Critical Role Scanlan Shorthalt / Characters

Scanlan Shorthalt

Played by: Sam Riegel

"You will leave when Burt Reynolds tells you to leave!"

Race: Forest Gnome

Class: Bard (College of Lore)

Scanlan is a gnome bard who considers himself more of a lover than a fighter. Raised by a single mother until she was killed in a sudden goblin attack, Scanlan trained as a musician and scoundrel under a travelling troupe led by the charismatic Dr. Dranzel. Having left his share of broken hearts in his past, Scanlan is trying to turn over a new leaf and prove himself as the kind of gnome worthy of someone else's love.

open/close all folders

Tropes A - H

Absent-Minded Professor: Not to the extent of Tiberius, but Scanlan does have above average intelligence, and below average Wisdom.
Action Dad: Kaylie tells him he's this, to the shock of absolutely everyone.
Amicable Exes: Tal'Dorei Reborn reveled that he and Pike become this, ending their marriage after their children have grown but still remain good friends and sometimes lovers.
Anti-Magic: His use of Counterspell saves the group on more than one occasion.
Ass Kicks You: Scanlan will occasionally channel his spells through his backside, because it's funny. These spells run the gamut from Hold Person to Lightning Bolt.
Back from the Dead:
- Scanlan dies in Episode 80 after being frozen solid by Raishan's Cone of Cold, but Pike performs a fast Revivify ritual and manages to bring him back.
- He dies once more against Raishan again in Episode 83. This time, it takes a Resurrection to bring him back in Episode 84.
Beware the Silly Ones: Sam Riegel has said in interviews that at the time of character creation he asked Liam what the dumbest class was ("probably a bard") and what the dumbest character race was. Scanlan is pretty ridiculous, but thanks in part to Bards getting a massive buff in 5th Edition, endgame Scanlan is a spellcasting monster with a lot of badass moments to his name.
Scanlan: You leave when Burt Reynolds tells you to leave!
- In Episode 6 he outright threatens Lady Kima into cooperating and accepting Clarota as an ally.
- Episode 31 is perhaps Scanlan at his most badass: he rampages through an enemy manor as a triceratops, then teleports up to the roof and sets the building ablaze with a potion of fire-breath, punches a goliath off the roof with Bigby's Hand, and then trust-falls onto the hand and escapes the blaze. As a distraction.
- He has a clutch contribution in episode 34, where he Counterspells Delilah Briarwood's attempt at a Dimension Door, which is one of the first things that genuinely worries one of the Briarwoods. When she attempts to escape again, she specifically moves out of Scanlan's sight to do it.
- In Episode 52, he moons Kevdak with his Cutting Words while casting Hold Person on him. Using Mythcarver's special ability, he causes Kevdak to fail the saving throw needed to resist the effect. Kevdak then proceeds to spend nearly two-thirds of the battle paralyzed, while Vox Machina just wail on him.
- In Episode 69, he instigates the absolutely brutal HDYWTDT of Dr. Ripley. All with a chillingly calm expression.
- In Episode 76 he gets the HDYWTDT against the pit fiend with his newly Awakened Mythcarver.
- In Episode 102 he pulls off a counter spell against Vecna, allowing the party to escape with their lives.
Blade Spam: Mythcarver, when awakened, grants Scanlan the equivalent of a Fighter's level 20 Extra Attack boon: four attacks per round. All with advantage if he Inspired someone beforehand.
Bullying a Dragon: On occasion:
- He makes fun of Aldor a lot in Episode 17, despite the fact that Aldor is pretty clearly the authority in the situation.
- In Episode 28 he actually does it to Matt, making fun of his mispronouncing of "sigil", but all it takes is one threatening roll behind the DM screen for Scanlan to back down.
But Not Too Bi: Maintains that he's interested in both men and women, but we only ever see him express interest in women. (Except for when Vax tricks him into falling for Percy temporarily.)
Calling Your Attacks: BIGBY'S HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!!! Also done with other spells on occasion.
Scanlan: What a lovely dinner we ha-LIGHTNING!
Casanova Wannabe: Loves the ladies, though we haven't seen him have much luck outside of, as Grog calls it, "places where you pay for lady favors."
