Tuesday May 04, 2004

**This special class is an adaptation from articles found in The Dragon (Dragon Magazine) #s 60, 65, 69, 120 &, 134, and some of the text from those magazines is included here.

Jesters are more than the silly buffoons found in a king’s court, though they certainly do aspire to such a lofty position.  They are entertainers, as much as acrobats, bards, and troubadours.  Where a bard focuses on story and song, the acrobat on tumbling and sleight of hand, and the troubadour on drama, the jester’s entertainment of choice is humor, and his performance may take many forms.  Their material consists of the ridiculous, the silly, the bizarre and absurd.  They levy insults at another’s expense, stage outlandish slapstick stunts and practical jokes, perform stand-up comic routines (complete with rubber chickens, bicycle horns, mannequins, and other sight gags), and generally leave an audience rolling in laughter.  Many target themselves; others select a random target from the crowd; most highlight the foibles of the rich and famous.  They are crafty and witty, quick with a putdown and quicker yet with a comeback, and many actively engage in the strange rite of passage called punfighting.

Adventures:  Jesters are adventurous characters with an overwhelming sense of the absurd.  They roam from place to place, telling tales, pulling practical jokes, insulting the most fearsome of monsters and characters, and generally making nuisances of themselves.  Because of their outlook on life and the world and because of their special powers, they may prove potentially useful (or annoying) to adventuring parties.  Like bards, the jester will adventure to find new material, adding to his litany of jokes, one-liners, puns, insults, and exaggerated behavior.  He is not very adept in combat; rather, he believes the pun is often mightier than the sword, and wields his caustic remarks to as great (and much less bloody) an effect as the swordsman.  If the power of his words fails, however, he has a few spells he can employ from his unique and strange spellbook.

While most jesters are busy entertaining crowds or kings, usually staying employed by a single person, company or guild, the adventuring jester uses his talents in a whole new way.  He heckles his opponents until they are ashamed of themselves; he taunts them to unwise actions, dares them to go against their better judgment, and hurls insults at them as they lose.  His verbal attacks never cause direct harm, but they simultaneously destroy the morale of his targets while bolstering the morale of his allies.  Often the jester can cause his enemies to turn away in shame, avoiding a fight altogether, or he can even make them literally die laughing.

Characteristics:  The defining characteristic of a jester is his trademark lack of seriousness.  Nothing is sacred, nothing is free from being lampooned, and nothing is immune from being the target of a jester’s jokes or insults.  Some are witty and clever and build a reputation as being the comedic life-of-the-party.  Others are plainly silly and border on insane.  Another defining characteristic is the jester’s self-humiliation and self-deprecation.  Many jesters make themselves the target of insulting remarks and the butt of their own jokes.  In lampooning others, he behaves so ridiculously that it becomes difficult to ascertain what the crowd is laughing at: the subject matter or the jester himself.  The stereotypical dress for a jester (intensely brightly-colored patchwork skin-tight clothes with jingle bells) is a badge of honor to many jesters, but is usually worn only during an actual performance.

Alignment:  A jester must be one of the non-lawful or non-evil alignments: neutral good, chaotic good, true neutral or chaotic neutral.  The structure and orderliness of a lawful alignment—never mind adherence to the laws—run counter to the inherent wild wackiness and constant pushing the envelope that is characteristic of a jester.  An evil alignment drives one more to acts of violence, vengeance, and villainy rather than fun-loving pranks, friendly jibes and foolish behavior—those things common to jesters.

Religion:  Jesters rarely worship any deity, though a few recognize a god of trickery or chaos, provided the god is not also evil.  Most jesters, however, have little interest in devotion to anything, much less devotion to higher beings who generally require a measure of respect.  Respect—for himself or anyone else—is one thing a jester has little of.  To most jesters, the whole pantheon of gods is fair game as the target of his jokes and ridiculous tales (and even a few insults, though most are careful with insulting the gods).  The more stodgy a deity, the more likely he will be the butt of a jester’s hilarity, and religion as a way of life is laughable to the extreme.

Background:  The reasons why anyone would become a self-abasing, goofy-acting target of derision are as varied as they are difficult to fully understand.  For some, it is forced upon them by particularly grim royalty or noblemen who desire to punish certain offenders with the charge of being funny…or else.  Others are forced into the calling because their performance as a bard so displeased an authority figure that a life of comic humiliation seemed best suited.  Most jesters purposefully choose the profession, though.  They may desire the inroads that jesting before the king can gain, or they may simply find everything in life completely ludicrous and wish to expose these follies.  Some merely have no other talents save cracking jokes, and so they make living at it.  They come from all social castes, all walks of life, and all parts of the globe.

