Dawn slayer??

[Caleb]

if the monks creatored dawn from buffy, shouldnt she have had slayer strenth and power??
as even after buffy died both times she retained her powers so its not like the potinals bodys are vessals only used to store the power of the first slayer its within there blood
"this is summers blood"

[Cangel]

I don't think slayer strenght is in blood, otherwise every blood-relative to a slayer must have gotten the power. Or maybe not everyone, but well, a lot more.

I rather think it's the girl itself. Maybe there's a combination of qualities that qualify a girl as a potential slayer. In the book 'Pretty Maids All in a Row' (which is not canon, I know) this is at least implied by the Watcher's Council. They say something about a system, how to spot potential slayers. And they have this list, so it seems to be working. Very interesting. I might open a topic about this all and why Buffy apparently didn't get spotted like this.

Well, coming back to Dawn, if she doesn't have these qualities, she can have all the Summer's blood she wants without ever becoming a slayer.
Although now that I think about it, there HAS to be something about slayer's blood. It obviously tastes special to vampires (though this could also be more of a 'taste of victory' deal) and it even can cure vampires from certain poisons.

Okay great, now I've confused myself. *sighs*

[LorneyTunes]

whats about all the other mini slayer sistes should they be slayers too then cause you know same blood, i think its you have to be Chosen Dawn isn't chosen shes not human shes a Key in human form x

[Cangel]

whats about all the other mini slayer sistes should they be slayers too then cause you know same blood, i think its you have to be Chosen Dawn isn't chosen shes not human shes a Key in human form x

That's not the same though. If you're just siblings, your blood is still different. That's pretty easy to tell because some siblings even got different blood groups (like I have A and my brother has B). Dawn was created from Buffy's blood though so it is identical.
But interesting point on the Key thing. Maybe she doesn't really even count as 'human girl' for the universe, so that could be another reason.

[InsaneMystic]

Since "Word of Joss" is mighty close to, but not equal to canon (yes, I know, I can be damn stubborn :D but canon, to me, is on-screen only), I'd still go with the presumption that Buffy still had Slayer powers between "Prophecy Girl" and "The Gift" because she still carried a Slayer Line (not "the" Line, but one of the two in existence); Dawn, in contrast, shouldn't be a Slayer as she never carried the Line Energy.

It's really odd, however, that made-from-Buffy Dawn isn't a Potential. I think she should be - and that would make her a Slayer post-"Chosen".

[Lily]

^ that's what I've often thought (but I couldn't agree with you karmically cause I've already done that today!)
because it's rammed down our throats for the entire series that it's always all about blood, so if it's about blood, the 'potential' to be a slayer is in Buffy's blood (whether she had been called or not) so it should have passed to Dawn - specially after they broke the lock and she wasn't so much of a 'Key' anymore?

Even though Social Suicide makes a good point too
Maybe she doesn't really even count as 'human girl' for the universe, so that could be another reason.
I still like the idea that she should have been a Potential

[InLoveWithBuffy]

She should have been potential, that would be so cool. Think, giant dawn with powers of slayer. Awesome!

[Lindsey McDonald]

Well, the slayer line passed over Buffy in Prophesy Girl when she died. That means her death no longer causes a slayer to be called, and (cosmicly) she is no longer a slayer. She doesn't carry the marker any more. Obviously, she is still a Slayer, as evidenced by the events at the end of Season four if nothing else, but in the eyes of fate or whatever, Kendra, then Faith are the active Slayers, with the Slayer line passing through them. That's why Dawn is not a Slayer. When she was created from Buffy, Buffy was not technically a Slayer. Except she was. But not really.

Also, this is why Buffy's being revived magically during Bargaining caused a disruption in the Slayer line, since she was made an [I]actual[I] Slayer again. If Dawn was made then, she would probably have been a Slayer.

[white avenger]

Well, remember what Spike said about there always being a price to pay when you use magic? We have two prime examples in the Buffyverse: Angel and Dawn. The Gypsies couldn't force a soul on Angelus PERMANENTLY, there were limits. One moment of perfect happiness, and the evil personality reasserted itself (that's why the Gypsies kept an eye on him. They had to be sure that he never got that moment. That way, the spell stayed in force.

With Dawn, the monks probably would have really wanted her to have Slayer powers. With both her AND Buffy possessing Slayer powers, her chances of avoiding Glory would be doubled. The price for embodying the Key in human form AND altering the memories of everyone who might know the truth had a price: the mystical Slayer "clone" would have no part of the powers associated with the Slayer. In other words, Dawn could only be human if she were, in every way, simply a normal girl.

(how's that for 11am and no coffee all morning?)

[Veyron]

I'd certainly like to see Dawn as a Slayer now that she's got the abilities to do the job, but I think doing it at Dawn's age at the end of the show wouldn't be a good thing.. wait until Michelle is in her late teens, early 20's - she'll be more mature, have more acting experience, she'll be tougher and wiser - it'll be great!

[InsaneMystic]

I'd certainly like to see Dawn as a Slayer now that she's got the abilities to do the job, but I think doing it at Dawn's age at the end of the show wouldn't be a good thing.. wait until Michelle is in her late teens, early 20's - she'll be more mature, have more acting experience, she'll be tougher and wiser - it'll be great!
But she doesn't have Slayer abilities. The Scythe spell "slayerized" all the Potentials, but Dawn wasn't ever one of those (which the ep "Potential" makes a big point about) - even though I'd find it much more logical if she had been a Potential, as stated in my above post.

"Dawn Summers, Rogue Demon Huntress" would be a nice concept, though. :)