Larp Couture

It’s not monster March, but I found the Dokkaebi so cool I had to show them off:

The dokkaebi is a mischievous creature, fond of practical jokes and games, but also known for rewarding good people. They are generally considered harmless, and have a penchant for challenging others to ssireum (a Korean style of wrestling). If you ever find yourself in a match with a dokkaebi, remember never to push them from the left side, only from the right. According to some stories, they are easily beaten by hooking their leg, as they only have one of those.

Dokkaebi are endowed with a few magical items. The gamtu (감투), or hat, grants them invisibility. Their club, called a bangmangi (방망이), allows them to summon any item they want. However, it cannot create the item out of thin air, thus obeying the Laws of Thermodynamics like a good little magic item; instead, the item is stolen from others. So, not much different from any other club at the hands of a robber, from what I can tell. -Jon Dunbar for Korea.net

Everything about this monster is perfect for larping. Their pranks and desire to challenge people to combat makes for easy conflict; and winning a prize in the form of their summoned items would lead to even more adventures when the source of all these prizes comes to light. Making player’s stuff randomly disappear would be controversial, to say the least- but fun as hell, with the right group. And if messing with player equipment would be too awkward, pillage the local lord’s armory of some particularly over-powered weapon. The lord will, of course, demand the return of his property; but now the players know it is there, and will want it all the more. Insert evil laugh here.

If you want some visual cues, this book is a good starting place.

Cinema Secrets Black No Glue Double Horns Woochie Prosthetic via Make Believe Costume. Material not listed. Ships to the US only, though they have an agreement with Bongo International for forwarding. $8 USD

Immortal FX Fangs via Make Believe Costume. Material not listed. Ships to the US only, though they have an agreement with Bongo International for forwarding. $16 USD

Top 28 colors Pallet PAL28 Snazaroo Pallet Set via Toys’n’Games Etc at Amazon. Water-based and non-toxic. Ships worldwide. $25 USD

Student Karate Uniform via Karate Depot. Cotton/polyester blend. Ships internationally from the US. $40 per piece (two pieces: the jacket and the pants)

Image via Jon Dunbar’s article.