History Characters / FightingFantasyAntagonistsDemonicThree

* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, he and his fellow disciples cast the Rain of Knives Spell to kill their master. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately for you, he never casts it when facing you.

* VillainRespect: He comes to respect your skills.

* WeaksauceWeakness: [[spoiler: Generations of messing around with Dark Magic has left his family fatally vulnerable to sunlight. If you get next to the window in the FinalBattle, tearing down the curtain is enough to kill him.]]

* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler: In the first book, the Eye of Cyclops Gemstone dusts him as soon as you take it out.]]

** ''The Zagor Chronicles'', whose place in Canon is hard to define, disclose a completely different backstory.

* AmbiguouslyEvil: In the first book and ''Trolltooth Wars'', he is not up to anything evil, being portrayed as a paranoid recluse who protects his treasure. In the latter, he even puts an EnemyMine of sorts with the hero Chadda Darkmane, helping him to defeat Zharradan Marr in a begrudging truce. Then again, he commands monsters and tortures prisoners mostly [[ForTheEvulz for shit and giggles]], clearly indicating that he is not exactly innocent.

* CameBackStrong: A freak accident in the third book merged him with the mighty Bone Demon from Amarilla who had just been sealed, letting them both resurrect as one tremendously powerful Demon Warlock.

* ContinuitySnarl: Zagor is either a powerful but 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 the original background did he steal his gold or is it rightfully inherited from his great-grandfather?

* 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 the incantation that can activate them to do that. And you need to have learnt which elemental can counter which on small texts that can only be read with a magnifying glass. Oh, and by the way, if you lack a throwing dagger to kill a rat that steals one of the teeth, you are done for. Did you say exaggeration? You bet! Anyway, Fire is countered by Water, Water by Wind, Wind by Earth and Earth by Fire.]]

** In the second book, he has again 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 one of the mightiest villains of the franchise, with skill '''16''' stamina 20, making the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Snake Demons]] themselves look like sissies. You can only harm him with magic weapons or spells. Much worse, in the first turn he casts a [[ShockAndAwe Thunderbolt Spell]], in the second a [[{{Fireballs}} Fireball Spell]] , and in the third a [[LevelDrain Life-Drain Spell]]. (Better not losing those...) In the following two, he uses his [[PoisonedWeapons poisoned dagger]] before using his fists and claws. With no way to match him, you might as well close the book and whistle a funeral march.

* HypnoticEyes: Zagor is implied to have those in the first book, but he does not use this power against you.

* LightIsNotGood: He wears white and gold in the first book, and while not exactly a villain there, he remains a formidable foe. The following books establish him as a ColorCodedForYourConvenience bad guy.

* NoSell: Don't waste your time using anything non-magical. A feather would be more effective, and his counterattack [[LevelDrain decreases your skill score]]. Against such a [[ThatOneBoss monster]], any point you lose will be sorely missed.

** Justified in-story. In the first book, he is waiting for Zharradan Marr and Balthus Dire to fight to the death. In the second he is busy rebuilding his body and his forces. In the third, he is waiting for his mutation to be complete and make him unstoppable, and is gathering the Bone Demon's remaining forces.

* RedRightHand: In the second book, Zagor's left arm is still a skeletal one from his original corpse. In the third, 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 an even mightier one.

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

* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, Zagor and his fellow disciples cast the Rain of Knives Spell to kill their master. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately for you, he never casts it when facing you.

A half-human half-demon necromancer, expert in the vile magical art of Marrangha. After his studies, Marr built himself a subterranean lair and by chance discovered a gold mine that made him enormously wealthy, funding his armies and the recruitment of his fearsome generals. Marr later 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 invincibility, and would stop at nothing to find and invade the village and learn all its secrets. Oddly enough, a strange, reptilian humanoid monster without reason or conscience is the only thing standing in his way...

* BadPowersBadPeople: Not only is he one of the '''worst''' villains of the franchise, but his domain of expertise is one of the vilest magical arts ever experimented on Titan. And no, it's not referring to necromancy.
* BadassLongRobe: He wears a long, flowing robe, as expected of the fearsome SorcerousOverlord he is.

* 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 search 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 how one can gain their power.]] Not only that but he dug his subterranean lair under the pretence of prospecting to avoid suspicion (actually finding gold by complete coincidence), and manipulates many people to make sure that the Vapours that were stolen from his lair would return to him. Yeah, the sod knows his game...

* 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, is deliciously ironic.]]

* MeaningfulRename: He was not content with merely changing his name, and performed a powerful ritual to make everyone remember as if he was always called Marr, effectively terminating the name he relinquished.

* NoOntologicalInertia: [[spoiler: His magic vanishes as soon as he disappears forever, turning you back into a human.]]

* SignatureMove: The Torture Spell seems to be his go-to reaction whenever someone won't play by his rules.
* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Marr uses slaves to dig gold from his mines. At first they were normally payed workers, but EvilGenius [[TheUndead Darramous]]'s first action as the mine director was to stop paying them and to chain them to work till they die, with torture and ill treatments to boot. Marr's reaction? Delighted approval.

* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, Zharradan Marr and his fellow disciples cast the Rain of Knives Spell to kill their master. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately for you, he never casts it when facing you.

* VillainousBreakdown: Marr starts with just a OhCrap when he sees you with the weapon that can defeat him, but the more he tries to negotiate or stall and the less it works, the more frantic he becomes, ending up creaming in panic. For one who never raises his voice and who looks down on anyone, boy is it cathartic!

