Line #6 Characters/CriticalRoleCalebWidogast


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11	!!Caleb Widogast
12	!!!Played by: Creator/LiamOBrien (Campaign 2), Creator/MatthewMercer (Campaign 3)
13	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/caleb_widogast_lvl_10_5.jpg]]
14	[[caption-width-right:350:''"I don't know how my brothers and sisters could stomach wearing a mantle of loyalty, knowing that it was woven so throughly from sin."'']]
15	[[caption-width-right:350:Click [[labelnote:here]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/caleb_widogast.jpg[[/labelnote]] to see Caleb before Level 10.]]
16	-->'''Race:''' Human
17	-->'''Class:''' Wizard (School of Transmutation)
18
19	A world-weary and vagabond human wizard who has been traveling with Nott for some time. Possessing an aptitude for magic, a love of reading, a PhotographicMemory and very little regard for personal grooming, Caleb's priorities are to expand his magical abilities and simply survive. His loyal familiar is Frumpkin, a fey spirit who usually takes the form of a patchy tabby cat.
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22	[[foldercontrol]]
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24	[[folder:Tropes A - H]]
25	* AffectionateNickname: Nott's referred to him as "Cay Cay" in the past, but is currently trying to get "Lebby" to stick. The party is unimpressed.
26	* AllWitchesHaveCats: Technically he is a wizard and not a witch, but Caleb is a talented magic user and he rarely keeps Frumpkin away for too long. He generally insists to keep his familiar in cat form for most of the time and he treats him as an actual pet even though [[TheFairFolk Frumpkin is actually a minor Fey spirit]]. When he creates his magic tower, he summons 100 Fey cats as his servants. [[spoiler:As implied by Episode 130, this is all because he used to have a cat himself when he was younger, who died (possibly due to the same fire that killed his parents).]]
27	* AmbiguouslyBi: While Caleb was previously involved with Astrid [[spoiler:and is "uselessly in love with Jester" (as described by Liam on Talks)]], his interest in men is unclear. Liam has said on Talks that Caleb considers Essek handsome, and the nature of his relationship with Eadwulf has been left somewhat ambiguous.
28	** Liam does inquire during the party's dinner with Trent if Eadwulf's forearms are as fabulous as he remembers.
29	** Resolved on Talks Machina - Caleb is canonically attracted to both men and women, and Liam refers to him as bisexual.
30	** Even less ambigious on Twitter - Liam confirms he was "romantically wrapped up with Astrid and Eadwulf".
31	** At the end of the campaign, he ends up in a romantic relationship with Essek.
32	* AnimalMotifs: Cats. His familiar is a cat named Frumpkin whom he shares an UncattyResemblance to, several of his spells take on feline motifs (such as his modified Cat's Ire), and much like a cat he tends to be somewhat aloof and skittish, but clever and loyal.
33	* AndThatLittleGirlWasMe: Not exactly, in-universe, but in the fourth episode of ''Narrative Telephone'', Liam recounts a Zemnian fairy tale about three children symbolically sacrificed for their country, each one losing a piece of themselves in the process. [[WordOfGod He later confirmed]] that the children were Eadwulf, Astrid, and Bren.
34	* ArchEnemy: His former teacher, Trent Ikithon. Caleb isn't shy about telling him to his face that he'd like nothing more than to see him dead. Disturbingly, [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred Trent encourages this attitude.]]
35	* BadassBookworm: He's an avid reader and forms with Beau the part of Nerd of the Mighty Nein. He's also an accomplished wizard fully capable of sinking an entire ship by himself.
36	* BadassTeacher: [[spoiler: After retiring from a thrilling heroic career, Caleb settles down as a magic teacher at the Soltryce Academy (he also tutors Luc Brenatto on the side). Implied to overlap heavily with SternTeacher, as his already dour nature is magnified by the seriousness with which he imparts [[ComesGreatResponsibility moral and ethical lessons]] onto his students, in an attempt to break the cycle in which Trent raised him, Astrid, and Eadwulf.]]
37	* BewareTheQuietOnes: As far as arcane practitioners go, Caleb is far from impressive at first glance, but get on his bad side, and you'll understand why one of the most powerful archmages of the Empire calls him a prodigy. During the [[spoiler: [[StormingTheCastle Vergesson Sanatorium heist]], he brutally murders several guards with ''[[GravityMaster Gravity Sinkhole]]'', a dunamantic spell he reverse engineered by himself.]]
38	* BigBrotherInstinct: Admits in Episode 8 that he sees Nott as his little sister. [[spoiler:It extends to her son after he finds out about his existence.]]
39	* BondOneLiner:
40	** After dispatching [[spoiler: Lorenzo]].
41	--->"You shouldn't have killed my cat."
42	** And again after [[spoiler:killing the Laughing Hand]].
43	--->"Get the '''fuck''' away from my friends!"
44	* BreakTheBeliever: On Talks, Liam describes Caleb in his younger days as a patriot. As he puts it, he was raised that way and it formed a lot of his motivations when he initially became a wizard. [[spoiler: His loyalty and patriotism to the Empire died along with his parents]].
