Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG Seasons 4-6

The series' narrative revolves around Buffy and her friends, the Scooby Gang, who struggle to balance the fight against supernatural evils with their complex social lives in the fictional city of Sunnydale. The show mixes complex, season-long storylines with a villain-of-the-week format; a typical episode contains one or more villains, or supernatural phenomena, that are thwarted or defeated by the end of the episode. Though elements and relationships are explored and ongoing subplots are included, the show focuses primarily on Buffy and her role as an archetypal heroine of the Slayer.

As the title suggests, the most prominent monsters in the Buffy bestiary are vampires, which are based on traditional myths, lore, and literary conventions. Although, as the series continues, Buffy and her companions face an increasing variety of demons and supernatural creatures, as well as unscrupulous humans. They frequently save the world from annihilation by a combination of physical combat, magic, and detective-style investigation, and are guided by an extensive collection of ancient and mystical reference books.

Season four Season four sees Buffy and Willow enroll at UC Sunnydale while Xander joins the workforce. The vampire Spike, having been left by Drusilla, returns to Sunnydale and is abducted by the Initiative, a top-secret military installation based beneath the UC Sunnydale campus, led by Maggie Walsh. They implant a microchip in his head which prevents him from harming humans. He reluctantly helps the Scooby Gang throughout the season and even begins to fight on their side after joyfully learning that he can harm fellow demons. Buffy and her friends still don't trust him, except Willow who opts to give him a chance to redeem himself, which he eventually does.

Oz leaves town after realizing that he is too dangerous as a werewolf and after an horrific encounter with the Initiative. Willow falls in love with Tara Maclay, another witch, and the two begin a relationship.

Another focus of the season is Xander's relationship with former vengeance demon Anya Jenkins, who becomes infatuated with him due to him making her feel human and Xander returns these feelings as she makes him feel like a man. Anya tries to get Xander off her mind, but feelings develop which they finally acknowledge and begin a relationship.

Buffy begins dating Riley Finn, a grad student who she later discovers is a member of the Initiative. Riley tries to involve Buffy in the organization, initially it seems successful, with Initiative leader Professor Walsh impressed with Buffy's incredible fighting skills, and allowing her a security pass and pager, but Buffy's questions and non-military free spirit worry Walsh who sees it as a threat to her plans and potential bad influence on Riley, threatening his allegiance to the Initiative. After Buffy and Riley's first sexual encounter, seen by Walsh via a hidden camera, Professor Walsh plots to kill Buffy, which fails but causes Riley to cut ties with Professor Walsh and the Initiative.

The Initiative's more sinister secret purpose is revealed when its composite bio-mechanical demonoid, Adam, kills Walsh, then escapes and rampages through the town. After getting Spike to temporarily work for him, Adam plots to create others like him to overthrow humanity, although Adam sees Riley as his "brother".

Faith awakens from a coma, seeking revenge, and receives a gift from Mayor Wilkins that enables her to switch bodies with Buffy; but she is defeated again, and flees to Los Angeles.

Buffy and her allies unite to defeat Adam and destroy the Initiative. The demons and other supernatural creatures fight back against their former captors, while the Scoobies temporarily transfer all their skills into Buffy to fight the physically superior Adam. Magically enhanced, she kills Adam by ripping out his uranium core. The Initiative is defeated and the Scoobies recover. The government recognizes that Professor Maggie Walsh's plan is a failure, and orders her project to be terminated. The Scoobies later encounter the spirit of The First Slayer, who gives Buffy a cryptic message. /end of season four events

Season Five In the season premiere, the famous vampire Count Dracula makes an appearance in Sunnydale in search of Buffy. He then bites Buffy in the same place where she was bitten by The Master and Angel. Buffy breaks free from his will and Dracula is defeated and staked, but not killed because of Dracula's extraordinary powers.

Season five introduces Buffy's younger "sister", Dawn, who suddenly appears in Buffy's life. Although she is new to the series, to the characters it is as if she has always been there; but Buffy remains somewhat suspicious and jealous of Dawn's bond with their mother. Xander's girlfriend Anya Jenkins begins to experience deeper human emotions, both negative and positive, such as a love for money. Anya is hired by Giles and works alongside him at a magic shop called The Magic Box.

Meanwhile, Glorificus, or Glory, a hell-goddess who was exiled from her dimension after a war, has come to Earth. She can only remain there by being connected to her human form; a medical intern called Ben. Glory takes the form of a beautiful young woman, with some of her powers still intact as long as she maintains her strength through draining people of their sanity. She begins searching for a "Key" that will allow her to return to her Hell dimension by blurring the lines between dimensions, and in the process unleashing Hell on Earth. At the beginning of the season Glory and Ben are vying for control, alternating who possesses the body they share; later the line between them begins to blur and they experience each other's emotions and memories.

When Joyce suffers from unexplained headaches, Buffy suspects Dawn may be harming her, but they discover that they were caused by a brain tumor. Buffy soon discovers that the Key's protectors had turned the Key into a human biologically related to the Summers — her new sister Dawn. At the same time, they implanted in her family and friends lifelong memories of her. As a result, Buffy, and especially Joyce, begin to accept Dawn as a true part of the family. Upon learning of Joyce's tumor, Buffy leaves her dorm to take care of her mother. Spike, still implanted with the Initiative chip, realizes he is in love with Buffy and begins fighting alongside the Scoobies after learning of Joyce's tumor and supports Dawn when she learns of her true origins. Riley leaves Buffy in the middle of the season after concluding that she does not love him, joining a military demon-hunting operation. The Watchers' Council, with which Buffy had previously cut ties, aids in Buffy's research of Glory, and the Council reinstates both her and Giles. When she learns of Spike's feelings for her while he tortures her, Buffy continually refuses his advances and alienates him from the group.

