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The Party in Dragon Quest III is the set of 0-3 characters which accompany the hero on their quest to defeat the Archfied Baramos, then later the even more powerful Zoma, in order to save both the Overworld and the Underworld.

Unlike many games in the main series, instead of being composed by pre-set characters, except for the aforementioned Hero, the party in Dragon Quest III is made up by generate members, customizable via stat growth through personality types as well as vocations chosen by the player. This same system would later partially be re-used in Dragon Quest IX

Description[]

Recruitment[]

The Hero can recruit party members at Patty's Party Planning Place, located in the starting town of Aliahan.

When the game starts, 3 characters are already pre-registered: a Warrior, A Cleric, and a Wizard. Other characters can also be recruited on the second floor's counter depending on the player's preferences, being able to choose their name, gender, and their starting Vocation, while their Personality is chosen at random between the ones available for the chosen gender. Once generated, any unwanted party member can be also permanently dismissed, which it may be useful if the limit of generated characters is reached.

Vocations[]

  • Hero (勇者 Yuusha): The Hero class is the most well-balanced of the character classes and is restricted to the main character. They can be equipped with either heavy or light armor, and can use a variety of weapons. The Hero also is given a variety of both offensive and defensive spells; some of the most powerful healing, defensive, and offensive spells available are exclusive to the Hero class, including Kaclang, which makes the party completely invulnerable for a short time, Omniheal, which completely restores the group's HP, and the lightning spells Zap and Zapple. In the remakes, the Hero gains a variety of unique outside abilities as well, such as Recall (which allows the player to record conversations).
  • Mage (魔法使い Mahoutsukai): (Mage in the Game Boy Color version) Mages specialize in destructive magical spells such as Kafrizz and Kaboom, with some of those spells being usable in the outside world. Such spells, as Evac and Peep will help advance in caves and while adventuring. Mages are given powerful magical abilities when leveled fully, including Puff! and Kacrackle. Mages also has the Hocus Pocus spell introduced in Dragon Quest II, which has a large menu of possible random effects: some very good, some very bad. Though mages have high wisdom, they are physically frail and cannot equip heavy weapons such as swords, axes, spears, or heavy armor.
  • Priest (僧侶 Souryo): (Cleric in the Game Boy Color version) Priests are on the other side of the magical spectrum from Mages, as they specialize in healing and fortifying spells rather than attack magic. Introductory spells such as Heal and Acceleratle are useful in many situations, with the spells become more versatile as they level up. Like Mages, Priests cannot equip heavy armor, but they can use weapons much like a Hero or a Warriors can. Priests do have initially more strenght and resilience than Mages.
  • Thief (盗賊 Touzoku): The Thief was a new class added to the remake versions. Thieves have high agility and deftness but average strenght and resilience. They have the ability to steal items at the end of a fight. In addition, they are decent combatants that can use whips and chains to attack multiple enemies at once. In the outside world, abilities such as Eye for Distance allows to locate villages and nearby towns.
  • Gadabout (遊び人 Asobinin): (Jester in the Game Boy Color version) Gadabouts, although pretty much useless on the battle field, have a great amount of luck. This allows them to deal critical amounts of damage more often than other characters. The trade-off for this is the fact that Gadabouts have minds of their own, and they cannot always control their actions. Gadabouts are the wild cards of the battlefield, as they sometimes do damage to themselves instead of attacking enemies or goof-off. Gadabout is the only vocation that can naturally turn into a Sage at Alltrades Abbey without the use of a Words of Wisdom.
  • Martial Artist (武闘家 Butouka): (Fighter in the Game Boy Color version) Martial Artists have a great amount of agility, deftness, and strength having an increased probability to deal lucky critical hits. They can deal devastating amounts of damage from a single strike, and can be equipped with a variety of weapons; however, if equipped with a sword or other bladed weapon, a Martial Artist's abilities will actually decrease, as their attack power will lower considerably. This is because they prefer to attack with their bare hands, and so only claw type weapons will make their attack power rise. In the remakes, a Martial Artist is only able to equip claw weapons, thus removing the possibility of their attack reducing due to equipment. The amount of claw weapons available is increased as a result of this change.
  • Warrior (戦士 Senshi): This vocation, which focuses on strength and defense, allows to recruit basically another hero, but without any the inherited magical abilities. Their physical abilities are higher than other classes, but they suffer from relatively low agility and expensive equipment to start.
  • Merchant (商人 Shounin): (Dealer in the Game Boy Color version) Merchants have the ability to pick up additional gold after a battle. The amount of gold is dependent on the type of monsters which were defeated. Merchants can also appraise items free of charge. In battle, they are only average in attack and defense, slightly better than a Priest. In the remakes, Merchants have two unique outside abilities: Dig (which allows to dig underfoot for treasure, with luck improving the odds) and Service Call, which summons a shopkeeper in the field. At least one Merchant is required to be recruited, as they become the founders of Immigrant Town.
  • Sage (賢者 Kenja): The magical abilities of a Sage are comprised of the skills belonging to both Priests and Mages, being the pinnacle of magic casters. However, they gain levels slower. This vocation is not initially available, but a Gadabout sufficently levelled up can into one at the Alltrades Abbey. Alternatively, the rare item called the Words of Wisdom, can make so that any character holding it can also become a Sage.

In order to reach Baramos' Lair, the Hero and party had to hatch the sacred bird Ramia by reuniting the Six Orbs; this majestic sentient bird would not only support the group many times during their adventure, but she would eventually also do the same with many other heroic parties across multiple different dimensions.

Post-game[]

After defeating Zoma, the Hero, now christened with the title of Erdrick, becomes an ordinary party member. This means they can now be dropped off at Patty's Party Planning Place, while another party member takes their place.

Other Appearances[]

Dragon Quest III CD Theater[]

The party is made of the hero Arel, the mage Maris, the warrior Stella and the priest Raido.

Emblem of Roto[]

The party which defeated Zoma consisted of: the hero Arel (later renamed Erdrick) the priest Quadal, the warrior Fulcas and the Martial Artist Fon.

Dragon Quest of the Stars[]

In the Guided by Rubiss's Light's event, the Questocrats can recruit the following member when they relieve the party's adventure: the warrior Garrett, the priest Margaret, the mage Merlin and the Gadabout/Mage Vashti.

Trivia[]

  • The unique party system along with the vocation change system (restart at level 1 with halved stats and retain magic) were 2 of the major reasons why Dragon Quest III was a major financial success at launch, as they both added a large amount of replay value to the game.

Gallery[]


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