Not all bards are sane, either.

[Kromm]

All of my sample characters so far have been moderately efficient to downright cheesy. This one isn't – she's a roleplaying challenge. Whether she's even playable depends a lot on the charity of the GM and other players. But she illustrates that bards aren't always dashing lads and lasses with floppy hats and whippy swords.

Pinky Dink the Jolly Clown

248-point Gnome Bard

Pinky is a card-carrying bard, but she encountered a mindwarper early in her career and is now wholly mad. For one thing, she believes Elder Things are victims of a gross misunderstanding, and gives monsters the benefit of the doubt in general. She has survived this long only because her allies appreciate her numerous noncombat skills and her loyalty – even if she does try to dress them as clowns.

Ah, the clown thing. Pinky wears an enchanted clown suit and carries a wand topped with a horrific sad clown head (a power item holding 6 FP). She frequently wears clown makeup, which in her case is styled to resemble a crying human child. If she isn't trying to talk with hideous monsters, she's playing cruel tricks on them. She hopes one day to startle an opponent to death.

Pinky's abilities are slanted toward her . . . interests. She has songs to stun and terrify the weak-willed, and spells for the same purpose, as well as for speaking with monsters. She's little use in physical combat – she keeps her distance, paralyzing enemies with fear or annoying them with taunts. If a foe gets too close, she'll try to use Command to create a chance to flee.

Out of combat, Pinky uses magic indiscriminately, especially for interrogations; she likes to reduce subjects to blithering idiots, make them forget their loyalties, and control their bodies to make them do Bad Things. Sometimes, she peers back at herself through their eyes for kicks. In town, the makeup comes off and she's just charming. Until after dark, when she lurks under open windows playing maddening Elder Thing tunes on her pan pipes – or even sneaks into homes to hide in closets and under beds, startling people or throwing her voice to get children into trouble.

ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 11 [10].
Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 14 [9].
Basic Speed 6.00 [5]; Basic Move 5 [-5]; Move 4.
Dodge 8; Parry 10 (Wand); Block N/A.

Advantages
Bardic Talent 3 [30]
Charisma 2 [10]
Honest Face [1]
Night Vision 5 [5]
Resistant to Poison 5 [5]
Song of Humiliation [4]
Song of Terror [21]
Voice [10]
Widget-Worker 2 [10]

Disadvantages and Quirks
Callous [-5]
Chummy [-5]
Curious (12) [-5]
Obsession (12) (Making someone die of fright) [-5]
Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions) [-5]
Trickster (12) [-15]
Xenophilia (9) [-15]

Her interrogation subjects are definitely victims. [-1]
Likes to disguise herself as a human child. [-1]
Not a compulsive liar, but . . . [-1]
Thinks Elder Things are just misunderstood. [-1]
Tries to enlist fellow delvers in all manner of charades and circus acts. [-1]

Skills
Acrobatics-11 [2]
Acting-14 [2]
Carousing-12 [2]
Current Affairs-14 [1]
Dancing-11 [1]
Detect Lies-12 [1]
Diplomacy-14* [1]
Disguise-13 [1]
Fast-Talk-15* [1]
Forced Entry-14† [1]
Heraldry-13 [1]
Interrogation-14‡ [1]
Intimidation-14‡ [1]
Lockpicking-13† [1]
Merchant-13 [1]
Mimicry (Speech)-14* [1]
Musical Composition-15§ [1]
Musical Instrument (Pan Pipes)-16§ [2]
Panhandling-16¤ [1]
Performance-15* [1]
Poetry-13 [1]
Propaganda-13 [1]
Public Speaking-17*¤ [1]
Savoir-Faire-14 [1]
Scrounging-16† [1]
Singing-16*§ [1]
Smallsword-15 [12]
Stealth-12 [2]
Streetwise-13 [1]
Throwing-12 [2]
Ventriloquism-12 [1]

Spells§
Borrow Language-15 [1]
Command-15 [1]
Control Person-15 [1]
Fear-15 [1]
Foolishness-15 [1]
Forgetfulness-15 [1]
Hide Emotion-15 [1]
Lend Language-15 [1]
Mind-Reading-15 [1]
Panic-15 [1]
Sense Emotion-15 [1]
Sense Foes-15 [1]
Soul Rider-15 [1]
Terror-15 [1]
Weaken Will-15 [1]

* Includes +2 for Voice.
† Includes +2 for Widget-Worker.
‡ Includes +1 for Callous.
§ Includes +3 for Bardic Talent.
¤ Includes +2 for Charisma.

Equipment

$2,000, 27.6 lbs. (Light encumbrance)

Canteen, Full. 1 quart water. $10, 3 lbs.
Clothing. $0, 2 lbs.
Coins. 15 copper. $15, 0.3 lb.
Elven Rations, 6 meals. $30, 1 lb.
Light Cloth Armor, Suit, Ornate +1 (Clown Suit) w. Fortify +1. DR 2. $1,300, 18 lbs.
Lockpicks. $50, 0.1 lb.
Pan Pipes. $40, 1 lb.
Personal Basics. $5, 1 lb.
Pouch. Holds personal basics, lockpicks, rations.$10, 0.2 lb.
Short Staff, Fine, Magic Staff. 1d+1 cr (reach 1) or 1d-1 cr (reach 1). $90 + $450 in ornamentation, 1 lb.

[Christopher R. Rice]

................................................NO .

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

................................................NO .

Saw that coming.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

................................................NO .

"Yes," said Pinky Dink, as the guards carried off her screaming victim. She leaned closer and whispered, "Yes. They saw you do it, and so did I . . . from behind your eyes."

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Kromm

"Yes," said Pinky Dink, as the guards carried off her screaming victim. She leaned closer and whispered, "Yes. They saw you do it, and so did I . . . from behind your eyes."

Welp, who needs sleep? NOT THIS GUY.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

Welp, who needs sleep? NOT THIS GUY.

"Sorry," Pinky Dink whispered, "but I didn't never ever learn the Sleep spell. I can sing you a lullaby, tho. Tekeli-li, tekeli-la . . ."

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Kromm

"Sorry," Pinky Dink whispered, "but I didn't never ever learn the Sleep spell. I can sing you a lullaby, tho. Tekeli-li, tekeli-la . . ."

No......thanks.

[evileeyore]

This is... this is why we can't have sane things.

[InfinitePudding]

So far this is my favorite of all the characters in this forum :) I'm tempted to include her as an NPC of a rival party of adventurers for my players. Maybe I'll use some of the other characters from here for the same party. That could be so much fun :D

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by West_Winds

So far this is my favorite of all the characters in this forum :) I'm tempted to include her as an NPC of a rival party of adventurers for my players. Maybe I'll use some of the other characters from here for the same party. That could be so much fun :D

She's probably better as an NPC. Of course, if the NPC wizard casts Invisibility on her and the PCs' first exposure to her is her appearing nearby as she sings the Song of Terror . . . that might make an impression.