Any of you anons ever played a clown in a game...

Sounds pretty good.

Yes. I was forbidden from playing a normal bard after annihilating the previous campaign by seducing key NPCs.

> have you ever played a clown?

The hero the station deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

Did you save them all, user?

>pic
You know what, I'm not sure I wouldn't.

I made them flip out with my magical bike horn.

Honk Honk

...

Excellent.

Honk Honk

Had one set up for a sabbat malk.

He was not a typical clown, not with 5 ranks in dementation from the start.

I am uncomfortable with this erection

I'm just going to leave this here then:

Think Joker. Not in the whole "lol I'm chaotic evil and randumb" way, but when it comes to a sense of humor. Puns and contextual jokes are his forte, and he always has something to use as a prop for a laugh (presdigitation or minor illusion can fill in the gap if you don't have anything). Be self-deprecating and a weird mix of flatterer and insulter.

Also, the laugh is important. As a clown you'd laugh a lot, so try to not overdo it when roleplaying. When you do use it, make it count, and make sure the tone of the laugh fits.

I played a member of he Scatterbrains gang in Shadowrun. It was a Dwarven Rigger that was a tad unhinged but was the parties ace in the hole when only a heavily armed surprise attack from an armored vehicle could save their asses.Its too bad Shadowrun seems cursed and sessions never seem to last particularly long

lotta the stuff in there is... not palatable. I find sexy clowns hot. Clown transformations via lactating magic clown juice all over a big titted blonde not so much.

If such a thing exists, I guess its the sexy clown and less the excess sexiness injected into the scenario.

Jester count? If so, the bbeg of one game was a jester assassin.

You know what you were getting in to as soon as you clicked on to /d/

That's /d/ for you. If a little is sexy, a lot must be orgasmic. They don't really know the meaning of subtlety, or moderation.

That's also why there's nothing really all that attractive about worshipping Slaanesh. They start small, but then they can't get the same rise out of the old stuff so they blow it out of proportion to the point that it's not even about sex anymore, and it more resembles drug addictions. You start with a slutty felinid waifu, then in the end you're getting fucked by chaos tainted Space Wolves that failed their rite of passage.

What game are you playing? Pathfinder? Dnd?

I play a rogue/barbarian who wants to be a clown. He has bipolar disorder and murdered his dad before running away to a circus troupe. He also has honking clown shoes that give a bonus to sneaking, a flaming rapier he uses for a combo sword swallowing/fire eating act, and juggles his knives in combat to confuse people before he tosses them.

Of course. WHFRP, CoC, Unknown Armies and WoD.

I haven't played one in Cyberpunk, but there are a canon NPC gang (though my GM played them more like the Jokerz from Batman beyond) that we've worked with and fought.

>I want some ideas for the character.
Well, what do you wanna know?

We are a proud, industrious people, and don't need your racism.

Not for that pic, no.

This works for me.

Why not? You should visit my clown porn threads on /s/ sometime.

I did a one shot of the juggalo RPG if that counts. We went to the zoo and fought a demon and ran over the monkeys with a steamroller. But that game is basically just d20 modern with hardly any changes whatsoever.

Sorry I can't help OP.
Have some recent phone art instead.

Oh hey.

See
>filename

Well, IRL, there's like three archerypes for clowns;

>The White Clown AKA Pierrot
They are the smarter ones, to a point-dexter level. Often musical eccentric (musical eccentric is the correct old times term for any kind of comic whos rutines are based on them playing instruments and songs in funny ways). The white clown is sometimes hauty and sometimes shy, easy to embaress and quite prudent. They also talk, and are quite eloquate and articulated. (Look up arthuro bragetti for a modern white clown).

>the Redheaded clown
The colorful childish, almost stereotypical clown. Childish and happy but quick to cry. Doesn't speak much and mostly laughs. Not smart at all. (Look up Charlie Rivell for the most famous redheaded clown).

>the Hobo clown aka the tramp
The hobo. Drunk and in tattered cloths. A bit clever, but still not so smart. Grunts instead of talking. See Charlie Chaplin or George Carl

The thing with funny clowns is to make them do stupid things that are obviusly stupid, but, they do not realise it's supid, but genuinely believe it's like the smartest idéa ever, without overacting.

