So, here we have a battle that would most likely never take place since they are both have the same beliefs – but that’s what makes all of this fun.
If this fight was restricted to strictly swords, I think Rahl wins since he simply is more ‘in-tune’ to his weapons than Drizzt is.
And, if Rahl decided to use his magical abilities, Do’Urden wouldn’t last much longer than a few moments.
Does the most famous Drow have a chance?
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December 4, 2008
#1
I’ve never read any books in the Sword of Truth series, therefore I’m not sure of his true powers and abilities, and information on Richard Rahl on the web is hard to find.
That said, I believe Drizzt wins in a strict swords-only fight.
If Richard decides to use his magic, then I’m not sure how this would turn out. Drizzt might win, barely.
December 4, 2008
#2
Wow, very interesting fight. I think this is a little more evenly matched than admin realizes, but I agree with the final conclusion. Rahl wins this by the skin of his teeth.
December 4, 2008
#3
come on obi wan vs bruce lee man
that would be awsome
they woouldn’t fight they’re to awsome
if they did it would destroy everything
December 14, 2008
#4
I have read all the sword of truth books and all the legend of drizzt books… and with that being said i believe richard should win this. he has hundreds of years of sword skill experience from the hundreds of previous seekers whose knowledge suddenly gets passed on to him from the sword of truth.
its not fair really. drizzt is probably the best skilled sword fighter in the fantasy world, but richard’s swordsmanship is supernatural in origin – accumulated sword skills of hundreds of fighters. And he didn’t even work hard for it. very unfair.
December 19, 2008
#5
yeah it really is
December 20, 2008
#6
I doubt that.
Drizzt has defeated Dow warriors, some of them weapon masters (notably Dantrag Baenre of the First House of Menzoberranzan) who are centuries older than he is. He wasn’t even 1 century old when he killed Dantrag, or most Drow for that matter.
I still bet on Drizzt in this fight.
January 4, 2009
#7
im limited on this choice because i’ve only read drizzt’s books so imagining someone beating him on sword skill alone is hard to swallow in the case of magic if they fight in the underdark where drizzt can become basically invisible and still fight at peak performance i would give it to drizzt but as i said i havent read about rahl so i cant give a conclusive answer.
January 16, 2009
#8
I’ve read all of the SOT series, and most of the Drizzt books. I would only give this to Richard IF he was using two weapons. Drizzt attacks simotaneously from differnt angles with Twinkle and Icingdeath. If Richard only had his one sword, he would be in trouble.
January 20, 2009
#9
Hi, I´m mexican so I Don´t write the english very well but I wrote in spanish a large tale about a imaginary fight betwen this two character. I think that the Sword of thrut is more powerful than Icingdeath or Twinkle separately. But Richard Rahl also has the “yabre” (knife of three blades), the “agiel” (just a piece of red leather whit magical powers than consisted to cause the biggest pain when touch anywhere part of the body ) and the layer from mriswith (has the properti of become invisible to the user and not even the normal wizards have the capacity to detect to the user). As well Richard have to “Gratch” the 3.4 meters of high gar of small tail that he domesticates just like Drizzt has Guenhwyvar. So the fight betwen this characters is very interesting. ¿don´t yours think?
January 28, 2009
#10
Ok, to the comment above me, Gratch left. he’s not coming back. Richard also doesn’t have a yabre or mriswith cape. they were evil and he left them behind..
As for who would win, I believe it would be a tie. Richard has the exp. of countless generations, but Drizzt has LIVED countless generations. and if Richard used the magic of the blade, Drizzt has Icingdeath. it stops all fire(including wizard’s fire and the angry-fire magic). that just makes The Sword of Truth a sword of the Ancients. It would be an interesting fight though. i think they would both drop from exhaustion after about 4 days of straight fighting. after that, it would be whoever woke up first
February 6, 2009
#11
As the comment above me points out, Icingdeath’s magic cancels out the SoT’s resulting in a contest of swordsmanship. Drizzt is a very capable fighter and is able to strike from two directions and flow effortlessly into another strike. Richard of course has generations of fighting experience, and one of his predecessors surely fought against an opponent dual wielding blades. This is a surprisingly even match, but I’m forced to say that it would be Drizzt who won. Our beloved drow seems to be a bit more perceptive than Richard. That being said I’ve only just started reading through the SoT series (where as I’m a childhood fan of Drizzt) and my opinion may change before I’m done.
