Sunday, November 18, 2012

Character Sheet - The Laughing Boy

The Laughing Boy is an 11th Level LOTFP fighter I'll be using in a one shot.  He is completely random, with a random appearance (Male, Child, Beautiful, Wearing Uniform) and 3D6 in order stats (which turned out good).  This random appearance roll though created the creepiest PC I've played in a long time.




Laughing Boy is an oddity, he wanders about enlisting in small wars, fighting with a graceful almost mechanical style and plundering tombs, ruins and the abandoned places of the world.  He rarely stays anywhere for more than a few weeks, and has been reported across continents and worlds - always appearing the same, as a handsome youth of 12 or 14 with large grey eyes, red cheeks and a wide smile showing perfect white teeth.  Despite his life of violence he has none of the scars that mark a seasoned warrior, but he fights with a brutality and efficiency found only in hardened campaigners. The Laughing Boy wears a threadbare uniform that was once ornate, but has been patched repeatedly (presumably by the Boy or his porter) and a scuffed breastplate.  On his head the laughing boy wears an equally battered shako.  He wields a basket hilted broad-sword and buckler that bears the ghost of a sign or heraldry, obscured by dents and sword marks.

The Laughing Boy is cheerful, with a simple and friendly demeanor even if he not especially bright. He shows no interest in books or learning, but possesses an air of almost ancient soulfulness (and maybe a hint of playful malice), though he never stays long enough in one place to give more than a glimpse of this apparent psychic depth.  He's simple to a fault and appears not to understand guile or deceit, which makes his tendency to laugh at the misfortunes of others, especially their grisly demise all the stranger.

The Laughing Boy travels with his porter, a tireless elderly man who rarely speaks and whom the boy calls "Papa Joro" or sometimes "Uncle".  Joro carries almost everything the Laughing Boy owns, while the Boy only carries his weapons and armor.

There is a dark side the Laughing Boy, beyond his strange tendency to laugh at the pain of others.  He has been seen brutally beating his servant on more than one occasion, though what slight the calm, almost silent man could have offered is unclear.  Additionally a village Priest once accused the Laughing Boy of lacking a human soul, and while the Boy seemed to ignore the Priest's condemnation, several days after the Boy left the village the offending Priest was discovered strangled to death in his bath.

The Laughing Boy is in fact an evil artifact, he is a toy soldier given life, who roams endlessly, not knowing or caring what to do with his existence besides fight.  He is indeed soulless, and his porter Joro, more slave than servant, was once the small child who owned the Laughing Boy.  Joro wished his favorite toy would come to life and take him on adventures, and a sinister eldritch force (fey, demon or mad god is unclear) answered the child's whimsical prayer.  Since that time Joro has been dragged in the wake of the nightmarish, conscienceless, killing machine that he once thought was a mere piece of painted wood.   Joro has become sullen, withdrawn and despondent, having seen more "adventure" than he ever hoped to.  

8 comments:

  1. Damn, now thats a creepy PC... O_o

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice. Papa Joro looks like he's having a rough time of it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great thing about Laughing Boy is he's perfect for a one shot. I wouldn't mind seeing him cut to ribbons.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Laughing Boy Survived and managed to stab on party member (non-lethally), try to trade Papa Joro's finger for entry into a castle, stampede horses into a crocodile filled mote, and firebomb the party's arcane spell-caster.

    In the words of another player he is a "Sadistic Pinocchio" - so success all around!

    ReplyDelete
  5. "his porter Joro, more slave than servant, was once the small child who owned the Laughing Boy. Joro wished his favorite toy would come to life and take him on adventures"

    This is gonna give me nightmares for a week

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahhhh The Laughing Boy is a success as a character concept. I wonder when I'll next get to play him?

      Delete