Vs: Thulsa Doom Vs. Xykon

[pendell]

Inspired by this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216570).

The time : Post-Strip 807, alternate future. The heroes have failed, but so has Redcloak. Xykon sits alone astride a throne of skulls, Tsukiko by his side, ruling the world. He is growing bored with this world and wishes to conquer a new one. A minion suggests a plane-shift to conquer another world. And since there's only so many times you can have minions hit each other in the face with pies filled with ants, he agrees. He's in such a good mood he doesn't even zombify the minion out of boredom.

The world selected is the world of Earth, in the time before the oceans drank Atlantis. Atlantis is the home of Thulsa Doom, the all-powerful immortal necromancer. In this alternate history Doom has defeated King Kull and rules the Hyperborian age unchallenged. Yet he also grows bored with immortality.
Still, this is a world that is constantly having supernatural monsters break in to devour all creation and the portal to OOTS verse stirs Thulsa Doom from his ennui.

Robed skeleton vs. Robed Skeleton. Power versus power. The winner gets to be less bored. The loser gets annihilated.

Rules: While the main heroic antagonists are not a factor both parties have all the resources of their respective worlds to draw upon.

Assume that the rules of their own world apply only to that world -- Atlantis is a low-magic world, so meteor swarm doesn't work there. It DOES , however, work in OOTS verse. Both 'players' will be nearly invincible in their own world but at a serious disadvantage in the other. The objective, however, is to conquer BOTH worlds, which means one or the other must find a way to overcome their disadvantage on alien turf.

Who wins?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[ThePhantasm]

Not sure Thulsa Doom is well known enough for people to make a judgment. What are his main powers / characteristics? I've read a number of Robert E. Howard stories (Conan / Solomon Kane) but not one yet with TD in it, so I don't know much about him.

[Meph]

Technically, I think it depends on the rules and on the Dungeon Master. And on who moves the two of them: sould be R. Burlew for X and R. E. Howard for TD, for they are the "fathers" of these villains?

Wanna think about D&D 3.5? Xykon is an epic level lich sorcerer. Thulsa Doom, let's say an epic level lich necromancer.

In my DM experience, a "low magic world" does not mean that high level spells aren't available, but just that magic users and magic items are more uncommon. So X has still his Meteor Swarm.

X spells are already based on D&D system, while TD ones should be adapted. Anyway, they are being quite-equal level arcane lich spellcaster. Xykon with the best equipment, coming from a not-low magic world. But we know that TD is more gifted in strategy.

... write a book on this idea and I'll probably read it.

[Knaight]

Considering the aesthetics of Sword and Sorcery as magic is concerned, Thulsa Doom is screwed. He doesn't really have much in the way of pure, raw, power, and attacking Xykon in the OoTS world is a death sentence. Moreover, Xykon has proven smart and resourceful when he needs to be, and Thulsa was taken down by a mere human with a sword, in a world where that one human with a sword is always threatened by a bunch of normals with swords.

[Meph]

Considering the aesthetics of Sword and Sorcery as magic is concerned, Thulsa Doom is screwed. He doesn't really have much in the way of pure, raw, power, and attacking Xykon in the OoTS world is a death sentence. Moreover, Xykon has proven smart and resourceful when he needs to be, and Thulsa was taken down by a mere human with a sword, in a world where that one human with a sword is always threatened by a bunch of normals with swords.

I really appreciate your likely point, but in our hypothesis TD has never been defeated by a sword.
Anyway, you are substantially right I think.

[Knaight]

I really appreciate your likely point, but in our hypothesis TD has never been defeated by a sword.
Anyway, you are substantially right I think.

True, in our hypothesis that didn't happen. It still introduces his scale though. OoTS draws a much clearer distinction between the heroic and the typical, and the major figures in it are all much larger than life. Conan's world - Atlantis, Hyborea, all of it - still has larger than life heroes, but they are still on the level of the world around them. Conan is just a little bit stronger, just a little bit faster, just a little bit more clever than most, and he leverages all this to stay just a little ahead of horrible death.

