One trend I’ve noticed in PF is the complete lack of memorable or important villains. Like the mc always has someone to fight, but they never seem to stick out. This is so different from other genres where often the villain is one of the most interesting characters. I want more PF series to actually have long running main villains, instead of waves of chumps for the mc to overcome
Quatach-Ichl in Mother of Learning is up there. He remains a serious threat throughout the series, to the point where it’s all but stated even by the end of the series that he’s the strongest mortal thing running around. Granted, he comes in and out of the narrative by the nature of a time loop, but still.
He lost a lot of his power once the reader realize his last name is an anagram for lich.
Why would you do this to me?
Didn't he lost his crown so is he still the strongest ?
Yes he already had a blessing to make his reserves huge. Not that the crown isn't a heavy loss but it is a very small part of what makes him dangerous. Zorian has like magnitude 12 reserves and he is one of the top tiers by the end
Is he stronger than the strongest of dragon mages? It didn't seem like it.
He is, Zach never ever won a fight against him. While he was able to kill Oganj with repetition
I didn't get that impression in the last battle.
The only way to defeat Quatach-Ichl was for them to use the flower and make him retreat. Zorian made the deal with Oganj because he needed time, not because he was unbeatable like Quatach-Ichl was. Also reminder that Quatach-Ichl was the only being capable of messing with the temporary markers in less than a month and granted Red robe the power to stay in loop
Didn't seem to be an issue to accomplish the same the times they managed to get the crown inside the loop? They obviously had worked out a method, and I doubt it involved the flower.
Yeah but they had to ambush him most of the times, and use a massive dispel(for mind blank) so Zorian could attack his mind(QI retreats) and steal the crown. The thing is he came back with a vengeance when he had no crown, and was even more dangerous. The thing about him is that he can indefinitely retreat. Also reminder that Zach fought Oganj AND his students and managed to beat them after a few iterations. (this is not end game Zach BTW) he could never ever beat QI in a 1v1 in all iterations. Oganj is stronger in the sense that dragon magic is huge, and basically artillery magic. But if we are talking who is more dangerous and a better mage is defo QI. Even Zach states that QI is stronger.
And how is that any different from what happened at the last battle? In both cases he retreats from the body so he can return later.
They made a truce + he already had info about the time loop (bcs Red Robe) so he couldn't get surprised and ambushed as easily. That is why they didn't steal the crown in the final iteration, also they had to prepare. Also if you are asking how would that change the outcome, the thing is QI won't be able to return as easily to Eldemar bcs he has to deal with political pressure on Ulqan Ibasa and also Eldemar is now aware of them so he wouldn't be able to return as easily
You misunderstand.
Readers of lord of mysteries often flinch at the mention of monocle.atleast for a year after I read lotm, whenever I saw monocle anywhwre, I went "aha!".Amon is a very very well done villain who is actually feared and is notorious and not "oh I want justice only but will do it another way" and has a popularity among the readers of said novel as high as mc itself.
The main reason prog fan generally doesn't have memorable villain is that a villain who felt like a mountain in ch5 would be made into a slideshow in ch50 to show how much mc grew. Only the final villain will have chance to do something.
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If Tower of God counts? Fucking Rachel.
Also Di Ji from Memories of the Fall....
There's also plenty from The Wandering Inn. Belavierr, Archmage Chandler, most Drakes... So many good ones.
Fuck Rachel!
Amon y Adam en Lord of the Mysteries
Quatach-Ichl en Mother of Learning
Ill never look at monocles the same
The Wandering Inn's got some good ones, though most of them aren't as physically threatening as a lot of other PF villains but they've got cockroach tenacity and tend to lean in on soft power a lot of the time (which makes them decent foils for Erin, who does the same thing in a more positive way). I think my favorite shows up in book 12, but who they are might be a bit of a spoiler IIRC.
The AI in DCC.
The Builder in HWFWM.
Vistgil in Weirkey Chronicles.
I'm not convinced the AI is a villain tbh.
Could kinda go either way.
Super memorable though.
The AI is more chaotic neutral than a villain
Tragic figure.
I’m singing the praises of Pale in every thread on this sub apparently.
The two main villains of Pale The Carmine Exile and Maricica are some of my favorite antagonists
Those two are great and Pale is too, not sure it's what most people think of when they hear progression fantasy but upon reflection the characters do get a lot more competent by the end.
Odium
The Lord Ruler
Quatach-Ichl
Zack’s mom in DOTF
The Builder
The Dreadgods
Zacks mom is a good call
Is lord ruler from cheat potion maker?
And who is odium don’t think I know that one
Mistborn is lord ruler
Odium is stormlight archives
Reigan Shen
Store brand Gilgamesh.
I feel like Zombie Knight Saga does the portrayal of semi immortal monstrously powerful villains/characters very well. One of the few stories I've read where I felt like the villains actually made sense, not that I agreed just that I see it.
Most of the later antagonists in Industrial Strength Magic are fairly memorable.
I feel like A Novel Concept has nothing but notable villains. I was going to list them, but the list will be too long. Tribulations, Terrors, fallen gods and other Champions cover many of them, but they are all quite unique.
He takes a while to show up, but the main bad guy of Master, This Poor Disciple Died Again Today is pretty satisfying.
The shade and the dragon god from Ar’kendrithyst
Taravangian in Stormlight Archive
[It] in a regressor's tale of cultivation is probably my favorite antagonist in webnovels
[It] has a name but saying it would be a huge spoiler
Mark of the fool
By what book? I'm on book 3 and so far no villains
The Ravener is definitely a villain from book one!
It is neither memorable nor important. You can honestly forget about it entirely for huge swathes of the earlier books. It is entirely irrelevant until the author decides it's been too long and the readers need to be reminded it even exists for many books.
Also the ravener isn't that particularly that good of a character, it's just a typical BBEG that doesn't even get properly explained until the last book or two of the series.
One that gets mentioned from time to time, but he hasn't actually shown up, been introduced or developed. Until your comment I wasn't 100% convinced the ravener actually existed, thinking it might be conspiracy
Well, I won't say anything else then, I don't want to spoil anything by accident!
Lol yea I feel like I got down voted because I didn't want to spoil stuff.