And here's a tip from the great Buster Keaton; A comedian does funny things. A great comedian does things funny.

Also, a clowns red nose symbolizes that he's drunk, so act a bit drunk.

As weed is taking over as the new "idiot-drug", see Pineapple Express for some more Modern clown behaviors.

How sweet! Are you one of my seagull friends?

Ehhhhh..... You could have at least looked up the Wikipedia article on clown archtypes, or even better, look through the archives for my breakdown of about a quarter of the traditional faces, as useable for the Clownpunk threads.

I once played a Jester, in a 3.5 game, using a "Dungeonomicon" homebrew from the dandwiki. Man, that was a loooong time ago.

Bizarre spell list, spontenous casting, no proficiencies, no penalties for improvised weapons, and a boatload of super bizarre abilities that made me a little too hard to kill. Good thing I was half-useless in combat, or I would have been exceedingly broken. The class really shined at crowd control though; it finds ways to penalize your enemies in a way that makes it seem like a reverse bard.

Mechanics aside, just try to find the funny side in things. Tell some jokes every now and then, even if they fall flat. Pratfall. Be a little random. Or develop your own particular brand of humor and always try to get better at it. Spread smiles to your friends. Make a joke of your enemies. Whatever.
As long as you're not obnoxious, your assistance will make you an odd, but welcome member of the party.

Uhhh... No. Where are you getting this info? Drunken clowns are typical pinnano, with red or pink ears, except for the case of the American classic tramp, who does partial Auguste.

A few times, here's one:

Well, I guess I'll start off with a few basics about the character. He was a Rogue (Carnivalist/Bandit). Tiefling Race. The GM let me take the Infernal Bastard trait to despite not being in that campaign as he felt voluntary depowering was more than enough justification. I used this to take Prestidigitation as an At Will spell like ability. Perhaps, before I go any further, I should note, the character was not optimized and he was not meant to be. Even at his own profession as a fool, he was lacking. He was all about the character. Yes I could contribute to the party through skill checks, and in combat via feinting, sneak attacks, distraction etc., however my role was ultimately for RP. Now as a character he was rather cruel and insensitive. This was of course, perhaps due to a hard life, but I prefered to liken it more towards his general disposition. He was a worshipper of Groetus, and as our paladin once described him, an "occupational asshole". Early on they met him at a party celebrating the construction of a new chapel. Not to his religious beliefs of course, but he had been curious and decided to drop by. After a brief skirmish from would be goblin party crashers, he was given the chance to introduce himself. Which he did of course by telling his life story:

I was born and raised in a travelling circus, my parents where clowns. I was taught a lot and shaped by it. I was taught the old school of clownery. I didn't see the average joe 9-to-5 world until I was a young man.

You see, his father and mother before him, both of gypsy lifestyle, desired to settle down for the baby. One could only assume this sedentary lifestyle if they had a job. Being of a nomadic lifestyle and having little skills that would allow them to generate a steady income, they eagerly searched for a job in the entertainment industry. It was there that they found an opening. A fool, for a local lord. A man hard as rock, and about the patience of an angry badger. Nevertheless, her pregnancy neared its late stages, and they decided it was worth the shot. As they entered onto the makeshift stage used for auditions, the noblemen eyed them suspiciously. "Sir," they said, "our lordship, cannot accept family acts. For Iomedae's sake, your wife should be at home resting, she looks as if she could birth a child at any minute.". His father pleaded to continue, eventually leading to one of the nobles caving in, "Very well sir, we shall give you this one chance." And as those words left his lips the spectacle began. His mother begins to sing a hymn well known as of Desna's praise, while his father began to heat up an iron. As her song progressed, she slowly peeled away her outer layers of clothing, and then, much to the nobles surprise, her undergarments. Her pregnant and naked body clearly visible, she began kneel down and assume a position on all fours. It was then that his father removed a brand from the fire he had started off to the side and sat upon her back, treating her as furniture for a few brief seconds before thrusting the white hot piece of iron into her thigh. The reek of burning flesh soon reached the noses of the audience as tears streamed down his mothers eyes. His father kicks her in the hip, knocking her down, and begins to douse her other leg and opposing wrist with alcohol before lighting it and undressing himself as she attempts to put out her now burning appendages. Once naked he starts to slap his wifes pregnant belly yelling,

