This section provides a brief overview of the key races in the Slayers mythos.
HUMANSBy far the most abundant race, humanity in Slayers is exactly what you've come to expect of humans in a fantasy setting -- or just people in general, for that matter. They are by far the race with the greatest potential for individual growth; while most humans will never become great or renowned, the vast majority can be taught to use magic and some can even proved extremely gifted in that regard. It is worth noting that humans -- in fact,
all creatures -- born within the Barrier Lands have a higher likelihood of having magical talents or special abilities than do their "outer world" counterparts.
BEASTMENAlso called "man-beasts" or, less insultingly, "beast kin" or "beast folk", the term beastmen covers a wide variety of creatures that have a mix of human and animal characteristics. No one's really completely sure if this motley "race" are really natural inhabitants of the world or whether, in an age long forgotten, their ancestors were created as early chimeras and simply came to be treated as distinct over time. Beastfolk in the Barrier Lands are notably more savage and tribal, as well as dangerous, compared to their more civilized and peaceable Outer World kin. There are a few varieties of beastkin that are particularly well known; these are described below:
Fishkin"Fish people" are distinct from mermaids in that, instead of having a human upper body and a tail from the waist down, fishkin have the bodies and faces of common fish (albeit much larger) with human-like arms, hands, legs, and feet protruding from them. This doesn't endear them much to most people, and fishermen who accidentally catch them are often confused as to whether to fry them up or strike up an (admittedly awkward) conversation with them. While they can live on land they must bathe or swim regularly to avoid drying out.
WolfmenEasily mistaken for werewolves at a glance, wolfmen (or wolfwomen) tend to be tall, muscular, broad shouldered, and have a vicious, short-fused temperament. They tend to make particularly good warriors and have a natural advantage of both strength and speed over humans.
LizardmenMost commonly found in the dry wastelands of the Outer World, Lizardmen are ruthless and dextrous but tend to be a bit simple-minded.
FoxfolkFoxfolk live almost exclusively in the Outer World and have a running history of bad relations with humans. Unlike other beastfolk who tend to be as tall or taller than humans, foxfolk are diminutive, clocking in around 3ft full-grown. Their inferior size belies a wily cunning and intelligence; though they can live peacefully on farms or outlying villages (usually only with their own kind) they also make natural thieves and gunslingers. In fact, some of the most recent advancements in the science of gunpowder and explosives came from a particularly clever foxman named Jillas.
Goatmen Goatmen are not terribly distinct as far as skills and traits amongst beastfolk go. They have a bad habit of rushing headlong into fights without thinking first, meaning that they often get used as expendable front-line fighters.
DogfolkBeastfolk of a canine disposition tend to have moderate bloodhound characteristics but are otherwise indistinct.
There are countless other varieties of beastfolk, even varieties within varieties, meaning that roleplayers interested in making beastkin characters have plenty of options and concepts to work with.
MONSTERSBecause it's just not a fantasy setting without monsters, is it?
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Important Note: if you're unacquainted with Slayers and decide to watch the anime in English, be wary; the translation company "accidentally" translated 'Mazoku' as 'monster race' or 'monsters', and this misnomer can make things quite confusing at times.)
The world of Slayers has it's assortment of generic monsters: fast-healing trolls, boar-faced orcs, minotaurs, salamanders, kraken, and the list goes on and on. These creatures don't have a set bestiary -- there seems to be enough variety that just about any fantasy monster can conceivably exist in the Slayers world setting (though demons, dragons, and beastmen are treated as distinct from general monsters and have series-specific characteristics).
DEMONSIn the Slayers world demons are believed to either be creations of the Mazoku or a subordinate race, similar in nature though vastly inferior in power and intelligence. Demons originate on the Astral Plane and are summoned into the physical world either by powerful Mazoku or human spellcasters. There are numerous varieties, though two types seem to be prominent: Lesser Demons and Brass Demons.
Lesser DemonsBrutal monsters of a demonic nature, Lesser Demons are a plague of destruction upon the world wherever they set foot. The forms possessed by Lesser Demons vary somewhat, though they are generally muscular with glowing eyes and beast-like humanoid bodies (even more beastly that beastmen, curiously). Lesser Demons are capable of using simple energy burst attacks as well as 'common' attack spells, most commonly spitting Flare Arrows from their mouths or claws. They lack the intelligence needed for spellcasting of any sophistication, however, and are generally regarded as simple-minded brutes. Some, depending on form, may also be able to fly.
