Druss The Legend versus Drizzt the Drow

[Traab]

I have to admit to being curious about this matchup.

Druss The Legend: Druss the Legend is a hero embodying virtue, courage, honour, chivalry and strength of character. Druss is the grandson of Bardan the Slayer, a psychotic madman driven insane by the demon residing within his cursed axe, Snaga the Sender. Druss is described as a physically imposing man, immensely strong but also possessing great speed and dexterity. He has a hard, flat face, black hair and a thick, black beard and pale blue eyes. Despite his initial lack of formal combat training, he becomes known as a fearsome warrior who has never been bested in single combat. He wears the armour and weapons of his grandfather, which includes a black leather jerkin with silver steel pauldrons, black leather gauntlets with reinforced steel plates covering the knuckles and forearms, black leather boots and a black pot helmet with a silver axe motif on the brow flanked by small silver skulls.

Drizzt Do'Urden: Drizzt has had much training not only in Menzoberranzan at the Melee-Magthere and a few weeks at the Sorcere as well as training from his father but from Montolio deBrouchee or "Mooshie" his ranger mentor if it weren't for Mooshie, Drizzt might not have lived long on the surface world .

Drizzt has many assets in his arsenal, such as his two scimitars-

Icingdeath: Taken from the lair of Ingeloakastimizilian, or Icingdeath, as the barbarians of Icewind Dale call it; the mighty white wyrm dragon. It protects its user from heat and flame. It is held in Drizzt's right hand. It is also a weapon which can harm tan'ari and demons alike. Drizzt did not initally name this scimitar, but did finally name it after the powerful dragon that he obtained it from.

Twinkle: His left handed scimitar, was given to him by the wizard Malchor Harpell. It glows a bright blue seemingly based on the users mood.

Bracers of Blinding Strike: Taken from Dantrag Baenre (Baenre weapon master). They were originally used by Dantrag as bracers to increase the wearers arm speed. This allowed the wearer to execute lightening fast attacks. Due to the speed of the attacks the wearer was unable to improvise or stop midd routine. Drizzt took these bracers and placed them on his ankles giving him greater running speed as his arms are fast enough.


The general terms of the contest are as follows. Both have the gear listed and no more. That means no panther summoning for drizzt. This is a straight up duel between army champions on an open plain. No assassinations, no confusing melee of a general battle where they meet and no backup. For the purpose of fairness, Druss and Drizzt are both at their physical peaks in term of age and conditioning. Snaga the Sender is not possessed. This is a fight with no breaks, no running off and hiding, its a thunderdome style, two men enter one man leaves.

Me personally? I vote for Druss. At best a mutual kill. Drizzt is ludicrously fast and skilled, this is true. Druss however is also deceptively fast, and as the description says, he has never lost in single combat. For those who dont know, Druss does die in one of his stories, however, the way he dies just reinforces how unstoppable he is

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. He had fought the champion of an invading army and taken a poisoned sword wound across his shoulders and back. Dying of gangrene a day or so later, the castle came under attack again. He forced himself to his feet, took up his axe, and staggered to the gate which was breaking down. He was surrounded by 10 enemy soldiers. He killed 7 of them before his wounds caught up with him. Oh yeah, he was also well into his SIXTIES at the time.

You might think drizzt has more experience in powerful combat than druss since he has fought monsters, wizards, demons and such? Nope, Druss has fought all of that. Including a demonic spirit inside his axe that sought to take over his mind and turn him into another psychotic butcher. About the only thing drizzt HAS fought druss hasnt is a damn dragon. Druss attained over 40 years of experience fighting in war after war after war. He has been the champion of many armies, at times fighting for or against pretty much every nation in his world. He is respected and feared by everyone with enough intelligence to comprehend who and what he is. He isnt just an axe fighter either. He is a bare knuckle fighting champion as well. Im talking good old fashioned, neck punching, groin stomping, eye gouging, anything goes, hand to hand combat. Little advice? Dont take away the axe, you will just die slower and in more pain that way as he beats you to death.

[Anteros]

Logically it's Drizzt. Druss has no counter to his speed. If I had to bet though, I would bet on Druss anyway.