"Get rid of it, we don't need another mouth to feed." But this, is not quite enough abuse as his wife begins to masturbate, despite the abuse and as an orgasm wracks her body gives birth to a baby boy. One not quite of human nature. Furious his father tosses the baby aside landing on his head and begins to strangle his wife. The nobles stream into action at this savagery calling in the guards as the man begins stabbing his wife with a plank of wood torn from the stage. They stab the man with their spears, and drag the wife off stage in an attempt to get her to medical attention immediately, however they are too late. She dies on the trip. As the man lays bleeding, the nobles sit in silence before one bravely asks, "What kind of hellish act is that?" to which, his dying father looks up, and says proudly with tears running down his eyes, "The Aristocrats".

I've probably missed a couple of details, but you get the point. I introduced him with an aristocrat joke. No one ever quite got his true story of origin. Not that it really mattered. Naturally, the table was horrified and it was only the predecessor to his antics. He was a cynical bastard at his best, and downright unfunny at his worst. Given the chance, there would be jokes or rhymes, often belittling the target. When our bard lost his hand? Puns arrived at his expense. He was a master of the anti-joke, or so he liked to think, bearing wonderful gifts such as "How do you make a tanner cry? You kill his family." or some variation of "What's worse than biting into an apple and finding a worm? Getting raped by a giant scorpion.". There were racist jokes, there were sexist jokes, there was even, on one occasion following the miscarriage of an npc that had endeared itself to the party, a dead baby joke. He criticized nobility, in particular their treatment of the poor. He criticized the poor for their belief in the afterlife. He held no respect for the dead. And no respect for his fellow man or beast. This was best characterized with his familiar, a babboon, which would become irate and throw a shit fit at the end of each terrible joke. He treated this as his own personal laugh track, supposedly reinforcing his ego - however it is apparent that he knew the reality of this fit, despite the fact that the monkey's acting out was indeed it voicing its disapproval. In fact, the jokes quite angered it. A fact that probably delighted him. There were assassination attempts, to rid the world of such an abrasive character. They failed, sometimes due to his perception, sometimes due to party intervention. He caught diseases, but never enough to push him past the threshold of death. He was poisoned, he was injured, and altogether endured a large deal of abuse.

When he finally kicked the bucket at the hands of a skilled fighter, the party refused to resurrect him. Well, one of them did bury, but there was no attendance at his funeral. No one missed him. No one was endeared to him. He was forever seen as a spiteful little man with a penchant for the discomfort of those around him, no remorse or guilt and a nihilistic view of life and death.

...

Fantastic. I am heritage family, and a B&B graduate who has toured with three circuses , and has published work on the subjects of clown theory and clown history. You're still wrong by a huge margin.

Which circuses? My family is one of the original families of the Cole Bros, among others.

I'll show you my egg, if you show me yours.

>Are you one of my seagull friends?
I'm gonna have to say no, as I don't know what that means.
I am now imagining you surrounded by cartoon seagulls like a twisted version of a Disney princess.
It seems oddly appropriate.

I just have enjoyed your continued presence on the board and when an user asked I try a more modest, decidedly more clownish phone art, I thought of you.

Seagull is the kinda phonetic pronunciation of /cgl/. We are fa/tg/uys. on /cgl/, they are seagulls.

I am most appreciative of any art with me in mind. Pic related, lots of fan art.

>I'll show you my egg, if you show me yours.

Woo! Man, this is why I advocate clowns as a race rather than a class. Clowns have deepest lore.

Explain?

Ah.
That would be one of those "other boards" I hear tell of in myth and legend.
Groovy. I never stray far enough from Veeky Forums to really pick up other board culture. I like to consolidate and concentrate my wasting of time.
Neat comic btw.

>Clown race involving seagull eggs.
>2deep4me lore

My parents where from the soviet state circus, taught in soviets main clown academy.

The red nose is, and has always been, a sign of being drunk.

We register and copyright our face with our own international governing body, and we use hollowed out eggshells as miniatures.

Well then, you might be privy to know that when a clown has come of age, they must their noses is hunting down a male proboscis monkey, and fighting it to the death with nothing but a polkadoted loincloth and rolled up newspaper (week print, with the ads taken out, not the sunday edition. You can read the funnies before the hunt if you like).

