History Characters / FightingFantasyAntagonistsDemonicThree

* KnifeNut: He uses daggers as secondary weapons. He even used a [[PoisonedWeapon poisoned one]] to kill his father.

** In the third book, he is an absolute monster with skill '''16''' stamina 20, making him one of the mightiest villains of the entire franchise, with the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Snake Demons]] themselves looking like sissies. You can only harm him with magic weapons or spells. Much worse, in the first turn he casts a [[ShockAndAwe Thunderbolt spell]] costing -7 stamina, in the second a [[{{Fireballs}} Fireball spell]] costing -5 stamina, and in the third a [[Level Drain Life-Drain]] spell costing -2 stamina and -1 skill. (Better not losing those...) In the following two, he uses his [[PoisonedWeapon poisoned dagger]] costing -3 stamina, and then his fists and claws costing the regular 2. With no way to match him, you might as well close the book and whistle a funeral march.

** PoisonedWeapon: In the third book, his dagger is covered in toxin, making the strikes he deals more damaging.

* AttackAnimal: Of the monster variety. He sics a tough Clawbeast on you when you confront him. With skill 9 stamina 14 and being able to entangle your sword in its mane to weaken you, it can prove troublesome. [[spoiler: But one Weakness spell and it is a goner.]]

* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: He has enormous physical strength, befitting his imposing stature.

* EvilVersusEvil: ''Literature/CreatureOfHavoc'' implies that he is at war with Zharradan Marr, the BigBad of this book and his former fellow student. The novelization ''Trolltoth Wars'' confirms this and make their conflict the centre of the plot.

* FinalBoss: The last and most powerful enemy of the gamebook. He has skill 12 stamina 19, making him a deadly foe.
* {{Foil}}: Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr are both intelligent and formidable {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s, but they could not make a bigger contrast if they tried. Dire is a physically imposing ScaryBlackMan, MagicKnight and [[TheStrategist master strategist]] who prefers direct confrontation. Marr on the other hand is a frail and demonic-looking SquishyWizard and a [[TheChessmaster schemer]] who [[ManipulativeBastard uses people to get what he wants]].

* TheDreaded: He is very much feared all around Firetop Mountain, and his infamy is known all over Allansia. After his first death, fear of him had subsided, but came back with a vengeance along with him.

* EvilSoundsRaspy: He has a low, guttural and unnerving voice.

** In the third book, he is an absolute monster with skill '''16''' stamina 20, making him one of the mightiest villains of the entire franchise, with the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Snake Demons]] themselves looking like sissies. You can only harm him with magic weapons or spells. Much worse, in the first turn he casts a [[ShockAndAwe Thunderbolt spell]] costing -7 stamina, in the second a [[{{Fireballs}} Fireball spell]] costing -5 stamina, and in the third a LevelDrain spell costing -2 stamina and -1 skill. (Better not losing those...) In the following two he uses his [[PoisonedWeapon poisoned dagger]] costing -3 stamina, and then his fists and claws costing the regular 2. [[spoiler: With no way to weaken him, you might as well close the book and whistle a funeral march.]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Invoked and enforced in the second book, he had to create the McGuffin you use to defeat him in the second book, as a specific caveat of the dark spell that resurrected him is that the caster must create a way to be killed again. He hid it as well as he could, but you still got it.
* HornedHumanoid: As a Demon Warlock he has small, conical horns on the sides of his head.

* LargeAndInCharge: After bonding with a demon in the third bookq, Zagor towers over mortal humans, and the hordes of orcs and monsters at his command.
* LevelDrain: Not exactly, but in the third book, he can cast a spell that costs -2 stamina and -1 skill. Given that your skill score is your PowerLevel, which you went to great lengths to raise to match his enormous might, this causes a similar effect.

* EvilGloating: He spends most of the confrontation with you monologuing about his genius, how his plans worked perfectly and waxing lyrical on how great he is.

* EvilutionaryBiologist: He uses TheDarkArts technique of Marrangha to create and transform all kind of species. He is known as the only practitioner who created viable lifeforms. He sends the results of his experiments in a subterranean jail where they are studied, to judge their abilities and how he can use them. [[spoiler: You are the result of his best experiment.]]

* FateWorseThanDeath: His final fate, but considering the character, it is entirely karmic and thoroughly satisfying. [[spoiler: You seal him forever in his own netherworld with no hope of ever escaping.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: He speaks formally and is courteous in his interactions with you, but only because he needs something from you [[spoiler: and regards you as his masterpiece.]] If you challenge him, he becomes much less personable.

* {{Foil}}: Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr are both intelligent and formidable {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s, but they could not make a bigger contrast if they tried. Marr is a frail and demonic-looking SquishyWizard and a [[TheChessmaster schemer]] who [[ManipulativeBastard uses people to get what he wants]]. Dire on the other hand is a physically imposing ScaryBlackMan, MagicKnight and [[TheStrategist master strategist]] who prefers direct confrontation

* InsufferableGenius: Even for a villain prone to EvilGloating, this one wants you to know how smart he is and be suitably impressed, hammering it with little subtlety. He is indeed highly intelligent, but that's no excuse to be so smug.

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: Ending up trapped forever in the netherworld he created as a safe haven, and by the victim of his twisted experiment getting sweet revenge for the hell he put them through all the best, is deliciously ironic.]]
* LeanAndMean: Zharradan Marr is deathly thin and an '''horrible''' bastard.

* MoralEventHorizon: As if gratuitous slavery and torture were not already bad enough, submitting innocent people to atrocious Marrhanga experiments where [[FateWorseThanDeath they would lose their humanity if not their very sentience and/ot self-reliance]] is all manners of effed-up.

* {{Narcissist}}: Marr is glaringly self-obsessed and self-aggrandizing. He cares only about himself and regards himself as infinitely better than everyone else, even those whose talent he recognises, wanting them to work under him or die without even considering refusal. He absolutely cannot bear not being in control and is affronted even by a rebuke, as in his twisted point of view, only he has a say in every matter.

* TooCleverByHalf: There is no denying that he is an impressive EvilGenius and TheChessmaster, and he could have been a prospective MagnificentBastard. Yet, he is far too prideful and smug and starts neglecting details he could have noticed and fixed in a heartbeat had he paid a bit of attention. And predictably, it comes to bite him in the rear mighty hard.

* VillainRespect: Marr praises not only your might and skill but your smarts and determination upon meeting you, congratulating you for reaching and finding him. For that, he wants you for himself, [[FauxAffablyEvil but his respect only stands as long as you are an asset.]]

* XanatosSpeedChess: [[spoiler: When he sees you with a Crystal Club, he immediately presses on his WeCanRuleTogether to stall for time until he can teleport away and escape the destruction of his mirror. When this does not work, he tries to argue that without him you will never turn back to human and be doomed forever. Played with since none of this works, but he gains points for thinking this all up in the middle of a VillainousBreakdown.]]

* AttackReflector: [[spoiler: If you attack him with a Fire spell, he dodges, grabs the flames and throw them at you. You must dodge or lose -4 stamina.]]

* {{Foil}}: Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr are both intelligent and formidable {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s, but they could not make a bigger contrast if they tried. Dire is an physically imposing ScaryBlackMan, MagicKnight and [[TheStrategist master strategist]] who prefers direct confrontation. Marr on the other hand is a frail and demonic-looking SquishyWizard and a ManipulativeBastard [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]].

A half-human half-demon necromancer, expert in Marrangha, the vile magical art of creating new and twisted forms of life by fusing and mutating organisms. After his studies, Marr built himself a subterranean lair and discovered a gold mine that made him enormously wealthy, funding his immense army and the recruitment of his fearsome generals. Marr learnt about Eren Durdinath, the HiddenElfVillage of the highly magical white-haired elves, and the divine spirits known as Vapours spawned by their queen. He covets the Vapour of Elven Magic, which would boost his power to virtual omnipotence, and would stop at nothing to find and invade the village and learn all its secrets.

* AgonyBeam: He masters the horrible Torture spell that inflicts unbearable, excruciating pain. [[spoiler: You need to be covered with Elven Magic Dust to be protected, or else you're powerless against him and have no choice but to give him the MgGuffin he needs to take over Allansia.]]
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: He has sickly green skin, due to his unnatural heritage.

* BadBoss: Notoriously ruthless, hard to please and unforgiving, prone to execute servants for small slights. To him, servants are but assets to use and discard at his leisure.
** BaitAndSwitchTyrant: On the other hand, when they prove their worth to him, he is very generous and gives them power and riches... So long as they remain valuable to his eyes.

* CharmPerson: He masters the powerful Creature Control spell, which can be used to control someone's actions, and used it to force the exiled white-haired elf Dagga Weaseltongue to sneak into [[HiddenElfVillage Eren Durdinath]] and steal the three Vapours birthed by their Queen, of Language, Reason and Elven Magic.
* TheChessmaster: Marr wants to take over Eren Durdinath to learn all secrets of elven magic and gain the Vapour of Elven Magic to master it. Not only did he took over the Galleykeep to better look for the HiddenElfVillage atop the trees from the sky, but he manipulated and compelled someone to steal the [[McGuffin Vapours]], [[spoiler: And arranged things so that you would stumble upon the two he does not need to test them.]] Not only that but he dug his subterranean lair under the pretense of prospecting to avoid suspicion (actually finding gold by complete coincidence), and manipulates people to bring him back the vapour that were stolen from his lair. Yeah, the sod knows his game...