45	-->'''Caleb [[spoiler:(about his dedication to killing for the Empire)]]:''' But we were-- are-- at war. Many of us felt that way-- feel that way.\
46	'''Nott:''' Do you still feel that way?\
47	'''Caleb:''' I don't believe in anything now.
48	* ByronicHero: Prior to opening up to the group. Intelligent? Check. Handsome? Described as such. Hard to socialize? Check. Self critical to the point of hating himself? Check. Cynical? Check. After he opens up to the group he is slowly moving on from being this.
49	* CannotSpitItOut: When Nott tries to force him to admit that his drive to save the [[spoiler: kidnapped party members]] might not be purely pragmatic in nature, he storms off.
50	* CargoShip: He has quite a thing for high-quality paper and ink!
51	* CerebusRetcon: He reveals in Episode 22 that his [[ThePigPen dirtiness and smell]] is partially deliberate, to avoid drawing attention.
52	* CharacterizationMarchesOn: His social awkwardness took a few episodes to become clear. It turns out that he was much more confident when he was a child, [[spoiler: and that his current behavior is caused by the constant stress of being on the run from some people from his past that [[HeKnowsTooMuch possibly want him dead]].]]
53	* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Killed during the FinalBoss fight with Lucien. However, he's brought back by the rest of the Mighty Nein once Lucien is dead.]]
54	* CharacterDevelopment: [[DefrostingIceKing After spending enough time with the Mighty Nein]] not only he gets some confidence back, [[spoiler: but he gradually stops hiding and [[HeCleansUpNicely starts to wear clean clothes again]], he is more open about using his spells just for the sake of having fun with his friends, and he decided to try and stop [[DecadentCourt the corrupt system]] that brought him and many other children to be brainwashed into murdering their own families instead of [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong going back in time to prevent himself from killing his own parents]] as he was originally planning.]]
55	* CharacterTics: Meticulously counting things out loud. Obviously pops up mostly when money is being exchanged, but he even does it when pulling out the three crossbow bolts that downed him in Episode 8.
56	* ChildProdigy: Was one, alongside Astrid and Eadwulf. The three of them being naturally talented for magic were sought out by Trent Ikhiton as soon as they entered the Solstryce Academy. [[SanitySlippage It didn't go well.]]
57	* ChildSoldiers: Or rather ChildMage. [[spoiler:After being accepted into the Soltryce Academy as a young teenager, he was taken into secret training to make him a covert executioner and torturer on behalf of the Empire.]]
58	* ColorMotif: Caleb's color palette is made up almost entirely of warm earth tones. His coat and leather-bound spellbook are brown and his spells and magical effects-- particularly spells he crafts himself-- are amber, symbolizing steadiness and warmth, both traits that become more prominent when he [[DefrostingIceKing defrosts]].
59	* CombatPragmatist: Is a SquishyWizard and knows it, so expect him to stay far away from the front lines if possible. During the sudden appearance of a zombie at the carnival, he even pushed his way into a crowd of terrified audience members for cover.
60	* CynicismCatalyst: [[spoiler:His mental "break" and time in the asylum]] made him far less trusting in people, and more prone to viewing acts of kindness as transactional rather than altruistic.
61	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Clearly haunted by one. [[spoiler:Caleb was apparently meant to go to the Soltryce Academy at one point, but "fucked it up somehow"]]. He has also had traumatic experiences involving fire, judging by [[spoiler:the semi-catatonic state he goes into from seeing the gnoll priest's burning corpse]]. It's fully revealed for the audience in Episode 18: [[spoiler:He was conscripted as a ChildSoldier from the Soltryce Academy, and was tortured and indoctrinated to the point that he killed his own parents for conspiring against the Empire. Afterwards, he suffered a [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone psychotic break]] that landed him in an asylum until he was cured of his madness by a cleric... who also removed FalseMemories implanted by his mentor of his parents conspiring against the Empire.]]
62	* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: [[spoiler:His parents supported his magical talents and were happy he got accepted into the Soltryce Academy. Downplayed, in that they were also very [[PatrioticFervor nationalistic and pro-Empire]] and passed that down to Caleb, which ended up leading to [[GoneHorriblyRight their own deaths]] as a way to prove his loyalty to the Empire.]]
63	* DefectorFromDecadence: [[spoiler: He was a trained child assassin and executioner loyal to the Dwendalian Empire, who was brainwashed into killing his own parents and snapped as a result. After regaining his sanity and realizing exactly what had been going on, he was driven almost singlehandedly by a desire for vengeance against his teacher, Trent Ikithon and the Empire (and it took him a LONG time for him to come trust that the Mighty Nein would help him). This ends up either being the Mighty Nein's saving grace or bane when Caleb offers up the dodecahedron to the Kryn Dynasty, all while declaring war on the Empire, to get them out of a sticky situation]].
64	* DefrostingIceQueen: A platonic male example. At first, the only person he liked or trusted was Nott, but he’s coming out of his shell around the rest of the party... if only gradually.
65	-->'''Caleb:''' ''(to Jester)'' I am slowly— ''ever'' so slowly— beginning to like you. Please do not fuck it up.
66	* DishingOutDirt: He employs ''Maximilian's Earthen Grasp'' to great effect against a Gelatinous Cube in Episode 15.