The prospect, if successful with then tear off the mighty schnoz of the proboscis monkey, and craft his nose under a moonless sky, the blood of his slain foe dyeing the prize as red as the sunrise that will don upon the newly initiated clown.

And thus the cycle of life continues.

Maybe in bizzaro-commie land, but in the entirety of western clowning tradition since the Romans, drunks are the ears and face.

Gropey can explain the egg registry and clown lore better than I can.

Well, to enrage about half the people in here, I theory crafted a 5e clown race. Kept it generic and relatable, so most of the cultural stuff was lore rather than racial features, but it had three basic subraces:

Base stats:
+1 Dex
Proficiency in performance

Circus: +1 Dex, +1 charisma, proficiency in improvised weapons and animal handling, whips, and whenever you're knocked prone, being able to get a comedic laugh that provides 1d4 temporary hitpoints to allies, can use this feature a number of times equal to your charisma modifier per long rest.

Court Jester: +2 Charisma, proficiency in deception and persuasion, and a natural proficiency in gambling cards, and the ability to treat playing cards as an improvised weapon with the same stats as a dagger, but with slashing damage.

Mime: specialized in illusion and invisibility magic. +2 Int, the Dark Elf racial magic with illusory spells, some fluff about how people are perfectly able to understand your pantomime as long as you speak a given language, and "you may cast spells without verbal components, however, you must compensate by making wild and exaggerated somatic components." Also get a once per day ability to make minor illusion physical and/or invisible.

Gropey, I feel like you meant that last part for

Herp derp, you're right. Its 5am, i've been drinking, and im getting old.

Any clown questions before I go pass out?

>i've been drinking
Is your nose red?

>hunting down a male proboscis monkey, and fighting it to the death with nothing but a polkadoted loincloth and rolled up newspaper
Standard rite of passage stuff. I can dig it.

>week print, with the ads taken out, not the sunday edition
Ooh, a little too hardcore for my tastes.

>You can read the funnies before the hunt if you like
Yet clearly civilized.
A most respectable culture.

There is definitely a Yakov Smirnoff joke here, but I'm pretty sure it would offend everyone involved.

What the hell:
In Soviet Russia, people know clowns get red noses from drinking.
In America, no. Clowns' noses get red drinking from people.

Would you like to see more clown threads on Veeky Forums? Clowns-as-race guy here. There's something extremely satisfying with the thought of derailing another Dwarf-Elf thread with the Clown Master Race?

'Clown Culture' is like Wiccanism. It's not as old as guys like Gropey make it out to be, and the adherents to this manufactured lifestyle draw very thin, almost negligible threads to older cultures to try and create a sense of lineage when really, they're more appropriations and deliberate misinterpretations of historical information.

Nah, I don't get drunk-blush.

Not really, I typically its the same thread everytime, and all the info can be got from the archives.

Also, I end up dumping pages of documentation on retards like , who doesn't seem to realize that performing families and clown culture in the Americas is firmly traceable to the mid 19thC and the Great Circus era, and the Comedia theater culture is way older.

But, ya know, I only went to school for it and was raised in it from birth. What do I know?

Like the guy who tried to argue that there were no clowns in medieval times?

>But, ya know, I only went to school for it and was raised in it from birth.
So do Scientologists and Wiccans. Doesn't make it true.

Considering the word 'clown' only appears in the Renaissance, and has nothing to do with performing, it's true. Fools and jesters are nothing like contemporary clowns, and part of modern clowning society trying to create a lineage that doesn't exist.

>I end up dumping pages of documentation on retards
That can be funny sometimes, but I for one, see your point.
I remember the day in high school I formalized the concept that repeating a punchline does not make the joke funnier.
I learned something about both comedy and social retardation that day.

How did clowns fair in the Great War? Histroy major here, that's my specialization

>Fools and jesters are nothing like contemporary clowns
Quick question: Can you name five medieval cultural roles that are closely alike to their contemporary counterparts?

Beggar

Prostitute

Rich Prick

I've only got three.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "cultural roles", but let's say:
nobleman
mercenary
merchant
peasant (wageslave)
beggar

Renaissance, but yes.

