Dragon Quest VI

It's Dragon Quest VI. There's questing and you can fight dragons. This shouldn't be too unfamiliar. Like the other DQ info pages, I hope this guide can help everybody new and old to DQ and DQ6. There are a few off-site pages below for that extra info you seek, but this is primarily the main outline for skills and stuff you'll want to look out for. It also covers class/vocation changing and paths to consider, along with info about monsters that may join your party. This covers aspects of the SFC/SNES version, but primarily focuses on the DS version (which is a bit better in my opinion and worth supporting). There's not much difference between the two, so you should get a good concept of the info for either one with this (some sites below use SNES naming). Time to get down to business! 
=Alltrades Vocations and You=
Sadly, the Alltrades Abbey isn't available until after you beat Demon Lord Mudo/Murdaw, the first major story boss of the game (you should know this already). HOWEVER, this game uses a new system of changing classes/vocations over DQ3's: 
*Characters keep their levels, base stats, skills+magic, and are able to equip anything they could before changing. 
On the flip side: Your active stats are increased and decreased according to the specifications of your new learning experience. Example: Warriors have boosted physical prowess, but their MP and Wisdom is sharply reduced. In order to learn new skills, you must fight battles "that count".
=="Battles That Count"==
Let me clarify: Within each area there is a game-imposed "effort limit" of sorts. Now, this won't stop a character from leveling up, BUT, once they surpass that limit (say they just hit level 17 and the effort limit is 16), they won't be able to gain anymore skill points from battling in that area. 
* When you reach a new area with a higher limit, that character will once again gain skill points until reaching the new limit, then you find a new area once more, and so on and so forth. 
* There is NO indication of what areas have what effort limit, but you should progress well enough alongside it without worry. 
* If you are kinda worried, check HERE for a list of limit caps, though it is surprisingly lenient. 
* Castle Swanstone is one of the earliest areas with a Level 99 effort limit. A great place to revisit and power-up your vocations
* If you want to know how close you are to reaching your next skill level, talk to the fortune teller NPC at Alltrades. She'll tell you how many more battles you need for each character to get a new vocational promotion.
=Vocations and Best Abilities to Learn=
*Note: "SL" is used here as short-hand for "Skill Level". Skills/Spells with a "!" are some of the better, if not best, skills/spells you may learn. "?" denotes potentially great skills, but with a sort of risk factor to them. The others are still quite useful to know though. And no, I'm not sure why some skills do the same thing and a few vocations learn some of the same moves.
==Normal Vocations and Notable Skills/Spells==
Vocation 	Special Traits? 	Battles to Master	Best Skills/Magic Spells Learned
Warrior 	None 	150 	(SL2) Focus Strength !, (SL4) Double-Edged Slash ?, (SL5) Mercurial Thrust, (SL7) Falcon Slash !, (SL8) Hatchet Man !
Martial Artist	Higher chance to critical hit with a normal attack (approx. 3 to 4 times normal rate) 	200 	(SL1) Leg Sweep !, (SL2) Roundhouse Kick, (SL4) Dodgy Dance, (SL5) Knuckle Sandwich, (SL8) Multifists !
Mage 	None 	180 	(SL4) Kasap !, (SL5) Boom, (SL8) Kasizzle, Bounce !
Priest 	None 	160 	(SL2) Squelch, (SL3) Buff, (SL4) Tingle, (SL5) Kabuff !, (SL7) Fullheal !, (SL8) Zing ?
Dancer 	Increased evasion (hidden stat). 	120 	(SL2) Dodgy Dance, (SL5) Cop Out ?, (SL6) Ban Dance !, (SL8) Death Dance !
Thief 	Each in your active party may have stolen an item after battles, potentially letting you get more items from monsters. 	140 	(SL6) Padfoot, (SL7) Nose for Treasure !, (SL8) Snoop
Monster Master	When in active party, allows a small chance for foes to start the battle asleep or have them attempt to flee on the first round. 	165 	(SL4) Tongue Bashing, (SL8) Puff! !
Merchant 	10% extra gold won after each battle. 	130 	(SL1) Peep !, (SL2) Muster Strength !, (SL7) Service Call
Gadabout 	Sometimes ignores orders and does a "Lucky Dip" action, most of which are useless, but a few can potentially make a foe miss a turn.	155 	(SL2) Whistle, (SL4) Puff-Puff, (SL5) Nap !, (SL6) Tongue Bashing, (SL7) Follow Suit ?, (SL8) Hocus Pocus ?
==Special Vocations and Notable Skills/Spells==
Hybrid (an ally must master the two noted vocations to use the noted vocation)
Vocation and Combination 	Special Traits? 	Battles to Master	Best Skills/Magic Spells Learned
Gladiator (Warrior + Martial Artist) 	Character has a slight chance to "brush off" damage when attacked and reduces damage taken to 0 	250 	(SL3) Cop Out ?, (SL7) Boulder Toss !, (SL8) Metal Slash !
Armamentalist (Warrior + Mage) 	None. 	240 	(SL2) Oomph !, (SL4) Bound !, (SL7) Magma Blast ?, (SL8) Kafrizzle !
Paladin (Martial Artist + Priest) 	Character has a small Chance to instant-kill an enemy when using normal attacks. (no effect on bosses) 	260 	(SL1) Selflessness !, (SL2) Thin Air !, (SL3) Double Up ?, (SL5) Magic Barrier !, (SL6) Forbearance ?!, (SL8) Pearly Gates !
Sage (Mage + Priest) 	From SL3 onward, Character can use spells and skills with lowered MP costs. Reduction starts at 7/8 and reaches a maximum reduction of 1/2.	270 	(SL1) Absorb Magic !, (SL2) Insulatle !, (SL3) Oomph !, (SL4) Summon !, (SL5) Multiheal !, (SL6) Kazing !, (SL7) Magic Barrier !, (SL8) Kaboom !
Ranger (Thief + Monster Master + Merchant)	If Character is in the active party, there is an increased chance to escape from battles. 	200 	(SL1) Holy Protection !, (SL3) Safe Passage !, (SL6) Defending Champion !, (SL7) Pyre o' Fire ?, (SL8) Backdraft
Luminary (Dancer + Gadabout) 	If Character is in the active party, there is an increased chance the enemy(/ies) will lose a turn admiring the character. 	220 	(SL3) Lightning, (SL5) Spooky Aura, (SL6) Hustle Dance !, (SL7) Harvest Moon !, (SL8) Song of Salvation ?!
