Specialty
Pantomime/Acting/Dancing/Jokes
Qualifications
Standard ability scores, except that Dexterity must be at least 14. Jesters
must be of any chaotic alignment, since no
mind attuned to law and order could possibly
sustain such an odd personality. Gnomes may
advance to 15th level as Jesters, while halflings cannot rise above 8th level. (Note: Level limits are not enforced in this capmpaign)
Introduction
My name is Marigold the
Mirthful, and I am proud to be called a Jester,
for I am one of the greatest fools in all the
kingdom. Being a fool is not all bad, for who
else can poke fun at the most powerful people
around without meeting the gallows or
worse?
Indeed, I lead the perfect life. The king puts
me up in a fantastic little room at the top of
the East Tower. When the morning sun comes
through my little window, I rise and don my
charming gear. Then I spring and dance down
the 40-foot-long spiral staircase to the main
hall. All the while, my costume bells are jingling and I can hear the moans and groans as
the court wakes from my passing. Next, I
tumble down all the castle's halls and awaken
the rest of the royal patrons.
Unless there are foreign envoys to be entertained at noon, I am off until evening. I wander about, keeping the young folk happy and
feeding the chickens and the castle's two war
dogs. Then I usually find a comfortable willow tree and lie down for a short nap.
Most evenings, the king invites me in to entertain him, his family, and his guests. I dance
about, act foolish, juggle a bit, perform some
minor acrobatics, pretend to get burnt by the
fireplace, and tell jokes that I made up while
lying under the willow tree.
So you see, I live in the king's castle and actually do little or no work. What a lucky life!
Of course, the real fun occurs when foreigners
arrive. I always make sure they leave the
king's court with fewer goods than they came
in with. I would hate to see them lug all that
gold, silver, and jewelry clear back to their
homelands.
Description
Jesters are known by many
names: fools, clowns, jokers, buffoons, etc.
The Jester kit covers them all. Jesters are comedians at heart. They love to have a good
time and enjoy sharing their mirth and merriment with others (even when they aren't welcomed). Most people enjoy having a Jester
about, as they raise morale, entertain, and
make great scapegoats when problems arise.
Jesters are flamboyant, outrageous, and ridiculous. Many sages believe that Jesters live
in a constant state of borderline insanity. It is
known that they live for attention and feel relaxed only when they are the focus of events.
Role
Jesters are often hired by noblemen
for entertainment. They dance, prance, and
jump about while the more civilized look on
and laugh at the fools. More often than not,
these noblemen are paying the price for their
entertainment, as the Jester is liable to make
off with a piece of gold for every laugh he
hears. Other Jesters serve as clowns in traveling carnivals or circuses. And of course every
community has its local fool.
Jesters rarely take up the adventuring life.
(PC Jesters are the obvious exceptions.) Their
motivations for doing so will have to be carefully constructed to maintain realism. A Jester
may be sentenced to escort a group of heroes
on a dangerous quest as punishment for a joke
about the king's nose (throwing him in jail
would hardly be appropriate). A Jester might
be assigned to accompany a band on a grim
and deadly adventure, to combat the gloom
and dread that will be encountered. Whatever
the reason, having a Jester in the party will
certainly result in more than one good laugh.
Weapon Proficiencies
Jesters spend most
of their lives entertaining others by playing
the role of a fool or clown. Large weapons do
not fit into this role. Thus Jesters may become
proficient only in the blowgun, hand crossbow, dagger, dart, hand axe, javelin, knife,
quarterstaff, scourge, sling, short sword, and
whip.
Nonweapon Proficiencies
Bonuses
Acting, Dancing, Juggling, Tumbling
Suggested
Crowd Working, Disguise, Jumping, Musical
Instrument, Poetry, Singing, Ventriloquism
Armor/Equipment
Jesters may wear only
the following types of armor: leather, padded,
studded leather, or elven chain mail. Other
types of armor do not fit the image of fools.
Jesters almost always act and dress in the
most outlandish manner. Even when danger is
imminent, Jesters still hop around in their
flashy suits with tassels and foppish hats.
Special Benefits
:
Fool's Luck
It is amazing to most that
Jesters can survive in any situation. They are
careless, foolish, and given to whimsical decisions. It is fool's luck that has saved many a
Jester's life.
Jesters receive a +1 bonus (+5% on percentile rolls) to most die rolls. This includes
saving throws, initiative, surprise, proficiency checks, thief skill checks, ability checks,
and ability sub-checks (e.g., bend bars/lift
gates, resurrection survival, and so on). The
fool's luck also adds a +1 bonus to the Jester's
Armor Class.
About the only die rolls that the fool's luck
ability doesn't affect are attack rolls, damage
rolls, initial character generation rolls, and
Hit Die rolls.
Jesting
Jesting is the art of projecting meaning and mood through the use of body motions. By jesting (or gesturing), a Jester may
communicate a single sentence each round to
anyone who rolls a successful Wisdom check
with a -5 penalty. Such communication is totally silent and does not rely upon a shared
language. The Jester must use his entire body
for the communication; thus, he must be fully
visible and within 30 feet for communication
to take place.
Jesting may be done to taunt or tease. Such
jesting affects only those who are within 30
feet of the Jester and who are able to fully
view him. This form of jesting causes those
being jested at to roll a saving throw vs. paralyzation, with a -1 penalty per three levels of
the Jester. Those who fail must immediately
try to physically strike the Jester for as long as
the jesting continues. The effect ends when the
jesting ends. Combat strategy is ignored by
those who are affected. They recklessly pass
by more dangerous targets in an attempt to attack the Jester. Jesting is thus a wonderful way
to break the ranks of enemy forces.
Joking
The practice of creating and telling
jokes has been elevated to an art form by the
Jester; this skill can be used for many special
purposes. Jokes are told in an attempt to alter
encounter reactions. For any form of joke to
function, the Jester must speak a language
known by the recipient of the joke. Furthermore, the Jester must be within easy verbal
range of the recipient.
Such jokes require 1d10 rounds to tell, after
which the audience must roll a saving throw
vs. paralyzation with a -1 penalty per three
levels of the Jester. Those who fail have their
reactions adjusted one level in the direction
desired by the Jester. However, those who succeed take the joke the wrong way and have
their reactions adjusted one level in the opposite direction.
Finally, a joke told at just the right moment
can dispel the effects of fear. Such a joke requires a round to tell and enables all those affected by fear (normal or magical) to roll a
second saving throw to avoid the fear (note
that those affected by the fear do not immediately run away, but remain until the joke is
told). If no first saving throw was allowed,
then the saving throw is rolled vs. spell.
A Jester's Mind
Jesters are immune to attacks that cause insanity. Jesters also gain a
saving throw bonus equal to their level vs.
wizard spells of the enchantment/charm
school and priest spells of the charm sphere.
(A saving throw of 1 always fails, however.)
Furthermore, any attempt to read a Jester's
mind has a percentage chance equal to the
Jester's level of causing confusion in the mind
reader (treat as if under the effect of a
confusion spell).
Special Hindrances
None
Notes
Jesters can be a lot of fun if properly
played with the right gaming group. However, this character kit can be devastating to
an overly serious campaign. It is strongly suggested that both DM and players discuss the
ramifications of the kit and how it will fit into
the game if allowed.
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