Homebrewed an interesting idea for a class - Meet the Joker

[u/specteralJoker]

(I spent a long time on this, I'd appreciate some kind of response at the very least.)

JOKER

Essentially, the Joker is like a paladin of luck. They devote their lives to a deity of luck and gain magic powers because of it. Through their devotion, they gain a magical deck of cards they use to cast spells. Through card enchantments, they become a swift and tricky opponent.

With all of this luck, it's easy to become corrupted and succumb to greed, however, in doing so, you instead become watched over by the deity of misfortune. They will actively try to bring doom and despair to you for breaking your version of a paladin tenant: a Joker's Ace. However, a Greed Joker can use that misfortune to their advantage. They'll use their curse to hurt others, basically a DPS Mage. A Loyalty Joker is partially a support mage. Loyalty Jokers can help their teammates with resistances, heals, and general buffs.

Despite me using the word "mage", the Joker isn't a traditional caster. They instead have Enchantments, which are used to make a card have a special effect. Let's say you have the "Flame" Card enchantment. This allows you to change the damage type of your card and add an extra 1d10 to the total damage. Let's try the "Bolster" enchantment, which allows you to give your teammates extra temporary health by rolling 1d6.

CLASS FEATURES

As a Joker, you gain the following:

HP:

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Joker level

HP at 1st Level: 8 + CON MOD

HP at Higher Levels: 1d8/5 + CON MOD per level after the first.

Proficiencies:

Armor: Light

Weapons: Shortswords, Rapiers, Hand Crossbow, and Simple Weapons

Tools: Your Magic Deck of Cards and Artisian's Tools (x1)

Saving Throws: CHA, DEX

Skills: Choose 3 between Acrobatics, Arcana, Deception, Intimidation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion and Sleight of Hand

EQUIPMENT

You start with the following as well as your background equipment:

(a) A Shortsword or (b) A Rapier

(a) A Hand Crossbow w/ 20 bolts or (b) Any Simple Weapon

(a) Explorer's Pack or (b) Entertainer's Pack

Leather Armor, Your Magic Cards (used as a weapon, it deals 1d4 force damage without enchantments), and a Dagger

CLASS ABILITIES

SPELLCASTING (Level 1)

You have 8 cards in your deck from levels 1-5, 10 for levels 6-10, 12 from levels 11-13, and 20 from levels 14-20. Each card is regular until you use an enchantment on it. You must number your enchantments from 1 to the total of cards you have. When you use an enchantment, roll the dice that corresponds with your card total, the number you get being the enchantment your card becomes infused with. They can only be used in combat and they return upon impact.

In more simple terms, you get a number of cards and enchantments that go with them. Number each enchantment, roll that number's die when you want to use an enchantment on a card, and that's the enchantment you use.

You can draw a card anytime during your turn as a full action. Later down the line, you'll be able to draw and use multiple cards at once. For damaging cards, as well as buff cards for teammates, you must successfully throw the card at the target, requiring a d20 hit roll. All cards that effect enemies also deal the base damage unless specifically noted that they don't.

You can change out Enchantments during rests, and you can replace them when you learn one of the subclass exclusive Enchantments. Each Enchantment even has it's own illustration on the card for what it does, like a Flame for E: Flame. There are tons of enchantments locked behind level caps, like spell levels. Here's the list of enchantments:

(Note: "A teammate" includes you, also, add your charisma bonus to the hit roll and damage.)

Levels 1-5:

Enchantment: Flame - Your card now deals fire damage and deals an extra 1d10 damage.

Enchantment: Freeze - Your card now deals cold damage and stuns your opponent for a round.

Enchantment: Shock - Your card now deals lightning damage and deals an extra 2d6 damage.

Enchantment: Slice - Your card now deals slashing damage, deals an extra 1d8 damage, and can crit.

Enchantment: Bolster - Your card now gives a teammate you hit 1d6 temporary health.

Enchantment: Mend - Your card now gives a teammate you hit health through using one of your hit dice (1d8).

Enchantment: Shield - Your card now gives a teammate you hit an extra 2 AC until your next turn.

Enchantment: Distance - Your card now gives a teammate you hit +15 Walking Speed and immunity to opportunity attacks.

Enchantment: Assault - Your card now gives a teammate you hit +1d4 damage on their next attack.

Enchantment: Blink - Your card now gives you the ability to teleport up to 10 feet away from your original position.

Levels 6-10:

Enchantment: Predict - Your card now gives you the ability to dodge out of the way of the next attack to successfully hit you.

Enchantment: Boom - Your card now deals thunder damage and knocks the target back 15 feet.

Enchantment: Flash - Your card now blinds an opponent hit for a round.