"Secret" (Special requirements to use)
Vocation and Requirement 	Special Traits? 	Battles to Master	Best Skills/Spells Learned
Hero (Character must master Gladiator, Ranger, Sage, and Luminary. Protagonist only needs to master one of these to use Hero.) 	From SL4 onward, Character auto-heals own HP after each of their turns. Amount starts at 30 and reaches a maximum of 80. Stacks with other HP turn-regeneration effects. 	150 	(SL2) Disruptive Wave !, (SL3) Zap, (SL4) Kazap !, (SL5) Meditation, (SL6) Gigaslash !, (SL7) Lightning Storm !
Dragon (Character must have Dragonic Diligence Scroll in their inventory when changing vocations. Lizzie starts as the Dragon vocation.) 	If Character is in the active party, there is an increased chance for Pre-Emptive Strike Battles (party gets a free first strike and foes can't act for their first turns)	280 	(SL7) Scorch !, (SL8) C-C-Cold Breath !
Liquid Metal Slime (Character must have Liquid Metal Mind Scroll in their inventory when changing vocations. Mercury starts as the Liquid Metal Slime vocation.)	Extra resistance to spells and breath attacks with each skill level. When mastered, Character is immune to spells, breaths, and has a boosted 100 max HP (when an LMS). 	299 	[SL6] Magic Burst !, (SL7) Lightning Storm !, (SL8) Big Banga !
=Recommended Vocation Paths and Why=
You can play however you want, but this is mostly to relieve potential stress and explanations on why it will do so.
==Protagonist==
Mage > Priest > Sage > Hero
* The Protagonist is the most often used character. However, he only learns 4 low-level spells by leveling up the entire game (Heal, Peep, Sap, and Zoom), and gets his last at Level 8. This is TERRIBLE.
* This path allows him to excel at all situations. He will be able to clear out enemy battles with ease and provide both excellent support and damage during bosses.
* The Protagonist will eventually become a great physical ally as a hero anyways, so just be patient. It is tempting to make him go physical, but Carver does a far better job at that, due to his high physical stats and endurance.
* He can still be quite good at attacking normally, with either single or multiple target weapons. The Protagonist's above-average stats mean he doesn't take as severe a drop in physical combat. When he uses his support spells, especially Oomph and Buff, he can boost his physical powers further.
* The spells and skills he learns as a hero are the among the best and most damaging in the game. The fact that he has a healthy MP pool means that he can spam them much more than your other physical fighters. They more than make up for any physical skills he misses out on in other vocations.
* The Protagonist may not be your "go-to" support/healing-caster after he becomes a hero, but the fact remains that he gains quite a lot of MP, which is great at support and healing spells in dangerous situations. 
* Having a stronger character like the Protagonist who can use support and healing means you don't have to worry about them dying, leaving you without a support-healer. This support is invaluable during the Spiegelspire, which if you are unprepared, can be one of the hardest areas and bosses in the game.
* Finally, the auto-healing of the hero vocation keeps him alive and well, to spam high damage skills, support, and healing without worrying much about his own HP.
==Carver/Hassan==
Warrior > Martial Artist > Gladiator > Dragon (1st scroll) (/ > Priest (up to SL4 only) > Dragon (1st scroll)) > Liquid Metal Slime
* Use your HP and Resilience boosting seeds on Carver as Forbearance WILL save your ass. He naturally learns the Forbearance skill, which takes a long time to get otherwise, therefore he should be the one to go Liquid Metal Slime with the first scroll you find (which won't be for a long time, but it's important to keep in mind).
* Carver is your physical powerhouse. He only learns 3 skills by leveling up, but Forbearance is always great for protecting your party and Double Up is badass for dealing damage. Flying Knee smacks around "flying" foes for extra damage.
* This path lets others provide support while he beats down enemies. Use protective abilities like Buff/Kabuff when he uses Forbearance and/or Double Up, use stat-boosting/lowering abilities Oomph + Sap/Kasap to make foes easier to damage, and heal him up when he uses Forbearance (have him defend or use Dodgy Dance when healing).
* The "Focus Strength" skill can stack on "Oomph" spell, to bring extra pain. This applies to normal attacks and several skills. This is AWESOME for normal attacks, Double-Edged Slash, Knuckle Sandwich, and Hatchet Man. For Falcon Slash, Roundhouse Kick, and Multifists, this only affects the first hit, but it still helps.
* This path works well with Carver's below average MP pool. None of these skills even need MP and many hit multiple foes! Unless you make him a Priest later on, and even then, that isn't so bad, since Priest spells never need too much MP.
* Hatchet Man is the easiest ability to kill Metal King Slimes with. This is invaluable late- and post- game for easy level-ups. The Hela Hammer weapon is better, but can be hard find in abundance.
* Leg Sweep works on many enemies and even some bosses. This is great to avoid damage and having all other allies slam down on the competition.
* Carver should be the first character you change to a Dragon. This lets him use Fire/Ice breath attacks (for 0 MP!) and boosts his raw physical strength even further.
* Changing to a Priest for a while lets him provide back-up support in a pinch. This lets him emergency heal and remove ailments. However, he doesn't have much MP until later, so only bother late- or post- game. Only go up to SL4, to avoid bogging down his skill list and because you'll have others to be your main healers.
==Milly/Muriel==
Gadabout > Dancer > Luminary > Mage > Warrior > Armamentalist *
* Milly is best as an all-around support. She learns 10 spells by leveling up (Heal, Squelch, Buff, Dazzle, Evac, Crack, Snooze, Midheal, Bang, Kabuff). Buff and Kabuff are essential for the entire game.
* Milly is both fast and stylish. She will often act first, evade damage, and this makes her a good Luminary. She also has a pretty good MP pool, which means she'll be one of your go-to users for healing, support, and damage-dealing spells. Her Strength isn't too high, but she uses good weapons, so consider using Strength seeds on her.
