History Characters / FightingFantasyAntagonistsDemonicThree

* TheChessmaster: Marr is looking for Eren Durdinath to gain the Vapour of Elven Magic. Not only did he took over the Galleykeep to better search for a village atop the trees from the sky, but he used someone to steal the [[McGuffin Vapours]], [[spoiler: And arranged things to have you stumble upon the two he does not need, to test how to gain their power.]] Better yet, he dug his subterranean lair under the pretence of prospecting to avoid suspicion (finding gold by sheer coincidence), and manipulates many people to return the Vapours that were stolen from his lair to him. Yeah, the sod knows his game...

* KungFuWizard: Downplayed for he has no martial arts skills, but in the third book, Zagor has become freakishly strong enough to rip foes to shred with his bare hands. As if he needed more.

* SpikesOfVillainy: He wears a wristband covered in vicious-looking spikes on his right arm, which [[JustForPun might not be very handy]] in day-to-day situations.

* AuthorityGrantsAsskicking: Balthus rules Craggen Heights and is the most powerful being there. Justified by his extensive military and sorcery trainings.

** Canon finally established that he is indeed a half-demon, but with a normal life-span, tutored among the Demonic Tree. He retook Firetop Mountain from the dwarves established there after his ancestor's death, adding the gold he ransacked to what was left of his ancestor's fortune.

* CatchAndReturn: [[spoiler: If you casts a Fire spell against him, he catches the fire in his hand to throw a FireBall at you.]]

* AttackReflector: [[spoiler: If you attack Balthus with a Fire Spell, he grabs the flames and throws them back at you. You must dodge or lose -4 stamina.]]

* CatchAndReturn: If you casts a Fire spell against him, he catches the fire in his hand to throw a FireBall at you.

* ChoiceOfTwoWeapons: [[BlackMagic Battle Magic]] aside, Balthus is equally proficient with swords and daggers. He'd much rather fight with a blade in hand than with magic.

* 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.

* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, he and his fellow disciples killed their master with a Rain of Knives Spell. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately for you, he never casts it against you.

* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, Zagor and his fellow disciples killed their master with a Rain of Knives Spell. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately for you, he never casts it against you.

* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: At first, Marr employed normally payed workers in his mines, but EvilGenius [[TheUndead Darramous]]'s first action as 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, Marr and his fellow disciples killed their master with the Rain of Knives Spell. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately for you, he never casts it against you.

* TheChessmaster: Marr is looking for [[HiddenElfVillage Eren Durdinath]] to gain the Vapour of Elven Magic. Not only did he took over the Galleykeep to better search for a village atop the trees from the sky, but he used someone to steal the [[McGuffin Vapours]], [[spoiler: And arranged things to have you stumble upon the two he does not need, to test how to gain their power.]] Better yet, he dug his subterranean lair under the pretence of prospecting to avoid suspicion (finding gold by sheer coincidence), and manipulates many people to return the Vapours that were stolen from his lair to him. Yeah, the sod knows his game...

* RaceAgainstTheClock: After killing him in the first book, you have 800 seconds to drag his humongous mass through each room of the shaking Castle Argent towards the Heartfires. Each room takes a determinate time depending on how well you manage obstacles. 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 rips you to shreds.

* ContractualBossImmunity: In the third book, Zagorlaughs off most of your anti-boss assets, up to a powerful GenieInABottle able to [[TheParalyzer paralyze any foe]].

** In the third, skill '''16''' stamina 20 makes him one of the franchise's mightiest villains, with even [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Snake Demons]] looking like sissies next to him. Only magic weapons and spells can harm him. 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]]. (Best win these...) In the next two, he uses his [[PoisonedWeapons poisoned dagger]], then his fists and claws. With no way to match him, you might as well close the book and whistle a funeral march.

* TheRedBaron: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin but no more is needed. Prior to his resurrection, few people called him by his name.

* SinisterScimitar: Balthus uses one as his WeaponOfChoice, with considerable skill.

%%* SinisterScimitar:

->'''Appears in''': ''Literature/TheWarlockOfFiretopMountain'' | ''The Trolltooth Wars'' | ''Literature/ReturnToFiretopMountain'' | ''Literature/LegendOfZagor'' | ''The Zagor Chronicles''

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]] and becomes 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...

* HalfHumanHybrid: The semi-canonical ''Zagor Chronicles'' indicates that he is half-demon. [[AllThereInTheManual He was revealed to be this]] in Canon as well.

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

* SinisterScimitar: His WeaponOfChoice.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Balthus rules Craggen Heights and is the most powerful being there. Justified by his extensive military and sorcery trainings.

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

* KnifeNut: Zagor fights with a dagger, and he is very good with it.

* HumanMomNonHumanDad: Zagor's parentage, albeit GenderFlipped in that his father was a human wizard who impregnated a female demon.

* HumanMomNonHumanDad: His mother was a witch, his father a Hell Demon.

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

* BadassBeard: A major-league warlock sporting a pointy goatee.

* CharmPerson: He is capable of using a powerful form of this. [[spoiler: and will do if you pretend to swear allegiance to him, making you his slave and causing a game over.]]

* KungFuWizard: Downplayed for he has no martial arts skills, but in the third book, Zagor has become freakishly strong enough to rid foes to shred with his bare hands. As if he needed more.

* OneWingedAngel: In the video-game adaptation of the first book, he transforms into one of the previous boss that must be taken down for the FinalBattle to resume normally. [[RuleOfThree No less than three times.]]
* OrcusOnHisThrone: Like his former fellow students, Zagor feels too important to actually do something about those pesky heroes wandering in his Dungeon, killing his Orcs and stealing his stuff, until said adventurers actually reach his lair.

* 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 [[PlayingWithFire Master of Hellfire]], an undead SNKBoss that must be avoided at all cost.

** In the first book, nothing less than a big and powerful fire-breathing [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Red Dragon]], with skill 10 stamina 15. [[spoiler: You can defeat it without fight by burning it with its own fire breath with a spell.]] As the Titan canon developed, it was established as a lesser or depowered kind, the real deal having skill '''14''' (2 over the normal maximum), and being the '''weakest''' dragon type!

** In the third, you can first attack him at distance, though failing or using something useless expose you to a dangerous LevelDrain Spell. Then you must climb the stairs towards him, either fighting a monster (ridiculously weak with but skill 6 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...

* RaceAgainstTheClock: After killing him in the first book, you have 800 seconds to drag his humongous mass through each room of the shaking Castle Argent towards the Heartfires at the core of Castle Argent Each room takes a determinate time depending on how well you manage obstacles. 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 rips you to shreds.

** In the first book, nothing less than a big and powerful fire-breathing [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Red Dragon]], with skill 10 stamina 15. [[spoiler: You can defeat it without fight by burning it with its own fire breath with a spell.]] As the Titan canon developed, it was established as a lesser kind, the real Red Dragons having skill '''14''' (2 over the normal maximum), and being the '''weakest''' dragon type!
** In the second book, he created a very powerful Chaos Beast Man, with skill 12 stamina 13, [[OneWingedAngel who turns into an even mightier Chaos Beast Lord if it lands two hits]]. It becomes a [[SNKBoss skill 14 stamina 14]], absolutely UnwinnableByDesign since you cannot surpass skill 12. And the chances not to be wounded twice by such a foe are '''scarce'''. [[spoiler: Your only hope is to bribing it in letting you pass by offering the sword of the Chaos Lord Darkblade Skullbiter.]]

** 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...