Jokers

The greatest failure of Improbable Island.¹⁾

The goal of the Island is, after all, to combat Improbability in all its manifestations and destroy the Drive generating more of the stuff. These contestants, however, have returned so many times that they have picked up enough Improbability to become permanently infused with it and, worse, like it. Oh, they still go after the Drive, to be sure, but depending on the Joker in question this seems to be more out of habit, a sort of twisted game of tag, a sort of social visit not unlike dropping by for a cup of tea, an exercise in one-upmanship, an attraction to the Improbability itself.. .almost anything, in fact, other than a proper sense of duty.

They don't seem half bad for ratings, though, so we let them stay regardless.

Jokers can wake up very different from how they went to sleep. Stamina costs and attack buffs can differ greatly from day to day. Some days are great for combat, others are great for travel. And then there are days which are best spend reinforcing the defences. In combat, Jokers draw from a set of improbable cards with personalized motifs, meddling with reality to give them an edge over their enemies as they pick cards of the same suit. Heart cards heal Jokers, Diamonds give req, Clubs and Spades strengthen attack and def, respectively. The more cards of a certain suit you have, the stronger the effect. If all the cards in your hand match, your hand expands by one. Hands are reset each New Day.

Capricious and whimsical, they enjoy employing their influence over Improbability as they see fit and messing with other contestants. Some are notably more benevolent than others.²⁾³⁾ Either way, the one thing they all seem to agree on is seeing the start of the monsters' onslaught⁴⁾ on the outposts as splendid. Stay the Hell away from AceHigh (their hometown) when it's under attack, if you know what's good for you.

Don't eat their food. Not broth, not cake, not noodles! DON'T. Unless they're still watching you. In which case, don't be rude.