Lesser Demons are vulnerable to 'astral' attack spells and can be harmed by 'exorcism' magic as well. 'Holy' attacks destroy them outright. They can also be harmed by normal attacks and regular attack spells.
Brass DemonsTowering demonic creatures that look like bony gargoyles, Brass Demons are far stronger and more cunning than their Lesser kin, though still a far cry from true Mazoku in terms of both power and wit. Brass Demons can cast bolts of black magic energy at their foes and are extremely resilient verses physical damage and 'common' attack spells. Brass Demons are vulnerable to 'astral' attack spells and can be harmed by 'exorcism' magic as well. 'Holy' attacks destroy them outright.
MAZOKUFor information about the Mazoku race and hierarchy, see the section on the
pantheon.
DRAGONSDragons fill an interesting role in the Slayers world. While most are the vicious giant reptiles, often winged, that one imagines in a traditional fantasy setting, there is great variety to the dragons in the Slayers world.
Dragons can be broken up into two major groups: feral and civilized. Feral dragons are any dragons that live and act like savage beasts, the kind that would rampage through a town for no better reason that fulfilling an urge for destruction and eating a few people along the way. Civilized dragons are creatures of surpassing intelligence, easily able to speak mortal languages and even cast high level magic. Some sub-races of dragons can go either way depending on how individuals are raised, suggesting that the mind of a dragon has vast potential for learning under the right circumstances.
Amongst the most common types of feral dragons are counted lake dragons, sea dragons, and black dragons. However, if raised amongst Golden Dragons then black dragons are instead civilized beings.
The greatest of the civilized dragon races are the Golden Dragons, also known as the "dragon lords". They are long-lived almost to the point of being immortal -- they age, but very very slowly, and over the course of their long lives can achieve a wealth of knowledge, skill, and experience that lesser races can only dream about. They are smaller than most other dragons but exceptionally powerful, able to fly at near-supersonic speeds, fire beams of holy energy from their mouths, and transform at will into human form (though younger dragons, inexperienced with transformation, may sometimes have a distinctive dragon part, like their tail or wings, incorporated into their human form). They can easily understand just about any language and handle high-level white magic with ease, as well as being the keepers of holy magic that was almost lost to the world during the wars with the Mazoku.
Due in no small part to past alliances with the Dragon Gods, the Golden Dragons see themselves as the priesthood of the Gods and the keepers of peace and stability in the world. This does not make then universally beneficent or good -- the ideology of the Golden Dragon priesthood places value on maintaining order and preventing change, and while this marks them unquestionably as the enemies of the Mazoku it does not necessarily make them allies of humanity, whom they often regard as a foolish, reckless, short-lived race who don't understand the consequences of their ambitions.
CHIMERASChimeras are not so much a race, per say, as they are a thing that happens to members of an existing race. Usually the product of magical experimentation or bizarre circumstances, chimeras are living beings whose bodies are made up of an amalgam of racial features. Chimeras can be particularly fearsome monsters, even when they're incomplete or failed experiments; if human or beastkin originally, the results can
sometimes be individuals with unique, remarkable qualities and advantages over most other races. The component species of a chimera determine not only its appearance and potential, but also what Traits and Abilities it has access to. It is even possible to include traits from certain types of non-living creatures, such as golems, in a chimera's biological makeup, though this can be a tricky balancing act when creating one.
COPIESIn addition to chimeras, magic researchers in the Slayers world sometimes experiment with the para-science of creating magical clones, called copies, of living things, people included. It is far from a perfect science (perfect magic?); most copies rapidly degenerate over time and keeping them alive can be difficult to accomplish. Expert sorcerers, however, can sometimes manage to create perfected copies that have normal lifespans and recreate the original flawlessly -- of course, there's always the experimental push to try and make them "better" in some way too, though that often does more harm than good. Most copies will believe themselves to be the original, assuming memories can be copied successfully, unless specifically told otherwise. A competent magical researcher with the right equipment and ingredients can make a passable copy from nothing more than a strand of hair or a toenail clipping.