* YouHaveFailedMe: He does not take kindly to mistakes, throwing the former director of his mines in jail when he could not stop thieves from raiding his treasure. And a lack of result equals a mistake in his book...
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: As soon as his very high standards are no longer met, he gets rid of a follower at the drop of a hat.

* 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. Later 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.]]

A powerful wizarding warlord who rules the cursed kingdom of Craggen Heights, from the imposing Black Citadel. His ambitions of conquest would see the rest of Allansia fall under his sway. Balthus Dire comes from a long line of powerful {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s. Right as he returned from his studies, he [[SelfMadeOrphan killed his father]] to [[TheUsurper take the throne for himself]]. To this days, he 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 Balthus with a Fire Spell, he dodges, grabs the flames and throws them back at you. You must dodge or lose -4 stamina.]]

* EvilSorcerer: A remarkable aversion of the SquishyWizard trope, specialising in Spiritual Magic and Battle Magic.
* 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 makes their conflict the centre of the plot.

* FinalBoss: The last and most powerful enemy of the gamebook. Balthus has skill 12 stamina 19, making him a deadly foe.

* IShallTauntYou: A great deal of his dialogue consists in taunts and jabs at your failures.

** If you're [[SchmuckBait dumb enough to hide behind the curtain while he can see you do so]], he animates it to catch and choke you.

** You can also avoid the fight against the [[AttackAnimal Clawbeast]], [[spoiler: With a Weakness Spell that makes it powerless to resist you.]]

* TerribleTrio: With his former fellow students during their tutelage. They even called themselves the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Demonic Three]]. Averted though, for those three have nothing quirky and are as competent and dangerous as they come.

* WeaksauceWeakness: [[spoiler:Messing around with Dark Magic over generations has left his family fatally vulnerable to sunlight. If you get next to the window during the FinalBattle, all you have to do is tear down the curtain to kill him.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: If Balthus corners you, he offers to make you into TheDragon. [[spoiler: If you feign to accept, he brainwashes you into becoming this whether you like it or not. If you refuse, he stabs you to death without batting an eyelid.]]

Zagor has returned from the dead more than once and appears in more books than anyone other than the [[BigGood Legendary Wizard Gereth Yaztromo]], being the only BigBad fought in three different gamebooks. And always confronted by a hero...\\\

* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler: In the first book, the Eye of Cyclops Gemstone reduces him to ashes as soon as you take it out.]]

** 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 it's wasn't enough, he does not fear normal weapons and uses devastating attacks.

* BadassLongRobe: As a powerful wizard, this is a given. He wears luxurious, ornate white and gold ones in the first book; black, purple and white in the second and third. Heck, a warlock as powerful as him can't appear in rags.

* 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?
** Canon finally established 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 established themselves there after his great-grandfather's death, adding the gold he ransacked to what was left of his ancestor's fortune.
* 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 [[BlackKnight 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 even worse.

* TheDarkArts: Zagor is an expert of the trade, and most of his magic in the second and third book is of evil nature.

* DemonOfHumanOrigin: Downplayed since he was half-demon already, but rotten to the core as he was, he was still a mostly human warlock with few demonic traits. Now he is an immensely powerful, undying Demon Lord.

* EvilWearsBlack: In the last two books, after his evil was firmly established, Zagor wears his BadassLongRobe black.

* {{Fireballs}}: He attacks with these in the third book and the video-game adaptation of the first. And boy are they painful.
* FrankensteinMonster: In the second book, he came back to life and rebuilt his body with a spare body parts taken from the people of nearby villages. In one of the possible deaths, you become one of the unwilling donors.
* 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 Powers for a deadly combo.

* {{Greed}}: Zagor's defining characteristic. He is rapacious, taking over Firetop Mountain to claim his inheritance, stealing the dwarves' treasures and ransacking the nearby settlements for decades. He always keeps gold and valuables with him, going as far as sitting on a throne of pure gold ornate with thousands of jewels in the second book.

* HornsOfVillainy: The aforementioned horns add to the scary picture, and he is not exactly a bloke you would take to the pub...

* KungFuWizard: Downplayed for he has no martial arts skills, but in the third book, Zagor has become freakishly strong. More than enough to rip foes to shreds with his bare hands. As if his powers were not enough.

* LightIsNotGood: He wears white and gold in the first book, and while not exactly a villain there, he remains a dangerous and ruthless foe. The following books establish him as evil and make him ColorCodedForYourConvenience.

* MookMaker: In the second book, Zagor created a very powerful Chaos Beast Man he uses as a RightHandAttackDog.
** In the same book, he coated a huge diamond with a potion of his. [[SchmuckBait If you pick it up]], it transforms into a powerful, warrior-shaped Diamond Sentinel with skill 11 stamina 9, who can only be defeated with a hammer.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: He has a [[AVillainNamedZRG a classical villainous name]] that does not picture anything nice.

** Justified in story. In the first book, he is waiting for Zharradan Marr and Balthus Dire to fight to the death. In the second he is busy rebuilding his body and his forces. In the third, he is waiting for his transformation to be complete, which would make him unstoppable, and is gathering the remnants of the Bone Demon's forces.

* PointyEars: He had these even as a warlock, but they became bigger and more bat-like as a Demon Warlock...