Skilgannon vs Drizzt would be more interesting. To me at least.

[Forum Explorer]

I think Drizzt would win. He's got a lot more training under his belt (being an elf) and in just faster in general. Plus a well placed dark spell could mess Druss up.

[Traab]

Logically it's Drizzt. Druss has no counter to his speed. If I had to bet though, I would bet on Druss anyway.

Skilgannon vs Drizzt would be more interesting. To me at least.

True, drizzt does have the raw speed advantage, however, druss aint exactly slow himself, and to get in range with his scimitar, drizzt will have to get in range of druss's axe. One of his other advantages is a huge innate ability to form tactics on the go, and an awareness of whats going on around him at all times which makes it incredibly tough to catch him off guard in a fight. Its entirely possible dross would accept a slash from one of drizzts scimitars just to have the opening to cleave him from crown to crotch with that monstrous axe of his.

That said, I agree, a drizzt/skilgannon fight would be very interesting as well. The main reason I picked druss is because he is THE legend in that universe. A section of the book where they talk about his death said it well.

Ogasi: "He was special. Even when he fell at the last, I thought he would rise. Even now some of the men cast fearful glances at his pyre, expecting to see him stand again."

Ulric: "How could he have stood against us? His face was blue from gangrene, his heart should have stopped long since. And the pain. . . "

Ogasi: "While men compete in war, there will be warriors. While there are warriors, there will be princes among warriors. Among the princes will be kings, and among the kings, an emperor. You said it yourself my lord, men such as him come perhaps once in twenty lifetimes."

Druss is the guy you want fighting along side you. Bar none, out of every hero and big name in the entire series, if you could pick just one of them to stand by your side in a fight to save the world, or even to protect your friend, you would pick Druss, because he flat out doesnt lose. Even dead he still cast a shadow of power and fear over the men who had managed to kill him. At his own damn funeral people kept expecting him to rise up once more and continue fighting. And if you read the rest of the story, you understand, in a way, they were RIGHT to fear that happening. If you look up the word indomitable in the dictionary, you will see his face as the only definition.

[Traab]

Feh, Waylander. He doesnt need no fancy magic items to make anyone he wants to kill dead. He has slaughtered demon lords for daring to move against him. He also has some level of healing factor, considering in his last book he was in his 80s I believe, and still barely out of his fighting prime.

[comicshorse]

True, drizzt does have the raw speed advantage, however, druss aint exactly slow himself, and to get in range with his scimitar, drizzt will have to get in range of druss's axe. One of his other advantages is a huge innate ability to form tactics on the go, and an awareness of whats going on around him at all times which makes it incredibly tough to catch him off guard in a fight. Its entirely possible dross would accept a slash from one of drizzts scimitars just to have the opening to cleave him from crown to crotch with that monstrous axe of his.

Thats what I was thinking would be Druss's best shot given Drizzt's speed. Let him get in a shot with the scimitar in order to get one in with Snaga (maybe even trap the blade in his own body). One blow from that axe is all it would take.
Given Drizzt's own skill and strength whether that would be a win or a draw is questionable though

Whilst we're comparing universes, how's about Waylander vs Artemis Entreri?

Waylander if only because he's smart enough to make friends and contacts whereas Artemis seems determined to make the whole world his enemy

[Shyftir]

I love both of the authors involved here, but one is writing for DnD especially Forgotten Realms. FR is just such a powerhouse setting and dominated by casters. To make a melee character stand out and be a threat you have to literally make him OP. I think Druss is a better and stronger character. (I like Drizz't don't get me wrong.) But Drizz't is a more powerful character from a more powerful universe. In Gemmel's world, warriors are legends and Druss is the biggest one. In FR casters are legends, but Drizz't manages to be one anyway.

That said if I patterned my DnD character on Druss I'd do way more damage than you would with your Drizz't inspired one.

