The Path of those who only have one wish: make you smile again…

Attributes: The Clown is a funny fellow, always raising laughs around him, alternately making fun of himself or of others: he may be the victim of the joke, or its tricky instigator – it is all the same for him, as long as he could get even the tiniest smile from you.

For that is all he wants: smiling happy people who forget, even for the smallest moment, the burden of their worries. His energy has no end when it comes to entertain and amuse, and he wishes nothing more than raising one’s spirits with a good joke or by making fun of himself. For this is the truth: behind the Clown’s carefree attitude is someone who truly cares for you.

The Clown is a child who never really reached adulthood, and like the child, the Clown is genderless. But most important above all, the Clown is pure at heart – one of the truest incarnations of Innocence. That makes him close to the Fool, but his love and care for others is what distinguish them: it would be hard to keep the Fool’s attention, when the Clown would bend over backwards to get yours.

The Clown’s casualness is what irritates the most down-to-earth “adult” people, but he too has a dark side, that may sometimes show up when his jokes are no more funny to anyone but himself, becoming cruel and sadistic tricks, forgetting all about the grim consequences.

Taboos: The Clown cannot stand to see sad people, and will do whatever he can to make them smile again. Moreover, if he meets someone he judges as too “serious,” he may target her for his next joke. This is both good and bad, for the other person may not always answer with a good laugh…
The real burden of the Clown however is that he may never think about his own happiness, and must always thinks about others before himself, voluntarily ignoring his own problems. That is how the “Sad Clown” was born at the first place.

Symbols: the Clown is always wearing some kind of mask when he performs, which may take the form of a carnival mask, some nice make-up, or funny stuff like a red nose, paper whistles, etc. This reflects his true nature as a character that performs. The Clown tends to wear brightly coloured clothes, and is never the most sophisticated person.

Masks: Harlequin, Pierrot, Columbine, and all the others characters from the Commedia del’Arte (European), the Auguste and the Whiteface (European), the Tramp (America), Vidusaka and Vita (India), and many others Masks among all cultures.

Suspected Avatars in History: In the most recent times, Nat Wills, the first Charlie Clown, Anne Fratellini as a marvellous Auguste, Achille Zavatta too. Charlie Chaplin may have been the greatest Tramp Clown, and is said to have been very close to Ascension (some others said he actually did).

Channels:

1%-50%: By telling a joke or making fun of himself, the Clown helps all the people watching him to better resist to all kinds of stress. Simply make an Avatar roll: if successful, all the people attending to the Clown’s performance get a 10% shift to their next stress check. This bonus wears off after a number of minutes equal to the successful roll of the Clown in minutes, even if it is finally unused. This channel can also be used right after a stressing event, providing the bonus immediately, again for all who watch the Clown’s performance. The Clown cannot use this channel to help himself however.

51%-70%: The Clown can distract any opponent during a fight. He simply chooses one (and only one) target, and make an Avatar roll. If he succeeds, then all attempts from the target to hurt any member of the Clown’s group (including himself) get a –20% shift for the current round. (If the target has Struggle 60%, she suddenly has 40% instead). It can be used this way at each new round and the Clown can choose a new opponent to distract each time. A second use of this channel is that it allows the Clown to attract the attention of all the group’s opponents, who will then focus all their attacks on the Clown. This power does not need an Avatar roll to succeed. The Clown may not use the first version of this channel as long as he keeps attracting the opponents’ attention.

71%-90%: By concentrating his efforts and energy on a single person, the Clown may help her to recover from Madness. This works only for Helplessness, Isolation and Self however. The Clown must spend anything from a full day to a complete month with the person he wishes to cure, trying to raise her spirits, and then proceed to an Avatar roll when the GM sees it fit. If it is a Critical success, remove a Failed or Hardened Notch in the three Madness meters at the Clown’s choice. If it’s a Matched success, remove a Failed or Hardened notch in two of the Madness meter (at the Clown’s choice). If it is a simple success, remove one Failed or Hardened Notch in one Madness meter, again at the Clown’s choice. If the Clown fails, then the person will repel him badly, and will dislike him for days. She gets one Failed or Hardened Notch (at the GM’s choice). If it is a Matched Failure, the person will react violently according to her nature, openly attacking the Clown or fleeing in tears. Her highest Madness meter gets two additional Failed or Hardened Notches (at the GM’s choice), with all the consequences of such an event. If the Clown gets a Fumble, then a dramatic reaction is to happen. The person will openly snap out, becoming amok or entering a deep depressive state, or anything the GM sees fit. Any of the Madness meters of the target automatically reaches 5 Failed Notches or 10 Hardened Notches (at the GM’s choice). Again, the Clown cannot use this channel to help himself.

91%+: The Clown gets a 10% shift to all his rolls (this includes everything from stress checks to Avatar rolls). This is the smile he receives for having amused Lady Fortune herself. Now, she loves him, and you better do, too.