67	* DisintegratorRay: Once he masters the ''Disintegrate'' spell upon reaching level 11, he utilizes it as his UltimateMove. It shows particularly effective during the fight against [[spoiler: Vokodo, where it's the finishing blow.]] Fitting, since as a wizard from the School of Transmutation, assembling and disassembling matter is his specialty.
68	* DrivenToMadness: [[spoiler:Hearing his parents burning to death inside of his house caused him to "break," ending up putting him in an asylum for quite some time. According to Liam in the Talks Machina for Episode 18, the break happened at age 17, and he was not cured of his madness until age 28, meaning he was insensate and insane for approximately ''eleven years''. His madness was so bad that when another patient, a cleric, came and cured him, she was herself "stark raving mad" within fifteen minutes.]]
69	* TheEeyore: Generally a bit sullen and anxious. In Episode 3, one gets the impression that he's regretting the decision to keep the company of somewhat eccentric individuals in an effort to divert attention away from him and Nott, as this put them at the center of an investigation into the strange murders at Trostenwald.
70	* EnergyBall: Chromatic Orb tends to be his go-to spell in combat during the first few episodes. It remains a commonly used spell even at later levels.
71	* EloquentInMyNativeTongue: Episode 70 is the first time we see him speaking fully in Zemnian to someone from that region. To represent this, Liam drops the German accent for that conversation, using his normal voice instead.
72	* EveryoneHasStandards: As much as he dislikes TheEmpire, and finds them flawed, he is firmly against the group targeting the high Richter simply because she is a {{Jerkass}}, wanting them to only be involved if she truly is the corrupt individual others are claiming her to be. He'll agree to target those who deserve it, but he draws the line at targeting people who someone has a petty grudge against. [[spoiler: Given TheReveal later about his past, it makes since why he'd be concerned targeting people based on false assumptions; it's what lead him to kill his parents]].
73	* EyeOfNewt: Caleb always casts his spells by pulling out and manipulating weird and gross animal parts, fluids, and other oddities to create the magical effect. This is unusual amongst the other spellcasters in ''Critical Role'', who tend to gloss over this bit of minutiae from ''D&D'' spellcasting.
74	* FakeMemories: [[spoiler:While in an asylum after killing his parents, a woman put her hands on Caleb to cure his madness...and also unwittingly removed false memories implanted in Caleb of his parents plotting against the Empire.]]
75	* FieryStoic: Caleb is one of the more measured and severe members of the Nein, and a talented pyromancer.
76	* FullNameBasis: Not in the traditional sense, but he tends to call the members of the Nein who usually go by nicknames by their actual full names (i.e. Beauregard and Mollymauk instead of Beau and Molly).
77	* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: As revealed early on, Caleb has issues with fire due to his DarkAndTroubledPast that gave him PTSD. In terms of gameplay, whenever Caleb kills with a spell with fire as its element, he has to roll a Wisdom check to see if he can keep himself composed after doing so. If he fails, he goes into a catatonic like state and becomes unresponsive for a period of time, usually requiring someone to snap him out of it.
78	* GermanicDepressives: Liam affects a German accent for the role, and Caleb is generally very stern and morose.
79	-->'''Caleb:''' ''(after [[NoSell saving against]] Twiggy's [[LaughingMad Hideous Laughter]])'' Ja, I'm not a happy guy.
80	** At one point, the Nein are tipped off that he's under a mind altering effect just because he woke up in a good mood.
81	-->'''Nott:''' You were smiling.
82	-->'''Jester:''' You were happy!
83	-->'''Caleb:''' It happens... Sometimes.
84	* GivenNameReveal: [[spoiler:Reveals his true name in Episode 49 to be "Bren Aldric Ermendrud".]]
85	* GlassCannon: He’s certainly [[SquishyWizard squishy]], but Caleb can deal huge amounts of damage with his spells. In Episode 8, he [[KillItWithFire completely incinerates]] a bandit captain with a single ''Scorching Ray'' spell, and is then immediately knocked unconscious by three crossbow bolts striking him in the chest.
86	** In episode 55, [[spoiler:due to falling under a succubi's CharmPerson, he deals '''194''' total damage to his own teammates. After he shakes off the spell, he's then knocked unconscious ''four separate times'' in the whole fight]].
87	* GoMadFromTheRevelation: [[spoiler:After killing his parents, something inside of him snapped, and he spent eleven years in an asylum.]]
88	* GratuitousGerman: He occasionally peppers his speech with German phrases to represent the Zemnian language, which directly lead to Zemnians in general becoming a FantasyCounterpartCulture of Germans.
89	* HairColorDissonance: Liam describes his hair in game as reddish-brown, but his official character art usually portrays it as a brighter, coppery color.
90	** Eventually, Liam does refer to Caleb as having "red hair", so it seems the copper colour stuck.
91	* HeCleansUpNicely: Most people ([[ShipTease Jester]] in particular) admit that when Caleb shaves, makes eye contact, and [[WhenSheSmiles makes the effort to smile]], he's actually quite a handsome fellow, a fact backed up by his 16 Charisma (the second-highest behind Fjord). [[spoiler:From episode 61 onwards he cleans up permanently, by buying new clothes and no longer deliberately smearing his face with mud.]]
