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Macbubble
2014-05-23, 11:51 AM
Dear forum readers like many before me I come before you with my problem.

My group is currently playing in a sandbox game based around a city, and with the circus coming to town they will end up visiting there in the next couple of meetings.

I am looking for ideas for a circus show in a fantasy settings filled with magic, and monsters.
So far my ideas are:

Somekind of show with metal rods, crystal orbs, and thunder lizards. This idea is based on a plasma globe.

I'm also thinking about ways to include the classic basilisk, and a flying carpet.

I would love to hear your ideas for any shows that could be preformed in a fantasy circus.

Kid Jake
2014-05-23, 12:04 PM
A sideshow featuring such peculiarities as: The Bearded Elf, The World's Tallest Dwarf, a two headed Cerberus, The Counting Orc, a minotaur strongman that calls himself the Manotaur and makes all the ladies swoon and of course an unholy scion in a jar.

Gildedragon
2014-05-23, 12:30 PM
Of course the unholy scion is billed as "Atropus Destroyer Of Worlds" when it really just is a non-gentle-repose-ed particularly ugly fiendish monkey

A Beast trainer that might turn into a variety of animals, an illusionist with real illusions,
a many voiced fortune teller and priest(ess) of an unnameable deity
The watermelon-eating vampire
a golem that lives and speaks
A dragon (much smaller than you'd expect)
A deck of many things (3 silver a draw)
Clerics of far off lands with strange rites
Acrobats and contortionists that can walk on air and up posts, and who can fit in a milk bottle despite being 6 feet tall
Clowns of course (face eating optional)

The dread weresheep
The man who can pull out chickens out of anything (2cp to keep the chicken)
The world's biggest pig / sphere of annihilation (same thing provided the pig gets massive enough)

BWR
2014-05-23, 12:30 PM
Check out the Ravenloft supplement Carnival.

Gildedragon
2014-05-23, 12:37 PM
A show-combat arena
Wizard duels
Both of these done for subdual damage and with perform and bluff checks
Mittens the devastator of villages (a commoner-killing cat)
The living mirror (a changeling/doppelgänger)

Macbubble
2014-05-23, 01:54 PM
Thank you guys so much for the quick replies they all sound awesome, and I can't wait to try them all out.

Slipperychicken
2014-05-24, 03:56 PM
What if you had acrobats who use Immovable Rods? Have the acrobat(s) release the immovable rod, swing around, do some tricks, propel themselves into the air, and "stick" it higher in the air? It could contribute to a pretty cool routine.

You could have someone with that Ooze-riding prestige class, wearing a cowboy hat and doing rodeo tricks with an ooze. His performer-name could be something like "Gelatinous Jerry". He could also do some ooze-unique tricks like storing things inside his ooze, or having it osmosis through a gate while he leaps over it, to land on the ooze on the other side.

You also want druids who somehow got Perform as a class skill. Dancing bears, elephants, monkies, T-Rexes, you name it. No animals were harmed in the making of the performance, of course :smallbiggrin:

You could have The Amazing Dino-Trainer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=7097263&postcount=38).

"The Thriller": A necromancer with maximum ranks in Perform(Dance), Perform(Sing), and Perform(Act), using a horde of trained undead minions to aid his routine. If the circus has some narrative running through it, this fellow could make a fine "villain", with his minions digging themselves up from the dirt and coming out of the woodwork for a nice scary dance (among other tricks worked out in advance) before the show's protagonist "defeats" him. If the players have already faced down BBEG necromancers before in your games, this could be a fine opportunity to parody their exploits.

Gildedragon
2014-05-24, 04:23 PM
If the players have already faced down BBEG ... before in your games, this could be a fine opportunity to parody their exploits.
YES! To this, just YES!
have caricatures of the party's exploits be presented as spectacle. Names all dashed up, and things warped all out of proportion

Orc warblade that is actually kinda smart is represented as a BSF barbarian
Elf rogue and dashing swordsman is turned into a seductress
etc...
names get spoonerized, freudian-slipped, and misquoted

Sa'lyan Leifwy -> Saline Leafy-road
Korg Urkhaash -> Gork Orchands
Craig -> Rocky

Thomar_of_Uointer
2014-05-24, 05:29 PM
A psion with a living dragon tattoo that writhes under his skin. Watch as he inks a sheep for the beast to devour whole!

Macbubble
2014-05-25, 01:20 AM
The part about the parody show based on the players, sound so good I am tempted to delay the circus just so I'll have something to parody.

JellyPooga
2014-05-25, 05:24 AM
"The Thriller": A necromancer with maximum ranks in Perform(Dance), Perform(Sing), and Perform(Act), using a horde of trained undead minions to aid his routine. If the circus has some narrative running through it, this fellow could make a fine "villain", with his minions digging themselves up from the dirt and coming out of the woodwork for a nice scary dance (among other tricks worked out in advance) before the show's protagonist "defeats" him. If the players have already faced down BBEG necromancers before in your games, this could be a fine opportunity to parody their exploits.

To add to this (awesome idea, btw), the Necromancer could either be one of the good guys or one of the big bads' minions, which one depending on what the PCs expect him to be. Leave really obvious clues hinting at either and/or both, leaving the PCs wondering about whether, when the proverbial hits the fans, this guy is going to help them or hinder them. Ye gods, I love ambiguous NPCs.