* CoolShip: Marr made his headquarters in the ''Galleykeep'', a gigantic flying galleon that houses his generals and most of his troops. [[spoiler: It was stolen from you, as you were the ship's original captain before Marr invaded it turned you into a monster.]]
* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler: As smart as he is, the fact that he did not bother to compel you after making you a monster, and arranging for you to regain your senses while you were governed by instinct is utterly baffling. Especially considering his mastery of the [[CharmPerson Creature Control]] spell.]]

** [[spoiler: Just because he made you a violent, flesh-eating monster, he cannot understand that you would decline a life of slaughter under his command, and cannot process that you would crave revenge for what he did to you and your crew, after gleefully explaining their gory fate.]]

* EvilutionaryBiologist: He uses TheDarkArts technique of Marrangha to create and transform all kind of species. He is known as the only practitioner who created viable lifeforms. He sends the results of his experiments in a subterranean jail where they are studied, to know their abilities and how he can use them. [[spoiler: You are the result of his best experiment.]]

* FauxAffablyEvil: He speaks formally and is courteous and polite in his interactions with you, but only because he needs something from you [[spoiler: and regards you as his masterpiece.]] If you challenge him, he becomes much less personable.
* FinalBoss: The last enemy of the gamebook.
* {{Foil}}: Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr are both intelligent and formidable {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s, but they could not make a bigger contrast if they tried. Dire is an physically imposing ScaryBlackMan, MagicKnight and [[TheStrategist master strategist]] who prefers direct confrontation. Marr on the other hand is a frail and demonic-looking SquishyWizard and a ManipulativeBastard TheChessmaster.

* InsufferableGenius: Even for a villain prone to EvilGloating, this one is smart and he wants you to know it and to be suitably impressed, hammering it with little subtlety.

* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler: Downplayed this exactly how personal it is between you and Marr is definite part of TheReveal. You learn mid-quest that you are the product of Marr's experiment, but you only learn (and subsequently remember) that he invaded the Galleykeep you commanded, slaughtered your men and subjected you and your crew to Marrhanga experiments. He gleefully explain that most of the creatures you met and killed were in fact your former friends. Suffice to say that after that, no promise of wealth and power will ever be worth the prize of his ignominious defeat!]]

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: Ending up trapped forever in the netherworld he created as a safe haven, and by the victim of his twisted experiment getting sweet revenge for the hell he put them through at that, is deliciously ironic.]]

* LineageComesFromTheFather: Averted. He probably owns his huge power to his demonic daddy, but he is a master of magic like mommy.

* MoralEventHorizon: As if gratuitous slavery and torture were not already bad enough, submitting innocent people to atrocious Marrhanga experiments where they would lose their humanity if not worse is a special kind of vile.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Played with and invoked in-universe, as his name can only be feared by those who know what it refers to, which is exactly what he intended.

* {{Narcissist}}: Marr is glaringly self-obsessed and self-aggrandizing. He cares only about himself and regards himself as infinitely better than everyone else, even those whose talent he recognises, wanting them to work under him or die without even considering refusal.

* OhCrap: Marr starts panicking when he realizes that you have the means to end him for good and are fully willing to use them. And to see such a SmugSnake literally shitting himself is a pure joy after all he put you through. (Both as a character and [[NintendoHard a player]].

** MirrorMonster: [[spoiler: You must face his mirror knowing that you will find him here to confront him.]]

* {{Pride}}: The franchise has no shortage of arrogant, over-confident villains, but this one is defined by Pride. He has every reason to gloat about his smarts and successes, but that should not mean never to keep his overbloated ego in check.

* PuzzleBoss: [[spoiler: Attacking him head-on is a sure way to lose miserably. You need the right item (The Crystal Club) to wreck his mirror.]]

* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: He uses slaves to dig gold from his mines. At first they were normal, payed workers, but Evil Genius [[TheUndead Darramous]]'s first action after being appointed director of the mines was to stop paying them and to chain them for them to work till the end of their lives, with torture and ill treatments to boot. Marr's reaction? Delighted approval.

* TooCleverByHalf: There is no denying that he is an impressive EvilGenius and TheChessmaster. But he is far too prideful and smug and starts neglecting details he could have noticed and fixed in a heartbeat had he paid a bit of attention. And predictably, it comes to bite him in the rear mighty hard.

* XanatosSpeedChess: [[spoiler: When he sees you with a Crystal Club, he immediately presses on his WeCanRuleTogether to stall for time until he can teleport away and escape the destruction of his mirror. When this does not work, he tries to argue that without him you will never turn back to human and be doomed forever. Played with since none of this works but he gains point for thinking this all up in the middle of a VillainousBreakdown.]]

* {{Foil}}: Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr are both intelligent and formidable {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s, but they could not make a bigger contrast if they tried. Dire is an physically imposing ScaryBlackMan, MagicKnight and [[TheStrategist master strategist]] who prefers direct confrontation. Marr on the other hand is a frail and demonic-looking SquishyWizard and a ManipulativeBastard TheChessmaster.

* MeaningfulName: His last name is Dire and he is indeed not someone to be triffled with.

** WeakenedByTheLight: Generations of dabbling with TheDarkArts did no wonder to the Dire line.

In the first two books, he is a pretty standard EvilSorcerer, in the third however, he is dragged to Titan's sister world of Amarillia, where he fuses with a [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demon Lord called the Bone Demon]], to become a tremendously powerful Demon Warlock, more evil and dangerous than ever. He took control of the remnants of the Bone Demon's army, and based himself in Castle Argent, the former royal residence devastated by the war, waiting for his transformation to be complete and make him unstoppable. But one of four chosen heroes sent by the [[AChildShallLeadThem Boy King Irian]], warned by Yaztromo, will stand in his way no matter what...

* AffablyEvil: While taunting, he is quite polite and cordial in his interactions with you, especially in the second book. He welcomes you with irony but praises your valour, and becomes outright appreciative after you defeat the [[ElementalEmbodiment Greater Elementals]] he summons.

** ''Return to Firetop Mountain'' performs a RetCon, stating that he was a standard EvilSorcerer out to TakeOverTheWorld, who was simply biding his time until Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr destroyed each other's forces, and whose common defeat served his interests.

** In the third, he even gets the luxury of having a book titled "Legend of X" after himself.

* BackFromTheDead: Twice.

* BaddieFlattery: He is evil, he is ruthless, but when he praises your merits he means it.

* ColdBloodedTorture: He submits his prisoners to this. Even in the first book in which his level of evilness had yet to be established, this was a sign that he was not totally innocent.

* DemonOfHumanOrigin: Although he was already rotten to the core, he was still a human warlock, now he is an immensely powerful, undying Demon Lord.

* FanDisservice: The FinalBattle of the second book unfolds like a DuelToTheDeath, with no armour, so he takes off his robes before engaging you. His corpse-like white skin and his horribly bloated scars make him look quite disturbingly horrendous.

* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler: Since bonding with the Bone Demon gave Zagor ResurrectiveImmortality, after you defeat him in ''Legend of Zagor'' you must haul his gigantic carcass down the tower and across the crumbling castle all the way to the Heartfires chasms situated on the first floor of Castle Argent, and then cast him into the fires to be destroyed forever.]]

* MookMaker: In the second book, he bewitched a huge diamond. [[SchmuckBait If you pick it up]], it transforms into a powerful Diamond Warrior with skill 11 stamina 13, who can only be defeated with a hammer.

* NeverFoundTheBody: In the ending chapter of the third book, you lead the villagers to Zagor's throne room where you killed him, only to find it empty with no trace of his corpse.

* NobleDemon: In the second book, once confronted he agrees to an honourable duel with the hero to decide matters once and for all.

* ResurrectiveImmortality: He cast a powerful Resurrection spell to return from behind the Veil after his death, the reason of both his returns.

* VillainousCheekbones: A staple of {{Classic Villain}}s, used with abandon in the franchise.

* VillainRespect: He praises your skills when you reach him, and even recognises you as an equal in the second book.

* TrialAndErrorGameplay: [[Don't attack his mirror with your fist, use a Crystal Club instead.]]

* ScaryBlackMan: Not actually black per se, but his dark skin tone and his brutish physique certainly give this impression.

* ColdBloodedTorture: He submits his prisoners to this. Even in the first book where his level of evilness had yet to be established, this was a sign that he was not totally innocent.

* VillainousWidowsPeak: Not a vampire but he sports one.

* AnticlimaxBoss: [[spoiler: After an incredibly hard and frustrating quest, you're finally facing the BigBad, who just revealed being behind all your torments... Aaaaaaaaand. Resist his spell and destroy his mirror and poof! Victory! Underwhelming muchas?]]

