D&D 5E (2014) How many fans want a 5E Jester

[Zardnaar]

The solutuin is obvious. Kender jester!!!!

 

[GMforPowergamers]

One could argue its more iconic than the Warlord

BOOO Hiss BOO... we get enough BS bad mouthing of the class in other threads...

 

[Sunseeker]

Hmmm, Bard, Noble background, RP as a goofball.

Subclass? We don't need no stinking subclass!

 

[EzekielRaiden]

BOOO Hiss BOO... we get enough BS bad mouthing of the class in other threads...

Exactly what I was thinking. And people wonder why Warlord fans feel antagonized...

As for the actual topic:
1. I'm skeptical of needing a base class, but open to the suggestion if someone wants to present one.
2. I really like the Bard subclass suggestions made thus far. Turning juggling into an offensive art is a brilliant idea, and this capitalizes on what is available.
3. Ideally, I could see an article, possibly in EN5ider, with the whole spectrum: a collection of backgrounds (Court Fool, Circus Performer, Mime?), a new Bard subclass (College of Jesters), and, for those who want a no-magic class, either a spell-less Bard (which would thus be 50% or more of the way to "new class" anyway) or just a straight-up Jester. Not for everyone, just like the Chaos Sorcerer isn't for everyone, but still interesting and potentially worth playing without being OP or useless.

 

[Zardnaar]

BOOO Hiss BOO... we get enough BS bad mouthing of the class in other threads...

Well if they didn't keep starting multiple troll threads over it problem solved. The designers have spoken.

 

[I'm A Banana]

If you wanna have a tiff about the warlord, there's like a million other threads you can go tiff on. This one is not about warlords.

 

[Jester David]

We absolutely need a jester class.

It's a classic class with a long history in the game that goes back all the way to 1st Edition. 1982 even, so early in the lifespan of the Edition. There were jester kits for 2e and numerous attempts at a 3rd party jester class for 3e and even 4e.
Unlike so many other classes (warden, warlord, invoker) there is a firm legacy of the jester in history in literature. They're archtypal. It's instantly evocative, conjuring up mental images of costumes and gags. Jesters are arguably moreso than classes like the monk or sorcerer. Jesters were found across Europe and even in other nations, such as the Taikomochi of feudal Japan. Jesters are part of the Tarot and found in paintings throughout history. There are jesters in works as classic as Shakespeare or Mister Punch and as modern as Batman. Heck, arguably characters like Deadpool fill the role of "jester".

Jesters are also very different from bards. They lack the same focus on magic and might emphasis Dexterity more than Charisma, They also don't have the same lineage of magic; jesters are much more martial/mundane in nature. Jesters are seem less like a class able to buff allies, and more a class that distracts enemies. There's certainly an overlap, but no more than the fighter and warlord, paladin and cleric, or the sorcerer and wizard. If there's room for those, there's room for both a bard and jester.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_jesters
[video]https://youtu.be/6of3kMxV6z4?t=3m[/video]

There are lots of potential subclasses for a jester:

• Juggler: Skilled at manipulating and throwing small objects
• Fool: Able to see into the truth of things and speak without drawing attention
• Tumbler: Adept at rolling, falling, and erratic movements that are used to evade hazards
• Comedian:Able to induce laughter and incapacitate creatures with jokes
• Harlequin: Skilled at acrobatics and cartwheels, along with their walking stick/cane
• Imp: The devil on the shoulder that encourages bad behavior and is full of trickery, deception, and manipulation

The jester is a class with a long history in the game that should be supported. It needs to be supported so Wizards of the Coast can prove their supportive of past Dragon content and not just dismissive of anything not published in a hardcover book.

And best of all jesters can speak the truth in a satirical way to mock the status quo.

 

[delericho]

The jester is a class with a long history in the game that should be supported. It needs to be supported so Wizards of the Coast can prove their supportive of past Dragon content and not just dismissive of anything not published in a hardcover book.

