Killer Clown 5 (15)

Early Access

A clown—whether it’s a person wearing clown makeup, a doll toy, or some other creature resembling a clown—could be entirely benign. But one sitting alone in a dark room, lying under a person’s bed, or gazing up through a sewer grate on the street might be a killer clown: a hungry alien, an evil spirit possessing someone, or an insane person living out a homicidal fantasy. Killer clowns are dangerous, unpredictable, likely to fixate even innocuous creatures, and bear long grudges.

Motive: Homicide

Environment: Almost anywhere

Health: 25

Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound

Movement: Short

Modifications: Deception, charm, and recognizing motive as level 7

Combat: A killer clown attempts to deceive its victim into believing that the clown is a friend. In fact, the clown is setting up an ambush where the victim can be strangled to death in private. When a killer clown successfully damages or touches a foe, it inflicts a moderate wound and locks its hands around the foe’s neck. Until the foe escapes with a Might or Speed roll as their action, the grappling clown automatically inflicts a moderate wound (ignores armor) each round on its turn.

Some killer clowns know tricks that border on the supernatural. Such a clown may do one of the following as its action during combat.

1. Reveal a secret that one character has been keeping from one or more allies
2. Poke a foe in the eyes as an eased attack, inflicting damage and blinding them until they use a non-rest recovery
3. Open a trapdoor under the foe’s feet, sending them falling at least 20 feet (6 m) into a cellar or basement
4. Disappear into a secret door or hatch, then reappear (hidden) within short range
5. Jab a foe in the throat as an eased attack, inflicting damage and causing a coughing fit that makes the foe lose their next action
6. Drink something (an elixir, potion, energy drink, or something unidentifiable) that heals all damage the clown has taken

Interaction: A killer clown is all jokes, magic tricks, and juggling, until it decides it’s time to strike.

Use: The creepy circus that just pulled into town is guarded by a killer clown, as late-night investigators soon learn.

Loot: A killer clown might have one or two manifest cyphers in the form of a joy buzzer, cards, cheap trinkets, or mysterious “party trick” devices.

GM Intrusion: The clown makes an eased attack as an extra action, snatching a weapon, cypher, or other object from the character and attacking the character with it.