The dancer class is a light Fighter class, specialising in small weapons and unarmed strikes and relying on speed and agility for defence. It's strengths include:
- A good mix of combat, stealth and social skills.
- Defence and stealth bonuses from the class "dance" skill. It effectively boosts your agility.
- Bonuses to damage. These aren't as good as those from the Martial Artist class, but you can combine them with a sneak attack on distracted (using your social skills) or otherwise busy opponents.
- A good number of class specialised magical items.
It's weaknesses include:
- You cannot equip any armour or even use the class skills when wearing bulky clothing, such as robes or heavy cloaks.
- Limited weapon choice.
- Low social status (equivalent to Thief). Don't expect to be invited to the Palace except as an entertainer, no matter what level you are. You'll have to use your social skills to get round other poeple's immediate reaction to you.
- Some rather embarrassing clothing options. (See the Class Magical Items and Earning a Living sections below.)
- Only available if playing on an Adult console.
- Poor WILL saves.
Overall, this class is good for those who like a degree of flexibility and prefer to outmanoeuvre and outthink their opponents rather than just beat them to death. Exhibitionist tendencies don't hurt. It's a fairly powerful class, but I can't help wondering what the programmers were thinking.
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Multiclassing options.
This class isn't too good for multiclassing. The class already includes many thief abilities and you'll never be as good at locks and traps as a single class thief. There is also no point in multiclassing to a heavy fighter class. The armour will just make all your skills and abilities unusable. It is good as a base for the sorcerer classes, however. You could use your magical powers to boost you class skills. An enchantress makes a good addition to your social skills and becoming a pyromancer will give you lots of options in combat. Alternately, you can use your dancer abilites as a defence and concentrate on becoming a powerful sorcerer. However, you will have to reach at least fifth level before the Wizard's guild will let you join, due to your low social standing.
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Class Specific Magical Items
There is a wide range of class specific magical items that can boost your defence and/or grant you special abilities. They mostly take the form of Clothing or Jewellery. As a rule of thumb, it appears that the more powerful the clothing item, the less skin it covers. [comment about programmers deleted]
Magical items that boost your WILL saves are important, and a dexterity boosting item will help you immensely. Your class skills, combat rating and defence are all based on your dexterity.
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Earning a Living
When not adventuring, you dance in skimpy outfits. Depending on gender (real, if relevant, and game) and tastes, people give you money. Better dancing or skimpier outfits allow you to earn more money. Entertainment jobs can also allow you access to certain game areas which you would not be able to access normally. Robbing rich merchants is easier if you have already been invited inside. Other forms of entertainment (use your imagination) are not formally supported by the game world, but you could, I suppose, make private arrangements with another player.
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Known Cheats
This class allows a variant of the invisible item cheat without having to reprogram your console. However, you'll have to turn all age restriction settings off and it only works for clothing and jewellery. As this is supported by the system, the Sages cannot boot you for using it, either. If you gain a magical item that gives you bonuses you like, but looks dorky, you can make it invisible, for a certain cost in self respect. If you wear it while performing a stripping routine at a club [comment about programmers deleted], when you have finished, you'll still have the bonuses, but the ugly item will have vanished. You then go back to your room, and redress there. You can unequip it later, if desired, by using the Inventory function of your MAP or by equipping another item in the same slot (so be careful when redressing). This even works on bulky clothing.
