Slayers

Has nothing to do with the Dwarf Slayers or the Halaku, the House of the Second World.

It's Friday night. You're sitting at the table with your face in your hands. "What's wrong?" asks Dave, rubbing his Cheetos-stained fingers on your back for comfort. You can't bear to look at him. "I'm sick of it," you mumble between your fingers. "I'm sick of half-naked muscular men fighting with half-naked muscular dwarves against half-naked androgynous elves. I'm sick of protagonists like Conan and Geralt and Aragorn. I'm sick of everything being a life-threatening situation. I come here to relax, not to have homo-erotic panic attacks!"

Does this sound like you? Do you want a protagonist you could break in half with your four-inch dick? Have I got a deal for you!

The Slayers is a series of light novels, anime, and manga written by Hajime Kanzaka and drawn by Rui Araizumi about a sorceress and her adventuring party of murderhobos. The Slayers was originally a Westaboo's steampunk vision of a fifteen year-old girl and her ten year-old clone, but ultimately the focus was changed to a European sword and sorcery setting - which were becoming popular at the time. Take for example, Record of the Lodoss War - which was based on another Westaboo's DnD campaigns - or Berserk, Claymore, and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. The biggest difference between Slayers and the rest of the genre is that it focuses on comedy, rather than calamity.

When you see it, you'll shit brix.

The protagonist is Lina Inverse, an extremely powerful black magic sorceress. Her companion through most of the stories is Gourry Gabriev, self-proclaimed guardian and possibly greatest swordsman on the planet (though he's stuck with the brains of a jellyfish). Other occasional party members include the chimera Zelgadis Greywords, a "blessed-with-suck" arcane-warrior that's an expert in Shamanism, and Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune, a princess that is gifted in restorative white magic. Before meeting Gourry, Lina also traveled with one Gracia Ul Naga Saillune, better known as "Naga the Serpent" in the stories, though they were just as much enemies as allies as the latter proclaimed herself "Lina's greatest and more-attractive rival".

Through the series there were a collection of interesting villains any DM could learn from. Rezo the Red Priest is their first antagonist, an extremely-powerful cleric regarded as one of the Five Wise Men of the age. Originally perfoming great miracles and healing the sick or injured, he slowly descended into madness in pursuit of a cure for his own incurable blindness. Other antagonists include wizards adept at creating chimeras, warlocks who make pacts with demons in the pursuit of immortality, demonic generals and priests capable of militarizing entire countries to war, their masters who have control over death and Hell, and even fragments of the Dark Lord Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu which are so powerful they've killed gods.

Furthermore, the magic system is very consistent, and ties into the cosmology of the world in an interesting way. There are enough limitations to keep the story interesting. It's a good example for anyone wishing to create their own campaign.

Cast of Characters

Whilst the precise cast of characters and more importantly details on those characters varies between the light novel and anime continuities, there's still a pretty solid core set.

Lina is 4'10". Gourry is 6'2". You do the math.

Lina Inverse is our star, a Chaotic Neutral Black Mage who has an uncanny aptitude for the most destructive spells in her setting - most famously the Dragon Slave, which is pretty much THE biggest boom in the canon. And she uses all this magic of mass destruction in a VERY casual manner. Vain, arrogant, temperamental, greedy and gluttonous, she mostly travels to gain loot, see new places and make herself famous. She was already infamous by the age of thirteen as both a "Bandit Killer" (having a minor catchphrase, "Villains have no rights!" before executing them and taking their hard-earned stolen loot), and "Dragon Spooker", a shortened way of saying "dragons are so disgusted by her existence they want nothing to do with her". Her big sister, despite being a part-time waitress back in their hometown, is a "Knight of Ceipheed, or a mortal born with the power of God himself. Lina's twitching inferiority complex over being essentially the less-powerful, less-attractive, less-successful version of her is at the root of many of her personal issues, and the reason she joined the Sorcerers' Guild at such a young age. However, as the story progresses, it becomes apparent that with her magic capacity and spell selection, she could just be the strongest mortal spellcaster on the continent. The meta-joke with her is, to avoid being Murphey's Punchline, she hits first, and usually harder.

Gourry Gabriev is the only non-caster of the group. A skilled swordsman in amazing physical condition, his stat-dump has left him with an incredibly-low intelligence score. Regardless, his combat perception is phenomenal, letting him detect the presences of enemies nearby and perceive things in a near-dark environment. Gourry is the descendant of the legendary Swordsman of Light who used the eponymous Sword of Light, Gorun Nova, to defeat the Great Beast Zanaffar, an alchemical chimera whose evil was so potent, the miasma its corpse left behind needed a holy tree to contain it. Gourry inherited the legendary Sword of Light, and has it in his possession at the start of the story. We later find out he has a bad relationship with his family, as he stole the weapon and ran away from home because of the in-fighting it caused as to who would inherit it. By the time Lina meets him, he had operated as a mercenary, served in a war, and become a folk hero for the city of Sairaag, earning him a modicum of fame and admiration. There's a great deal of discussion as to whether or not he and Lina are romantically involved; while there is nothing to confirm it, by the end of the light novel stories he requests Lina take him to see her hometown, leading her to believe he wants to ask her parents for permission to marry her.

Don't worry, she's eighteen now. He's in his mid-twenties. You do the math.

Zelgadis Greywords is a cursed sorcerer-swordsman whose great-grandfather, the famous Red Priest Rezo, magically fused him with two different kinds of monsters to make him stronger. From a blow demon, he gained increased magical aptitude and superhuman speed and reflexes, whilst a stone Golem gave him super-tough rocky skin and metallic wire for hair. He hates looking like a freak and is always out to find a cure for his condition. Despite attempting to appear dark and mysterious, he has an extremely sensitive side, contrasting with his rough, outer appearance. When he first captures Lina early in the story, he refuses to "kiss" Lina as he can't stand crying women, and by his own admission he has a soft-spot for maidens. Due to this unique personality, he's often shipped with Amelia, appreciating her naive nature while also having the ability to reel her in during her wild moments. His super-durable body has, on various occasions, resulted in him blocking cannonballs by headbutting them and being used as a makeshift ship's anchor.

Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune is a well-meaning, cheerful, good-hearted white mage princess whose desire for JUSTICE runs hot and deep. Whereas most parties would focus on where each party member is in relation to each other, Amelia's priority is to find the tallest object nearby, climb it, and make a hero speech to demoralize the bad guys. She was raised to believe in the good in people's hearts and strive for peace, and she will kick anyone's ass that gets in the way of that goal. Originally joining up with Lina as an act of hero-worship, she's come to realize that Lina isn't the best example to follow. When not campaigning, she serves as a diplomat and emissary for the Kingdom of Saillune, though she often gets entangled in Lina's messes while doing so.

Xellos is the enigmatic trickster priest of the Mazoku race, who specializes in trolling Lina's group and playing them like puppets. Is an evil jerk, but he's funny and charming enough to also be a fan favorite. He NEVER lies, using half-truths or his catchphrase "It's a secret" instead. He is notable for being the only creation of one of Ruby-Eye's subordinates, Greater Beast Zelas Metallum; unlike the other subordinates who created at least one priest and one general to serve them, Greater Beast made Xellos to serve both roles by himself. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent why giving so much power to one individual was a grand idea, as he was able to kill thousands of golden dragons on his own during the War of Monster's Fall over a thousand years ago.

You can't be over-encumbered if you're wearing nothing at all.

Naga the Serpent is Lina's original traveling partner, before she finally managed to ditch her. An incredibly arrogant ditz with an ojou-sama laugh that can crack glass, she infuriated Lina as much for her bungling stupidity as for her incessant wearing of super-skimpy clothing to show off her ridiculously oversized rack, which made Lina feel quite inadequate. Her real name is Gracia Ul Naga Saillune, the elder princess of Saillune. She ran away after witnessing her mother's murder, stealing the family's hereditary Battle Bikini and subsequently killing the murderer herself.

Milgazia is an ancient dragon that possesses at least a thousand years'-worth of experience. He originally guided Lina to a copy of the "Claire Bible", a manuscript left behind by Aqualord Regradia containing all of her knowledge, and later accompanies her as a large demonic incursion swept the north of the continent. He is known for having unbearably dry humor, and has devastatingly potent holy dragon magic in his arsenal. His magic is so far beyond Lina's capacity that she's unable to break a ward he casts on one of Gourry's items, for example.

Memphis Linesword is an elf who accompanies Milgazia as he travels in human form. Haughty and disdainful towards humans as per elven tradition, she is still a skilled fighter and magic-user, having access to "lost" traditional elven magic. Her most-powerful item, however, comes in the form of Zanaffa Armor, created with secret knowledge found in the Claire Bible that allows her to transform into a white giant that shoots lasers. She is largely antagonistic towards Lina despite being forced to work with her, until the two reach a mutual understanding and even a modest friendship.

Filia Ul Copt is a Gold Dragon priestess who recruits Lina's party to help her save the world in the third season of the anime. She knows holy magic, a skill completely lost to humanity on Lina's continent because of the "Mazoku Barrier" that was established after the death of one-fourth of God, the Aqualord Regradia, and tends to whip out the mace she keeps under her skirt whenever angered or flustered. While she has some understanding of her race's past, she's largely ignorant of the implications of it. Despite Xellos striking fear into every dragon he meets while also being as diplomatic as possible, Filia instead treats him with absolute contempt, referring to him as "raw garbage". So far, she's the only person to genuinely make the trickster angry.

Pokota is a prince whose people were experimented upon by Rezo, resulting in him being ripped out of his body and stuck in the body of a living doll. He's largely ignored due to his resemblance to a Digimon and being a detriment to the two half-seasons he appears in, and anyone telling you they got emotionally-invested in his character is either lying or is seriously brain-damaged.

Cold stare. Cold chest.

Sylphiel Nels Lahda is a timid cleric with healing and protective magics that are second to none, but she is comically inept at casting offensive spells. (Despite this, somehow she manage to learn how to use the Dragon Slave on the same level as Lina...) She met Gourry prior to him traveling with Lina when he performed an unnamed deed for Sairaag. She's a sheltered priestess, and given that Gourry is tall, handsome, and charming, she fell head-over-heels for the man. She ultimately gives up on her one-sided love after deducing Lina has feelings for him, despite how much she denies (or fails to recognize) them.

Luke is an arcane-warrior and self-proclaimed treasure hunter, described as having "evil eyes" and is armed with a sword capable of storing and releasing magic. He has a competitive and ambitious nature that led to him being a rival of Lina's, but as their stories intertwine they find working in-tandem, rather than against each other, serves their interests more. He is traveling companions with Milina, whom he has a disturbing infatuation with. His first and only goal, no matter what he's doing, is to try and impress her, much to her chagrin.

Milina is a sorcerer / cleric that makes up for her lack of emotions with acute critical thinking and planning. Extremely perceptive and rational, she is the person who keeps Luke from flying off the handle and making situations worse for the both of them. Whereas Luke is happy to tag along wherever she goes, she finds Luke's acts of devotion off-putting, and regularly knocks him down a peg when he tries to make a move. While her casting level isn't something too remarkable, she has a different spell selection from Lina, letting her stand out on her own in terms of battle prowess.

Plot

Lina's story has a few branches paths across the light novels, anime, and manga / video games, though there's largely a common "core" between them all. Although it's not necessarily perfect in its delivery, we nonetheless get to find out great detail about her setting and magic system. Simply put, while the world may have its ups and downs, there's nonetheless consistency between the works.

Lina is fourteen. Naga is almost twenty. You do the math.

Long before Lina's journey began, the Lord of Nightmares accidentally created four worlds parallel to each other. On these four worlds existed "shinzoku" (gods) and "mazoku" (demons), with humans forced to live among them. On Lina's world, the Flare Dragon Ceipheed fought against Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu, who sought to return the world back to the Sea of Chaos by destroying it. Ceipheed managed to carve Shabranigdu into seven pieces, trapping the fragments into the souls of humans hoping that countless generations of reincarnations would drain the wickedness of Ruby-Eye until there was nothing left. However, this cost Ceipheed his life, and he created the four Dragon Lords with his remaining power. These Dragon Lords would continue the fight against Shabranigdu's subordinates: Chaos Dragon Garv, Hellmaster Phibrizo, Dynast Grausherra, Greater Beast Zelas Metallum, and Deep Sea Dolphin. Thousands of years after Ruby-Eye's imprisonment, Hellmaster would attempt to awaken a fragment of his master that had been trapped in a powerful sorcerer named Lei Magnus by instigating a global conflict centered on the northern continent, wherin thousands of human, elven, and dragon lives would be lost in what would be called the War of Monster's Fall (Great Koma War). The war's resolution came when Aqualord Regradia defeated Chaos Dragon Garv, forcing his essence to reincarnate in human form much like Shabranigdu's, and trapped Lei Magnus, the "Demon King of the North", in ice. However, Aqualord died as a result, sinking into the sea. Hellmaster then constructed the Mazoku Barrier over the continent, trapping everyone living within it, and preventing the outside world from coming in. Without the Aqualord, holy magic became lost to humanity within the Barrier. Since the global conflict had seen almost every spellcaster put on the battlefield, and the Mazoku Barrier trapped them inside, magic soon became a lost, truly "arcane" art to the outside world, leading to their technological advancement.

Lina's early stories follow her as a young girl of about fourteen, traveling with, or fighting against, her self-proclaimed rival Naga the Serpent. As seen in both the light novels Slayers Special / Smash, the OVAs, and most of the movies, Lina had accomplished more in her early days than most sorcerers do in their entire lives. Most of these stories are considered comedic one-offs, but nonetheless help frame the context for most of her behavior. These stories also explain a couple of the other characters' histories, such as Naga's or Gourry's backstories.

The best way to start a campaign is to fight the hardest boss in the manual.

However, Lina's main adventures come after she and Gourry meet where he "protects" her from some bandits seeking revenge for her killing their leader and blowing up their base. She had stolen a large amount of treasure from them, one piece being a statue made of orihalcon containing the Philosopher's Stone, a fragment from the creation of the world capable of amplifying one's magical capacity to absurd amounts. This causes her to be hunted by Zelgadis at first, who seeks it to get revenge on his great-grandfather, the Wise Man Rezo the Red Priest, for turning him into a chimera and ruining his appearance. Ultimately, Rezo himself is seeking the Philosopher's Stone as a means of curing his blindness, which no magic he's researched has been able to cure. Despite succeeding, Rezo unwittingly discovers that a fragment of Shabranigdu was sealed within his own eyes. When Rezo finally opens them, he releases Ruby-Eye himself, forcing Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis to fight the monstrosity. Lina only barely succeeds by amplifying her magic with Gourry's Sword of Light to cast Giga Slave, which calls upon a Dark Lord stronger than Shabranigdu himself, and only manages to have the time to cast the spell thanks to the remaining spirit of Rezo combating his possessive invader. Rather than report this to the Sorcerers' Guild, Lina keeps this information to herself, knowing full-well she would have no way to prove her claims.

Zelgadis departs, hunting a cure for his condition, and Lina and Gourry soon find themselves caught-up in a Sorcerers' Guild squabble involving everything from clones, chimeras, and a pact with a demon named Seigram in the pursuit of immortality. Despite resolving the issue, they find no rest as a series of arrest warrants are made out for them. Following the trail to Sairaag while fighting off bounty hunters along the way, they reunite with Zelgadis, who also has an issue out for his arrest. They soon discover by talking with Sylphiel that the one who filed for their capture was apparently Rezo himself, much to their shock. When they confront him, they're surprised to learn that this Rezo is only a copy, created when the original was still attempting any means at a cure for his blindness. "Copy Rezo" is infatuated with proving that he's succeeded and surpassed the original, even going so far as to cast a spell so powerful it blows up the entire city of Sairaag in the process, reducing it to nothing, much to Sylphiel's distress. After defeating the copy, they volunteer to escort Sylphiel to her remaining family in Saillune, as Sairaag is nothing but a lifeless crater.

In Saillune, there's a royal assassination plot underfoot. Amelia's father, Prince Philionel El Di Saillune, has gone missing after an attempt on his life, and Amelia's cousin, Alfred, is pointing the finger at Philionel's brother, Christopher Wil Borgg Saillune, having invited demons into the kingdom in the pursuit of power. With their father sick, Philionel has been acting as regent in his stead, and already one of his younger brothers, Randioinel, has tried to murder him for the throne, though he was thwarted thanks to Lina's intervention years ago. While trying to find clues, Lina and Gourry are attacked by a legendary assassin by the name of Zuuma, who is rumored to have killed all of his marks without fail. Amelia joins the party, and together the four of them manage to discover the truth of the matter; Alfred himself is the culprit, believing that his father deserves the crown and will do anything in the process to make it happen. Ultimately, the demons he invites into the kingdom kill him, and Lina manages to overcome both the greater demon summoned and blow off both of Zuuma's arms, who just barely escapes with his life, threatening revenge. Phil, instead of throwing the book at Christopher, shows him mercy, "because [he is] my brother". With a kingdom to put back together after a hostile takeover attempt, Phil gives Amelia permission to leave, and their journey continues.

