Now this is a class I haven't seen since my old AD&D 1st edition days!
Obviously you've never looked at the Dragon Compendium then. (Because it's probably out of print and WOTC probably isn't going to let Paizo make more)
Anyway, anyone feel like describing the class' mechanics for those of us who forgot how to get the preview at a readable size?
Alright, I need to pimp this out for a friend of mine. The writer's name is Jared Glenn and he hosts the Power Source Podcast on D20 radio. He also released the Explorer - an Indiana Jones-type class - some months back. I unfortunately haven't seen the Jester yet, but the Explorer is very flavorful and makes great use of terrain modification. There's also a second revision of the Explorer coming out soon as well. Anyway, I'm sure he'd love to hear your feedback on the class and I've directed him to this thread so whatever love or hate you've got for it, go right ahead.
And I swear I'm not him. Really. I am also on the podcast regularly, though...
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Jester's Audacity: gives a bonus to dodge +1 every five levels
Jester's Performance: Read Bardic music skills based on humor and physical acts.
They have up to 6th level spells and at 20th level their antics can affect undead.
They get some bonus feats here and there.
Must be chaotic.
Good Ref and Will Saves.
for the most part though you can and should be able to make this character using the Pathfinder Bard. With very few tweaks.
Wait a tick.. is this a 4E class or a Pathfinder class? I can't access the site here at work, but I know the 4E Jester is due for release. On the other hand, Crimson Jester here is reading off "6th level spells" and "must be chaotic." What's going on?
BTW, glad you like the show, Healer. I tend to find it a little.. aberrant. ;)
Hey fellas,
Ryven let me know that this topic was up, and I thought I'd drop in. I noticed that you wanted a brief overview of the class and, frankly, I'm glad to give it.
First off, Crimson Jester is talking about a 3rd Edition Jester and, while the 4E Jester is influenced by this past, the 4E Jester is quite different indeed.
For fluff, I didn't want a rehash of any of the arcane classes. That is, I didn't want the Jester's power to be in-born, studied, given via patron, or based on innate talent, like the other arcane classes. In the end, it came to focus on why a Jester would feel the need to act like a fool. I decided that Jesters keep their powers secret because their power is a resource available to anyone: a henge. A henge is a place where ley lines cross, but do not form a fey crossing as normal. Therefore, arcane energies pool there, bending natural law in strange and beautiful ways. Jesters are those who tap into this power, and then, for their own reasons, keep that power a secret by pretending that they don't know where their power comes from.
As far as mechanics go, the main mechanic that you'll want to try out is Jests. Every daily power for the Jester (Attack and Utility) has a rather normal attack and effect, but then grants you the use of a Jest. A Jest is an attack power that a Jester can use as a Minor Action. They have a number of rules to keep them in check, but they are also At-Will and can be used until the end of the encounter. In general, they don't deal damage, however (because the Jester is a Controller, not a Striker). Their effects usually keep enemies slowed, slid, or generally confused. In other words, the Jester doesn't tend to use a lot of burst and blast attacks because she prefers more precision with more attacks.
The main promise of the class is that you should be using your Minor Action every round, even at early levels. Your overall effectiveness on the battlefield is the same as a Wizard, but you are a bit better at precision control while being a bit worse at minion management. The class provides several ways to accomplish this, which keeps you busy with planning even when it isn't your turn.
I believe that this class should be simple enough for a new player to grasp (indeed, playtests show that it is), but it really does sing in the hands of someone who really knows the rules. In other words, this is kind of the "Shaman" of my classes (in that WotC considers the Shaman to be their most difficult class to master, even if not by much).
Finally, for those of your who love your implement as much as I do, I just want to say one thing: Decks. Jesters can wield Decks ... and it's awesome. Just sayin'. :)
Anyways, I'm glad to hear your feedback. If you want to leave it here, that's great, but sending it to me directly at powersourcepodcast@gmail.com would be even better. And speaking of the Podcast, if you like 4E (which I'm guessing you do if you're reading this), give us a listen at www.powersourcepodcast.com .
Thanks!
Jared
Host of The Power Source
www.powersourcepodcast.com
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Wait a tick.. is this a 4E class or a Pathfinder class? I can't access the site here at work, but I know the 4E Jester is due for release. On the other hand, Crimson Jester here is reading off "6th level spells" and "must be chaotic." What's going on?
The link's to the 4E class. I think Crimson Jester's post discuss how to convert it to Pathfinder. That, or something from the podcast. Or maybe from the Dragon Compendium.
EDIT: Jester was talking about the 3.x version.
How much dissonance would there be if you wanted a Jester's abilities to be more mundane and dropped the ley-line explanation?
It depends on what you mean by mundane. If you mean that you want your jester to have learned magic like a Wizard or have been born with these powers like a Sorcerer, then I would say almost none. Just reflavor the powers to fit your explaination for where the Jester gets his powers.
On the other hand, if you want the Jester to actually not possess magic powers at all, then your reflavoring will have to be more liberal. Just as with the Wizard, a Jester's powers are obviously magical. And just as you can say that a Wizard just throws an alchemical substance when he uses "Flaming Burst," you can do that here too. It will just take a bit more work.
I hope that answers your question. :)
Jared
Host of The Power Source
www.powersourcepodcast.com
I hope that answers your question.
It does, thank you for your response.