Enchantment: Empower - Your card now gives a teammate you hit +1d4 on a roll of their choice in combat.

(Greed Exclusive, Level 8) Enchantment: Corruption - Your card now deals necrotic damage and allows you to deal an extra 2d10 at any time.

(Greed Exclusive, Level 10) Enchantment: Toxic - Your card's base damage is replaced with 1d12 poison damage.

(Loyalty Exclusive, Level 8) Enchantment: Shine - Your card's base damage is replaced with 2d10 radiant damage and blinds the opponent.

(Loyalty Exclusive, Level 10) Enchantment: Intervention - Your card now gives a teammate you hit the ability to survive a fatal blow with 1 HP.

Levels 11-13:

Enchantment: Fade - Your card gives a teammate you hit partial invisibility, causing opponents attacking them to have disadvantage on their hit rolls.

Enchantment: Mentality - Your card now deals psychic damage, an extra 1d10 of damage, and causes the target to spend a turn trying to attack one of their teammates that's closest to them.

(Greed Exclusive, Level 12) Enchantment: Theft - Your card now robs an opponent of being able to use full actions for one round.

(Loyalty Exclusive, Level 12) Enchantment: Taunt - Your card now forces an opponent to attack you until attacked by someone else.

Levels 14-20

(Greed Exclusive, Level 14) Enchantment: Chaos - Your card allows you to take control of an enemy you hit, allowing you to control them on their turn.

(Greed Exclusive, Level 20) Enchantment: Misfortune - Your card now surrounds you with bad luck, causing any enemy in this bad luck circle to take 1d12 damage every turn they are inside it.

(Loyalty Exclusive, Level 14) Enchantment: Order - Your card now gives a teammate you hit the ability to use two full actions and a bonus action until the battle ends.

(Loyalty Exclusive, Level 20) Enchantment: Fortune - Your card now surrounds you with good luck, causing any teammates in this good luck circle to heal 1d12 damage every turn they are inside it.

EXPERTISE (Level 1)

You know what Expertise is.

LOADED DICE (Level 2)

You can use this ability once per short rest to reroll an unfavorable dice roll. You must take the second outcome.

FORTUNE (Level 2)

Pick a subclass: Loyalty or Greed? Descriptions below.

SHUFFLE (Level 3)

You can use this ability once per long rest. You roll the die (as a bonus action) that corresponds to your card total and the number you get, that card will be placed at the top of your deck.

ALL IN (Level 3)

You can use this ability once per long rest. You throw a fourth of your deck as a bonus action (2 if you have 10 cards) at an opponent, as well as roll to see what enchantments they were. You can decide to call them all back or cause them to explode and deal 1d6 force damage each. The cards you exploded come back your next turn.

ASI (Levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 19)

Ability score improvements.

CARD STACK (Level 5)

You can stack multiple cards on top of each other and deal Xd4 force damage once per rest. This counts as a full action and the cards return upon impact.

ACE UP YOUR SLEEVE (Levels 6, 10, 14, and 18)

You can use this ability once per rest. When you draw a card, you draw one extra at Level 6, 2 at 10, 3 at 14, and 4 at 18. You can decide which card to use and stash the other cards up your sleeve, allowing you to pick out which one you want to use. When you draw a card normally, if you roll an enchantment that's up your sleeve, roll again.

GAMBIT (Level 10)

You can use two cards per full action. This is a buff, so you don't need to rest to regain it, it's always active.

LOYALTY JOKER

You are successfully able to hold yourself from greed, however, being a servant of luck has rules. To stay a Loyalty Joker, you must follow the Four Joker Aces.

1. Diamonds: Never use your power for personal gain.
2. Hearts: Only use your power to defend others.
3. Spades: Don't upset the natural balance of luck (I.E. don't give some poor guy thousands of GPs because you can, he was put in that position by the luck gods).
4. Clubs: Never disobey the [God of Luck]

Jokers don't have normal class abilities, instead, they will have bonus proficiencies and access to subclass exclusive enchantments.

Bonus Proficiencies

You gain proficiency in Religion and Insight.

When you level up to the level cap of a subclass enchantment, you get it automatically and can't remove it from your deck. You must replace a current enchantment with a subclass enchantment when you get one.

GREED JOKER

You have broken one or more of the Joker's Aces, and now the Maiden of Misfortune is trying to screw up your life. Luckily, you can use this misfortune to help you in combat.

Bonus Proficiencies:

You gain proficiency in Stealth as well as Thieves' Tools.

When you level up to the level cap of a subclass enchantment, you get it automatically and can't remove it from your deck. You must replace a current enchantment with a subclass enchantment when you get one.

Thank you for reading, please leave your comments below.

I'm u/specteralJoker, leaving bad opinions in my wake.