* TheChessmaster: Marr wants to take over Eren Durdinath to learn all secrets of elven magic and gain the Vapour of Elven Magic to master it. Not only did he took over the Galleykeep to better look for the HiddenElfVillage atop the trees from the sky, but he manipulated and compelled someone to steal the [[MgGuffins Vapours]], [[spoiler: And arranged things so that you would stumble upon the two he does not need to test them.]] Not only that but he dug his subterranean lair under the pretense of prospecting to avoid suspicion (actually finding gold by complete coincidence), and manipulates people to bring him back the vapour that were stolen from his lair. Yeah, the sod knows his game...

* EvilCannotUnderstandGood: He offers you riches and power if you agree to work for him, and is utterly baffled that you could refuse.

* ItsAllAboutMe: He is so egomaniac that not only did he discard the name of his hometown he felt beneath him, but cast a spell to make everyone forget he ever had it. He even [[spoiler: retreated to his own netherworld to avoid sharing the same air as lowly common people.]]

* ManipulativeBastard: He knows how to gain the trust on people he needs, and to use people without them knowing [[spoiler: and he uses you as a guinea pig and a MacGuffinDeliveryService with you being none the wiser.]]

* TheNecromancer: His main field of expertise. He is implied to have created zombies you fight that regenerate after being beaten when returning to their graves, and the [[Playing With Fire Master of Hellfire]], an undead SNKBoss that must be avoided at all cost.

* SmugSnake: Although highly competent, smart and dangerous, Marr is too overconfident for his own good and too used to everything unfolding JustAsPlanned, so he makes a glaring mistake due to being unable to consider things escaping his control.
* SoftSpokenSadist: He hardly raises his voice

* WeCanRuleTogether: He offers to make you TheDragon when you confront him, if you hand him the [[MgGuffin Vapour of Elven Magic]] he needs to become invincible. [[spoiler: It can lead to a NonStandardGameOver in which you help him take over and rule by his side... Until he grows tired of you and gets rid of you that is...]]

* AndIMustScream: In the gamebook, you just kill him. In the novelisation, he gets trapped in the Spiritual Planes with no hope of coming back.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He is married to a [[HotWitch beautiful enchantress]] named Lady Lucrecia, by all accounts happily on both sides. ''The Trolltooth Wars'' implies she is the only person he really trusts.

* EvilVersusEvil: ''Creature of Havoc'' implies that he is at war with Zharradan Marr, the BigBad of this book and his former fellow student. The novelization ''Trolltoth War'' confirms this and make their conflict the centre of the plot.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: He has a [[AVillainNamedZRG a classical villainous name]] that does not picture anything nice. Not to mention the name of the TerribleTrio he forms with his former fellow apprentices.

* AVillainNamedZRG: Zagor. The name takes all thee letters and adds only one.

* VillainousCheekbones: Hard to miss.

* AgonyBeam: He masters the horrible Torture spell that inflicts unbearable pain. [[spoiler: You need to be covered with Elven Magic Dust to be protected, or else you're powerless against him and have no choice but to give him the MgGuffin he needs to take over Allansia.]]

* RedEyesTakeWarning: He is half-demon after all.
* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: He uses slaves to dig gold from his mines.
* TheUnfought: Downplayed, you confront Zharradan Marr but you never actually battle him, since he doesn't exist in our physical reality anymore. [[spoiler: To defeat him, you destroy his magic mirror with a crystal club, trapping Marr in his netherworld forever.]]

A half-human half-demon sorcerer, skilled in necromancy and Marrangha, the strange magical art of creating new and twisted forms of life by fusing and mutating organisms. After his studies, Marr built himself a subterranean lair and discovered a gold mine that made him enormously wealthy, finding his enormous army and recruitment of his fearsome generals. Marr learnt about Eren Durdinath, the HiddenElfVillage of the highly magical white-haired elves, and the divine spirits known as Vapours spawned by their queen. He covets the Vapour of Elven Magic, which would boost his power to virtual omnipotence, and would stop at nothing to find and invade the village and learn all its secrets.

* AgonyBeam: He masters the horrible Torture spell that inflicts unbearable pain. [[spoiler: You need to be covered with Elven Magic Dust to be protected, or else you're powerless against him.]]
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: He has green skin.
* CoolShip: The ''Galleykeep'', a flying galleon serves as Marr's vessel of choice when he does move around. [[spoiler:It was stolen from the main character of Creature Of Havoc, who was the original captain before Marr turned him into a monster.]]
* EvilGenius: He is very intelligent and shrewd, knows how to use his servant's talents to the fullest, searches for the McGuffin from all sides, and manipulates people to get all intel he needs.
* EvilGloating: He spends most of the confrontation with you monologuing about his plans, and how he is the best.

* EvilutionaryBiologist: He uses TheDarkArts known as Marrangha to create and transform all kind of species. He is known as the only practitioner who created viable lifeforms. [[spoiler: You are the result of his best experiment.]]
* EvilVersusEvil: It is hinted that he is at war with Balthus Dire, the BigBad of ''The Citadel of Chaos' ' and his former fellow student. The novelization ''Trolltoth War'' confirms this and make their conflict the centre of the plot.

* ItsAllAboutMe: He is so egomaniac that not only did he discard the name of his hometown he felt beneath him, but cast a spell to make everyone forget he ever had it. He even [[spoiler: retreated to the Netherworld]] to avoid sharing the same air as lowly people.
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: He congratulates you for managing to find him, and explains TheReveal. Even the narration [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]] this, saying that this is like a father teaching his son.
* ManipulativeBastard: He knows how to gain the trust on people he needs, [[spoiler: and he uses you as a MacGuffinDeliveryService.]]

* TheNecromancer: His main field of expertise. He is implied to have created the Master of Hellfire, a ThatOneBoss to avoid at all cost.

* PocketDimension: [[spoiler: He retreated in a dimension he created from the reflection of a mirror. You must know about it to confront him.]]

* SorcerousOverlord: A master of black magic with control over many humanoids and other monsters.

* TakeOverTheWorld: Downplayed. He plans to take over the continent of Allansia.

* WeCanRuleTogether: He offers to make you TheDragon when you confront him. [[spoiler: It can lead to a NonStandardGameOver in which you help him take over and rule... Until he grows tired of you and gets rid of you that is...]]

** On the other hand, [[spoiler: you need Gold Talismans to decrease his skill score and even the odds.]]

* MasterOfOneMagic: He specialises in [[Elemental Powers Elemental Magic]], but he is equally proficient with all four classical elements. He is also considerably skilled in Demonoology and classical TheDarkArts.

* In the second, you must overcome no less than [[FourIsDeath four]] super powerful Greater Elementals he summons in a row before fighting him.

** In the third book, he is an absolute monster with skill '''16''' stamina 20, making him one of the mightiest villains of the entire franchise, with the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Snake Demons]] themselves looking like sissies. You can only harm him with magic weapons or spells. Much worse, in the first turn he casts a [[ShockAndAwe Thunderbolt spell]] costing -7 stamina, in the second a [[{{Fireballs}} Fireball spell]] costing -5 stamina, and in the third a LevelDrain spell costing -2 stamina and -1 skill. (Better not losing those...) In the following two he uses his [[PoisonedWeapon poisoned dagger]] costing -3 stamina, and then his fists and claws costing the regular 2. [[spoiler: With no way to weaken him, might as well close the book and whistle a funeral march.]]

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: He has a [[AVillainNamedZRG a classical villainous name]] that does not announces anything nice. Not to mention the name of the TerribleTrio he forms with his former fellow apprentices.

** In the third, you can first attack him at distance, though if you fail or use something useless, you expose yourself to a dangerous LevelDrain spell. Then you must climb the stairs towards him, either fighting a monster (ridiculously weak with but skill stamina 6, but Zagor replenishes his LifeMeter as you fight it), or attacking him with your magic weapon but it weakens its power boost for the first rounds. Then you [[ThatOneBoss must fight him]]. And finally there is the PostFinalConfrontation...
* ShockAndAwe: He masters dangerous lightning spells. In the second book he states that he could blast you with a Thuderbolt spell, and in the third his Thunderbolt spell [[ThatOneAttack costs no less than -7 stamina]].
* SignatureMove: Summoning Greater Elementals. This is a huge part of the FinalBattle in the second book, and he summoned another in the third as a very powerful McGuffinGuardian.

* StrongAndSkilled: Having fused with the Bone Demob adds enormous physical strength and evil might to his fighting skills, his vast mastery of magic and his already considerable magic power.

VillainRespect: He praises your skills when you reach him, and even recognises you as an equal in the second book.

Zagor has returned from the dead more than once and appears in more books than anyone other than the legendary wizard Gereth Yaztromo, being the only villain fought in three different gamebooks. And always confronted by a hero...