This ugly bastard is the kindest, gentlest, sweetest man to ever bash in a criminal's head.

Lina accidentally discovers a cult forming in the backwoods, called the Cult of Shabranigdu. Proclaiming Ruby-Eye's benevolence at bringing the world back to nothingness, her attempts to interfere cause her magic to become sealed by a greater demon. Without the ability to cast spells, she panics, realizing she's become largely useless in terms of the group's ability to fight. Zuuma makes an attempt on Lina's life while she's weakened, having mysteriously gained new arms, but she is rescued by a priest named Xellos, whom she mistakes for the Great Sage Lei Magnus due to his ability to cast extremely powerful, costly spells. Zuuma escapes, once again threatening revenge. After the battle, Xellos corrects her with her identification, pointing that he's using magic amplification with gifts from Lei Magnus called Demon's Blood Talismans, which, according to him, contain the power of not just Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu, but also his three counterparts on other worlds. She offers him a deal for the talismans, bidding an incredibly low price, and when he angrily corrects her on their real value, she immediately provides goods that she had been storing her cape (operating as a bag of holding) that are equivalent to the price he demands. Begrudgingly, he gives them up to her in exchange, frustrated at being had. He explains that he's investigating the Cult of Shabranigdu because they apparently have a copy of something called the "Claire Bible", rumored to have Aqualord Regradia's knowledge within it. Thanks to the manuscript, they have schematics to fashion dangerous equipment to use in war. It's his duty, as a priest, to find copies of the Bible so they do not fall into improper hands. Working together, albeit separately, Lina gets her magic back after Xellos apparently kills the demon that sealed her magic by chasing it into a burning building, and the group finds the Bible in the cult's inner-sanctum. However, before Zelgadis can examine the manuscript to see if there's a cure for his chimerism, Xellos burns it, causing Zelgadis to become enraged. Xellos calmly tells him that specific portion only mentioned how to fashion Zanaffa Armor, which, when it was improperly made it the past, created the Great Beast Zanaffar that destroyed Sairaag decades ago. Despite this explanation, Zelgadis would remain permanently hostile to the priest. Xellos is also revealed to be a demon, both priest and general to Greater Beast Zelus Metallum. After Xellos leaves, the team turns their attention towards another important matter: the assassin Zuuma, who has been hunting Lina for quite some time.

That smug bastard has better hair, better muscles, and better fashion-sense than you ever will.

Zuuma sends a threat to Lina telling her she must travel to the city of Vezendi, or else he will kill someone, presumably someone she knows. Reluctant and without much choice, they group travels there, and are immediately scouted by the local populace to be hired by the wealthiest man in town, Radok Ranzaad, as his bodyguard. He does this as he's received a notice from Zuuma, telling him he must hire Lina and her party, as the assassin is targeting him as well. Lina, taking advantage of the situation, tries to take Radok for a large sum of money, raising the ire of Radok's son, Abel, who calls them charlatans and believes the threat to be a fake so Lina can get an immense fortune quickly. While trying to defend Radok, two lesser demons, led by none-other than Seigram, whom Lina and Gourry had encountered months earlier, attempt to divide the group, splitting up Zelgadis and Amelia from Lina and Gourry, while Zuuma strikes Radok's estate. The businessman, fed up with being caged, decides to take a business trip claiming he must still do his work, but ostensibly trying to bring Zuuma out into the open so the "siege" can end. It isn't until an attack on the caravan that the truth is revealed: Radok is Zuuma himself, having a desire to kill and that he had fused with Seigram to get his arms back. Abel admits to knowing the truth, having tried to get Lina and her friends kicked out for their safety, and is left alone after Lina kills the assassin. However, this wasn't going to offer Lina and her friends a respite.

Radok's one and only servant, a man named Raltaak, outed himself as a demon, and none-other than the priest of Chaos Dragon Garv. Garv, being reincarnated within human bodies for generations, had changed his perspective on demon-kind's goal of destroying the world and sinking it into the Sea of Chaos, and as such was considered a "rebel" in the eyes of Shabranigdu's other subordinates. Garv's faction had come to learn that Hellmaster Phibrizo was plotting something, and Lina herself was the crux of the plan. Despite having details, Raltaak attempted to kill Lina near Gyria City far to the north, but his assault is rebuffed by Xellos' interference, who is now working with Hellmaster and has instructions to not only keep Lina safe, but to lead her to where she can potentially access the Claire Bible herself. They make it to Gyria City, only to find it militarizing itself for war. The military general, Rashaart, requests that Lina train their soldiers in basic black magic for a large fee, which she considers. However, she finds herself attacked in her sleep by an unknown assailant, and even worse, Gyria City has been lit on fire, with blazes running through the streets, the destruction of which takes the life of a young boy she had bumped into just earlier that day. Infuriated, she reunites with her party, and they barely escape the city, with Xellos fighting off both Raltaak and the now-revealed demon Rashaart. The group manages to make it up the Kataart Mountains, where dragons reside. Against his will, the ancient dragon Milgazia leads Lina to a copy of the Claire Bible, where she discovers the true nature of the Lord of Nightmares: Her desire to reunite all of the four worlds back into Herself, into a state of nothingness, and that the Giga Slave calls directly on Her. In other words, Lina has been casting a spell that draws the creator of all things into her recklessly, with the chance of sinking everyone and everything back into zero. However, her meditations are brought to an end when the location comes under assault by none-other than Chaos Dragon Garv himself.

The best way to end a campaign is to kill a shota.

Garv easily bests not only Lina's party, but Xellos himself. Boasting, he explains his position; he was seeking to get Gyria City ready to wage war against demons in an attempt to purge all demon-kind from the world, having learned that Hellmaster Phibrizo was plotting to start an even greater war himself, echoing the conflict from thousands of years ago when Aqualord Regradia fought against a portion of Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu's power, killing off thousands of humans, elves, and dragons. In his eyes, attacking first was the best way to end the conflict, and more importantly killing Lina should put an end to all of Hellmaster's plans. Lina barely manages to injure Garv with the spell "Ragna Blade", a form of magic still drawing on the power of the Lord of Nightmares, and in his weakened state Garv is executed by Hellmaster himself, his physical form being that of the boy Lina had found under the rubble. He mocks her openly, explaining that it was Xellos who attacked her at night in Gyria City, and was also the one who lit the city on fire. Xellos had been ordered to do this to make Lina believe Rashaart had attacked her, swinging her over to Hellmaster's side without her realizing it. He delights in preying on her emotions, and realizing she won't cast Giga Slave voluntarily, he kidnaps Gourry, demanding she come to the ruins of Sairaag, or he'll kill him. Seeing no other choice, the party makes their way there, only to discover that the city has been completely rebuilt, as if it were never damaged. The party also reuinites with Sylphiel, who is understandably distraught as her family, which had been killed by the copy Rezo's spell, were now back alive, and Flagoon, the Holy Tree that was once in the center of town, has been replaced with a nondescript, gargantuan temple. Zelgadis and Amelia investigate the temple, while Lina and Sylphiel visit the latter's family, and discover that Sairaag is a literal ghost town. Hellmaster, with control over souls and Hell itself, has brought Sairaag back "from the grave" specifically to prove his ability to give and take life. Infuriated, Lina and Sylphiel enter Hellmaster's temple. Inside, Hellmaster explains the true nature of Gourry's Sword of Light, Gorun Nova, as being a weapon created from the essence of a parallel Dark Lord from another world, Dark Star Dugradigdu, and returns the weapon back to its proper world. Then, with everyone's lives on the line, Hellmaster demands Lina cast the Giga Slave, summoning the Lord of Nightmares into their world, and causing absolute destruction. With no other option, Lina casts the spell, bringing the Lord of Nightmares into her body. Confused and bewildered, Hellmaster at first didn't understand why the Lord of Nightmares manifested Herself into Lina's body instead of appearing in Her own avatar, and theorized that Lina was restraining Her true power. He attacks Her, trying to break Her "vessel" to "free" Her, but it does nothing. Perturbed at being assaulted, She kills Hellmaster instantly and effortlessly, before Her possession ends. With Hellmaster dead, his temple begins to collapse, and the group escapes with the now-rescued Gourry, only to find Sairaag a barren city once more. It is here that the party splits up: Sylphiel returns with Amelia back to Saillune while Zelgadis continues to try and find a cure for his condition. Lina and Gourry, meanwhile, have their own trouble. Gourry traveled with Lina under the auspices of being her guardian, but without the Sword of Light, he couldn't protect her from demons. On a similar note, Lina very vocally made it clear that the only reason she let him travel with her was because she would find a way to convince him to give the Sword of Light to her. With the sword gone, the two appear to have no reason to journey together. Before they can say goodbye, Lina quickly makes the argument that it's her fault he lost his family heirloom, and it's her obligation to find him a new, powerful magic weapon. Pleased with that excuse, the two continue their adventures together.

It is here that Lina's story vastly differs, depending on the medium being used.

Cosmology

How do you "accidentally" create reality?

The Slayers world is one of four, separated from and parallel to each other. In the beginning, there was nothing but the Sea of Chaos, the very material the Lord of Nightmares is created from. Accidentally and without her knowledge, these four worlds appeared from her essence, different but with many similarities. All of them have "shinzoku", gods, and "mazoku", demons. The chief god of Lina's world is Flare Dragon Ceipheed, while the chief demon is Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu. Thanks to the Demon's Blood Talismans Lina uses, and the invocation involved with it, we know the (partial) names of Shabranigdu's "parallels": Dark Star Dugradigdu, Death Fog, and Chaotic Blue. The only known "parallel" to Ceipheed is Night Dragon Vorpheed, the opponent of Dark Star, with the presumed titles of the other two being Blue Dragon and White Dragon.

Based upon the Ars Goetia.

Their power is in the form of a pyramid, with the Lord of Nightmares at its peak. Just below Her are the Dragon Gods and the Dark Lords, and each of them have their own subordinates. Just before his death, Ceipheed created four Dragon Lords to look over the world in his absence: Aqualord Regradia to the North, which is Lina's continent; Flarelord Vrabazard to the East, which is Filia's homeland; Airlord Valwin to the West, where the manga Knight of the Aqualord takes place; and Earthlord Rangort to the South. In a similar fashion, Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu created five subordinates: Chaos Dragon Garv, Dynast Grausherra, Greater Beast Zelas Metallum, Deep Sea Dolphin, and Hellmaster Phibrizo. These five subordinates created their own priests and generals: Garv had Priest Raltaak and General Rashaart; Dynast had Priests Grau and Dee and Generals Sherra and Norst; Greater Beast has Xellos; and Dolphin had Riksfalto and Huraker. These priests and generals would operate on the behalf of their creator, though it was not unheard of for them to perform tasks for another subordinate. For example, Hellmaster relies heavily on Xellos, because his own priests and generals were wiped out in the War of Monsters' Fall.

In terms of pure power, no regular human has the ability to harm Dragon Lords or high-ranking demons. Lina's party has been shown on multiple occassions to be unable to deal with just Xellos fighting by himself. However, there are exceptions. Just as Ruby-Eye's fragments can be found in humans, waiting to be reawakened, so too can a portion of Ceipheed's power be found among them. Such a person carrying that mantle is named the Knight of Ceipheed. Despite having mortal limitations, their power is tremendous, able to carve apart the strongest of spells with ease. It is rumored that a Knight is even capable of fighting, and even winning, against a Demon Lord subordinate's retainer. In Lina's time, the Knight of Ceipheed is her older sister, Luna Inverse.

Regular humans, meanwhile, have a modest ability to fight against lesser demons, and potentially against dragons should they be trained properly. Dragons, the "ryuzoku", by and large serve the gods, with entire religious sects being devoted to either a Dragon Lord, or Flare Dragon Ceipheed himself. Demons meanwhile serve the Dark Lord or his subordinates, and thanks to the Dark Lord's existence monsters such as trolls and orcs run rampant throughout the world. Humans can learn spells to summon dragons or tear through lesser demon's with magic. As long as there is not a great cataclysm, heroes from the human race will always find a way.

It must be noted that demons do not exist in physical reality. On the contrary, they "project" themselves into reality, meaning that even the clothes they appear to wear are all part of one-whole frame used to give themselves physical shape. A demon's true form can always be seen inside of the Astral, or Spirit, World, where demons truly reside. Demons, having an astral body, are unharmed by elemental Shamanistic spells which draw upon the physical world. However, they are critically weak to Astral Shamanism and White Magic that uses purification or exorcism. Demons can be harmed by Black Magic, but only if the power draws upon a force greater than themselves. A Garv Flare spell, which calls upon Chaos Dragon Garv, cannot harm Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu in the slightest, but a Giga Slave calling upon the Lord of Nightmares, who is greater than him, can.

Again, as the terms of power operate as a pyramid, there is a strict hierarchy among all living things. The stronger an entity, the more-united its soul and body are. As such, a creature like Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu, despite being a demon with an astral body, is immune to the astral magic found in Shamanism. The Lord of Nightmares, being in perfect harmony with Her soul and body, and having no force greater than Herself, cannot be harmed; She is omnipotent. She is omniscient, Her mind making up all things, and omnipresent, because everything is made up of Her. Her true name is Lucifer.

... No, seriously, look it up. (You'll also find that there's no black people in Slayers unless you go outside of the Mazoku Barrier, so it's a racist's paradise.) https://web.archive.org/web/20090727235003/http://homepage3.nifty.com/QPHOUSE/slrev/blast12.html

Magic

Magic is a force that permeates the world of Slayers. The Sorcerers' Guild is a body of spellcasters who work together in various fields, whether it's alchemy, chimeras, or archaeology. Some sorcerers, such as Lina, earn a traveling license, giving them permission to move from city to city and perform tasks with magic. Theoretically, anyone can become a sorcerer, not just in terms of donating to get special training, but also by learning and studying independently.

"I'm angry! Angry about ELVES!!"

To perform magic, one must first know the Chaos and Power Words. Chaos Words are recitations that invoke the spell being used. Generally speaking, Black magic invokes demonic forces, Shamanism invokes nature and Mother Earth, and White and Holy magic invokes the powers of God. Chaos Words are difficult to master, not only because of memorization, but also because they can be interrupted while in a battle. If someone lacks the ability to remember or the ability to concentrate, it severely limits their spellcasting ability. Chaos Words can be recited mentally, but this is much-more difficult than verbal incantation. Power Words, meanwhile, are the actual names of the spells being used. After the power of a spell has been built using the Chaos Words, the Power Words fully releases that power, letting a spell "fire".

However, rote memorization isn't enough. Every person has natural "capacities", a "pool" and a "bucket". A pool capacity is a person's maximum magical potential and represents their personal stamina. A person with a larger pool capacity can cast magic longer than someone with a smaller one. However, having a large pool isn't enough to make someone a powerful sorcerer. Some people can tap into a vast amount of their power all at once, while others can only do smaller portions at a time. This ability to tap is called a bucket capacity, as the visualization of scooping water out of a pool with a bucket helps explain the magic system within Slayers. Lina Inverse is known to have both an extremely large pool and bucket capacity, being one of the only humans to cast Dragon Slave, the strongest spell within Black magic, and to do so repeatedly without becoming exhausted.

There are four known schools of magic, and one "theorized" school of magic.

Magic Schools

roll:20

Black Magic draws its powers from the dark, destructive, negative energies embodied by demons. It is an offensive style, most useful for delivering powerful magical attacks with a side in curses. It is the most useful anti-demon school known on the continent of Lina and her crew, because it tends to attack physical and astral bodies at the same time. However, that makes it very subject to nerfing; if the demon you're blasting is stronger than the demon you're drawing energy from, then that spell's not going to do anything. Likewise, spells drawn from a particular demon will do all of jack squat if you cast them on that very same demon. If a demon is ever permanently destroyed, all black magic spells drawn from them will never work again.

Holy Magic is the polar opposite of Black Magic, drawing its power from the positive energies embodied by the gods. The characters know very little about this kind of magic because it's been lost on their continent for generations thanks to the Mazoku Barrier. In the Outer Realms magic itself has dwindled, becoming virtually a lost art. Almost every magically skilled individual was drafted for the ancient war that created the Mazoku Barrier, leaving all the mages stuck inside and the non-mages stuck outside. It presumably has similar abilities to White Magic, but with vastly more potent demon-killing spells.

White Magic is a lesser form of Holy Magic mixed with aspects of Astral Shamanism. It focuses on curative and protective spells, healing injuries and trying to keep people safe. Amusingly, the various temples don't know White Magic on their own. Instead they have to request spellcasters from the Sorcerers' Guild to teach their acolytes how to perform Healing and Exorcism. The temples are the biggest donors to the Guild of any business.

Magic can also be used for alteration and transmutation.

