History Characters / TheOrderOfTheStickHumanPartyMembers

* WholeCostumeReference: In ''War and [=XPs=]'', he dons a [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Locke Cole]] outfit (complete with a wig) to attempt to sneak onto an airship with the other protagonists of that game. They end up throwing him off the ship and his wig falls off, but Elan keeps the outfit. However, ArtEvolution would later show that Elan's outfit has sleeves, something Locke's outfit lacks. In addition, the outfit only resembles Locke's Overworld sprite and not his official art.

-->'''Elan:''' ''(glumly)'' I wonder if I qualify for some sort of hostage-based prestige class by now...

* EyepatchAfterTimeSkip: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0502.html Invoked and parodied]]. He wore an eyepatch because it was customary to do so after a TimeSkip and it made him look fierce. Hinjo told him to take it off.
* TheFace: He's highly charismatic and once talked a female enemy into a HeelFaceTurn. Roy invokes this trope when the group needs to talk to someone, like the teenage goblin in the first arc.

* FatalFlaw: His naivete and ditziness. As the comic goes on, Elan actually becomes quite clever and wise in how he recognizes his own overidealized view of the world, but still is pretty kooky and not all there in the head.

* GagPenis: Apparently, having maxed-out Charisma is worth quite a bit "under the hood."

* HeroOfAnotherStory: Okay, "[[TheLoad hero]]" is honestly being a little too charitable, but ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]'' reveals that he'd been a bard for a good while prior to meeting the Order, to the point where his reaction to being abandoned by his previous charge in the middle of a random city [[OhNoNotAgain was to just complain about it having happened yet again]].

* InformedFlaw: When the Linear Guild is defeated for the second time [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0402.html Roy was surprised that he beat Nale in a sword fight]] but during their first fight [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0061.html Elan did quite well]] to the point that [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0064.html Nale decided to sic Thog on Elan]].

* ItsTheBestWhateverEver: Elan has a habit of saying this, [[TemptingFate usually just before the other shoe drops]].
* JackOfAllStats: His bardsong, illusions, and limited healing make him a passable support caster and healer, and his Dashing Swordsman class has boosted his combat effectiveness enough to make him a decent melee fighter as well. He doesn't outstrip any of the team's specialists, but he's an effective replacement for any member of the team but V.

* MotorMouth:Given the opportunity, Elan will talk someone’s ear off by either [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} spouting various inane comments]] or [[MetaGuy giving meta-textual commentary]].

* ObliviousToHisOwnDescription: At one point in ''Blood Runs in the Family'', when he and Haley are [[spoiler:trying to break Haley's father Ian out of the Empire of Blood's prison/gladitorial arena]], their plans are momentarily foiled when it turns out that the Empire of Blood's guards are all given manuals giving them GenreSavvy-laden advice that forces them to flee. Cue the following conversation when Haley and Elan are running from a bunch of guards:

** Additionally, while "friendship" is admittedly pushing it when describing ''any'' kind of relationship involving [[TokenEvilTeammate Belkar]], Elan actually gets along (relatively speaking) well with the halfling ranger and probably has the most positive relationship with him out of any member of the party; Sure, Belkar may insult Elan a lot and [[ComedicSociopathy once even tried to kill him for]] XP, but has also insisted that they save Elan from bandits since [[PetTheDog "He makes me laugh"]], and even trusted Elan to take care of his cat [[MoralityPet Mr. Scruffy]] while he and Roy were imprisoned. Most poignantly, [[spoiler:during the time the Order spent in [[LotusEaterMachine Girard's phantasm]] and Belkar is thought to be dead, only Elan and (to a far lesser extent) Haley are shown to be mourning the halfling (with [[TeethClenchedTeamwork Roy]] and an illusion of [[SitcomArchNemesis Vaarsuvius]] both being [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing visibly happy about Belkar having finally died]])]].
* OneStatToRuleThemAll: Charisma is the key ability for his bardsong and bard spells, and his Dashing Swordsman levels let him apply it to attack and damage rolls as well.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Generally speaking, whenever Elan's upset, he takes a level in snark, as evidenced with him getting angry with Vaarsuvius for [[spoiler:disintegrating Kubota simply for being a hindrance on them reuniting the rest of the Order]] or having to meet up with his father again [[spoiler:after the destruction of Girard's Gate]].

* TheSocialExpert: Because of his high charisma stat and storytelling knowledge he can convince people to join his cause with ease.

* SuperWindowJump: He has taken a liking to glass-breaking dramatism since acquiring his Dashing Swordsman PrestigeClass.
* SupportPartyMember: MagicMusic and the occasional bardic knowledge check were pretty much the only things he contributed to the party for a long time, and he's also taken on the role of the team's secondary healer after the events of ''Blood Runs In The Family''. After taking levels in Dashing Swordsman, though, he's become able to play a more active role in combat.

* WholeCostumeReference: In ''War and [=XPs=]'', he dons a [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Locke Cole]] outfit (complete with a wig) to attempt to sneak onto an airship with the other protagonists of that game. They end up throwing him off the ship and his wig falls off, but Elan keeps the outfit. However, ArtEvolution would later show that Elan's outfit has sleeves, something Locke's outfit lacks. In addition, the outfit only resembles Locke's overworld sprite and not his official art.
* WithCatlikeTread: Elan is spectacularly bad at stealth, as shown in the strip when he '''[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0090.html ROLLS A 4!]]''' on his Move Silently check, and when Haley has to remind him that singing to encourage his companions to move silently across the battlefield is counterproductive. The one time he managed to use stealth effectively, he immediately snuck back into the bandit camp he'd just escaped from because he felt it was his duty as a bard to seduce the bandit queen.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Given how easily he spaces out, is incredibly social and a MotorMouth, gets easily distracted by others (to the point where it’s a miracle if he can pass a Concentration check on the first try), and easily losing track of what's happening around him, Elan is heavily implied to have some form of [=ADHD=].