February 10, 2009
#12
You should probably rename richard rahl to richard cypher. If even one eye strays here that is watching the movies without reading the book, it will ruin ALOT of the show for them.
February 24, 2009
#13
Ive read both SoT and Drizzt, and i would honestly have to say that Drizzt would win out. Yes, Richard has an immense amount of knowledge coming direction from warriors of the past, but we have to think of the time-line in which Drizzt has been training. He’s old, he’s experienced, and he was the top of his class at Melee-Magthere. AND he lived in the Underdark for how long…
And you can’t include Richard’s magic (positive OR negative) because, if i remember correctly, this is a fight restricted to swordsmanship. You could argue that Drizzt could use his innate ability to create a sphere of darkness, but if he knew the terms of the fight, he wouldnt use them.
2 scimitars (very fast, fluid, balanced, and sharp to boot) vs. 1 sword (a bit slower, but has lots of magical influence over the user)
Blade vs. Blades, speed takes the win, and thats Drizzt.
March 4, 2009
#14
Drizz’t for the Win. Straight up sword fight, no question. Maybe the SOT guy has some experience. Drizz’t’s skills are not just based on his talent. His wit, will, guile, SPEED, adaptability, and experience at least equal to if not greater than o’l RR (Drizz’t after all has killed Drow weapon masters, Drow Wizards, human assassins and Wizards, and quite a few demons, Giants, and other things). in fact, the harder the fight, the better Drizz’t Likes it. And then there’s the Hunter. Consider Drizz’t as he is. A Masterful Scimitar wielding Drow, with amazing speed and agility. Add in a can of truly Pissed Off. O-F-F. he has been known scare the ever living crap out of people MUCH larger than himself. This includes Ogres, Giants, Artemis Entreri, barbarian leadership, and at times his own companions. This is known as his Hunter Aspect. he has been known to shear right through magical protections, magical armor and weapons, shrug off heavy, close to archmage level spells, and freeze enemies in thier tracks. One example of the Hunter aspect. in the Book, EXILE, he takes two scimitar like lengths of wooden poles and goes to show some young deep gnomes how he defeated a huge basilisk. A stone model was his target. He took the head off that stone representation with wooden POLES.
Just my 2 cents =)
March 22, 2009
#15
“If this fight was restricted to strictly swords, I think Rahl wins since he simply is more ‘in-tune’ to his weapons than Drizzt is”
no noooo and shame on you for thinking it.drizzt all the way.
drizzt’s magic panther is conciderd a magival item therefore he is allowede to bring her into the fight. let’s see how much rightous fury helps when hes getting his face torn off, and stabbed multiple times.
March 22, 2009
#16
WARNING: FANBOY RANT ALERT!
@kano547 -
I love Drizzt – he’s easily one of my favorite all time characters. But, Richard would win this battle. Here is an excerpt that accurately describes 2 of his characteristics:
“Richard cannot use his magic at will as it only comes in relation to his degree of need, or his emotions” – and the magic that comes to him is always what’s needed to win the battle – that doesn’t mean he would kill Drizzt – most likely he would try to talk him out of the fight.
Regarding the sword skill:
“In battle he is unparalleled, and is known to “Dance with Death”; i.e. commit himself to his feelings and call forth the knowledge of all those who wielded the Sword of Truth before him, his instincts and has resulted in his single handed defeat of 30 Baka Ban Mana Blade-Masters, or on another occasion 150 armed guards. The latter engagement was fought, not with the mighty Sword of Truth, but a simple short sword, proving that the Sword of Truth is a tool that the Seeker uses but does not make the Seeker in of itself.”
