The Last Laugh
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 52 (8d8+16)
Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Dex +5, Cha +5
Skills Stealth +5, Deception +5, Perception +3
Damage Resistances psychic; thunder
Condition Immunities frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Deep Speech, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions
Bonus Actions
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"Do not say farewell. It takes that personally." — Sister Maelin, survivor of the Bellweather pilgrimage
Lore & Description
Appearance
The Last Laugh is a translucent, vaguely humanoid figure assembled from the final sound made by a dead god. Its body constantly breaks apart into ribbons of black vapor and re-forms around a wide, empty grin. Pale gold teeth drift inside its mouth like tiny moons, while scraps of divine script crawl across its skin and vanish whenever anyone reads them. Its eyes are two dark hollows filled with distant applause. Its laughter comes from behind walls, beneath floors, and sometimes from inside the listener's own chest.
Behavior & Origins
The Last Laugh was once the final syllable of the dying god Veyrith, Patron of Revelations and Bad Timing. When Veyrith died before delivering the cosmic joke that would explain existence, the syllable tore free and became a creature. It now wanders from shrine to shrine, interrogating priests, corpses, and travelers for the missing punchline. The abandoned Temple of Veyrith beneath the city of Bellweather is its current lair; every room there rearranges itself whenever someone attempts to leave. The Last Laugh desperately wants to hear the words "I understand," believing they are the beginning of the joke.
Running The Last Laugh
Tactics
The Last Laugh opens with The Punchline if it can catch several foes in the cone, then uses Room for One More to isolate a vulnerable target near its melee attacks. It uses Lair of Almost-Goodbyes to appear beside creatures that attempt to retreat, especially those who speak farewell or invoke a dead companion. When bloodied, it becomes frantic and uses Borrowed Chuckle and its recharge attack to keep enemies confused; it fights to the death unless someone promises to reveal the missing joke.
DM Tips
- Telegraph its presence with laughter coming from the wrong direction, doors opening into rooms the characters just left, and written farewells changing into punchlines.
- Play the creature as eager, distracted, and painfully sincere; it pauses during combat to ask whether a character has heard the joke that ends the world.
- For a weaker party, reduce The Punchline to 3d6 damage and remove the prone effect; for a stronger party, let Room for One More affect two creatures.
- Use the shifting lair to separate characters briefly, but always leave a visible escape route so the rearrangement feels eerie rather than arbitrary.
Loot
- Veyrith's Golden Tooth — A warm, coin-sized tooth that repeats the last sentence spoken near it in a dead god's voice. A priest of Veyrith would pay handsomely to recover it.
- The Unfinished Joke — A strip of black divine script that contains the setup to a cosmic joke but not its punchline. Studying it grants unsettling clues about a forgotten cult and a sealed celestial vault.
- Bellweather Door-Key — A key with no teeth and no obvious lock. Once per day, it can open a door into a room the bearer occupied within the last hour, though the room may be subtly rearranged.
