Did you know the Disney princesses were secretly in training as adventurers? Neither did they. In my quest for better role models for kids, I seized on the concept that their movies were simply their origin stories, prior to their hack and slash careers. Here's how to map each to their equivalent fantasy gaming class. Beware, scions of evil, for the Princess Adventure Party is coming!

1) Ariel (The Little Mermaid):Rogue, 2nd level

She steals, she's impulsive, and she into impersonation and duplicity. Ah, Ariel, our lovable rogue.

2) Aurora (Sleeping Beauty):Illusionist, 1st level

She's not consciously aware of her power, but she is enchanted (via her fairy teachers) to appear beautiful, and she has an inherent charm that lets her put others to sleep. Also, all who see her become besotted. So we'll put her in as an illusionist-in-training.

3) Belle (Beauty and the Beast):Wizard, 1st level

She reads (a first for Disney, apparently). In fact, she's a voracious reader, daughter of a tinkerer, and she is calm and at home around enchanted beings and ensorceled animated household objects. She closes out her movie with a bit of inherent spellbreaking. Get a few real spells into her and she's going to be a spellcasting powerhouse.

4) Cinderella (eponymous):Bard, 1st level

Skilled in dancing and cleaning, and otherwise useless. Must be a bard.

5) Jasmine (Aladin):Paladin, 1st level

A bit of cipher, Jasmine is spirited, yet respects the authority of the state. She is part of the ruling elite, but believes in helping the common man. Even when enslaved, she refused to bow down to a usurper, and isn't afraid of a tussle. She respects magic without wielding it herself. Oh, and Rajah the tiger is her mystic steed.

6) Mulan (eponymous):Fighter, 5th level

Woo! Finally a kick-butt heroine. As once quipped, 'to prove herself the equal of any man, she has to defeat the Huns... twice.' Skilled archer, master of weapons, and deadly hand-to-hand combat expert, she also knows explosives. 5th level may be assessing her too low.

7) Pocohontas (eponymous):Ranger, 4th level

Fleet of foot and able to call on nature powers, she's tough, smart and able to solo a rescue mission. She and Mulan could probably conquer Prussia armed only with a toothpick and a single roman candle.

8) Snow White (eponymous):Druid, 2nd level

Possessing potent animal affinity and songs able to charm foal and fowl, even her name shows her Druidic tendencies. As a bonus, she also speaks Dwarvish.

9) Tiana (The Princess and the Frog):Cleric, 2nd level

Tiana was tricky, in part because she has actual skills and talents. She has a bundle of useful crafting and city skills, including cooking, assessing character, and entrepreneurship. Then I realized, she's a chef in New Orleans, a town where food is essentially a religion. And her main quest is to cure a pair of curses, while fighting a voodoo priest. Her hand-to-hand skills fit, too; she's loathe to draw blood. So she's a cleric, and her restaurant a temple.

---

"Pocohontas reports over a dozen orcs and Ariel's already embedded with the captured villagers," said Mulan calmly, "so Jasmine and I will engage the main force. I'll need you, Belle, to provide some fire support for us. Aurora, the chieftain usually hangs back so your task is to keep him from being effective. Meanwhile, Snow, you send in some animals as cover so Ariel can sneak the villagers out. Tiana, you stand by to take on casualties, and Cindy, can you make yourself useful for once?"

Until next month,
Sandy
(or read my weekly science column at Science 2.0)