Shamanism is a form of elementalism that draws its power from the five elements; Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Spirit. It's the most well-rounded and utilitarian of schools, with lots of spells for attack, defense, and general purposes. Earth Shamanism focuses on manipulating earth and metal, such as throwing giant rocks at people, causing spontaneous eruptions under them, or creating protective walls. Air Shamanism grants flight, razor sharp wind projectiles, lightning bolts and protective barriers. Fire Shamanism burns the shit out of things. Water Shamanism can manipulate water or hurl icy blasts, and is useful for countering Fire Shamanism. Spirit Shamanism is more commonly referred to as Astral Shamanism, as A: all shamanism spells call upon spirits, and B: its spells focus on manipulating the Astral Plane. This makes it the only branch of Shamanism that can hope to affect demons, with its Ra Tilt spell being considered as powerful as the Dragon Slave. It should be noted that while Astral Shamanism cannot physically harm a human, it does directly assault their spirit. While a Ra Tilt cannot kill a person, it will leave them unconscious for quite some time.

Chaos Magic is an unexplored and given name to two of Lina's spells, the "Ragna Blade" and the "Giga Slave". No real research has been done on this school - as far as history can tell only Lina herself has ever cast these spells. In the anime, however, a race of dragons created something similar by combining black magic with holy magic. Unlike other Black Magic, these spells draw upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares Herself; if She gets annoyed by the caster, She may wind up wiping out the entire campaign world. Lina learned Giga Slave after reading a partial Claire Bible manuscript, and figured it was only a more-powerful version of the Dragon Slave. The first time she cast it, it killed everything inside of a lake and polluted its waters. She developed the Ragna Blade by studying the complete Claire Bible, creating it to have a less dangerous "super spell" to rely on after she learned how dangerous the Giga Slave was. Regardless, she has had too many life-threatening adventures to be able to pause and study this theoretical field.

Slayers and Gaming

Guardians of Order has, on two occasions, failed to make a good RPG out of the license. First was a series of three splatbooks for their BESM tristat game, each book represents a single season of the series. These books did nothing a veteran gamemaster couldn't already do. But they did present playable stats of all of the main characters from the season they covered. Their second failure was the Slayers d20 book, which was one of many hanger-ons to the d20 OGL. Unlike most copycats though, this system did try to rebalance the classes, but ended up making a shit-ton of crap, such as the man-at-arms, shrine-maiden and sorcerer classes. One good feature was its innovative magic system; it allowed a caster to know a level dependent number of spell level worth of spells. This was also capped in that there wasn't a spells per day system, but instead a caster roll based on the arcana skill.

The Slayers D20

Since 1d4chan takes pride in rescuing lost /tg/ stuff from the depths of time, let's take a look at some of the unique material from the Slayers D20 game that might be worth stealing, or at least building upon for your own games.

Slayers D20 Character Creation

One of the first things that becomes obvious in the Slayers D20 manual is that it reads like a (surprisingly well-edited) homebrew manual where various people have thrown in their input as to how and why the house rules operate the way they do. For example, the manual encourages the use of stereotypical, cliched, over-the-top characters as opposed to serious, mature ones, as long as it's not at the expense of the story. The best example of this is Amelia, the shortstack fistfighter. In any other campaign setting, her being overly lawful good can be considered a handicap for parties since she would actively prevent, and possibly sabotage, anyone trying to tell a lie or steal from someone, even if the target of the lie or theft is evil themselves. In Slayers, Amelia's overdramatic steadfastness to righteousness to the point of being naive puts the party in hilarious (as far as Japanese humor goes) situations or allows the plot to immediately change its speed from slow-paced to explosive. Compare her to a character like Sylphiel, the lovesick shrine maiden who is much more calm, genuinely compassionate, and soft-spoken. If the two were a comedy duo, Amelia would be the "funny man", while Sylphiel would be the "straight man". The writers, then, actively push in character creation for everyone to find ways to capitalize on standard D20 jokes to create the funniest story possible.

Another interesting aspect are the naming conventions. As the manual puts it, "Heroic names tend to use the vowels A, E, I, and Y, and are often traditional names or names that sound similar to something that has a heroic connotation. Gourry's last name, for example, is Gabriev--a relatively close match to Gabriel. Villainous names often use V, Z, and R, with the vowels O and U present. As an example, Rezo is initially described as being a wise priest with the name of a villain." This carries over to even the rest of the main cast: Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune is a proper, dignified princess' name; Zelgadis Greywords captures his "evil spellsword" persona, despite him having genuinely good intentions; and Lina's last name, Inverse, works on the two levels of her being an "inverted" ideal of a heroic protagonist, while also following the universe's name rules to reflect her violent, greedy nature.

To push the feel of the manual being a homebrew even further, the book adds in a small note suggesting the use of unusual hair or eyes because "it is appropriate to the setting and can evoke a definite anime feel."

Slayers D20 Races

One of the most obvious differences between the Slayers D20 and standard D&D is that a majority of standard races aren't available. Due to the D20 following the anime, and not the light novels, elves and dwarfs, despite being part of the world's universe, do not have a template written down. Furthermore, gnomes, halflings, and half-elves and half-orcs are unavailable. In spite of this, there are still a wide variety of core and template races to choose from.

Core Races

Beastmen

Beastmen are as you expect, animals with human features, varying wildly from fish to wolves as combinations. While many do possess human-level intellect and reasoning, they still retain their animalistic side, making them tribal and brutal in personality. Depending on which animal they represent, they can have various heights, colors, and other physical attributes like horns, scales, and fur. The only exception are fish folk, who are much more standard in their comedic appearance. Due to their physical differences, they are largely ostracized from human society, who view them as more feral animal than sentient creature, and beastmen tend to reject human society for a more spartan, warrior-like living situation. However, they will generally be willing to work for humans that either show dominance and strength over them, or are willing to treat them with more respect than they would a wild creature.

Alignment: Beastmen can be of any alignment.

Environment: Beastmen can be at home anywhere, though they of course prefer environments that suit their animal nature. Fishmen need to be near bodies of water, and wolfmen prefer to be near forests, for example.

Racial Traits: Beastmen are Medium creatures, have a base land speed of 30ft, have low-light vision, and a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Spot, and Survival checks. Additionally, beastmen can choose a Bonus Feat from the following: Endurance, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Loyal, Run, Toughness, Track, and Scent. Scent may be selected as a bonus feat at 1st level, and functions exactly as written in the Monster Manual. Scent is not otherwise available as a feat after 1st level. Furthermore, different animal types have different ability adjustments and favored classes:

Bear: STR +4, CON +2, INT -2, CHA -4; Warrior

Boar: STR +2, CON +2, WIS -2, CHA -2; Warrior

Bull: STR +6, CON +2, WIS -2, CHA -4; Warrior

Dog: DEX +2, WIS +2, INT -2, CHA -2; Bounty Hunter

Fish: DEX +2, INT -2; Bandit

Fox: DEX +2, INT +2, STR -2, CON -2; Rogue

Goat: CON +2, INT +2, WIS -2, CHA -2; Bandit

Lizard: STR +2, CON +2, INT -2, CHA -2; Bandit

Racoon: DEX +4, INT +2, STR -2, CON -2, WIS -2; Rogue

Wolf: DEX +2, CON +2, WIS -2, CHA -2; Bounty Hunter

Dragon

While many dragons exist in Slayers, few breeds of them are intelligent. Among them are two kinds, the Golden and Ancient dragons. However, between the War of Monster's Fall and a massive pogrom, Ancient dragons are almost non-existent, to the point of being unplayable. Only Golden dragons are available in the D20, and therefore playing as a dragon puts one strictly under this archetype. Dragons are capable of telepathy to communicate non-verbally, primarily while in dragon form, but can talk the form of a human to communicate verbally. Furthermore, dragons worship the gods. They can belong to a specific cult, such as the ones who worship Flarelord Vrabazard, or worship all Dragon Lords, with Flare Dragon Ceipheed as their primary entity of reverence. Aqualord cults are generally found mainly within the Inner World, but they have greatly diminished following Aqualord Regradia sinking into the sea 1,000 years ago. The other cults in the Outer World, however, are quite lively. Flarelord's are generally to the East, Airlord Valwen's to the West, and Earthlord Rangort's to the South.

Dragons, ryuzoku, are the bright mirror to demons, mazoku. Dragons may logically understand feelings like fear, hatred, and sorrow, but they cannot emotionally comprehend how humans can experience them. Panic is felt instead as a dragon reasonably finding a means to stay alive. Fury is felt instead as righteous indignation. Depression is felt instead as pity. This largely stoic attitude can often make them find mild amusement in the machinations and motivations in humans and beastmen, finding the two's emotionally-driven pursuits unreasonable. They harbor no dislike for these "lesser" races, but will rarely interact with them. Generally speaking, it's the humans and beastmen who take the perilous journey to ask for assistance from dragons, not the other way around. Furthermore, dragons absolutely despite demons and evil mortals, and will only work with a demon or an evil entity if, and only if, it's the only way to keep the world alive.

Dragons age extremely slowly, and as Golden dragons they share common traits. As dragons, they are distinctly gold in color. As humans, their hair is rarely darker than a sandy-brown, and their eyes rarely a color darker than hazel, usually blue or gold. Their human form is of a general human age as their dragon age, relatively speaking; a young dragon will have a young human appearance, for example. Furthermore, dragons in a human guise are almost always physically attractive.

Alignment: Dragons can be any non-chaotic and non-evil alignment.

Environment: Dragons prefer seclusion, and their temples or personal homes are usually found in high, mountainous places. They will rarely, if ever, spend more time than necessary in a standard settlement.

Racial Traits: For clarity, dragons are always considered "dragon-type"; even in human form, they are still dragons, and are unaffected by spells or abilities that specifically affect humanoids. In human form, their size is Medium, their base land speed is 30ft, and their ability adjustments are STR +6, CON +2, INT +2, and CHA +2. To return to their alternate form, a dragon needs to make a Control Shape check (DC15 or higher) during a standard action. In dragon form, their size is Huge, their base land speed is 40ft, they can a fly speed of 200ft (poor), and have standard modifiers for changing size according to the MM, thus gaining STR +16, DEX -4, CON +8, natural armor +5, as well as a -2 size penalty to attacks and AC.

In either form, dragons have low-light vision, two breath weapons that are single-target attacks with a Reflex save of DC 10 + half the dragon's character level + the dragon's CON modifier (Laser Breath: 100ft line that deals 1d8 fire damage per dragon's character level; Diflasher 1d10 astral damage that only affects extraplanar entities), a +5 racial bonus to all checks for White magic spells, have hunger resistance (can go twice as long as humans without food or water, and get starvation and dehydration checks only every two hours instead of one), have a Spell Resistance of 11 + character level, have a Damage Reduction of DR 10/magic, favor the Priest class and do not require a staff to call on Priest abilities, and have a level adjustment of +6.

Human

To save time, please consult the Player's Handbook.

Race Templates

Since there are only three core races, the D20 includes several templates that allow for a variety of "half-races". Almost any of these templates may be used and applied to one of the core races. It should be noted that while there is a half-demon and half-mazoku template, there is not a full-demon race, due to demons wanting to only destroy the world which runs contrary to the spirit of the game. Templates can have a major impact on the game's narrative, and it is considered good manners to ask for the GM's permission before aiming for a template.

Copy

Slayers is unique in that Sorcery has led to a magical innovation called "copies". Copies are essentially clones, which can be manufactured using very little genetic material from a source or donor to create a near-perfect "copy" of the original, complete with the donor's memory and skill. This means that players can create clones of themselves, or use a "copy cultivator", a device used to manufacture these copies, to have a new body created for themselves following their death. By "near-perfect", copies can have slight alterations, such as a wrongly-colored eye, a missing scar, and other superficial difference from the original.

A copy cultivator is rare, and extremely expensive. For starters, general society tends to look down on Sorcery in general, and creating clones is over the line for most people. A copy cultivator would then be kept only deep within the premises of a reputable Sorcerers' Guild hall, or in the private possession of a vastly wealthy sorcerer. Furthermore, this would mean that the use of a copy cultivator would be extremely expensive, or else require a near-lethal task or trade in order for a person or party to use it. On top of that, a copy has its own personality. Unless a copy is mind controlled, a copy has full-agency, and may not comply with what its donor's intentions for it being made.

If a copy is made, it must be made using material from a non-NPC character (that is, no NPC levels are in the donor's class). Copies start with half the number of total levels its donor had. For example, if the original has three levels in priest and seven levels in warrior, a total of ten levels, a copy would have five levels that can be spent between both classes. However, a copy cannot exceed the class level of any class of the original; in the aforementioned example, the highest level of priest the copy could have is three, as the original. A copy has the same STR, DEX, and CON as the original without magical effects at the time of donation; for INT, WIS, and CHA, roll a 3d6 for each ability. If the roll would exceed the original's attribute any any category, it is instead set equal to the original's. Copies have the appropriate skill points and feat slots for their starting level, which can only be spent on skills and feats the original had, and again cannot exceed the level of skill or feat the donor possessed. They do retain all of the spells the original had, but cannot get class-based bonuses until the copy is of the appropriate level. Despite these limitations at creation, copies can, through experience, exceed the skill and level of the donor over time.

Chimera

Chimeras are, naturally, the magical hybridization of two or more creatures. Chimeras are difficult and magically expensive to create; as such, very rarely are chimeras made from intelligent races. Sorcerers usually make chimeras to act as super-powered servants, taking the best from two creatures to generate something greater. As such, beastmen are commonly used as a base for a chimera, or a powerful, non-intelligent monster, while humans tend to be avoided due to their personal autonomy.

Within the D20, start with one of the core races (a beastman, dragon, or human), and then add one or more half-creatures from the sections below. If there are two conflicting values in half-races, such as for ability adjustments, only the best value is applied to the resulting chimera. Level adjustments, however, are cumulative. Chimeras have their soul's essence split equally depending on their corresponding parts (a human mixed with a golem and a troll becomes one-third human, one-third golem, and one-third troll). If a chimera wants to be created using a template other than one provided, it requires the GM's approval. Furthermore, excessive fusions should result in a distinctly "non-human" end result, which can have disastrous consequences when trying to socialize or traverse towns and cities. For example, Zelgadis Greywords, a chimera of human, troll, and golem, keeps his physical appearance hidden in public to avoid persecution.

A player does not need to specifically be a chimera to play a half-race, but a half-race requires a base class to specify their heritage.

Half-Demon

Half-demons are the hybridization of a human or beastman with a lesser demon through sorcerous magic most often through possession. A lesser demon is distinctly different from a greater demon, or mazoku, and as such there is a difference between the two templates. Due to the demonic influence, a half-demon will generally be of an evil or chaotic alignment.

Size and Type: Unchanged.

Special Attacks: Unchanged, but gains access to all Common spells following normal rules, regardless of class. Advanced spells require the appropriate class and training.

Special Qualities: Unchanged, but have Intuitive Magic (Ex), a +2 racial bonus to all Fortitude saves and control checks to cast spells, and Spell Resistance (Ex), which is equal to 10 + character level.

Abilities: Gains DEX +2 and CON +2.

Skills: +2 racial bonus to Spellcraft, Summoning, and UMD.

Level Adjustment: Base creature +2.

Half-Dragon

An even rarer hybridization, a half-dragon would require the mating of a dragon in human form with a human. Such pairings are not recorded in any work of Slayers, with the exception of the D20 here. The offspring would have inclinations towards their draconic nature, generally being of good or lawful alignment. A half-dragon would also probably be physically attractive.

Size and Type: Unchanged.

Special Attacks: Unchanged, but gain a Breath Weapon (Su) that has a Reflex save of DC 10 + half the character's level + character's CON modifier. Laser breath is a line that inflicts 1d6 fire damage per character level.

Special Qualities: Unchanged, but gains a damage reduction of 5/magic, low-light vision, hunter resistance, a +2 racial bonus to all Fortitude saves and control checks on White spells, and a spell resistance of 5+ character level.

Abilities: Gains STR +4 and CHA +2.

Level Adjustment: Base creature +2.

Half-Golem

A golem is a construct, lacking autonomy and built out of sturdy material, typically rock or stone. For a chimera to be made from a golem, it would require the fusion to be done through sorcerous means. Golems are extremely tough, and the benefits of making a chimera using a golem is almost immediately obvious.

Size and Type: Unchanged.

Armor Class: Natural armor +4.

Special Qualities: Unchanged, but gains a damage reduction of 10/magic, and immunity to all poisons and diseases.

Abilities: STR +4.

Level adjustment: Base creature +2.

Half-Mazoku

A half-mazoku comes into existence solely through magical means. A mazoku, a greater demon, is a creature of pride, viewing the core races as lesser and pathetic. As such, a half-mazoku would only exist through two ways. The first is if a mazoku sees fusing with a creature as the best way to achieve their personal goal of destruction, if the fusion would lead to greater catastrophic results, or if the mazoku's personal existence is in jeopardy. (For example, Seigram fusing with Zuuma.) The second is if a mazoku's essence is sealed within a human soul. (For example, Chaos Dragon Garv, or Rezo the Red Priest.) A half-mazoku would almost always be of an evil or chaotic alignment, and may emit a terrifying presence.

Size and Type: Unchanged, but a half-mazoku changes to outsider (native).