Races:  Humans, half-elves & gnomes make the best jesters.  Humans and half-elves are infinitely adaptable, and gnomes are the masters of trickery and practical joking.  While elves enjoy a good laugh, they consider themselves above self-deprecation and foolish behavior, but the rare elf who has been abased already (or lived closely with humans or half-elves) might consider this calling.  Halflings, like elves, live to enjoy life to its fullest, but they are more focused on the simple pleasures of wine & women, song & storytelling, not the spastic demeanor and raucous environment of the jester.  Dwarves tend to be too dour and serious to make a living at acting silly.  Half-orcs and their near kin generally think things like thumb screws and iron maidens are marvelously comic (feelings not shared by many other people), and so cannot be jesters.

Other Classes:  People are evenly (and sharply) divided on their sentiment toward a jester; either they find him delightfully funny or irritatingly obnoxious.  Fighters, barbarians, rangers and some clerics often find the jester a welcome diversion from the serious (and often lethal) nature of their life, and enjoy a jokester parading about the campfire.  Wizards, sorcerers, druids, and monks typically find him grating and annoying or even a worthless waste of the party’s time.  Many clerics view him as unnecessary cannon fodder, a needless absorber of spells.  The bard and rogue can usually put him to good use, though.  The bard will have him be the “opening act” or even fellow performer, and with some training the jester can improve a bard’s abilities (and vice versa).  A rogue quickly sees the jester as his much-needed diversion, distracting the guards (or monsters) so that he might do his skulking in the background completely unheeded.  Universally, all classes are equal targets in the jester’s routine, and with too much ribbing, he will find it tough to get along with an adventuring party.

Abilities:  Intelligence is a key ability for the jester because of his many skills and languages and for his need to be a quick thinker while trading insults or popping off endless puns.  Contrary to common perception, jesters are not actually imbeciles, but are generally quite smart.  Wisdom is also necessary to bolster his many skills and to correctly size up his audience.  Finally, while most people deride a jester—he often actively pursues this derision—he must have a decent Charisma to keep his audience spellbound, whether that is the king in his throne room or a tavern full of drunken peasants.

Hit Die:  d6

Restrictions/Requirements:  Either INT, WIS or CHA must be 16+; can multi-class ONLY as a Bard, must be of a non-evil and non-lawful alignment.

Skill Points/Level:  At first level: (8+INT mod) x4 (+4).  Thereafter: 8+INT mod (+1) per level.

Skills:  Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Diplomacy, Disguise, First Impression, Forgery, Gather Information, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility/royalty), Listen, Perform (any), Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, Spot, Tumble, Use Magic Device.

Starting Gold:  5d4 x 10.

Armor & Weapon Proficiency:  The jester is largely untrained for combat situations, and can use proficiently only simple weapons, plus the scimitar and the short sword.  He is proficient with only leather or padded armor (and the bodysuit if he can find one), and he can use any small shield.

The Jester’s Table

Spells:  By dint of studious application, his warped personality, his exceptional verbal skills, and lots of luck, a jester may commit to memory a small number of arcane spells normally usable only by major spellcasting classes.  A jester can cast any known spell that is of either the Enchantment or Illusion schools, and there is a 5% chance per level of a spell that it will misfire each time it is used (consult the “wild effects” table for result) since jesters’ minds aren’t exactly well suited for storing spells and because of his strange spellbook.  A jester must observe the actual casting of any spell he wishes to know and may invent new ones if he desires.  Upon learning each new spell, he records it in his special spellbook.  He consults this spellbook each time he wishes to prepare the day’s worth of spells.  This method of research and preparation is similar to a wizard’s except for a few things: 1) a jester can know only 6 arcane Enchantment or Illusion spells per level (but he can know ALL the 0-level arcane spells), 2) he does not automatically gain new spells with each advancement in level, but must actively research them, and 3) he incurs no penalty for casting while wearing leather or padded armor or while carrying a small shield or buckler.

The jester’s spellbook may not be read by anyone other than another jester, because of the design of the book and the way the spells are transcribed therein.  The books are long and narrow (typically 14”x2”) and firmly bound at the spine.  Only a very small number of spells (max 60 spell levels) can be kept in each book due to the rather unique method of writing used.  To read a spell, the jester holds the book with his thumb on the edge of the pages.  He then bends the book, causing the pages to quickly flip by.  On the pages are small drawings of a jester in the process of casting the spell.  The somatic and material components are pictured very clearly, and verbal components appear in coded “speech balloons.”  When the pages are flipped properly, a sort of animated cartoon shows how to cast the spell.  After a few minutes of flipping, the jester has memorized the spell and can cast it.

Jesters cannot read magic works of other classes (not until 14th level, anyway) any more than other classes can read a jester’s spellbook.  The only way a jester can add to his spellbook (besides transcribing from another jester’s spellbook) is to observe someone actually casting the spell in question.  The jester must quickly mark the movements, words and materials on a scrap of paper, and then transfer them in final form to his spellbook.  It is for this reason that all of a jester’s spells have a 5% chance per spell level to misfire when cast; the system employed is too imprecise to maintain much accuracy.

