Wandering the world and making their ways by wit and humor, the harlequin is a potent fem fatale who uses circus-founded abilities to gain what she wants, needs, or desires. Her strength is founded primarily in misdirection, and she uses her abilities without any real thought or measure for others. Indeed, mischief is her primary goal, often overriding her common sense.

Adventures:
The Harlequin adventures for the simple purpose of causing mischief. To this end, she is often a liability to the party, but can be useful in matters of diplomacy and seduction, both of which she is a master. The Harlequin has trouble keeping serious long enough to be a real boon to the party sometimes. Her misdirection abilities make her a valuable distraction in combat as well, but take care that they do not damage the party as well.

Characteristics:
The primary features of the Harlequin all involve illusion and distraction, as well as a healthy dose of mischievous capacity. The Harlequin is more than a clown though. When she chooses to be, she is an expert diplomat, a seductress of the highest measure, and an expert thief to boot. Her skills are tailored in such a direction… when she chooses to use them.

Religion:
Harlequins have little or no use for religion, needing no god to really make the mischief they choose to. Some harlequins do opt to worship gods of wandering and mischief, but such worship is not compulsive to being a harlequin.

Background:
Harlequins are outcasts, often orphans who joined wandering troupes as children and began their learning there. Others are simply rogues, whores, or other similar people who have an exceptional sense of humor and have trained themselves to the point of being a clown. Harlequins must hail from a chaotic alignment, and thrive best within the confines of the chaotic neutral. They are even more unstable than those others of their alignment, and, contrary to what is said, are generally as likely to jump off a bridge as cross it, as long as the jumping causes laughter and mischief…

Races:
Halflings, humans, and elves make the best harlequins, although there do exist half-elves and gnomes who take on this role as well. Half-orcs make poor harlequins, having a poor charisma, and dwarven harlequins are incredibly rare, their society making a poor place for such things. The classes most attracted to being Harlequins are rogues and bards, both for the conspicuous reason that they are well-suited to mischief, and the fact that they posses the necessary skills for the job. The rare wizard or sorceror will take a few levels of this class, for the magical abilities.

Hit Die: d6
Requirements
To qualify to become a Harlequin the character must meet the following requirements.

Gender: Female
Alignment: Any chaotic
Attributes: Dexterity 15+
Skills: Bluff 6+ ranks, Tumble 6+ ranks, Sleight of Hand 6+ ranks
Feats: Skills Focus (Bluff), Skill Focus (Sleight of Hand)

Class Skills
The Harlequin class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are; Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Pick Pocket (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex)
See Chapter 4 in the Core Rulebook 1 for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at each additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Harlequin:

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: A Harlequin is proficient with light armour and the dagger.
Note that wearing armour heavier than leather imposes a penalty to the Harlequin skills Climb, Hide, Jump, and Move Silently. Swim checks also suffer a -1 penalty for every 5 lbs. of armour or equipment carried.

Cantrips: At 1^st Level the Harlequin gains the ability to cast up to 5 + level cantrips from the following list per day:
Dancing Lights, Flare, Ghost Sound, Hypnotism, Light, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Rope Trick, Silent Image, Ventriloquism

Deceit: Once per day, plus one time per level, the 1^st level Harlequin may make an extraordinarily convincing bluff. Add +20 to their next Bluff (Cha) check.

Backstab: At 2^nd level, the harlequin gains the ability to backstab as a rogue for 1d6 additional damage. This goes up to 2d6 at 4^th level, 3d6 at 6^th level, 4d6 at 8^th level, and 5d6 at 10^th level.

Glamour: At 3^rd level, the harlequin can cast Change Self as a sorcerer of the same level 2 times a day plus one time per level.

Trickery Domain: At 5^th level, the harlequin gains access to the Trickery Domain as a Cleric of their Harlequin level -4.

Mischief: At 7^th level, the harlequin gains the ability to cast Bestow Curse and Confusion as a 10^th level caster one time a day plus once per level.

Trouble: At 9^th level, the harlequin may summon a large air elemental. This elemental cannot be controlled, and is treated as being Confused as per the spell. The Air elemental will remain for 10 rounds plus the harlequin's level, and can be summoned once per day plus once per harlequin level.

Master Clown: At tenth level, the harlequin has perfected her art. She adds +25 to all Bluff (Cha), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Tumble (Dex), and Escape Artist (Dex) checks, and can hide in plain sight by succeeding at an opposed Hide (Dex) check with any observers (Hide is opposed by Spot (Wis)).

Table: The Harlequin

	Base	Fort	Ref	Will
Level	Attack Bonus	Save	Save	Save	Special
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Cantrips, Deceit
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Backstab +1d6
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Glamour
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Backstab +2d6
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Trickery Domain
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	Backstab +3d6
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	Mischief
8th	+6	+2	+6	+6	Backstab +4d6
9th	+6	+3	+6	+6	Trouble
10th	+7	+3	+7	+7	Master Clown, Backstab +5d6

Moderator's Note: The low level of the Fortitude saves reflects that most Harlequins will be found living relatively easy existences in comparative wealth. The low level of the Base Attack Bonus reflects the fact that people in said position generally don't require great combat skills.