In the first two books, he is a pretty standard EvilSorcerer, in the third however, he is dragged to Titan's sister world of Amarillia, where he fuses with a [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demon Lord called the Demon Bone]], to become a tremendously powerful Demon Warlock, more evil and dangerous than ever. He took control of the remnants of the Demon Bone's army, and based himself in Castle Argent, the former royal residence devastated by the war, waiting for his transformation to be complete and make him unstoppable. But one of four chosen heroes sent by the [[AChildShallLeadThem Boy King Irian]], warned by Yaztromo, will stand in his way no matter what...

** [[spoiler: In the third book, [[TheArchmage The Legendary Mage]] [[CoolOldGuy Gereth Yaztromo]] sends to Amarillia magic trinkets he devised himself to be this: Silver Daggers that cost him -2 stamina and Gold Talismans that cost him -1 skill as soon as you face him. You can't win without at least three talismans, no matter how badly you wound him, unless you gathered ten daggers, enough to kill him outright.]]

** FauxAffablyEvil: Having merged with a demon in the third book made him short-tempered and violent. He is '''pissed''' to see yet another hero challenging him and makes it known, and any praise and welcome he might give you is completely ironic and insincere.
* AllThereInTheManual: Much of his original background is filled out in ''Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World'' and expanded (and slightly retconned) in ''The Trolltooth Wars''. Even his first name was only revealed in additionnal material. ''The Zagor Chronicles'', whose place in Canon is hard to define, disclose a completely different backstory.

* AmbiguouslyEvil: In ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'' and ''Trolltooth Wars'', he is not up to anything evil, being portrayed as a recluse. In the latter, he even puts an EnemyMine of sorts with the hero Chadda Darkmane, helping him to defeat Zharradan Marr. He appears mostly as a paranoid hermit who protects his treasure. Then again, he keeps monsters and evil beings at his command, and tortures prisoners mostly [[ForTheEvulz for shit and giggles]] are proof that he is not exactly innocent.
** ''Return to Firetop Mountain'' performs a RetCon, stating that he was a standard EvilSorcerer out to TakeOverTheWorld, who was simply biding his time until Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr destroyed each other's forces, and whose defeat served his interests.

** CameBackStrong: A freak accident in ''Legend of Zagor'' merged his soul with the mighty Bone Demon from Amarilla, who had just been sealed, letting them both resurrect as one tremendously powerful Demon Warlock.

** Canon has it that he is indeed a half-demon, but that he lived a normal life-span and was apprenticed with the Demonic Tree. He then retook Firetop Mountain from the dwarves who t established themselves there after his great-grandfather's death, adding the gold he ransacked to what was left of his ancestor's fortune.

* DemonLordsAndArchdevils: The Bone Demon certainly was high in the demonic hierarchy of Amarillia. And now, he and Zagor are one and the same.

** In the third book, few people in Amarillia know about Zagor, but most know that the remnants of the Demon Bone's armies are gathering for another assault on the exhausted nations, and ''that'' is dreaded. Those who were warned about him take the threat he represents '''very''' seriously.
* DuelToTheDeath: He challenges you to one at the end of the second book, with a dagger and no armour. He proves a FairPlayVillain to those he regards as {{Worthy Opponent}}s, removing his robes and giving you a dagger, and you agree to his terms.

* FairPlayVillain: Averted at first in the second book, in which he summons uber powerful beings to destroy you. But once you overcame all of them, he deems you a WorthyOpponent and challenges you to a fair fight with no armour and a dagger for weapon, casting off his robes and providing you with a dagger to fight. To the point that he could have killed you or at least greatly wounded you with a [[ShockAndAwe Thunderbolt spell]] but chose not to. Sure, he knew that he would return again should he lose, but that's admirably honourable for such an evil being.
* FinalBoss: He is the last foe faced in all three books, and never an easy fight. Fortunately, there are ways to weaken him [[spoiler: or to kill him without fight.]]
** In the first book, he has skill 11 stamina 18, making him a powerful enemy. [[spoiler: You can obliterate him without fight with the Eye of Cyclops Gemstone, or reduce him to the pathetically easy skill 7 stamina 12 by burning his cards.]]

** In the third book, he is an absolute monster with skill '''16''' stamina 20, making him one of the mightiest villains of the entire franchise, with the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Snake Demons]] themselves looking like sissies. You can only harm him with magic weapons or spells. Much worse, in the first turn he casts a [[ShockAndAwe Thunderbolt spell]] costing -7 stamina, in the second a [[{{Fireballs}} Fireball spell]] costing -5 stamina, and in the third a LevelDrain spell costing -2 stamina and -1 skill. (Better not losing those...) In the following two he uses his [[PoisonedWeapon poisoned dagger]] costing -3 stamina, and then his fists and claws costing the regular 2. [[spoiler: With no way to weaken him, you just stand no chance.]]
* FrankensteinMonster: In the second book, he came back to life with a composite body made of spare body parts took from the people of nearby villages. In one of the possible deaths, you become one of the unwilling donors.

* HornsOfVillainy: He has the aforementioned horns, and is not exactly the type you would like to take to the pub...

** PoisonedWeapon: In the third book, his weapon is covered in toxin, making the strikes he deals more damaging.
* LargeAndInCharge: After bonding with a demon in ''Legend of Zagor'', Zagor towers over mortal humans, and the hordes of orcs and monsters who now obey him.
* LevelDrain: Not exactly, but in ''Legend of Zagor'', he can cast a spell that costs -2 stamina and -1 skill. Given that your skill score is your PowerLevel, which you went to great lengths to raise to match his enormous might, this causes a similar effect.

* LooksLikeOrlok: His Demon form from ''Legend of Zagor'' has elements of the classical Nosferatu-like vampire, with bald, bat-like face and sharp nails, though he's at least 4 meters tall in this setting.

* MasterOfOneMagic: He specialises in Elemental Magic, but he is equally proficient with all four classical elements. He is also considerably skilled in Demonoology and classical TheDarkArts.
* MookMaker: In the second book, he bewitched a huge diamond. [[SchmuckBait If you pick it up]], it transforms into a powerful Diamond Warrior with skill 11 stamina 10, who can only be defeated with a hammer.

* NeverFoundTheBody: In the ending chapter of ''Return to Firetop Mountain'', you lead the villagers to Zagor's throne room where you killed him, only to find it empty with no trace of his corpse.

** NoSell: Don't waste your time using anything else, a feather would do more effect, and his counterattack [[LevelDrain decreases your skill]]. Given his tremendous might, any point you lose will be sorely missed.
* NobleDemon: In ''Return to Firetop Mountain'' once confronted he agrees to an honourable duel with the hero to decide matters once and for all.

* PlayingWithFire: In addition to his fire-related Elemental Powers, he uses fire spells. Flames costing -3 stamina in the first books and {{Fireballs}} costing -5 stamina in the third.

** In the third, you have 800 seconds to drag his humongous mass to the Heartfires at the core of Castle Argent to throw him in there and destroy him once and for all. You must travel back through each room in a shaking castle, with each taking a determinate amount of seconds depending on the obstacles and how well you fare. If after 500 seconds you are still at it, he partially awakes and seizes you in his clawed hands, greatly slowing you down. And if you fail, he resurrects and tears you to shreds.

** In the second book, he uses a very powerful Chaos Beast Man he created himself. The monster is a very powerful foe with skill 12 stamina 13, [[OneWingedAngel who turns into an even mightier Chaos Beast Lord if it lands two hits]]. The transformed monster is now [[SNKBoss skill 14 stamina 14]], absolutely UnwinnableByDesign since you cannot surpass skill 12. [[spoiler: Your only hope is to give it the sword of the Chaos Lord Darkblade Skullbiter, bribing it in letting you pass.]]

** In the third, you can first attack him at distance, though if you fail or use something useless, you expose yourself to a dangerous LevelDrain spell. Then you must climb the stairs towards him, either fighting a monster (ridiculously weak but Zagor replenishes his LifeMeter as you fight it), or attacking him with your magic weapon but it weakens its power boost for the first round. Then you [[That One Boss fight him]]. And finally there is the PostFinalConfrontation...

* SorcerousOverlord: In the second book, he is openly plotting to take over the world and it is {{RetCon}}ed that he tried in the first. In the third, he's about to try again with a different body and a different world.

** In the third books, he summons powerful EliteMooks known as [[BigRedDevil Hellhorns]].

* TarotTroubles: He owns a deck of cards (which aren't explicitly referred to as tarots) and he seem to rely on them for power. [[spoiler:In ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'' burning them ages him into a depowered decrepit geezer]]. In ''Legend of Zagor'' they can either give you a useful item or curse you, while he personally tries to use them against you when you confront him face to face.

** StrongAndSkilled: Having fused with the Demon Bone adds enormous physical strength and evil might to his fighting skills, his vast mastery of magic and his already considerable magic power.

* IShallTauntYou: Most of his dialogue consists in taunts and jabs at your failures.

* MeaningfulName: His last name is Dire and he is indeed not someone to triffle with.