** In the third book, he no longer needs his spells, and will automatically awake less than 15 minutes after passing away. You must destroy his body by [[KillItWithFire throwing it in the magic Heartfires]] to get rid of him forever and ever.

** 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 being 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. And the chances to not to be wounded twice by such a powerful beast are highly scarce. [[spoiler: Your only hope is to give it the sword of the Chaos Lord Darkblade Skullbiter, bribing it in letting you pass.]]

* TerribleTrio: With his former fellow students during their tutelage. They even called themselves the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Demonic Three]]. Averted though, for those three have nothing quirky and are as competent and dangerous as they come.

* AVillainNamedZRG: A non Sci-Fi example. The name Zagor takes all three letters, granted not in that order but hey, same difference.
* VillainRespect: He praises your skills when you reach him, and even recognises you as an equal in the second book.

* VillainousWidowsPeak: Not a vampire but he sports one nonetheless.

* BadBoss: Notoriously ruthless, hard to please and unforgiving, prone to execute servants for the smallest slights. To him, servants are but assets to use and discard at his leisure. Even with decades of perfect service behind their belt.
** On the other hand, when they prove their worth to him he is very generous, makes them wealthy and able to indulges their whims... So long as they remain valuable to his eyes.

* ColdBloodedTorture: Marr is fond of inflicting this on his victims, of the normal or magical kind, pretty much ForTheEvulz.

* TheDarkArts: Not only is he a master of trade, with little surprise, but he is the greatest master of the vile magical art of Marrhanga: The creation of new life-forms by transmuting, fusing or grafting living organisms through Dark Magic and surgery. Not only it is awful, verging on LovecraftianSuperpower, but it condemns all non-viable results (that is to say 98%) to a FateWorseThanDeath at best, an AndIMustScream conscious but unable to live at worst.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler: As smart as he is, not bothering to compel you after making you a monster, while he planed for you to regain your senses when you were governed by instinct, is utterly baffling. Especially considering his mastery of the [[CharmPerson Creature Control]] Spell.]]

* EvilVersusEvil: It is hinted that he is at war with Balthus Dire, the BigBad of ''Literature/TheCitadelOfChaos'' and his former fellow student. The novelization ''Trolltoth War'' confirms this and makes their conflict the centre of the plot.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Marr speaks formally and is courteous in his interactions with you, [[spoiler: but only because he needs something from you and regards you as his masterpiece.]] If you challenge him, he becomes much less personable.

* MacGuffinDeliveryService: [[spoiler: Marr covets Grog the half-orc's bag, which you took and contains the Vapour of Elven Magic.]]

** He was at first named Zharradan Dree, after the village he was born, for is adoptive aunt was its founder [[{{Egopolis}} and named it after herself]]. He despised it for being too low-scale. Exaggerated due to the sod's humongous ego.

* NoSell: [[spoiler: Attacking his mirror normally is totally useless, since he bewitched it to make it unbreakable by normal means.]]

* RedEyesTakeWarning: He is the son of a demon after all. It must be noted that what's red are his sclera, not his pupils.

* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Marr uses slaves to dig gold from his mines. At first they were normally payed workers, but EvilGenius [[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.
* SmugSnake: A high-scale one all right, but one all the same. Although highly competent, smart and dangerous, Marr is waaaaaay too overconfident for his own good. He is clearly too used for everything to unfold AllAccordingToPlan, that he makes a glaring mistake due to being unable to fathom things escaping his control.

* SorcerousOverlord: A master of black magic ruling a large domain, with control over many humanoids and other monsters.

* TerribleTrio: With his former fellow students during their tutelage. They even called themselves the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Demonic Three]]. Averted though, for those three have nothing quirky and are as competent and dangerous as they come.

* 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.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: Marr starts with a simple OhCrap when he sees you with the means to defeat him, but the more he tries to dissuade you or to stall and the less it works, the more frantic he becomes, to the point of screaming in panic. He who never raises his voice and who looks down on anyone. Boy, is it cathartic!

* YouHaveFailedMe: He does not take kindly to mistakes, throwing Hannicus to jail when the former director of his mines could not prevent thieves from raiding his treasure. And a lack of result equals a mistake in his book...

* NighInvulnerable: As a Demon Warlock, only magic weapons and spells can harm 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.

* MasterOfOneMagic: Avertd, as he is a master of Spiritual Magic but is also very good with [[BlackMage Battle Magic]] and normal magic.

* PoisonedWeapons: He never does it against you, but he is known for dipping his blades in poison for sure kills. Just ask his father... Oh wait, nevermind.

** 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.

* 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 the incantation that can activate them to do that. And you need to have learnt which elemental can counter which on small texts that can only be read with a magnifying glass. Oh, and by the way, if you lack a throwing dagger to kill a rat that steals one of the teeth, you are done for. Did you say exageration? You bet! Anyway, Fire is countered by Water, Water by Wind, Wind by Earth and Earth by Fire.]]

* AVillainNamedZRG: A non Sci-Fi example. The name Zagor takes all thee letters, granted not in that order but hey, same difference.

* 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 search 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 how one can gain their power.]] 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 many people to make sure that the Vapours that were stolen from his lair would return to him. Yeah, the sod knows his game...

* TheDarkArts: Not only is he a master of trade, with little surprise, but he is the greatest master of the vile magical art of Marrhanga: The creation of new life-forms by transmutating, fusing or grafting living organisms through Dark Magic and surgery. Not only it is awful, verging on LovecraftianSuperpower, but it condemns all non-viable results (that is to say 98%) to a FateWorseThanDeath at best, an AndIMustScream conscious but unable to live at worst.

