Specialty
Juggler/Acrobat
Qualifications
Jongleurs must have a Dexterity of 14 or more (other ability scores,
standard). Gnomes can advance to the 9th
level as Jongleurs. Halflings can attain 12th
level. (Level limits are not enforced in this campaign)
Introduction
Yes, I am a Jongleur. My stage
name is Jonclaur the Jongleur, and that will do
for now. I travel across the Flanaess with a
small carnival band. I believe you have already met one of my companions, Dark. He's
good with knives and swords, but his personality matches his name a little too much for
me.
When our troupe puts on a show, I tend to
draw the largest and most consistent audience. In particular, families and village thieves
enjoy watching my act. Families watch because my juggling, pole vaulting, acrobatics,
and tightrope walking amazes them (and occasionally fills them with concern when my
act looks particularly hazardous). The thieves
come to study my actions. Many thieves can
pole vault, walk tightropes, and perform various feats of acrobatics, but none have my
skill. In a way, it's a form of research for them.
And it is true, though I hate to admit it, that
my talents are occasionally put to less-than-honorable uses. On one of the last few days of
our show, a large part of our troupe often
stages some complex burglary. My skills are
often invaluable. I can vault across moats or
into upper story windows that are protected
by walls coated with contact poison. If a mansion is guarded by dogs. I use a crossbow to
fire a line from a nearby building, then walk
across it. Of course, I rarely keep my share of
this booty. Instead, I usually donate it to the
local orphanage or poorhouse.
Well, nice chatting with you, but I must get
back. My second act is about to begin.
Description
Jongleurs are loosely based
upon the French entertainers of the same
name. They are masters at manipulating small
items with their hands. They can catch and
juggle almost anything. On top of this they
are skilled acrobats, able to traverse tightropes, turn flips, polevault, and perform any
number of acrobatic feats. Their agility provides them with great defensive resources.
Role
As entertainers, most Jongleurs are
typically found accompanying carnivals or
circuses. A troupe of Jongleurs can put on a
remarkable show all by themselves. They often perform in taverns or clubs, using their
arts to draw in the crowd and captivate them
long enough for the barkeeper (as well as the
Jongleurs) to drain the crowd's purses. Of
course, a few free-lancers work the streets out
of greed or need.
Jongleurs are useful adventuring allies; their
skills are invaluable when the going gets
tough. They are able to squeeze into places
where nobody else can go without the aid of
magic. Finally, their skill at avoiding certain
traps makes them excellent scouts.
Weapon Proficiencies
Jongleurs can use all
hurled weapons. A hurled weapon is any
weapon that can be thrown (this does not include bows, blowguns, or other missile weapons that are fired or shot). Otherwise,
Jongleurs are restricted to the following weapons: polearms, quarterstaff, sling, staff sling,
and whip. All of these weapons can be used in
their performances. For example, they can
juggle daggers, pole vault with polearms, and
balance with spears or quarterstaves.
Nonweapon Proficiencies
Bonuses
Juggling, Jumping, Tightrope Walking, Tumbling
Suggested
Direction Sense, Endurance,
Poetry, Rope Use, Running
Armor/Equipment
If a Jongleur wears any
type of armor other than leather, studded
leather, padded, or elven chain mail, he cannot use any of the following special benefits.
All other forms of armor are simply too restrictive or bulky for the Jongleur to properly
perform.
Jongleurs tend to dress in rather flashy colors. However, they don't take this to the extremes that Jesters do. They avoid large
capes, robes, and other garments that can
catch or tangle during movement. Of course,
this does not mean that a Jongleur is going to
wear a flaming red suit that sparkles in the
dimmest of lights when exploring ancient ruins. They prefer flash and fanfare, but they
aren't stupid.
Special Benefits
Extended Proficiencies
Because Jongleurs
are extremely skilled at all forms of juggling
and acrobatics, they gain certain special benefits to their bonus proficiencies.
Juggling
The Jongleur adds his level to the attack
roll when trying to catch small items.
Missile or hurled weapons too large to
catch can be deflected by using the juggling
proficiency.
Jumping
The Jongleur doubles his level for all
jumping calculations.
The character can use poles up to 20 feet
longer than himself.
Vaults can be made with a 15-foot run.
The pole need not be dropped if a second pro-
ficiency check is successful.
Tightrope Walking
All penalties are halved, dropping fractions (i.e., -5 for one-inch surfaces, -2 for
two- to six-inch surfaces, and -2 attack roll
penalty).
Use of a balancing rod provides a +4
bonus.
Tumbling
The +4 Armor Class bonus applies during any round in which initiative is won, even
if the Jongleur opts to attack later that round.
No proficiency check is required to reduce falling damage. However, a successful
proficiency check doubles the falling distances
(i.e., no damage up to 20 feet and only half
damage up to 120 feet).
Dodge
Jongleurs are amazingly agile and
have very quick reflexes. This enables them to
jump free of many potentially harmful situations if a successful saving throw vs. paralyzation is rolled. The only bonus allowed to the
save is the defensive bonus for high Dexterity.
If the attempted dodge fails, the Jongleur
suffers the full effects of the danger. No other
saving throw can be rolled to avoid the threat,
as the dodge takes the place of all other saving
throws. The benefit of dodging is that all
harm is completely avoided, whereas many
successful saving throws result in half damage. Of course, the Jongleur player can opt to
skip the dodge attempt in favor of any normally allowed saving throws.
Dodging does not affect missile weapons or
hurled weapons, personal spells (those that affect only one person) directed specifically at
the Jongleur, or spells that have no physical
effect to dodge (such as hold person).
Situations that can be avoided include falls
(into pits, through illusionary floors, down
sliding stairways traps, etc.), being struck
from above (by ceiling blocks, rocks, piercers,
collapses, etc.), area-effect spells that can be
dodged (
lightning bolt,
web,
fireball, etc.),
and any other situation that the Dungeon
Master feels could be avoided by a sudden agile leap (possibly breath weapons). Of course,
if a jump to safety is impossible, the Jongleur
cannot attempt a dodge. Note that Jongleurs
are also able to climb walls and might avoid
certain situations by clinging to a wall.
Entertain Crowd
By juggling, performing
flips, or displaying his acrobatic talents, a Jongleur can influence the reactions of an audience. This ability is similar to the True Bard's
influence reactions ability.
As with that ability, the crowd cannot be attacking or about to attack. The Jongleur must
perform for 1d10 rounds, after which all non-player characters viewing the performance
must roll saving throws vs. paralyzation (split
large audiences into groups of 10 and roll one
saving throw for each group). The saving
throw is rolled with a -1 penalty per three
levels of the bard (round down). Those failing
have their reactions adjusted one level in a
more friendly direction.
Unlike
True Bards, Jongleurs cannot attempt to worsen the reactions of a crowd (it is
very difficult to juggle or walk a tightrope in
an offensive manner). However, if the crowd
saves with a natural 1, the onlookers disapprove of the Jongleur and their reactions actually worsen by one level.
Special Hindrances
Jongleurs do not gain
the 10th-level ability to use any written magical item.
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