Ba'alzamon wanted Callandor? But he started firing lightning at Rand BEFORE Rand even made a move for Callandor IIRC

Wait, why did Ba'alzamon NEED Calandor out of it's enclosure? I thought he just wanted Rand dead?

Question: Why did Ba'alzamon wait for Rand to be RIGHT next to Callandor before swooping in to try and kill him. Couldn't he have rocked out of the shadows at any time and caved Rand's skull in with a folding chair?

I would've had the 13 Black Ajah weave a shield around Rand.

@Vard The Joker in The Dark Knight. He lost RIGHT at the end because he didn't understand people as well as he thought he did. Not because the technicals of his plans were off.

Mostly, I just want the villains to actually BE a threat. So I have a reason to care about what's going on

So there are no smart villains in this series? :(

the friend who reccomended this to me lied to me

Also, if what you say is true, then there's no way I can enjoy ANY series.

... sigh

Most people aren't criminal masterminds. That's why they're caught. Then you have lines like:

"The successful criminal brain is always superior. It has to be!" - Dr No

I don't think a villain NEEDS to be stupid. They can have flaws which are exploited which leads to their defeat, but they can be otherwise highly intelligent.

If the villain isn't a threat then there's no tension, ergo, no reason to give a damn

Dammit, can't ONE villain be smart in this damn series? (who isn't Lanfear, I can't stand Lanfear)

What exactly was Bel'al's plan? How was he planning to get Callandor from Rand after he picked it up? Use the Wonder Girls as hostages? Use the black Ajah to shield Rand from the power then take Callandor from him?

If Mat's luck only works with things that are completely random (like dice), then how did it defeat the weighted dice in Book 3? It's results aren't random (being weighted and all)

 

I assume there must still have been a chance for the weighted dice not to land as they should have, even if it was extremely small. Mat's luck is ridiculous, at one point he gets a result with a mathematical chance of 1/16777216. That's 1 out of more than 16 million. Games of chance are pointless against Mat.

One wonders how the hell the bad guys can hope to beat him then :(

Gah, Spoilers! :(

 

But that doesn't explain how The Black wind got from Cairhien to The Stedding in time to stop Rand. Was that just luck?

 

Ahh sorry, assumed you were on a reread. I would be careful roaming on these boards as you will surely come across more. Enjoy your first time through the books!

Ah yes, no problem. I've already seen loads of spoilers on places like TV tropes. I don't think I could've even read this series without knowing SOME spoilers XP

If Mat's luck only works with things that are completely random (like dice), then how did it defeat the weighted dice in Book 3? It's results aren't random (being weighted and all)

So it was literally just absent mindedly milling around when they tried to open the Waygate in the Stedding? XD

that's just silly

Gah, Spoilers! :(

But that doesn't explain how The Black wind got from Cairhien to The Stedding in time to stop Rand. Was that just luck?

Also, in The Great Hunt, was The Black Wind specifically keeping Rand out of the ways? If so, then how did it know which Waygate he was heading for? How big is it? What is luck? Was it on a patrol from waygate to waygate?

Okay, at the point where I am in book 4.

WHAT exactly is Fain? I know he's like an unholy cocktail of the evil of Shadar Logoth and a Darkfriend touched by the Dark One, but what is he actually capable of at this point?

He nailed a fade to a door. Did he overpower the Fade or was it just too afraid to do anything?

He also got the Black Wind to listen to him. How?