** He was at first named Zharradan Dree, after the village he was born, for is adoptive aunt was its founder [[{{Egopolis}} and named it after herself]]. He despised it for being too low-scale. Exagerated due to the sod's humongous ego.

* {{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, especially as it ends up dooming him to no-one's surprise.

* SmugSnake: A high-scale one allright, but one all the same. Although highly competent, smart and dangerous, Marr is waaaaaay too overconfident for his own good. He is clearly too used for everything to unfold AllAccordingToPlan, that he makes a glaring mistake due to being unable to fathom things escaping his control.

* 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.]]

** 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 how well you manage the obstacles present. If you are still at it after 500 seconds, he partially awakes and seizes you in his clawed hands, greatly slowing you down. And if you fail, he fully resurrects and gleefully reduces you to red mist.

* 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.]]

* PoisonedWeapons: He never does it against you, but he is known for dipping his blades in poison for sure kills.

* AffablyEvil: While taunting, he is quite polite and cordial in his interactions with you, especially in the second book. He welcomes you with threatening irony but praises your valour, and becomes outright appreciative after you defeat the [[ElementalEmbodiment 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''. Even his first name was only revealed in additionnal material.

** 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 established themselves there after his great-grandfather's death, adding the gold he ransacked to what was left of his ancestor's fortune.

* 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 all the way to the Heartfires chasm and then cast him into the fires to be destroyed forever.]]

* KungFuWizard: Downplayed for he has no martial arts skills, but in the third book, Zagor has become freakishly strong. More than enough to rip foes to shreds with his bare hands.
* LargeAndInCharge: After bonding with a demon in the third book, Zagor towers over mortal humans, and the hordes of orcs and monsters at his command.

* LooksLikeOrlok: His Demon form from the third book has elements of the classical Nosferatu-like vampire, with bald, bat-like face and sharp nails, though he's at least thirteen feet tall in this setting.
* MasterOfOneMagic: Averted. Zagor has multiple tricks in his magical arsenal. He specialises in [[ElementalPowers Elemental Magic]], but he is equally proficient with all four classical elements. He is also considerably skilled in Demonology and classical TheDarkArts.

* NoSell: Don't waste your time using anything else. A feather would be more effective, and his counterattack [[LevelDrain decreases your skill score]]. Against such a monster, any point you lose will be sorely missed.

* ObviouslyEvil: Even in the first book, in which his evil is not firmly established, one look alone tells you that this guy is one to be feared. Played very straight in the second and even straighter in the third.

** Justified in story. In the first book, he is waiting for Zharradan Marr and Balthus Dire to fight to the death. In the second he is rebuilding his body and his forces. In the third, he is waiting for his transformation to be complete and his power to reach his peak, which would make him unstoppable, and gathering the remnants of the Demon Bone's forces.

** 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 present and how well you fare. If you are still at it after 500 seconds, he partially awakes and seizes you in his clawed hands, greatly slowing you down. And if you fail, he fully resurrects and gleefully reduces you to red mist.

** 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. And the chances to be wounded less than twice by such a powerful beast are highly scarce. [[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 The Dragon in all senses of the word, with much plot relevance. With skill 15 stamina 20, he is ThatOneBoss through and through.

* StrongAndSkilled: WeakButSkilled he might be in the first two books, but having fused with the Bone Demon in the third adds enormous physical strength and evil might to his fighting skills, his vast mastery of magic and his already considerable magic power.

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

The [[TerribleTrio three best students]] of the powerful dark wizard Volgera Darkstorm: Equals in power, abilities, ambition and malevolence, they quickly became friends and rivals, choosing their collective name themselves. The more they learnt, the more blatant their evil became, [[EvenEvilHasStandards frightening even Darkstorm himself]]. The ageing wizard tried to limit their learning and exert a calming influence, but in turn they felt [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he had nothing left to teach them]], so they killed him with a [[StormOfBlades Rain of Knives Spell]]. They ransacked his library and belongings, shared the loot and parted ways, entering a (not so) friendly competition to see who would take over Allansia first.

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 taking over the subterranean lair that once belonged to his great-grandfather, claiming his ancestor's riches and the dwarves treasures while he was at it.

Zagor has returned from the dead more than once and appears in more books than anyone other than the [[BigGood Legendary Wizard Gereth Yaztromo]], being the only BigBad fought in three different gamebooks. And always confronted by a hero...

* BadassLonghair: Worn in a SamuraiPonytail to boot, befitting the formidable fighter he is.
** In an alternate illustration of ''Trolltooth Wars'', he is depicted with shoulder-length white hair.

