Super NatheQuest: Jester & Merchant
The Super NatheQuest classes are in large part based on the playable classes in Dragon Quest III. Of the main classes, the only ones I hadn't yet made were the Gadabout and the Merchant. The Jester differs greatly from the Goof-off/Gadabout, while the Merchant is honestly fairly similar.
The spell rules for the Jester assume the use of the Super Spell System.
Jester
Assume your OD&D or BX progression of choice using Thief XP, Wizard HD, Thief/Cleric attack bonus, and Wizard Saves.
Picaro pierrots travel from court to court according to a mad whim known only by mad mind Jesters, an honour that confers no responsibilities and myriad privileges. Of all people, the Jester alone is immune to royal punishment for any words, be they insults or flirtations or jests taken too far. The Jester may say as they please, to seek redress is a sign of weak character and a crime against God besides.
Their unique and erratic minds allow them to wield a special kind of Jester Magic. They gain 1MP per level to fuel their spells, yet rather than cast magic as usual they must make a d20 roll on the basic spell table and cast the rolled result. These gesture spells are otherwise cast as normal. While they can cast from Wizard scrolls, Jesters are unable to make scrolls themselves or do any kind of magic research whatsoever.
In battle they may not wear armour, as a Jester must at all times wear their motley. For weapons, they choose the dagger, shuriken, the whip, and the boomerang. Juggling knives is very easy for them, and thus they add 1 to hit while throwing daggers or shuriken.
Merchant
Assume your OD&D or BX progression of choice using Thief XP, Wizard HD, Wizard attack bonus, and Thief Saves.
While most Merchants make live as burghers, a peaceful life, though not without credit, others insist on trawling the forbidden places of the world for rare treasures.
A keen eye for finery allows Merchants to evaluate treasure for its worth and any possible magical properties. This ability progresses as such:
| Level | Know Treasure |
|---|---|
| 1 | 20% |
| 2 | 25% |
| 3 | 30% |
| 4 | 40% |
| 5 | 45% |
| 6 | 50% |
| 7 | 60% |
| 8 | 65% |
| 9 | 70% |
| 10+ | 3% per level |
Furthermore they are able to identify the best deals for any goods scrounged from the dungeon. For jewels, artifacts, and other pieces of treasure found in kind (I.e, anything other than raw coinage) a Merchant is able to sell the good for an additional percentage determined by their level:
| Level | Sale Bonus |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5% |
| 2 | 6% |
| 3 | 7% |
| 4 | 10% |
| 5 | 11% |
| 6 | 12% |
| 7 | 15% |
| 8 | 16% |
| 9 | 17% |
| 10+ | 1% per level |
What is one to do with all this money? Make bribes, of course! While fleeing from foes, treasure dropped by the Merchant has a 20% higher chance than usual of distracting their pursuers. Alternatively, the Merchant may use their own version of the Charm spell on humanoids by offering 1000gp x target HD. This is resisted by a Death Save (money rots the soul). If the offer is made mid combat, the target adds 4 to their Save.
Spears, crossbows, and daggers are the preferred weapon of the Merchant due to their ease of use. Chain and Leather armour are acceptable for travel, while Plate is far too uncomfortable. Hirelings add 1 to Reaction checks to Merchants when being hired.
Conversion Notes
If you are using normal OD&D or BX, it is trivial to convert the Jester: simply give them spell slots at a slower rate than the MU and have them roll a random spell from the level of the spell slot they are casting from.
The weapons here are a bit idiosyncratic. Don't worry about shuriken (Throwing daggers, basically) or the boomerang (it sucks but can hit two targets with one attack).