Character Development: Throughout the series, Scanlan has become less sleazy and a little more noble. He's still sometimes a creep and a womanizer, but it's no longer his defining character trait nor his only approach to interacting with women. He's also taken a more central role in combat and aided the party in attaining many victories when once he was relegated to support. His development comes full circle upon discovering that he has a daughter, which makes him realize what he's been doing wrong. He even finally gives up on chasing Pike, even going as far as absolving her of the marriage proposal he offered.
Characterization Marches On:
- Early on Scanlan was more or less the Deadpool of the cast, being a meta-humor focused character who didn't really take things seriously. This can be seen at how many fourth-wall breaking jokes he made without care. Overtime however, Scanlan's humor was changed to be that of a Stepford Smiler, making him go from a silly Joke Character, into a more realistic character.
- In Episode 44, Scanlan tells Kashaw that he's exclusively interested in women. Later episodes, and The Legend of Vox Machina, establish him as an Extreme Omnisexual.
Chivalrous Pervert: Sure, he has the hots for Pike, but he does genuinely care about her and wants her to actually fall in love with him, not just sleep with him.
Combat Pragmatist: Many of his awesome moments are about tricks and cheap shots.
Confusion Fu: Scanlan has a diverse arsenal which makes it difficult to predict what he'll do in a fight. The cast have also said during the battle royal episodes that Sam/Scanlan would be very dangerous because of his ability to improvise and his quick thinking.
Consummate Liar: As befits The Face, Scanlan is a terrific liar. (Mechanically speaking, he's got an outrageously high Deception modifier (+13), as seen in Episode 61 when he manages to roll a 30 — with disadvantage.) It is, however, one of his biggest flaws, something that is brought to the fore when Scanlan leaves the group in Episode 85.
Convenient Coma: Falls into this following his second resurrection. It's convenient considering Sam Riegel was not even present for the episode.
Cool Sword: Mythcarver, especially after it powers up in Episode 76.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: While he describes his skills with "fighter a distant third," this bard proves to be anything but spoony in combat. His greatest achievement may well be decapitating King Murghol, or wreaking havoc on a manor in Whitestone all by himself in Episode 31, or saving all of Vox Machina from the wrath of the City of Brass in Episode 76.
Death from Above: In Episode 58, when seeing Vax in danger of being killed by Hotis the Rakshasa, he decides to leap off the balcony with Mythcarver and do a jumping stab attack that would make Link proud.
The Determinator: When it comes to winning Pike's heart. Or getting in her pants. He made a very serious effort to save her life during the climactic escape sequence from the Underdark.
Devoted to You: He may seek out lady favors at brothels. He may constantly charm the pantaloons off of women. He may be a conniving and at times selfish gnome. But if there's one thing about Scanlan Shorthalt, it's that he will drop everything, including all of the aforementioned things, to be with and protect the one true love of his life: Pike Trickfoot. And despite how he sometimes gets on everyone's nerves, there's no denying that he's devoted to his friends in Vox Machina. And now that he's discovered that he's a father, he has someone else to fight for: his daughter Kaylie.
Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: Scanlan shocked friend and foe alike during the final battle by not using the book as planned, instead seemingly wasting his turn by just moving closer and Inspiring Grog. After the group wrote his turn off as a panicked lapse of judgement during a stressful fight, everyone, including Matt/Vecna, was shocked by his clutch Counterspell, which he had only just gotten in range to cast. Matt had to stop and applaud.
Scanlan: That's why I moved closer, motherfucker!
Did You Think I Can't Feel?: Gives a blistering one of these to the rest of Vox Machina in episode 85, when they bring his daughter Kaylie to help with his resurrection ritual. He's mortified at Kaylie seeing him fallen and weakened and is furious with Vox Machina for involving her, claiming they just see him as a jokester and have never really cared to know anything about him beyond that.
The Ditz: Not to the extent of Tiberius, but he does have a tendency of not paying attention when the party is discussing plans or when people mention important details and he has to be reminded of what was discussed.