* AncestralWeapon: He inherited the Greenhilt sword, his Grandfather's greatsword, to which his family owes its name.

* WeaponOfChoice: The Greenhilt family greatsword. In fact, he used it so much that his devotion to it has made it into a Weapon of Legacy. He uses a large wooden club for a while when his sword is broken.

* WeaponOfChoice: Bows of any kind, as she's a rogue specializing in archery.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In "[[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0393.html Truth]]", she breaks down crying out of frustration and fear when Nale briefly tricks Elan into thinking she was EvilAllAlong while she can't refute this due to being TheUnintelligable.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: She breaks down crying out of frustration and fear when she ''finally'' gives her LoveConfession to Elan in [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0393.html "Truth"]].

** She eventually gets an Icy Burst Bow after stealing it from

* CatharsisFactor: After suppressing the urge to beat [[TheDitz Elan]] for a long, long time, he's absolutely ''gleeful'' to have to fight [[EvilTwin Nale]]. [[invoked]]

* {{Irony}}: She's mentioned to have ''Manyshot'', which is commonly agreed to be one of the worst feats to ever be printed in '''any''' ''D&D'' sourcebook along with being almost completely worthless for any rogue. Naturally, Haley has used ''Manyshot'' twice in the comic -- first against Sabine and then against Tarquin -- and both times it was responsible for saving her life.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: It can largely be chalked up to CharacterDevelopment, but in the earlier days of the comic, Elan's {{Manchild}} nature was often comically exaggerated to the point of infantiliztion (i.e., asking to have Roy read him a bedtime story and tuck him in for the night). Later on, while he's still pretty immature (i.e., spending his first day in Bleedingham riding on the Empire of Blood's equivalent of kiddy rides), he also has more of an adult nature emphasized about him (such as him and Haley [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex often eagerly and enthusiastically ravishing each other when given the opportunity]]).

* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: His incredible Performance skills come in handy when fighting a beholder: he successfully makes a skill check to make the creature's eye water until it blinks by describing a hot and dusty desert, disrupting its anti-magic gaze-cone long enough for the party to get access to some key magic items and Bloodfeast.

* JackOfAllStats: Mentally speaking, he counts this trope in regards to the rest of the Order because he still has a fighter's general build. V outshines him in Intelligence, Durkon outshines him in Wisdom, Haley outshines him in streetsmarts, and even Elan has him beat in Charisma. However, his collective Int and Wis are repeatedly shown to be the best in the group and after some character development he learns to see through plenty of guile. He's outright stated to have the stats required to pursue a career as either a Wizard or Cleric. Really, it's not clear whether Roy even ''has'' a DumpStat; it could be he has an average Charisma, since the Deva does not suggest Roy (who is Lawful Good) be a Paladin. He's demonstrably above-average or better in everything according to the rules lawyers in the forum's Class and Level Geekery thread. [[JustifiedTrope This is perfectly possible in D&D if you simply roll reasonably high for all your starting stats.]] From an InUniverse standpoint, it has to be noted [[LamarckWasRight Roy has a fighter grandfather, and a father and sister who are wizards]].

* TheInsomniac: In the early days of the Order of the Stick's adventures, Roy would pull several all-nighters as guard watch as a result of his mistrust of other members of the Order (with Vaarsuvius and Durkon needing the night to replenish their spells, that left Haley, Belkar and Elan; he believed that Haley would run off with everyone's gold, that Belkar would kill everyone as they slept and that Elan would allow enemy ambushes to kill everyone). By the time of the Order's adventures in the Dwarven Lands, everyone has undergone significant CharacterDevelopment and have become FireForgedFriends, and he's alright with leaving them to do what needs to be done while he goes sleep off the effects of drunkedness.

* BareHandedBladeBlock: He manages to block a [[spoiler:''dominated'' Elan]]'s blade with one hand.

* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Though significantly more snarky than the traditional example, he is still the ring leader of this circus.

** When Belkar convinces [[spoiler: Serini]] to aid the Order, he does it by telling her that the gods will absolutely burn down the world to keep their own positions. Nobody - even the paladin Lien - can refute that, and afterward, Roy's opinion of the gods sinks even lower.

* BerserkButton: As he puts it:
-->'''Roy:''' [[ButForMeItWasTuesday Bad guys not remembering their evil deeds]] is something of a pet peeve of mine.

* MeaningfulName: Elan's name literally means "enthusiasm"/"liveliness".

* RapunzelHair: Haley gets this in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0752.html "Picking Locks"]] after overcompensating for her short haircut before. She cuts it back to something manageable afterward.

[[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStick Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickTheOrderOfTheStick The Order of the Stick]] – '''Human Party Members''' – [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickNonHumanPartyMembers Non-Human Party Members]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickTeamEvil Team Evil]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickTheLinearGuild The Linear Guild]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickTheOrderOfTheScribble The Order of the Scribble]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickAzureCity Azure City]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickGreyskyCity Greysky City]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickTheEmpireOfBlood The Empire of Blood]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickNorthernLands Northern Lands]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickAnimalCompanions Animal Companions]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickDivineBeings Divine Beings]] | [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStickOthers Others]]

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Haley was far more "chaotic" and less "good-ish" than she would be later. For example, she takes Belkar's idea of selling a villain and her father to slavery because of profit margins seriously; even before CharacterDevelopment, Haley would find that ''abhorring'', considering why she joined the Order in the first place. [[spoiler:Her father was being held prisoner and forced into gladiatorship.]]