Anyone who knows me is aware of how much I love Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Dwarfs in particular. One section of Dwarf armies that I really love are the orange-crested death seekers known as Slayers.
Slayers are often seen as a crazy cool "barbarian" choice. They rock big axes and hammers, have cool hairstyles and run into battle with little on apart from a pair of tattered trousers. But, they are much more than just drunken killers. There is a lot more to a Slayer and I think people should be considering playing as them in their Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play adventures.
The Slayer Oath
The life of a Slayer nearly always starts in a moment of trauma. A Dwarf is an honourable creature and anything that casts a stain on that honour could result in being outlawed from returning to your Hold or in many circumstances, becoming a Slayer.
Once a slayer has decided that the dishonour is too much to bear, they will make the journey to Karak Kadrin and before the Shrine Of Grimnir, ritualistically shave their heads into an iconic crest. Their hair and beard are then dyed bright orange and once their names are inscribed on the pillars of the shrine for all time, they set out into the wild to seek dangerous monsters. In the wild, their strength is turned towards seeking an honourable death at the hands of fearsome foes like Trolls, Giants, Dragons and Daemons.
Many Slayers will find their end at the hands of Orcs, Goblins and the like but the very best (or very worst) of Slayers will earn a place in legend. Many Warhammer fans will know about the mighty Gotrek Gurnisson who has slaughtered his way across The Old World more than once and now finds himself battling even greater foes in The Mortal Realms.
A Source Of Fun & Sorrow
The life of the Slayer then plays well into exactly why you should be looking to roleplay as one. On the surface, taking on the role of a Slayer means that you get to be bawdy and brutal in the face of your foes. No one dares stand against a Slayer and if there is a big monster to kill, you're going to be at the front of the queue.
This means that you get to have a lot of fun with Slayers. They are often drinking and singing alongside others in the tavern and shoving their comrades out of the way of oncoming danger. No slayer would stand by and let someone else take their honourable death!
I've been playing the Slayer Gunnar Hrolfsson in my friends Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play campaign and I've loved every minute of it. I get to be funny and crack dour jokes whilst also being very matter-of-fact and grim when the situation calls for it. It's also really good fun being seriously deadly in combat, able to hack your way through hordes of enemies.
However, there is another side to being a Slayer and it came out quite recently during our campaign. As I mentioned above, the life of a Slayer is one mired in sorrow and pain. To this end, there are often times when you can really tap into that heartbreak and show another side to your Slayer.
I love the fact that there is another side to that drunken lout in the tavern having fun with his friends. Dwarfs love their drink but many are trying to drown their sorrows. They laugh because they would otherwise find themselves dwelling on their misdeeds and the horrors that made them who they are.
Slayers very rarely talk about their dishonour as their death is the only real reason for their existence. But, during special moments you can really dive deep into "roleplay" and have deep conversations with other characters about what happened in your past.
It also leads to interesting moments where the cracks begin to show. During a particular session, one of the enemy NPCs uttered a joke about Gunnar's wife. Little did that character know that the death of his wife was one of the reasons Gunnar became a Slayer. So, Gunnar flew off the handle and against his better judgement smashed him in the face and knocked him to the floor. A shocking moment for the other player characters but one that opens up a seam of intrigue that can be mined later on. It's potent stuff for Games Masters and Storytellers.
As well as tapping into anger, playing a Slayer can also tap into fear. The creatures that caused the death of Gunnar's family were the insidious Skaven and so when facing them I like the idea that Gunnar might find himself stuck between two courses of action. Does he slaughter them mercilessly or is he drawn to be more cautious and worry about the lives of his friends so history doesn't repeat itself?
Asking these kinds of questions elevates playing a Slayer from being a "Warhammer Barbarian" to something much more, at least in my eyes.
Smart Slayers
The one element of being a Slayer that you need to contend with is that honourable death. The Warhammer world is brutal for most people but a Dwarf who throws themselves into combat after combat is going to die sooner rather than later. There is no retirement for a Slayer.
This is where balance comes in. You might be tempted to rush into every fight and stay until the final moment but I like to think that Slayers are more measured than that. They don't want to die with their chests full of Goblin arrows. They want to die against something mighty!
Think about your doom ahead of time. Think about what situations your Slayer would stay and fight in and where he'd retreat to fight another day. Even Gotrek knew when to step back and run with Felix.
You also have to be ok with character death. When your Slayer dies, it's not a sad moment. See it as a release. They are no longer trapped in their sorrow. As long as their tale was a good one then you've walked the path of the Slayer and come out the other side. They can now feast and fight alongside Grimnir for all eternity.
Hopefully, this has given you something to think about. Maybe you'll view Slayers as a little more than big dumb Dwarfs who die far too regularly.
As always, roleplay the way you want. Just because I play my characters a certain way doesn't mean it's the only way. I hope that this discussion has given you some insight though and made you consider playing a Slayer next time you get to the tabletop.
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