** If you're [[SchmuckBait dumb enough to hide behind the curtain]], he animates it to choke you.
** MirrorMatch: He masters the Creature Copy spell, that creates a clone of the foe to make them fight. [[spoiler: He uses it against you if you pick an item to use, and when you win he takes profit of your distraction to kill you InTheBack with a dagger. Not the best choice of action.]]

* NoSell: [[spoiler: He can counter easily whatever spell you throw at him. It is how you react after that that makes the difference.]]
* RightHandAttackDog: He uses a friggin' six-headed hydra as his last line of defence. The giant monster cannot be defeated in a direct battle, the heads keep regrowing and overwhelming you. [[spoiler:You need the Golden Fleece taken from Lady Lucrecia, or a magic Myriad to defeat it]]. If you can cast three creature copy spells, you can [[MirrorMatch clone it]] and make it fight the real deal. (They have both skill 10 stamina 17, but if yours lose you're toast.)

* SelfMadeOrphan: Balthus murdered his own father to take his throne. Said father was embracing him in welcome, after he returned from his studies, only to get a dagger InTheBack. What a loving family...

* WizardDuel: You can engage this against him if you choose to cast a spell. [[spoiler: He is much more skilled than you, will always NoSell whatever you cast or turn it against you, before launching a dangerous counterattack. If you play well, you can gain a priceless advantage or even kill him without fight. But if you play badly, it means game over.]]

A half-human half-demon sorcerer, skilled in necromancy and Marrangha, the strange magical art of creating new and twisted forms of life. Marr trained alongside Zagor and Balthus Dire, though now considers both rivals. Reflecting his part infernal heritage Marr does not fully reside in the material world of Titan and can only interact with others via an enchanted mirror portal to the netherworld.

* AgonyBeam: He masters the horrible Torture Spell that inflicts unbearable pain. [[spoiler: You need to be covered with Elven Magic Dust to be protected, lest he casts it on you to subjugate you.]]
* AllThereInTheManual: Some of his background is filled out in ''Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World'' and the rest in the foreword of ''Creature of Havoc''.

A powerful warlord and wizard who rules over the cursed kingdom of Craggen Heights, from the imposing Black Citadel, whose ambitions of conquest would see the rest of Allansia fall under his sway. He comes from a long line of powerful {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s. Right as he returned from his studies, Balthus [[SelfMadeOrphan killed his father]] to [[TheUsurper take the throne]]. To this days maintains a strong rivalry with his former fellow apprentice Zharrandan Marr. As the best student of the best WizardingSchool of Titan in the Forest of Yore, you are the only one who can stand against him...

* AttackReflector: [[spoiler: If you attack him with a Fire spell, he dodges, grabs the flames and throw them at you. Dodge or lose -4 stamina.]]

* EvilSorcerer: A remarkable aversion from the SquishyWizard trope.

** MirrorMatch: He masters the Creature Copy spell, that creates a clone of the foe to make them fight. [[spoiler: He uses it against you if you pick an item to use, and takes profit of your distraction to kill you InTheBack with a dagger. Not the best choice of action.]]

** The Demonic Three hardly sounds pleasant.

* SignatureMove: The infamous Gorgon face.

* SpiritWorld: He delves into the Spiritual Planes to draw power in ''Trolltooth Wars''.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: He pulled this on his own father, not to mention with his friends on their teachers in his backstory.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain: the first and most iconic BigBad of the franchise (though how evil he is varies from book to book). After completing his studies, Zagor invaded the caves of Firetop Mountain, driving away the dwarves living there and claiming the subterranean lair that once belonged to his great-grandfather, claiming his ancestor's riches and the dwarves treasure while he was at it.

In the first two books, he is a pretty standard EvilSorcerer, in the third however, he is dragged to Titan's sister world of Amarillia, where he fuses with a [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demon Lord called the Demon Bone]], to become a tremendously powerful Demon Warlock, more evil and dangerous than ever. He took control of the remnants of the Demon Bone's army, and based himself in Castle Argent, the former royal residence devastated by the war, waiting for his transformation to be complete and make him unstoppable. But one of four chosen heroes sent by the Boy King Irian, warned by Yaztromo, stand in his way no matter what...

* AllThereInTheManual: Much of his original background is filled out in ''Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World'' and expanded (and slightly retconned) in ''The Trolltooth Wars''. Even his first name was only revealed in additionnal material. ''The Zagor Chronicles'', whose place in Canon is hard to define, reveals a completely different backstory.

* ContinuityNod: In the second book, you find several things that were already there in the first, though very few of them can say that time was good to them. You even fight the skeletons of monsters once slain, that rise to fight you.

** Canon has it that he is indeed a half-demon, but that he lived a normal life-span and was apprenticed with the Demonic Tree. He then take Firetop Mountain from the dwarves who take it over after his grandfather's death, adding the gold he ransacked to what was left of his ancestor's fortune.

* TheDreaded: He is very much feared in all settlements around Firetop Mountain, and his infamy is known all over Allansia. After his first death, fear of him had subsided, but came back with a vengeance along with him.

* ElementalRockPaperScissors: In the second book, you can only overcome the Greater Elementals he summons by summoning Elementals of your own that can counter them. [[spoiler: You need no less than four golden dragon teeth, and having learnt which can counter which on small texts needing a magnifying lens to be decyphered, '''and''' the incantation that can activate them. Oh, and by the way, if you lack a throwing dagger to kill a rat that steals one of them. Did you say exageration? You bet! Anyway, Fire is countered by Water, Water by Wind, Wind by Earth and Earth by Fire.]]
* EvilIsBigger: In the third book, he towers over 13 feet tall.
* EvilSorcerer: The first faced in the franchise. First in a looooooong succession...

* FairPlayVillain: Averted at first in the second book, in which he summons uber powerful beings to destroy you. But once you overcame all his summons though, he deems you a WorthyOpponent and challenges you to a fair fight with no armour and a dagger for weapon, casting off his robes and providing you with a dagger to fight. To the point that he could have killed you or at least greatly wounded you with a [[ShockAndAwe Thunderbolt spell]] but chose not to. Sure, he knew that he would return again should he lose, but that's admirably honourable for such an evil being.

** In the first book, you can try to use items against him, but if he {{No Sell}}s it, he retaliates with flames that can cost -3 stamina, and having skill 11 stamina 18 makes him a powerful enemy. [[spoiler: You can obliterate him without fight with the Eye of Cyclops Gemstone, or reduce him to the pathetically easy skill 7 stamina 12 by burning his cards.]]
** In the second book, you must first overcome his [[FourIsDeath four uber powerful summons]], then fight him, again with skill 11 stamina 18, but this time no way to make the battle easier. Just fight for your life.
** In the third book, he is an absolute monster with skill '''16''' stamina 20, making him one of the mightiest villains of the entire franchise, making the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Snake Demons]] look like sissies. You can only harm him with magic weapons or spells, but you must attack at close range, for attacking for afar even with things that can harm him expose you to a nasty LevelDrain spell. Much worse, in the first turn he casts a [[ShockAndAwe Thunderbolt spell]] costing -7 stamina, in the second a [[{{Fireballs}} Fireball spell]] costing -5 stamina, and in the third a LevelDrain spell costing -2 stamina -1 skill. (Better not losing those...) In the following two he uses his [[PoisonedWeapon poisoned dagger]] costing -3 stamina, and then his fists and claws costing the regular 2. [[spoiler: With no way to weaken him, you just stand no chance.]]
* FrankensteinMonster: In ''Return to Firetop Mountain'', he came back to life with a composite body made of spare body parts took from the people of nearby villages. In one of the possible deaths, you become one of the unwilling donors.

* InsistentTerminology: Warlock, not wizard, sorcerer, etc. In the first book he is almost always referred to as the Warlock, with only one easily missed opportunity for the player to learn his name. His first name was not revealed until he was profiled in the short-lived Fighting Fantasy webzine ''The Salamonis Gazette'' in 2003.

** On the other hand, [[spoiler: you need Gold Talisman to decrease his skill score and even the odds.]]

* MagicKnight: A downplayed example since he magic is obviously is forte and he does not wield big weapons, but he is deadly with a dagger.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: He has a [[AVillainNamedZRG a classical villainous name]] that does not announces niceness. Not to mention the name of the TerribleTrio he forms with his former fellow apprentices.

* PlayingWithFire: In addition to his fire-related Elemental Powers, he uses fire spells. Flames costing -3 stamina in the first books and {{Fireballs}} costing -5 stamina in the third.]]
* RedRightHand: In ''Return to Firetop Mountain'', Zagor's left arm is still a skeletal one from his original corpse. The very same skeletal arm is transported to Amarilla by a freak spell where it's sucked into the Casket of Souls and merges with the Bone Demon's corpse, fusing the two villains into one.

** Subverted in the third book. In a ContinuityNod with the fist, Zagor's last line of defence is once again a dragon only weaker than he is by 1 skill point, but this time it is a full-fledged TheDragon, with influence over the plot. With skill 15 stamina 20, he is ThatOneBoss through and through.
* ShockAndAwe: He masters dangerous lightning spells. In the second book he states that he could blast you with a Thuderbolt spell, and in the third he can attack with a Lightning spell costing -7 stamina no less.
* SorcerousOverlord: In ''Return to Firetop Mountain'' he is openly plotting to take over the world. In ''Legend of Zagor'' he's about to try again with a different body and a different world.