There are links available, but that would mean I’d have to drop in a spoiler alert
FANBOY RANT OVER
June 27, 2009
#17
Hmm, tough one. I’d say Rahl has the advantage of raw power here, but Drizzt could very well pull out a victory.
In terms of sword-skills, this would be very close. Rahl has a massive amount of experience, skill, and knowledge gained from the sword, and he can access it even without the Sword of Truth in his hand. Drizzt, however, has gained a similar amount of skill but not quite as much experience on his own.
Then there’s the matter of each fighter’s magical enhancements. Rahl, while using the Sword of Truth, can call upon the “rage” aspect of the sword, which has been observed to multiply the speed and power of his strikes. According to Zedd, a direct blow from the Sword of Truth in this state can chop a bar of iron as thick as your wrist in half, with one blow. Then there’s the “White Magic” of the sword, which by all accounts is even stronger. This could provide quite a problem for the drow.
But then, Drizzt can slip into the Hunter aspect to become even deadlier, and he has two magical weapons of his own. Everything hinges on one question: Does Drizzt have enough advantages to cancel out or exceed the boosts of power that Rahl draws from the Sword of Truth? I haven’t read all of Drizzt’s books, so I’m not sure about the extent of Drizzt’s magical weapons and items, but it will be a tough fight, either way.
Richard could use most of the Sword’s powers without the physical Sword of Truth itself, but even if the Seeker is the weapon and not the Sword, he’d do best to take the Sword of Truth into this battle with him. It’s unbreakable magic steel, and an ordinary blade would probably be sliced in half facing Drizzt’s double-scimitar attack.
Rahl’s magic is probably the biggest danger to Drizzt here, but I see Drizzt as being able to cancel out most of it. One of Rahl’s main powers is Wizard’s Fire, which Drizzt is protected from. Drizzt could also plunge the battlefield into darkness, making it nearly impossible for Rahl to target him with magic and simultaneously turning the actual swordfight in his favor. I don’t think Drizzt would be able to neutralize the Sword’s magic, however. If he could, Rahl would be in deep water.
July 25, 2009
#18
Sorry for the double post, but I’d like to bring up something I forgot: Drizzt is faster than any normal human, as a result of using magical anklets that boost his reactions. With that, added to his stronger-than-human senses, he could probably move around Rahl and stab him in the back before he could strike.
So, I’m giving this to Drizzt by a slight margin, that is, if he isn’t bored to death by the speech that Rahl is going to throw to try to get him to join the D’Haran Empire.
August 5, 2009
#19
I spent 6 months on this site and I never knew this match up existed…..pity my poor soul. Personally, I am inclined towards Richard, because of his ability to call on previous knowledge, but I can easily see Drizzt winning. Whoever wins this match will win by the skin of their teeth. Such a good match up.
@ Admin
Is te next book in the Sword of Truth Series after Faith of the Fallen is Naked Empire? Thank-you my good man!
- pondering fool
August 5, 2009
#20
Here’s the complete list in order:
Debt of Bones – Even though it was written in 1998, it serves as a backstory for Zedd
1 : Wizard’s First Rule
2 : Stone of Tears
3 : Blood of the Fold
4 : Temple of the Winds
5 : Soul of the Fire
6 : Faith of the Fallen
7 : Pillars of Creation
8 : Naked Empire
9 : Chainfire
10 : Phantom
11 : Confessor
August 9, 2009
#21
“Personally, I am inclined towards Richard, because of his ability to call on previous knowledge, but I can easily see Drizzt winning. Whoever wins this match will win by the skin of their teeth. Such a good match up.”
I’d say that Drizzt’s speed is really the deciding factor. He could easily dodge Rahl’s strikes and the magic he’ll throw. Unless Rahl can find a way to defeat him with magic despite his speed, I see Drizzt as taking this one. I’d take blinding reflexes and decent enough natural experience over ghosts in my head any day.