* Yes, Gadabout is shit. However, it goes by fast and teaches her Whistle and Nap, which helps you round up those last few battles for a Skill Level up and lets you wander around refilling her lost HP and MP (at the small expense of her sleeping). Follow Suit counters an enemy assault with the exact same attack, which is great if she survives a strong attack. Hocus Pocus is risky, but can be good if you're lucky.
* As a Dancer, she has increased evasion. She's already good at dodging, but gets better with the vocational boost and further more with Dodgy Dance. 
* Death Dance can kill all normal enemies at no cost, provided they have no or little resistance and that the attack itself works (it's about 50/50 for each non-resistant foe), but you still get gold and experience! Ban Dance lets you stop enemies from doing their annoying dances. Cop Out can be useful, but you also risk hurting an ally, which is bad.
* As a Luminary, she can potentially make enemies lose a turn. Boost the chance of occurrence with stylish equipment. [Certain equipment combos boost style further than normal as well.] Good to know for when you do the Best Dressed contests later on.
* Her Luminary skills are great for healing and physical and magical damage. Hustle Dance is a slightly weaker, but free version of Multiheal and Song of Salvation casts Zing on all allies. Lightning is a free version of Boom, which is twice as strong as Bang. Harvest Moon does three times as much damage as a normal attack, and while it normally divides the damage amongst all enemies, it can be quite strong against single foes and some bosses, especially when she has a good weapon.
* After she's finished when Luminary, IMMEDIATELY have her work to become an Armamentalist. She doesn't need any other vocations after she learns Kafrizzle from that. What's also great about Armamentalist is that she can use her stronger weapons on single foes while potentially exploiting elemental weaknesses as well!
==Ashlynn/Barbara==
Mage > Priest > Sage > Warrior > Armamentalist *
* Ashlynn is THE BEST human magic-caster your party will get. She learns 11 spells by leveling up (Frizz, Sap, Snooze, Dazzle, Sizz, Zoom, Evac, Kasap, Drain Magic, Sizzle, Fuddle).
* Unfortunately, she is the physically weakest of your human allies. This makes some people just disregard using her, but she makes up for this later on with the largest natural MP pool. 
* She works great for random battles. Having her spam her damage-spells helps you save the MP of the Protagonist and other allies for dungeons and bosses.
* As a mage, Frizzle, Boom, and Kasizzle clean up random battles with ease. Priestly powers like Squelch, Tingle, Midheal/Fullheal, and Zing keep your party healthy and remove the need to buy lots of items.
* As a sage, she'll perform both roles better, both in and out of battles. Multiheal provides cheaper, more efficient party healing. Kazing is a 100% healing and 100% success Zing, removing the risk of multiple castings. Kaboom and Kathwack tear apart random battles. Her stat-boosting spells are great for boss-battles that allow your wagon to let her cast, then safely switch out. 
* She becomes a bit better physically as an Armamentalist. She also learns Kafrizzle, the strongest inexpensive single target magic in the game (10 MP). This also takes advantage of her Gringham Whip, which ties with the Sword of Ramias for strongest base attack in the game (145!). Like any whip, it also hits groups of foes!
* She can DESTROY enemies and bosses alike with the Duplic Hat. She should be the first one to give it to if you find one. Her high MP already makes her good for spamming, and the Duplic Hat's extra free casting of a spell (let's say, Kaboom or Kafrizzle) lets her easily do near or over 300 damage in a single turn, something most allies can't even pull off without stat-boosting spells. In addition, using it with Multiheal means you will never have need for Omniheal.
* Summon lets you call forth one of 4 AI-controlled spirits that don't take up a wagon spot and act as an extra ally. They vary in stats and abilities, but all of them are still helpful. If you want to learn more about each one, check near the bottom of this page for more info.
==Nevan/Chamoro==
Martial Artist (just up to SL3) > Mage > Warrior > Armamentalist * > Priest > Martial Artist (finish) > Paladin
* Nevan is a surprisingly solid "all-around"-type and support-caster. He's about equal in fighting and any magic, just slightly below the Protagonist. He learns 11 spells by leveling up (Heal, Midheal, Squelch, Woosh, Poof, Fizzle, Zing, Swoosh, Tingle, Fullheal, and Whack). These give him a solid place in any party.
* Although solid in both areas, he leans more toward magic, despite a naturally high Resilience stat. He's well-suited for "combat medic" and "red mage" roles.
* The Staff of Ghent is great for MP-free healing. You should even use it in post-game, just because a free Midheal really is that helpful! Always have it in your active party, even if he isn't the one using it.
* Although Nevan should first aim to be an Armamentalist, have him be a Martial Artist just up to SL3 before heading on that path. Roundhouse Kick and Wind Sickles are both MP-free and let him deal physical damage to groups of foes or solid Wind-damage versus single targets. Very handy to preserve his MP while also dealing damage.
* Spells and Skills learned from the Warrior and Mage Vocations give him more damage versatility The spells he learns allow element-exploits and Focus Strength will let him boost his physical damage and physical-damage skills to be on par with your heavy hitters. Plus, Hatchet Man, which is always good to kill Metal Slime foes.
* After he masters Kafrizzle, have him work towards being a Paladin. Starting with Priest on that helps as he'll learn any spells in that vocation that he didn't naturally (most importantly the defense-boosting "Buff" and "Kabuff" spells). If you want him to heal multiple allies at once, give him the Sage's Stone.
* After mastering Priest, finishing Martial Artist at this point provides a good critical hit-dealer for a while. It also teaches the MP-free physical skill Multifists for physical damage randomly spread or concentrated amongst all foes. When he becomes a Paladin, this is great, thanks to Strength boost it provides.
* Finally, Paladin provides extra support to allies, extra damage to foes, and an ally with insta-kill chances for his normal attacks. The last point can be helpful in random battles. Magic Barrier is great for late- and post- games. Thin Air and Pearly Gates both do great wind damage to all foes. Selflessness and Forbearance should be used in moderation and emergencies, as Carver is better at taking hits. Kerplunk is best used in desperate situations, preferably when his HP and MP are near 0.