92	* HeKnowsTooMuch: At the beginning of the campaign Caleb thinks that [[spoiler: his former teacher [[EvilMentor Trent Ikithon]]]] wants to kill him [[spoiler: for his escape from the Sanatorium after that he recovered his sanity]]. As Caleb [[spoiler: was trained to be part of Trent's SecretPolice and [[UnwittingTestSubject subjected to (possibly illegal) magic experiments]] during his time as a student]], his worries seem to be founded. However, [[spoiler: Trent Ikithon]] [[SubvertedTrope assures Caleb that he never wanted him dead]] when they finally meet again, but it is uncertain how much of the word of a seasoned ManipulativeBastard can be taken for true (especially considering that [[spoiler: one of his Scourgers tried to kill Caleb when she had the chance]]). In episode 141, [[spoiler: Caleb's suspicions are proved right as Trent appears at Caduceus' home dead set on killing Caleb before he can expose Trent--along with anyone else who gets in his way.]]
93	* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Leaning toward [[IAmAMonster self-hatred]]. Because of his DarkAndTroubledPast, Caleb sees himself as a fundamentaly bad person and always [[DismissingACompliment downplays his own achievments, having trouble receiving compliments]].
94	* {{Hypocrite}}: Admitted [[WordOfGod by Liam himself]] in the Talks Machina for Episode 35, though he gets better over time.
95	-->'''Liam:''' For Caleb, he wants to grow -- selfish motivations -- and if good things happen along the way, awesome. He's ''such'' a hypocrite, because this guy Algar creeped on Jester's mom. The things that Caleb has done are ''far'' worse, but he likes Jester, and he wants her to be happy and useful, and happy, and he wants to do all those things on the horizon line.
96	[[/folder]]
97	[[folder:Tropes I - P]]
98	* ICouldaBeenAContender: By his own admission, he was a charming and intelligent young man for whom everyone had high expectations, but he "fucked it up somehow." [[spoiler: In Episode 18, it turns out that the "somehow" was being brainwashed by his magic tutor into murdering his own parents for political dissidence.]]
99	-->'''Caleb:''' You know, when I was younger, I thought I was going to be something. And now I, uh... ''don't.''
100	* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Caleb [[DirtyBusiness doesn't enjoy]] solving problems with violence, but he can easily justify killing in self-defense or for the greater good, which disturbs Beau and Fjord.
101	-->'''Caleb:''' ''(while interrogating NPC Gallen Westman in Ep 36)'' We want to just get along. We're all tired. I'm tired. ''Buuuuut,'' I'll go to work if I need to.
102	* IHaveManyNames: [[spoiler:He admits in Episode 49 that "Caleb Widogast" is only one of his fake names, and it just happened to be the one he gave Nott when they met.]]
103	* InfectiousInsanity: An accidental, one-time, ImpliedTrope. [[spoiler:When another patient cured him of his eleven-year madness in his backstory, she was herself stark raving mad within fifteen minutes.]] With no other evidence, Caleb's assumption goes unchallenged and the audience never sees the person involved. Later, per the Campaign Wrap-up, the situation turns out to be [[spoiler:a once-cleric whose god (likely the Arch Heart) took pity on Caleb's catatonic state and allowed their acolyte to heal him. The woman simply returned to being an ordinary patient afterward.]]
104	* InternalReformist: He hasn't committed to any one path yet, but he's gone so far as to tell Astrid that he's open to returning to the Assembly if he thinks it can be changed for the better. [[spoiler: At the campaign's end, he passes up an offer to join the Assembly, instead preferring to teach transmutation magic with a strong side helping of [[ComesGreatResponsibility ethics]] at the Soltryce Academy.]]
105	* IntrovertedCatPerson: Caleb fits this to a T, being rather closed off to most people, but openly affectionate towards Frumpkin. Beauregard at one point suggests his bond with Frumpkin gets in the way of him forming meaningful relationships with other people.
106	* IOweYouMyLife: Very protective of Nott because she saved his life prior to their arrival in Trostenwald.
107	* IronicFear: The wizard with a large repertoire of fire based spells is also a pyrophobe. It becomes much less ironic when one realizes that he does that [[BeAllMySinsRemembered to never forget what he has done]].
108	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[spoiler: He deliberately encourages Jester's feelings for Fjord, despite his own attraction to her.]]
109	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While not the same brand of jerk as Beau, who is generally blunt and at times outright rude, Caleb is distrustful, secretive and very concerned with his own survival, not to mention him calling his traveling companions lunatics on more than one occasion. However, it's clear from his interactions with Nott that once you get past Caleb's many walls, he can be very protective, caring and even quite affectionate.
110	* KillItWithFire: Caleb has access to fire-based magic, but because of his PTSD, whenever he actually uses fire to kill something, he risks falling into a catatonic state (represented in-game by a wisdom saving throw after a fire-based kill).
111	* TheLeader: Tends to share the position with Fjord. As the most intelligent member of the party, he takes the role of a type 1 but also serves as a type 3 when the mission requires specific focus, due to his past as a [[ProfessionalKiller Volstrucker]].