[Giggling Ghast]

Xykon has the edge in terms of raw power, as magic in the Conanverse is a bit underwhelming. But canonically, Thulsa Doom cannot be killed. You can shove a life-draining sword through his guts to sap his energy for all eternity, you can drag him straight into Hell (literally) and you can scatter his body parts to the Four Winds. But you can't actually destroy him; he is immortal.

[Traab]

Xykon has the edge in terms of raw power, as magic in the Conanverse is a bit underwhelming. But canonically, Thulsa Doom cannot be killed. You can shove a life-draining sword through his guts to sap his energy for all eternity, you can drag him straight into Hell (literally) and you can scatter his body parts to the Four Winds. But you can't actually destroy him; he is immortal.

So is xykon, assuming he left his phylactery behind in the oots universe. He has already regenerated once from total obliteration.

[Mikeavelli]

So is xykon, assuming he left his phylactery behind in the oots universe. He has already regenerated once from total obliteration.

Reading up on Thulsa Doom, divination is one of the few areas where he might actually be on par with the D&Dverse magic. I'd wager he could come up with an epic divination spell that would reveal the Phylactery, even beyond the wards Xykon has put up on it.

[Traab]

Reading up on Thulsa Doom, divination is one of the few areas where he might actually be on par with the D&Dverse magic. I'd wager he could come up with an epic divination spell that would reveal the Phylactery, even beyond the wards Xykon has put up on it.

But if its in the oots-verse he cant get at it. Not without entering a realm where even he can be taken down.

[Knaight]

But if its in the oots-verse he cant get at it. Not without entering a realm where even he can be taken down.

And getting at it doesn't insure he can break it. Even after it is found, it is incredibly well defended. Plus, it might well stay in the ocean somewhere, where he can't even access it to harm it.

[The Glyphstone]

Wait, Thulsa Doom can do more than turn into a snake?

[The Succubus]

He can also cast Sssssssssuggessssssstion.

[Tiki Snakes]

Wait, Thulsa Doom can do more than turn into a snake?

Wrong Doom. As I understand, Thulsa Doom of the books was basically an entirely different character, they just took his name for the film on account of his name being awesome.

[The Glyphstone]

Wrong Doom. As I understand, Thulsa Doom of the books was basically an entirely different character, they just took his name for the film on account of his name being awesome.

That makes sense, since DOOM is a great name, and one whose greatness transcends genres.

[H Birchgrove]

Yeah, Thulsa Doom of the film is actually based on Thoth-Amon, a Conan villain, evil wizard and worshipper of "Father Set". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth-Amon

[rewinn]

And getting at it doesn't insure he can break it. Even after it is found, it is incredibly well defended. Plus, it might well stay in the ocean somewhere, where he can't even access it to harm it.

If TD *does* get the phylactery, X is screwed. All TD has to do is take it back to Earth and throw it into the ocean ... or better ... put it under a Great Big Rock ( like the size of a palace ):

1. TD puts X's bones and phylactery under the Great Big Rock.
2. GBR falls.
3. X turns to powder but phylactery survives.
4. X regenerates partway, pushing GBR up.
5. GO TO 2.

---

TD has just invented the Perpetual Motion Lich!

[Giggling Ghast]

Wrong Doom. As I understand, Thulsa Doom of the books was basically an entirely different character, they just took his name for the film on account of his name being awesome.

Yeah, the version of Thulsa Doom you find in the comics is an undead necromancer who fought both Conan and King Kull.

[Zen Monkey]

Don't forget that Howard's world crosses over with Lovecraft's world. Wizards in the Conan stories, with one possible exception, are outright evil and tend to summon the indescribable things of madness from the outer void to do their fighting for them. The pseudo-natural template doesn't really do justice to things that kill with a single touch or cause insanity just by being seen.

[Tanuki Tales]

And if you want to be really unfair, the Conan comic series did canonically take place in 616 for Marvel. That means you've got entities like Set or Chthon or Cyttorak to call upon.

Edit: And Shuma-Gorrath. Forgot Shuma-Gorrath.

[Comrade]

Xykon wins because he manages to be a comedian and uber-powerful, uber-evil lich dude at the same time.

Thulsa Doom apparently only accomplishes the latter.