Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fawks_Silverwind 05-14-07, 06:33 PM	Hey all! I have a bit of a problem on my hands and I was wondering if anyone could help me. I'm trying to put together my own version of a Jester/Mime/performer type of class sheet. Now I have already come up with a few ideas for possible skills, but for the ones I made up, I don’t know how to refine them. The basic idea I have is that this class doesn’t use magic and it doesn’t really attack all that much on its own. It will want to stay away from melee and it would only be proficient in Simple Weapons and shuriken, but I have come up with things to make up for that. The idea is that his skills will make up for his lack other abilities. He is a performer, so he would manipulate, attack and evade people from afar. He doesn’t want to be caught or he’ll be ripped apart, pretty much. Chaotic and very content in the spotlight. Good Reflexes and Will, but with bad Fortification. HP would probably range from d4 to d6 depending on how he ends up and his Dodge AC would be rather good. In place of magic, the Jester would have his Antics, which I thought was a great idea off of another sheet. Really suits a performer type. The problem is, I’m still a bit of a noob at DnD. I may have a few ideas to play with, but I don’t know how to effectively put together something that would work as a good 20 level class. I made a list of possible things to use. Some of them I came up with and others I got off the linked sheets at the bottom of my post. Pretty much the only ones I have seen. Any inconsistencies can be worked out in a later phase of this sheet building. So concerns about whether is it overpowered can wait until after the complete version is tested. Any help you guys can give would be greatly appreciated. Suggestions, pointers or otherwise. :) Oh, and there are some ideas I got off of Naruto and Pokemon. =P KEEP IN MIND I don’t plan to have all these abilities in one class. These are just things I thought would be fitting for my version of a Performer/Jester and could be worked with to produce a workable Class. ^^ Possibly could benefit from Uncanny dodges and Evasion or some extra feats at some point in general Puppetry – The Jester can summon a puppet to fight in his place. The act of bringing them out is a full round action, but the puppets are animated afterwards. While he is controlling the puppet, he cannot perform any of his antics and suffers loss of AC. However, as the Jester uses hand movements and acts out the actions of his puppet, anyone that wants to launch an attack against him must make a will save against his performance check, or switch his target to the puppet. The puppet can be no more than 30 ft away from the Jester or he looses control of them and they fall to the floor. If the puppets are on the floor and in range of the Jester, he can re-animate as a free action. They move and attack in the place of the Jester unless he wishes otherwise, but when the Jester moves, him and the puppet move together. It will probably act as a construct and the Jester would need to keep it in his pack while not using it. If it is destroyed, the Jester would need to spend a given amount of time to rebuild or make another. The Jester may operate up to two puppets at a time. The puppets must be made of wood and if the Jester makes a successful craft check, are treated as through under the effects of Iron Wood. The constructs are a medium size and humanoid in shape. Maybe they can become more powerful as the Jester raises in levels. Like the Iron Wood thing would kick in as a later possibility. Or maybe feats that only the puppets can mimic. Like Spring Attack. Puppet Master - While the mime has a group amused by his antics, he can make a performance check and pick a member of his audience. If they fail a will save, the target is compelled to mimic every movement the mime makes. This effect ends if he is either hurt or his own life is threatened by the actions of the mime. He cannot kill himself or put himself in immediate danger, but he can attack others around him as the mime acts it out in the background. The mime suffers AC loss as he is controlling another. Or something like that, anyway. XD Trapped in a box – It captures an opponent in a box if they are already amused (fascinated) and they fail their reflex save. The captive can’t do anything to anyone outside the box, but no one can do anything to him. However, light can still pass through the invisible box, though sound cannot. It lasts until it is destroyed, 1 round per Jester level or until the caster wills it to end… normally by picking up a fake hammer to shatter the thing. Jack in a box – While someone is trapped in a box, the Jester may Pantomime turning a hand crank on the side at the cost of an antic. The song “Pop goes the weasel begins to play and the captive must either break out of the box or make a will save before the song ends, otherwise he is launched across the battle field and at high speeds and suffers damage when he crashes on the ground. He must make a Fort save and if he fails that, suffers from being stunned for a given amount of turns. Silence is golden – The mime is at home with not making a sound, so his presence causes the area around him to be muted for a time. If I can’t see you – If the mime covers his eyes, he becomes invisible. While doing this, the mime cannot attack and moves as if blinded. The mime needs at least one hand free to perform this ability Dramatic effect! – The mime can leap into an area and with the use of his Comedic Effect, has a spot light cast upon him. While doing this, he catches the attention of those around him and increases his performance bonus for a time and can affect crowds with a few of his abilities, instead of one target. He also gives a moral boost in BAB and inspires courage to him and to the teammates that can see him. However, he loses his ability to hide and loses his Dexterity bonus to his AC while under the effect. It lasts for 1d6 turns or can be ended when the Jester wills it. Pin cushion – So dramatic is the mimes antics that you can feel his pain. In times of great peril, the Jester can cast this on himself and target an opponent. So long as the effect lasts, any damage that the mime takes is also put on the target as illusionary wounds. If the effect ends, the target recovers any damage he had taken and instead suffers from confusion for a round. If the enemy’s HP reaches 0 or a negative number while the effect is still in place, he would still go down as he normally would. If the mime is knocked out, the effect ends. Another thing like that would be to instead just inflict the imaginary damage and they would recover the HP after the effect ends. This would be non lethal damage. Don’t worry! I’m a doctor – The Jester is such a skilled performer that he gets a little full of himself and starts to think he is a doctor too. Oddly enough, he does know how to heal. By spending an antic, the mime can open his invisible med kit and receive a bonus in heal checks to the target of this ability. Card Trick - At the cost of an antic, the Jester can produce 5 playing cards. The cards are illusions that last for as long as the Jester is conscious. They are used and act like shuriken. In addition, I think there should be one or two other abilities that involve this. Maybe to power up the attacks in a few ways. Like maybe a Royal Flush attack that hits someone with five attacks with the cards doing decent damage. Feats like Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot and Ranged Disarm could possibly be reworked to fit with this. Walking against the Wind – By spending an antic, the Jester can pantomime that the wind is making it hard for him to move. After this action, a target has to fight high powered winds which can slow his movement greatly. Or it could be an area of effect that prevents or slows a group from moving one direction. Like the effects of Bigby’s Warding Hand, but without the hand and reworked accordingly. I think I’ll take the stairs – The Jester gains the ability to walk in the air as if it was a solid surface. He may go only so high up and so far down, and it must lead to a solid surface he can stand on normally. Wall – Every few hours, with a movement of his hands, the Jester can produce a wall that is solid to the touch, but invisible to the eye. It provides protection from physical attacks and some magic for a short time or until it is broken. It would probably be 7x7 in size and have the addition of being able to go up when you’re the target of an attack. Lasso of truth – The Jester gains the ability to summon an invisible lasso. By making the appropriate arm movements, he can toss the lasso at something or someone and catch them in it, binding them like a real rope would. It shares all the characteristics of a normal or high quality rope. Piano Mover – By acting like he is pulling up something heavy by rope, he summons a large invisible piano over a target’s head. Before the end of his round, the Jester lets go of the “rope” and causes the piano to come crashing down on his target or anyone close enough to him. If they fail their reflex save, they take damage from the crash and are knocked over. The resulting crash makes the cosmetic effect of the kind of sound it would make. Gift – The Jester has a trap for you in the shape of a brightly colored and embroidered gift. Complete with a bow to match the festive colors. The Jester may conjuror up a Gift once per day and place it or give it to whom he pleases, but giving a gift requires a bluff and performance check. When the gift is opened, it will do one of a few things. It can heal, explode, confuse, put to sleep, blind, or Baleful Polymorph the one that opens it, and each opening has the cosmetic effect of a jingle and confetti shooting into the air. Magic Bag – The Jester gains a bag that allows him to carry twice what he normally could, so long as he sits it in the magical void that is the inside of his bag. He may not have a flying umbrella and lamps hidden away, but he does keep his puppets and props neatly tucked away without looking all bulky in his fancy colored outfits. Wearing the magic bag does not give you the right to sing about spoonfuls of sugar. Master of Disguise – So skilled is that Jester at his art that he gains the ability