Scanlan Shorthalt

Scanlan Shorthalt is a gnome bard in the group Vox Machina. He is played by Sam Riegel.

Intro
"Oh, you haven't heard of Scanlan Shorthalt? Well, gird your loins, ladies, because he has his eye on you. A talented musician, master of disguise, and dashingly handsome in his own mind, Scanlan sings songs almost as much as he sings his own praises.

''Born a poor gnome, Scanlan used his endless charm and soaring tenor voice to croon for coin and support his single mother. One day he was discovered by a half-orc promoter, and joined Dr. Dranzel's Spectacular Traveling Troupe, where he learned the ways of the world, and honed his skills as a bard extraordinaire.''

''A loner much of his life, Scanlan has never quite come to terms with the violent death of his mother at the hands of a goblin invasion. While his years on the road provided many, shall we say, educational experiences with the opposite sex, deep down Scanlan yearns for the one thing he's never known: the true love of a fellow gnome.''

''Still, Scanlan considers himself a lover first, performer second, and fighter distant third. On the battlefield, he'll support his allies, but rarely draws blood unless it's to protect fellow gnome Pike. Count on Scanlan for a hearty laugh, a rollicking song, and a twinkle in his eye that melts hearts and makes the females swoon."''

Character Information
Scanlan is fluent in Common and Gnomish. He is very quick-witted, and often acts as support for Vox Machina by enhancing their abilities or weakening their opponents in some way. He is also capable of defending himself for short amounts of time provided that he is quickly backed up by other people. Perhaps just as resourceful as Tiberius, Scanlan is a very powerful member of Vox Machina. His alignment is "neutral good", like Keyleth (and, originally, Vex'ahlia).

Scanlan has very strong feelings towards his fellow team member Pike, and it is often a source of great humor and emotional moments within the Critical Role campaign. Pike eventually did willingly kiss Scanlan on the cheek in the episode, which has never happened before, after he saved her life.

Scanlan and Tiberius have a bullying form of friendship which started at some point before the stream.

Scanlan (or rather Sam) is known for creating parodies of existing songs on the spot whenever he uses inspiration, Healing Word, or another spell on one of his team members.

Scanlan made his very first kill ever on the first episode of Critical Role,.

It was revealed in the episode, to him, that Scanlan has a daughter named Kaylie. He did not reveal this information to the group until the next episode, when he asked for their help to get her out of the stockade for causing a brawl in a bar.

Personas
Highly skilled in Deception, Scanlan sometimes finds himself in situations where a simple lie or half-truth is not enough, so he adopts a disguise or false identity.
 * Burt Reynolds:  Initially used with a fake mustache and pretend badge to convince members of the Clasp that he was a customs inspector, the Burt Reynolds persona became Scanlan's deceit of choice when needing to impersonate an authority figure.  Burt Reynolds later returned as a lawyer to rescue Keyleth and Tiberius from jail in Vasselheim.
 * Kingslayer:  Not entirely a lie, Scanlan's "Kingslayer" title was earned when delivering the killing blow to King Murghol.  However, his "Kingslayer" persona deceptively portrays Scanlan as a more honorable and valiant warrior than his everyday actions might warrant.
 * The Meat Man:  Scanlan provided this pseudonym to the half-orc Rutter in Ank'Harel during a "drug deal", which might serve as Scanlan's underworld moniker.

Before the Stream
At some point, the group either accidentally or intentionally walked through the back door of The Clasp, the thieves' guild in Emon, and almost got into a deadly confrontation. Scanlan was able to trick the guild into thinking Vox Machina was part of the customs department, using a silver star he had had made in a previous town.

The bard, by rolling a natural twenty on deception and putting a finger over his upper lip so it looked like he had a mustache, was able to get a man who had access to a tower into letting them in by tricking him into thinking that he was "Burt Reynolds".

Scanlan and Grog managed to intimidate a group of hostile mages in a fighting pit when Scanlan summoned a pony that Grog abruptly decapitated and smeared the gore of on his body while screaming. Scanlan also had Percy build him a bomb to use in that event, but since Grog's intimidation worked, Scanlan kept the bomb, which was later used in the episode.

Scanlan spent much of his time trying to convince Percy to create an exploding donkey, a request that Percy eventually complied to.

He was able to convince some guards to free Keyleth from prison after convincing them that she had pubic lice. She played along by foaming at the mouth and acting insane. Percy acted as her lawyer.

Scanlan was the one who brought Pike back to life after she perished in combat fighting a glabrezu, both by using a small figurine of her he carved two months before and kissing her on the brow. He still keeps the small figurine wherever he goes.

The bard accidentally crashed through a stained glass window when attempting to charge at the Dread Emperor by rolling a natural one. He crashed into a bramble bush three stories down while glass and wood from the window rained down on him.

Quests
Originally seeking to win Pike's heart, Scanlan realized that the gnome he was meant to love and protect is his daughter, Kaylie. After successfully slaying the ancient black dragon Umbrasyl, Scanlan promised Kaylie that he would return to her and be the father she needs once he has finished slaying the other members of the Chroma Conclave.

Items

 * Drow Poison
 * Small statue of Pike
 * Whip

Magic Items

 * Aberration Bane Longsword
 * Coldsnap Leather Armor (traded to Vex'ahlia)
 * Earring of Whisper (made by Tiberius)
 * Handcone of Clarity (made by Tiberius)
 * Ioun Stone
 * Magical Poop of Scrying
 * Placed in the ruins of the temple to Sarenrae that Pike was rebuilding in Vasselheim.
 * Placed in the kitchen of Greyskull Keep.
 * Placed in the scabbard of the Singing Dawnblade.
 * Mythcarver
 * Ring of Mind Shielding
 * Scroll of Chain Lightning (expended against K'Varn)
 * Singing Dawnblade (given to Kaylie)
 * Studded Leather Armor of Acid Resistance (received from Vex'ahlia)
 * Tome of Leadership and Influence (successfully used by Scanlan; recharging for the next hundred years)
 * Wand of Fireballs
 * Wand of Magic Missiles

Abilities
Because Scanlan is a bard, he is one of the few members of Vox Machina with a large array of spells and skills, which he utilizes both in social and combat situations.

Gnome Abilities

 * Darkvision
 * Gnome Cunning

Bard Abilities

 * Inspiration
 * Countercharm
 * Cutting Words
 * Song of Rest

Feats

 * War Caster

Other Spells

 * Banishment
 * Blindness
 * Counterspell
 * Dimension Door
 * Dispel Magic
 * Dominate Monster
 * Dominate Person
 * Eyebite
 * Friends
 * Healing Word
 * Hold Person
 * Invisibility
 * Lightning Bolt
 * Major Image
 * Message
 * Minor Illusion
 * Modify Memory
 * Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion
 * Otiluke's Resilient Sphere
 * Polymorph
 * Seeming
 * Stinking Cloud
 * Suggestion
 * Thunderwave
 * Unseen Servant
 * Thunderwave
 * Unseen Servant

Quotes
Elowen Brist:  "Yeah, about your size, light-ish hair..." Scanlan:  "Hair the color of the sunset; eyes like waves that crash in the night; breasts supple, firm–" Grog, interrupting:  "Okay, uh, Scanlan, uh, Scanlan–" Ashley Johnson:  "True, true, true."
 * Scanlan:  "You remember what Pike looks like?"