Homebrew Clown Species Details

Many clown societies exist, but the average person does not live to see it. Clown cities, towns and villages are meticulously made in places mortal men and most people cannot live, at least not comfortably. Every clown town is home to a church, a church that worships Splatinko. Most clowns do not know what or who Splatinko is, but they know he is important. The House of Hilarity, the church of Splatinko, is ruled by a Gigglemaster, who acts as the pope of the church. The Gigglemaster can speak directly to Splatinko, and thus hands down his wisdom and power to other clowns. There are then four sects of Splatinko that each deal with one of Splatinko’s aspects. There is the Sect of Wrath, the Sect of Tears, the Sect of Laughs and the Sect of Discord. The Sect of Wrath deals with the anger that Splatinko can muster, the Sect of Tears deals with the ominousness and apathy that Splatinko can sow, the Sect of Laughs, the largest sect, deals with the hilarity and laughter Splatinko can muster, and the Sect of Discord deals with the pure chaos Splatinko was made of. Each sect has a prophet that functions as a lesser to the Gigglemaster. Not all clowns are extremely integrated into the church, but all respect it; save for Fools, which abhor it.

Clown society, unlike how clowns are depicted, is not all fun and games. Many aspects of clown society are taken very seriously, especially the religious aspect. Clown society is not open to any who are not clowns, and many who go in search of a clown society do not return. Clowns do not experience child, infant or teenage parts of life, and instead are spawned as fully grown humanoids. Clowns tend to stray into several categories of life. Clowns who feel a calling to Splatinko tend to stay in clown society in order to serve him. Clowns who feel a calling to go out into the world to spread joy and laughter, and a small bit of chaos, tend to seep into other societies. These clowns, while not directly serving Splatinko, still very much serve him. Then, there are… unique clowns; Fools, as they are called. Clowns who feel a revulsion towards Splatinko and his religion, towards joy and its harbingers, tend to fall down a different path. These clowns embrace dark things, they murder and spread travesty as an afront to Splatinko, and he is not forgiving unto them. Then there is an extremely rare subcategory of clowns, clowns who do not reject Splatinko but yet don’t seem to spread laughter. These clowns travel in nomadic tribes and are devout to Splatinko, but in ways the more civilized and church-going clowns do not. These clowns are considered omens and are known of in clown society, but never regarded with more than a watchful eye.

Clowns, in the world's eyes, are merely funny people who are probably just some guy or gal in white face paint. The world never tends to see the more religious undertones of a clown, and very infrequently are they “blessed” with a Fool who wishes to disgrace Splatinko. However, there are some who do not see with the world's eyes. In the circus, it is an unspoken rule that you do not, under any circumstance, ever anger, underestimate or insult a clown. To the circus, clowns are hilarious and mysterious forces of nature that have inhuman abilities, even though they are “merely a man in face-paint.” In the circus, clowns are respected and treated with privacy. Never must one enter the carriage or quarters of a clown troupe, as those who do those things never tend to be around for long. The circus sees clowns for what they are, and dares not tell anyone else.

 

Clown Traits

Send in the Clowns!

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity and Charisma scores increase by 1.

Natural Comedian

You know vicious mockery and Hideous Laughter, which you can cast as a bonus action. Additionally, you are proficient in the Performance skill.

Compressable

You can squeeze into places too tight for other creatures of your size with ease. You can move through a space as narrow as half a foot wide without squeezing. Additionally, you are proficient in the Acrobatics skill.

Stretchy

At level 3, when taking an action on your turn or while falling, you can use your reaction to quickly stretch your limbs with this trait. Until the start of your next turn, you gain the following additional traits:

• You have advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.
• You are considered to have a running start when jumping.

• When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal, or 10 feet greater with disadvantage.

• You can perform minor interactions with your limbs, such as activating buttons, using touch spells, or retrieving small items, from a distance of up to 10 feet.

You regain the ability to use this trait when you finish a long rest.

Languages

You can speak, read and write Common, and you can sign Clonnish. Clonnish is a somatic language that combines hand shapes, arm movements, and facial expressions to express thoughts. Its primary use is for communicating with clonns who have taken a vow of silence, though some use it to share jokes in otherwise serious situations.