Doting Parent: He has loads of love for Kaylie. That time they bluffed barbarians in Westrunn has been compared to a guy coaching and encouraging their kid at some competition, and he praised her efforts afterward.
The Dreaded: To VECNA of all people. By the end of the fight he was using everything to try and take Scanlan out of the battle, almost screaming incoherently with rage every time the gnome countered one of his spells.
Elemental Powers: Often uses lightning (Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning) and thunder attacks (Thunderwave).
Everyone Has Standards: Expresses offense at the insinuation that he'd use a scrying potion to spy on Pike naked... and promptly subverted when Vex can answer "yes" to every one of his "Have I ever" questions.
Extreme Omnisexual: Scanlan is not just a lover of ladies, if his comments about fire giants being "fuckable", his reactions to being kissed by Vax, and his flirting with an ancient green dragon are any indication. No matter his preferences, Scanlan Shorthalt is not 100% heterosexual.
The Face: So long as his more... risqué comments don't get him in trouble, he talks for Vox Machina. Whenever the team needs a person to present a story, truthful or otherwise, Scanlan is typically the first person they go with due to his high charisma and his proficiency with persuading others. Quite a few confrontations have been avoided due to his silver tongue and convincing bald-faced lies.
Fartillery: He has a tendency to fire Lightning from his rear end in addition to his crotch. In fact, the opening theme for Campaign 1 and even the The Legend of Vox Machina's "Your Turn to Roll" video has him doing just this.
Scanlan: I have practice aiming things with my ass...
Fireballs: Possesses a wand that lets him conjure these.
Fatal Flaw: His tendency to hide his emotions with humor. Deep down, Scanlan feels like he doesn't really have anybody in his life who cares for him and his inability to be honest with himself or his friends about his emotions really bite him in the ass when he dies and is resurrected when fighting the Chroma Conclave. It leads to him having an outburst and leaving the group for a while. But he returns.
Gag Penis: Magically made his bigger when distracting Lady Kima while Keyleth airs out her concerns about Kima's motives. Being a gnome, it is usually not this trope.
Giant Hands of Doom: It's Bigby's Hand, Bigby's Hand, you know it, shamone!
Glass Cannon: Had the lowest HP for a while but is remedied after hitting level 12 and picking up the Tough feat. However, due to the limit of attunement items, his AC is a meager 14.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: After the time skip, he returns with a scar on his cheek that makes him look a little more roguishly dashing. Kaylie gave it to him in a fit of anger.
Handsome Lech: At times, Scanlan skirts the line between this and Chivalrous Pervert, but never stays here for too long.
Happily Married: In the epilogue, he and Pike start dating, and finally she asks him to marry her. With Grog's approval, Scanlan says yes.
Hates Being Touched: Downplayed— he doesn't mind being touched, but he hates being manhandled, and Vax's tendency to exuberantly scoop him up like a small child gets under his skin and stays there to the point that it's among the grievances Scanlan airs in Episode 85 when he parts ways from the party.
Heart Is an Awesome Power: When he gets that feeling he gives musical healin'. Giving inspiration, and many of his spells are created by music and singing.
Heroes Prefer Swords: While Scanlan doesn't use a weapon very often, if he does, expect it to be a longsword — especially now that he's picked up the Mythcarver.
Hidden Depths: They may not always work out the best, but he has done a fair amount of strategizing with the party, showing that he's definitely smarter than he appears to be (reflecting his decent Intelligence stat, compared to his low Wisdom). He's also proven to be capable of platonic relationships with women. He mentions a "sleepover" with three tiefling ladies... and then goes out of his way to elaborate it was an actual sleepover, with hair-braiding and gossiping. He's also surprisingly wise (despite his low Wisdom) as shown during certain interactions with Vax.
Horny Bard: The living embodiment of this trope in a small package. He uses every opportunity to hit on anyone and charm the pants off his quarry with his song, literally and figuratively.