Armor Class: Gains their Charisma modifier (if positive) as a deflection bonus to their AC.

Special Qualities: Unchanged, but they gain a damage reduction of 10/magic, darkvision, hunger resistance, immunity to poison and disease, a spell resistance of 15 + character level, and Astral Phasing (Su). Astral Phasing shifts the character from the Material to the Astral Planes, and back again at will. They can do this once per day for every two character levels, and can bring one additional person at the cost of a use per day to do this. They must be touched by the half-mazoku during the entire shift. In the Astral Plane, characters may make a Vision check (DC 25) to see and hear things in the Material Plane, and can travel long distances instantaneously. However, the Astral Plane has hostile demonic entities, which can handicap or terminate travel entirely. Material attacks and effects cannot affect someone in the Astral Plane, and vice-versa.

Abilities: Gains STR +2, DEX +2, CON +2, INT +4, CHA +4.

Skills: Receives Vision as a class skill, regardless of class. Also gains a +2 racial bonus on Bluff, Intimidate, and Summoning checks.

Level Adjustment: Base creature +4.

Half-Troll

Trolls are monsters, which appeared in the Material Plane following the first fight of Flare Dragon Ceipheed and Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu at the beginning of the world's history. Trolls are unintelligent, brutish monsters, but that doesn't prevent them from being hired by thugs for extra muscle. For a half-troll to exist, it would require the mating of a core race with a troll, or the use of magic to create a chimera.

Size and Type: Unchanged.

Armor Class: Gains natural armor +2.

Special Qualities: Unchanged, but gains a troll's Recovery. Trolls regenerate at an insane rate. For a half-troll, it's as if the spell Recovery is constantly in effect, healing even lethal damage at a rate of one-half the character's level plus one-half their Constution bonus as hit points per round, rounded down.

Abilities: Gains STR +4, CON +4, INT -2, and CHA -2.

Level Adjustment: Base creature +1.

Slayers D20 Classes

Slayers has, like most campaigns, Core Classes and Prestige Classes. The difference between the Slayers D20 and other manuals is that the writers decided to use in-universe nomenclature over standardized class titles in other books. The examples they point out are that their sorcerers, warriors, and clerics aren't the same as ones you'd find loading up a game of Baldur's Gate.

Classes all have their own alignment limitations, class skills, skill points, and class features. Core classes have no requirements since, for all intents and purposes in-universe, anyone can become a priest or a rogue, but prestigious ones have a list of requirements, both in terms of character's alignment and their class skills. This is to reflect the difference between your standard warrior, like the mooks Lina and friends regularly fight when trying to break out of a city after refusing to pay for a meal, and a swordsman like Gourry who can fend off a dozen of those said mooks single-handedly.

Core Classes

The following is a list of common adventuring professions in the Slayers world. They have few limitations, if any, and most races can find a career pursuing any of them.

Bandit

Bandits focus less on their own personal strength, and more on getting a posse together to beat up anyone in their way. While they can be technically good, they would rather use illegal vigilantism than follow the law or enlist with the local militia. Almost every bandit chooses such a life for money. Whether it's robbing from the rich or the poor, a bandit can one day hope to have their own group to lead to riches and plunder.

Alignment: Any non-lawful

Hit Die: d10

Class Skills: Appraise(INT), Bluff(CHA), Climb(STR), Craft(INT), Disguise(CHA), :Gather Information(CHA), Handle Animal(CHA), Hide(DEX), Intimidate(CHA), Jump(STR), Move :Silently(DEX), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Search(INT), Sleight of Hand(DEX), :Survival(WIS), Swim(STR), Taunt(CHA), Use Rope(DEX)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (6+INT modifier)x4

Skill Point at Each Additional Level: 6+INT modifier

Class Features: Proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, and shields (except tower shields)

Outcast: +2 bonus to Intimidate checks; Survivor: +2 bonus to Survival checks

Ganging Up: At 2nd level or higher, bandits using the "Aid Another" option in combat provides double the normal bonus of +2 to +4

Sneak Attack: Functions as the rogue ability of the same name

"Get'em!": At 4th level or higher, flanking bonuses increase from +2 to +4

Band: At 8th level or higher a bandit can have a band of followers as if they have the Leadership feat. If the character has the Leadership feat, that feat's score is increased by +2. The cohort is greedy and selfish, but may become loyal to the character over time

Gang: At 11th level the Band becomes a Gang, and their Leadership score increases by +2

Mob: At 14th level, the Gang becomes a Mob, and their Leadership score increases by +2

Clan: At 17th level, the Mob becomes a Clan, and their Leadership score increases by +2

Ravening Hordes: At 20th level, the bandit's Leadership increases by another +2.

Bounty Hunter

As the name implies, bounty hunters earn their living by capturing targets, dead or alive. Sometimes they work as independent contractors for governments, hunting down known criminals for a reward. Others can be hired as mercenaries for unsavory organizations to track down a person or object. At their core, a bounty hunter is a lone wolf, working with others usually out of necessity rather than companionship.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d8

Class Skills: Balance(DEX), Bluff(CHA), Climb(STR), Concentration(CON), Craft(INT), Forgery(INT), Gather Information(CHA), Handle Animal(CHA), Hide(DEX), Intimidate(CHA), Jump(STR), Listen(WIS), Move Silently(DEX), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Sense Motive(WIS), Spot(WIS), Survival(WIS), Swim(STR), Tumble(DEX), Use Rope(DEX)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (6+INT modifier)x4

Skill Points at Each Aditional Level: 6+INT modifier

Class Features: Proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, and with light armor and shield (except tower shields)

Track: Receives the Track feat for free at 1st level

Wild Empathy: Functions similar to a Diplomacy check on animals, rather than humans. The player rolls a 1d20 and adds their bounty hunter level and Charsima modifier to determine the result of the check. Domestic animals are usually neutral following a successful check, while wild animals are usually unfriendly. The bounty hunter and targeted animal must have line of sight of each other, be within 30 feet of each other, and have about 1 minute to study each other for Wild Empathy to be used.

Bonus Feats: At 2nd level and every 4 leveles thereafter, bounty hunters receive one of the following bonus feats (player's choice): Code, Combat Expertise (Improved Disarm, Improved Trip), Dramatic Zeal, Endurance (Diehard), Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Improved Unarmed Strike (Improved Grapple, Stunning Fist), Skill Focus (with any class Skill), Skill Specialty (with any class Skills), Toughness, Weapon Focus. The player must still meet all of the prerequisites for a bonus feat before selecting it.

Uncanny Dodge: At 3rd level, a bounty hunter cannot be caught flatfooted. The player retains his or her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if surprised or attacked by an invisible enemy. However, they still lose any Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If the player already has Uncanny Dodge from a different class, they automatically gain Improved Uncanny Dodge (see below) instead.

Trap Sense: At 5th level, bounty hunters gain a +1 bonus on Reflex saves to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks from traps. These bonuses rise to +2 at 10th level, +3 at 15th level, and +4 at 20th level. These bonuses are cumulative with other Trap Sense bonuses from other classes.

Improved Uncanny Dodge: At 8th level, the bounty hunter can no longer be flanked. This also denies bandies or rogues the ability to sneak attack on the flank, unless the attacker is at least four levels higher. If the bounty hunter already has Improved Uncanny Dodge thanks to another class, the levels of both of those classes are added together to determine the minimum level required to perform a flanking sneak attack on the bounty hunter.

Swift Tracker: At 8th level, bounty hunters can follow tracks without the normal -5 penalty to movement speed. They also only take a -10 penalty (instead of -20) when moving at up to double the normal movement speed while tracking.

Evasion: At 9th level, bounty hunters can make Reflex saving throws against attacks that normally deal half-damage on a successful save. If they succeed, they take no damage instead. Evasion can only be used while wearing light, or no, armor. Bounty hunters unable to move, like from immobilization, cannot use Evasion.

Fast Movement: At 12th level, the bounty hunter's normal movement speed increases by +5 only while wearing light, or no, armor. Apply the bonus before modifiers for wearing armor or weight carried. At 16th level, this bonus increases to a total of +10.

Loremaster

A loremaster is someone with a mastery over a specific field of knowledge. Whether it's how to create chimeras, construct Copies, or kill dragons, a loremaster's understanding of an aspect of the world is unmatched. While ancient tomes of knowledge are locked away in libraries and reliquaries, a good loremaster puts their skills to the test in the field, proving that they truly know as much as they think they do.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d6

Class Skills: Appraise(INT), Concentration(Con), Craft(INT), Decipher Script(INT), Diplomacy(CHA), Forgery(INT), Gather Information(CHA), Heal(WIS), Knowledge(Arcana)(INT), Knowledge(Religion)(INT), Knowledge(all skills, taken individually)(INT), Profession(WIS), Search(INT), Sense Motive(WIS), Spellcraft(INT), Use Magic Device(CHA), Vision(INT)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (10+INT modifier)x4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 10+INT modifier

Class Features: Proficiency with simple weapons, but not with armor nor shields

Loremaster Knowledge: Loremasters can make special checks to see if they know something about persons, places, or things of note in the world, with a bonus equal to the sum of their loremaster level and Intelligence modifier. A loremaster with 5 or more ranks in Knowledge(History) gains a +2 synergy bonus to this check. A successful check will not reveal the secrets of a magical item, but may give a hint as to how it works. A loremaster may not take 10 or take 20 on this check; it is entirely random, based on the GM's determination.

DC; Type of Knowledge

10; Common, known by most people

20; Uncommon, but not unheard of by some people

25; Obscure, only a few people know this

30; Rare, and either never heard of by most, forgotten by those who did know it, or known by those who can't recognize its importance

Secret: At 2nd level, and every two levels afterward, a loremaster learns one of the following secrets:

Applicable Knowledge: Gain any one feat which the player meets the prerequisites for. This secret can be learned repeatedly.

Lore of Advanced Casting: Choose either sorcery, shamanism, or white magic spells. The loremaster can now learn spells of this type. This secret may be learned more than once to discover the other fields not chosen the first or, if applicable, second time.

Lore of Auras: The loremaster can now use Search Skill to read the aura of a magic item and identify either its basic properties, or the power level of the spell or effect on it.

Lore of Common Knowledge: Select any one cross-class skill. That skill becomes a class skill for the loremaster, and gainst a +2 bonus on all checks with that skill. This secret can be learned repeatedly, but does not raise a skill's bonus. Each time this secret is revealed, a different skill must be chosen.

Lore of Defense: Gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC. This secret may be learned repeatedly, and its effects are cumulative.

Lore of Magical Power: Select a type of magic (common, shamanistic, sorcery, or white magic). When casting spells of that type, the loremaster gains a +5 bonus to Fortitude saving throws and control checks. This secret may be learned more than once, but the effects are not cumulative. Each revelation must apply to a different type of magic.

Lore of Skills: Gain an additional 4 skill points. These skill points are spent normally. This secret can be learned multiple times, and its effects are cumulative.

Lore of Spells: Increases the maximum number of spells known by three per loremaster level. Additionally, the player adds their loremaster level to control checks just as for any other spellcasting class.

Lore of Weapons: Gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls. This secret may be learned more than once, and its effects are cumulative.

Nerve Bundle Strike: The loremaster can now make a special attack once per day, either to kill or paralyze their target. This attack is made with a normal melee weapon, and the attack must be declared before the attack roll is made. If the attack hits, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10+any damage dealt by the attack). If the roll fails, the target is either killed, or paralysed for 1d6 minutes, plus 1 minute per loremaster level. If the roll succeeds, the target takes normal attack damage instead. This secret may be learned more than once, and each time it is learned the loremaster can use one additional special attack per day.

Secret Strike: The loremaster can now make a secret strike. Once per day, they can add their Intelligence bonus to an attack roll for success, and on successful strikes deal 1 point of extra damage per loremaster level. This secret can be learned more than once, and allows the use of an extra secret strike each day.

Noble

While there are many snotty, snobbish, snooty nobles in the world, there are a few who still feel the call for adventure despite their landing. These nobles become generals who lead armies, or diplomats who travel from country to country, or scholars who become entangled in sorcerous politics. No matter their destination, a noble is never without their wealth, their dignity, and their natural pride from their heritage. These resources are what gives them their own edge when it comes to traveling the world, either for adventure or leisure.

Aligntment: Any

Hit Die: d8

Class Skills: Bluff(CHA), Craft(INT), Diplomacy(CHA), Disguise(CHA), Gather Information(CHA), Intimidate(CHA), Knowledge(all skills taken individually)(INT), Perform(CHA), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Ride(DEX), Sense Motive(WIS), Swim(STR), Taunt(CHA)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (6+INT modifier)x4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6+INT modifier

Class Features: Proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields)

Fascinate: As long as the noble has 3 or more ranks in a Perform skill, they can use Fascinate to perform a speech to cause fascination one or more creatures. Each creature must be within 90 feet, be able to hear the noble, and have enough intelligence to pay attention to the speech. Both the creature and noble must have line of sight with each other. Nearby distractions may prevent the ability from succeeding. While Perform(Oratory) is the preferred skill, at the GM's discretion other Perform skills may be used. The number of targets that can be affected is up to or equal to the noble's class level.

Inspire Courage: As long as the noble has 3 or more ranks in a Perform skill, they can use Inspire Courage to perform a speech to bolster a targeted ally. The target must be able to hear the noble, and lasts for as long as the noble can be heard and for 5 rounds thereafter. Allies affected by Inspire Courage get a +1 morale bonus on charm, domination, and fear saving throws, as well as on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 8th level and every six noble levels thereafter, Inspire Courage gains an additional +1 morale bonus to rolls.

Recognition: The player can make a Reputation check as a free action. If the Reputation check result is less than 10, the noble receives neither a bonus nor penalty. A successful recognition check can be used, at the GM's discretion, to bypass normal conventions such as rules, regulations, or to gain special favors.

Inspire Competence: A noble of at least 3rd level with at least 6 ranks in a Perform skill can inspire an ally to succeed at a given task. The ally must be within earshot and have sight of the noble. The ally gains a +2 competence bonus on skill checks with a specific skill as long as they continue to hear the noble. The effect lasts as long as the noble concentrations, up to a maximum of 2 minutes, and cannot be used on the self.

Line of Credit: A noble of at least 4th level allows the noble to make purchases without having to spend money, relying on their funds from home. Within their domain, these purchases are automatic and implied. Outside of their domain, Line of Credit may require a Diplomacy or Intimidate skill check, or be simply unavailable. If the noble's kingdom is bankrupt or destroyed, there may not be a Line of Credit at all. At the GM's discretion, some items may not be available for a Line of Credit because they are too expensive. Also, the noble will be required to pay the debt off at a later date. Failure to do so can, at the GM's discretion, result in disasterous consequences when the debtors come to collect.

Leadership: Gain Leadership as a bonus feat at 5th level, regardless of prerequisites.

Impressive Argument: A noble of at least 6th level with 9 or more ranks in a Perform skill can force their target to do as commanded. Impressive Argument requires a successful Fascinate. A Will saving throw (DC 10+half noble's level+noble's Charisma modifier) negates the effect. If the command puts the target in harm's way, a second saving throw can be attempted with a +2 or +4 modifier, as appropriate.

Inspire Greatness: At 9th level or higher, and with 12 or more ranks in a Perform skill, the noble can move themselves or an ally within 30 feet to greater feats. For every three levels a noble gains beyond 9th level, they can target an additional ally with a single use of this ability. Inspire Greatness requires the ally to hear the noble, and to be able to speak. This effect lasts as long as they hear the noble, and for 5 rounds thereafter. A creature affected by Inspire Greatness gains 2 bonus hit dice (d10s) as well as their temporary hit points (apply the target's Constitution modifier to these bonus Hit Dice), a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves.

Inspirational Leader: At 12th level or higher, a noble can improve their Inspire features. Using an Inspire ability that benefits an ally, increase that effect by 50%, rounded up.

Inspire Heroics: At 15th level or higher and with 18 or more ranks in a Perform skill, the noble can push themselves or an ally within 30 feet to tremendous acts, no matter the odds. For every three levels a noble gainst beyond 15th, they can use this ability on an additional creature. The noble must be able to speak and be heard by their ally for a full round. This inspiration grants a +4 morale bonus on saving throws, and a +4 dodge bonus to AC. This effect lasts for as long as the noble is heard, and for up to 5 rounds afterwards.

Great Leadership: A noble of at least 18th level gains more followers than other nobles. They may have an additional cohort, and twice as many followers of each level.

