College of Jesters

The College of Jesters is the home of bards who have taken a comedic approach to their performances. Masters of working the crowd and using comedy as a weapon, these Bard specialists create chaos on the battlefield by empowering the allies and disrupting the enemy lines.

College of Jesters Features

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Jesters at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the disguise kit, the scimitar, and improvised weapons.

Fighting Style

At 3rd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if something in the game lets you choose again.

Interception

When a creature you can see hits a target that is within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

Thrown Weapon Fighting

You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon. In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +1 bonus to the damage roll.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Repertoire of Tricks

When you reach 3rd level, you may choose 2 options from the list of Tricks. You can choose an additional 2 tricks at 6th level, and again at 14th level.

NOTE: To choose a Savant feature, you must first have or choose the preceding feature. (Ex: To choose Juggling Savant, you must already have chosen Juggling beforehand.)

Comedic Timing

When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed.

Comedic Timing Savant

(Prerequisite: Comedic Timing feature)

When you use Comedic Timing targeting a creature, until the end of its next it turn it has disadvantage on saving throws and characters targeting it with an attack have advantage on attack rolls against it

Firespitting

As an action, you may expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration to spew flames in a 15 ft. cone in front of you. Enemies in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. The DC for this action is 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failed save, a creature takes fire damage equal to 1d6 + your Bardic Inspiration roll and is caught on fire. A successful save takes half damage and is not caught on fire. Creatures caught on fire must make a Dexterity saving throw at the beginning of their turn, taking 1d6 fire damage on a failed save and ending the effect on a successful save.

Firespitting Savant

(Prerequisite: Firespitting feature)

You may increase the damage of your Firespitting by spending a spell slot. The initial damage and the damage dealt each turn increases by 1d6 for each level of the spell slot spent.

Juggling

After you take the Attack action on your turn, you can begin to juggle a number of weapons or small objects up to your CHA modifier. Weapons used in a juggle must have the light or thrown properties but must not have the versatile or special properties. Small objects used in a juggle must be of a similar size at the DM's discretion.

As a reaction while juggling, when an enemy you can see targets you or a friendly character with an attack or spell, you may make up to 2 thrown weapon attacks targeting that enemy (granted you are juggling enough items). Improvised weapons and objects thrown this way have a range of 30 ft./ 90 ft. and deal damage equal to 1d6 + your STR or DEX modifier. The damage type dealt by improvised weapons and objects (as well as any potential additional effects) are determined at the DM's discretion.

When you take this reaction, you may expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration cause each item to do more damage. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration dice and applies to all items used during the reaction.

On subsequent rounds, when you use your Attack action in this way while juggling at least 1 item, you can choose maintain the juggle and add any number of objects to the juggle as long as the total does not exceed your CHA modifier.

When taking damage during a juggle, make a DEX saving throw. The DC equals 10 or half the damage taken, whichever number is higher. A failed save results in all the juggled items being dropped to the floor.

Juggling Savant

(Prerequisite: Juggling feature)

You have mastered the nuances of juggling and have become a Juggling Savant. Your Juggling feature gains the following benefits:

• Increased Prowess You can make an additional attack during the Juggling Attack reaction
• Unshakeable You have advantage on DEX saves to maintain juggle after taking damage.
• Master Juggler Your maximum object threshold is increased to your CHA modifier + 2.
• Deflect and Catch Missiles When you are hit by a ranged weapon attack while juggling, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile. 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 add it to the objects your juggling as long as you don't exceed your maximum object threshold.

Pantomime Wall

As a reaction when being targeted by an attack, you can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration die to pantomime an invisible wall in front of you. Roll the Bardic Inspiration die and increase your AC by the number rolled until the beginning of your next turn.

Pantomime Wall Savant

(Prerequisite: Pantomime Wall feature)

You can now trigger this reaction when a friendly creature within 5 ft. of you is targeted by an attack to increase their AC instead.

Pester and Annoy

Starting at 6th level, you are a master of antagonizing nearby enemies to take the focus away from your allies. Enemies within 15 ft. of you have disadvantage on attacks made against a target other than you.

Master of Slapstick

Starting at 14th level, you have taken on a physicality that grants you cartoonish qualities allowing you to absorb and redirect blows from an enemy's attack in true slapstick fashion. You gain a permanent resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.