==Amos==
Martial Artist (up to skill level 3) > Monster Master > Merchant > Thief > Ranger > Martial Artist (finish at SL8) > Dragon (2nd scroll)
* Amos is a great physical fighter and good at tanking. He has a high Strength stat and has the best Resilience of all humans. He only has 1 spell (Heal) and 1 crappy skill, Megamorphosis, without changing vocations. Megamorphosis is unpredictable and not great. Amos becomes uncontrollable and uses lackluster skills and most of them won't work on bosses. That's why you SHOULDN'T use that specific skill. Amos's sole major weakness is his low MP, making him bad at continuous magic casting.
* Putting Amos in the Ranger path assures you have nearly all vocations near mastery close to end-game. Not a bad idea, getting all vocations to Skill Level 5 nets you the Gospel Ring, which when worn, prevents ALL random battles, which saves you a ton of trouble for the bonus dungeon where MP-saving is vital.
* Monster Master, like Gadabout, sucks, so get it over with first. Monster Master at SL8 has Amox learn "Puff!", which changes him into a badass dragon, which is way better than Megamorphosis. He also learns "Tongue Bashing", which can be useful versus enemies and a few bosses to lower defense and can sometimes make them lose a turn. He learns some weak breath attacks as well, but some cause status ailments, and they are all MP-free, which can be helpful against swarms of foes and also some hard-hitters, since.
* Merchant lets Amos provide support in and out of battles. Muster Strength lets him deal extra damage with normal attacks and War Cry gives a chance to stun all enemies into inaction for a turn or two. Service Call can summon random shops on the map, including an Inn and a non-saving church. This can be quite handy if you need a quick refill. Call to Arms can be a powerful attack against enemies and weaker bosses, but be careful with your wallet as it costs gold instead of MP.
* By the time Amos is a Thief, you should have most, if not all, the magical keys. If you missed some treasure before, now is the time to get it. The Thief skills Amos gets are great for finding missed treasures and also some new ones. Padfoot is a cheaper alternative to Holy Water, Nose for Treasure tallies up how many things you may have missed in an immediate area, and Snoop locates hidden treasures (i.e. those not in chests). You can also steal great items late-, end-, and post-game.
* Ranger lets Amos deal with annoying areas and enemies. Safe Passage nullifies damage to the party from harmful surfaces. Defending Champion reduces damage he takes by 90%, and can block certain attacks and effects. Backdraft lets him avoid damage from breath attacks while reflecting the damage back to the enemy who mouthed off. Most breath attacks get very strong, so this can be quite handy. Pyre o' Fire is very strong, doing around 180 Blaze damage for 0 MP, but sometimes doesn't work, which sucks.
* Finish off the Martial Artist job after mastering Ranger and before going Dragon. He gets some handy skills here that help round out his offense, and it's always helpful to have one ally with a naturally high critical hit rate until your fighters go pure dragons (then they hopefully won't need crits!).
* I don't recommend making him into a second Carver. This is good in theory, but it's rather unnecessary, especially since you don't get the Gospel Ring as easily and you get Terry and Lizzie not too long after getting Amos, both of whom concentrate on combat. It's not a bad idea to have 4 brawlers, but it's not as awesome as it sounds until you get a 3rd dragon scroll.
==Terry==
Gladiator SL4 > Priest > Paladin > Dragon (3rd scroll)
* Terry is an odd case. He joins late in the game, but starts as a Gladiator with both Warrior and Martial Artist mastered. He learns no new skills or spells by leveling up, but he has all of the skills from Warrior and Martial Artist.
* This may imply that he is a physical fighter, but really: He is near the middle of every stat ranking. As such, it's best to make him something of a Warrior-Mage.
* Learn Gust Slash and Multislice as a Gladiator before shifting to Priest Gust Slash lets him do Wind-elemental damage for 0 MP. Multislice lets him attack multiple foes at once.
* Priest is a good means of getting him some nice healing and support spells. He doesn't have a lot of MP, but he'll still be good for healing your party on the overworld so that your main casters/healers can save MP for tough fights.. 
* Terry will do well as a Paladin. This path makes Terry well-rounded and he can heal, support, and deal magic damage all pretty well. He won't be your main at any of those, but is a good back-up to all of them. Double Up, Selflessness, and Forbearance can be risky for Terry, but he should be okay for one or two uses.
* If Terry masters Paladin, make him a Thief for a while in the last dungeon.. The stats are pretty shoddy, but you can steal amazing items from end-game monsters, such as the Duplic Hat, Happy Hat, and Metal King Helm.
* Do note though, that by the time you get Terry, he'll be at a disadvantage at Level 28. If nobody else is using it, have him equip the Demon Spear at the last dungeon to hunt Metal King Slimes. Once he is roughly at Level 32-34, he'll be a solid character.
* Always keep his Sunderbolt Sword in your active party. Even if he doesn't use it, whoever uses it casts Zap on all enemies for free. This is a cheap and easy way to end fights faster, since very few foes are resistant to Zap magic and it always does about 80 damage. It helps an active Terry give extra support as well.
==Lizzie/Drango==
Dragon > Priest > Martial Artist > Paladin (at least until Skill Level 6 to learn Forbearance) > Dragon
* Lizzie is a monster, but plays like a human. She starts under-leveled, but quickly catches up and becomes THE STRONGEST physical fighter in your party. By leveling up, she only learns 6 skills (Falcon Slash, Flame Breath, Hatchet Man, Inferno, Metal Slash, and Scorch) and 1 spell (Kazing), but they make her an amazing ally.
* Clearing her Dragon vocation can wait. She learns the second best skill, Scorch, at Level 30 naturally. Making her a Priest lets her provide valuable support, thanks to her large MP pool. Like Nevan, she can act as a "combat medic", but with more emphasis on the actual combat part.
* If another ally is a Paladin, just let her learn Forbearance and change back to Dragon. It provides less MP, but the Dragon vocation lets her better protect allies due to extra HP and Resilience. Unlike humans, monsters like Lizzie have resistances to spells! Also, Lizzie can even nullify some status ailments.
* Gladiator, Sage, and Armamentalist are pointless for her. Dragon is a better power vocation, she learns Kazing without going Sage, and her breath attacks out-power anything in the Sage and Armamentalist selection and FOR FREE. If you want Lizzie to provide party-healing, give her the Sage's Stone.
