I would say bard, but you could definitely make it with a rogue of you want, a class name shouldn't limit your imagination. Just try to think how the rogue's ability relate to his profession.
Literally any class can be a court jester, just take Performance and use it for comedy, maybe Acrobatics along with it. Think about the character's abilities and what you want him/her to do, then work backwards to the class.
If you're stuck on rogue vs bard, just ask yourself if he casts spells or not.
I remember I saw a pretty decent homebrew of a Court Jester class that was a variant on Arcane Trickster Rogue, with focus on a custom version of Vicious Mockery that dealt additional damage and could eventually target multiple enemies.
Literally any class can be a court jester, just take Performance and use it for comedy, maybe Acrobatics along with it. Think about the character's abilities and what you want him/her to do, then work backwards to the class.
I agree with that sentiment. One of my issues with the classes in D&D is that most of them tend to come with a sort of "pre-loaded theme", which often makes it hard to unpair classes from certain backgrounds. But really, you could be a ranger that has levels in the Fighter or even Barbarian class, and no actual level in ranger. You could be a thief that only has sorcerer levels. You could be a monk that uses meditation to fuels his practice of magic, earning him Wizards level.
And you could be a court jester that actually has Monk levels, where his fighting style is simply derived from his circus-esque agility.
The class' name should not hinder your creativity, nor should it inform too much about your character, IMO. I would put a slight exception to this to Warlock and Cleric, because they all tend to worship/be accountable to someone, also paladin to a certain extent.
I agree, ClementP. I frequently have to tell people Class Is Not Concept, Concept Is Not Class.
Clerics, Warlocks, and Paladins are every bit as reflavorable as any other class, as there's no mechanic for power loss or anything of the sort, so all that is just flavor text as well.
One thing that stuck with me that really helps with that is an article I read about Conan, and trying to create him as a D&D character.
You know, Conan.
"The Barbarian".
So which class should he be ?
Well, the answer is rogue. Because Conan climbs, he percepts, he lockpicks, he persuades, he seduces, he stealths, ... Basically, he's a skill monkey. In 5e, he would probably have a few barbarians level as well (for unarmored defense and general smashness), but he definitely has rogue levels.
(The article was actually a case AGAINST the rogue as a class, because they've taken over the role of "trapster"/lockpicker, and it's sad to see that 5e didn't really move away from that, because the only way to gain proficiency with Thieve's Tools is to be a rogue, a criminal, or a feat. I don't think any other class as a monopoly over a game feature quite like rogue.)
In my view, it gets back to what you want to do besides being the court Jester and how you want to play that. Then you may look at some character aspects so you would be equipped to serve as a court Jester. It sounds to me like you could be an awesome NPC assisting a DM.
In OG D&D they assumed that all characters were "Rogues". If I remember correctly, the guy who designed the original Thief class back in the '70s said he almost immediately regretted it.
Try to make it so it’s a will be OK to dungeon Masters if it’s all right but here’s this if you make yours to overpower then they can’t be used in any campaign not even any of them so good luck
FWIW, here's my College of Jesters homebrew for the Bard:
These Bards are students of comedy who live for the sound of laughter. However, for the College of Jesters, humor is much more than entertainment. For them, the absurdity of existence is itself a divine force, and comedy is sublime. Members of the College of Jesters are often dismissed as fools, but that is how they like it, so that they make can fools of others. These Bards often dress in motley clothes and many wear make up, at least when they perform.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you join the College of Jesters at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with three skills of your choice.
Cutting Words
Also at 3rd level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. 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.
Hilarious Antics
At 6th level you have learned how to utilize failures for comical purposes, distracting and charming your enemies, or bolstering your allies.
As a reaction when you fail an Attack Roll, Saving Throw, or Ability Check, you can cast one of the following spells (provided you know it) without expending a spell slot or requiring material components: Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Charm Person, or Healing Word.
Once you cast a spell with this feature you must complete a short or long rest before you can cast one again.
Adding Insult to Injury
At 14th level, you have mastered the art of weaving weapon use and stinging verbal barbs into a single harmonious act. Whenever you hit with a weapon attack on your turn, you may use your bonus action to cast Vicious Mockery on the creature you hit. The target has disadvantage on the saving throw.
hi there,
as the title I am thinking of making a type of court jester.
Would this character be more of a rogue or a bard.
And most likely with the Courtier background.