Tropes I - P

I Am Not Left-Handed: As expected of a bard, he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve that can potentially turn the tide of battle.
I Call Him "Mr. Happy": His is "the Cube".
I Have Many Names: Scanlan Shorthalt loves creating alternate names, sometimes complete with different accents and personalities. Burt Reynolds, The Kingslayer, Kenny Rogers, Francois Bertrand Jean-Luc Australia, the Meat Man, Aes Adan and many others.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Once he's realized that the was more in love with the idea of Pike and never actually got to know Pike as a person, being so focused on getting together with her, he accepts that she doesn't feel the same way, rescinds the offer of marriage and encourages her to be happy. Ultimately averted in the finale, when the two gnomes finally reciprocate their feelings for each other and even become husband and wife.
Indy Ploy: He's remarkably good at coming up with on the fly plans, as well as creative uses for his spells, ranging from setting a mansion on fire all by himself, to paralyzing Kevdak and Greenbeard for most of the fight, to punching his way out of a dragon's stomach.
In Love with Love: Scanlan had spent the better part of three years feeling as though Pike is his soulmate, and trying a wide myriad of ways to win Pike's heart; Scanlan had always known that there was something in his life, something worth caring for. After meeting his daughter, Kaylie, and feeling more fulfilled in his life than he had ever been before, Scanlan realizes that while Pike may still be his soulmate, she's not the one who gives him purpose, and admits that he was more in love with the idea of Pike (her beauty, smartness, etc.) without ever really getting to know Pike as a person. Scanlan admits that Kaylie was the gnome that gives him purpose.
Invisibility: One of his bard skills enables him to walk unseen, which means he can follow Vax during stealth scouting and infiltration.
Jack of All Trades: Both played straight and averted.
- As a class feature, he gets the eponymous "Jack-of-All-Trades" feat, that allows him to add half his proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check he makes that doesn't already include his proficiency bonus. That aspect doesn't come up very often though, as Scanlan usually focuses on his skills of expertise, such as Deception.
- In a fight, he can't cast spells as powerful as those of Keyleth or Tiberius, he can heal and buff but not as well as Pike, he can shapeshift to deal more damage but never quite as much as Grog, he's less light on his feat than Vax or Vex, and he doesn't have Percy's gift with gadgetry or ranged weapons. But he can do well enough in all those roles, at least for a little while, to be surprisingly useful in combat.
- Averted in that, unlike most of Vox Machina, Sam never multi-classed. Putting levels into another class makes for a more balanced character, but one has to start from the beginning of that class, as opposed to the higher levels and bigger bonuses of one's original class had they stayed the course. By playing a pure bard, late game Scanlan is less balanced but ultimately more powerful for it.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a serial womaniser, has a bad habit of making creepy and perverted comments, and has a tendency to object to several of the party's plans, but deep down he's loyal to Vox Machina, genuinely loves Pike and over time has become a better person.
Ladykiller in Love: While his ladykilling skills might be in dispute, he's definitely smitten with Pike. He also averts Can't Act Perverted Toward a Love Interest by a country mile.
The Lancer: Often when Vax went scouting in the Underdark arc, Scanlan (equipped with Invisibility) was his partner.
The Leader: Even when it's mentioned in jest (and even after he left the party), Scanlan is considered the party leader.
Let's Get Dangerous!: Whenever Scanlan drops all pretense and gets serious. Most notably:
- In the first half of Episode 31, Scanlan - who usually only plays a supporting role in combat - destroys an entire manor full of guards by himself.
- When Percy is killed in Episode 68, Scanlan coldly tells a trapped Dr. Ripley, "Percy is killing you today, not us."
Let's Mock the Monsters: His spell Vicious Mockery has been used more than once, and has even killed several enemies. Vicious Mockery basically insults a target cruelly enough to cause it physical and psychological pain. As of this point it has killed:
- A duergar soldier, by causing it to drown itself out of shame after he called it ugly.
- A vampire spawn that, in addition to being mocked, was also pissed on by Scanlan - fulfilling the running water requirement.