[Traab]

I love both of the authors involved here, but one is writing for DnD especially Forgotten Realms. FR is just such a powerhouse setting and dominated by casters. To make a melee character stand out and be a threat you have to literally make him OP. I think Druss is a better and stronger character. (I like Drizz't don't get me wrong.) But Drizz't is a more powerful character from a more powerful universe. In Gemmel's world, warriors are legends and Druss is the biggest one. In FR casters are legends, but Drizz't manages to be one anyway.

That said if I patterned my DnD character on Druss I'd do way more damage than you would with your Drizz't inspired one.

You see, this is a valid point. As you said, the fr characters seem to have the advantage due to basically, them being far better parsed and statted out. Meanwhile guys like druss have to settle for, "They are strong and fast." Stronger than what? Faster than what? The best we can do is side by side achievement comparison. For example, drizzt has gone up against various nasty high end demons. Druss had to fight the powerful demon that possessed his axe. Drizzt has fought numerous creatures of various types, including things like actual giants and dragons. Druss on the other hand has fought 9 foot tall werebeast type creatures melded together by dark magic. Both have fought spell casters, though admittedly drizzt has fought more.

Both have a iron set of morals and a personal code. But I think druss has the edge. Last I checked, Drizzt hasnt had to maintain his self control while his own weapons try to mind control him. But one of the things that I think swings this overall contest even more in the favor of druss is that basic description. Dude has never lost a fight. It took 10 people attacking him while he was dying of a gangrenous wound across his back and shoulders while he was something like 64 years old for him to finally die. If he DID have D&D stats, he would have to be an epic level warrior class of some sort. If you meet him in melee combat, YOU. WILL. DIE.

[Forum Explorer]

You see, this is a valid point. As you said, the fr characters seem to have the advantage due to basically, them being far better parsed and statted out. Meanwhile guys like druss have to settle for, "They are strong and fast." Stronger than what? Faster than what? The best we can do is side by side achievement comparison. For example, drizzt has gone up against various nasty high end demons. Druss had to fight the powerful demon that possessed his axe. Drizzt has fought numerous creatures of various types, including things like actual giants and dragons. Druss on the other hand has fought 9 foot tall werebeast type creatures melded together by dark magic. Both have fought spell casters, though admittedly drizzt has fought more.

Both have a iron set of morals and a personal code. But I think druss has the edge. Last I checked, Drizzt hasnt had to maintain his self control while his own weapons try to mind control him. But one of the things that I think swings this overall contest even more in the favor of druss is that basic description. Dude has never lost a fight. It took 10 people attacking him while he was dying of a gangrenous wound across his back and shoulders while he was something like 64 years old for him to finally die. If he DID have D&D stats, he would have to be an epic level warrior class of some sort. If you meet him in melee combat, YOU. WILL. DIE.

Actually I believe Drizzt had to dominate the weapon Cutter when he weilded it and managed to defeat the Crystal Shard's mental influence as well.

[Anteros]

Feh, Waylander. He doesnt need no fancy magic items to make anyone he wants to kill dead. He has slaughtered demon lords for daring to move against him. He also has some level of healing factor, considering in his last book he was in his 80s I believe, and still barely out of his fighting prime.

Entreri would absolutely slaughter Waylander in an urban setting or a melee. Out on the open plains and at range is the only way Waylander would win.

As for Druss vs Drizzt...we do know he's fast enough to cut an arrow from the air at something ridiculous like 10 paces with an enormous axe...so he's probably faster than strictly humanly possible as well.

I honestly would predict Drizzt trying one of the many ridiculously impractical combat maneuvers that he favors and getting himself cut down fairly easily by Druss. If he just used his pure speed to get behind Druss and strike he would probably win...but knowing Drizzt's personality he's far more likely to try twirling at him instead and getting himself cut in half.

You know, we could probably do quite a few VS battles between the similar characters of these 2 series...my predicted victors in bold.

Enteri vs Waylander
Druss vs Bruenor
Regnak vs Wulfgar
Skilgannon vs Drizzt

[Kitten Champion]

Druss is the embodiment of Man's strength in the face of hopeless adversity, Drizzt is an epic-level action hero. Sadly, I think Drizzt would win because he's simply in a more embellished milieu where fighting things for the sake of fighting things is pretty much the raison d'etre.