to use the Disguise Self spell at will. Complete will all the limitations of said ability, but this would count as Super Natural. Spirit of Youth – So youthful is the spirit of the Jester that at a certain point he simply stops aging and not longer takes ability score penalties for aging. He cannot be magically aged either and any penalties he may have gained already, stay in place. Curtain Call – If the Jester is knocked unconscious, his Comedic Effect plays his swan song and increases the Moral Bonuses of his parties Saves, BAB and inspires those who have the ability to rage either more turns of it, or another use of it if they have spent it already, but only on the turn after the Jester falls. The Moral Bonuses stay in effect for 1d6 rounds, or something. Imaginary friend – They all laughed at him for talking to nothing, but we’ll see who is laughing now. So chaotic is the mind of a Jester, that he wills into creation his imaginary friend to protect him. This beast does no damage, but causes fear in those that see it. Its howl echoes for a while and causes the opponents that hear it to lose moral. Me, Myself and I – The Jester can create multiple illusionary duplicates of himself to dazzle and bewilder on lookers. Anyone wishing to attack the Jester, must make a roll to see if he attacks an illusion or the real thing. When a illusion is hit, it vanishes. This could cost an antic to perform. Could possibly extend this to the Greater Mirror Image ability, but who knows.. XD All eyes are on me – Whether it be paranoia, vanity or his really odd shoes, the Jester is always on his toes. With the Jester’s bouncy spirit, so long as he is standing, the Jester is never caught flat footed. Acrobatic Master – The Jester is so graceful on his feet that he gains bonuses to his Jump, Balance and Tumble checks. Oooo.. Shiny! – So distracting are the Jester’s antics that anyone who wishes to cast a spell on him must first make a Will save or fail the attempt. This doesn’t apply to all forms of magic. I know you are but what am I? – The Jester doesn’t allow people to upstage his antics. Anytime someone tries to cast a body changing spell on him, (Baleful polymorph and such) the Jester gets to do a performance check. If he succeeds, the transformation is switched to the caster as if it was cast upon him, meaning he’d get all the normal checks against it. All I want to do is dance – The hypnotic rhythms and oddly catchy beat that seems to play with the Jester, takes hold of the mind. While the Jester uses the ability, various people have to make a will save to protect against the rhythm of the night. They must do this every round the Jester is dancing and if they fail, they join in the dancing as well. Prop Comedy – At the cost of an antic and through the theatrics of his prop comedy, the Jester gains the chance of making a target laugh as if under the effects of THL. Play Dead – Acting! Any time the Jester is hit with an attack, at the cost of an antic he may roll with it to lessen the blow, but then his body goes limp and he must make a performance/bluff check to fool his enemies into thinking he is dead. If successful, the Jester may tumble back and spring to his feet at any time after that. Desperation shot – When the Jester is playing dead, if a target is in range he may spring back onto his hands and kick the target away with the push in the resulting flip back to his feet. This counts as a sneak attack. --------------------------------------------- Below this line are things I got from others. Antics - Once per day per jester level plus your CHA bonus, the jester can use his acts to produce magical effects on those around him (including himself, if he so desires). Each Antic requires both the jester be of a minimum jester level and have a minimum number of ranks in Perform (Comedy). Starting an Antic is a standard action, and some Antics require concentration and a standard action each round to maintain the effect. Even while performing Antics that don’t require concentration, the jester cannot cast spells or activate magic items by spell completion or magic word. Just as for casting a spell with a Verbal Component, a deaf jester has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use jester Antics. Failed attempts count against his daily limit. Witty Defense- Starting at 2nd level, the Jester learns how to defend himself with strange motions, disconcerting actions and loud exclamations. As long as the Jester is wearing no armor or armor with an armor check penalty of zero, this provides a +1 dodge bonus to the Jester’s Armor Class at level 2, increasing by an additional +1at levels 5, 8 and 11. This dodge bonus is doubled against unarmed and natural weapon attacks. Amuse - [3 ranks] The jester uses comedy to entertain and distract those around him. Amuse is identical to bardic Fascinate but based on ranks in Perform (Comedy). Targeted creatures who fail the save stand and watch the jester’s performance, chuckling and watching, perhaps, but taking no other action as long as he continues to be so darn amusing. Amuse is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Comedic Effect - [2nd level]: When he runs, the