October 22, 2009
#22
Rahl takes this no problem. His magic is way too strong for Drizzt. This is basically the same as the Rand vs. Drizzt match. Rahl will just point at Drizzt and say “die” and then it’s over. Unless Drizzt is really so fast that he can stay out of Rahl’s sight until he can get a blow in, I don’t see any outcome other than Rahl wiping the floor with the drow.
October 23, 2009
#23
“Rahl takes this no problem. His magic is way too strong for Drizzt. This is basically the same as the Rand vs. Drizzt match. Rahl will just point at Drizzt and say “die” and then it’s over. Unless Drizzt is really so fast that he can stay out of Rahl’s sight until he can get a blow in, I don’t see any outcome other than Rahl wiping the floor with the drow.”
And how is Rahl going to counter Drizzt’s speed? He’ll be moving too fast for Rahl to counter, at least twice as fast as a normal human, and all he’ll need to do is get around Rahl once, and then the blades are in his chest. Rahl never seems to have any constant magical shields up, so this could bea pretty big vulnerability for the drow to exploit.
November 16, 2009
#24
“And how is Rahl going to counter Drizzt’s speed? He’ll be moving too fast for Rahl to counter, at least twice as fast as a normal human, and all he’ll need to do is get around Rahl once, and then the blades are in his chest. Rahl never seems to have any constant magical shields up, so this could bea pretty big vulnerability for the drow to exploit.”
I see magic as being better than superspeed. How is Drizzt going to dodge when Rahl points at him and says, “die”?
November 17, 2009
#25
“I see magic as being better than superspeed. How is Drizzt going to dodge when Rahl points at him and says, ‘die’?”
Rahl’s magic isn’t all that fast. Whenever he uses his Gift, by it to throw fire or heat or lightning or subtractive magic or whatever, he still launches a projectile that has to move through the air before it hits the target. He isn’t like Rand al’Thor or Eragon Shadeslayer, who’s magic pretty much hits you the moment it’s cast.
Drizzt has fought mages before, and his ability to dodge their magic and retaliate with his enchanted blades are what carries him to victory. So, in answer to your question, dashing around Rahl and joining Icingdeath with his enemy’s spinal column should do the trick.
November 17, 2009
#26
The one constant about Rahl’s magic is that it’s *usually* based on need. While in regular instances it’s not fast enough to get Drizzt, he may set off another spell that could be instant to the touch that could get the Drow…
November 18, 2009
#27
“The one constant about Rahl’s magic is that it’s *usually* based on need. While in regular instances it’s not fast enough to get Drizzt, he may set off another spell that could be instant to the touch that could get the Drow…”
A spell like that would really have come in handy when the Screeling knocked him on his ass. Or all the times that a Mord-Sith incapacitated him with an Agiel. Or when Jedidiah was moving around too quickly for him to react to with magic. Or when Pasha was charging at him with a dagger and he was too dizzy to use his normal magic. Or all the times he got cuts or minor injuries in sword fights and his magic didn’t do squat.
November 18, 2009
#28
@AHEM “Or all the times he got cuts or minor injuries in sword fights and his magic didn’t do squat.”
Don’t forget, per FactPile debating rules, currently, Rahl is at his peak in the book series as to knowing how to use his powers. Is it possible that Zedd would teach Rahl some tricks like this for the purposes of protection? Or that Rahl himself devised his own “defense” spells?
November 20, 2009
#29
“Don’t forget, per FactPile debating rules, currently, Rahl is at his peak in the book series as to knowing how to use his powers. Is it possible that Zedd would teach Rahl some tricks like this for the purposes of protection? Or that Rahl himself devised his own “defense” spells?”
I’ll accept that he’ll be able to use his magic consciously without being restricted in some way(which seems to happen a lot in the series), but I still don’t see how he would suddenly demonstrate defensive spells that have never been seen in the series.