I don't know, this comparison to Salvatore kind of bothers me. The LOTR fellowship versus Drizzt's party had the same problem, with LOTR being about the absolution of man by throwing the Apple away and redeeming Lucifer. It doesn't really care whether Aragorn or Gandalf could take the Ring Wraiths out if they minmaxed the right stats - if that means anything.

*Sigh* I shouldn't have read the Neverwinter books, it's soured my disposition.

[Traab]

Druss is the embodiment of Man's strength in the face of hopeless adversity, Drizzt is an epic-level action hero. Sadly, I think Drizzt would win because he's simply in a more embellished milieu where fighting things for the sake of fighting things is pretty much the raison d'etre.

I don't know, this comparison to Salvatore kind of bothers me. The LOTR fellowship versus Drizzt's party had the same problem, with LOTR being about the absolution of man by throwing the Apple away and redeeming Lucifer. It doesn't really care whether Aragorn or Gandalf could take the Ring Wraiths out if they minmaxed the right stats - if that means anything.

*Sigh* I shouldn't have read the Neverwinter books, it's soured my disposition.

You are right about Druss being the embodiment of mens strength. He is literally the ultimate warrior. Thats why I say at best drizzt manages a mutual kill, assuming he manages to do enough damage before being split in half. Plus, keep in mind, "fighting for the sake of fighting" is pretty much Druss. Other than his wife, all he likes to do is fight. And as much as he hates that fact, he likes fighting more. He will fight for whoever he thinks is less odious but he will always fight. And win. That was his entire lifestory. He spent 40+ years of his life fighting in one war or another. Fighting against men, against animals, against monsters.

And Anteros, no way in hell. Waylander is virtually impossible to surprise in an ambush, he has fought things so far beyond human levels of skill and power it beggars the imagination, and he won. When he decides you are dead, you are dead. Enteri on the other hand has lost. Yeah I know, part of the downside of being the antagonist. But its still there. Waylander doesnt fail to kill who he wants to kill. As for your other matchups, I think Druss versus Wulfgar would be more badass than versus breunor, but I like the other matchups.

[hamishspence]

King Obould was basically a heavily armoured orc with a two-handed sword- and Drizzt ended up stalemated against him. Though he reputedly did have a bit of divine power boosting him.

I could see him having trouble getting through Druss's defences, even if he's fast enough to avoid Druss's attacks.

Waylander didn't actually fight Anharat the Demon Lord- Anharat simply refused to obey the order to kill him, since his heart was no longer beating, which made him technically dead.

[Traab]

King Obould was basically a heavily armoured orc with a two-handed sword- and Drizzt ended up stalemated against him. Though he reputedly did have a bit of divine power boosting him.

I could see him having trouble getting through Druss's defences, even if he's fast enough to avoid Druss's attacks.

Waylander didn't actually fight Anharat the Demon Lord- Anharat simply refused to obey the order to kill him, since his heart was no longer beating, which made him technically dead.

Yeah good catch on anhart, I actually remembered that part, what i forgot was that waylander didnt kill that twisted scorpion bad guy thing either, anhart did that for screwing up the summoning. Well, "kill" is a strong word, he kinda dragged him off for centuries of torture because the guy had mastered regeneration to a rather unfortunate level.

[hamishspence]

It's been a while since I've read them- what's the most powerful thing Waylander's actually fought and beaten?

[Traab]

It's been a while since I've read them- what's the most powerful thing Waylander's actually fought and beaten?

The various demonic creatures from the mist in that book, numerous Meldings, which are basically were-creatures of multiple types. You know, 9 foot tall humanoid wolf monsters, etc etc etc. I believe he has also fought various spell casters from time to time, but I cant be sure.

[Kyberwulf]

One thing I would like to point out, in Drizzt's favor. He does have that whole "hunter" persona he goes into from time to time. When he is in that state, isn't he faster and stronger? I don't remember if he can go into that at will though.

[CowardlyPaladin]

What are these Druss the Legend books?

