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Thoth-Amon
- Adaptational Villainy: He was a Noble Demon in the original books, and other incarnations of him generally follow suit. The version of him from Conan: Book of Thoth, however, is heinously evil.
- All Your Base Are Belong to Us: In Red Moon of Zembabwei, Thoth-Amon declares that he will make Tarantia, where Conan rules Aquilonia from, the seat of power for his own empire.
- And Your Little Dog, Too!: In Red Moon of Zembabwei, Thoth-Amon tells Conan that he will kill Conn in addition to him.
- Anti-Villain: In the originals; in the Dark Horse comics, he's utterly evil.
- Arch-Enemy: While he is usually treated this way to Conan in the pastiches, in the original Howard books he and Conan only indirectly cross paths. He is definitely Kalanthes' arch-enemy in the Dark Horse comics.
- The Archmage: The Witch of the Mists refers to Thoth-Amon as "earth's mightiest black magician", and the following story, Black Sphinx of Nebthu, has him face Diviatix, who Conan refers to as "the greatest white magician alive on earth in our age," in a Wizard Duel. Said duel results in Thoth-Amon destroying Diviatix's Magic Staff, and Diviatix only emerges victorious with the aid of the Heart of Ahriman.
- An Arm and a Leg:
- In Marvel's Savage Sword of Conan, his host body, Ee-Ch'ing, loses a hand after it is bitten by Thulsa Doom.
- In Marvel's Conan the King, Thoth-Amon loses his right hand to Conan.
- Ascended Extra: As previously mentioned, in the expanded universe created in works published after Howard's death, Thoth-Amon is treated as Conan's arch-enemy due to being the Greater-Scope Villain in at least two stories: The Phoenix on the Sword and The God in the Bowl. However, in the original stories, neither Thoth-Amon nor Conan met face to face or even knew of the others existence. Instead, Thoth's target was actually someone who just happened to be in close proximity to Conan meaning the Cimmerian would have amounted to little more than collateral damage.
- Assassination Attempt: Thoth-Amon once attempted to murder his enemy Caranthes by sending a bowl containing a deadly monster. The attempt failed because the greedy and unsuspecting Kallian Publicos opened it before it had the chance to reach Caranthes, setting off the events of The God in the Bowl, which ended in Conan slaying the monster before it even left the Temple of Kallian Publicos, let alone accomplish its mission of killing Caranthes.
- Assassins Are Always Betrayed: In the backstory of The Treasure of Tranicos, he was hired by Valenso to assassinate one of his enemies, which he accomplished by summoning a demon. However, Valenso betrayed Thoth-Amon to his (Valenso's) king instead of repaying him.
- Astral Projection: He has this as one of his powers.
- Back from the Dead: In the Marvel Comics version, Thoth-Amon is resurrected following his death at Conn's hands.
- Badass Boast:
- In The Witch of the Mists, he gives one behalf of his ally, King Nenaunir: "And this is the great boccor or shaman, Nenaunir prophet and high priest of Damballah—as his people call Father Set—in far Zembabwei. Three million naked blacks will arise to sweep all the world below Kush with flame and blood at one world from Nenaunir".
- "I do not fight with swords alone, but with sorcery as well" (when using his magic to render Procero's sword to hot to use during Black Sphinx of Nebthu).
- "White magic fails in the contest of strength, Cimmerian" (when Thoth-Amon and his follwers begin overpowering Diviatix's magic during Black Sphinx of ').
- Bad Boss:
- In Conan the Buccaneer, he is indifferent to the death his his subordinate Menkara.
- In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he attempts to kill Conan and his allies by summoning the Black Beast, which slaughters Thoth-Amon's own soldiers.
- The Bad Guy Wins:
- In The Treasure of Tranicos, he succeeds in having Count Valenso killed.
- Downplayed in The Phoenix of the Sword. While he succeeds in having fellow villain Ascalante killed by a demon, his demon is unable to accomplish his second order of killing anybody in his vicinity, as Conan triumphs over the demon.
- Bald of Evil, he is described in The Witch of the Mists, Black Sphinx of Nebthu, and ''Shadows in the Skull' as having a "shaven pate".
- Beard of Evil: He sports one in some depictions.
- Berserk Button: According to Conan and the Grim Grey God, he does not take kindly to intruders.
- Betrayal Insurance: He inflicts Tevek Thul with the Taper of Death after loaning him his Ring of Power in order to keep Thul from keeping the ring for himself after he completes his task.
- Big Bad: Often promoted to this in the pastiches and the comics.
- In The Phoenix on the Sword, he starts out as Ascalante's slave, but once he regains his Ring of Power, he overtakes Ascalante by summoning a demon to kill him and anyone in his vicinity (which includes Conan).
- In The Treasure of Tranicos, he manipulates the Picts into going after Valenso, as well as sending a demon to kill Valenso.
- In Conan the Buccaneer, he allies himself with Duke Villagro into order to take over the kingdom of Zingara, and betrays Villagro during the endgame by having himself declared king instead of Villagro.
- In The Witch of the Mists: He conspires with Louhi to lure Conan into a trap by kidnapping his son, Conn.
- In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he was The Man Behind the Man to Duke Pantho's military incursion of Poitain. After Conan marching into Stygia to take the fight directly to Thoth-Amon, Thoth-Amon plans to ambush Conan and his army, compromising Aquilonia's ability to pose a threat to him.