Priest

Priests dedicate their lives to the worship of either Ceipheed, or his dragon aspects that remain in the world. They can be found either living in a metropolitan community, such as Saillune proper, or traveling abroad performing miracles, as Rezo the Red Priest did prior to his death. Most priests are highly respected members of the community due to the kindness they exhibit, and the charity they inspire. However, some priests don't inspire the call to action; some fanatics, like the Cult of Shabranigdu, have been known to exist and promote the end of the world, and Shabranigdu's subordinates also have their own priests, such as Greater Beast's retainer Xellos.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d6

Class Skills: Concentration(CON), Craft(INT), Diplomacy(CHA), Gather Information(CHA), Handle Animal(CHA), Heal(WIS), Knowledge(Local)(INT), Knowledge(Religion)(INT), Listen(WIS), Perform(CHA), Profession(WIS), Sense Motive(WIS), Spellcraft(INT)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4+INT modifier)x4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4+INT modifier

Class Features: Priests are proficient with simple weapons, but not with armor or shields

Detect Evil: Priests can detect evil at will, using a Sense Motive check with a DC 15. This may be countered by the target using a Bluff check of their own. Success on the Sense Motive roll allows the priest to see if the target is good or evil.

Smite Evil: Once per day, a priest can add their Charisma bonus to a normal attack roll and deal 1 extra damage per priest level with the attack. If the target is not evil, there is no extra damage, and Smite Evil will be wasted for that day. At 5th level, and every five levels thereafter, the priest gains an additional use of Smite Evil.

Staff: A staff is a sign of a priest's office, and is used as their sole focus for spellcasting purposes. If a priest loses their staff, they are unable to use any priest class abilities until it is recovered, or a new staff is specifically crafted for them. Each staff is unique to the priest, and can be highly decorated, or subtly notched for identification. A staff reflects a priest's personality, and should be designed as such. A priest does not need to be wielding the staff to use priest class abilities, but it must be in their possession.

Divine Grace: At 2nd level, the priest gains a bonus equal to their Charisma bonus on all saving throws.

Lay On Hands: At 2nd level, a priest with a Charisma of 12 or higher can heal wounds, their own or others, by touch. Each day, the priest can use Lay On Hands to heal damage equal to their priest level multiplied by their Charisma bonus. This healing may be divided by multiple recipients, and does not need to be expended all at once. Lay On Hands is a standard action.

Divine Health: At 3rd level, priests are immune to all diseases, magical, supernatural, or otherwise.

Remove Disease: At 6th level, priests can remove the diseases of another once per week. This can be used an additional time each week every three levels after 6th.

Bonus Feats: At 7th level and every 6 levels thereafter, priests gain one of the following bonus feats by player's choice: Code, Dignified, Dramatic Zeal, Iron Will, Loyal, Skill Focus (any class skill), Skill Specialty (any two class skills), Weapon Focus (staff)

Spellcasting: At 11th level, priests are considered spellcasters. They may learn additional spells, just as wizards or sorcerers, and increase their maximum known spells by four per priest level above 10th. Additionally, the priest adds their class level-10 to control checks. However, priests may only learn white magic spells.

Longevity: At 16th level, priests age much slower. Priests age only one year for every five years that pass.

Rogue

Rogues are easily the most versatile of adventurers, having to learn how to work their way through proper society, lower slums, and the wilderness to survive. Quick-witted and always finding a way to get out of the trouble they put themselves in, rogues create ways to give themselves an edge, either in combat or in conversation.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d8

Class Skills: Appraise(INT), Balance(DEX), Bluff(CHA), Climb(STR), Concentration(CON), Craft(INT), Disable Device(INT), Disguise(CHA), Escape Artist(DEX), Forgery(INT), Gather Information(CHA), Hide(DEX), Intimidate(CHA), Jump(STR), Listen(WIS), Move Silently(DEX), Open Lock(DEX), Perform(CHA), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Search(INT), Sense Motive(WIS), Sleight of Hand(DEX), Spot(WIS), Swim(STR), Taunt(CHA), Tumble(DEX), Use Rope(DEX)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (8+INT modifier)x4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 8+INT modifier

Class Features: Rogues have essentially all of the class features of the standard rogue class, and the Slayers D20 asks that you turn to the Player's Handbook for more information on rogue class abilities. They are proficient in light armor and all simple weapons.

Warrior

Warriors are one of the most ubiquitous professionals in the world. They can be found serving royalty in a guard, hired as bodyguards for protection services, or simply be knights errant looking to prove themselves for love. Strength and skill is the ultimate goal of a good warrior, and they take each challenge presented before them as an opportunity to test their skills, finding relish in their never-ending fight against the world.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d10

Class Skills: Climb(STR), Craft(INT), Handle Animal(CHA), Intimidate(CHA), Jump(STR), Listen(WIS), Profession(WIS), Ride(DEX), Spot(WIS), Swim(STR), Taunt(CHA), Tumble(DEX), Use Rope(DEX)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4+INT modifier)x4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4+INT modifier

Class Features: Proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, all armors (light, medium, heavy), and all shields (including tower shields)

Style: At 1st level, select a preferred weapon style: single-weapons, two-handed weapons, two-weapon fighting, weapon-and-shield, thrown weapons, or crossbows. Style bonuses can be applied to attack rolls, damage rolls, or AC, but only while fighting in the selected Style, and only provides bonuses to one of the three. The warrior gains an additional Style bonus every sixth level after 1st, and can be applied to a different style and roll, or to the same style and a different roll, or to the same style and same roll previously selected for a cumulative bonus. The GM must approve of the selected style.

Bonus Feat: AT 2nd level, and every three levels afterwards, warriors gain a bonus feat selected from the following list: Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise (Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Trip, Whirlwind Attack), Combat Reflexes, Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack), Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Improved Shield Bash, Improved Unarmed Strike (Improved Grapple, Deflect Arrows, Snatch Arrows, Stunning Fist), Mounted Combat (Mounted Archery, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Trample), Point-Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Show, Manyshot, Shot-on-the-Run, Improved Precise Shot), Power Attack (Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder), Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Two-Weapon Fighting (Two-Weapon Defense, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting), Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization). Warriors must still meet the prerequisites for their desired bonus feat before selecting it.

Judge Opponent: A warrior can determine the skill of another person by watching them fight, or fighting against the target. This skill check is d20+class level+INT modifier. Succeeding a DC 15 allows the warrior to determine if the opponent is weaker, similar, or better than themselves. This can be determined by comparing the totals of each person's attack bonus and AC. If the totals are within 3 points of each other, they are considered approximately equal in strength. However, this can be concealed by a target that succeeds on a counter Bluff check. If Judge Opponent succeeds a DC 20, they can determine the target's attack bonus and AC. If the check succeeds a DC25, they can learn the other person's identity if disguised, or determine either the place they trained or where they were raised. If Judge Opponent is used on someone who is not in combat, the check has a -10 penalty. If the player has Judge Opponent as a class ability in another class, add both class levels to the check.

Witch/Wizard

A witch or a wizard is a non-professional spellcaster, having either not yet joined, or abstained from joining, the Sorcerers' Guild or similar magic circle. These individuals either lacked the funds or desire to move on into specializing in specific schools of magic, and come out to be more well-rounded and still strong in their own right. They often become advisors, bodyguards, or magical merchants, using their knowledge of magic to supply goods and reagents to those seeking greater magical heights. While laymen may often call them sorcerers, actual sorcerers take offense towards being called a witch or a wizard, as it implies they are not the professional they actually are in spellcasting.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d6

Class Skills: Concentration(CON), Craft(INT), Decipher Script(INT), Diplomacy(CHA), Knowledge(Arcana)(INT), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually)(INT), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Search(INT), Spellcraft(INT), Spot(WIS), Swim(STR), Use Magic Device(CHA), Vision(INT)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4+INT modifier)x4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4+INT modifier

Class Features: Witches and wizards are proficient with all simple weapons, but are not proficient with any armor or shields

Spellcasting: Wizards are spellcasters. They may increase their maximum known spells by four per class level, and use their class level to control checks. Unless they gain a class ability from another class to learn more advanced spells, they may only learn common spells.

Magical Training: Wizards know how to use common spells, and may add their class level to Fortitude saves used to cast common spells.

Bonus Feat: At 1st level and every fifth level afterwards, wizards gain a bonus feat. This feat must be an item creation feat, metamagic feat, or Spell Mastery.

Defense Barrier: At 2nd level, wizards learn how to construct defensive barriers to protect against magic. At higher levels, the barrier gains increased effectiveness.

Advanced Casting: At 7th level, wizards may select one type of advanced magic (shamanistic, sorcery, or white magic), and learn spells of that type. Magical Training does not apply to these spells.

Prestige Classes

Unlike the core classes, prestige classes have requirements to alignment, base attack bonuses, skills, spells, feats, or some other special requirement. Some prestige classes are tied to organizations, such as clerics to a specific temple or a sorcerer to the Sorcerers' Guild. Ultimately it falls to the GM to work with the player to determine how connected they are to these organizations.

Cleric/Shrine Maiden

As mentioned before, priests are individuals who work for the gods through action. Shrine maidens, meanwhile, venerate the gods through devotion. Temples need staff, and shrine maidens attend to the needs of their superiors, perform the rituals necessary to receive the gods' blessings, and provide sanctuary for those seeking comfort. A shrine maiden will rarely leave their place of worship, unless their god demands it for the good of all creation. Shrine maidens usually receive years of training and instruction on proper ceremony, either being selected at a young age due to signs or circumstances, or willingly cloistering themselves with the intent of giving themselves up to the divine.

Hit Die: d6

Requirements: To become a shrine maiden, a character must meet the following criteria.

Alignment: Any non-chaotic

Skills: Diplomacy 5, Knowledge(Religion) 8, Sense Motive 5

Class Skills: Concentration(CON), Craft(INT), Diplomacy(CHA), Heal(WIS), Knowledge(Arcana)(INT), Knowledge(Religion)(INT), Perform(CHA), Profession(WIS), Search(INT), Sense Motive(WIS), Spellcraft(INT), Summoning(INT), Use Magic Device(CHA), Vision(WIS)

Skill Points at Each Level: 4+INT modifier

Class Features: Shrine maidens gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Defense Barrier: Shrine maidens can construct a magical barrier to protect against magical attacks. At higher levels, the barrier becomes stronger.

Great Faith: Shrine maidens can add their class level as a bonus to Fortitude saving throws to cast white magic spells. If the shrine maiden has levels in the priest class, they no longer require their staff as a focus to use priest class abilities.

Spellcasting: Shrine maidens are considered spellcasters. They may increase their maximum number of known spells by six per class level. Additionally, they may add their class level to control checks. They may learn from any type of spell (common, shamanistic, sorcery, or white magic). However, they must dedicate an additional spell slot to cast shamanistic or sorcery spells, which are not part of their standard spells.

Bonus Feats: At 2nd, 6th, and 10th levels, shrine maidens gain a bonus feat from the following list: Augment Summoning, Code, Holy Magic, Loyal, Spell Master, or any item creation or metamagic feat.

Sense Aura: Shrine maidens can identify magic items by sight, and use the Search skill to identify the properties of any item they encounter, or the approximate strength of any enchantments on the item.

Sense Evil: Shrine maidens can determine if a mazoku, or some other great evil, is nearby, where it is located, and approximately how powerful it is, from weak to overwhelming. Sense Evil cannot be used to determine anything specific about the malevolent force, only where and how strong it is.

Martial Artist

Within the Known World, martial artists are rare and exotic, using traditions from the Outer World long since lost to time following the War of Monster's Fall 1,000 years ago. Those who do keep these techniques alive can usually be found searching for lost secrets to their ancient art, or else using a strict code of conduct to defend those who can't defend themselves. In a world of knights and sorcery, martial artists are strange and different, and this uniqueness gives them an upper-hand in a fight.

Hit Die: d10

Requirements: To become a martial artist, a character must meet the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +5

Skills: Climb 8, Jump 8, Tumble 8

Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Weapon Focus (unarmed strike or grapple), Weapon Specialization (unarmed strike or grapple)

Class Skills: Balance(DEX), Climb(STR), Concentration(CON), Craft(INT), Diplomacy(CHA), Escape Artist(DEX), Hide(DEX), Intimidate(CHA), Jump(STR), Listen(WIS), Move Silently(DEX), Perform(CHA), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Spot(WIS), Swim(STR), Taunt(CHA), Tumble(DEX)

Skill Points at Each Level: 6+INT modifier

Class Features: Martial artists gain no proficiency with armor or weapons

Unarmed Damage: Unarmed damage is increased based on the table provided with the manual.

Evasion: If the player succeeds on a Reflex throw against an attack that normally deals half-damage on a successful save, the martial artist instead takes no damage. Evasion can only be used if the martial artist is wearing light or no armor, and cannot be used if they are helpless.

Hien Sen Puuda: Once per day, the martial artist can add their Wisdom bonus to any normal attack roll with an extra 1 damage per class level. Every three levels, the martial artist gains another use of Hien Sen Puuda per day.

Spell Resistance: At 2nd level, martial artists gain spell resistance equal to their class level+15.

Uncanny Dodge: At 2nd level, martial artists cannot be caught by surprise, and retain their Dexterity bonus to AC when attacked flat-footed or by an invisible character. Uncanny Dodge does not work while immobilized. A martial artist that already has Uncanny Dodge from a different class gains Improved Uncanny Dodge instead.

Ho-Oh Ranbu Kick: At 3rd level, martial artists gain Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, and may use Stunning Fist once per day per class level, plus one for every four levels in other classes. Additionally, their target's Fortitude save DC is increased by +2 against a Stunning Fist.

Improved Uncanny Dodge: At 5th level, martial artists can no longer be flanked. This denies bandits or rogues the ability to sneak attack, unless the attacker is four levels or higher than the player. If the martial artist already has Improved Uncanny Dodge, the levels from the classes that grant Uncanny Dodge stack to determine the minimum bandit or rogue level required to flank the player.

Improved Evasion: At 6th level, martial artists no longer take damage on a successful Reflex save against attacks, and only take half the damage on a failed save. If the martial artist is helpless, they cannot use Improved Evasion.

Ki Strike: At 8th level, martial artists have their unarmed attacks treated as magic weapons for the purpose of striking creatures with damage reduction.

Embu Toh-Ketsu Ha!: The Embu Toh-Ketsu Ha! is a ranged touch attack that channels ki from their hands or a weapon used at a focus against a target within 20 feet. If it hits the target, it deals damage equal to the martial artist's normal unarmed damage.

Master-At-Arms

The archtypical military general, the master-at-arms neither fights for gold like a petty bounty hunter nor glory like a common warrior. A master-at-arms fights for a cause or purpose, be it for a kingdom, a person, or an ideal. The master-at-arms is essentially an improved version of the warrior class, giving the character an extremely versatile feat selection as they become stronger.

Hit Die: d12

Requirements: To become a master-at-arms, a character must meet the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +8

Feats: Armor Proficiency (Light, Medium), Martial Weapon Proficiency (any), Power Attack, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization

Class Skills: Climb(STR), Concentration(CON), Craft(INT), Handle Animal(CHA), Intimidate(CHA), Jump(STR), Listen(WIS), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Ride(DEX), Spot(WIS), Swim(STR), Taunt(CHA), Use Rope(DEX)

Skill Points at Each Level: 4+INT modifier

Class Features: Masters-at-arms gain proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, all armor types, and shields (including tower shields)

Armor Compatibility: Masters-at-arms retain half their defense bonus (rounded down) even while wearing armor

Bonus Feat: At every 2nd level, masters-at-arms gain one of the following bonus feats that they meet the prerequisites for: Cleave (Great Cleave), Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical, Improved Overrun, Improved Shield Bash, Improved Sunder, Mounted Combat (Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Trample), Toughness, Weapon Focus (Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization).

Style: This is exactly like the warrior version, only it can only be applied to two-handed weapon or weapon-and-shield styles.

Judge Opponent: This is exactly like the warrior version. If the master-at-arms already has Judge Opponent, they gain a +2 competence bonus on Judge Opponent use.

Improved Armor Compatibility: At 9th level, masters-at-arms retain their full class-based defense bonus even while wearing armor.

Pistoleer

In the War of Monster's Fall, nearly every spellcaster in the world came to Lina's continent to try and defeat Lei-Shabranigdu, Hellmaster Phibrizzo, and Chaos Dragon Garv. Following Lei-Shabranigdu's deep freeze, the deaths of Hellmaster's retainers, Garv's imprisonment in a human soul, and Aqualord Regradia sinking into the sea, the remaining four subordinates of Shabranigdu constructed the Mazoku Barrier, preventing passage into and out of the continent. The surrounding area outside of the barrier became known as the Outer World, which suddenly found itself without access to greater magic as there were no more scholars readily available for research. This led to the advancement of technology, and to a new way of fighting. Pistoleers are fighters and craftsmen who have learned how to construct pistols, rifles, and explosives to fight with, much to the scorn of sorcerers who view such a method as the uneducated man's attempt at emulating magic.

Hit Die: d8

Requirements: To become a pistoleer, a character must meet the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +5

Skills': Craft(Gunsmithing) 9

Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms), Weapon Focus (any firearm), Weapon Specialization (any firearm)

Special: Character must have access gunpowder and either craft, or find someone able to craft for them, bombs and firearms. Gunpowder requires access to saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur to craft.