[Barmoz]

I don't think Druss is the embodiment of human combat capability. He was an accomplished warrior certainly, but his legend was created while wielding one of the few magic items in the entire world, and his biggest strength was his force of will, not his skill at arms.

Drizzt wins, and it kills me to say that because I hate Drizzt and I hate Salvatore, I think his books are trash, his characters are awful, and he's actually prevented people from reading quality literature because they get sucked into his typhoon of crap due to love of a setting. I don't think that the Gemmel books are the pinnacle either, but the original Legend book was powerful in a way that nothing Salvatore has ever done can touch.

[Kitten Champion]

I don't think Druss is the embodiment of human combat capability. He was an accomplished warrior certainly, but his legend was created while wielding one of the few magic items in the entire world, and his biggest strength was his force of will, not his skill at arms.

Drizzt wins, and it kills me to say that because I hate Drizzt and I hate Salvatore, I think his books are trash, his characters are awful, and he's actually prevented people from reading quality literature because they get sucked into his typhoon of crap due to love of a setting. I don't think that the Gemmel books are the pinnacle either, but the original Legend book was powerful in a way that nothing Salvatore has ever done can touch.

Thank you, that's the wording I couldn't seem to find. Druss isn't about his supremacy as a fighter but his inexhaustible spirit, he's a symbol of something the author and we are all looking for in ourselves and never quite know if it's attainable. Drizzt kills monsters and stuff for increasingly insignificant, inane, or unremarkable reasons but in elaborate and exciting style - that's all - which leads to increasingly hyperbolic feats over the course of two dozen novels. The point of Salvatore's books is to tell an exciting high-flying action-adventure story in a fantasy setting, not to exemplify our inner strength.

If Druss was written like Drizzt I wouldn't have cared about him, but as a result he's more flawed.

[hamishspence]

Druss vs Drizzt isn't really an even matchup in weaponry or fighting style- maybe Druss vs Wulfgar might make more sense (both are huge men who wield two-handed weapons).

A more suitable adversary for Drizzt might be Skilgannon- or the Decado clone- both of which wield a pair of powerful magic swords (Decado's swords are more powerful, and he is also a slightly more skilled fighter than Skilgannon).

[Traab]

I don't think Druss is the embodiment of human combat capability. He was an accomplished warrior certainly, but his legend was created while wielding one of the few magic items in the entire world, and his biggest strength was his force of will, not his skill at arms.

Drizzt wins, and it kills me to say that because I hate Drizzt and I hate Salvatore, I think his books are trash, his characters are awful, and he's actually prevented people from reading quality literature because they get sucked into his typhoon of crap due to love of a setting. I don't think that the Gemmel books are the pinnacle either, but the original Legend book was powerful in a way that nothing Salvatore has ever done can touch.

The only thing magical about his axe was that it twisted everyone stupid enough to wield it into a bloodthirsty monster but Druss. It didnt have any awesome powers of awesomeness. The only time it did anything helpful in fight was once while it was still possessed, he bounced a fireball back at the wizard who attacked him. Hell, about a quarter through his lifetime of unending battle, he exorcised the demon inside it, further negating any super special magic item bonus you might think he got from it. He wasnt just an accomplished warrior, he was the perfect storm of genetics and inner strength. He was basically designed to be the perfect wielder of a weapon like that, incredibly strong, surprisingly fast, capable of fighting with the frenzy of a berserker, but the cool mental control and agility of a general. He had the kind of expanded awareness around him that not only protected him from being taken by surprise in battle, but it let him be able to read the situation between entire armies while he was fighting on the front line.

Just as an example, in one battle, an enemy soldier literally sacrificed himself by throwing himself onto druss' axe to knock it from his hands. Any normal person would have turned around and grabbed his axe, but druss was able to subconsciously see it would leave a gap in the lines, so instead he delivered a right cross to the next guy attacking him, picked him up and hurled him back into his own troops, blocking their movements long enough to reclaim his weapon safely.


