[wullagaru]

something to this extent may have been done already so forgive if it has and I didn't see it.

Any way there are a few match ups of similar malazan characters that I would love to see just cause its not always easy to see whos better/more powerful. For instance:

Kalam vs Rallick Nom : I know kalam is the embodiment of badassness but judging by the books he's in Rallicks no slouch either. Plus both are big burly guys who use their physical prowess rather than sorcerous techniques. so one has to wonder ...

Quick Ben vs Tayschrenn: we all know that QB is awesome and can do all kind of shit, but besides a brief show in front of Pale and in the battle of the crossroads you never really get to see what Tayschrenn can do. Also you dont really see QB go all balls out except when he takes down the sky keeps in DoD

Brys Beddict vs .. well any of the ridiculously good swordsmen in the series: again Brys is touted as the preeminent swordsman in the lether empire but we only get a glimpse of it when he cuts down Rhulad with surgical precision, that said he did it with out even trying and to be able to do that kind of work with a sword! cant be that easy, but I'd like to see him put to the test against say Skinner or Blues, maybe even Dassem. Those guys are supposed to be the best and so is he so who's best is best?

Iron Bars vs Karsa: Both well nigh invulnerable and heal quickly both kick ass with either weapons or bare hands, both have taken down some pretty impressive foes. But in this one honestly Id put my money on Bars.. he did kill toblaki gods .. just sayin

one last wizard battle Tayschrenn vs Ceda Kuru Qan: Two real unknowns here we never really see the Ceda do anything and Tayschrenn's a cipher but both represent the highest levels of sorcery in their respective empires

so yeah feel free to discuss and offer your thought on outcomes and other interesting match ups you would like to see

(I kept mine more like vs like but go nuts)

[Defiance]

OST SPOILERS WITHIN, BEWARE!


Kalam without a doubt. Just look at his two runs through Malaz city, plus all of his other amazing kills in the game. He not only has stealth, he has brute force as well. Rallick is a pretty damn good assassin, and I like him more as a character, but I think this one's pretty clear-cut.

Quick Ben, given all of the hints at past awesome badassery in TCG. He grows in power with every book, and his power is coupled with unparalleled cunning. Although, given Tayschrenn's changes in OST, I can't be entirely sure. I haven't finished OST yet (about 1/4 of the book left), so I'll have to see what exactly Tayschrenn's encounter with the Vitr grants him in terms of magical power (perhaps complete immunity to its effects? We'll see). If that was the case, he'd win by default.

Brys is damn good, but I'd hazard that Dassem is better. My TCG memory is a bit fuzzy, but recall that this is the guy that the T'lan Imass named the new First Sword. Dassem is, without a doubt, one of the best sword-fights in the series. I'll have to see how things shape up at the end of OST (I wouldn't be surprised to see him become the new First), but it's hard to say who, if anyone, is better than him without a magical buffer. Hell, despite the fact that Rake let him win, I still think it would have been a hell of a fight and almost impossible to call.

I have to go with Karsa. Sure, Iron Bars did kill Tartheno gods, but you have to remember that gods are not all equal in power. There are some ascendants (like Karsa) who make gods look like nothing. Karsa Orlong is certainly good at doing this. Bars is pretty fucking ferocious, and there's not many people who can top him (we all know there's an impending Bars vs. Skinner confrontation somewhere down the road), but seriously, his feats are nothing compared to Karsa's. I do profess to being a hopeless Karsa fanboy, though. I mean, hell, who can ever forget his opening scene in The Bonehunters, when he throws away his stone sword to fight the K'Chain Nah'ruk barehanded just because it only uses its hands as well?

I have no idea for the last one. The Ceda his ridiculously powerful when he fully unveils himself. However, he channels the magic of the Holds, which is a lot more raw than that of the Warrens. As a result, there's a lot less "fine tuning" that can happen with your magic, which means that Tayschrenn has the advantage when it comes to "subtly" of his magic.

[worry]

Yedan Derryg and Brys Beddict in a naked leap frog contest.

[wullagaru]

worrywort, on 26 January 2012 - 05:58 AM, said:

Yedan Derryg and Brys Beddict in a naked leap frog contest.

that would certainly be interesting

[polishgenius]

Spoilies regarding both Tays and QB through all books so far, including Orb Sceptre Throne to the end:

Spoiler

Tays is regarded as one of the foremost power-mages in the world. He goes toe-to-toe with Rake and doesn't die, and in RotCG takes on a madman capable of potentially destroying the whole world.
QB, though he gains powerups and we can suspect that he contains an ascendant within him, is more about subtlety than sheer outright force. And, at the end of OTS, Tays takes on an ascendancy of his own, which we know little about but, if suspicions are borne out, would put him waaaaaaaaaay above QB in the power stakes.

[worry]

Look at these OST-reading SOBs lording it over the rest of us.

[wullagaru]

worrywort, on 26 January 2012 - 10:13 PM, said:

Look at these OST-reading SOBs lording it over the rest of us.

speaking of that I have some items I have to try and illegally download