[[center: [- [[Characters/FightingFantasy Main Character Index]] | '''Forces of Order''': [[Characters/FightingFantasyCelestialCourt Celestial Court]] | [[Characters/FightingFantasyTheHeroAndCompanions The Hero's Band]] | [[Characters/FightingFantasyAllies Allies]] ([[Characters/FightingFantasyRulers Rulers]] | [[Characters/FightingFantasyStarPupils The Star Pupils]]) | '''Forces of Chaos''': [[Characters/FightingFantasyAntagonistsThePit The Pit]] ([[Characters/FightingFantasyAntagonistsDarkGods Dark Gods]]) | Minor Antagonists - [[Characters/FightingFantasyAntagonistsAllansia Allansia]] ([[Characters/FightingFantasyAntagonistsDemonicThree The Demonic Three]]) | [[Characters/FightingFantasyAntagonistsKhul Khul]] | [[Characters/FightingFantasyAntagonistsOldWorld The Old World]] | [[Characters/FightingFantasyAntagonistsOtherWorlds Other Dimensions]]]]-]

* TooCleverByHalf: There is no denying that Marr is an impressive EvilGenius and TheChessmaster, to the point of MagnificentBastard credentials. Yet, he is far too prideful and smug, neglecting details he could have noticed and fixed in a heartbeat had he paid a sliver of attention. Predictably and satisfyingly, 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 points for thinking this all up in the middle of a VillainousBreakdown.]]

** PartialTransformation: He transforms his face alone, the rest remain the same.

** CameBackStrong: A freak accident in the third book merged him with the mighty Bone Demon from Amarilla who had just been sealed, letting them both resurrect as one tremendously powerful Demon Warlock.

* EvilSoundsRaspy: Zagor has a low, guttural and unnerving voice.
** EvilSoundsDeep: His voice becomes booming and frightening in the third book.

** PoisonedWeapons: In the third book, his dagger is covered in toxin, making his strikes deal - 3 stamina instead of the regular 2.

** NoSell: Don't waste your time using anything else. A feather would be more effective, and his counterattack [[LevelDrain decreases your skill score]]. Against such a monster, any point you lose will be sorely missed.

** He was at first named Zharradan Dree, after the village he was born, for is adoptive aunt was its founder [[{{Egopolis}} and named it after herself]]. He despised it for being too low-scale and performed a powerful ritual to make as if he was always called Marr in everyone's memory.

** MirrorMonster: [[spoiler: You must face his mirror knowing that you will find him here to confront him.]]
** MirrorWorld: [[spoiler: Said netherworld was created from the reflections of a mirror.]]

** He and his fellow apprentices did this to their master when they felt he had nothing left to teach and when they grew tired of his attempts to calm them.

* VillainousBreakdown: Marr starts with a simple OhCrap when he sees you with the means to defeat him, but the more he tries to dissuade you or to stall and the less it works, the more frantic he becomes, to the point of screaming in panic. He who would never raise his voice and look down on anyone. Boy, is it cathartic!

* KungFuWizard: Downplayed for he has no martial arts skills, but in the third book, Zagor has become so freakishly strong. More than enough to rip foes to shreds with his bare hands.

* BadassLongrobe: As a powerful wizard, this is a given. He wears luxurious, ornate white and gold ones in the first book; black, purple and white in the second and third. Heck, a warlock as powerful as him can't appear in rags.

* EvilWearsBlack: In the last two books, after his evil was firmly established, Zagor wears his BadassLongrobe black.

* BadassLongrobe: He wears a long, flowing robe, as expected of the fearsome SorcerousOverlord he is.

* NightmareFace: One of his signature spells is to shapeshift his face into one of a gorgon, allowing him to [[TakenForGranite turn his enemies to stone]].

* SequentialBoss: First you must defeat the Clawbeast, then face Balthus. You can either jump to the direct battle, or add more stages to the fight in a WizardDuel.

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: The aforementioned transformation 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 MagicalEye.

The [[TerribleTrio three best students]] of the powerful dark wizard Volgera Darkstorm: Equals in power, abilities, ambition and malevolence, they quickly became friends and rivals, choosing their collective name themselves. The more they learnt, the more blatant their evil became, [[EvenEvilHasStandards frightening even Darkstorm himself]]. The ageing wizard tried to limit their learning and exert a calming influence, but in turn they felt [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he had nothing left to teach them]], so they killed him with a [[StormOfBlades Rain of Knives spell]]. They ransacked his library and belongings, shared the loot and parted ways, entering a (not so) friendly competition to see who would take over Allansia first.

* AttackAnimal: Of the monster variety. Balthus 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 throw it away and weaken you, it can prove troublesome. [[spoiler: But one Weakness spell and it is a goner.]]
* AttackReflector: [[spoiler: If you attack him with a Fire spell, he dodges, grabs the flames and throws them back at you. You must dodge or lose -4 stamina.]]

* BigBad: The driving goal of the plot is to reach and kill him before he can invade Allansia.

* TheDarkArts: All his line is expert of the trade, but he is hands down the best among them.

* FateWorseThanDeath: Averted in the gamebook, in which you just kill him. In the novelisation however, he gets lost forever in the Spiritual Planes with no hope of coming back.

* MasterOfOneMagic: Played with, as he is a master of Spiritual Magic but is also very good with [[BlackMage Battle Magic]] and normal magic.

* MindOverMatter: He has very powerful telekinesis, enough to make the entire room he is in to move like a ship in a storm, without being affected.

* 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.]]

* RightHandAttackDog: He uses a friggin' six-headed hydra as his last line of defence. The giant monster cannot be defeated in a direct battle, as true to the myths its heads keep regrowing 'till they overwhelm 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.)

* SamuraiPonytail: Though not a samurai, or even from the [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Japanese-like culture on Titan]], Dire has a topknot that seems to have been based on this look.

* SequentialBoss: First you must defeat the Clawbeast, then face him. You can either jump to the direct battle, or add more stages to the fight in a WizardDuel.

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

* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, he and his fellow disciples cast the Rain of Knives spell to kill their master. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately for you, he never casts it when facing you.