Class Skills: Balance(DEX), Bluff(CHA), Climb(STR), Craft(INT), Disable Device(INT), Gather Information(CHA), Intimidate(CHA), Jump(STR), Listen(WIS), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Search(INT), Sense Motive(WIS), Sleight of Hand(DEX), Spot(WIS), Swim(STR), Taunt(CHA), Use Rope(DEX)

Skill Points at Each Level: 6+INT modifier

Class Features: Pistoleers gain no proficiency with weapons or armor

Bonus Feat: At 1st level and every level thereafter, pistoleers gain a bonus feat from the following list that they meet the prerequisites for: Dodge (Mobility), Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Mounted Archery, Point-Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Shot-on-the-Run, Improved Precise Shot), Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Weapon Focus (Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization).

Trick Shot: Reduces any penalty a pistoleer makes to a ranged attack roll, regardless of circumstance, by one-half their class level (rounded down). At 2nd level, pistoleers no longer provoke an attack of opportunity from their target for making a ranged attack in a threatened area. Other enemies in the threatening area can make an attack of opportunity, and a pistoleer not making a ranged attack will suffer the event as usual.

Style: This is exactly like the warrior ability, however it only applies to ranged attack styles.

Destructive Genius: At 6th level, pistoleers can add their class level to any check made towards Craft(Gunsmithing). Craft(Gunsmithing) can also be used to make improvised weapons that imitate destructive spells, at the GM's discretion, such as requiring the Craft(Gunsmithing) check to meet the imitated spell's normal DC and needing a vast amount of materials to construct the weapon. This can also be used towards the design of mechanical devices, such as tanks, if the GM allows it.

Portable Armory: At 10th level, a pistoleer appears to have innumerable bombs and firearms tucked away in their clothing, rather than having to spend time reloading firing a single shot. The Portable Armory operates under the same rules as a Bag of Holding, only for bombs and firearms; this equipment does not slow the player's movement, nor are they visible for observation by other characters. Weapons inside of the Portable Armory do not need to be accounted for, except when it is time to craft more gunpowder and ammunition. Portable Armory can be used on Intimidate checks, at the GM's discretion. After extended periods of using Portable Armory, the GM may call for a Sleight of Hand check to see if the pistoleer's ammunition is finally expended. The DC for such a check can be as low as 20, or as high as 40, depending on the amount of time the Portable Armory has been used.

Shaman

Shamanistic magic is arguably the most-versatile type of magic in the Slayers world. Drawing upon the powers of spirits to control the four elements, shamanism gives a deeper understanding of nature than white magic, which is too focused on the gods, and sorcery, which surrenders itself to demons. By delving in to the Astral Plane, shamans are constantly sitting on the edge between the divine and the diabolical, choosing their own path rather than following a specific entity. Most professions turn to shamanism to give their spellcasting arsenal a wide variety of magic.

Hit Die: d6

Requirements: To become a shaman, a character must meet the following criteria.

Skills: Knowledge(Nature) 5, Spellcraft 8

Spells: Able to cast at least 12 common spells or 1 shamanistic spell

Special: The player must have access to shamanistic lore, such as a library, or a qualified instructor. Sorcerers' Guilds usually provide both, but in the Outer World, no such society exists.

Class Skills: Concentration(CON), Craft(INT), Heal(WIS), Knowledge(Arcana)(INT), Knowledge(Nature)(INT), Listen(WIS), Profession(WIS), Ride(DEX), Search(INT), Sense Motive(WIS), Spellcraft(INT), Spot(WIS), Summoning(INT), Survival(WIS), Swim(STR), Use Magic Device(CHA), Vision(WIS)

Skill Points at Each Level: 4+INT modifier

Class Features: Shamans gain no proficiency in weapons nor armors

Defense Barrier: Shamans can use magical barriers to protect against magical attacks. At higher levels, the barrier becomes stronger.

Shamanistic Focus: Shamans add their class level as a bonus to all Fortitude saves made casting shamanistic spells.

Spellcasting: Shamans are considered spellcasters. They may increase their maximum number of spells by six per class level, and add their class level to control checks. Shamans can learn any type of spell, but have disadvantage with sorcery and white magic and must use an additional spell slot towards any of those two types of spells they learn.

Bonus Feats: At 2nd level and every four levels afterwards, shamans get a bonus feat. The feat must be Augment Summoning, Code, Dignified, Spell Master, or any item creation or metamagic feat.

Sense Aura: Shamans can recognize magical items, and use the Search Skill to identify either the basic properties or enchantment on said items.

Sorcerer

Sorcerers are what most people think of when someone considers what a spellcaster is. Sorcerers are typically found within or near a Sorcerers' Guild, which is a loose collection of spellcasters that experiment or otherwise engage in magical research, and record and exchange information. For those on the outside, sorcerers appear quite evil. Their spells create contracts with demons--some sorcerers even going so far as to create pacts with them for greater powers--and they use questionable methods for creating Copies, potions, and destructive magic. However, not nearly every sorcerer is as amoral as the surface appears, but they certainly are extremely morally flexible, which can lead towards corruption. Witches and wizards tend to gravitate towards becoming sorcerers to become stronger.

Hit Die: d6

Requirements: To become a sorcerer, a character must meet the following criteria.

Alignment: Any non-lawful

Skills: Knowledge(Arcana) 5, Spellcraft 8

Spells: Able to cast at least 12 common spells or 1 sorcery spell

Special: The player must have access to sorcerous lore, such as a library, or a qualified instructor. Sorcerers' Guilds usually provide both, but in the Outer World, no such society exists.

Class Skills: Bluff(CHA), Concentration(CON), Craft(INT), Disguise(CHA), Intimidate(CHA), Knowledge(Arcana)(INT), Knowledge(Religion)(INT), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Search(INT), Sense Motive(WIS), Spellcraft(INT), Spot(WIS), Summoning(INT), Taunt(CHA), Use Magic Device(CHA), Vision(WIS)

Skill Points at Each Level: 4+INT modifier

Class Features: Sorcerers gain no proficiency with weapons nor armors

Defense Barrier: Sorcerers can use a magical barrier to protect themselves from magical attacks. As the sorcerer becomes stronger, so too does the magical barrier.

Sorcery Focus: Sorcerers add their class level as a bonus to all Fortitude saves made casting sorcery spells.

Spellcasting: Sorcerers are considered spellcasters, and may increase their maximum known spells by six per class level. Additionally, their class level can be added towards control checks. Sorcerers may learn any type of spell, but have disadvantage on shamanistic and white magic spells. An extra spell slot must be dedicated towards these two last types of spells.

Bonus Feats: At 2nd level and every four levels thereafter, the sorcerer gains a bonus feat from the following list: Augment Summoning, Bold, Dramatic Zeal, Spell Mastery, or any item creation or metamagic feat.

Sense Aura: Sorcerers can recognize magic items and may use the Search Skill to identify its basic properties and degree of enchantment on it.

Swordsman

While anyone can pick up a blade and call themselves a warrior, a swordsman is a cut above the rest. Their skill, precision, focus, and strength make sword fighting look more like a dance than a form of combat, and their degree of prowess makes them just as many enemies as friends. Swordsmen become famous, intentionally or not, through the use of their discipline, and it's not uncommon for some to hunt down particularly famous ones to best them in a duel. A swordsman needs to love the art fighting and be willing to face whatever challenges come their way to not only succeed, but survive.

Hit Die: d12

Requirements: To become a swordsman, a character must meet the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +8

Skills: Reputation 5, Taunt 5, Tumble 5

Feats: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Martial Weapon Proficiency (any sword), Weapon Focus (any sword), Weapon Specialization (any sword)

Class Skills: Balance(DEX), Climb(STR), Craft(INT), Intimidate(CHA), Jump(STR), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Ride(DEX), Spot(WIS), Swim(STR), Taunt(CHA), Tumble(DEX)

Skill Points at Each Level: 6+INT modifier

Class Features: Swordsmen gain no proficiency with any weapons nor armors

Glamorous Reputation: Swordsmen gain a +2 bonus on all Reputation checks

Evasion: At 2nd level, swordsmen who make a successful Reflex save on attacks that normally deal half damage on a successful slave takes no damage instead. Evasion can only be used if the swordsman is wearing light or no armor. A helpless swordsman cannot use Evasion.

Style: This is exactly like the warrior ability, but can only apply to two-handed weapons, single-weapons, or two-weapon styles while using a type of sword.

Bonus Feat: At 4th, 8th, and 10th levels, swordsmen gain a bonus feat that they meet the prerequisites for from the following list: Combat Expertise (Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Trip, Whirlwind Attack), Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Spring Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting (Two-Weapon Defense, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting), Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization)

Judge Opponent: This functions exactly the same as the warrior ability. If the swordsman already has this ability from another class, they instead gain a +2 competence bonus to Judge Opponent checks.

Improved Evasion: At 6th level, swordsmen take no damage from attacks after completing a successful Reflex save, and furthermore only take half damage from such attacks on a failed Reflex save. A helpless swordsman cannot use Improved Evasion.

Price of Fame: At 9th level, swordsmen may use their base attack bonus to defend themselves when opting to use the total defense option in combat. They make a roll of 1d20+base attack bonus+DEX modifier+6 dodge bonus for total defense; if this value is higher than the swordsman's normal AC, this value becomes the character's effective AC against melee attacks for one round. Price of Fame does not affect incoming ranged attacks.

Warrior of Justice

If there was ever a means of fully encapsulating the definition of Lawful Stupid, it would be the Warrior of Justice. Unbroken, unshaken, and uncompromising, the warrior of justice will use whatever means necessary to establish love and peace. Their devotion to the truth borders on social ignorance as they do things no one else would ever dream of doing. A warrior of justice is, at their core, the hero of legend who brings light into a dark world and hope in the hearts of others who wish that they would go away and leave them alone for a few minutes.

Hit Die: d10

Requirements: To become a warrior of justice, a character must meet the following criteria.

Alignment: Lawful Good

Base Attack Bonus: +5

Skills: Intimidate 5, Jump 5, Perform 5, Tumble 5

Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (unarmed strike or grapple)

Special: Warriors must have an appropriate obsession with love, peace, and justice as part of their Iron Will feat.

Class Skills: Balance(DEX), Climb(STR), Craft(INT), Diplomacy(CHA), Disguise(CHA), Escape Artist(DEX), Gather Information(CHA), Heal(WIS), Hide(DEX), Intimidate(CHA), Jump(STR), Listen(WIS), Move Silently(DEX), Perform(CHA), Profession(WIS), Reputation(CHA), Sense Motive(WIS), Spot(WIS), Survival(WIS), Swim(STR), Taunt(CHA), Tumble(DEX)

Skill Points at Each Level: 4+INT modifier

Class Features: Warriors of justice gain no proficiency with weapons nor armor

Optimism of Justice: Warriors of justice are immune to fear caused by psychological attacks, but are still susceptible to fear caused by magical or supernatural forces.

Special Attack: At every level, warriors of justice gain a new special attack. Multiple special attacks cannot be used in a single attack, but they can use more than one special attack of different types in the same round. Special Attacks can be used by an amount per day equal to their class level, and specific special attacks may be used more than once, but no more than three times per day.

All Men Brothers, Hand in Hand: The warrior of justice can make additional unarmed attacks with t heir full base attack bonus, but all of their attacks, including their normal attack, suffer a -2 penalty to each strike. This penalty is cumulative for each use of All Men Brothers, Hand in Hand within the same action, up to a totally of -6 on all four strikes if used three times in one action.

Benevolent Giant Swing: After a successful Grapple, Benevolent Giant Swing can used. The warrior of justice makes a second Grapple check with a bonus equal to twice their class level. The result is of this check is the distance, in feet, the target travels by being thrown. For every 10 feet traveled, the target takes 1d6 damage on impact. If Benevolent Giant Swing is used more than once, each additional selection adds a +10 bonus to the Grapple check to throw the opponent, to a maximum of +20 for being selected three times. Benevolent Giant Swing is a full-round action and ends Grapple.

Ghost Touch: The warrior of justice's unarmed and Grapple attacks gain Ghost Touch, which deal damage normally to incorporeal creatures. An incorporeal creature's 50% chance to avoid damage does not apply to Ghost Touch. This ability affects all of the player's unarmed attacks, including other Special Attacks. Ghost Touch is an automatic effect and doe snot count against the daily limit of Special Attacks.

Goodwill Towards Men Smash: Warriors of justice gain Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, regardless of prerequisites, and works as described by the Stunning Fist feat, with the exception that the target's Fortitude save DC is increased by +2, with each usage of Goodwill Towards Men Smash in a single action raising the Fortitude save DC by +2 up to a maximum of +6 for three uses. Stunning attacks made by Goodwill Towards Men Smash do not count against the number of Stunning Fist attacks usable per day.

Hammer of Justice: Hammer of Justice resolves as an unarmed strike with +1 on the attack roll per class level.

Joyful Reunion Bearhug: Grants the warrior of justice the Improved Grapple feat as a bonus, regardless of prerequisites. When using Joyful Reunion Bearhug, the player deals an additional 4 points of damage with their grapple attack. If selected more than once, the additional damage is increased by 2, for a maximum of 8 additional damage with three uses.

Justice Shoulder Attack: Grants an enhancement bonus to Strength equal to the warrior of justice's class level, which lasts for one round. This bonus may be used to initiate grapples, during a Bull Rush of Overrun attempt, or to overcome a Strength check to move an obstacle. If selected more than once, Justice Should Attack increases the duration of its effect by an additional round.

Kindness to all Creatures Kick: Delivers an unarmed strike with base damage 1d6 for every three class levels, rounded up, to a maximum of 4d6 base damage at 10th level of warrior of justice.

Pacifist Crush: Resolves as an unarmed strike with +1 damage per class level.

Royal Special Thunder: Enhances a normal attack roll. The warrior of justice can subtract a number from their attack roll, up to -5, to add double that value to as a bonus to their damage roll. A Special Attack modified by Royal Special Thunder counts as two uses of the warrior of justice's special attacks for the day.

Saillune Tornado': An unarmed attack that requires a Jump check to succeed. If the hit connects, the target takes unarmed damage equal to 1d6 for every 10 feet of height the warrior of justice attained during the Jump. This is a full-round action, and if the warrior of justice jumps more than their base speed during the Jump check, the attack cannot be landed until a subsequent round.

Smashing Burst Jump: The warrior of justice doubles their base speed and gains a +5 bonus to their Jump skill per class level. These bonuses last for one round, and Smashing Burst Jump may be used more than once in a single action. Each additional selection extends its effects by one round.

Fists of Justice: At 3rd level, warriors of justice have their unarmed attacks treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with magic reduction.

Optimism Aura: At 5th level, warriors of justice grant nearby allies a +4 morale bonus on checks or saves against fear.

Combo Attack ("Peace and Love Double Impact!!!"): At 7th level, warriors of justice can make a combination attack with another warrior of justice. Each characters gains a +2 bonus to the attack and damage roll. The Combo Attack can be used as a special attack, but both warriors of justice must use the same special attack in that case. Only one of the two warriors of justice need to have Combo Attack to use it, and it can be used up to three times per day.

Fists of Joyous Parting: Can be used to create the Banish effect. If the warrior of justice attacks a creature not of the physical world, the target must make a Will save (DC 10+half the warrior of justice's class level+warrior of justice's WIS modifier) or else be banished to their place of origin. They cannot return for a number of hours equal to the difference between the Will save result and the DC, either through their own volition or being Summoned.

Code of Conduct: A warrior of justice must be lawful good, and loses all class abilities if they break their oath by committing an unjust act. They must respect legitimate authority, remain honorable (cannot lie, cheat, utilize poison, etc.), be charitable (so long as the charity doesn't lead to unjust actions), and protect the innocent.

Ex-Warriors of Justice: If a warrior of justice breaks their Code of Conduct, they may not progress further in levels as a warrior of justice and lose their class abilities. This can only be restored following an appropriate Atonement for their misconduct, at the GM's discretion.

Skills

Here is a collection of skills available in the Slayers D20. In general, skills are the same as they would be in the standard Player's Manual, and will not be explained for the sake of brevity unless there's a Synergy trait involved. Slayers D20 also has its own unique list of skills which will be explained for the outside observer.

List of Standard Skills

Bluff(CHA): Can be used a second time under a Try Again rule as long as difference between a Bluff failure and the correspending Sense Motive check was less than the penalty, with a cumulative -2 penalty to further attempts to use Bluff with this rule. If the character has at least Spellcraft 5, Bluff checks to disguise a spell get a +2 bonus. Bluffs used to trick opponents when it comes to spellcasting impose a -5 penalty on Fortitude and control checks while casting, and the result becomes the DC for any Spellcraft check to correctly identify the casting.

Concentration(CON)

Craft(Alchemy)(INT)

Craft(Cooking)(INT): If the character has at least Craft(Cooking) 5, they gain a +2 synergy bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Indimidate skills used against targets with the Great Fortitude feat, or if the target has an obsession with food. They also gain a +2 synergy bonus on Craft(Poison) checks.

Craft(Gunsmithing)(INT)

Craft(Poison)(INT): The base DC for a Craft(Poison) check is the sum of the specific poison's DC+10. Contact poisons are more difficult to handle in manufacturing, and instead have a base DC of the poison's DC+15. If the character has at least Craft(Cooking) 5, they get a +2 synergy bonus to Craft(Poison).