Jester Qualities:  As a performer, the jester is unlike any other, and his uniqueness affords him several special qualities.  First, due to his outrageous mannerisms and peculiar dress, jesters gain a +1 bonus to initiative in combat situations with all types of opponents (who are assumed to be too stunned or surprised to react quickly).  Second, jesters gain a +1 luck bonus to all savings throws, and this bonus stacks with any applicable racial bonuses.  Third, because a jester’s show often includes acrobatics and tumbling, when he takes a full defensive stance, he may double his DEX bonus to AC.  While in a total defensive mode, the jester cannot attack, deflect or snatch arrows, or do anything else that requires the use of his hands.  Fourth, being a master of languages, the jester may speak a new language every odd-numbered level (in addition to any initial languages he already knows).  For each rank in the Speak Language skill that he has, the jester can also read and write one of these additional languages.  He is limited to a total number of languages equal to his INT score.

Several magic items potentially may exist (per the DM) that are usable only by a jester.  Other classes attempting to use one of these items may suffer minor damage, a mild form of some insanity, or a random effect of a comic nature.  Imagine the uses of the Nose of Bozo, the Arrow of Steve Martin, the dreaded Tome of Benny Hill, or the amazing Monty Python’s Flying Circus.  A rod of wonder is often a jester’s most prized possession, though.  (A jester’s mace is often a rod of wonder disguised with bright colors, bells, and the trademark clown head.)  For some strange reason, such rods do not expend charges when used by jesters, and so effectively have an infinite lifespan in a jester’s hands.  The jester also has a 5% chance per level to control the output of the rod—not that this makes it any safer or more useful to anyone but the jester.

Jester Knowledge:  A jester knows his audience, whether it consists of a tyrannical king and his court of lords and ladies, or the market square of a small village.  He studies people and learns their mannerisms—not that he has any real interest in these folk beyond a desire to find something to mock.  His studies gain him all sorts of odd knowledge about people and customs.  The jester may make a “jester knowledge” check (d20 + INT bonus + jester level) as many times each day as he has levels against a predetermined DC set by the DM.  Except for this check applying only to peoples & customs, treat this exactly as bardic knowledge.

Immunity to normal insanity:  No matter what anyone else thinks, the jester is immune to all natural insanities, including all phobias, mixed personalities, and dementias.  He cannot hallucinate except when under the influence of powerful drugs.  The jester is not immune to any form of any insanity that is conferred magically, nor is he immune to fear, confusion or any other bewildering effect.  A natural insanity cannot develop in the jester, and if character generation indicated the presence of such, it is hereby negated.

Morale Bonus:  Being the masters of wit and insult that they are, jesters may raise the moral of friends and simultaneously lower the morale of enemies within a 60-foot radius by the amount shown.  (The bonus applies to allies; an equal penalty applies to enemies.)  This morale bonus adds (or subtracts) the indicated numbers to attacks, saving throws, and skill and ability checks.  After the jester has spent two consecutive rounds heckling and deriding his foes, the moral bonus (or penalty) immediately goes into effect with no save allowed, and will continue for as long as the jester continues his jeering and for three rounds after he has ceased.  He may perform other physical actions while altering morale (e.g. fighting, climbing, running, etc.), but if he interrupts his heckling with words for any other purpose, the effect ends (three rounds later).  If the jester takes damage, he must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + damage taken) to continue his jibes unbroken.  Only those creatures able to hear and understand what the jester is saying are affected.  Creatures immune to mind-affecting effects are not affected by this ability.  A target who succeeds at his Willpower saving throw versus the jester’s morale-affecting jibes cannot be affected by further uses of this ability for 24 hours.

At higher levels, the power of the jester’s insinuations become such that his hearers (foes only) fall under a special effect if they fail a Willpower save (DC 10 + the jester’s CHA bonus + 1 per four levels).

Rage: The jester’s foes become filled with hatred for the jester and his allies, becoming blind to their surroundings while filled with bloodlust.  They gain +4 to STR (which partially alleviates the morale penalty to attack), but are –2 to AC and Willpower saves.

Disgrace: The jester’s foes become filled with shame for themselves and their cause.  They desist from fighting and with slumped shoulders or tail between the legs they turn around and leave, not to return for at least 30 minutes.  They are 25% likely to drop whatever they were holding at the time.

Rancor: The jester’s foes become filled with animosity toward one another.  They turn on and attack each other with the same vigilance as they had previously employed against the jester and his allies.  Any rancorous enemy that is attacked by the jester or his allies receives another save to break free of the jester’s influence.

Suicide: The jester’s foes become so filled with self-loathing (at the jester’s prompting, of course) that they contemplate suicide.  They will not immediately self-destruct, but will begin a quick path toward the ultimate selfish act, seeking the “best” method, tools, and place to perform the suicide, which will likely be in an isolated locale.