Thanks
I would say bard, but you could definitely make it with a rogue of you want, a class name shouldn't limit your imagination. Just try to think how the rogue's ability relate to his profession.
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I'd say bard that specialises in jokes and puns. Maybe college of whispers for all the courtly goings on they'd be privy to.
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Literally any class can be a court jester, just take Performance and use it for comedy, maybe Acrobatics along with it. Think about the character's abilities and what you want him/her to do, then work backwards to the class.
If you're stuck on rogue vs bard, just ask yourself if he casts spells or not.
I remember I saw a pretty decent homebrew of a Court Jester class that was a variant on Arcane Trickster Rogue, with focus on a custom version of Vicious Mockery that dealt additional damage and could eventually target multiple enemies.
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In my head this is mainly Bard, probably College of Whispers or maybe Swords with some Rogue Inquisitor thrown in.
Not sure how true this is but I swear I heard once that Jesters were quite often VERY smart as they ruled on 1 day of the year.
I agree with that sentiment. One of my issues with the classes in D&D is that most of them tend to come with a sort of "pre-loaded theme", which often makes it hard to unpair classes from certain backgrounds. But really, you could be a ranger that has levels in the Fighter or even Barbarian class, and no actual level in ranger. You could be a thief that only has sorcerer levels. You could be a monk that uses meditation to fuels his practice of magic, earning him Wizards level.
And you could be a court jester that actually has Monk levels, where his fighting style is simply derived from his circus-esque agility.
The class' name should not hinder your creativity, nor should it inform too much about your character, IMO. I would put a slight exception to this to Warlock and Cleric, because they all tend to worship/be accountable to someone, also paladin to a certain extent.
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I agree, ClementP. I frequently have to tell people Class Is Not Concept, Concept Is Not Class.
Clerics, Warlocks, and Paladins are every bit as reflavorable as any other class, as there's no mechanic for power loss or anything of the sort, so all that is just flavor text as well.
One thing that stuck with me that really helps with that is an article I read about Conan, and trying to create him as a D&D character.
You know, Conan.
"The Barbarian".
So which class should he be ?
Well, the answer is rogue. Because Conan climbs, he percepts, he lockpicks, he persuades, he seduces, he stealths, ... Basically, he's a skill monkey. In 5e, he would probably have a few barbarians level as well (for unarmored defense and general smashness), but he definitely has rogue levels.
(The article was actually a case AGAINST the rogue as a class, because they've taken over the role of "trapster"/lockpicker, and it's sad to see that 5e didn't really move away from that, because the only way to gain proficiency with Thieve's Tools is to be a rogue, a criminal, or a feat. I don't think any other class as a monopoly over a game feature quite like rogue.)
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In my view, it gets back to what you want to do besides being the court Jester and how you want to play that. Then you may look at some character aspects so you would be equipped to serve as a court Jester. It sounds to me like you could be an awesome NPC assisting a DM.
In OG D&D they assumed that all characters were "Rogues". If I remember correctly, the guy who designed the original Thief class back in the '70s said he almost immediately regretted it.
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Try to make it so it’s a will be OK to dungeon Masters if it’s all right but here’s this if you make yours to overpower then they can’t be used in any campaign not even any of them so good luck
FWIW, here's my College of Jesters homebrew for the Bard:
These Bards are students of comedy who live for the sound of laughter. However, for the College of Jesters, humor is much more than entertainment. For them, the absurdity of existence is itself a divine force, and comedy is sublime. Members of the College of Jesters are often dismissed as fools, but that is how they like it, so that they make can fools of others. These Bards often dress in motley clothes and many wear make up, at least when they perform.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you join the College of Jesters at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with three skills of your choice.
Cutting Words
Also at 3rd level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. 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.
Hilarious Antics
At 6th level you have learned how to utilize failures for comical purposes, distracting and charming your enemies, or bolstering your allies.
As a reaction when you fail an Attack Roll, Saving Throw, or Ability Check, you can cast one of the following spells (provided you know it) without expending a spell slot or requiring material components: Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Charm Person, or Healing Word.
Once you cast a spell with this feature you must complete a short or long rest before you can cast one again.
Adding Insult to Injury
At 14th level, you have mastered the art of weaving weapon use and stinging verbal barbs into a single harmonious act. Whenever you hit with a weapon attack on your turn, you may use your bonus action to cast Vicious Mockery on the creature you hit. The target has disadvantage on the saving throw.
College of Satire UA covered this pretty well, IMHO.