tinkling of a piano accompanies his steps; when he hiccups, pink bubbles pop from his mouth. Comedic Effect causes the jester’s actions to be accompanied by comical and purely cosmetic illusory auditory and visual effects, such the sound of a gong when he impacts an object, the brief image of a lantern appearing over his head when he makes a Knowledge check, or the image of hearts fluttering around his head when he is Charmed. Comedic Effect accompanies all standard actions the jester makes that include a somatic or physical component, all move actions except walking at normal speed, all skill checks that are standard actions, and all spells that affect the jester or that he casts. The Comedic Effect is continual but can be suppressed as a move action and kept suppressed or reinstated as a free action on his turn. When the jester is unable to expend a free action to continue suppressing the Comedic Effect, it resumes automatically on his turn; it is, however, inactive when he sleeps, rests, or is rendered unconscious. While under Comedic Effect, the jester enjoys a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to Perform (Comedy) checks. Others receive a +4 bonus to Spellcraft checks to determine spell effects from which the jester suffers or any spells that he casts. However, Comedic Effect imposes a –4 penalty to all Intimidate and Move Silently checks, as the jester is too ridiculous and noisy to be very effective at either. Comedic Effect is a supernatural annoyance. Don’t Trip - [9 ranks] A Jester skilled in the art of pantomime can pull the rug right out from under someone... even if there isn't one. Once per day for every two jester levels, he can target a single creature within 30 feet he can see and that can hear him. The jester shouts “Don’t Trip!” and pull at the shadow illusion of a rug that momentarily appears under the creature’s feet. The creature must then make a Reflex save, with the DC equal to the jester’s Perform (Comedy) check, or trip and fall prone with a comical sound effect, such as the sound of shattering glass or the boom of a drum. the Jester needs at least one hand free to perform this trick. Pratfall - [5th level]: The jester can take what appears to be a horrible fall while suffering no damage. He receives a +4 bonus to all rolls to resist trip attempts and, when computing falling damage, treats all falls as if they were a number of feet shorter equal to 10 + twice his levels in jester. This is extraordinary. Deflect Arrows - At level 4, the Jester gains the Deflect Arrows feat as a bonus feat, even if he does not have the prerequisites. Mime - Communicating through silent gestures both ridiculous and obscene has helped more than one jester out of a tight spot. He receives a +4 bonus to Bluff checks to deliver secret messages without speaking. Throw Voice [3 ranks] He’s behind a rock…no, under the bed….wait, behind that door… For as long as he continues to concentrate, up to 1 round per jester level, the jester can use ventriloquism as the spell cast by a bard of his jester level, with the spell DC based on his Perform (Comedy) check. Subversive Humor [3 ranks] His witty slurs and cutting remarks can undermine certain magical effects. The jester can target a single creature within 30 feet that he can see and that can hear him. The jester’s efforts allow the targeted creature a second save against any Mind-Affecting spell from which it currently suffers, using the jester’s Perform (Comedy) check as its second saving throw if better than its own second save. Each use of Subversive Humor targets one specific Mind-Affecting effect; if the target creature suffers from multiple affects, multiple uses of Subversive Humor may be required. Subversive Humor is Language-Dependant. Laugh It Off - Fate protects fools and little children, and Jesters certainly adopt the role of fools. A Jester may add his Charisma modifier as a morale bonus to his saves. Harlequin’s Mask - As long as a Jester’s face is painted, masked, or adorned in the manner of a harlequin or other comedic figure, he is immune to compulsion effects. Jester’s Feint At 4th level, a Jester learns to shock and unnerve his enemies by throwing unexpected objects at them. At a swift action, he may toss a brightly colored object in the square of an enemy with a Sleight of Hand Check opposed by the enemy’s Spot check. If it succeeds, the enemy is denied his Dex bonus for the Jester’s next attack. Some Jesters use objects with magical or alchemic effects that act in an enemy’s square to use with this ability, while others use colored balls, fruit, pieces of cloth or scarves, or other cast-off materials that fit the requirement of being brightly colored. Wealthy, desperate, or foolish Jesters sometime used coins or gems. Fool’s Luck [5th/10th/15th/20th level]: Sometimes, fate favors the fool. Once per day for every five levels, the jester can designate any saving throw, attack roll, damage roll, skill check, or ability check to benefit from Fool’s Luck, and he must state his intention to use Fool’s Luck before making the roll. He adds his Charisma bonus as a luck bonus to the designated roll. This is extraordinary. If the jester