>>95912217 (cont.)
As for why we don’t see more mad magical clowns in D&D, I suspect the reasons are a general lack of awareness of this option which isn’t really in the D&D zeitgeist, and that there aren’t many magic items for jester bards though that can be easily fixed even with simple reflavoring.

If you’re going for a more wild west themed game, I know a couple things which might be inspirational for you. The Aztec deities Huehuecoyotl and Xolotl are both associated with jesters to varying degrees. Huehuecoyotl was a mischievous trickster god associated with music and dance who had the ability to shapeshift. His name, Huehuecoyotl, means Old Old Coyote, and coyotes are very frequently regarded as tricksters in American folklore. Xolotl was a dog-like deity and god of fire who guided people through the underworld. He was the god of “monstrosities”, which included deformities. He was often depicted as a skeletal jester with dwarfism, I assume because clownery was a common occupation for people with dwarfism (not just in the Aztec empire) and dwarfism was considered by the Aztecs to be monstrous. Like Huehuecoyotl, he had the ability to shapeshift and may have been even better at it.

I believe the Hopi Amerindians traditionally believe laughter and joy to be essential to healing and because of that their healers are also clowns, though I could be getting them mixed up with another group.