Why so serious?

[DruidAlanon]

Hello guys!

I just entered a mid-level horror themed campaign and I decided to play a neutral evil jester/joker/shaco/evil clown character. The rest of the party is a neutral druid (should freak out with my little tortured little animals gifts), a dwarf fighter/some prestige and a hexblade, all level 10.

I did my homework about already existing Joker and Shaco threads and it becomes clear to me that my evil clown should be based around:

1) Factotum
2) Jester
3) Swordsage

As we don't pay too much attention on intimidation/persuasion skills (they are mostly based on RP instead of dice), I only care about his battle mechanics and I'm thinking of a Shaco-style battle: Hide, invisibility a bit of sneak attacks and traps (of course in the form of a jack in the box gift).

As far as I understand, a jester3 /swordsage7 evolved around shadowblade, TWF weapon finesse, shadowhand weapons and assasin's stance should do the job. I don't want to complicate things since my DM tends to ban things when he don't know them and has to read too much, so I guess a strict swordsage 10 could do the job as well.

Which one is more viable?

[Oberon Kenobi]

Swordsage evil clown? Is your GM open to homebrew? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?122824-%283-5%29-Discipline-Falling-Anvil-v-2-%28P-E-A-C-H-%29) :smalltongue:

[StreamOfTheSky]

So you want to be invisibility and humor? Why not make a lethal joke character (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LethalJokeCharacter): Monk with that Invisible Fist variant that lets you go invisible at will? You're one of the absolute worst classes in the game (for a few levels anyway...no reason to "take the joke too far" and actually single class all 20 levels of fail), yet still so dangerous.

[Crake]

I don't get it, if it's a horror themed game, doesn't that usually mean that the world will be horror and the players meant to survive? Or are all the players horror characters going around murduring people or something?

[atemu1234]

I don't get it, if it's a horror themed game, doesn't that usually mean that the world will be horror and the players meant to survive? Or are all the players horror characters going around murduring people or something?

Meh, being in an apocalypse does funny things to a person.

[Crake]

Meh, being in an apocalypse does funny things to a person.

Not all horror games are necessarily apocalypse themed though

[Oberon Kenobi]

Nor are all horror games survival-themed. ;)

Also, just remembered something: there's a Bard spell called Undersong in the Spell Compendium. What it does is let you use the Perform skill instead of the Concentration skill for every purpose for the spell's duration (10min/lvl, I think).

This gets really cool when you combine it with Diamond Mind; those maneuvers that let you deal damage with a Concentration check? You are telling literally lethal jokes. The counters which let you sub a Concentration check for a saving throw? You laugh off the danger. There's also that feat that lets you use Concentration instead of Intimidate for duels of wills; you can laugh unsettlingly or tell jokes to freak people out before fighting them.

I'd see if you can pick up a permanent item for it--say, a belled hat or funny squirting flower lapel? :smalltongue:

[Inevitability]

Is the group okay with this character? Because from your post I really get the impression you are going to antagonize them (giving the druid mutilated animals, for one). You even say you're about to join the campaign, and I wouldn't do things like these until I knew the players were okay with it.

[DruidAlanon]

Swordsage evil clown? Is your GM open to homebrew?


Unfortunately, no! Good staff nevertheless...



So you want to be invisibility and humor? Why not make a lethal joke character


I don't think that joker/monk is ok for RP reasons. Think of a monk in a fancy circus dress with a mask. Worse than modern Shaolins :P Plus, our druid's pet would be more useful than me, correct? :P



I don't get it, if it's a horror themed game, doesn't that usually mean that the world will be horror and the players meant to survive? Or are all the players horror characters going around murduring people or something?


Nope. It's not a survival situation all the time. It builds tension and uses dark themed, scary NPCs, creepy cities and background music, scary scenes, sounds, etc. Some encounters and traps can fit the "survival" thing for sure but it's not a general survival situation. PCs are neutral characters that by accident, were put in a messy situation. I don't know their whole story though as the DM didn't tell me everything...


Is the group okay with this character? Because from your post I really get the impression you are going to antagonize them (giving the druid mutilated animals, for one). You even say you're about to join the campaign, and I wouldn't do things like these until I knew the players were okay with it.

Yes, both the DM and the group are just fine with this character. Of course I don't want to antagonize them and I guess that I won't be killed just by taking and gutting a dead rat from the skewer and putting him as a statue in a fancy, miniature house/box. If that makes him angry I could easily apologise and rectify my mistake. I mean, I wouldn't destroy a forest or anything like that...




This gets really cool when you combine it with Diamond Mind; those maneuvers that let you deal damage with a Concentration check? You are telling literally lethal jokes. The counters which let you sub a Concentration check for a saving throw? You laugh off the danger. There's also that feat that lets you use Concentration instead of Intimidate for duels of wills; you can laugh unsettlingly or tell jokes to freak people out before fighting them.


So, a bard/swordsage then..?