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.