* VillainousFriendship: He had one with Oldoran Zagor and Zharradan Marr, his former fellow students during their tutelage under Volgera Darkstorm. But being the villains they are, it became bitter rivalry as soon as they established their respective power bases.

* WeaksauceWeakness: [[spoiler:Messing around with dark magic over generations has left his family fatally vulnerable to sunlight. If you get next to the window during the FinalBattle, all you have to do is tear down the curtain to kill him.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: If he corners you, he offers to make you into TheDragon. [[spoiler: If you feign to accept, he brainwashes you into becoming this whether you like it or not. If you refuse, he stabs you to death without batting an eyelid.]]
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: In his alternate look of ''Trolltooth Wars'', depicting him with long, white hair.

* AntagonistTitle: He is the titular Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

* BadassCape: He wears one on the picture of the second book, wrapped around him in a creepy way.

* 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 there '''was''' something sinister with him.

* {{Curse}}: In the second book, you are affected by one which gradually depletes your LifeMeter if you read a text, which Zagor himself most likely wrote. [[spoiler: You can only lift the spell by eating [[{{Squick}} an orc's fleas.]]]]
* TheDarkArts: He is an expert of the trade, and most of his magic in the second and third book is of evil nature.

* FangsAreEvil: As a Demon Warlock, he sports nasty-looking ones.
* FemmeFatalons: As a Demon Warlock, he sports a male version with long claw-like nails.

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

* LevelDrain: Not exactly, but in the third book, he can cast a Life-Drain 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.

* MasterOfOneMagic: Zagor has multiple tricks in his magical arsenal. He specialises in [[ElementalPowers Elemental Magic]], but he is equally proficient with all four classical elements. He is also considerably skilled in Demonology and classical TheDarkArts.
* MookMaker: In the second book, he created a very powerful Chaos Beast Man he uses as a RightHandAttackDog.

* ResurrectiveImmortality: He cast a powerful and evil version of the Raise Dead spell on himself to return from behind the Veil long after his killer would be gone, the reason of both his returns.

** 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 [[ThatOneBoss you must fight him]]. And finally there is the PostClimaxConfrontation...
* ShockAndAwe: He masters the dangerous Thunderbolt spell. In the second book he states that he could blast you to death with it, and in the third [[ThatOneAttack it costs no less than -7 stamina]].

* SinisterSurveillance: He can watch you through paintings in his likeness.

* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, he and his fellow disciples cast the Rain of Knives spell to kill their master. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately for you, he never casts it when facing you.

* SuperStrength: In the third book, he has gained the Bone Demon's enormous physical strength.

* VillainousFriendship: He had one with Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr, his former fellow students during their tutelage under Volgera Darkstorm. But being the villains they are, it became bitter rivalry as soon as they established their respective power bases.

[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zharradan_marr_new_artwork.jpg]]

A half-human half-demon necromancer, expert in Marrangha, the vile magical art of creating new and twisted life-forms. After his studies, Marr built himself a subterranean lair and by chance 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. Oddly enough, a strange, reptilian humanoid monster without reason or conscience is the only thing standing in his way...

* AgonyBeam: He masters the unbearable Torture spell that inflicts excruciating pain, and uses it on anyone who resist him. [[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 McGuffin he needs to take over Allansia.]]
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: He has sickly green skin, due to his unnatural heritage.
* AntagonistAbilities: A powerful master sorcerer who can cower even monsters bred for war like you with a spell. [[spoiler: Protected by magic against all aggressions.]]
* 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 much?]]

* BadBoss: Notoriously ruthless, hard to please and unforgiving, prone to execute servants for the smallest 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, makes them wealthy and able to indulges their whims... So long as they remain valuable to his eyes.
* BadPowersBadPeople: Not only is he one of the '''worst''' villains of the franchise, but his domain of expertise is one of the vilest magical arts ever experimented on Titan. And no, it's not referring to necromancy.

* 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: the Vapours of Language, Reason and Elven Magic.

* ColdBloodedTorture: Marr is fond of inflicting this on his victims, pretty much ForTheEvulz. The normal or magical kind.

* TheDarkArts: Not only is he a master of trade, with little surprise, but he is the greatest master of the vile magical art of Marrhanga: The creation of new life-forms by transmutating, fusing or grafting living organisms through dark magic and surgery. Not only it is awful, verging on LovecraftianSuperpowers, but it condemns all non-viable results (that is to say 98%) to a FateWorseThanDeath or AndIMustScream, being conscious but unable to live.
* 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.]]
* TheDreaded: He is reviled in abject terror everywhere in Allansia, especially around his domain, and even by his own troops.

** [[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. Neither can he process that you would crave revenge for what he did to you and your crew, after gleefully reminding you how he did so.]]

* EvilGenius: He is very intelligent, cunning and shrewd, knowing how to use his servants' talents to the fullest, searching for the McGuffin from all sides, and manipulating people to get all intel he needs. [[spoiler: Including you, using you as a guinea pig without you knowing.]]

* EvilutionaryBiologist: Marr 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: Marr's 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: Marr 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.

* HalfHumanHybrid: A half-human half-Hell Demon hybrid.

* InsufferableGenius: 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.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He is so egomaniac that not only did he discard his original last name, 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.]]

* 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.

* LeanAndMean: Zharradan Marr is deathly thin and an '''awful''' bastard.