Though he wants to I’m sure, Zedd has never really sat Richard down and taught him anything about magic, let alone taught him specific defense spells. Rahl tends to fight riskily, really; in quite a few of the incidents I mentioned above, he had access to his magic but still wasn’t invincible by any means.
December 16, 2009
#30
Though he wants to I’m sure, Zedd has never really sat Richard down and taught him anything about magic, let alone taught him specific defense spells.
Thats because Richard is a War Wizard with both addative and subtractive magic that Zedd doesn’t know how to even begin to explain because their magic works differently. It is not even explainable by Nathan Rahl who’s been alive for 1000 years and did try and teach Richard to use his gift. They got NOWHERE. In my opinion the two would be so evenly matched that it would be the first to make a mistake from pure exhaustion after HOURS maybe DAYS of fighting. They would be too evenly matched to say one over the other, but I’ve read Drizzt longer and I’m in his corner.
I know that it is a hands down draw except for a biased fans opinion. But I have read all of both series and Drizzt not only has the superhuman dexterity but the monsters he has fought are WAY more dangerous and deadly than the ones Richard faced. Dragons, demons, GODS, orcs trolls, giants, etc.,etc. and the list goes on for a WHILE. Drizzt RULEZ! 
December 16, 2009
#31
“Thats because Richard is a War Wizard with both addative and subtractive magic that Zedd doesn’t know how to even begin to explain because their magic works differently. It is not even explainable by Nathan Rahl who’s been alive for 1000 years and did try and teach Richard to use his gift. They got NOWHERE.”
Nathan did manage to make some small progress with Richard in the second book, and during the exercise Richard was even able to create and sustain a small amount of Wizard’s Fire. Nathan commented that it would have taken him +100 years to learn even that small bit from a sorceress such as the Sisters of the Light.
December 16, 2009
#32
“I know that it is a hands down draw except for a biased fans opinion. But I have read all of both series and Drizzt not only has the superhuman dexterity but the monsters he has fought are WAY more dangerous and deadly than the ones Richard faced. Dragons, demons, GODS, orcs trolls, giants, etc.,etc. and the list goes on for a WHILE.”
Are you kidding me?
Rahl has fought dragons, gars, wizards with both additive and subtractive power, sorcerers, beings protected from all harm by the divine power of Orden, heart hounds, creatures of the Underworld, the Sisters of the Dark, Mriswith, the Mriswith Queen, deadly plagues, telepaths, former Seekers, Mord-Sith, humans twisted into monsters, etc. His resume is every bit as impressive as Drizzt’s, if not more so.
December 22, 2009
#33
This match might ultimately be decided by how much control Rahl has over his magic at the moment. He isn’t particularly knowledgeable, skilled, or experienced when it comes to magic, but if he could get it working at full strength, he could likely unleash attacks faster than Drizzt can avoid. However, if he is only able to manage a rough control or is limited to his sworded techinques, Drizzt will likely go around him with his superior foot speed and backstab him.
December 22, 2009
#34
@john
most of those just seem to be magice weilding humans, so u really dont need 2 repeat them over and over
im for drizzt here, lets see richard fight blind
December 24, 2009
#35
“most of those just seem to be magice weilding humans, so u really dont need 2 repeat them over and over”
Different types of people use different types of magic and powers in the SoT. There’s a big difference between fighting an ordinary wizard and fighting a Sister of the Dark, and Richard has done both.
“im for drizzt here, lets see richard fight blind”
He fought and killed a Blood Beast in the pits of the Underworld itself, surrounded by dark magic and shadows that no human eye could penetrate. I don’t think a little darkness spell is going to intimidate the Seeker too much.
December 31, 2009
#36
I haven’t read the SOT series, but Rahl is in for a beat-down. Drizzt has the two magical scimitars, IcingDeath and Twinkle. But… It has been said that Drizzt moves those two swords faster than the eye can see. Oh, and look at this, straight from Wikipedia…. “Drow are highly resistant to magic,” So, Rahl’s magic won’t ‘obliterate’ him as some said.If Drizzt can beat up a stone statue with wooden poles….