Nitpick: the Jester class appears in the 3e hardback "The Dragon Compendium, Volume 1". And, unlike many other third-party books, that one was 'official' D&D - see the logo on the cover!

 

[EzekielRaiden]

We absolutely need a jester class.

It's a classic class with a long history in the game that goes back all the way to 1st Edition. 1982 even, so early in the lifespan of the Edition. There were jester kits for 2e and numerous attempts at a 3rd party jester class for 3e and even 4e.
Unlike so many other classes (warden, warlord, invoker) there is a firm legacy of the jester in history in literature. They're archtypal. It's instantly evocative, conjuring up mental images of costumes and gags. Jesters are arguably moreso than classes like the monk or sorcerer. Jesters were found across Europe and even in other nations, such as the Taikomochi of feudal Japan. Jesters are part of the Tarot and found in paintings throughout history. There are jesters in works as classic as Shakespeare or Mister Punch and as modern as Batman. Heck, arguably characters like Deadpool fill the role of "jester".

Jesters are also very different from bards. They lack the same focus on magic and might emphasis Dexterity more than Charisma, They also don't have the same lineage of magic; jesters are much more martial/mundane in nature. Jesters are seem less like a class able to buff allies, and more a class that distracts enemies. There's certainly an overlap, but no more than the fighter and warlord, paladin and cleric, or the sorcerer and wizard. If there's room for those, there's room for both a bard and jester.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_jesters
[video]https://youtu.be/6of3kMxV6z4?t=3m[/video]

There are lots of potential subclasses for a jester:

• Juggler: Skilled at manipulating and throwing small objects
• Fool: Able to see into the truth of things and speak without drawing attention
• Tumbler: Adept at rolling, falling, and erratic movements that are used to evade hazards
• Comedian:Able to induce laughter and incapacitate creatures with jokes
• Harlequin: Skilled at acrobatics and cartwheels, along with their walking stick/cane
• Imp: The devil on the shoulder that encourages bad behavior and is full of trickery, deception, and manipulation

The jester is a class with a long history in the game that should be supported. It needs to be supported so Wizards of the Coast can prove their supportive of past Dragon content and not just dismissive of anything not published in a hardcover book.

And best of all jesters can speak the truth in a satirical way to mock the status quo.

Your biting, sarcastic wit excoriates and shames me, and I repent of all my foolishness and transgressions! Please, Jester Canuck, save me from the f--no, no, save me from the mistake I have made, for truly you have shown me that the Fool is RIGHT! How could I have been so blind, to choose as I had before, to fail to see the beauty, the austerity, the majesty of the Jester, and follow some other, heathen path??

Or, y'know, not. Since I kinda already said that the ideal case would be an article, e.g. UA, with support for every possible manifestation of the Jester. MULTIPLE backgrounds, a logical subclass, AND a full class for those who want it and especially if they want it without magic.

Is it really satire when the opinion you're supposedly "mocking" is held, seriously, by someone who already posted? Or is it just mocking that person for their beliefs, whether on this or the obviously-related subject you're actually satirizing?

 

[tuxgeo]

Here's a stab at a Bard school:

College of Jesters

Bonus Proficiencies: When you join the College of Jesters at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Perform and two tools or languages of your choice.

Befuddling Verbosity
Also at 3rd level, you learn to change the speed and cadence of your speech such that you can talk others into strange knots. When trying to influence someone, you may spend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and adding the number to either a Charisma (Deception) or Charisma (Persuasion) roll. You must still be able to communicate with the target normally. If you are attempting to sway multiple individuals, the bonus applies against all, if they are all part of the same "audience". This technique is known to offend some people; anyone so swayed is permitted a Wisdom (Intuition) check, an hour after your interaction. . . . <snip>

minor nitpick: Wisdom (Insight), of course. . . .

I would prefer the naming convention proposed by "I'm a Banana": Klown Kollege. (It just speaks to me.)
(Yes, it's a talking banana.)

I wanted to vote "Bland food product," but I finally went with "No" instead, because I don't personally want one.