Sorcerer's
Guide to Kits
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Jester
In short: Jesters are comedians, fools, clowns and buffoons. These flamboyant, outrageous, and ridiculous performers entertain for a living, often in the employ of a noble. Because of Fool's Luck, they receive a +1 bonus (+5%) on armor class and almost all die rolls including saving throws, initiative, proficiency checks, thief skill checks, ability checks, and ability sub-checks.
This Luck does not apply to attack rolls, damage rolls, initial character generation rolls, and hit point rolls. Through Jesting gestures, the jester may aggravate an opponent such that all they want to do is attack the fool. They may also use Joking to modify the reaction of individuals towards the party. Jesters are immune to attacks that cause insanity and gain a saving throw bonus equal to their level vs. wizard spells of the Enchantment/Charm school and priest spells of the Charm sphere. They may only use small weapons and must be of chaotic alignment.
Requirements: Dexterity 14, must be chaotic in alignment.
Description: Jesters are known by many names: fools, clowns, jokers, buffoons, etc. The Jester covers them all. Jesters are comedians at heart. They love to have a good time and enjoy sharing their mirth and merriment with others. Most people enjoy having a Jester about, they raise morale, entertain, and make great scapegoats when problems arise.
Jesters are flamboyant, outrageous, and ridiculous. Many sages believe that Jesters live in a constant state of borderline insanity.
Weapon Proficiencies: Jesters spend most of their lives entertaining others by playing the role of the fool or the clown. Large weapons do not fit in this category. Thus Jesters may become proficient only in the blowgun, hand crossbow, dagger, dart, hand axe, javelin, knife, quarterstaff, scourge, sling, short sword, and whip.
Armor/Equipment: They may only wear the following types of armor: Leather, padded, studded leather, or elven chain. They almost always dress in an outlandish manner. Even in danger they still hop around in their flashy suits with tassels and foppish hats.
Special Benefits:
Fools Luck: They get a +1 or +5% on most dice rolls. Saves, initiative, surprise, proficiency checks, thief skill checks, ability checks. It also adds a +1 to the Jester's AC. About the only rolls it does not effect are attack rolls, damage rolls, and hit dice rolls.
Jesting: Jesting is the art of projecting meaning and mood through the use of body movements. By jesting, a Jester may communicate a single sentence each round. Anyone who rolls a wisdom check with a -5 penalty can get the meaning of the Jester's movements.
Jesting can be used to taunt or tease. Such jesting affects only those who are within 30 feet of the Jester and who are able to fully view him. This causes the person being jested to make a save vs. paralyzation, with a -1 per 3 level of the Jester.
Those who fail must try to strike the Jester physically for as long as the Jesting continues. This ends when the jesting ends. Jesting is a wonderful way to break the ranks of enemy forces.
Joking: The practice of creating and telling jokes has been elevated to an art form by the Jester; this skill can be used for many special purposes. Joking requires 1d10 rounds to tell, after which the audience must roll a save vs. paralyzation with a -1 every 3 levels of the Jester. Those who fail have their reactions adjusted by one level in the direction the Jester wishes. Those who succeed take the joke the wrong way and have their reactions adjusted one level in the opposite direction.
Finally, a joke told at the right moment can dispel fear. Such a joke requires a round to tell and enables all those affected by fear to roll a second save to avoid the fear.
Jester's
Mind: Jesters are immune to attacks that cause insanity. They also
gain a bonus equal to their level vs. wizard spells of the enchantment/charm
school, and priest spells of the charm sphere. Furthermore, any attempt
to read a Jester's mind has a percentage chance equal to the Jester's
level of causing confusion in the mind of the reader.