Decipher Script(INT; trained only): Can be used as an action to create a code, which requires 10 minutes and does not include the time needed to write out a coded document after creating the cipher. To decipher someone else's code, this action takes 1d4+1 hours, not including the time needed to read the decoded document. A character with at least Search 5 gets a +2 synergy bonus on Decipher Script to decipher a code.

Diplomacy(CHA)

Intimidate(CHA): Can be used as a check to change someone's behavior, or cause demoralization in combat. As an action, Intimidate requires 1 minute of interaction with the target. Intimidate follows a Try Again rule with a cumulative -4 penalty and each further attempt. Characters gain a +4 bonus on Intimidate checks for every size category they are larger than their opponent. Characters suffer a -4 penalty to Intimidate checks for every size category they are smaller than their opponent. Characters immune to fear cannot be intimidated, nor can non-intelligent creatures. A character with at least Bluff 5 gains a +2 bonus to Intimidate checks.

Jump(STR; armor check penalty): Jumping is less-realistic in Slayers than in other worlds. The DC for a long jump is one-half the distance to be covered in feet, assuming a running start; from standing, the Jump DC is doubled. The DC for a high jump is equal to the distance covered in feet, assuming a running start. If standing, the DC is doubled. A character can jump onto an object at waist-height with a DC 10 Jump check and does not take away from their normal movement. A character jumping down takes no damage on a successful Jump check, but on a failure they take normal damage.

Search(INT): Can be used for research purposes. If the character knows what research to look for, the DC on a check is 10. If the research is complex, or the location of the information is disorganized, the DC can range from 15 or higher. Search can also be used to understand the nature of an enchanted item, but not its specific enchantment, with a successful DC 20 if the character has the Sense Aura class skill. A DC 30 reveals the true abilities of the magical item, though stronger items require higher DC checks. The Search DC is equivalent to the Use Magic Device check to activate the magical item. Each use of Search requires one full-round action equal to the DC to understand the item (overcoming a DC 20 requires 20 rounds to understand the item). Characters with at least Search 5 gain a +2 bonus to Decipher Script checks to decipher a code.

Spellcraft(INT; trained only): Characters with at least Spellcraft 5 gain a +2 bonus on Bluff checks to disguise a spell.

Use Magic Device(CHA): Use Magic Device (UMD) must be used to activate a magical object, and a natural 1 is neither an automatic failure nor does it carry a special penalty. Once successful, the magical device functions normally for its standard duration. If attempting to use a magic device the character doesn't understand, there is a -10 penalty to the UMD check. At the GM's discretion, magic items may be simple to activate or extremely complicated, depending on its creator's intentions. As an action, UMD can take anywhere from a standard action to a full-round to activate, or be dependent on activating another item. The DC of a UMD check is the same as a Search DC check through Sense Aura to identify the power of the item.

List of New Skills

Reputation(CHA; trained only): Reputation checks are done as separate skills, akin to the Craft skill. For example, Reputation(Bandit) is not the same as Reputation(Noble), and the player must put separate skill purchases into each if they want both. A Reputation check utilizes either the character's name or their accomplishments. A successful DC 10 grants bonuses to their next Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Perform, or Taunt check, with higher bonuses at higher results. Reputation can also be used situationally, at the GM's discretion. In places outside of the player's area of accomplishments, Reputation checks suffer a penalty. If a Reputation check fails, there is a -2 circumstance penalty to further checks with the affected skills. Reputation checks are usually a standard action, and do not follow the Try Again rule. Nobles can make Reputation checks more effectively. If the character has the Leadership feat, their highest Reputation bonus (ranks+CHA modifier) determine the maximum level of cohort and number of followers they may attract. A character with at least Reputation 5 in a specific Reputation gain an additional +2 bonus in checks made with any other Reputation, and these bonuses stack. This also applies to attracting a cohort or followers with the Leadership Feat.

Summoning(INT; trained only): A summoning check is made to summon astral creatures. This does not apply to physical creatures, which require a specific spell. The DC check depends on the power and number of creatures summoned, with a bonus if the summoner has a part of a specific creature in their possession during the Summoning. At the GM's discretion, named creatures can make a level check to resist the summoning. A successful Summoning check requires a subsequent successful Fortitude save, with the same DC as the Summoning check. Depending on the result, the character will then take a certain amount of nonlethal damage. A summoned creature is not enslaved, and acts of its own volition. Weaker creatures will be intimidated by their summoner, ones of equal level are generally open towards bargaining, but stronger ones are more volatile. A summoning requires a standard action, and follows the Try Again rule. A mazoku has a +4 racial bonus on Summoning checks to summon demons, lesser monsters, and other mazoku. Spellcraft can be used to draw up a magic circle before the Summoning, which adds a +1 bonus to the Summoning check for every five full points the character beat the Spellcraft check (DC 20). Magic circles offer resistance to summoned creatures, either by offering protection to the summoner standing in the circle, or trapping the summoned creature inside of it. The circle can be destroyed, and has spell resistance, damage reduction, and hit points equal to the Spellcraft check result used to make it.

Taunt(CHA): A Taunt check can be used to embarrass someone with psychological warfare, or break a spellcaster's concentration. In the latter case, the Taunt check is opposed by the target's Concentraction check. Taunting requires a standard action, and follows the Try Again rule with a cumulative -2 circumstance penalty on further attempts. A character immune to embarrassment through the Oblivious feat, or non-intelligent creatures, cannot be taunted. A character with at least Intimidate 5 gains a +2 bonus on Taunt checks.

Vision(WIS; trained only): A Vision check is used to gain insights, to view a far away location, or see the future. The DC check varies depending on how well the target of Vision is known by the character, be it a person, place, or object, or how far into the future they look, or how clear their prediction is. Divination is done through some sort of ritual, whether through meditation, a ouiji board, or using dowsing rods. As an action, Vision checks can be as short as a standard action to even weeks, depending on the complexity of the Vision being used. Vision checks of the most basic divination have a DC 20, with failure resulting in ineffective results. Vision checks may follow the Try Again rule, at the GM's discretion, without penalty. Furthermore, the GM may choose to keep the DC for a Vision check a secret from the players, with major failures of 10 or lower resulting in misleading, or even dangerous, interpretations.

Feats

Feats are also reworked in the Slayers D20. Some feats have become class abilities, or been reworked into the rules, or been removed completely. There are also new feats which help bring Slayers to life, since its operating rules are different from the standard D20. As normal, feats come with a prerequisite, and may be part of a specific category. For brevity, this section will use the manual's summary of each feat.

List of Standard Feats

Augment Summoning (General): Requires Summoning 1. "Summoned creatures are more powerful than normal."

Brew Potion (Item Creation): Requires caster level 3rd. "The character can create magical potions, which are a physical form of a spell."

Craft Magic Arms and Armor (Item Creation): Requires caster level 5th. "The character can create magic weapons, armor and shields."

Craft Wondrous Item (Item Creation): Requires caster level 3rd. "The character can create a wide variety of magic items, such as crystal balls or a lantern that sheds magical light."

Empower Spell (Metamagic): "Spells can be cast for greater effect."

Enlarge Spell (Metamagic): "Spells can be cast at greater range."

Exotic Weapon Proficiency(Firearms) (General): Requires base attack bonus +1. "The character has learned how to use firearms effectively."

Extend Spell (Metamagic): "Spells may be cast to make them last longer."

Great Fortitude (General): "The character is healthy and resilient."

Greater Spell Focus: Requires Spell Focus with selected type of magic. "Choose a type of magic to which the character has already applied the Spell Focus feat. The character's spells of that type are now even more potent than before."

Greater Weapon Focus (General): Requires proficiency with selected weapon, Weapon Focus with selected weapon, and a base attack bonus of +8. "Choose one type of weapon, such as a greataxe, for which you have already selected the Weapon Focus feat. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple as your weapon for purposes of this feat. You are especially good at using this weapon."

Greater Weapon Specialization (General): Requires proficiency with selected weapon, Greater Weapon Focus with selected weapon, Weapon Focus with selected weapon, and a base attack bonus of +12. "Choose one type of weapon, such as a greataxe, for which you have already selected Weapon Specialization. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple as your weapon for purposes of this feat. You deal extra damage when using this weapon."

Heighten Spell (Metamagic): "Spells may be cast with more power in order to defeat the natural defense of the target."

Iron Will (General): "The character has considerable determination and strength of will."

Leadership (General): Requires at least 6th level in any class. "A character with Leadership has learned how to get others to follow them."

Lightning Reflexes (General): "The character has amazing reflexes and can react without having to think about it."

Maximize Spell (Metamagic): "Spells may be cast to maximum effect every time."

Quick Draw (General): Requires a base attack bonus of +1. "Weapons may be drawn and readied with startling speed."

Quicken Spell (Metamagic): "Spells can be cast with a moment's thought."

Rapid Reload (General): Requires Exotic Weapon Proficiency(Firearms). "Characters with Rapid Reload can reload firearms more quickly than normal."

Spell Focus: "Choose a type of magic, such as common or sorcery. The character's spells of that type are more difficult to resist."

Spell Mastery: Requires Intelligence 12. "The character has mastered a handful of spells, and is better able to cast and manipulate those spells."

Toughness: "The character is tougher than normal."

Weapon Specialization (General): Requires proficiency with the selected weapon, Weapon Focus with selected weapon, and a base attack bonus of +4. "Choose one type of weapon, such as a greataxe, for which you have already selected the Weapon Focus feat. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple as your weapon for purposes of this feat. You deal extra damage when using this weapon."

Widen Spell (Metamagic): "Spells can be cast to affect a greater area."

List of New Feats

Barbed Tongue (General): Requires Taunt 1. When using Taunt to inflict embarrassment damage, the character suffers only a -2 penalty (compared to the usual -4) on their check, and in turn delivers 2d6+CHA modifier embarrassment damage (compared to the usual 1d6+CHA modifier).

Beautiful (General): Beautiful characters usually gain a +2 bonus towards Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Reputation, but also usually suffer a -2 penalty towards Disguise and Hide Skill checks.

Bestow Curse (Item Creation): Requires caster level 1st. "Characters with this feat have learned how to curse their opponents using magical powers to bring misfortune, ruin, or general unpleasantness down on the heads of their enemies."

Bold (General): Bold characters are immune to fear from psychological attacks, but can still succumb to magical or supernatural fear effects. However, when taking the Bold feat, the character must choose a phobia that automatically causes shaken when encountered. On a failed Will save of DC 20 or higher, they go into a deeper level of fear. Shaken becomes frightened, frightened becomes panicked, and panicked characters pass out. When the phobia is removed, the character will lose their fear without having to undergo a Will save. It takes 1d4+1 minutes to awaken from passing out, and 1 minute for each stage of fear to be removed after that.

Code (General): A character with Code gets a +1 bonus to all attacks, Skill checks, and saving throws that support their Code, at the GM's discretion. It also grants a +4 bonus towards all saves or checks to avoid being forced to break their code, at the GM's discretion what that save or check would be. If the Code is broken, the character suffers a permanent -1 penalty to all attacks, Skill checks, and saving throws until an atonement has taken place, at the GM's discretion.

Craft Talisman (Item Creation): Requires caster level 3rd. Crafting a talisman takes 1 day for each 1,000gp of value the magical item will become. Furthermore, enchanting the talisman costs 1/25 of the item's base price in XP as well as raw materials costing half of this base price. Mending a talisman with Craft Talisman only costs half the normal XP, materials, and time to make it in the first place.

Cute (General): Some people are just naturally cute. They usually gain a +2 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Hide, and Taunt checks, but also usually face a -2 penalty towards Intimidate or Reputation checks.

Dignified (General): Dignified provides a +4 bonus on all checks to resist confusion, embarrassment, or fear. However, failing to resist embarrassment increase the penalty from -2 to -3, and embarrassment damage is increased by one-half, rounded down. If a character has both Dignified and Touchy, the penalty for embarrassment is only -1 instead of -3 and the benefit of Touchy applies. Furthermore, if Touchy topic is the cause of embarrassment is treated with the normal -3 penalty with no benefit from Touchy.

Dramatic Zeal (General): Dramatic Zeal allows the ignoring of penalties due to abashed, addled, befuddled, checked, cowering, dazed, dazzled, disabled, distracted, exhausted, fatigued, flat-footed, flustered, frightened, mortified, nauseated, panicked, shaken, sickened, staggered, or stunned. Used as a free action, the character must succeed on a Constitution or Wisdom check (DC 10) to ignore their condition for 3 rounds, plus 1 additional round for every point by which they beat the DC. Failing the check prevents the character from overcoming their condition. Regardless of result, Dramatic Zeal can only be used once per day.

Fast Learner: Characters with this feat suffer only a -2 non-proficiency penalty for using a weapon they are not proficient in. Furthermore, Fast Learners can use any untrained skill at the GM's discretion. Faster Learners also add +5 to any Spellcraft check to learn or invent spells.

Fork Spell (Metamagic): Forked spells hit double the number of targets, and can be forked multiple times to hit exponential targets. Each forking raises the DC of the spell by +10. Spells with an undefined number of targets for their area of effect cannot be forked.

Glib (General): Glib characters can make a psychological attack as a move action, as opposed to a standard action.

Holy Magic (General, Metamagic): Requires Wisdom 13, Charisma 15, and cleric or shrine maiden level 1st. The character can learn holy magic. However, holy magic was almost completely lost inside of the known world following Aqualord Regradia sinking into the sea and Hellmaster Phibrizzo constructing the Mazoku Barrier, so holy magic availability is entirely up to the GM's discretion.

Homing Spell (Metamagic): Homing Spells force the target to make a second saving throw, and use the worst result of the two. Homing Spell can be used more than once on the same spell, with each additional use raising the base DC of the spell by +10 cumulatively, and the target must always take the worst of each saving throw. Spells that have no range cannot be homed, nor can ones that do not allow a saving throw. If a spell has a target, but a subsequent area-of-effect, only the target must make repeated saving throws; others who would be caught in the blast do not.

Loyal: Loyal characters get a +2 bonus on all saving throws whenever they are near or working for the person they are loyal to. At the GM's discretion, this feat may be removed if loyalty isn't being exhibited properly in the roleplay. Loyalty can change targets depending on certain circumstances, such as death or love. Attempting a Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, or Sense Motive check on the target of their loyalty incurs a -2 penalty.

Magical Blood (General): Grants a +2 bonus to all checks made to casting spells, Fortitude saves to resist drain, control checks, and Concentration checks during spellcasting. However, Magical Blood causes obvious and unusual physical features, such as red eyes or green hair. Unusual appearances may affect Social Skill checks, at the GM's discretion.

Oblivious (General): Grants immunity to embarrassment from psychological attacks, and cannot become flustered, abashed, or mortified except in the case of one thing they are particularly sensitive about. As such, only this topic is treated normally for causing embarrassment damage, as nothing else can do damage this way. However, Oblivious characters suffer a -4 penalty to all checks to resist confusion. A character cannot be both Oblivious and Touchy.

Skill Specialty (General): Grants a +2 bonus on all checks involving two skills of the player's choice. Skill Specialty can be selected as a feat multiple times, but different skills must be chosen each time. These effects are cumulative with Skill Focus.

Touchy (General): Instead of being embarrassed or taunted, Touchy characters become angry. The standard -2 penalties do not apply from embarrassment, and they do not try to flee or hide. Instead, they get a bonus on all melee attack rolls for the duration. Flustered characters get a +1 bonus, abashed characters gain a +2 bonus, and mortified characters get a +3 bonus. If the Touchy character experiences embarrassment damage, all of their melee damage rolls in the next round gain bonus damage equal to the damage suffered. However, there is one thing that will always upset a Touchy character. If this subject is brought up, the benefits of Touchy are ignored. A character cannot be both Oblivious and Touchy.

Slayers D20 Spellcasting

While in the above section spellcasting was explained within its in-universe lore, the following section instead focuses on the Slayers D20 for the purposes of game play. For example, the D20 makes no distinction between White and Holy magic, despite White being the lesser, Astral-infused bastard child of true Holy magic. This is a necessary amalgamation; the anime, which the D20 is based on, doesn't cover Holy magic due to the main cast not interacting with dragons nor elves for prolonged periods of time, and Holy magic is an arcane art to humanity within the Mazoku Barrier. Spellcasting in the D20 may seem complex at first glance, but the real simplicity of it lies in how it handles difficulty checks and the freedom to operate as a spellcaster without breaking the game.

Types of Magic

The following is a list of spells found in each category. Some spells are multi-category; as long as a spell is listed as "Common", then it can be used by witches and wizards without the related feat for its other group.