** StrongAndSkilled: As stated above, fusing with the Demon Bone adds enormous physical strength and evil might to his fighting skills, his vast mastery of magic and his already considerable magic power.

* WeakButSkilled: In the first two books, he is frail looking, but very skilled with weapons, and most importantly wields vast magic power and mastery of magic. After he TookALevelInBadass in the third, he becomes StrongAndSkilled.

--

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain: the first and most iconic BigBad in the series (though how evil he is varies from book to book). Zagor is a warlock of tremendous power, who was apprenticed to the vile wizard Volgera Darkstorm, alongside Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr. The three equally evil and ambitious students became friends and rivals, naming themselves the Demonic Tree. Then, they pulled a YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness on their teacher and parted ways. He invaded the caves of Firetop Mountain, driving away the dwarves and claiming the subterranean lair that once belonged to his grandfather, claiming his ancestor's riches, and the dwarves treasure while he was at it. He has returned from the dead more than once and appears in more books than anyone other than the legendary wizard Gereth Yaztromo, being the only villain fought in three different gamebooks. And always confronted by a hero...

In the first two books, he is a pretty standard EvilSorcerer, in the third however, he is dragged to Titan's sister world of Amarillia, where he fuses with a [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demon Lord called the Demon Bone]], to become a tremendously powerful Demon Warlock, more evil and dangerous than ever. He took control of the remnant of the Demon Bone's army, and based himself in Castle Argent, the former royal residence devastated by the war, waiting for his transformation to be complete and make him unstoppable. But one of four chosen heroes sent by the Boy King Irian, warned by Yaztromo, stand in his way no matter what...

** [[spoiler: In the third book, [[TheArchmage The Legendary Mage]] [[CoolOldGuy Gereth Yaztromo]] sends to Amarillia magic trinkets he devised himself to be this: Silver Daggers that cost him -2 stamina and Gold Talisman that cost him -1 skill as soon as you face him. You can't win without at least three talisman, no matter how badly you wound him, unless you gathered ten daggers, enough to kill him outright.]]
* AffablyEvil: While taunting, he is quite polite and cordial in his interactions with you, especially in the second book. He welcomes you with irony but praises your valour, and becomes outright appreciative after you defeat the Greater Elementals he summons.

* AllThereInTheManual: Much of his original background is filled out in ''Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World'' and expanded (and slightly retconned) in ''The Trolltooth Wars''. ''The Zagor Chronicles'' reveals a completely different backstory. Even his first name was only revealed in additionnal material.

* AmbiguouslyEvil: In ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'' and ''Trolltooth Wars'', he is not up to anything evil, being portrayed as a recluse. In the latter, he even puts an EnemyMine of sorts with the hero Chadda Darkmane, helping him to defeat Zharradan Marr. He appears mostly as a paranoid hermit who protects his treasure, though his interaction with you and the fact that he employs monsters and has prisoners tortured with no apparent reason in ''Warlock'', maintain some doubt. Then again, he keeps monsters and evil beings at his command, and tortures prisoners [[ForTheEvulz for shit and giggles.]]

* AntagonistAbilities: He is a master of Dark Magic who masters deadly spells. In the second book can even summon up to four [[ElementalEmbodiment Greater Elementals]] to destroy you. In the third, his stats are so much beyond the normal maximum that you must find a way to weaken him to stand a chance. And as if its wasn't enough, he does not fear normal weapons and uses devastating attacks.

** In the third, he even gets the luxury of having a book titled "Legend of X"

** CameBackStrong: A freak accident in ''Legend of Zagor'' merged his soul with the sealed body of the mighty Bone Demon from Amarilla, letting him resurrect as a tremendously powerful Demon Warlock, served by Dragons and demons.

** In the third like in the first, you can "contact" him so to speak through a painting in his likeness, his deck of bewitched cards has plot relevance, and his last line of defence is a mighty dragon, only weaker than he is by 1 sill point.
** In the third, you will also find "golden Zagors" coins he mints himself and pays his troops with, introduced in the second book.
* ContinuitySnarl: Zagor is either a powerful but still human warlock who trained with Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr (all books prior to the ''Zagor Chronicles'') or a 3000 year old half-demon (''Zagor Chronicles''). Even with just the original background did he steal his gold or is it rightfully his, inherited from his grandfather? The latter is apparently a mix of both.

* TheCorrupter: In the third book, Zagor gains the corrupting influence of the Bone Demon, which blighted Castle Argent, turned many a noble knight into a twisted Chaos Warrior, and turned even the tormented souls of his victims into dangerous spectres. He keeps this influence active over the castle and makes it worse.

* ElementalPowers: Zagor is praised by foes and allies alike as one of the greatest elementalist's to ever walk Titan. While other elementalists cannot normally master more than one element, he masters [[BlowYouAway Air]], [[PlayingWithFire Fire]], [[DishingOutDirt Earth]] and [[MakingASplash Water]] with equal proficiency.
* ElementalRockPaperScissors: In the second book, you can only overcome the [[ElementalEmbodiment Greater Elementals]] he summons by summoning Elementals of your own that can counter them. [[spoiler: You need no less than four golden dragon teeth, and having learnt which can counter which on small texts needing a magnifying lens to be decyphered, '''and''' the incantation that can activate them. Oh, and by the way, if you lack a throwing dagger to kill a rat that steals one of them. Did you say exageration? You bet! Anyway, Fire is countered by Water, Water by Wind, Wind by Earth and Earth by Fire.]]

* FairPlayVillain: Averted at first in the second book, in which he summons uber powerful beings to destroy you. But once you overcame all his mighty summons, he deems you a WorthyOpponent and challenges you to a fair fight with no armour and a dagger for weapon, casting off his robes and providing you with a dagger to fight.

** In the first book, you can try to use items against him, but if he NoSells it, he retaliates with flames that can cost -3 stamina, and having skill 11 stamina 18 makes him a powerful enemy. [[spoiler: You can obliterate him without fight with the Eye of Cyclops Gemstone, or reduce him to a laughably easy joke by burning his cards.]]

** In the third book, he is an absolute monster with skill '''16''' stamina 20, making him one of the mightiest villains of the entire franchise, making the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Snake Demons]] look like sissies. You can only harm him with magic weapons or spells, but you must attack at close range, for attacking for afar even with things that can harm him expose you to a nasty LevelDrain spell. Much worse, in the first turn he casts a [[ShockAndAwe Thunderbolt spell]] costing -7 stamina, in the second a [[{{Fireballs}} Fireball spell]] costing -5 stamina, and in the third a LevelDrain spell costing -2 stamina -1 skill. (Better not losing those...) In the following two he uses his [[PoisonedWeapon poisoned dagger]] costing -3 stamina, and then his fists and claws costing the regular 2. [[spoiler: With no way to weaken him, you just can't win.]]

* FusionDance: He was dragged into the world of Amarillia shortly after his second resurrection, by a side-effect of the magic that banished the Bone Demon outside of dimensions. They merged into a single, incredibly powerful Demon Warlock, combining the former's expertise of magic and the latter's dark power for a deadly combination.
* TheGambler: Zagor’s favourite hobby is to play with his bewitched cards, which he also uses as traps over his lair or curse material.
* HalfHumanHybrid: The semi-canonical ''Zagor Chronicles'' indicates that he is half-demon.

* HumanMomNonHumanDad: The semi-canonical ''Zagor Chronicles'' {{Retcon}}s this as Zagor's parentage, albeit GenderFlipped in that his father was a human wizard who impregnated a female demon.

* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler: Since bonding with the Bone Demon gave Zagor ResurrectiveImmortality, after you defeat him in ''Legend of Zagor'' you must haul his 4mts tall carcass down the tower and across the crumbling castle all the way to the Heartfires chasms situated on the first floor of Castle Argent, and then cast his gigantic corpse into the fires to be destroyed forever.]]

* LevelDrain: Not exactly, but in ''Legend of Zagor'', he can cast a spell that costs -2 stamina and -1 skill. Given that your skill score is your PowerLevel, you went to great lengths to raise to match his enormous might, this causes a similar effect.
** On the other hand, [[spoiler: you need Gold Talisman to decrease his skill score and even the odds.
* LooksLikeOrlok: His Demon form from ''Legend of Zagor'' has elements of the classical Nosferatu-like vampire, with bald, bat-like visage and sharp nails, though he's at least 4 meters tall in this setting.

