Historically, the existence of Sweeney Todd is disputed. Originally appearing in a penny dreadful serial named The String of Pearls in 1846, Todd is presented as a killer barber who slits the throats of his victims and then gives them to his landlady to be made into meat pies and sold to the unsuspecting public. Some sources for the original penny dreadful actually date back to the time when the 1600s campaign is set, blurring the line between fact and fiction.

In the 1600s campaign, Sweeney Todd's timeline is brought back a little over hundred years to 1671. He's presented in a similar way to the way Stephen Sondheim's musical shows him. Sweeney Todd is, in actuality, Benjamin Barker, a barber who was tried on false charges and sentenced to indentured servitude in Australia. This is where this story diverges from the penny dreadful and the musical version.

In the 1600s campaign, Sweeney Todd was able to escape the ship that was carrying him almost immediately, and dove into the harbor. From there, he made his way back into London where he recovered his straight razors. On his way to infiltrating Westminster Palace to speak with the king about the injustice done to him, he meets with the heroes and becomes tangled up in the events of the campaign.

As an occasional player character, Sweeney Todd joins and leaves the party on several occasions, always appearing just when needed. He justifies adventuring as a way to get his eventual revenge on the judge that destroyed his life. While away from the party, he tends to practice his barbering quietly, setting up small booths in remote locations.

While Todd is clearly violent, he is not yet the psychopath we are familiar with from the stories and musical. He cares for his fellow party members, and while still clearly unhinged, he has not yet taken that final leap that leaves him irredeemably evil.

Sweeney's weapons are a pair of masterwork silvered straight razors (treated as daggers). He dual wields these blades in battle, taking advantage of his sneak attack ability to deal the most damage he can.