* Luminary is too weak and underpowered for her to use. However, it's not a bad idea to temporarily make her a Gadabout until she learns Nap. Be careful though, since some of the late-game enemies are powerful and may easily hurt her under this vocation. However, the HP and MP regeneration is worth it once she learns it.
* Ranger is also a bad choice for her. She's already a dragon with better resistances than the spell, her breath attacks hit harder than any skills from this path, and there's not much loot left to locate. However, temporarily making her a Merchant to learn Muster Strength will make Falcon Slash and Hatchet Man hit harder.
* By the time you get Lizzie, if nobody else has mastered Ranger, recruit a Slime buddy and have it master the vocation post-game. The path of the Ranger requires vocations that are just too weak at end-game to re-start off with. End-game foes are that strong, and there's no point prolonging your path to beat the final boss.
* Remember! Lizzie and all other monsters you recruit can use and wear equipment, too. That said, because of how strong she is (and to a lesser extent, monsters), give monsters good equipment but never your best. Humans have no natural resistances, so to the humans' benefit to wear your strongest and resistant armor (unless your party is mostly monsters).
=Monster Buddies=
==Both DS and SFC==
Here's a few notes that apply to both:
* Lizzie/Drango the Hacksaurus/Battle-Rex is a special monster that can only be recruited by revisiting Arkbolt prison with Terry in your active, on-screen party. As long as you have Terry with you, just talk to her and she'll join. 
* If you missed her section above, she gets really good skills, has really good resistances, can equip a variety of gear, and has great stats.
* Above all that, though, is that she starts out pre-equipped with the Dragon Vocation and can change vocations as well. Definitely have her in your wagon, if not your main party. She also has party chat with something to say for each situation (instead of repeating a few lines), which makes her feel more like an actual character.
* All Monster Buddies besides Lizzie and Slime Knight sadly have somewhat restrictive equipment sets. However, like her, they also have some natural resistances to spells and elements. Their stats aren't too shabby either! 
* Like humans, monsters also learn a few spells and skills naturally, regardless of vocation. Depending on the monster, it may be better to avoid or work with some vocations with similar traits.
* For example, making Healie into a Priest and leveling up his skill points helps clear out its spell-learning list and earns extra spells it wouldn't learn normally. But making Lizzie a Gladiator is pointless, since she levels up quickly and learns the best skills from that path and a few stronger than those anyways.
* All this makes them pretty good substitutes for your human allies, although that's entirely up to you. I wouldn't personally replace members until beating the game once, just because they don't party chat and only repeat a few lines.
* After winning A-Rank at Slimopolis/Slime Arena, you can recruit Goober/Rookie, a normal blue slime, by talking to Sledge/Sludge, the owner. Goober hardly has any resistances, but he eventually gets fairly strong, levels up VERY quickly, and starts with some decent spells. 
* When he reaches Level 45, bring Goober back to talk with Sledge and he will learn C-C-C-Cold Breath/Crystal Breath, which is better than his final skill, Scorch/Scorching Breath at level 90.
Monster (Name) 	Maximum Level	Recruitment Requirement and Location 	Best Skills/Spells Learned @ Level #
Hacksaurus (Lizzie)	99 	Revisit Arkbolt prison with Terry in your active, on-screen party and talk with her.	Falcon Slash @ L1, Hatchet Man @ L9, Metal Slash @ L20, Kazing @ L25, Scorch @ L30
Slime (Goober) 	99 	Win A Rank at Slimopolis and talk with Sledge. 	Frizzle, Sizzle, AND Kabuff @ L20 (start), Scorch @ L90 (Yes, Level 90); C-C-C-Cold Breath @ Talk with Sledge when Goober is L45+
==DS==
* Since you could only recruit 18 other monsters anyways, the recruitment by Beastmasters has been ditched (and despite previous rumors, they are NOT a FF-style Blue Mage class either). 
* To make up for this, "Slime Friends" have been introduced. Each one has their own little story and side-quest to recruit them. The ones that have appeared before in SFC have the same stats and skills as before. 
* Here they are and here's how to recruit them:
Monster (Name) 	Maximum Level	Recruitment Requirement and Location 	Best Skills/Spells Learned
Slime Knight (Goowain) 	99 	Once you finish the Howcastle events, exit the door in Prince's Room that needs the Magic Key, go nearby and speak to Goowain, 	Kabuff @ L8, Focus Strength @ L13, Cop Out @ L18, Falcon Slash @ L25
Healslime (Healie) 	99 	After you get the Flying Bed, talk with him behind the Weapon/Armor shop in Dream World Clearvale. 	Fullheal @ L15, Multiheal @ L18, Omniheal @ L23
Mottle Slime (Spot) 	99 	Enter the well in Real World Castle Graceskull and he'll be a little ways from the entrance. Talk with him and he'll join. 	Follow Suit @ L9, Whistle @ L11, Nap @ L15, Double Up @ L16
King Slime (Kingsley) 	99 	Beat Rank-7 of the Best-Dressed Contest and talk with him at the Contest bar upstairs. 	Muster Strength @ L5, Kazing @ L15
Slime (Goober) 	99 	Win A-Rank at Slimopolis and talk with Sledge. 	Frizzle, Sizzle, AND Kabuff @ L20 (start), Scorch @ L90 (Yes, Level 90); C-C-C-Cold Breath @ Talk with Sledge when Goober is L45+
Cureslime (Curie) 	99 	Tag 10+ people in your Dreamcard List (At Suite Dreams around mid-game) and meet him inside OR meet him post-game just outside the Suite Dreams building. 	Fullheal @ L1, Kazing @ L17, Multiheal @ L20, Omniheal @ L50 (Yes, Level 50.)
Shell Slime (Shelley) 	99 	Talk to her with Curie in the active, on-screen party. She pops up in various towns and wells, but ends up and stays at the Underwater Inn, north of the Fashion Smith.	Kabuff @ L1 (has it when she joins), Freezing Blizzard @ L33
Liquid Metal Slime (Mercury)	16 	Tag 20+ people in your Dreamcard List (Again at Suite Dreams) (OR be at post-game without needing tags) and meet in a forest past previously closed curtains inside. 	Magic Burst @ L7, Big Banga @ L14
==SFC==
* If you want to recruit monsters, you must have a character in your active party be a Beastmaster class. You must also have the wagon available (on-screen), and it must have an empty slot in it.