- Most glaringly a ghost that, as Percy aptly put it, was shamed back to death.
The Loonie: Typically tries to be the comedic relief more than the others. Also tends to be the instigator, especially with Vex'ahlia/Laura to leave Trinket behind, because he knows that Trinket is The Load.
Make a Wish: In the late game, he gains the Wish spell. He loses it at the end of the Dalen's Closet oneshot, after briefly summoning back Vax so he could be there for Vex's wedding.
Magic Missile Storm: Possesses a Wand of Magic Missile that can release up to nine missiles in one blast.
Magic Music: As a bard, this is natural. Primarily used for buffing and healing, and often expressed through (pop) songs and (original) limericks.
Magic Wand: Has a Wand of Fireballs and a Wand of Magic Missile.
Meaningful Name: Scanlan is a variation of scannal, the irish word for scandal, which is highly appropriate for him. His last name, Shorthalt also counts as this, as his antics serve as a welcome break during the party's life threatening adventures. The name he uses as a crime lord in Marquet, Aes Adan, is Sindarin (Elvish) for 'Meat Man.'
Meaningful Rename: Upon marrying Pike, he becomes "Scanlan Shortfoot."
Mind Manipulation: Is quite fond of using spells such as Friends, Suggestion, Dominate Person/Monster, and Modify Memory to turn the tide whether in social encounters or combat encounters.
Moment Killer: Vex kisses Percy on the cheek at one point, and Scanlan immediately kills the moment by suggesting Percy might have syphilis.
The Münchausen: Outright stated in his intro is that he "sings songs about as much as he sings his own praises". He thinks very highly of himself, even constantly trying to get the last word in during a discussion or coming up with rather unorthodox tactics while also objecting to those of the others, which is funny considering Sam is usually the only one of the party to try to keep everyone focused on what's happening.
Necktie Headband: Donned by Sam during Scanlan's solo assault on the manor in Episode 31. Seen again near the end of episode 50.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: According to Sam, Scanlan's backstory is essentially Eminem's.
No-Sell: Once Tiberius leaves the party, Scanlan learns how to use Counterspell, and uses it to great effect to shut down enemy mages. His greatest use is unquestionably in the final fight with Vecna, where he keeps shutting down some of the most broken spells Vecna has, saving the group repeatedly. The look on Matt's face as he does it sells how frustrated both Vecna, and even Matt are.
Now, Buy the Merchandise: In-Universe, Scanlan is the one who is always pushing Gilmore's Glorious Goods. (Usually on enemies who are about to die.) Out of Universe, Sam typically breaks the fourth wall whenever there's a lull or Matt is looking up a rule by telling the audience to go to Geek and Sundry or buy merch, and also does an advertisement at the start of the show for Lootcrate while they sponsored the show.
Older Than They Look: Due to the lifespan of gnomes, Scanlan looks no older than most of Vox Machina despite being 70.
Playboy Has a Daughter: When Kaylie reveals herself to be the Casanova Wannabe Quirky Bard Scanlan's daughter from a casual fling. He's deeply distraught to have been a Disappeared Dad for so long and makes a serious effort through the rest of the story to become a worthy father.
Scanlan: I didn't know you existed, and my heart is breaking a hundred times now for not knowing it. Every year that you've been alive is a year I could have been a better person and known someone who could have made me a better person, and I'm only sorry that I didn't know it.
Please Kill Me if It Satisfies You: Offers Kaylie this option after he discovers she is his daughter and wants to kill him for being a Disappeared Dad. Thanks to a timely Natural 1, she doesn't have the heart to go through with it.
Playing with Fire: When drinking the Potion of Fire Breathing in Episode 31.
Playing Cyrano: For Grog in Episode 59 when he speaks with Nala the Nymph. The players even name-drop Cyrano during the scene.
Pungeon Master:
- Matt deemed his "cow-maflague" pun in episode 26 to be bonus experience-worthy.
- Inverted in Episode 39, where his "Yelping" pun was so bad that Matt briefly considered home-brewing a counterpart to inspiration die and Taliesin noted he retroactively felt better about every pun he'd ever made.
Put on a Bus: Scanlan leaves Vox Machina so he can be with Kaylie and deal with the growing emotional issues he's been dealing with. The bus comes back in episode 99, over a year later, when he discovers the existence of a second ziggurat.