112	* TheLostLenore: A WrongNameOutburst while drunkenly dancing with Jester, along with his mention of having fallen in love during his studies both imply he has one: Astrid, one of his fellow students.
113	* MageTower: Creates his own version of ''[[CoolHouse Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion]]'' in the form of ''Widogast's Nascent Nein-Sided Tower'', a PocketDimension meant to serve as a home for the Nein during their travels.
114	* MagicalHomelessPerson: He first appears as a vagabond human wizard, complete with beard and grubby clothes, teaming up with Nott the Brave to steal for survival before uniting with the rest of the Mighty Nein as an adventuring party. [[spoiler: It later comes out that he was once an exceptional student at an exclusive magic school, but was taken advantage of by his mentor to become a ChildSoldier for the Empire. When he was tricked into killing his parents and realized what he was doing, he was driven insane and locked in an asylum until a fellow inmate healed him. His homelessness is due to being on the run from his mentor and the rest of the Assembly. He later gains multiple homes through his adventures.]]
115	* MagicIsMental: As is common for D&D. Caleb further exemplifies the relation between intelligence and magic by having both magical power, high intelligence, and a photographic memory thanks to his Keen Mind feat.
116	* MasterOfDisguise: He can use ''Disguise Self'' and ''Seeming''.
117	* MayflyDecemberRomance: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] with [[spoiler:Essek. As a Drow, Essek will naturally outlive Caleb by ''centuries''. While they get together after the events of the series, they eventually [[BetterAsFriends amicably split]] to avoid the pain of losing the other.]]
118	* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:The name Bren comes from the German verb "brennen," meaning "to burn".]] Per the ''Origins'' comic, [[spoiler:"Bren" means "fire" in "the old tongue". Doubling with IronicName, as his parents call him their little spark, hoping that he would shine bright for the Empire. "For the Empire" is what Bren says when he burns his childhood home, parents, and cat to death.]]
119	* MinoredInAsskicking: He spends part of the first two episodes looking for books, he's TheSmartGuy, and is an accomplished wizard.
120	* MoralityAdjustment: [[https://twitter.com/VoiceOfOBrien/status/1017495710382600192 According to Liam]], he used to be LawfulEvil, but has shifted to TrueNeutral by July 2018, with the separation being his [[BreakTheBeliever "break"]].
121	* MundaneUtility: The more confident he becomes, the more Caleb is willing to use his magic even for mundane purposes. The most prominent examples are the ''Programmed Illusions'' he cast on Rumblecusp for the Traveler Con, and when he used ''Telekinesis'' to push Beauregard and Jester into two snowdrifts in Foren. Some NPC even commented about this, as ''Programmed Illusion'' and ''Telekinesis'' are considered high level spells and mages normally are not willing to waste them to entertain common people.
122	* NeverGoingBackToPrison: When he is about to be arrested, Caleb has a habit of pulling out [[CrazyEnoughToWork big, risky moves]], from his Wall of Fire in Episode 42 to [[spoiler:handing over the Luxon Beacon to the Bright Queen]] in Episode 56.
123	* NoSocialSkills: As a result of him living in isolation as a beggar for an indeterminate period of time before meeting Nott, he's had to become re-accustomed to interacting with others and generally comes across as somewhat awkward, though he can be persuasive if he really tries.
124	* NoSenseOfDirection: Averted due to his ''Keen Mind'' feat, which allows him to always know which way is north.
125	* NotSoAboveItAll: Occasionally has these moment as he warms up to the rest of the party. By episode 90, he's loosened up enough to play a joke on Fjord that makes the guards see Fjord in a bathrobe when they arrive at the Bright Queen's castle.
126	* NotSoBadassLongcoat: He wears a dirty leather coat, under which he stores his books. In fact, it is deliberately unkempt to allow him to [[BeneathSuspicion keep out of people's perception]].
127	** Gains a regular BadassLongcoat along with a nice outfit [[spoiler:once the Mighty Nein become heroes in Rosohna]].
128	* OccamsRazor: Invokes this when defending the group from accusations of collaborating with the circus to coordinate the zombie infestations.
129	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: {{Invoked}}. Caleb has a pretty thick Zemnian accent and has admitted himself to be extremely bad at mimicking other people's voices.
130	-->'''Caleb:''' (''in an attempt to imitate Fjord'') Aeldritch Blaaaest.
131	* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: A unique [[HeelFaceTurn evil-to-good example]]. Caleb was Trent Ikithon's most favored pupil at the Soltryce Academy, and, had he not left the fold, would have been groomed as Trent's successor. Instead, he had a [[VillainousBSOD nervous breakdown]] after being manipulated by Trent into killing his parents, spent a decade in an insane asylum, and has now dedicated his efforts to opposing Ikithon and all the worst excesses of the Cerberus Assembly.
132	* PerpetualFrowner: Liam spends almost all the time in character with an extremely downcast frown. Lampshaded in Episode 56:
133	-->'''Caleb:''' (''with a massive frown'') I feel hopeful.\
134	'''Jester:''' (''Beat'') You look like you feel hopeful, Caleb.
135	* PerpetualPoverty: As a wizard, Caleb ends up going through almost all his money when the group does shopping trips as he buys new spells to copy into his spellbook. This, combined with the cost to copy the spells at all, means he rarely has enough money to assist with larger money issues, and tends to rely on the others to take care of things.