* There's only 18 "non-special" monsters to recruit and they have widely varying recruit chances (Metal Babbles have a 0.4% chance of joining. 1/256 for fuck's sake!). Unlike DQ5 or DQ5DS, they don't get easier to recruit each battle either. 
* Outside of Dragon's and Metal Babble's unique skills, you can learn anything monsters learn naturally or through Dharma Temple (and later special books for Dragon and Metal Babble). 
* Anyways, here are the other monsters:
Monster Name 	Maximum Level	Recruitment Difficulty	Best Skills/Spells Learned
Bomb Crag 	30 	Average 	Magma @ L15, Meditate @ L30
Boss Troll 	99 	Average 	Tremor @ L15, Protect @ L20, Rockslide @ L30
Dark Horn 	99 	Average 	Stop Spell @ L5, Power Up @ L10
Furrat 	99 	Easy 	Firebane @ L18, Bounce @ L20, Absorb @ L25, Firevolt @ L30
Healer 	99 	Easy 	Healall @ L15, Healus @ L18, Healusall @ L23
Killer Machine 2 	66 	Hard 	Spinning Sword @ L4
King Slime 	99 	Average 	Wind Up @ L5, Revive @ L15
Lamp Demon 	99 	Hard 	Increase AND Bikill @ L10, Barrier @ L12, Healusall @ L18, Air Wall @ L23
Lesser Demon 	99 	Easy 	Defense AND Eerie Light @ L5, Bolt @ L15
Lipps 	50 	Easy 	Dark Lick @ L7
Metal Babble 	16 	VERY HARD 	Madante @ L7, Big Bang @ L14
Mud Doll 	99 	Easy 	Increase @ L13, Repeat @ 17, Hide @ L20
Rotting Corpse 	50 	Easy 	Defense @ L13, Death Dance @ L25
Slime (Non-"Rookie" Version)	99 	VERY EASY 	Scorching Breath @ L90 (Yes, Level 90.)
Slime Knight 	99 	Easy 	Increase @ L8, Power Up @ L13, Hide @ L18, Double Slash @ L25
Super Tensk 	99 	Easy 	Death Dance @ L15, Stillness @ L20, Life Song @ L27
Wind Mage 	99 	Hard 	Firebane @ L20, Infermost @ L25
Wyvern 	99 	Average 	Healall @ L20, Blizzard Breath @ L30
=Skill/Spell Names and Explanations=
Curious about what some of those strangely named skills and spells do? Here's the best that were listed here that are not monster-specific.
Name 	MP Cost	Type 	Target 	Effect
Focus Strength 	0 	Support Skill 	Self 	Deal out 2-2.5x damage for next attack/most attack skills (only the 1st hit for multi-hit skills)! Does not stack with itself or Muster Strength
Double-Edged Slash	0 	Physical Attack	1 Enemy 	1.5x damage to target, 25% of that damage directly to user. "Neutral" damage to both.
Mercurial Thrust 	0 	Physical Attack	1 Enemy 	Strike first before friend and foe, but only deal 80% damage. "Neutral" damage.
Falcon Slash 	0 	Physical Attack	1 Enemy 	2 Strikes on target for 75% Damage per hit! "Neutral" damage.
Hatchet Man 	0 	Physical Attack	1 Enemy 	Only 37.5% chance to hit. But if it lands, it is always a Critical Hit! "Neutral" damage.
Leg Sweep 	0 	Support Skill 	1 Enemy 	Can stun target for a round. (Some foes are immune, so beware!)
Roundhouse Kick 	0 	Physical Attack	1 Enemy Group	Strikes target group for successively lower damage: 100%, 80%, 70%, etc. (just like a whip). "Neutral" damage.
Dodgy Dance 	0 	Support Skill 	Self 	Increases own Evasion (hidden stat)
Knuckle Sandwich 	0 	Physical Attack	1 Enemy 	Attacks target for 2x damage. "Strike" damage. Chance to hit is lowered by enemy's hidden Strike Resistance, so beware!
Multifists 	0 	Physical Attack	All Enemies 	Four strikes versus randomly chosen target(s) for half damage (chance to hit is lowered by enemy's resistance). "Neutral" damage.
Kasap 	4 	Support Magic 	1 Enemy Group	Reduces the Defense of targets by 25% (can stack for multiple debuffs!)
Boom 	8 	Magic Attack 	All Enemies 	52-68 "Bang" Damage
Kasizzle 	10 	Magic Attack 	1 Enemy Group	88-112 "Sizz" Damage
Bounce 	4 	Support Magic 	1 Ally 	Reflects all magic spells cast on self back to caster for a few turns (Item and Equipment effects don't reflect)
Squelch 	2 	Support Magic 	1 Ally 	Cures an ally of Poison and/or Venom
Buff 	2 	Support Magic 	1 Ally 	Raises the Defense of an ally by 50% (can stack for multiple buffs!)
Tingle 	2 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	Cures all allies of Sleep and/or Paralysis
Kabuff 	3 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	Raises the Defense of all allies by 25% (can stack for multiple debuffs!)
Fullheal 	7 	Support Magic 	1 Ally 	Fully heals an ally to 100% of their maximum HP
Zing 	10 	Support Magic 	1 Ally 	50% chance to revive and ally at 50% of their maximum HP
Cop Out 	0 	Support Skill 	Self 	For the turn used, increases own Evasion (hidden stat) and has a 20-30% chance to deflect physical attacks on either a foe or an ally
Ban Dance 	0 	Support Skill 	1 Enemy Group	Prevents targets from using "Dance" skills for a few turns
Death Dance 	0 	Support Skill 	All Enemies 	Attempts to Instant Kill all enemies (low-medium chance per foe, resistances aside)
Padfoot 	0 	Support Skill 	All Allies 	Outside of battles only. Lowers odds of encountering "weaker monsters" while traveling. Slightly increases chance of being surprised by enemies encountered.
