Jester

[Mari01]

I was taking a look through the Dragon Magazine Compendium and came across a Bard-esque class called the Jester. It looks fun but I can't think of any ways to fit it into a build. Are there any hidden goodies I'm missing or is this class not even worth my time?

TL;DR Opinions/Optimizing tips on the Jester class.

[FMArthur]

It really is pretty terrible. Poor relatives to Bard features and a slightly more negative Enchantment focused spell list is all it really offers. It loses pretty much any comparison with the Bard you can make.

Like the Bard, its features don't really synergize with one another; the way to make a successful Bard is to focus on their special features (mostly buffing focused on in different ways, but casting is powerful with SC as well) and then while that offers the direct power you need, the other features are used supportively so that you can participate usefully in a wide variety of challenges. Without that first bit, the Bard falls behind dramatically (and develops a reputation for uselessness in low-op groups).

Jesters can't pump up one of their specialties at all because they don't have the book support for it. One of the things that makes Bards actually good is the useful support it gets from outside books: new spells, new feats, new class features and prestige class options keyed to Bard features. Bards get enough support that with ACFs such as Inspire Awe and Inspire Hatred, the class itself is capable of forming the Anti-Bard perfectly well, rendering the Jester's whole concept fairly redundant. You can deliberately nerf yourself by playing a redundant class, but Bards are rarely seen as being overpowered or anything. I could see wanting to 'tone it down' and play a Warmage instead of a Sorcerer or Wizard, but when would you feel the need to do so with Bard?

[lord pringle]

It's fun for gestalting with bard.

[Psyren]

It might sound a bit silly, but if you go into Prestige Bard with them you'll get access to both lists. This can get you a "bard" with some interesting spells like Color Spray, Reduce Person and Bestow Curse.

But since you have to spend your own spells known to access the Bard spells, this is much better done with Beguiler or Warmage.

[Manateee]

Looking at it, the best things I'm seeing are its Taunt ability and Alter Self/Polymorph on its spell list. You might be able to use that to make a somewhat workable gish. You'd probably want to get Knowledge Devotion and Minor Shapeshift as feats if you went that route (though KD would require a dip into Ruathar or something to uncap the max skill ranks).

Overall the class is mediocre enough that I might even recommend going with an Outsider race to really milk Alter Self/Polymorph hard - they're basically the only useful class features the Jester gets.

EDIT:
The only useful ones it gets through the mid- to high- levels anyway. The spell list is actually pretty workable until the slow-advancement spell acquisition drops the DCs too low.

[Psyren]

Huh, I didn't notice that they get Polymorph. Couldn't they use that to qualify for something like MoMF or Master Transmogrifist?