![Killer concept: The Jester. Hand-drawn with ballpoint pen [OC]](https://preview.redd.it/x3y4fm2k3q0h1.png?auto=webp&s=3024dd6ff0da727eef80d04015bb2ca15210cc73)
Killer concept: The Jester. Hand-drawn with ballpoint pen [OC]
The Lore: The Final Broadcast
In 1984, the "Happy Jack’s Traveling Circus" became the center of a localized media blackout. It started when the lead performer, known only as The Jester, began deviating from his script. During live performances, he would stop his act and stare directly into the camera lens with a wide, unblinking grin, as if he were looking through the television and into the living rooms of the viewers.
The show was permanently pulled from the air after a late-night broadcast where the screen dissolved into pure, shrieking static. When the signal returned, the studio was found completely empty, save for a pile of discarded motley clothes and the Jester's distorted face burned into the glass of every monitor. No one was ever found. Only a single VHS tape remained, showing the Jester walking away from the stage and disappearing into a thick, unnatural fog.
He is no longer a performer. He is the recording that never ends.
Perks:
1. Hex: Lost Footage: A Hex that feeds on the Survivors' inability to trust their own eyes.
- As long as the Hex Totem is active, any Survivor who looks in the Killer’s direction while within the Terror Radius suffers from a 10/15/20% penalty to Action Speeds (Repairing, Healing, and Cleansing) for 15 seconds.
- The effect lingers for 5 seconds after they stop looking at the Killer.
"The more you watch, the more you lose."
2. Dead Air: The static of your presence makes escape feel like a glitching loop.
- While in a Chase, every time a Survivor performs a Fast Vault, your movement speed is increased by 3/4/5% for 3 seconds. "There's no point in running when the film is stuck on the same frame."
"There's no point in running when the film is stuck on the same frame."
3. Corrupted Transmission: The signal you emit acts as a digital rot to modern machinery.
- After kicking a Generator, it becomes Corrupted and begins regressing. Only one Generator can be Corrupted at a time.
- While the Generator is Corrupted, any Survivor repairing it is subjected to Continuous Skill Checks
- Failing a Skill Check results in an additional 5/7/10% regression penalty.
Power: Special Attack: The Spotlight
The Jester projects a focused beam of blinding, high-contrast light from his face or a handheld camera.
The Projection: You hold the Power button to charge, then release to project a 15-meter "Cone of Light" in front of you. This light passes through windows and over low loops.
The Burn: Any Survivor caught in the light for more than 1.2 seconds is "burned" by the exposure. They take one health state of damage and are instantly Out of Sync.
Unique gameplay mechanic: Out of sync
Status Effect: Out of Sync Whenever a Survivor is hit by the Jester’s special attack, they become Out of Sync. While in this state, their screen constantly vibrates with subtle scan-lines and their movement feels "heavy" (a slight reduction to vaulting and movement becomes delayed)
The Control Stations To fix the signal, Survivors must find one of the 6 Control Stations (antique television monitors) scattered around the map. There, they must perform a Tracking Adjustment. A short, high-pressure mini-game where they have to keep a flickering needle within a moving "Clear Zone" for 5 seconds.
The Escalation: Signal Total Loss If a Survivor remains Out of Sync for more than 60 seconds without recalibrating, they suffer Signal Total Loss. Their screen becomes choked with thick visual static effect. And they become Oblivious.