OotS 830

[Sollir Furryfoot]

Yeah, that omission bugged me. Rich could have shown it in one panel right before Red Cloak sicced them on Tsukiko. Doing so wouldn't really have thrown off the flow of the situation.

Bullgrit

But he did:

"...one use of my Command Undead ability when I walked in the room..." (From #830)

Giant In the Playground Games

(Notice the red glow around Redcloak's hand)

 

[Henry]

I think he is far from perfect. Compare him to Elan's dad. There's a villain who has everything go/going right for him.

Yeah, but Elan's dad has a high CHA - I like him.

But the mistreatment stuff is part of his plan, as he tells Tsukiko -- I don't really count that. Thing is, though all of the "almost died"s he's had contingencies to get him out of them - you'll have to refresh my memory -- I think only one of those three was blind luck? In any event, the O'chul thing I had forgotten about -- maybe Rich is setting him up as the real "Big Bad Guy" instead of Xykon, but his winning streak and self-righteousness annoys me.

 

[Henry]

Redcloak actually had a very huge sacrifice, but it occurred during "Start of Darkness," a print only book. I recommend buying it and reading it. It actually make me "shaken" for a minute!

It could be the fact that I'm not getting the whole story -- as always, I'll keep reading.

 

[wingsandsword]

maybe Rich is setting him up as the real "Big Bad Guy" instead of Xykon

It certainly goes along with Start of Darkness.

He's the one who transformed Xykon into a lich (to make him immune to a magic-nullifying disease he was infected with), he even went out and recruited Xykon for "The Plan".

Basically, Xykon appears to be the real Big Bad Guy because he's Epic Level, and Redcloak is mid-to-high teens in level (17th now). However, if you'll notice, Redcloak is usually the one doing the actual planning and thinking, and letting Xykon think it was his ideas.

Redcloak is the brains of the outfit, the one who knows the real long-term plan, and the real leader. Xykon is the hideously powerful, but in many ways foolish, lich, that Redcloak recruited/created for The Plan. . .and is willing to indulge his many eccentricities and give him the illusion of being the real leader in exchange for his cooperation with executing the ritual on the Gate.

Xykon has far more raw firepower (epic spells and a noted fondness for Maximized Energy Drain and Meteor Swarm), he's a much bigger threat in a direct fight (demolished the entire Sapphire Guard in a few rounds), but in the long term Redcloak is the bigger threat.

For who's the real Big Bad Evil Guy? Look at it this way: If Xykon and Redcloak parted ways and Redcloak found a new partner and Xykon found a new minion. . .which pair would be the real threat to the world? A lich and his lackey that wants to conquer the world and rule it as Emperor, or the high priest of an evil god with a master plan that could unleash a Lovecraftian abomination that can destroy all of reality and kill the gods themselves?

 

[Ulrik]

For who's the real Big Bad Evil Guy?

I think that's still up for grabs. I think both you and Redcloak underestimate Xykon. He has been shown several times to be smarter than his in-your-face-maximum-power approach suggests - overwhelming power and style is his preference, but he can still scheme with the best of them.

edit: Xykon even has +5 int from age and lichdom over his starting scores, a not insignificant bonus.