Tell you what sport, you provide me with research and documentation that is better than mine, and i'll give a shit. I do mention its Renaissance. Read this, and go read some books before you make a fool of yourself. desuarchive.org/tg/thread/45429890/#45442154

They come out of the woodwork. Its funny, when they have no education or background in the subject.

Honestly, I can't tell you. WWI is kind of a blackout for the circus in Europe.

Martin Luther wrote in support of clowns, who (as briefly mentioned in my short clown theory breakdown ) typically refer to the deadly sins in characature, which shaped the clown archtypes of today. For a clearer breakdown, read desuarchive.org/tg/thread/45429890/#45435116

Drunk, Glutton, Lecher, Wrathful asshole....

Just leaving this here.

>Beggar
Yeah, alright.

>Prostitute
I don't know enough to question this. I suspect there is a definite overlap though.

>Rich Prick
I think this one is highly debatable.
Equal levels of being a prick don't count.

>blackout
Wait, really?

Major wars in high civilian areas tend to not do terribly well for highly resource consumptive entertainment.

I am sure there were people clowning, and juggling and doing trapeze, but in Europe, the circus just wasn't a thing during the world wars, and many circuses had animals taken (horses pressed into cav units, performing pigs and even elephants eaten). Same thing happened to the zoos and such.

In America, life went on pretty much as usual, as there was not as much a resource crunch, and no fighting on US soil

>I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "cultural roles"
I think you guessed it. Roles people had in medieval culture.

>nobleman
Are their duties and activities really that alike between modern and medieval period?

>mercenary
I really don't think so.

>merchant
I think even a modern street peddler is fairly far removed from a medieval merchant

>peasant (wageslave)
lolwut. Working at Walmart does not a peasant make.

>beggar
Fair enough.

That's entirely true. I suppose a better question is, how did the circuses fare once the war ended?

well, in WWI there was Von Richtofen's flying circus, that being somewhat different admittedly?
I remember reading something once about a circus that got mixed up in the Spanish Civil War, but in looking closer it seems to be a film released in 2010 called The Last Circus.

Anyway, my stepfather was a clown back in the day. A lot of the information you give reminds me strongly of my childhood in some weird ways. I haven't kept with the circus though I do tech in shows, once you get performance in the blood right?

Post war economic upswings and sudden influx of young folk returning home with a need of entertainment... The Circus always survives. The American Civil war, the World Wars- the interrupted, but never killed the circus.

Fun fact: Larry "Bozo the Clown" Harmon was one of the last US Army Lancers to take the field in WWII, and was a heavily decorated for his actions in combat.

>well, in WWI there was Von Richtofen's flying circus, that being somewhat different admittedly?
Yes, a German Luftstreitkräfte of ace fighter pilots who specialized in dogfights, is completely different. It was just a name

>I remember reading something once about a circus that got mixed up in the Spanish Civil War
They did supposedly press a bunch of male circus performers, still in costume into battle, and we do know for a fact that the Fascist field general used a confiscated circus tent because of its size.

>The Last Circus.
Goddamnit. NO. That movie was retarded.

>once you get performance in the blood right?
Well, considering the circus is really and truly starting to die, and only hanging on due to the vaudeville revival... Support your locals if you got them

>lolwut. Working at Walmart does not a peasant make.
zero social mobility, zero regional mobility, gets by harvest to harvest (paycheck to paycheck) missing one puts them in existentional risk, barely qualifies as people

yeh I kick around with a vaudeville crowd. There are a lot of skills and histories which are going lost. My friend's father, likewise, was a clown in Switzerland back in the sixties. The poor bastard just got real sick, and I hate to think of what knowledge will die with him.

A tragedy, for sure. Maybe I should hit up my stepfather for some stories. Or even better, his ol' mate Dunk so I don't have to talk to my stepfather.

I also take not to watch The Last Circus? It was one of those vaguely recalled details that I threw into the google engine.

Also, barely literate, and fearful of the local constables.

Get the stories from your pop. Skip the movie. If you want to watch a dark comedies about clowns, go with either Vulgar or Shakes the Clown. Vulgar is more fucked up, Shakes is lighter hearted but still pretty dark.

>zero social mobility
Okay

>zero regional mobility
Unsupported claim in modern society

>gets by harvest to harvest (paycheck to paycheck) missing one puts them in existentional risk
Not even remotely the same level. They might need to drop their Netflix account and only buy one case of beer month.