136	* PhotographicMemory: Caleb has the Keen Mind feat, which allows him to perfectly recall any piece of information he's learned within the last month. Liam frequently takes advantage of this to ask Matt for information he himself forgot, and the rest of the group joke about it by occasionally asking Liam exactly what time it is or which direction is north.
137	* PhysicalScarsPsychologicalScars: [[spoiler:Caleb subconsciously rubs his arms when he's often stressed/anxious, or remembering the past.]]
138	* ThePigPen: Noted to be filthy at the beginning of the first session, seemingly due to the events of Session Zero. Nott clarifies that they're usually not in one place long enough for Caleb to clean himself up. He also smells pretty bad - Liam clarified during the Episode 4 edition of Talks Machina that this was ''not'' part of his original design, but something Laura ad-libbed in the first session and everyone else ran with, much to his dismay. Subverted in Episode 8, when Pumat Sol uses ''Prestidigitation'' to magically clean Caleb, who also takes an ''actual'' bath in the next episode, [[DoubleSubversion but then slaps mud on his face following an argument with Jester, putting him pretty much back where he started hygiene-wise (albeit with cleaner clothes)]].
139	** He cleans up a little more permanently after [[spoiler: the group moves to Xhorhas, since at this point he realizes there's not much point in concealing himself when the group is now publicly affiliated with the Dynasty.]]
140	* PlayingWithFire: He knows at least one fire spell per level, from the cantrip ''Fire Bolt'' to the 4th-level spell ''Wall of Fire''. He tends to have a strong leaning towards fire spells in general, though it also causes him issues listed under KillItWithFire.
141	* {{Polyamory}}: There are a number of hints that [[spoiler:he was previously in a relationship with both Astrid and Eadwulf when they were all Trent's protegees]], something that [[https://twitter.com/VoiceOfOBrien/status/1398742362738753537 Liam has confirmed]] [[WordOfGod out of game]].
142	* ProperlyParanoid: He obsessively casts ''Alarm'' before going to sleep, even if the group is sleeping in an inn. It pays off in Episode 8 when bandits slip past Mollymauk's dismal 6 Perception.
143	** [[spoiler: Most of Caleb's paranoia comes from fear that his mentor Trenth Ikithon, whose manipulations resulted in the death of Caleb's parents, is secretly watching him from the shadows. Furthermore, the ''Origins'' comic reveals that the FalseMemories that eventually drove him and his fellow disciples to commit murder as Trent's ChildSoldiers in grooming were implanted in them when they slept in his mansion at the academy, giving Caleb further reason to take precautions before sleeping, to ensure he is never again left vulnerable to the will of another.]]
144	** In the campaign wrap-up, [[spoiler: this is one of the reasons Liam gives as to why he decides to not risk going back in time: his paranoia made him realize that, with how meticulous and paranoid Trent Ikithon was, there was a small chance he would have wanted to confirm the corpses in the cabin were Caleb's parents, which could have had terrible consequences if he went ahead with his plan.]]
145	[[/folder]]
146	[[folder:Tropes Q - Z]]
147	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The calm, serious, pragmatic Savvy Guy to Jester’s quirky, exuberant, cheerful Energetic Girl.
148	* SayingTooMuch: In his zeal to keep Nott out of harm's way, he accidentally tells the group that she's a goblin before they even think to ask.
149	* ScaledUp: Uses the 9th level spell ''[[VoluntaryShapeshifting Shapechange]]'' during the battle against [[spoiler:Uk'otoa]] to change himself into an adult blue dragon. [[spoiler:Does it again through ''Polymorph'' during the battle against [[UndeadAbomination Omentis]] where his higher level allows him to take the form of Gelidon, the Nightmare in Ivory, an ancient white dragon.]]
150	* ScarsAreForever: This trope is the reason he wears bandages around his arms and hands. [[spoiler:When he was still Trent Ikithon's student the archmage experimented on him and his fellow students by driving arcane crystals into their arms and other body parts, and Caleb still bears the scars from these experiments over eleven years later.]]
151	* ScholarshipStudent: Despite being poor, he was accepted to attend the [[WizardingSchool Soltryce Academy]] with Astrid and Eadwulf due to their natural talents in arcane magic.
152	* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler:He killed his own parents as a child soldier for the Empire for the crime of being subversives. Years later Caleb discovered his memories of overhearing their revolutionary plans were fake.]]
153	* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: [[spoiler: Ultimately {{Defied}}. Pre-CharacterDevelopment, Caleb's motivation for studying time magic was out of the hope that he could travel back in time and prevent his parents' deaths. When, at the campaign's end, he discovers what appears to be an actual time machine in the ruins of Aeor, he lays out to Essek a long, meticulously detailed plan about how he would pull it off without affecting the future, causing a StableTimeLoop... then he casts ''Disintegrate'' on the chamber and burns everything that's left.]]
154	* ShipperOnDeck: A mild example, but in Episode 14, he seems to be trying to awkwardly play wingman for Yasha towards Beau, encouraging her to buy shuriken for Beau and telling Beau that Yasha was the one who carried them. In later episodes he even lets them use his magic tower just so they can have a really romantic first date.
