Originally posted here.
Hi all. Looking at the evil sorcerers in Titan, I was wondering who you thought was the most successful. My case is for Zharradon Marr, and I'll explain why:
Zharradon Marr not only has a huge army etc., but he has the organisation and management thing down to a T. He doesn't just have an army, he trains them (rather than let them sit around getting drunk on orc ale), he is excellent at recruitment (thanks to Vallaska Roue) and performance management (Hannicus was not a good addition to the organisation). He has an actual revenue stream (the gold mines) and is always involved in improving his skills (with his experiments). He is never too overconfident to engage you in combat and actually has excellent protection in the form of a flying ship a magic mirror and some unkillable servants (Quimmel Bone for example). He is so good, that even when you thwart him, he is not dead, but merely trapped in his other dimension.
A close second would be Karam Gruul, who managed to keep a horde of fanatical followers of trained soldiers when everyone thought he was dead. He also developed his own magical style (self improvement is important, even when you are a powerful archmage) and also survives even when thwarted.
In terms of sheer power, Razaak would wipe the floor with everyone. His unmodified skill and stamina is 12 and 20 (Balthus Dire had a +2 ring and Zagor had a deck of cards to beef them up), he kills you with two consecutive hits and he has a series of lethal spells to throw at you (beats the 3 damage fire from Zagor - is there any evidence that Zagor is even that powerful?) and also, he can only be killed by one weapon that does not give any bonuses to attack strength (nice touch). I bet in a battle between Razaak and Marr, Marr would eventually win through his intelligence and adaptability, but Razaak would completely destroy his army before it happens.
Most other evil sorcerers just brood in lairs with hordes of ragtag monsters that aren't even that loyal to them (although Balthus Dire gets bonus points for being married) and if they have any plans at all (looking at you again, Zagor), they tend to just be - unleash my hordes upon this place or steal this magical item. Nothing a well organised army can't stop.
Anyway. That's my two cents. Anyone got any other opinions?
Marr was always my favorite, and I loved the part where his army faced down Dire's in The Trolltooth Wars. I'd like find out more about him - like details about his other dimension and whether he came back to Allansia somehow. Heck, even a story that's just about everyday life on the Galleykeep would have been fun.
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