Tropes Q - Z

Quirky Bard: It does not take very long for the audience to learn how strange he can be. It's almost to the point of being a Cloudcuckoolander.
Really Gets Around: Lampshaded by Grog in episode 18, but this really hits when it's revealed he's unknowingly impregnated at least one woman.
Really 700 Years Old: He alludes constantly to being the oldest member of the party, even older than Vex, Vax, and Keyleth who have naturally longer life spans. Subverted in the epilogue of the campaign when he off-handedly mentions that he hopes to finish his book by the time he hits seventy-one, revealing that he was sixty-nine at the start of the campaign, and seventy after the time skip. While old by human standards, gnomes can typically live in excess of three-hundred years, making him the gnomish equivalent of his thirties and far younger than he let on.
Refuge in Vulgarity: Whether it's leaving a nasty surprise in duergar beds, showing Kima his magically-altered genitals, or rescuing Pike while going into detail about how he's creepily smelling her hair, Sam plays this to the hilt.
The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Surprisingly, he's the strongest advocate for making gory examples of the bad guys in Whitestone during the rebellion. At the beginning of Episode 30, he pushes for it even harder than Grog does.
Rule of Three: Thanks to the luck of the dice, Scanlan ends up with three uses of Wish in the post campaign bonus episodes: first to find where Grog is in The Search for Grog, second to create a bejewelled bowl for a Heroes' Feast, and third to briefly bring back Vax for Vex's wedding.
Sad Clown: Scanlan comes across as the most fun-loving and lighthearted member of the team, always cracking jokes and doing a bunch of other silly things, but since his discovery that he has a daughter, he has been struggling to cope with the extra responsibility and lives in fear of screwing it up, and it takes a darker turn after he finds out about Tiberius' death. Some of his antics (particularly gambling excessively and trying to acquire drugs in Ankh'Harel, and later from Jarrett, and attempting to mind wipe Lady Kima) are somewhat desperate and mean-spirited, and display a confused state of mind. He finally admits to Jarrett in Episode 73 that he's struggling, and it gets even worse after his death in Episode 80, when he uses his drugs for the first time and later modifies Jarrett's memory to convince him to acquire more. It all comes to a head in Episode 85, when Scanlan throws one hell of a verbal beatdown at the rest of the party for marginalizing his fears, breaking his promise to Kaylie by letting her see his corpse, and defiling his recently revived body with an oversized nightgown, rope bindings and several gallons of pudding. All in plain view of his daughter, no less. His outburst is completely devoid of humor and absolutely vicious, hitting the other party members' emotions right where it hurts the most. It's an incredibly stark demonstration of just how miserable and betrayed the "jolly" little gnome feels on the inside.
Scanlan: You like me because I make jokes, and I play songs, and I give you a warm place to stay at night, and I feed you fucking chicken, and I heal you in battle. But you don’t really care about me. Come on. Let's be honest with each other. You don't really give a shit about me. [...] We traveled into the fucking nine hells to get Pike a set of armor. We went and battled a city of vampires so Percy could feel good about his name. We fought goliaths for Grog. We’ve traveled across planes of existence so [Vex and Vax] could fix your fucking daddy issues. But you’ve never done anything for me. Ever! You’ve never risked anything, you don’t know me, you don’t know anything about me. What’s my mother’s name? What’s her name? Easy question. Died in front of me. Killed by a goblin. Biggest part of my life. What’s her name? My father. Is he alive or dead? How old am I? Where’s my fucking dog? [...] It's fine. I’m just a little hungover from being dead, and I just have been thinking for a while, and, you know. Grog has Pike. Vax has Keyleth. Percy has Vex. But Scanlan has no one, and I had one chance at one real relationship with my daughter, and I feel like you’ve gone and fucked it up, too. Because you don’t really know me, and you don’t really know what my relationship is with her, and what I’ve promised her, or anything, really. And it’s fine. When I met you all, I was just a funny little man playing songs, and that’s all I’ll ever really be. And that’s okay, because I can take care of myself.