ever fails a saving throw, skill check, or ability check that results in his death and still has a daily use of Fool’s Luck, the ability executes retroactively, adding his Charisma bonus to the failed roll and possibly changing the outcome. When applied retroactively, Fool’s Luck is supernatural. A Little Mad [19th level]: His mind is a chaotic mindscape of giggles and cackling, confetti and bubbles. The jester adds his Charisma bonus to all Will saves against Enchantment spells and effects. In addition, any creature attempting to read or shape the jester’s mind with detect thoughts, mind probe, modify memory, or similar effect must make a Will save (DC 10 + jester level + Charisma modifier – level of offending spell). If the invader fails the save, its attempt fails and it is inflicted with a giggling confusion for 1 round per jester level. The jester is aware of these failed mental invasions and knows the general direction from which the probe originated, even if he cannot actually see or hear the perpetrator. A Little Mad is extraordinary. Hyperactive [13th level]: He can move with mind-numbing speed. For a total number of rounds per day equal to 5 x his Dexterity modifier (minimum 5 rounds per day), he can move with [I]haste, as the spell cast by a bard of his jester level. The jester can use this ability to run up vertical surfaces as long as his beginning point and ending point are on flat ground. This supernatural ability and can be initiated as a free action on his turn. Fool Rushes In [8th level]: Sometimes, he doesn’t know he should be afraid. When making Will saves against Fear spells and effects, the jester can use his Charisma modifier instead of his Wisdom modifier. If he has a negative Wisdom modifier, he instead applies it as a bonus to his saves. For example, a jester with a Wisdom of 8 and a Charisma of 16 receives a +4 bonus to his Will saves against fear, suffering a –1 penalty to all other Will saves normally. This is extraordinary. Wiggle [17th level]: He wiggles like a noodle through lips, like bacon on a griddle, like an eel in butter. For a total number of rounds per day equal to 3 x his Dexterity modifier (minimum 3 rounds per day), he moves with freedom of movement, as the spell cast by a bard of his jester level. This supernatural ability can be initiated as a free action on his turn. Funnyboned [10th level]: His uncanny flexibility suggests that he is made of porridge, his bones of rubber, his head jelly. The jester can Take 10 on Escape Artist checks under any circumstances. In addition, the jester can squeeze through narrow openings with eerie but eye-bulging ease. The width of the passage and the amount of time it takes the jester to traverse every foot of such an opening vertically (such as squeezing past an almost-closed door or through a crevice) or horizontally (such as crawling under a gap) depend on his size. Medium jesters can squeeze through openings as narrow as 6 inches wide in 1 full round vertically or 2 full rounds horizontally. For each size category larger the jester is, the allowed width increases by 50% (rounded up) and the vertical and horizontal rates double for each foot traversed. For each size category smaller the jester is, the allowed width decreases by 50% (rounded up) and the vertical and horizontal rates are halved, to no lower than 1 full round. A small jester, for example, could squeeze through 3-inch wide openings in 1 full round vertically or 2 full rounds horizontally, while a huge jester could squeeze through a 13-inch wide opening in 4 rounds vertically or 8 rounds horizontally. This is extraordinary. Parlor Tricks [14th level]: The jester’s Comedic Effect allows him to consciously manipulate minor magic to create entertaining effects. He can use prestidigitation at will as a supernatural ability. Improved Pratfall -If a Jester takes damage from an attack, he may allow herself to be flung backwards , thereby lessening the impact. He may make a Balance check with a DC equal to the damage inflicted and if she succeeds, he suffers only half damage. This is a skill check, not a Saving Throw, so abilities such as Evasion do not apply. He is moved away from the source of damage by 5' for every 5 points of damage (or part there of) negated in this way. If there is not enough space for him to move, he suffers a d6 of damage for each square not moved. If he passes through an occupied square, the Jester would have to make a tumble check to avoid attacks of opportunity. Laugh It Off - Fate protects fools and little children, and Jesters certainly adopt the role of fools. At 2nd level, a Jester may add his Charisma modifier as a morale bonus to his saves. The above skills I slightly reworked or got off of these sheets: http://boards1.wizards.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-228543 http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=659653&page=1&pp=30
Thangor 05-16-07, 10:46 AM	Wow! that's pretty ridiculous and awesome! My advice is try and work off of existing class abilities and feats to get the mechanics you want. and use this website for help balancing the class: http://www.dndworld.com/3e/classes/classconstruction.pdf good luck.