Near the end of the season, Joyce dies of an aneurysm, devastating Dawn and Buffy; Buffy drops out of college to take care of Dawn, who starts skipping school in her grief. Spike commissions Warren Mears to build a robot version of Buffy, later known as the Buffybot. This greatly angers Buffy, but she soon softens after Spike is tortured by Glory yet refuses to reveal that Dawn is the Key. After this ordeal, Buffy warms up to Spike, promising she will not forget what he has done for her and inviting him back into her life. Glory attacks Willow's girlfriend Tara Maclay, draining her of her sanity. In a rage, Willow turns to dark magic in order to gain powers to match Glory's. She vengefully attacks the hell goddess futilely and is nearly killed, but Buffy intervenes. Despite the defeat, this event results in Willow becoming significantly more powerful, but her dependency on magic increases and her personality starts to change in a sinister way.

Glory discovers that Dawn is the Key and kidnaps her. In a moment alone, Xander proposes to Anya. Buffy and her friends track Glory and Dawn to a tower built by Glory's minions. At the time of the ritual, Glory uses Dawn's blood to open the portal between dimensions, but she is distracted by the Scoobies' intervention. Willow takes Tara's sanity from Glory and gives it back, severely weakening Glory. After overpowering Glory, Buffy tells her to leave Sunnydale or die. When Glory reverts to Ben, Giles kills Ben to prevent her return. Dawn wants to sacrifice herself to save the world, but Buffy realizes that because she is related to Dawn, her own blood can also close the portal. She realizes the meaning of the First Slayer's message — "Death is your gift" — and sacrifices her own life to save Dawn's and close the portal. Buffy's friends mourn her death and praise her with the inscription on her headstone, "She saved the world a lot." /end of season five events

Season six After the gang struggle with using the Buffybot to patrol for vampires over the summer, Willow resurrects Buffy with a powerful spell. Although her friends believe that they have saved her from Hell, Buffy had actually been in Heaven since her death – a fact that she initially only divulges to Spike and later reveals to her friends. She is therefore traumatized by her resurrection and falls into a deep depression for most of the season. Dawn is happy to have her sister back, but Buffy's depression worsens Dawn's feelings of alienation to the point of kleptomania.

Giles returns to England after coming to believe that Buffy has become too reliant on him, while Buffy takes up a fast-food job for money and develops a sexually passionate, but eventually dysfunctional, affair with Spike, who discovers that his chip can no longer harm him when he hits her. For different reasons, Buffy and Spike are both emotionally tormented by the affair, and Buffy hides it from her friends, only confiding in a supportive Tara. Buffy later ends things with Spike, concluding that using him to deal with her depression is in fact killing her. Tara becomes concerned about Willow's addiction to magic and challenges her to go a week without it, but Willow gives in to her addiction, causing Tara to leave her. Despite their separation, Tara is still devoted to helping Willow with her addiction, leading to their reconciliation.

On the wedding day of Xander and Anya, a magician, seeking his own vengeance against Anya, deceives Xander into calling off the wedding by showing him a false future where they are both miserable. Anya becomes a vengeance demon once more, but when she cannot find anyone who wishes vengeance on Xander, and after Buffy has broken up with Spike, Anya and Spike seek solace in a one night stand, making both Buffy and Xander furious at Spike, especially for revealing his affair with Buffy.

The gang also begin to deal with The Trio, a group of nerds led by Warren Mears who use their technological and magical proficiency to attempt to kill or neutralize Buffy and take over Sunnydale, a goal they had in mind since the beginning of the season. The Trio often use monsters such as vampires and demons to assist them. Warren is shown to be the only competent villain of the group, and his capacity for evil is demonstrated by the attempted rape of his ex-girlfriend, which leads to her death. After Buffy thwarts his plans multiple times and the Trio break apart, Warren attacks Buffy with a gun but accidentally kills Tara with a stray bullet. Willow tries to resurrect Tara but fails.

Tara's death causes Willow to descend into darkness and unleash all of her dark magical powers. She hunts down and fatally flays Warren in revenge. Driven by grief, Willow fights and overpowers Buffy, who is forced to fight when she is unable to condone Willow's actions. Giles returns to help face Willow in battle and infuses her with light magic, tapping into her remaining humanity. This initially backfires when Willow feels the pain in everyone around the world and decides to destroy it in order to end everyone's suffering. At the climax of the season, Xander stops Willow by reminding her of their friendship and telling her that he loves her no matter what, the same way Tara did. She eventually breaks down crying in his arms, and the dark magic drains from her. Meanwhile, Buffy comes to terms with being alive again and promises to be there for her sister and friends.

At the end of the season, after attacking and attempting to rape Buffy, a remorseful and confused Spike leaves Sunnydale and travels to Africa to see a demon and ask him to "make him to what he used to be" so that he can "give Buffy what she deserves". The audience is led to believe that he was referring to the freedom to be evil (unrestrained by his punishment chip) and thus able to kill Buffy; however, after passing a series of tests, Spike is rewarded with the restoration of his soul. /end of season six events