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Dungeons & Dragons has greatly influenced role-playing video games, with many featuring leveling systems and role-playing features introduced in the classic tabletop game. However, none are still so connected to their D&D roots as the typical Japanese RPG, where a massive amount of beloved franchises still follow classic conventions like turn-based combat and calculations based on a d20 system. While placing its own spin on things, the Persona series of games follows a lot of traditional RPG systems to a faithful degree, with stories and encounters that fit right at home in a DnD campaign.

There is a popular trend of taking various fictional characters in pop culture and translating them as player characters in D&D campaigns. Joker from Persona 5 is a particularly good character to adapt, with a mostly blank slate allowing for a player to insert themselves as the iconic protagonist without breaking too much away from the image of the character. Joker's combative versatility and various social and magical abilities with his Persona also make him a must-have in any party.

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Race and Class

Joker Persona 5

Joker is human, but his reputation as the leader of the Phantom Thieves includes natural agility, stealth and speed, which means a wood elf or a half-elf would make for an excellent substitute for a race choice. A human is highly adaptable in almost any environment but does not excel in any particular field, much like Joker himself, whose ability to switch to various Personas cannot wholly replace his friends who specialize in specific elements and skills. If the player wants to emphasize Joker's agility, magical attunement and chaotic good alignment, wood elves or half-elves can cover the essential skills and traits without another level-up.

Joker's class will have to be a mix of Rogue and Warlock, making sure to capture his nature as a criminal and his magical Persona abilities, which often consists of a massive variety of spells. As a Rogue, they will predictably follow the Thief archetype. However, a Mastermind subclass would be appropriate as he is the leader of the Phantom Thieves and will often try to manipulate or converse with his enemies to gain an advantage. The Warlock's pacts with the supernatural references Joker making a pact with Arsene and the Velvet Room, granting a wide variety of special powers which often involve summoning demons. The Astral Self of the Monk subclass would also be a good alternative for emphasizing Persona-fighting.

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Ability Scores, Feats and Spells

Joker is mainly known for both his skills as a thief, introducing himself with speed and grace in his escape from Shadow Sae's Palace and an almost excessive amount of charm, with the nature of Social Links/Confidants and the Negotiation system from Persona 5 demonstrating this perfectly. As such, Charm and Agility are the two most important Ability Scores, and a player is greatly encouraged to keep them as high as possible with their rolls. Because of Joker's ability to read the room and awareness of his surroundings and his jack-of-all-trades skills in elemental attacks with his many Personas, Wisdom and Intelligence are excellent secondary Ability Scores.

As far as feats go, Joker should have a wide variety of rogue-themed feats like Sneak Attack and Evasion, with proficiencies in dagger fighting and maybe one-handed crossbows to cover the lack of guns in DnD. When it comes to spells, various elemental attacks can fill the player's repertoire, but the most important spells to pay attention to are the Summon Demon spells (up to the DM on how to balance them), to mimic the summoning of a Persona or Shadows.

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Background and Alignment

Persona 5 Royal good ending where the protagonist sees Joker in his reflection.

As Joker is known for having a criminal record after defending a woman who was being attacked by a powerful politician, it makes sense for Joker to have a criminal background as well in the realm of D&D. This background is still appropriate for a rogue, with skills in Acrobatics and Perception especially useful for a Phantom Thief. With the help of various Confidants, Joker also has proficiencies in multiple tools such as lockpicks and skills such as coffee-making, alongside having connections across the criminal underworld. The player may also have a familiar to represent their main Persona.

While Joker's methods may be dubious, he still has a strong sense of justice. The Phantom Thieves don't aspire to break the law so much as destroy its corruption, making him a clear-cut Chaotic Good. Joker's sheer charisma sways many to his cause, from chaotic to lawful alignments alike, as he ultimately knows what is right and wrong. While he is a thief, he will never steal from those who do not deserve it or cannot afford to lose the item, willing to share his fortune with others a la Robin Hood.

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