in some surprising bits of naïveté, like trusting the cursed sword Craven Edge. While Grog is definitely the powerhouse of Vox Machina, he definitely is the opposite of the smartest Vox Machina character.
It makes for him to be a really fun character to watch on stream, especially in the moments of sheer impulsivity, with Grog being responsible for some of the funniest lines in Legend of Vox Machina. However, Grog did have a minor storyline in the campaign of wanting to better himself and learn more, which he was able to accomplish in the years after as he finally learned to read and write. Grog is played by Travis Willingham, who has also lent his voice to a variety of characters in the Dragon Ball, Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto, and Marvel: Anime franchises.
7 Pike Trickfoot
The cleric of the group, Pike is meant to be wiser than outright intelligent. While intelligence can definitely be social just as much as brainpower, the sweet gnome cleric didn't really excel in either. Pike's wisdom came through in her common sense, love of fun, and kindness, which made her a very lovable character throughout the first campaign. In addition, Ashley Johnson's lack of availability left Pike one of the lesser fleshed-out characters during Campaign One. As Johnson and Matthew Mercer explain in Screen Rant's Vox Machina cast interview, Critical Role corrected this in The Legend of Vox Machina season 1.
Johnson was absent from vast parts of Campaign One due to her shooting schedule for Blindspot, and the veteran actor is also known for voicing and providing the motion capture for Ellie in The Last of Us video games. In turn, Johnson's busy schedule and Critical Role's improvisational ability made for a complex character that grew beyond her archetype. When she was there, Pike came across as more fun-loving and ready to fight over being a planner. However, even though she's not the smartest Vox Machina character, Pike did teach Grog to read and write and helped Taryon integrate into Vox Machina better. This shows Pike's intelligence beyond raw intellect.
6 Keyleth
A prodigy of the Air Ashari and meant to be the next Voice of the Tempest, Keyleth was definitely book smart. However, book smarts don't always translate into battle tactics or sociability. As the Vox Machina character inspired by Aang's journey in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Keyleth's awkward nature mixed with her lack of experience with the outside world definitely hindered her at times, especially early on in the campaign when she trusted the mind-flayer Clarota.
While Keyleth would eventually grow into her role as a leader and someone smart enough to lead her people, most of the campaign was about Keyleth's journey to reach that social and practical intelligence. Keyleth is played by Marisha Ray, who also played Critical Role's Laudna and Beauregard. Ray is also the creative director of Critical Role, and has also appeared in 1000 Ways to Die, Batgirl: Spoiled, Walk of Shame, and Chastity Bites. Marisha Ray was also the GM for Critical Role Exandria one-shots "Sprinkle's Incredible Journey" and the Honey Heist series.
5 Taryon Darrington
Due to his artificer class, Taryon definitely was book smart and an avid inventor. He created his companion Doty and was able to come up with all sorts of alchemical concoctions. While Taryon grew up with the best tutors and all the books he could read, he also lacked a lot of the practical experience that would help him survive in the real world, such as how to handle his money.
When he first met Vox Machina, he offered to pay them 50,000 gold a day in order to travel with the group, which shows a very clueless understanding of how money works. While he would eventually gain some street smarts, it's ultimately not enough to consider him close to being the smartest Vox Machina character — though Taryon Darrington did have an interesting Vox Machina story arc. Taryon is played by Sam Riegel, who also played the lovable rogue Scanlan. Riegel also voiced various characters from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Gungrave, Rumiko Takahashi Anthology, and dozens of other anime.
4 Vax'ildan
Rogues, due to their nature as criminals, have to have some level of intelligence in order to be skilled in the criminal element. In of Vox Machina characters ranked by intelligence, Vax'ildan was one of the outright smarter of the party, with a flair for tactics and a good understanding of what made people tick. Vax helped come up with or refine a lot of battle strategies for the group.
In addition, he was also shown to be able to think on his feet in order to cause a distraction or get out of trouble, whether he faced the Briarwoods or the Matron of Ravens herself. The Legend of Vox Machina's Liam O'Brien who plays Vax has said that the character will undergo even more major changes in season 3. O'Brien also famously voiced Gaara in Naruto and Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, alongside over a hundred other characters in animation.
3 Scanlan Shorthalt
On the surface, Scalan Shorthalt may seem like one of the less smart of Vox Machina, especially with his tendency toward silliness. However, as a College of Lore Bard, he's well-versed in searching out magical secrets, such as grabbing Counterspell and Wish when available to him. Not only that, but he's extremely solid in tactics, such as turning into a dinosaur for a one-man mission to take out a member of the corrupt Whitestone elite.
For good and bad, Scanlan definitely knew how to misdirect the expectations of others to devastating effect. Scanlan Shorhalt is played by The Legend of Vox Machina's Sam Riegel, who has a combined role in the show and the Critical Role cast as the "go-between between them and the writing staff of the show." Apart from his aforementioned roles, Riegel was also the voice of Donatello in the 2000s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.
2 Percival de Rolo
In of raw intelligence, Percival de Rolo is definitely the smartest member of Vox Machina. Not only did he invent firearms but set about inventing other useful gadgets and weaponry to help both the group and the wider world of Exandria. In addition, he had a very keen understanding of how people work, such as utilizing the Clasp as a resource after Emon was thoroughly destroyed by the Chroma Conclave. It's also notable how Percy's clever one-liners are among the most crucial elements that the animated Vox Machina series adapted from Critical Role's Campaign One. All that being said, Percy also tends to get too laser-focused on a mission.
Percy's deal and near possession with Orthax is one moment where things had gotten out of hand to a terrible degree. While his desire for vengeance is understandable, his reluctance to listen to his friends until it was too late definitely hurt Percy's chances of being viably considered as the smartest Vox Machina character. Percy is played by Taliesin Jaffe, who, apart from voicing Basil Hawkins in the One Piece series, also appears in Mr. Mom, House of Demons and L.A. by Night.
1 Vex'ahlia
In of raw intelligence, Vex'ahlia probably wasn't the most book-smart member of her group, but there are several reasons why she's actually the smartest Vox Machina character. The half-elven ranger/rogue not only kept track of the group's funds, but was an expert in haggling, lip-reading, tracking, and other talents. It's why the most likable Vox Machina character is also Vex. She also knew how to read the room and did her best to make things as favorable as possible for her team. Finally, she also was extremely cunning - especially clear in the fight against the Archfey Saundor, who tried to prey on Vex's own insecurities.
Undoubtedly, Vax was smart enough to trust her instincts, which led to her winning Fenthras, the legendary bow, and really comes into her own in The Legend of Vox Machina season 2. Vex'ahlia is played by Laura Bailey, who also voiced Kushina, Kurotsuchi, and various other Naruto: Shippuden characters, is also in dozens of other anime and over a hundred video games — most notably as Rayne in the BloodRayne series. Bailey was also the nurse in The Last of Us, appeared in One Tree Hill, and had a brief stint as part of the Walker Texas Ranger cast.