* MadScientist: With magic instead of science, but Marr is this through and through. The way he describes his progress with Marrhanga, first small then progressively more ambitious, his eagerness to create new life-forms, and how he studies his new creation to assess their particularities. Sure he wants military assets over all, but there is more. His twisted mix of man and beast somehow call into mind [[Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau Dr. Moreau]] himself, and that's '''not''' a flattering comparison. For both...
* ManipulativeBastard: He knows how to gain the trust on people he needs, and to use people with them none the wiser [[spoiler: including you, whom he uses as a guinea pig and a MacGuffinDeliveryService.]]

** He was at first named Zharradan Dree, after the village he was born, for is adoptive aunt was its founder [[Egopolis and named it after herself]]. He felt it was beneath him and performed a powerful ritual to change is name in everyone's memory, to make as if he never bore the name.

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

* PointedEars: Long, bat-like ears.
* {{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, especially as it ends up dooming him to no-one's surprise.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: He is the son of a demon after all. It must be noted that his sclera are red, not his pupils.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Averted. He tries to teleport away when you are about to defeat him, but it's already too late for him.
* SignatureMove: The Torture spell seems to be his go-to reaction whenever someone won't play by his rules.
* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: He uses slaves to dig gold from his mines. At first they were normal, payed workers, but EvilGenius [[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.
* SmugSnake: A high-scale one allright, but one all the same. Although highly competent, smart and dangerous, Marr is too overconfident for his own good. He is clearly too used for everything to unfold JustAsPlanned, that he makes a glaring mistake due to being unable to consider things escaping his control.
* SoftSpokenSadist: He hardly ever raises his voice and keeps a cordial tone, but to his core, he is an utterly twisted, vicious monster who delights in making people suffer to lord over them.

* SquishyWizard: Being frail and thin but very powerful, Marr looks the part. Downplayed though as you never fight him, thus never see if he truly is.
* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, he and his fellow disciples cast the Rain of Knives spell to kill their master. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately for you, he never casts it when facing you.
* TakeOverTheWorld: Downplayed, he only (so to speak) wants to take over Allansia. But even one continent out of three is too much.

* TooCleverByHalf: There is no denying that he is an impressive EvilGenius and TheChessmaster, to the point of MagnificentBastard credentials. Yet, he is far too prideful and smug, 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.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: He starts with a simple OhCrap when he sees you with the means to defeat him, but the more he tries to dissuade you or to stall and the less it works, the more frantic he becomes, to the point of screaming in panic. He who would never raise his voice and look down on anyone. Boy, is it cathartic!

* VillainousWidowsPeak: Just to make it clear that he is a bad seed.
* VoluntaryShapeShifting: He turned into a rhino-man to meet and befriend Daga Weaseltongue.

[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zharradan_marr_new_artwork.jpg]]

** CameBackStrong: A freak accident in the third book 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.

* ContinuityNod: In the second book, you find on your way several things that were already there in the first, though time was unkind. You even fight the skeletons of monsters once slain, that rise to fight you.

* DemonOfHumanOrigin: Downplayed since he was half-demon already, but rotten to the core as he was, he was still a moslty human warlock with few demonic traits. Now he is an immensely powerful, undying Demon Lord.

* ElaborateUndergroundBase: Zagor turned the caves of Firetop Mountain into this, with a labyrinth for good measure.

* EvilIsBigger: In the third book, he towers over 13 feet tall, and has never been more evil.
* EvilSorcerer: The first faced in the franchise. First in a looooooong succession of them...

** EvilSoundsDeep: His voice becomes booming and frightining in the third book.
* EvilVirtues: Challenging a WorthyOpponent to a fair DuelToTheDeath when he could have ended it with a spell sure deserves mention.

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

** 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 [[PoisonedWeapons 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.

* 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 Powers for a deadly combination.

* {{Greed}}: Zagor's defining characteristic. He is rapacious, taking over Firetop Mountain to claim his inheritance, stealing the dwarves' treasures and ransacking the nearby settlements for decades. He always keeps gold and valuables with him, going as far as sitting on a throne of pure gold ornate with jewels in the second book.

** HumanMomNonHumanDad: Zagor's parentage, albeit GenderFlipped in that his father was a human wizard who impregnated a female demon.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Invoked and enforced in the second book. Zagor had to create the McGuffin you use to defeat him, 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 your hands on it.

* HornsOfVillainy: The aforementioned horns add to the scary picture, and he is not exactly the type you would like to take to the pub...

** RedEyesTakeWarning: In the third book, his eyes become blood red due to now being a demon.
* 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.

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

* LooksLikeOrlok: His Demon form from the third book 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.
* MagicKnight: A downplayed example since magic is obviously is forte and he does not wield big weapons, but he is still deadly with a dagger in hand.
* MasterOfOneMagic: He specialises in [[ElementalPowers 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 coated a huge diamond with a potion of his. [[SchmuckBait If you pick it up]], it transforms into a powerful, warrior-shaped Diamond Sentinel with skill 11 stamina 9, who can only be defeated with a hammer.

** NoSell: Don't waste your time using anything else, a feather would be more effective, and his counterattack [[LevelDrain decreases your skill]]. Given his tremendous might, any point you lose will be sorely missed.

* ObviouslyEvil: Even in the first book, where his evil is not firmly established, one look alone tells you that this guy is formidable. Played very straight in the second and even straighter 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 present 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 fully resurrects and gleefully rips you to shreds.
* PointedEars: He had these even as a warlock, but they became bigger and more bat-like as a Demon Warlock...