** In the first book, nothing less than a huge, fire-breathing [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Red Dragon]]. The thing is big and powerful, with skill 10 stamina 15. [[spoiler: You can defeat it without fight by turning its fire breath against it with Farigo Di Maggio's spell.]] As the Titan canon developed, it was established that it was a lesser kind of dragon, the real Red Dragons having skill '''14''' (2 over the normal maximum), and are the '''weakest''' dragon type!
** In the second book, he uses a very powerful Chaos Beast Man he created himself. The monster is a very powerful foe with skill 12 stamina 13, [[OneWingedAngel who turns into an even mightier Chaos Beast Lord if it lands two hits]]. The transformed monster is now [[SNKBOss skill 14 stamina 14]], absolutely UnwinnableByDesign since you cannot surpass skill 12. [[spoiler: Your only hope is to give it the sword of the Chaos Lord Darkblade Skullbiter, bribing it in letting you pass.]]

* TarotTroubles: He owns a deck of cards (which aren't explicitly referred to as tarots) and he seem to rely on them for power. [[spoiler:In ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'' burning them ages him into a depowered decrepit geezer]]. In ''Legend of Zagor'' they can either give you a useful item or curse you, while he personally tries to use them against you when you first confront him face to face.

* TookALevelInBadass: He was already a bona fide badass in the first two books, but his powers skyrocket in the third. And it is implied that he has yet to reach his full might!

* WeakButSkilled: In the first two books, he is frail looking, but very skilled with weapons, and most importantly wields vast magic power and mastery of magic.
* WeaksauceWeakness: In the original book, you can skip the battle against him by either burning his playing cards (which ages him into a frail old man) or using the Cyclops' Eye on him. In ''Return to Firetop Mountain'' he no longer has such weaknesses. In ''Legend of Zagor'', looking for the (trapped) Tower Chests will net you Golden Talismans and Silver Daggers which can be used to weaken him in combat.

The three best students of the powerful dark wizard Volgera Darkstorm, equals in power, abilities, ambition and malevolence, they quickly became friends and rivals. The more they learnt, the more blatant their evil became, frightening even Darkstorm himself.

A powerful warlord and wizard who rules over the cursed kingdom of Craggen Heights, from the imposing Black Citadel, and whose ambitions of conquest would see the rest of Allansia fall under his sway. Dire comes from a long line of powerful {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s. His father sent him to be apprenticed to the vile wizard Volgera Darkstorm, alongside Oldoran Zagor and Zharradan Marr, and the three equally evil and ambitious students became friends and rivals, naming themselves the Demonic Tree. Until the moment they felt they had nothing left to learn. They pulled YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness on the aging Darkstorm, before parting ways. Dire killed his father to take the throne, and to this days maintains a strong rivalry with his former fellow apprentices, especially with Zharrandan Marr, being in a competition with them to take over Allansia first. As the best student of the best WizardingSchool of Titan in the Forest of Yore, you are the only one who can stand against him...

* AttackAnimal: Of the monster variety. He sics a tough Clawbeast on you when you confront him. With skill 9 stamina 14, who can make you lose your sword to weaken you, it can prove troublesome.

* CharmPerson: He is capable of using a powerful form of this. [[spoiler: and will if the hero of ''The Citadel of Chaos'' pretends to swear allegiance to him, making him his slave.]]

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He is married to a beautiful enchantress named Lady Lucrecia, by all accounts happily on both sides and ''The Trolltooth Wars'' implies she is the only person he really trusts.

* NightmareFace: One of his signature spells is to [[spoiler:shapeshift his face into one of a gorgon, allowing him to turn his enemies to stone]].
* RightHandAttackDog: He uses a friggin' six-headed hydra as his last line of defence. The giant monster cannot be defeated in a direct battle, the heads keep regrowing and overwhelming you. [[spoiler:You need the Golden Fleece taken from Lady Lucrecia, or a magic Myriad to defeat it]]. If you can cast three creature copy spells, you can [[MirrorSelf clone it]] and make it fight the real deal. (They have both skill 10 stamina 17, but if yours lose you're toast.)

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: The aforementioned transformation [[spoiler: into a gorgon. Note that he not only just transform his face, but he gains the power of what he turns into. Namely the gorgon's EvilEye.]]

A powerful warlord and sorcerer who rules over the cursed kingdom of Craggen Heights, from the imposing Black Citadel, and whose ambitions of conquest would see the rest of Allansia fall under his sway. Dire comes from a long line of powerful {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s. His father sent him to be apprenticed to the vile wizard Volgera Darkstorm, alongside Oldoran Zagor and Zharradan Marr, and the three equally evil and ambitious students became friends and rivals, naming themselves the Demonic Tree. Until the moment they felt they had nothing left to learn. They pulled YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness on the aging Darkstorm, before parting ways. Dire killed his father to take the throne, and to this days maintains a strong rivalry with his former fellow apprentices, especially with Zharrandan Marr, being in a competition with them to take over Allansia first. As the best student of the best WizardingSchool of Titan in the Forest of Yore, you are the only one who can stand against him...

* AllThereInTheManual: Much of his original background is filled out in ''Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World'' and expanded (and slightly retconned) in ''The Trolltooth Wars''. ''The Zagor Chronicles'' reveals a completely different backstory.
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: He is no undead, but his chalk-white skin clearly indicates that something is wrong with him.

* AmbiguouslyEvil: In ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'' and ''Trolltooth Wars'', he is not up to anything evil, being portrayed as a recluse. In the latter, he even puts an EnemyMine of sorts with the hero Chadda Darkmane, helping him to defeat Zharradan Marr. He appears mostly as a paranoid hermit who protects his treasure, though his interaction with you and the fact that he employs monsters and has prisoners tortured with no apparent reason in ''Warlock'', maintain some doubt.
** ''Return to Firetop Mountain'' performs a RetCon, stating that he was a standard EvilSorcerer out to TakeOverTheWorld, who simply bided his time until Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr destroyed each other's forces, and whose defeat served his interests.
* AntagonistAbilities: He is a master of Dark Magic who masters deadly spells. In the second book can even summon ElementalEmbodiment Greater Elementals]] to destroy you. In the third, his stats are way beyond the normal maximum, to the point that you must find a way to weaken him, he does not fear normal weapons and he uses devastating attacks.
* AntagonistTitle: He is the titular warlock.
* ArtInitiatesLife: In the first book, you come across many drawings of hands that detach themselves from the walls to become real and attack you, most likely bewitched by him.

* BadassBeard: A major-league wizard sporting a pointy goatee.
* BadassCape: He wears one on the picture of the second book, and he sure looks sinister.
* BadassLongrobe: As a powerful wizard, this is a given. He wears luxurious, ornate white and golden ones in the first book; black, purple and white in the second and third.
* BaddieFlattery: He is evil, he is ruthless, but when he recognizes your merits he means it.

* CameBackStrong: A freak accident in ''Legend of Zagor'' merged his soul with the sealed body of the powerful Bone Demon from Amarilla, letting him resurrect as a tremendously powerful demon-warlock, served by Dragons and demons.

** Canon has it that he is indeed a half-demon, but that he lived a normal life-span, and was apprenticed with the Demonic Tree. He then take Firetop Mountain from the dwarves who take it over after his grandfather's death.
* TheCorrupter: In the third book, Zagor gains the corrupting influence of the Bone Demon, which blighted

* TheDreaded: He is very much feared in all settlements around Firetop Mountain, and his infamy is known all over Allansia. After his first death, fear of him had subsided, but returned with him.
** In the third book, few people in Amarillia know about Zagor, but most know that the remnants of the Demon Bone's armies are gathering for another assault on the exhausted nations, and ''that'' is dreaded. Those who were warned about him take the threat he represent '''very''' seriously.
* ElementalPowers: Zagor is praised by foes and allies alike as one of the greatest elementalist’s to ever walk Titan. While other elementalist’s cannot normally master more than one element, he masters BlowYouAway, PlayingWithFire, DishingOutDirt and MakingASplash with equal proficiency.

* EvilSorcerer: The first faced in the franchise. The first in a looooooong succession...

** EvilSoundsDeep: His voice becomes booming in the third book.

* LargeAndInCharge: After bonding with a demon in ''Legend of Zagor'', Zagor towers over mortal humans.

* PoisonedWeapon: In the third book, his dagger is poisoned.

* RightHandAttackDog: He uses a friggin' six-headed hydra as his last line of defence. The giant monster cannot be defeated in a direct battle, the heads keep regrowing and overwhelming you. [[spoiler: You need the Golden Fleece taken from Lady Lucrecia, or a magic Myriad to defeat it. If you can cast three creature copy spells, you can [[MirrorSelf: clone it]] and make it fight the real deal. (They have both skill 10 stamina 17, but if yours lose you're toast.)]]

* ElementalPowers: Zagor is praised by foes and allies alike as one of the greatest elementalist’s to ever walk Titan. While elementalist’s cannot normally master more than one element, he masters BlowYouAway, PlayingWithFire, DishingOutDirt and MakingASplash with equal proficiency.

