Yesterday I felt a little inspired partly by the game Darkest Dungeon and partly by an image of the League of Legends character Shaco to come up with a new class that mixes roguish subterfuge with bardic performance and mind-effery.
The result is the jester an enigmatic and terrifying figure haunting the battlefield.
This is my first attempt at writing a full standalone PC class. I hope the document is visible for everyone.
A few notes:
- the spell list is similar to that of the bard although much shorter, it also includes a few spells that regular bards can't cast.
- I tried to give the class a unique variant of sneak attack. I'm not sure if it isn't too limited or perhaps too easy to pull off with those targets it works on, or maybe both
- I'm still thinking about more jester's tricks.
Comments, suggestions and criticism are welcome.
Get rid of the Perform subskills. He should able to sing and play the flute if he wants.
Jester's Play should have more than one use at 1st level. They don't have to all be potent toigh. A little variety is nice.
To be more in line with existing classes, I would move evasion to 2nd level, and the tricks to even-numbered levels.
Get rid of uncanny dodge and replace it with something more "jestery".
You get bonus damage when the foe is afraid or helpless, but what what about the jester's other skills? I can imagine a jester invoking confusion and outrage. There should be something to reflect that (if it also fits your idea of a jester).
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Get rid of the Perform subskills. He should able to sing and play the flute if he wants.
Jester's Play should have more than one use at 1st level. They don't have to all be potent toigh. A little variety is nice.
To be more in line with existing classes, I would move evasion to 2nd level, and the tricks to even-numbered levels.
Get rid of uncanny dodge and replace it with something more "jestery".
You get bonus damage when the foe is afraid or helpless, but what what about the jester's other skills? I can imagine a jester invoking confusion and outrage. There should be something to reflect that (if it also fits your idea of a jester).
Maybe a move that allows him to mark a target, and the target then suffers penalties to hit him, While also forcing them to attack him(representing the jester taunting the person into attacking the jester, But the jester just WON'T. STAY. STILL!) and then the jester could us some illusion magic to distract him more and put a blade into the face he was insulting just before.
What worries me here is that the defensive or support packages of both classes were generally gutted or reworked to debilitation and the offensive packages have been pushed together. It really is a lot of dakka.
Unsettle the Dead should be a basic Jester's Trick. With invoking fear being the Jester's main tactic it shouldn't be completely invalidated by a highly common group of enemies (who doesn't fight a skeleton sometime in the first five levels?). For reference, the Dirge Bard archetype gets the ability to use mind-affecting spells on the undead at 2nd level.
First off Thanks for all the feedback.
Get rid of the Perform subskills. He should able to sing and play the flute if he wants.
Jester's Play should have more than one use at 1st level. They don't have to all be potent toigh. A little variety is nice.
To be more in line with existing classes, I would move evasion to 2nd level, and the tricks to even-numbered levels.
Get rid of uncanny dodge and replace it with something more "jestery".
You get bonus damage when the foe is afraid or helpless, but what what about the jester's other skills? I can imagine a jester invoking confusion and outrage. There should be something to reflect that (if it also fits your idea of a jester).
So you mean make perform in general a class skill again rather than limit it.
An extra 1st level use of Jester's play might make sense, it was tough to come up with the ones i already have, and that being with three of them almost or exactly the same thing as bardic performances.
the reason why i moved up evasion and tricks to uneven levels is to prevent dead levels. Also tricks at uneven levels are actually in line with Investigators.
Yes perhaps something else could replace uncanny dodge.
Maybe I could add a trick that allows the jester to apply exploit fear to things like confused targets.
Maybe a move that allows him to mark a target, and the target then suffers penalties to hit him, While also forcing them to attack him(representing the jester taunting the person into attacking the jester, But the jester just WON'T. STAY. STILL!) and then the jester could us some illusion magic to distract him more and put a blade into the face he was insulting just before.
As a replace ment for uncanny dodge you mean?
I have a bit of a problem with abilities forcing someone else's action. I don't think it works with rabletop roleplaying because you dont want to take a player's free will unless you literally took that of the PC.
What worries me here is that the defensive or support packages of both classes were generally gutted or reworked to debilitation and the offensive packages have been pushed together. It really is a lot of dakka.
That's a good point, I think it would require some testing.
Unsettle the Dead should be a basic Jester's Trick. With invoking fear being the Jester's main tactic it shouldn't be completely invalidated by a highly common group of enemies (who doesn't fight a skeleton sometime in the first five levels?). For reference, the Dirge Bard archetype gets the ability to use mind-affecting spells on the undead at 2nd level.
I thought it would be too powerful but perhaps you're right.