Nose for Treasure 	0 	Support Skill 	All Allies 	Outside of battles only. Tells how many treasures are left to find in the immediate area
Snoop 	2 	Support Skill 	All Allies 	Outside of battles only. Causes hidden treasures in the immediate area to twinkle and make a sound
Tongue Bashing 	0 	Support Skill 	1 Enemy 	May reduce target's Defense to 0 and/or may stun them for a turn
Puff! 	18 	Support Magic 	Self 	Become an uncontrollable dragon until the battle ends. Uses a strong attack (~1.5-2x normal) or Breathes Fire or Ice (~40 Fire/~60 Ice damage to all foes, 0 MP); resistant/immune to fire damage while a dragon.
Peep 	1 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	(Menu) basic item/gear explanation, allies in the active party can equip/use it, and what it sells for (Object) Checks chests or pots for traps; Opens Spiegelspire door
Muster Strength 	0 	Support Skill 	Self 	Deal out 2-2.5x damage for next attack/most attack skills (only the 1st hit for multi-hit skills)! Does not stack with itself or Focus Strength.
Service Call 	15 	Support Skill 	All Allies 	Outside of battles only. Randomly calls for a Church or Inn or an Item, Weapon, Armour, or Village Store
Whistle 	0 	Support Skill 	All Allies 	Outside of battles only. Calls forth a random battle when not inside of towns, villages, and other areas where random battles don't occur
Puff-Puff 	0 	Support Skill 	1 Enemy 	(Female user) Can stun target for a turn (Male user) causes weak "Strike" damage to target
Nap 	0 	Support Skill 	Self 	Outside of battles only. User falls asleep and regenerates HP and MP. If a battle starts while napping, the user will be asleep until woken up.
Follow Suit 	0 	Support Skill 	Self 	Enters a stance for the turn used and counters enemies who strike self with same attack/skill/spell enemy used (when possible) for 0 MP.
Hocus Pocus 	15 	??? 	??? 	Causes one of a number of effects listed below.
Boulder Toss 	0 	Physical Attack	All Enemies 	90-130 "Strike" damage
Metal Slash 	0 	Physical Attack	1 Enemy 	Deals 1 extra Damage Vs. "Metal Slime-Type" enemies, 1.5x normal damage to other "machines" and "metal" enemies
Oomph 	6 	Support Magic 	1 Ally 	Ally's Attack stat x2 for a few turns. Applies to normal attacks and most skills, but not magic. Does not stack.
Bound 	4 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	Reflects one spell off of each ally back to sender. Doesn't go away until hit by magic, but only works once until recast. Won't work vs. skills. Does not stack.
Oomph 	6 	Support Magic 	1 Ally 	Ally's Attack stat x2 for a few turns. Applies to normal attacks and most skills, but not magic. Does not stack.
Magma Blast 	0 	Magic Skill 	All Enemies 	70-85 "Fire" Damage. May fail when cast. Battle environment affects success rate.
Kafrizzle 	10 	Magic Attack 	1 Enemy 	180-200 Frizz Damage
Selflessness 	0 	Support Skill 	1 Ally 	User takes damage for chosen Ally. Resistances and Defense of user are factored in to lower damage.
Thin Air 	0 	Magic Skill 	All Enemies 	Does up to 165 damage. "Woosh" property. Does 1.3x damage vs. "Undead" foes, but is still capped. Damage formula: (User LVx2 + 50), then x1.3 if Undead)
Double Up 	0 	Physical Attack	1 Enemy 	2x normal damage, but user takes 2x physical damage that turn. "Neutral" damage. Always goes first, even before Mercurial Thrust! Stat-boosts don't increase damage dealt.
Magic Barrier 	3 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	1/2 damage from all magic attacks. Skills and Breath are not reduced. Additional reduction from armor is applied as well.
Forbearance 	0 	Support Skill 	All Allies 	User takes damage for all other allies. Resistances and Defense of user are factored in to lower damage.
Pearly Gates 	20 	Magic Skill 	All Enemies 	180-210 "Woosh" Damage. Damage x1.3 vs. Undead. Undead factor does not seem capped like Thin Air.
Absorb Magic 	3 	Support Magic 	Self 	Heals MP by the cost of spells used against self. Doesn't work against beneficial spells like healing or support.
Insulatle 	3 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	1/2 damage from non-magical Fire and Ice attacks (i.e. non-"Frizz" and non-"Crack" skills and breaths)
Summon 	20 	Support Magic 	??? 	Summons a spirit to assist the party. Higher leveled users can summon stronger spirits. Each spirit has different stats and uses different skills. See below for more info.
Multiheal 	18 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	Heals all allies by 100-120 HP
Kazing 	20 	Support Magic 	1 Ally 	100% chance to revive and ally at 100% of their maximum HP
Kaboom 	15 	Magic Attack 	All Enemies 	130-150 "Bang" Damage
Holy Protection 	4 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	Outside of battles only. Lowers odds of encountering "weaker monsters" while traveling.
Safe Passage 	2 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	Protects all allies from damaging floors (lava, poison bogs, etc.). Doesn't affect non-damaging floors like auto-movement tiles or ice slippage.
Defending Champion	0 	Support Skill 	Self 	Enters a stance for the turn used and reduces damage dealt to self by 90%, blocks some skills and Strike, Pierce, Critical, and Instant Death are less effective.
Pyre o' Fire 	0 	Magic Skill 	1 Enemy 	170-190 "Fire" Damage. May fail when cast.
Backdraft 	0 	Support Skill 	Self 	Reflects 1 breath attack and its damage on self (and only self) back to user.
Lightning 	0 	Magic Skill 	All Enemies 	40-50 "Bang" Damage
Spooky Aura 	0 	Support Skill 	1 Enemy Group	Reduces the damage enemies deal with magic spells about 30-50%. May also work on some bosses.
Hustle Dance 	0 	Support Skill 	All Allies 	Heals all allies by 70-80 HP
Harvest Moon 	0 	Physical Attack	All Enemies 	"Neutral" damage. Damage Formulas: (for 1 foe) 1.5-2x normal damage, (for 2+ foes) Normal Damage x(3/(Enemy #+1)) to all foes. Stat-boosts don't increase damage dealt.