Thats the kind of mastery of tactics and strategy he has. Ask him to plan out a battle and he is somewhat out of his depth, though he can still do it well. Put him in the middle of a fight with nothing but an instant to decide and he makes the right one every time. One of the most accurate descriptions of what it takes to kill druss was, "You cant go into battle with him expecting to live. No, you have to go against him KNOWING you will die in the process." Im paraphrasing there but thats the general gist of it. Basically, you cant kill him without dying yourself.

[hamishspence]

I'm not sure, but I think the axe retained the traits "never needs sharpening" and/or "never rusts"- with it still being in use over a thousand years later.

[Traab]

I'm not sure, but I think the axe retained the traits "never needs sharpening" and/or "never rusts"- with it still being in use over a thousand years later.

That might have been because it was made of silver steel or whatever odd term they came up with. But even if that was the case, its still not like its some magic axe that creates hurricanes when its swung or anything else. At best its "magical powers" are nothing but a downtime reducer as he doesnt have to break out the whetstone every battle.

[hamishspence]

I'm not sure if there are any monsters in the Drenai setting that are immune to nonmagical weaponry- maybe some demons.

"The Great Bear" in the First Chronicles of Druss the Legend, I think, may have been an example.

Weapons in the Drizzt setting tend to be a little more powerful- Icingdeath, for example, providing resistance to fire and doing extra damage to fiery creatures- or Entreri's dagger healing its wielder by draining its target's life-force, or Aegis-fang teleporting back to its wielder after being thrown.

Next to those, it's harder to tell if Snaga, or the Swords of Night & Day, provide a noticable bonus.

[Traab]

I'm not sure if there are any monsters in the Drenai setting that are immune to nonmagical weaponry- maybe some demons.

"The Great Bear" in the First Chronicles of Druss the Legend, I think, may have been an example.

Weapons in the Drizzt setting tend to be a little more powerful- Icingdeath, for example, providing resistance to fire and doing extra damage to fiery creatures- or Entreri's dagger healing its wielder by draining its target's life-force, or Aegis-fang teleporting back to its wielder after being thrown.

Next to those, it's harder to tell if Snaga, or the Swords of Night & Day, provide a noticable bonus.

God its been so long, but I THINK the swords of night and day granted a bonus in speed to their wielders, but like pretty much every other "magic" weapon, they were demon possessed and highly corruptible to use. I may have them confused with another pair of weapons though, I think some old crone made a knockoff pair.

[Cracklord]

The weapons and gear that Drizzt carries around is far superior. He lives in a far more poorly realized world were such wonders are practically commonplace, while in Drenai land magic is something rare and wonderful, not counting the psychic powers of the Source Priests.

That said, read and compare the combat descriptions rather then argue what the gadgets do. The result is pretty clear, Druss lives in a far more realistic world, with a far better idea of what people are and are not physically capable of. And so, considering what he pulls off, Druss would beat him like a dog.

[hamishspence]

God its been so long, but I THINK the swords of night and day granted a bonus in speed to their wielders, but like pretty much every other "magic" weapon, they were demon possessed and highly corruptible to use. I may have them confused with another pair of weapons though, I think some old crone made a knockoff pair.

They were the knockoff pair. The originals were the Swords of Blood and Fire, which the Decado clone wields.

The swords wielded by the Riajnee in Hero in the Shadows, are supposed to be magical- made for demon-fighting, and destroyed if an unworthy wielder gets hold of one. The character mentions a previous incident where one such sword was destroyed.

[Traab]

They were the knockoff pair. The originals were the Swords of Blood and Fire, which the Decado clone wields.

The swords wielded by the Riajnee in Hero in the Shadows, are supposed to be magical- made for demon-fighting, and destroyed if an unworthy wielder gets hold of one. The character mentions a previous incident where one such sword was destroyed.

Yeah but if I recall, waylander was able to kill the mist creatures with his crossbow which had no mystical components. The magic swords had a bonus against them in D&D terms, and also helped push back the mist when they touched enough other weapons to arm everyone. But they werent the ONLY thing that could kill them.

[hamishspence]

The magic swords had a bonus against them in D&D terms, and also helped push back the mist when they touched enough other weapons to arm everyone. But they werent the ONLY thing that could kill them.

In D&D terms, they probably had fairly low Damage Reduction.