>barely qualifies as people
Fair enough.

Honestly, their duties and activities are widely different.
Similarities exist yes, but less, I think, than between the clown and jester.

For you.

By the gods, she is a beaulty. Is lewd/more riaque looking clowns normal in clown society? Sorry if my question soundwd weird, cellphone and sleep

Are you the clown who posted make up tips on /cgl/ and got a bunch of lolita girls stalking you?

Do certain clown acts look down on others? What I mean is, do formal clowns look down on slapstick clowns who both look down on titillating clowns?

Also, what's your opinion on Mr. Noodle from Sesame Street? Is he a big deal in the clown world?

>DM is letting me play some clown homebrew class

Tell the DM if you're playing D&D he needs to fuck off with his hombrew because Clowns already exist in D&D canon, and they are the most dangerous fucking spellcasters in the entire game:

You see, in the forgetten realms comics there was an issue which involved clowns, who had the ability to cast spells hiding their verbal components in their jokes.

Once upon a fucking time a clown told a joke so funny it killed his entire audience.

In order to discover this, a society of Jester formed and promply reanimated his skeleton as a massive titan sized size behemoth that lay Siege to water deep, that could spew fire from it's fucking mouth.

Later on, it was revealed that the joke was Power word Kill, but the pint still stands that the Jester's pulled off a massive Skeleton in a ritual without much effort.

This is canon, and was also featured as a prestige class in 3.5, which allowed players to perform and depending on the performance, could have PC's end up performing from the streets, to taverns, bars, kings, queens, emeperors, THEN THE FUCKING DEITIES.

The final level let's you do the funniest joke in the world power word kill

But that isn't the scariest part of the Jester

Back in 2e, there was a Jester kit that let you do the above.

At level 20 of this kit- a Jester can Draw whatever the fuck he wants from a Deck of many Things

In 3.5, there's a variant deck of many things which can force a massive number of transformations on a player, even vampirism for example.

Jester's are fucking Dangerous fucks, they could cast an epic spell and no one would notice until it's too late.

>Not even remotely the same level. They might need to drop their Netflix account and only buy one case of beer month.
It means you can't pay rent, what are you talking about?

>missing one paycheck means you can't pay rent.
Or, the rent is late, you pay a fee and eat ramen noodles for weeks.
Because the feudal Lord can't just kill you or even evict you for 90 days.

I don't remember the deck of many things thing, but I do remember them having some control over the Rod of Wonder

I'm playing a clown in a 5e game right now. It's been ridiculously fun, I refluff a lot of spells to be clown-themed, like Acid Spray from a flower on the chest, or Guiding Bolt as a thrown pie to the face. It's been amusing hamming up some scenes.

I once did a whole town that was a circus. Streets thronging with performers and ear-shattering honking.

The PCs instantly got their shit stolen by a light-fingered mime.

I hope they did the right thing and burned that place to the ground

>the circus is dying
WHAT?
WHEN?
WHY?
it will be a sad day when the circus' of the world die.

Can you all please go back with your shitty fetish to /d/?

Literally Kefka

The circus, as you know it, has been banned from my city and many other cities in my country.

'No animal acts' and since almost all circus have animals, they're banned as a whole.

>/cgl/
Oh, cool. I was actually going to go there to ask a question, but it looks like I might not need to leave the comfort of Veeky Forums.

What is the general opinion on /cgl/ about Adam Savage. I've watched some of his one day builds on Tested, and he seems to put a lot of effort into his costumes. Is he /cgl/ approved?

OP here, thanks for the help everyone.

MY city used to have a lot of espectables, from free to very expensive. We are a brazillian town that has quite big grass plains along the lake coast, so they used to make their tents in there, just two blocks from my home. Alos we have some sort of "week of laughs", that gets comedians and other actors (including clows) to make espectables to boost culture.But not onlly the animal ban, but the government stopped giving a loan to culture acts, making all the sort of Expectable oriented people start to go completelly broke.

When I was a child I was actually cared of clowns Now I havee an fetish for them, and theres almost none wandering the streets anymore, maybe at the parks.

My city just had scary clown sightings.

At least it wasn't mimes.