Song of Salvation 	20 	Support Skill 	All Allies 	50% chance for each ally to revive at 100% maximum HP. Takes 2 turns to use. 1st turn sings, 2nd enacts effect. Chance is respective of each ally.
Disruptive Wave 	0 	Support Skill 	All Enemies 	Removes all enhancements, buffs, and stat-boosts from all enemies. (Even works on bosses!)
Zap 	6 	Magic Attack 	All Enemies 	70-90 "Zap" Damage
Kazap 	15 	Magic Attack 	1 Enemy Group	175-225 "Zap" Damage
Meditation 	0 	Support Skill 	Self 	Heals self by 500 HP
Gigaslash 	20 	Magic Skill 	1 Enemy Group	350-410 "Zap" Damage.
Lightning Storm 	25 	Magic Attack 	All Enemies 	210-290 "Zap" Damage.
Scorch 	0 	Breath Skill 	All Enemies 	150-170 "Fire" Damage.
C-C-Cold Breath 	0 	Breath Skill 	All Enemies 	210-230 "Ice" Damage.
Magic Burst 	ALL 	Magic Skill 	All Enemies 	2x user's current MP when using = Damage. "Fire" Damage.
Big Banga 	30 	Magic Skill 	All Enemies 	300-400 "Frizz" Damage
Sap 	3 	Support Magic 	1 Enemy 	Reduces the Defense of target by 50% (can stack for multiple debuffs!)
Zoom 	1 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	Outside of battles only. Warps all allies to a known, selectable town. Certain story situations may prevent its use at times.
Evac 	8 	Support Magic 	All Allies 	Outside of battles only. Warps all allies outside of a dungeon. Certain story situations may prevent its use at times.
==Hocus Pocus==
A strange spell... The only winning move is not to use it... But that's for chumps. If you feel gutsy enough, here's the effects that may happen (mostly complete, as there's still some that haven't been found!):
 01) All enemies fall asleep. (Individual enemies may be immune.)
 02) All allies recover to full HP.
 03) All allies and enemies recover to full HP.
 04) All allies and enemies recover to full MP.
 05) All allies and enemies have their current MP reduced to 0. (Bosses may be immune?)
 06) All dead allies and enemies are revived.
 07) All allies receive Oomph effect
 08) All spells are rendered invalid by a Strange Fog until it fades.
 09) All allies and enemies have their current HP become 1. (Bosses are likely immune)
 10) All enemies attacked for moderate damage by demons.
 11) All enemies frozen for a round. (Bosses may be immune?)
 12) All allies become uncontrollable dragons.
 13) All enemies defeated, but with no experience or gold gained. (Bosses are likely immune)
 14) All allies and enemies frightened for 1-3 turns. (Bosses may be immune?)
 15) All enemies attacked for moderate damage by a genie.
 16) Battle reverts to the first round.
 17) Voice from the clouds, nothing happens. (supposedly revives dead allies (and maybe enemies), but untested)
 18) Nothing!
==Summon Spirits==
Spirits are essentially a 5th/9th party member. They can even be used in boss fights. 
* Summon them at the start of battles for best results. It's less risky, and you may have them buff you up so you don't need to bother.
* Only 1 spirit can be summoned at a time. Once a battle is over, the spirit leaves. Entering another battle lets you re-summon. 
* Within the same battle, the Summon spell DOES NOT RESET IN-BATTLE if a spirit is defeated. So either heal them or...
* If you don't like the spirit summoned or your spirit died, use the Sands of Time. This restarts the battle, yet lets you re-summon, as it counts as a new battle.
* They cannot be controlled or targeted by allies. However, do note that using spells or items that affect all allies affect them as well. This is a good way to heal and/or power them up.
* They have some natural spell/status resistances like monster allies. However, none of their resistances are very strong, so beware of strong magic and breath damage.
Here are the four spirits and a bit more info on them:
Tatron can be summoned at any level. It is overall the weakest spirit, but can still be helpful.
 Max HP: 200
 Max MP: 50
 Attack: 180
 Defense: 150
 Agility: 80
 Skills/Spells: Normal Attack, Lightning, Midheal, Selflessness, Sweet Breath
Deago requires the caster to at least be at Level 30. It works best with support skills, but makes a decent fighter, if it feels like attacking.
 Max HP: 300
 Max MP: 60
 Attack: 210
 Defense: 160
 Agility: 120
 Skills/Spells: Fang Bite (slightly stronger normal attack), Inferno, Oomph, Sweet Breath, Tongue Bashing
Samshin requires the caster to at least be at Level 35. Its only spell is Kasap, but it is a strong fighter, can exploit some weaknesses, and sometimes acts twice!
 Max HP: 450
 Max MP: 40
 Attack: 250
 Defense: 190
 Agility: 150
 Skills/Spells: Dragon Slash, Flame Slash, Hatchet Man, Kasap, Lightning Slash, Undead Undoer
Bazhoul requires the caster to at least be at Level 40. It is an amazingly strong spirit with great skills. Always hope it pops up when you cast Summon.
 Max HP: 700
 Max MP: 255
 Attack: 350
 Defense: 300
 Agility: 100
 Skills/Spells: Normal Attack, Disruptive Wave, Freezing Blizzard, Kaboom, Lightning Storm, Omniheal
=Websites of Interest=
Gotta give credit where it's due, and (most of) these sites are credit to the team. The info I checked was helpful to make this page and deserves a quick look.
RPG Shrines' DQ6 Page - Outdated for the DS version, but great for the SFC/SNES version.
GameFAQs' DQ6SFC Page - Same applies as above, but still not too shabby
GameFAQs' DQ6DS Page - Good for the DS version, less so for the original. DS is preferable IMO, but that's your call!
Nintendo of America's Official DQ6 page - That color scheme is pretty rad. The info is minimal, but it's fun to look at.
Nintendo of Europe's Official DQ6 page - Mostly the same as NoA's (with some minor differences), but may load a bit faster for some reason.
DQ6DSJPCM (extended) - An extended version of the GODTIER commercials of the for the DS game. FUCK YEAH. 
Translation of the commercial. 
DS Commercial Parodies: 1 2
Original DQ6 Commercial - Not as cool or amusing as the DS one, but still kinda neat to see.
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