Sadistic Choice: Perhaps the most extreme example in the entirety of the campaign. During the final battle with Vecna, Scanlan is put into an extremely tough situation: Either save his last 9th level spell to cast Wish, allowing him to revive Vax, or use a 9th level Counterspell to stop Vecna from teleporting and escaping, since Vecna escaping would make the entire battle All for Nothing. Faced with no good way to handle it, Scanlan casts Counterspell to make sure Vecna pays for everything he's done, all while Sam begins to break down into tears.
Shipper on Deck: Usually more Sam than Scanlan.
Laura: I get (Percy) up against the wall. I look him straight in the eye—
Sam: And kiss him.
Taliesin: Stop encouraging!
Shoo the Dog: He is always the first to suggest leaving Trinket behind on their adventures.
Shoot the Dog: Played with. When facing off against Grog's former Herd, he makes the decision to aim a fireball so that it kills two citizens instead of Vax. However, he was well aware of Vax's agility and ability to take the hit, making the decision darker than it first appears.
Signature Move: He has two of note, Bigby's Hand and Counterspell, both of them impressive yet good general-use spells, fitting for a character like Scanlan.
So Much for Stealth: Very notably in episode 50, where he uses Thunderwave on a group of goliaths while invisible... but forgets that despite being Concentration, the basic Invisibility spell ends early if the invisible target attacks or casts a spell. Net result: ten really annoyed goliaths chasing one gnome. Time to run...
Spanner in the Works: It wouldn't be a stretch to say he was this for Vecna during the final battle. Scanlan was basically the reason the group succeeded.
Stealth Expert: With such spells as Invisibility and Seeming, he is very good at sneaking around. His deception modifier also means he can pass himself off as someone harmless.
Stone Wall: Not to the extent of Grog, but he has second-highest HP in the party, with a respectable Armor Class and access to defensive spells like Otiluke's Resilient Sphere to boot.
The Storyteller: Comes with being a Bard. It's what draws Ioun to choose him as her Champion over Percy.
Stupidity-Inducing Attack: Uses Feeblemind (via Wish) to neutralize Keyleth's spellcasting and reduce her to the equivalent of a feral animal in the level 20 battle royale. Unfortunately, it didn't affect her ability to shift elemental forms.
Talk About That Thing: Scanlan pulls Lady Kima aside to show her his magically superfluous third nipple, and other... "abnormal growths" so Keyleth can air out her suspicions about Kima.
Talk to the Hand: Bigby's Hand, that is. He regularly summons it in battle, whether to hold down enemies or attack them,
Talking the Monster to Death: This is an actual skill of his (called Vicious Mockery), where he can insult an enemy to deal damage. Even better, it can actually kill a target, and has.
Team Dad: He is considered so, especially by Vex who saw him as a father figure. Fitting considering he himself is a dad.
Toilet Humor: Scanlan has found a dismaying number of uses for his own bodily waste.
Took a Level in Badass: Par for the course when it comes for D&D, but Scanlan might be the best example among Vox Machina. As the series has gone on, Scanlan has become a much more capable combatant and their back-up magical powerhouse behind Keyleth. He even took out an entire house of enemies single-handed in the Whitestone arc. His prowess as a fighter is definitely no longer a distant third (after lover and performer). Scanlan has definitely come a long way since the pre-stream campaign - remember that he only got his first kill during the first episode, and since then his combat prowess and capabilities have advanced by leaps and bounds. The levels he takes are so immense he becomes the main reason the group even defeats Vecna in the end, something he managed to do with help from his trusty Counterspell.