A powerful warlord and sorcerer who rules over the cursed kingdom of Craggen Heights, from the imposing Black Citadel, and whose ambitions of conquest would see the rest of Allansia fall under his sway. Dire comes from a long line of powerful {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s. His fahter sent him to be apprenticed to the vile wizard Volgera Darkstorm, alongside Oldoran Zagor and Zharradan Marr, and the three equally evil and ambitious students became friends and rivals, naming themselves the Demonic Tree. Until the moment they felt they had nothing left to learn. They pulled YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness on the aging Darkstorm, before parting ways. Dire killed his father to thke the throne, and to this days maintains a strong rivalry with his former fellow apprentices, especially with Zharrandan Marr, being in a competition with them to take over Allansia first. As the best student of the best WizardingSchool of Titan in the Forest of Yore, you are the only one who can stand against him...

* AntagonistAbilities: He is a beast in magic, and masters very advanced spellwork that will give you a fair share of trouble if you challenge him on this field.

* EvilVersusEvil: ''Creature of Havoc'' implies that he is at war with Zharradan Marr, the BigBad of this book and his former fellow student. The novelization ''Trolltoth War'' confirms this and make their conflict the center of the plot.

* SorcerousOverlord: An atypically physically tough one. Dire commands a bizarre collection of 'chaotics', monsters and creatures from the Craggen Heights and also has the loyalty of an army of hill goblins.

* SummonMagic: ''Trolltooth War'' explains that he personnally summoned the fearsome [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent Ganjees]], and later the even worse Sorqs.

** WeakenedByTheLight: Générations of dabbling with TheDarkArts did no wonder to the Dire line.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain: the first and most iconic BigBad in the series (though how evil he is varies from book to book). Zagor is a warlock of tremendous power, who was apprenticed to the vile wizard Volgera Darkstorm, alongside Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr. The three equally evil and ambitious students became friends and rivals, naming themselves the Demonic Tree. Then, they pulled a YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness on their teacher and parted ways. He invaded the caves of Firetop Mountain, driving away the dwarves and claming the subterranean lair that once belonged to his grandfather, claiming his ancestor's riches, and the dwarves treasure while he was at it. He has returned from the dead more than once and appears in more books than anyone other than the legendary wizard Gereth Yaztromo, being the only villain fought in three different gamebooks. And always confronted by a hero...

In the first two books, he is a pretty standard EvilSorcerer, in the third however, he is dragged to Titan's sister world of Amarillia, where he fuses with a [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demon Lord called the Demon Bone]], to become a tremendously powerful Demon Warlock, more evil and dangerous than ever. He took countrol of the remnant of the Demon Bone's army, and based himself in Castle Argent, the former royal residence devastated by the war, waiting for his transformation to be complete and make him unstoppable. But one of four chosen heroes sent by the Boy King Irian, warned by Yaztromo, stand in his way no matter what...

* AffablyEvil: While taunting, he is quite polite and cordial in his interractions with you, especially in the second book. He welcomes you with irony but praises your valour, and becomes outright appreciative after you defeat the Greater Elementals he summons.

* AmbiguouslyEvil: In ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'' and ''Trolltooth Wars'', he is not up to anything evil, being portrayed as a recluse. In the latter, he even puts an EnemyMine of sorts with the hero Chadda Darkmane, helping him to defeat Zharradan Marr. He appears mostly as a paranoid ermit who protects his treasure, though his interraction with you and the fact that he employs monsters and has prisoners tortured with no apparent reason in ''Warlock'', maintain some doubt.

* ElementalPowers: Zagor is praised by foes and allies alike as one of the greatest elementalists to ever walk Titan. While elementalists cannot normally master more than one element, he masters BlowYouAway, PlayingWithFire, DishingOutDirt and MakingASplash with equal proficiency.

* FrankensteinMonster: In ''Return to Firetop Mountain'', he came back to life with a composite body made of spare bodyparts took from the people of nearby villages. In one of the possible deaths, you become one of the unwilling donors.

* NobleDemon: In ''Return to Firetop Mountain'' once confronted he agrees to an honorable duel with the hero to decide matters once and for all.

** In the fist book, nothing less than a huge, fire-breathing [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Red Dragon]]. The thing is big and powerful, with skill 10 stamina 15. [[spoiler: You can defeat it without fight by turning its fire breath against it with Farigo Di Maggio's spell.]] As the Titan canon developped, it was established that it was a lesser kind of dragon, the real Red Dragons having skill '''14''' (2 over the normal maximum), and are the '''weeakest''' dragon type!
** In the second book, he uses a very powerful Chaos Beast Man he created himself. The monster is a very powerful foe with skill 12 samina 13, [[OneWingedAngel who turns into an even mightier Chaos Beast Lord if it lands two hits]]. The transformed monster is now [[SNKBOss skill 14 stamina 14]], absolutely UnwinnableByDesign since you cannot surpass skill 12. [[spoiler: Your only hope is to give it the sword of the Chaos Lord Darkblade Skullbiter, bribing it in letting you pass.]]
** Subverted in the third book. In a ContinuityNod with the fist, Zagor's last line of defence is once again a dragon only weaker than he is by 1 skill point, but this time it is a full fledged TheDragon, with influence over the plot. With skill 15 stamina 20, he is ThatOneBoss through and through.

* SquishyWizard: He is powerful but frail and pretty much a textbook example of WeakButSkilled in the first two books, but spectaculary averts this in the third, having become way mightier, stronger, and sturdier.

* TarotTroubles: He owns a deck of cards (which aren't explicitly referred to as tarots) and he seem to rely on them for power. [[spoiler:In ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'' burning them ages him into a depowered decrepit geezer]]. In ''Legend of Zagor'' they can either give you an useful item or curse you, while he personally tries to use them against you when you first confront him face to face.

* EvilVersusEvil: It is hinted that he is at war with Balthus Dire, the BigBad of ''The Citadel of Chaos' ' and his former fellow student. The novelization ''Trolltoth War'' confirms this and make their conflict the center of the plot.

* ItsAllAboutMe: He is so egomaniac that non only did he discard the name of his hometown he felt beneath him, but cast a spell to make everyone forget he ever had it. He even [[spoiler: retreated to the Netherworld]] to avoid sharing the same air as lowly people.

* TakeOverTheWorld: Downplayed. He plans to take over the continuent of Allansia.

A powerful warlord and sorcerer who rules over the cursed kingdom of Craggen Heights, from the imposing Black Citadel, and whose ambitions of conquest would see the rest of Allansia fall under his sway. Dire was apprenticed to the vile wizard Volgera Darkstorm, alongside Zagor and Zharradan Marr, until they pulled a YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness on him, before parting ways. To this days, he maintains a strong rivalry with his former fellow apprentices, especially with Zharrandan Marr, being in a competition with them to take over Allansia first. As the best student of the best WizardingSchool of Titan in the Forest of Yore, you are the only one who can stand against him...

[[quoteright:320:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zagor.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:310:[[labelnote: Click here to see him as a Demon Warlock]]http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/demon_zagor.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain and the first and most iconic BigBad in the series (though how evil he is varies from book to book). Zagor is a warlock of tremendous power, who was apprenticed to the vile wizard Volgera Darkstorm, alongside Zagor and Zharradan Marr, until they pulled a YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness on their teacher, before parting ways with both and taking up residence in Firetop Mountain. He has returned from the dead more than once and appears in more books than anyone other than Yaztromo, being the only villain fought in three different gamebooks. And always confronted by a hero...

In the first two books, he is a pretty standard EvilSorcerer, in the third however, he is dragged to Titan's sister world of Amarillia, where he fuses with a Demon Lord called the Demon Bone, to become a tremendously powerful Demon Warlock, more evil and dangerous than ever. But one of four chosen heroes stand in his way no matter what...

* BeardOfEvil: Zagor wears a villainously stylish goatee in his earlier appearances though he loses it (and indeed any hair) by the time of ''Legend of Zagor''.
* CameBackStrong: A freak accident in ''Legend of Zagor'' merged his soul with the sealed body of the powerful Bone Demon from Amarilla, letting him resurrect as a powerful demon-warlock served by Dragons and demons.
* ContinuitySnarl: Zagor is either a powerful but still human warlock who trained with Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr (all books prior to the ''Zagor Chronicles'') or a 3,000 year old half-demon (''Zagor Chronicles''). Even with just the original background did he steal his gold or is it rightfully his, inherited from his grandfather?
* TheDragon: In both ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'' and ''Legend of Zagor'' his last line of defense is a literal, giant fire-spitting Dragon for the hero to overcome.

* TheNecromancer: Implied, since in all the books he's in his forces, normally composed of Orcs and Goblins, tend to be served by the undead.
* NeverFoundTheBody: In the ending chapter of ''Return to Firetop Mountain'', you lead the villagers to Zagor's throne room where you killed him, only to find it empty with no trace of his corpse.

* SummonMagic: With various elementals in ''Return to Firetop Mountain'', which you have to neutralize with your own elementals.
* TarotTrouble: He owns a deck of cards (which aren't explicitly referred to as tarots) and he seem to rely on them for power: In ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'' [[spoiler: burning them ages him into a depowered decrepit geezer]], while in ''Legend of Zagor'' they can either give you an useful item or curse you, while he personally tries to use them against you when you first confront him face to face.

[[quoteright:320:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zharradan_marr.jpg]]

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