College of Jesters
While most bards sing to inspire courage and arouse hope in their friends, the jester uses his razor wit and comedic put downs to devastate his enemies. The jester's style of performance allows him to find flaws in others and exploit them with his cruel sense of humor. Often, jesters serve as fools and comedians in the courts of powerful nobles. Their comedy serves to lighten the mood in the royal court, while a jester's jibes and puns can put a king's political enemies in their place.
A jester's power comes from his ability to find humor in even the grimmest situation. Even while a fierce battle rages around him, the jester finds reason to make merry. Evil jesters see life as a running joke, with the punchline the pain, suffering, and torment they inflict on others. Good jesters see their role as providing relief and support to others. Neutral jesters are merely observers who report on the odd coincidences, grim ironies, and bitter comedy of life.
Unarmored Defense
The jester's natural talent for performance, his often outrageous dress, and his seemingly lackadaisical attitude throws his opponents off guard in combat. Even a jester armed with a vicious looking weapon cuts a comedic figure that many warriors have trouble taking seriously.
Beginning at 3rd level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier.
Jester's Performance
You gain proficiency in the Performance skill. If you are already proficient with this skill you instead gain proficiency in a skill of your choice.
As a Jester, your performances draw the eye and ire of those around you. You learn the following performances. If a performance mentions a saving throw, the DC is equal to your Bard spell save DC, unless otherwise stated.
Jeer-ful: When a creature misses an attack roll, you may expend a bardic inspiration die to cast vicious mockery as a reaction targeting the creature. If the creature does not resist the spell, you may add the expended bardic inspiration die to the damage. You do not have to know the vicious mockery cantrip to use this ability.
Taunt: As an action, you can expend a bardic inspiration die to taunt a creature within 30 feet. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. It takes psychic damage equal to the expended bardic inspiration die + your charisma modifier on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. If the target fails the saving throw, they become taunted by your rude words or mocking movements. Until the end of your next turn, the creature directs its attention towards you, forgoing its defenses as a result. It has disadvantage when attacking any creature aside from you, and attacks against the target have advantage. This effect ends early if an ally, aside from yourself, causes damage to the target.
Vexing Dialogue: As an action, you can expend a bardic inspiration die and attempt to break spell concentration of one creature within 30 feet. Make a Charisma (performance) check, adding your expended bardic inspiration die. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to your performance check. On a failed save, they lose concentration on their spell. If the target would have advantage on Constitution saving throws made to maintain concentration on a spell, such as through the war caster feat, they have advantage when performing the Constitution save for this ability.
Deflect Missiles
Starting at 6th level, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile when you are hit by a ranged weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your bard level.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, you can spend 1 bardic inspiration die to make a ranged attack with the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon proficiencies, which has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If the attack hits, you may add your expended bardic inspiration die to the damage dealt.
Vicious Lampoon
Starting at 14th level, your ability to weaken the spirits of your enemies through crass humor has been thoroughly refined. As an action, you may begin a performance that crushes your enemies' resolve. Each creature of your choice within 30 feet must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your bard spell save DC or have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws until the performance ends. On subsequent turns, you may use your action to continue the performance, which lasts for up to one minute. If you choose not to continue the performance, the performance ends at the end of your turn.
When a creature enters within 30 feet of you while your performance is ongoing, you may choose to have them make a Wisdom saving throw against your bard spell save DC, falling under the effects of this ability if they fail.
At the end of an affected creature's turn, they may make a Wisdom saving throw against your bard spell save DC, ending the effect early on a success. If a creature succeeds in resisting this effect they become immune to the effects of this ability until 24 hours have passed.
Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.