Throw the Dog a Bone: Earns a sincere kiss on the cheek from Pike after he puts his life on the line to rescue her.
Tranquil Fury:
- Given that a goblin invasion was responsible for the death of his mother, his statement right before the first episode's fight could be defined as this.
Scanlan: I don't like goblins...they will all die. Don't spare any of them.
- There's also his demeanor leading up to the brutal death of Dr. Anna Ripley.
Try Not to Die: He makes a promise to Kaylie that he will come home alive. Honoring the promise is what leads to Mythcarver's awakening. Breaking the promise, on the other hand, and moreover allowing Kaylie to see him having broken the promise, is a massive part of the reason why he leaves Vox Machina.
Vibroweapon: Mythcarver, the vestige Scanlan received has so far been shown to deal extra damage thanks to this trope. It emits an audible high-pitched hum, doesn't make a sound as it passes through enemies like a hot knife through butter and cleans itself of any blood and gore that sticks to it. It gets even better once it awakens.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Seems to always annoy the hell out of Tiberius. Mostly played for laughs. This is only between the characters, of course - Riegel has described his relationship with Orion Acaba as "friends in real life, frienemies ingame." However, he shows nothing but the utmost respect for Tiberius while mourning his death.
Scanlan: Goodbye, old friend. We'll come back and we'll fix this. 'cause this is... poppycock.
Voluntary Transformation: Prefers to turn himself into a fly or pterodactyl with Polymorph if he needs to scout or fly. At level 17 he learns True Polymorph.
Weak, but Skilled: Being a Bard, Scanlan isn't the strongest fighter and overall his offensive power is much less noteworthy than the others. What Scanlan is though is a Combat Pragmatist with a cunning wit, the creativity to back it up, and a wide arsenal of spells that allow him to essentially throw off whoever he happens to be fighting. On many occasions, the heroes have won a fight only because Scanlan quickly threw up a crazy move that nobody expected, allowing his more powerful/combat focused allies the chance to get in and seal the deal.
Word of God: According to Sam, Scanlan took on the surname "Shortfoot" after marrying Pike.
Worth It: During the end of the Dalen's Closet, Scanlan casts Wish to let Vax return briefly for his sister's wedding. Even though his failed check means Scanlan can never cast the spell again, Scanlan has no regrets.
Scanlan: It's okay. It's worth it.
Wrong Genre Savvy: Despite being keen on certain things and coming up with clever solutions, he's also prone to coming to the wrong conclusions, more so than the rest of the party, especially regarding the Sun Tree being a spawning point for the vampires in Whitestone (it was the ground itself), or the Briarwoods making guns (it was Anna Ripley making a single gun and keeping it all to herself), or "spice" being street slang for drugs (instead of a regular word for... spice).
You Will Not Evade Me: Has used Counterspell on more than one occasion to cut off a foe's magically-enabled escape. As he says during the fight with Professor Anders:
Scanlan: That door's locked, motherfucker!
Your Mom: Tends to insult his enemies and other Vox Machina adversaries in this way. The first one in the stream was at a duergar under Kraghammer, "You ugly! You ugly! Your momma says you ugly!" Special props to the Cutting Words given to Kurn "the Hammer."

Characters / Critical Role Scanlan Shorthalt

Scanlan Shorthalt

Played by: Sam Riegel

Previous

Index

Next

Characters / Critical Role Scanlan Shorthalt

Edit Locked

Scanlan Shorthalt

Played by: Sam Riegel

Previous

Index

Next