155	** He's also shown to push Jester towards Fjord in multiple instances, despite his own feelings for her.
156	* ShipTease: He gets quite a lot with Jester, with his softer side coming more around her than the rest of the party.
157	** After he and Essek spend more and more time together, they share a lot of romantic moments together, including feeling protective towards one another, sympathising and bonding over their shared flaws, and even physical affection, with Caleb in particular touching Essek's face ''a lot''. [[spoiler: They eventually enter into a romantic relationship after the campaign. They remain together for a time until their difference in aging leads to them amicably parting ways, albeit remaining lifelong friends and appreciating the time together.]]
158	* SignatureMove: Creates his own spell, Widogast's Web of Flame. A spell cast using a cat's cradle as a material component, which launches five streaks of flame across the ground that can either hit five different opponents or be made to converge on a single target for greater damage.
159	** Because ''Bigby's Hand'' was Scanlan's signature spell in the first campaign, Liam flavored it differently by making his own ''Cat's Ire'' which is mechanically the same but summons a giant orange cat paw instead.
160	* TheSmartGuy: Possesses the party's highest intelligence and has a PhotographicMemory.
161	* SpannerInTheWorks: He conned the party into becoming the Mighty Nein so he could actually earn some half decent money doing mercenary jobs. They end up saving the world.
162	* SquishyWizard: He has the lowest AC and HP among the party. Surprisingly, it is Molly who is the first to get knocked unconscious, but Caleb is soon to follow.
163	* StressVomit: In Episode 10, his first response to Fjord cutting down one of the sewer rats attacking the group is to dry heave due to the noxious odor that emerges.
164	** [[spoiler:Implied to be the reason he vomits in episode 48 due to a combination of his past coming back to haunt him, and Nott using GuiltByAssociation on him because of said past.]]
165	* SugarAndIcePersonality: Caleb is quiet and secretive and generally difficult to like, but around those he trusts -- for instance Nott, Jester, and Beau -- he's a much softer, more open person.
166	* SurvivalMantra: During stressful battles, most notably [[spoiler: the second fight with Lorenzo and his Iron Shepherds]], Caleb has a tendency to mutter to himself "This is going very well." [[BlatantLies Even if he's on the edge of death.]]
167	* TeenGenius: Had a knack for the arcane at a young age, and attended advanced classes at the Soltryce Academy. (He possessed a high intelligence score of 18 at the start of the campaign).
168	* ThinkingOutLoud: Has a habit of talking to himself, especially when alone. Whether this is PlayedForLaughs as with him having [[AlasPoorYorick a conversation with a skull]] or PlayedForDrama depends on the scene, such as one powerful monologue when the party is asleep in Episode 26 while traveling in an attempt to rescue [[spoiler:Jester, Fjord, and Yasha from the Iron Shepherds]], showing him to be genuinely [[TheMentallyDisturbed a bit unstable]]:
169	-->'''Caleb:''' Look at the lot of you. Look at these people. I should go right now. I don't know you at all. Look at [[AgentPeacock this one. He's like a walking rainbow]], what is this? Why are you with him? It makes no sense. He's a circus performer, he's not going to help you. [[BareFistedMonk This one]] [[SecretKeeper you told everything to, to try to get into a library]]. You learned ''nothing''. On your gamble, you failed. You're stupid. Smart as you are, you're stupid with this. She could cave in everything. [[spoiler:This three that have been stolen]]: yeah, they're nice. Two of them. [[NoSocialSkills One's weird.]] [[TeethClenchedTeamwork One of them tried to kill you.]] The other one, she's adorable, but-- Stupid. [[PlatonicLifePartners This one here.]] What do you expect to do with her? How is she going to help you do what you want to do? She can watch your back-- I know. [[{{Familiar}} Don't worry, you're fine.]] She's as much a liability as anything else. You know you're fucking mad when you're gesticulating this much. You should just go. You have told too much. [[BlatantLies I am going to go. It's time to go.]]
170	* ThousandYardStare: Falls into one of these when he [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration fails a Wisdom saving throw]] after killing something with fire.
171	* TokenEvilTeammate: Downplayed in that he doesn't do anything particularly heinous throughout the story, but he WAS an imperial assassin and torturer, and originally teamed up with the rest of the Nein for selfish reasons. [[WordOfGod Liam]] stated in a twitter that Caleb's alignment was originally Lawful Evil, but at the start of the campaign, he had turned to True Neutral.
172	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: He's really fond of boba, but stresses the importance of only eating one a day, lest your colon suffer.
173	* TykeBomb: A failed one. [[spoiler:He was groomed by Trent algonside Astrid and Edwulf to become one, but [[DrivenToMAdness snapped]] after being forced to kill his own parents. Upon recovery, after eleven years in an asylum, he begins to formulate plans to [[TheDogBitesBack get his revenge]].]]
174	* UnscrupulousHero: Relative to the rest of the Mighty Nein, his plans and actions can be a shade darker on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism; proposing to [[MurderIsTheBestSolution deal with problems fast and violently]] rather than risk trusting the wrong people, and engages in PayEvilUntoEvil when getting revenge on those hurting his teammates. This attitude is addressed in episode 25, where [[spoiler:he and Beau make a deal to keep each other from [[HeWhoFightsMonsters sliding too far]] into becoming evil people]].