January 2, 2010
#37
“’Drow are highly resistant to magic,’ So, Rahl’s magic won’t ‘obliterate’ him as some said.If Drizzt can beat up a stone statue with wooden poles….”
I read some of the Drizzt novels, and the dark elves seem to be affected by magic just fine. If they were immune or something, there would be no place for wizards in Drow society except to fight surface people. In any case, “resistant to” does not equal “impervious to.” Just because Drizzt gets a +7/10 to magic resistance instead of a +5/10 or however that’s figured in, it won’t save him when Rahl hits him with enough power to kill several thousand times over.
January 5, 2010
#38
@john
i did not know that particular fact, that definately give him more of a chance than i thought, but how often has he fought blind? i just think drizzt has more experience here and i really think they are quite equal in sword play
January 5, 2010
#39
“i did not know that particular fact, that definately give him more of a chance than i thought, but how often has he fought blind? i just think drizzt has more experience here and i really think they are quite equal in sword play”
Richard was a woodsman before he became the Seeker, and he became very accustomed to acting in and sneaking around during darkness. He even stated at one point in the second book that darkness was “his element.” There are also several situations where he fights at night or without light. I just mentioned one of the more impressive examples.
I guess Drizzt would have more experience with it since he uses it regularly to turn the fight to his advantage, and he could probably hold his own against Rahl in a sword fight, but I don’t think either of those factors will decide this fight; it will be Rahl’s army-crushing magic that will.
January 6, 2010
#40
“I guess Drizzt would have more experience with it since he uses it regularly to turn the fight to his advantage, and he could probably hold his own against Rahl in a sword fight, but I don’t think either of those factors will decide this fight; it will be Rahl’s army-crushing magic that will.”
I have to agree with this point. Rahl’s magic would be the wildcard that could give him the win. He’s demonstrated some pretty extreme magics when his gets his power working. For Drizzt to win, I think his strategy would have to be to outmaneuver Rahl and strike from behind before he could land a solid hit.
January 11, 2010
#41
hmm yes that seems to be the case
January 12, 2010
#42
It might depend on how much control Rahl has of his magic at the time, whether he is in a pre-training state, has managed some rough control, is angry/needful enough to use it consciously, etc. It also may hinge on how much time Drizzt will give him to react. If the Drow catches him by surprise, ambushes him, or charges in immediately before Richard can get an idea of what he’s fighting and to use his magic, he would take the advantage. However, the longer the introductory blows last, the more the scales tllt in Richard’s favor.
January 12, 2010
#43
hmmm i was leaning towards drizzt for his elvish speed and dexterity, before i saw there were a lot more RR books so i’ll have to read them to see how he develops then give an answer
January 12, 2010
#44
Drizzt is only a little faster and more agile than a peak human athlete. Most of his speed advantage comes from his anklets of speed, which allow him footspeed about twice as fast as normal.
January 30, 2010
#45
Richard Rahl wins. In a fair swordfight with no magic, the Drow’s superior speed may match Richard’s millenia of experience, and it may not.
But bring in magic, and the Drow will die. Perhaps his swords will block Wizard’s Fire, despite the fact they are more than just fire. But Richard could also send Drizzt to the Underworld, blast him with Additive and Subtractive Lightning, or immobilize him with Air hardened to cement and then run the Sword of Truth through his chest….
March 18, 2010
#46
I am not sure i am sure dritzz in a weapon master which means he can hit vital spot more often infact 6 out of 20 hits will be on a vital spot and if i am right dritzz is a drow of at least 18the level or more meaning he have magic resistance of 86% or SR:28 dont know how that translate sory and i guess he still have those draw ability like darkness fiery fire and stuff i dont think richard can have a sure win but it would be an interesting fight with each equally capable of killing one another