Jester - Bard (Character Kit)

__NOTOC__
==Jester==
Specialty: Pantomime/Acting/Dancing/Jokes.
Qualifications: Standard ability scores, except that Dexterity must be at least 14. Jesters must be of any chaotic alignment, since no mind attuned to law and order could possibly sustain such an odd personality. Gnomes may advance to 15th level as Jesters, while halflings cannot rise above 8th level.
Introduction: My name is Marigold the Mirthful, and I am proud to be called a Jester, for I am one of the greatest fools in all the kingdom. Being a fool is not all bad, for who else can poke fun at the most powerful people around without meeting the gallows or worse?
Indeed, I lead the perfect life. The king puts me up in a fantastic little room at the top of the East Tower. When the morning sun comes through my little window, I rise and don my charming gear. Then I spring and dance down the 40-foot-long spiral staircase to the main hall. All the while, my costume bells are jingling and I can hear the moans and groans as the court wakes from my passing. Next, I tumble down all the castle's halls and awaken the rest of the royal patrons.
Unless there are foreign envoys to be entertained at noon, I am off until evening. I wander about, keeping the young folk happy and feeding the chickens and the castle's two war dogs. Then I usually find a comfortable willow tree and lie down for a short nap.
Most evenings, the king invites me in to entertain him, his family, and his guests. I dance about, act foolish, juggle a bit, perform some minor acrobatics, pretend to get burnt by the fireplace, and tell jokes that I made up while lying under the willow tree.
So you see, I live in the king's castle and actually do little or no work. What a lucky life! Of course, the real fun occurs when foreigners arrive. I always make sure they leave the king's court with fewer goods than they came in with. I would hate to see them lug all that gold, silver, and jewelry clear back to their homelands. 
Description: Jesters are known by many names: fools, clowns, jokers, buffoons, etc. The Jester kit covers them all. Jesters are comedians at heart. They love to have a good time and enjoy sharing their mirth and merriment with others (even when they aren't welcomed). Most people enjoy having a Jester about, as 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. It is known that they live for attention and feel relaxed only when they are the focus of events.
Role: Jesters are often hired by noblemen for entertainment. They dance, prance, and jump about while the more civilized look on and laugh at the fools. More often than not, these noblemen are paying the price for their entertainment, as the Jester is liable to make off with a piece of gold for every laugh he hears. Other Jesters serve as clowns in traveling carnivals or circuses. And of course every community has its local fool.
Jesters rarely take up the adventuring life. (PC Jesters are the obvious exceptions.) Their motivations for doing so will have to be carefully constructed to maintain realism. A Jester may be sentenced to escort a group of heroes on a dangerous quest as punishment for a joke about the king's nose (throwing him in jail would hardly be appropriate). A Jester might be assigned to accompany a band on a grim and deadly adventure, to combat the gloom and dread that will be encountered. Whatever the reason, having a Jester in the party will certainly result in more than one good laugh.
Secondary Skills: Any.
Weapon Proficiencies: Jesters spend most of their lives entertaining others by playing the role of a fool or clown. Large weapons do not fit into this role. Thus Jesters may become proficient only in the blowgun, hand crossbow, dagger, dart, hand axe, javelin, knife, quarterstaff, scourge, sling, short sword, and whip.
Nonweapon Proficiencies:
* Bonuses: Acting, Dancing, Juggling, Tumbling.
* Suggested: Crowd Working, Disguise, Jumping, Musical Instrument, Poetry, Singing, Ventriloquism.
Armor/Equipment: Jesters may wear only the following types of armor: leather, padded, studded leather, or elven chain mail. Other types of armor do not fit the image of fools.
Jesters almost always act and dress in the most outlandish manner. Even when danger is imminent, Jesters still hop around in their flashy suits with tassels and foppish hats.
Special Benefits: 
Fool's Luck: It is amazing to most that Jesters can survive in any situation. They are careless, foolish, and given to whimsical decisions. It is fool's luck that has saved many a Jester's life.
Jesters receive a +1 bonus (+5% on percentile rolls) to most die rolls. This includes saving throws, initiative, surprise, proficiency checks, thief skill checks, ability checks, and ability sub-checks (e.g., bend bars/lift gates, resurrection survival, and so on). The fool's luck also adds a +1 bonus to the Jester's Armor Class.
About the only die rolls that the fool's luck ability doesn't affect are attack rolls, damage rolls, initial character generation rolls, and Hit Die rolls.
Jesting: Jesting is the art of projecting meaning and mood through the use of body motions. By jesting (or gesturing), a Jester may communicate a single sentence each round to anyone who rolls a successful Wisdom check with a -5 penalty. Such communication is totally silent and does not rely upon a shared language. The Jester must use his entire body for the communication; thus, he must be fully visible and within 30 feet for communication to take place.
Jesting may be done 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 form of jesting causes those being jested at to roll a saving throw vs. paralyzation, with a -1 penalty per three levels of the Jester. Those who fail must immediately try to physically strike the Jester for as long as the jesting continues. The effect ends when the jesting ends. Combat strategy is ignored by those who are affected. They recklessly pass by more dangerous targets in an attempt to attack the Jester. Jesting is thus 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. Jokes are told in an attempt to alter encounter reactions. For any form of joke to function, the Jester must speak a language known by the recipient of the joke. Furthermore, the Jester must be within easy verbal range of the recipient.
Such jokes require 1d10 rounds to tell, after which the audience must roll a saving throw vs. paralyzation with a -1 penalty per three levels of the Jester. Those who fail have their reactions adjusted one level in the direction desired by the Jester. However, 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 just the right moment can dispel the effects of fear. Such a joke requires a round to tell and enables all those affected by fear (normal or magical) to roll a second saving throw to avoid the fear (note that those affected by the fear do not immediately run away, but remain until the joke is told). If no first saving throw was allowed, then the saving throw is rolled vs. spell.
A Jester's Mind: Jesters are immune to attacks that cause insanity. Jesters also gain a saving throw bonus equal to their level vs. wizard spells of the enchantment/charm school and priest spells of the charm sphere. (A saving throw of 1 always fails, however.)
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 reader (treat as if under the effect of a confusion spell).
Special Hindrances: None.
Notes: Jesters can be a lot of fun if properly played with the right gaming group. However, this character kit can be devastating to an overly serious campaign. It is strongly suggested that both DMs and players discuss the ramifications of the kit and how it will fit into the game if allowed.