Cheerleaders > Bards/Dancers

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Discuss.

Okay, fine, I'll say more than that even though I'm tired, hungry, lazy, hungry, tired, hungry...

...I'm not exactly firing on all one cylinders, as you can see. Anyway, yeah, a part of one of my story ideas (damnations be upon them) made me think of cheerleaders in an RPG context, both of the video game and tabletop variety. I thought about how they had similar attributes in a few key areas (like support (assuming they can use magic of some sort) and charm/charisma), and came to the conclusion that cheerleaders were superior because, while for bards/dancers it'd be optional, cheerleaders are expected to be physically fit enough that it would benefit them if they had to attack physically or dodge. There's the teamwork thing, too. Plus, it's not that uncommon for cheerleaders to have at least some background in dance, usually ballet. Gymnastics is also common enough in a cheerleader's background.

One stray thought I had: "well, batons aren't much of a weapon, but... what if the rifles were real?" XD;;

[Lioconvoy]

Disgaea 3 had Cheerleaders. I don't reacall them having any special skills or anything.

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Depends on what you mean by "special." Unless it's a story character, most skills are attained by using weapons. Then there are the evilities and secondaries that all characters have. There are some better than others, but essentially come down to your needs. Besides which, Disgaea isn't a good example considering how any character can become good/special/strong with leveling, soul migration and equipment. There comes a point where how strong they are can only be comparable to characters that other real people have made; it becomes a moot issue with the game's enemies.

[talonhunter]

From first hand experience, every bard I use is at least proficient in the use of a sword and a longbow. That being said, a hand to hand specialist such as a Cheerleader...(Come on, those pompoms can be deadly when used without fear......)) the cheerleader would be most like a martial artist in that regard. So I guess it would depend on the combat type, the situation and the attackers skillset.

[WG_Writer]

well I would point out that Slayers had Lina and Amelia do a duo song spell, although granted they thought it was an attack spell when it was just to summon confetti and streamers. And Slayers is based in a DnD Campaign world. And they were dressed in seifuku at the time so calling them cheerleaders is not a stretch there. As such I do see it as a viable non-combat role. However DnD does regulary lend itself to combat, and unless you have a decent sized group then someone that can't properly defend themselves from small threats would be annoying to have. Unless you have an experianced player running the role as a joke character with enough in other abilities and feats.

Also what type of Cheerleader do you want?

Modern [Think Mikuru from Meloncoly of Haruhi] (forgot exzact spellings and it is currently late for me)
Old School (Pre 90s) [Think more access to dangerous cheerleading items before 'safety concerns' got raised]
Post Modern [random junk that resembles what we have now with a future edge, like pom poms, riged to give off a blinding flash of light]
AU (you can explain away anything here)

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Well, in a D&D setting, I'd expect cheerleaders to be a bit better off than mages in terms of defending themselves, and a lot better at dodging attacks. Since they play a supportive role in reality, whatever arcane magic they call upon would temporarily improve something, or do something beneficial short of healing wounds outright like a cleric would.

When I envision a cheerleader class in D&D, I see it put together with bits and pieces of the bard, rogue and monk classes. Light armor, a bit more HP than a mage would have, a heck of a lot more fit, as well as dexterous, agile and good at dodging. They're good at teamwork, so in addition to using supportive magic on the team, they can work well with other members of the team to open up sneak attacks on enemies, or otherwise catch them off guard. While they shouldn't be expected to do much as a damage dealer, they should be able to handle themselves well enough in the thick of things for a bit, defensive-wise (for instance, if a baton is required to use their support magic, it could be used to deflect non-missile attacks if they can't dodge; though it'd be interesting if it could block arrows by twirling it).

The attributes a cheerleader would focus on would probably be dexterity (general speed, flexibility, accuracy and hand-eye coordination), constitution (mostly for stamina), willpower (W-I-N!), and Charisma (like, duh?).

But, eh. I don't remember much about D&D. And what I do know is probably from the first or second editions.