Ventriloquism:  Beginning at 2nd level, the jester’s ability to throw his voice takes on a magical nature, becoming equal in every respect to the spell by the same name.  He is able to use this spell-like ability at will.

Deflect Arrows:  Beginning at 5th level, the jester can deflect incoming arrows, crossbow bolts, spears, and other shot or thrown weapons.  He must have at least one hand free (holding nothing) to use this feat.  When he would normally be hit with a ranged weapon, he may make a Reflex saving throw against a DC of 20 (if the ranged weapon has a magical bonus to hit, the DC increases by that amount).  If he succeeds, he deflects the weapon.  He must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed.  Attempting to deflect a ranged weapon doesn’t count as an action, and thus may be used as often as needed.  Exceptional ranged weapons, such as boulders hurled by giants or Melf’s acid arrows, cannot be deflected.

Immunity to magical insanity: At 6th level, the jester’s immunity to insanity extends to those of a magical nature, including the effects of spells like confusion and insanity, and any others that cause mind-bewildering effects.  He is not immune to fear spells or effects (except as it acts like a phobia), nor is he immune to spells or effects that damage or drain his mental ability scores (INT, WIS & CHA).

Punfighting:  To qualify as a named Jester (and to gain 11th or subsequent levels), the jester must undergo a special rite of passage; he must defeat a higher-level named Jester in a punfight.  Everybody has the ability to make puns, but the jester has elevated punning to an art form.  Punning is the measure of success for jesters, and the jester who can’t pun is shunned by his peers.  Every class has a base 20% chance to pun, plus 1% per level.  Bards have a base 40% chance plus 1% per bard level.  Jesters have a base 50% chance plus 2% per jester level.  Each point of INT above 10 adds another 1% to the ability.

To resolve a punfight, the attacker must pick a topic.  He then has the option of giving either a “straight line” or making a pun.  The defender rolls percentile; if this roll is equal to or less than his punfighting score, he can successfully make a pun on this topic.  The attacker must then make a returning pun.  After the opening pun, each time someone makes a pun, his punfighting ability is reduced by 5%.  The volley continues until one opponent is “at a loss for words” (i.e. fails his ability check), at which point he loses the fight.

The DM may decide that the chosen topic can play a factor in the fight.  If the jester is very familiar with the topic, there could be as much as 15% added to his punfighting score (or up to –15% for topics he knows little about).

A “critical hit” in punfighting is a pun so bad that it stops the opponent dead in his tracks and knocks him speechless.  Only true jester (not other classes) can achieve a critical hit with a pun, and only if one’s punfighting score is currently 35% or higher.  In these conditions, rolling exactly your score on the percentile means that the jester has come up with the worst pun possible for the topic.  The opponent will be unable to respond and the attacking jester will have won the battle automatically.  The “pun fallout” from a critical hit can be devastating.  Everyone within earshot must make a Will save DC 15 or spend the entire next round groaning at the atrocious wordplay.  Critical hits in a punfight can turn the tide of a nearby physical battle.

Finally, in order for the jester to gain the full benefits of 11th level (and advance any further), he must defeat a higher-level Jester in a staged punfight (plenty of witnesses).  Doing so does not harm the reputation of the losing jester (though it certainly heaps shame upon him), but serves mainly to elevate the young jester to full status and grants him a right to the name.  If he loses, he must seek out a different higher-level jester to defeat.

Snatch Arrows:  The jester at 14th level gains the ability to snatch arrows, bolts, spears and other projectile weapons out of thin air.  He must have at least one hand free (holding nothing) to use this feat.  He makes a Reflex saving throw against a DC of 20 (if the ranged weapon has a magical bonus to hit, the DC increases by that amount).  Thrown weapons such as spears or axes can be thrown back at the original attacker as an immediate free action…or they may be kept.  Projectile weapons such as arrows or bolts can be fired back normally on his next turn or later, if he possesses the proper kind of bow.  This ability may be used as often as needed, up to his base number of attacks per round.

Arcane Scroll Use:  A jester of 14th level gains the ability to read all arcane scrolls and can cast from them as if he were a wizard 10 levels lower than his current jester level.  However, he still must observe a spell being cast before he can add it to his spellbook.  Should the jester attempt to cast from a scroll that is of a level beyond his capability and the scroll backfires, the jester is only 10% likely to be adversely affected by it.  (Others in the immediate vicinity may not be so fortunate.)

Immunity to Mind-affecting Effects:  By 17th level, the jester becomes immune to all mind-affecting effects.  Any spell, spell-like ability, or spell-like effect that has the “mind-affecting” subtype does not affect the jester.  His mind is forever clear of mental clutter, though he doubtless leads everyone to believe exactly the opposite.