* ResurrectiveImmortality: He cast a powerful and evil version of the Raise Dead spell on himself to return from behind the Veil after his death long after his victor would be gone, the reason of both his returns.

** 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 much plot relevance. With skill 15 stamina 20, he is ThatOneBoss through and through.

** 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 PostClimaxConfrontation...

* SinisterSurveillance: He can see you through paintings in his likeness.
* 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, veering into straight-out EvilOverlord territory.
* SquishyWizard: He is powerful but frail and pretty much a textbook example of WeakButSkilled in the first two books, but spectacularly 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 first book, burning them ages him into a depowered decrepit geezer]]. In the third 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.

* AVillainNamedZRG: Zagor. The name takes all thee letters, granted not in that order but hey, same difference.

In the first two books, he is a pretty by-the-book 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 over the remnants of the Bone Demon's army, and based himself in [[BigFancyCastle 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 Yaztromo]] sends to Amarillia Silver Daggers that cost him -2 stamina and Gold Talismans that cost him -1 skill. You can't win without at least three talismans, no matter how badly you wound him, unless you could gather enough daggers to kill him outright.]]

* AmbiguouslyEvil: In the first book 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 in a begrudging truce. 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]], clearly indicating that he is not exactly innocent.
** The second book 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,as their common defeat left the field open for his own forces.

* BigBad: The most recurring and emblematic of the franchise, playing the role in all three books. (Though how evil he is in the first is a matter of debate.)

* ContinuityNod: In the second book, you find on your way 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.

* 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 even worse.

* DarkIsEvil: In the third book, he is a demon clad in black ruling a bleak and shadowy castle, and is '''plenty''' evil. Yet, he showed shades of this even before.

* DemonOfHumanOrigin: Downplayed since he is half-demon, but although he was already rotten to the core, he was still a moslty human warlock with few demonic traits. Now he is an immensely powerful, undying Demon Lord.

* DuelToTheDeath: He challenges you to one at the end of the second book, with a dagger and no armour, to see who deserves Allansia. 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, making sure that you have what you need. 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 still admirably honourable for such an evil being.
* 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.

* WorthyOpponent: Balthus' opinion of you improves the more you resist him. It is clear he is having the time of the day facing you... As long as he dominates the fight of course.

** [[spoiler: In the third book, [[TheArchmage 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 could gather enough daggers to kill him outright.]]

* AntagonistAbilities: He is a master of TheDarkArts who can cast deadly spells. In the second book can even summon up to four 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.

* 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. Heck, a warlock as powerful as him can't appear in rags.

* BigBad: The most recurring, and emblematic of the franchise, playing the role in all three books. (Though how evil he is in the first is a matter of debate.)

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 taking over the subterranean lair that once belonged to his great-grandfather, claiming his ancestor's riches and the dwarves treasure while he was at it.

Zagor has returned from the dead more than once and appears in more books than anyone other than the [[BigGood 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 by-the-book 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...

* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler: In the first book, the Eye of Cyclops Gemstone reduces him to ashes as soon as you show it to him. In ''Trolltooth Wars'', the heroes even use it against him to force him to bargain, but he manages to suppress its power.]]
** [[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 could gather ten daggers, enough to kill him outright.]]

** Completely averted in the third book. Having merged with a demon made him short-tempered and violent. He is '''pissed''' to see yet another hero challenging him and yells insults at you, and any praise and welcome he might give you beforehand is completely ironic and insincere.

The [[TerribleTrio three best students]] of the powerful dark wizard Volgera Darkstorm: Equals in power, abilities, ambition and malevolence, they quickly became friends and rivals, choosing their collective name themselves. The more they learnt, the more blatant their evil became, [[EvenEvilHasStandards frightening even Darkstorm himself]]. The ageing Darkstorm tried to limit their learning and exert a calming influence, but in turn they felt [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he had nothing left to teach them]], so they killed him with a [[StormOfBlades Rain of Knives spell]]. They then ransacked his library and belongings, shared the loot and parted ways, entering a (not so) friendly competition to see who would take over Allansia first.

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, he 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...

* AntagonistAbilities: He is a beast in magic, and masters very advanced spell work that will give you a fair share of trouble if you challenge him on this field.
* AttackAnimal: Of the monster variety. Balthus 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.]]
* AttackReflector: [[spoiler: If you attack him with a Fire spell, he dodges, grabs the flames and throws them at you. You must dodge or lose -4 stamina.]]

* BadassBoast: Before you challenge him in a swordfight, he states that he will enjoy skewering you on his blade, showing how adept he is in the trade.

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

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

* GeniusBruiser: A brilliant tactician and warlord, but also physically impressive and more than capable of fighting you with a sword if needed.

* MeaningfulName: His last name is Dire and he is indeed someone to be avoided.

* NamesToRunAwayFrom: Balthus '''Dire'''.

* RingOfPower: [[spoiler: He wears a Ring of Swordsmanship that makes him much better with a sword that he already is. You can take it from him and reduce him to skill 10.]]

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

* TakeOverTheWorld: Downplayed, he only (so to speak) wants to take over Allansia. But even one continent out of three is too much.

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

* TakeOverTheWorld: Downplayed, he merely (so to speak) wants to take over Allansia.

* TakeOverTheWorld: Downplayed. He plans to take over the continent of Allansia, but that's already too much.