175	* VocalEvolution: His accent takes a bit of time to solidify. In the initial session, it's very subtle, to the point that many viewers were surprised when Liam identified it as German. In subsequent episodes, Caleb speaks with a more pronounced accent and regularly uses German words or phrases.
176	* VoluntaryShapeshifter: Uses the Polymorph spell to great effect in battle, and can even use it for free once a day as of lvl10 due to his Transmuter's class.
177	* WhamLine: In Episode 18, when he tells Beau and Nott about his DarkAndTroubledPast. Marisha Ray's [[JawDrop reaction]] says it all.
178	-->'''Caleb:''' [[CreepyMonotone I am going to tell you the story of how I]] [[spoiler:[[SelfMadeOrphan murdered my mother and father]]]].
179	[[/folder]]
180
181	!!Frumpkin
182	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frumpkin_lvl_10.jpg]]
183	-->'''Race:''' Fey Spirit (Cat)
184	-->'''Class:''' Familiar
185
186	Caleb's familiar, a magical fey spirit bound together with him through a magical pact. He usually takes the form of a patchy orange tabby cat, but Caleb can invoke a ritual to change Frumpkin into a number of other animals including a sparrow and [[NoodleIncident an octopus]].
187
188	----
189	[[folder:Tropes A - Z]]
190	* AnimalEyeSpy: One of Frumpkin's powers as Caleb's {{familiar}}. Caleb is able to see and hear through Frumpkin, at the cost of becoming temporarily insensate to his own surroundings.
191	* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler:In Episode 141, Caleb frees Frumpkin of his oaths and lets him go free, leading to him walking away and presumably returning to the Feywild.]]
192	* CatScare: Invoked by Caleb to distract a guard in Episode 12. In Episode 9 Caleb has Frumpkin give one to Beau and Fjord [[ForTheLulz just for fun]].
193	* CutenessProximity: ZigZagged. Frumpkin's charms have worked on aloof and deadpan individuals such as Beauregard and Oremid Hass, who dote on him, but others aren't so easily moved; Fjord is allergic and not too fond of the cat, while the Crownsguard tend to try and kick at him.
194	* DeathIsCheap: As a Familiar, Frumpkin can be restored if he dies, though the process is expensive. It has happened at least a few times in Caleb and Nott's past, [[NoodleIncident with Nott apparently having eaten him twice]].
195	* EmpathicShapeshifter: Via Caleb's ''Find Familiar'' spell, he can take almost any animal shape (though he prefers the cat shape). Caleb transforms him into a sparrow for some reconnaissance, and has also transformed him into an octopus several times.
196	* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Or rather Expository Fur Color Change. As a symbolic gesture to allevites him from his familiar contract, Caleb changes Frumpkin's orange tabby fur to pure white, releaving him of his ReplacementGoldfish status for Caleb's [[spoiler:long dead cat]].
197	* {{Familiar}}: He's Caleb's, of course. Caleb can command him telepathically, [[AnimalEyeSpy look through his eyes]], channel spells through him, and grant him short-range teleportation by dismissing and re-summoning him.
198	* FuzzTherapy: Provided this in Caleb's past, and is occasionally summoned for providing comfort to others going through rough times. Beau observes that this may be an impetus for Caleb's lack of close relationships. The ''Origins'' comic reveals that the original Frumpkin and Caleb were quite close, with the cat seen at various points pawing at young Bren for attention, running after the carriage that took him to the Academy, and cuddling with him through the night when Bren is given leave to go home.
199	* OneHitPointWonder: Depending on how Liam rolls each time he's summoned. In Episode 3, getting hit with a sack by an elderly gnome shopkeeper for 1 damage is ''nearly'' enough to do him in. A resummoned Frumpkin in Episode 9 does go down with one damage from a Crownsguard's kick, though.
200	* ReplacementGoldfish: Heavily implied to have been this to Caleb [[spoiler:for his own cat he had when he was a younger boy]]. The ''Origins'' comic confirms this, showing the original Frumpkin as a similar cat [[spoiler:who died in the house fire while being held by the Ermendruds]]. Out of universe, he is based on Liam's own childhood cat.
201	-->'''Caleb:''' Because you're not [[spoiler:my cat. My cat is dead]].
202	* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: Frumpkin can take the form of any small animal, but he prefers to be a cat, and Caleb continues referring to Frumpkin as "my cat" when he's in the form of a different creature.
203	* SilentSnarker: Being a cat, he can't actually speak, but displays an impressive amount of sass when Caleb orders him to do something especially ridiculous.
204	* {{Telepathy}}: Caleb can communicate with him telepathically. For example, to distract Beauregard from an unwelcome line of questioning, he instructs Frumpkin to hop into her lap.
205	* TheyKilledKennyAgain: According to Caleb, Frumpkin "has a good sense of humor" about his own frequent deaths.
206	* UncattyResemblance: Frumpkin, like Caleb, is a ginger.

Context Characters / CriticalRoleCalebWidogast