Clowning (sage study)

From The Authentic D&D Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
Clowning (sage study).jpg

Clowning is a sage study in the field of Circus, providing the classical features of the harlequin and the court jester, the act of inspiring laughter and merriment through foolishness, physical prowess and surprise. More than mere buffoonery, it is the art of commanding attention, controlling mood and evoking laughter or bewilderment through a combination of physical dexterity, exaggerated antics and unexpected twists of performance.

A skilled clown understands that foolishness is calculated, using pratfalls, pantomime and absurdity to disrupt expectations and draw the eye where they choose. Whether in the ring of a circus, the court of a king or the streets of a bustling city, the clown uses movement, wit and presence to captivate an audience, lighten heavy hearts or even veil sharp truths beneath the guise of jest. While laughter is the goal, clowning is also a discipline of control and timing — a well-placed stumble, an impossible feat made to seem accidental or the clever manipulation of an audience's reaction requires more than natural charisma. It is a honed craft, demanding awareness of space, audience perception and the rhythm of performance.

Through its study, a clown masters the art of mockery, misdirection and physical comedy, each serving a role beyond entertainment, whether in the service of joy, satire or deception. A clown is never still for long, whether traveling with a circus, performing at noble courts or wandering from town to town, seeking audiences both grand and humble. They are entertainers first, but also provocateurs, mischief-makers and mirrors to the world — able to uplift spirits with laughter or mock the powerful with impunity.

Sage Abilities

The sage abilities below are those acquired by a character through the study, according to status.

Amateur Status

  • Fool's Tumble: allows the character to fall, stumble or collapse in a convincing but harmless manner, ensuring that they never take injury from minor missteps, slips or sudden flops to the ground. The sudden, exaggerated fall draws attention, breaking tension in a room or diverting focus when needed. More importantly, because the act is intentional and entertaining, it raises the character’s charisma by 2 points for the space of a half-hour, one time per person, as those who witness it find the character more endearing, charming or amusing in its aftermath.
  • Mimic's Jest: enables the character to imitate a a person’s voice, posture or movements in an exaggerated fashion, making a mockery of figures of authority or turning a tense situation into a moment of levity. As a tool of ridicule, its humor often sharp rather than lighthearted. By imitating a person's voice or mannerisms in an exaggerated fashion, the character reduces the mocked person's charisma by 2 points in the minds of others, as their authority, dignity or composure is momentarily undermined. This penalty persists for an hour.
  • Slack-jawed: allows the character to maintain a ridiculous, exaggerated or unsettling facial expression for an unnaturally long time, one minute per point of knowledge, during which the individual will be taken for an utter fool whose intelligence is plainly less than 7. This ensures they are perceived as harmless, foolish or beneath notice, and thus overlooked in tense situations, dismissed by figures of authority or treated as too simple-minded to be taken seriously.

Authority Status

  • Bait-fake: allows the character, upon being attacked and missed, or hit for less damage needed to cause a stun, to make it plausibly believable that a stun has occurred, thus "faking" the opponent into believing the character is safe to attack again. If, in the following round, the opponent chooses to attack the "fake-stunned" character, the latter automatically acts first, gains +3 to hit and potentially their strike before the opponent can roll their attack. Can only be performed once against any opponent. After the bait takes place, however, opponent's are 50% less likely to attack the character if the latter is, in fact, stunned.
  • Mock Tumble: When the character rolls a fumble in combat or fails a Dexterity check, it may appear to be a true misstep, but in reality, it is anything but. This ability prevents the character from ever suffering the effects of a fumble, ensuring that even their apparent failures remain under their control. Additionally, the character may automatically succeed on three Dexterity checks per day, choosing when to apply these successes at their discretion.
  • Stumble Feint: allows the "clown" to execute controlled stumble, causing a targeted opponent to instinctively shift focus and automatically turn away from the direction in which the character wishes to move. This allows the clown to reposition themselves on the other's flank, vanishing from their immediate awareness. Meanwhile, the opponent actively searches for the space of one round, giving the clown the opportunity to act again, either to escape without penalty, perform an attack from the rear (including backstab), tap the opponent on the shoulder or simply escape. Can be performed only three times per day with the same person; move requires 3 action points.


See Bard Sage Abilities