Common: Aqua Create, Flare, Flash, Force Push, Healing, Levitation, Lighting, Projection, Writing, Yum, Dark Mist, Dash, Flare Arrow, Flare Bit (Flare Bullet), Freeze Arrow, Freeze Bit (Freeze Bullet), Message, Mind Control, Opening, Sleeping, Change Earth, Fireball, Ice Ball, Identify

Sorcery (Black Magic): Flash, Bam Rhod, Flare Arrow, Flare Bit (Flare Bullet), Freeze Arrow, Freeze Bit (Freeze Bullet), Mind Control, Burst Rondo, Damu Bras (Dam Brass), Dil Brand, Fireball, Fire Bolt, Ice Ball, Blast Ash, Domination, Firestorm, Flare Lance, Garuk Ruhard, Icicle Lance, Mega Brunt, Blast Bomb, Burst Flare, Dimil Arwin, Dis Fang, Mega Brando, Rune Flare, Vaal Flare, Dynast Bras, Garv Flare, Zelas Goto, Dragon Slave, Ragna Blade, Giga Slave

White (Clerical, Holy): Healing, Levitation, Lighting, Projection, Water Walking, Writing, Cure Blindness or Deafness, Ferious Breed, Message, Opening, Sleeping, Suspend, Assha Dist, Elmekia Lance, Flow Break, Identify, Rahfas Seed, Recovery, Resting, Telekinesis, Concealment, Fel za'Red, Flow Twist, Illusion, Protection, Visfan Rank (Vistfarank), Dimensional Portal, Elmekia Flame, Megiddo Flare, Resurrection, Restoration, Time Slip, Time Stop, Flame Breath (Holy), Holy Rezast (Holy), Ray Freeze (Holy), Chaotic Disintegrate (Holy)

Shamanism: Aqua Create, Flare, Force Push, Shadow Snap, Yum, Balus Rod, Bom Di Wind, Dark Mist, Dash, Monobolt, Astral Vice, Behfis Bring, Blam Blazer, Change Earth, Diem Wing, Digger Bolt, Ly Briem, Petrify, Ray Wing, Balus Wall, Bom Spreed, Boo Brymer, Buday Wind, Diev Volt, Sea Blast, Shadow Wave, Van Rail, Wind Barrier, Astral Break, Blam Gush, Dug Crystal, Dug Haut, Ghozu Vro, Golem, Mosu Varium, Van Rehl, Demona Crystal, Grey Bomb, Sphere of Earth, Vlave Howl, Rah-tilt (Ra Tilt)

However, these spells aren't the limit of what a spellcaster can do. For example, Spellcraft, Summoning, UMD, and Vision are all critical skills a spellcaster needs on top of a strong spell list to be an excellent ally, not to mention barriers to safeguard from other wizards. Non-spellcasters can attempt to emulate spells with the use of potions, which in the D20 are the physical forms of spells, and there are a host of magical items and talismans players can find for offense or protection. The only real limit a spellcaster might have is making chimeras and copies, since the time and resources needed to make one most often goes beyond the bounds of a standard session. That is, it's not impossible, but not something most players might think about.

Learning Magic

Simple, it's a Spellcraft check against the Spell's DC - 10. All it requires is a written formula for the spell (the incantation and the spell's name properly listed), or a trained tutor willing to instruct how to cast the spell, which offers a bonus to the Spellcraft check equal to one-half the INSTRUCTOR'S total Spellcraft bonus. If a spell fails, but by 10 or less, they can attempt to cast the spell regardless of failing. Partially learned spells are cast as normal spells, except have a -5 penalty on Fortitude saves and have double the normal drain (more on spell draining later). For every two points, rounded up, by which the Spellcraft check was failed, the player needs to only cast the spell successfully that many times to fully learn the spell, and cast it henceforth without penalty.

Players can also create their own spells, the only limiting factor being skill, time, and access to a magical laboratory or workshop (and, naturally, GM fiat). A player can describe the spell they wish to construct, to which the GM assigns a reasonable DC check for the spell. The player must then spend one week for each full five points in the potential spell's DC researching the spell in the laboratory. After the weeks have past, the player must make a Spellcraft check, with a DC equal to the researched spell's DC. If it's successful, the spell is now created and can be learned by other players or NPCs. If it's a failure, the player must spend another week researching the error. After that week, they can then attempt the spell again, with a +2 circumstance bonus. Each future error requires another week, but also grants a cumulative +2 circumstance bonus each time. However, there is a limit that this research can take. They can only continue researching the spell for a number of weeks equal to their caster level. (A level 10 witch can get 10 weeks to research errors and a potential +20 circumstance bonus, for example.) If after that allotted time the spellcaster can't successfully cast the spell, they must give up because they aren't skilled enough to be making a spell that powerful yet.

The maximum number of spells, any spell, a player can know at one time is equal to their Intelligence bonus. Spellcasting classes, however, gain additional spells as they increase in level. This means even non-spellcasting classes with adequate Intelligence can also learn spells. Furthermore, spell slots aren't Vancian; an extraordinarily powerful spell instead takes up one the knowledge of a lesser spell to have memorized. A Dragon Slave requires the same knowledge as three normal spells. So, if a player can know 10 spells, knowing Dragon Slave reduces the number of spells a player can memorize down to 7. Also, if a player is specialized in White, Black, or Shamanism, spells from outside their field of expertise, not including common spells, require an additional slot. So, a Cleric who can memorize 10 spells, but wants to know Dragon Slave, has their list limited down to 6 spells. However, spells can be cast almost infinitely, with the only limit being spell drain.

Spellcasting

Using magic in Slayers is simple, because rather than getting bogged down in reagents and tools, all it requires is the knowledge of the spell and a standard action. However, this doesn't give spellcasters free-reign; there is still spell drain, and if being attacked or Taunted or failing a spell's DC they will have to make Concentration checks or else lose control of the spell.

Spell drain is the means of keeping magic under control in the D20 system. When a player announces they will cast a spell, they must first make a Fortitude save to see how much a spell exhausts them to cast (going back to the "pool and bucket capacity" analogy from earlier). The DC of this fortitude save is the base DC of the spell being cast, with additional modifiers based on metamagic feats that are applied on the fly.

Spell drain is usually nonlethal damage, meaning that hitting 0 hit points or lower only renders the player unconscious, but if the spellcaster is exhausted prior to casting a spell, it will be lethal to cast that magic. Damage dealt by drain like this doesn't go through a Concentration check, and the drain damage isn't received until after the spell is fired. That means that if a spell would render a spellcaster unconscious after using it, the spell still resolves normally. Moreover, spells use the highest class-based Fortitude save bonus available when casting a spell. A multi-classed wizard / sorcerer using a Fireball, which is both a Common and Sorcerous spell, would get the Fortitude save from whichever class offers the best Magical Training.

Passing a save by 10 or more: 1/2 base drain (rounded down), no control check;

Passing by less than 10: Base drain, no control check;

Failing by less than 10: Double base drain, control check required;

Failing by 10 or more: Double base drain, control check required, spellcaster fatigued

If the Fortitude save fails, this doesn't mean the spell has completely misfired. A control check is 1d20 + the character's total caster levels + the relevant ability modifier for the spell. Common spells have a Constitution modifier; Sorcery, Intelligence; Shamanism, Wisdom; and White, Charisma. Use whichever modifier is higher if a spell is listed under two lists, such as Fireball under Common and Sorcery. The DC of this check is the spell's DC - 10. If this check is successful, the spell is cast as normal. If the check fails, the spell may simply fizzle out if it's a weak spell, or have funny, awkward consequences than causing the spellcaster harm. Of course, there are certain limits to what may be humorous for failing a spell. Miscasting a Giga Slave should, in almost all circumstances, cause the world to be consumed by the Lord of Nightmares and immediately terminate the campaign. But, hey, I'm not your GM, maybe it'll make the caster fart rabbits.

Spellcasting Options

To use a spell, it's customary to know the Chaos Words and Power Words of a spell. In general terms a player can say they are mentally chanting the Chaos Words of a spell to absolve them from needing to speak the incantation aloud. However, a really good roleplayer using a verbal incantation gets a +5 bonus on Fortitude saves to resist drain and on control checks, and an addition +5 bonus on both if they use the Power Words, or name of the spell, to fire it. Furthermore, the DC of saving throws against a that spell are increased by +2. However, since the spell is being verbally stated, anyone within earshot with the adequate knowledge of magic will know what is heading their way, and can prepare to counter or defend against it. If a character might not know the spell by the incantation or naming of it, the GM may call for a Spellcraft check with a DC between 15 and 30, depending on how obscure the spell is, to see if that character knows what's being cast.

While spell drain is usually non-lethal, with the exception of an exhausted character, a non-exhausted spellcaster can choose to give their all into a spell. By choosing to take lethal damage, the player gains a +5 bonus to Fortitude saves and control checks with that spell, stacking with the bonuses from the Chaos and Power Words, if used.

There is also cooperative spellcasting.

Combination Casting: Two or three characters can agree to use a single spell, and must declare a primary caster. The group will then cast the spell using the primary's Fortitude save and control check. The primary, however, gains a bonus on these checks equal to the caster level of their assistant, and potentially another bonus of one-half the caster level of their second assistant. Spell drain is divided equally among the group, with the remainder being given solely to the primary caster.

Spell Boosting: If a spell has a sustained effect, another spellcaster can choose to amplify the effects of a spell already in effect. To do this the player must make a Spellcraft check (DC spell's base DC - 10). If the check fails, there's no effect. If it succeeds, one of two things can happen. The first is that the spell's effects are enhanced by one-half of the assistant's caster level. Alternatively, the caster can choose to apply a singel metamagic feat to the spell, though the DC increase brought on by this metamagic cannot be higher than the assistant's caster level. Spell drain is divided evenly between all participants, with the original caster taking the remaining damage.

Multi-casting: Rather than coordinating players into casting one spell, multiple players can choose to cast the same spell normally against the same target for a magical amplification. The area of effect of a combined spell is multiplied by the number of people casting the spell on that area; two people doubles it, three triples, and so on. The damage is also multiplied in this way. If the area of effect or damage of the spells being cast are different, use the larger of each value. The spell's DC, if any, is the highest DC value of the individual spells, including the appropriate Ability modifiers. For the purposes of penetrating spell resistance, use the combined caster levels of all participants' caster level.

Gallery

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  BESM Slayers, book 1

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  BESM Slayers NEXT, book 2

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  BESM Slayers TRY, book 3

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  Slayers d20 book made by the same dipshits who made the BESM books.

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  It's pretty much like that.

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  4e tries to be like this

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  Not to be confused with the fucking Furries.

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  Pragmatism is key when traveling.

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  The smoothest idiot.

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  In "Slayers", all ships sail.

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  This was Lina in 1990...

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  This is Lina now. Feeling old yet?

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  Rui Araizumi and Hajime Kanzaka.

Lost Universe

The Slayers' own science fiction spin off that also started as a light novel series. Despite reusing names and titles, the Lost Universe light novels are not connected to the Slayers universe, even though the former alludes to such a bridge existing. In the author's own words:

Dear readers, it has been a long time since I wrote the previous book. Here I brought the last book of the Lost Universe, "Yami Owaru Toki". From the beginning, this story had such words as "Dark Star" or "Nightmare", and those words easily reminded the readers of another novel series that I'm writing. I know that many many people are wondering how this story is related with Slayers. Now, I give you the answer! The correct answer is, "there is little relationship between the two stories." .....................Ouch! No! Please! Don't throw stones! .... Well, to tell the truth, I liked those names Dark Star or Gorunnova, and I used those names in two different stories. That was the beginning, and nothing more. Basically, Lost Universe and Slayers are different stories, so, even though they have some common names or common words, it's no good to let those characters be the same things. If I let Gorunnova in the two different stories the same thing, it would be unrifined for an Edokko. (Citizens of Edo. An "Edokko" is stylish and don't stick to things.) Anyway, I was born in Hyogo, and live in Osaka...

http://www.inverse.org/e/res/msgs/1933.shtml

Time to get the rust off your Elder Futhark!

However, the anime for Lost Universe is connected to the Slayers anime, which makes the relationship between the two series even more confusing. In the DVD release for Lost Universe, one of the bonuses includes translation notes that explain that Lost Universe takes place on the "Black World" (Dark Star Dugradigdu, Night Dragon Vorpheed) while Slayers happens on the "Red World" (Flare Dragon Ceipheed, Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu). It also uses the same symbolism and hierarchy depictions in its end credits that can be found in the credits of each episode of Slayers TRY. One of the characters, Rail Claymore, even has a chant that is part of the full Giga Slave incantation Lina Inverse uses.

In spite all of this, Lost Universe did not become as popular as Slayers in its seven-year light novel run. The anime adaptation had bad luck as well, as a studio fire damaged half of the cels for the season, requiring the animation team to re-create everything in only six months. The poor reception and lack of funds prevented a second season from being made, leaving the anime hanging on a cliffhanger. It does not have its own d20 system, and is mentioned solely as a reference here.

Background

There once was a civilization in one galaxy. The aliens of this galaxy parted in two groups and fought each other for a many years. Finally, one of two groups created a critial offensive program; "System Dark Star". It uses the "fear" of the victims to kill themself. When this system works, the victims feel fear and this emotion affects the brain and checks the exchange of living energy. This system works without any distriction, so the creators of this system made an automatic battleship (spaceship Dugradigudo) to load this system on. As spaceship Dugradigudo was filled with the devices of the System Dark Star and there was no room for the deffensive weapons, the creators of the system made five escorting battleships; the spaceship Nezard, the spaceship Garveira, the spaceship Gorrunnova, the spaceship Ragdo Mezegis and the spaceship Bordigar. They were all automatic battleships and their energy was the power of human mind (in LU world, there is a technology which uses the power of human mind as energy, for example, psyblade). There are many patterns of human mind wave, and these battleships used the pattern of fear, for fear is always available at the battle. These six battleships ate fear and spread destruction in the whole universe. The first victim was their creators and their home-planet.

It's not creatively-bankrupt to steal from yourself.

When System Dark Star worked, people saw a huge pentagram (upside down) appeared in the sky. It can kill all the living things on one planet during a few hours.

Then there came spaceship Vorfeed with erasing system for those six demonic spaceships. Vorfeed's energy was hope of human. When it irradiated its enegy at Dugradigudo and its guardian ships, their energy (fear) was erased by hope and those six battleships became enable to work. They fought each other a long time ago, and finally, Vorfeed succeeded in erasing the energy of the enemies, but it lost its energy, too. These seven battleships fell down on to the nearby planet.

Many years passed by, and those battleships repaired themselve automatically. Then there came a boy. The AI of Dugradigudo found the boy and influenced his mind with its energy. This boy became human Dugradigudo, and when he was grown up, he named himself as Nightmare. Dugradigudo affected the mind and body of Nightmare so as to survive in the System Dark Star. He managed a powerful crime organization Nightmare to ready for another annihilation.

Dugradigudo and Nightmare thought that Vorfeed would come back again, and it begun to ready for that. It repaired its escorting battlships, and made a huge fortress Hecatombkale. And finally, Dugardigudo and Nightmare found spaceship Sword Breaker with AI Canal Vorfeed. So the battle begun again.

http://www.inverse.org/e/res/msgs/1933.shtml

The Plot

The main cast. From left to right: Who fucking cares?

In the Lost Universe anime, Dark Star is a powerful space ship that evolves every time it awakens.

Many, many years ago, Dark Star and his shinzoku counterpart, Night Dragon Vorfeed, grew tired of fighting and went to rest on a planet. They took the forms of spaceships. Years later, humans discovered the ships, and two young children, brother and sister, came across them at night. The boy, Albert Von Stargazer, found Dark Star. The girl, Alicia Shon Stargazer, found Vorfeed. Each child became the master of his and her respective spaceship. Thus, a family was torn by light and darkness.

Albert formed the Gazer Concern, which was a front for the Nightmare syndicate. Nightmare stove to spread Dark Star's evil throughout the universe. They kept the sleeping Dark Star inside a giant machine, Hekatoncheir, that served as Nightmare's headquarters.

Dark Star made Albert clone himself so that Dark Star would have a human body in which he could reside and use to interact with humans. This human body was referred to as Yami, sometimes called the Spreader of Darkness.

Ten years before the anime, the Spreader of Darkness (one of Dark Star's aliases), captaining Gorun Nova, confronted Alicia Shon Stargazer in Swordbreaker. She used the latter's Psi Code Final to defeat Gorun Nova, but at the cost of her own life. The Spreader of Darkness was put into stasis for ten years (87016 hours) in order to heal.

Throughout the years, more ancient spaceships were discovered, and named Lost Ships. Five of these are subordinates of Dark Star. Dark Star and his Lost Ships could be temporarily rendered helpless whenever someone chanted special phrases referencing the Lord of Nightmares.

The only known Lost Ship that served the light was Vorfeed's ship, named Swordbreaker. Swordbreaker was piloted by Alicia, but she died in a battle with Dark Star. Later, Alicia's grandson, Kane Blueriver, became the pilot and risked himself in order to completely rid the universe of Nightmare and more importantly, Dark Star. However, Dark Star was not completely destroyed, and only three of his subordinates had been disabled. Thus the battle was not over.

Taken from https://kanzaka.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Star_Dugradigdu#Lost_Universe because I really don't want to re-summarize this silliness.