Seers - Top 5 Seers (hard to judge for me since I didn't fight 2 of them regularly: Babidi, Cthulu, Cordon, Orinoko (and I should have added him to Knight debate absolutely), and Porthos. My vote: Very tough call because skillsets vary (Orin and Porthos had Evocation) and were really deadly. Of the bunch I'd say Porthos is the most under-rated. He was very good and was a bear to kill for any class. That said, my vote is for Babidi (again, just scary how well he did combos, though I think Orin did
too - I just didn't have to deal with the full force in friendly challenges). Cordon gets my second vote. As stated above, he is really crafty as a seer (and in general). Flagg and Esprii would get votes too, but they tend(ed) to use too many bond/run to protected guild, pill/bond, and other cheap tactics to get wins. If that's your style, however, both are very effective.
Sorc - Top 2 (yes 2): Panaideos, Threap. My vote: Panaideos. There are a lot of good, even great Sorc. Huzow, Dartanian, recently Saroman and Salvador just to name a few. No one has come close (other than maybe Huzow, imo) to instilling the constant fear that Pana and Threap did in this profession. This is a real judgement call - for overall dominance in my lifetime I'd have to vote Threap, but I think the best Sorc overall given the skills at the time was Pana.
Thief - Top 5: Xandamere, Shakal, Narissa, Babidi, Plaman (I'd actually put Sturge strongly on this list, but since I didn't have quite enough interaction to rate him, I'm going to pass, but he is clearly at or near the top of this list). My vote(s) (and yes, I realize this is cheating):
Overall Thief: Plaman - not the best fighter, but a very strong one who also has great roleplay and flair. Since this is a fighting debate, I'll state for the record that he is a VERY solid fighter as well.
My vote for best fighter: I give up. Xandamere, Shakal and Narissa are so close in my mind - in different ways - that I can't pick a clear winner, particularly since the skills have changed over time. Without a load of though (sorry, it's late) I'd vote them fairly equal as fighters for different reasons. Tiebrakers, imo, therefore go to those who also (in my lifetime) were dominate in the fighting arena as FM/Generals working on behalf of their cities. Narissa, imo, is at the top of the current li
st in this regard, and Plaman has a record spanning decade of militiary expertise. I'm taking the easy way out (for now) and calling it a tie.
I hope to post soon on the current fighters, though as rusty as I am I'm not sure how much my input will mean. Thanks to the couple people who voted for me. I am NOT one of the best mages of all time, but it's nice to be recognized for being willing to fight the good fight.
Written by my hand on the 6th of Midwinter, in the year 1198.