Classic Elan

[ocato]

Okay, I sorta don't like Elan anyway. I mean, I love Elan, but he's a horrible stereotype that hurts the already somewhat unpopular bard community. But the character, as a foil and a joke source, is great. Then he went dashing swordsman and is all corny puns and "I'm popular and therefore I look cool" in appearance. I miss classic Elan, with his cape and his chain shirt and his little lute. His little MIA lute it seems. What, he learned to melee sorta and now he's too cool for his bardic music? I hope his happy ending is that being a goober who can fight a little better is not as good as being a goober who helps his friends with music and love. Bring back the Bard!

[Silverhawk1o1]

I TOTALLY agree with you, I have to admit, his knew outfit is kinda cool, but come ON. We want the real Elan back!

[NeonRonin]

Isn't there some way to combine Classic Bard with New Bard? That is, keep the outfit but divide time evenly between his two sets of class abilities?

Truth is, I kinda miss the singing myself, but I also like the swashbuckling theme he's dabbling with. So I won't say I support one over the other.

[Izodor]

I agree with you, we need Elan back! Nice avatar btw.

[Kreistor]

Elan was worn out. His jokes were getting repetitive. The overhaul gave him new life.

[warmachine]

Introduce a bard, not just with music, child-like optimism, powers of seduction and diplomacy with monsters, that grabs opportunities to act like a stage performer in public and casts flashy spells.

[Assassinfox]

New Elan RULES!

[theinsulabot]

shut shut shut up and let elan be usefull!

[innk]

shut shut shut up and let elan be usefull!

Yea, thats what i want..
He could be WAY MORE usefull if he knew how to play his class

You know, playing his 12 bard levels instead of playing his ONE level dashing swordsman. In the situation they´re living at the moment, it would be way, waaay more usefull...

[ocato]

The point is that he was useful all along! He just had to believe! He doesn't need a new vest and the pretty girlfriend and a bunch of annoying puns to melee like a sucky fighter, he could be doing so much more.

Oh noes! Here comes the baddies over the wall! Good Hope and Haste on my party! Then I'm gonna drop a shout right down this ladder and pretty much pwn the entire lot of them straight to wrecksylvania. I mean, just by dropping a rainbow pattern or a mass cure light wounds (not to mention those songs he used to know) he could probably have quite a hand in turning the tide on that wall all by his lonesome.

And his old clothes looked cooler I think. That's it, I said it.

[Icewalker]

I think he looks a lot cooler and has more opportunities to be useful, as well as being smarter now.

However being more smart mostly destroyed his old comedy. I think he is definitely much cooler, although less funny.

still...

:haley: ...any reason why we can't just...forget it ever...What are you...
*romantic kiss*
:elan: ...Wanna make out?
:haley: ...ok


He's definitely very different, but I'd say overall I like the change. (sweet new clothes too)

[Alysar]

How about REAL classic Elan? Bard without the chain shirt?

[Gallanoth]

I think he looks a lot cooler and has more opportunities to be useful, as well as being smarter now.

However being more smart mostly destroyed his old comedy. I think he is definitely much cooler, although less funny.

still...

:haley: ...any reason why we can't just...forget it ever...What are you...
*romantic kiss*
:elan: ...Wanna make out?
:haley: ...ok


He's definitely very different, but I'd say overall I like the change. (sweet new clothes too)

He hasn't really changed at all, and probably just took a point of intelligence, and he's now playing his romantic bard side which makes him seem much different.:smallsmile:

[DomaDoma]

Oh, come on, do not rag on the Locke garb. I sort of miss the lute too, but I'm quite partial to Marginally Competent Elan, all in all.

[ryos]

:elan: I'm participating!
I'm useful! :elan:
:elan:Fight, fight, fight, fight--
(soldier)You suck!

Let's face it. Elan never used to do anything. Instances of him actually helping the party were so rare that when it actually happened, Elan himself was surprised by it.

The whole arc where Elan was forced to act for himself and the subsequent transformation was so brilliant and hilarious because it explored a world that didn't used to exist: a useful Elan.

Don't worry too much, though. Didn't you see him run out of puns? I bet he'll realize soon enough that his calling in life is to be a bard, and thus, go back to being completely, utterly useless.

And we will laugh the whole way, because Rich is a comedic genius!

[Alysar]

Isn't there some way to combine Classic Bard with New Bard? That is, keep the outfit but divide time evenly between his two sets of class abilities?

Truth is, I kinda miss the singing myself, but I also like the swashbuckling theme he's dabbling with. So I won't say I support one over the other.

I agree with this. The Bard and the Dashing Swordsman must merge and become one.

[brian c]

Elan was worn out. His jokes were getting repetitive. The overhaul gave him new life.

Good point. There are only so many "I'm a dumb bard" jokes that you can do, the Dashing Swordsman expands his character a lot in terms of the comic (and the comical).

Also, to people saying that Elan "didn't play his class well" : He has low intelligence. It's the best he could do. It's fine to play a batman wizard and be perfectly prepared for everything, because with 20 intelligence your character should actually be that smart. Elan has maybe 10 intelligence now, he's just not smart enough to be that effective. I think he's a great character, I'm not saying I don't like him, just that he isn't very smart.

[Fanatic-Templar]

I am also surprised that he didn't wear his chain shirt to a siege. But then, Elan isn't the brightest bulb in the night.

[Icewalker]

And the Dashing Swordsman class may have some requirements about looking awesome, and the old outfit doesn't qualify. Seems like it might.

[RowlieBowlie]

Am I the only one to see a link between the dashing swordman class and the duelist, I mean only exchange the whole intelligence bonus for charisma bonus and crappy puns.
This would mean he can't wear a chainshirt and take the Charisma bonus.

But I agree with about half of the people I do miss the old always singing Elan a bit:
:elan: Move silently, move silently, move silently across the battlefield.

True, the new Dashing swordman thing makes up for quite a few new jokes. And remember his Oratory/battlespeach, he hasn't forgotten his bardic lineage.

And I really expect him to suddenly pull up his lute to aid the archers in missing more targets then hitting them.

Or I can't wait when he tries to unleash the fury of Banjo upon the eye of fear and flame.

[baerdith]

Or I can't wait when he tries to unleash the fury of Banjo upon the eye of fear and flame.

Hell no, throw out Banjuthulu and the Eye will run for the hills! ;)

[SPoD]

OK...you realize this change JUST happened the night before last, right? I know we're all waiting this story out at 3 strips per week, but in OOTS-time, less than 48 hours have passed since he first used these abilities in battle.

Why does it need to be an either-or thing anyway? He obviously can't make puns while singing, so it seems like he's making puns until he runs out. Then, he may start singing or trying illusions. I mean, the oratory speech was already a use of bardic abilities, why does he have to give up one to have the other?

Honestly, I don't really see that big of a change in his character. He was a lovable goofball before and still is. The only difference is, now he's more believable as a romantic interest than before.