- In Shadows in the Skull, He is initially Demoted to Dragon by Queen Lilit, but once she is abruptly killed, Thoth-Amon takes the opportunity to wage his final battle against Conan, planning to give Conan's soul to Set and take control of the serpent-folk.
- In Conan and the Grim Grey God, he is in a Big Bad Ensemble with Tevek Thul and Jade, both of whom seek the titular Grim Grey God. At first, Thoth-Amon attempts to use Tevek Thul as a pawn to retrieve the Grim Grey God, even lending him his Ring of Power to help him with his goal. However, Tevek Thul is planning to betray Thoth-Amon and make himself "King of Magicians" before seeking revenge of the Khyfans for the destruction of a civilization he descended from. After being informed by Set of his folly in using Tevek Thul as a pawn, Thoth-Amon attempts to take the Grim Grey God directly.
- The Marvel Comics version of Conan features Thoth-Amon as a major recurring antagonist, being featured in adaptations of the stories The Phoenix on the Sword, Conan the Buccaneer, The Treasure of Tranicos, the Conan of Aquilonia tetralogy, as well as several original stories.
- The Dark Horse Comics version of Conan also has Thoth-Amon as a prominent recurring villain. Unlike the Marvel version, the Dark Horse Comics don't adapt the de Camp and Carter Thoth-Amon pastiches, but they do have several original stories featuring Thoth-Amon, as well as another adaptation of the Howard story The Phoenix on the Sword.
- Big Bad Duumvirate:
- In Conan the Buccaneer, he teams up with Duke Villagro, seemingly helping him take over Zingara in exchange for Villagro promoting the worship of Set, Thoth-Amon's patron deity, once he is in power. During the climax of the story, Thoth-Amon betrays Villagro by having himself declared king instead.
- In The Witch of the Mists, Thoth-Amon is in a Quadrumvirate with Louhi (leader of the Witcmen of Hyperborea), Pra-Eun (leader of the Scarlet Circle), and Nenaunir (ruler of Zembabwei), all of whom are influential Evil Sorcerers in their own right.
- Subverted in Red Moon of Zembabwei. He attempts to convince the Nenaunir, the Sorcerous Overlord of Zembabwei to divide the world between the two of them, but Nenaunir decides that Thoth-Amon will be his lackey instead.
- Blackmail: He is on the receiving end of this in The Phoenix on the Sword. Ascalante forces Thoth-Amon to do his bidding by giving information about Thoth-Amon's location to a hermit, who is to reveal his to Thoth-Amon's enemies in the event of Ascalante's death at Thoth-Amon's hands.
- Black Speech: In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he uses this to summon the Black Beast.
- Blood Magic: In The Phoenix on the Sword, he uses Baron Dion's blood to summon a demon to kill Ascalante.
- Breakout Villain: He was a generally minor character in Howard's stories who only physically appeared once, but other media pretty much turned him into Conan's Arch-Enemy.
- The Cameo: He briefly appears in Conan the Invincible conversing with his subordinate Imhep-Aton.
- Caught Monologuing: In Shadows of the Skull, Thoth-Amon monologues to Conan about the history of the serpent-folk and their interaction with himself, complains about his past defeats at Conan's hands, and declares his intention to sacrifice Conan to Set. Conan finally attacks Thoth-Amon once the sorcerer begins taking about his plans after killing Conan.
- Cassandra Truth: In The Witch of the Mists, Thoth-Amon tries to convince his allies that Conan is too much of a threat to be taken lightly. They don't listen to him.
- Come with Me If You Want to Live: In Conan the Buccaneer, he convinces Black Zarono to flee with him after their bid to overthrow King Ferdrugo of Zingara fails.Thoth-Amon: I know many things. I go; stay or follow, as you please[shortly afterwards]Thoth-Amon: "Now hasten, if you would not be shortened by a head."
- Clone by Conversion: In Marvel's Savage Sword of Conan, he inflicts this on a Serpent-Man he takes over.
- The Conqueror: He seeks to become this to the West of Hyboria.
- Cornered Rattlesnake: By the time of his final duel with Conan in Shadows of the Skull, Thoth-Amon has been pursuded by Conan to the World's Edge, deprived of allies and places to flee. He manages to put of a great fight against Conan, coming close to killing Conan before Conn's timely intervention.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: One of his abilities is to have his ka leave his body. However, the narration of Conan the Buccaneer mentions that if his ka is disembodied for too long, it will remain disembodied permanently.
- Dark Is Evil: He leads an group of Evil Sorcerers known as the Black Ring, has black eyes, uses a black sphinx as one of his bases, and sits on a black throne.
- David Versus Goliath: The Goliath to Diviatix's David during their wizard duel in Black Sphinx of Nebthu. He is physically larger than Diviatix, but Diviatix manages to triumph thanks to the power of the Heart of Ahriman.
- Deal with the Devil: In the backstory of The Treasure of Tranicos, he is the Devil in a deal with Valenso. He sent a fiend to kill one of Valenso's rivals, which allows Valenso to become rich and powerful, in exchange for Valenso repaying him. However, Valenso betrays Thoth-Amon instead of upholding his end of the bargain. At the end of the story, Thoth-Amon has him killed in retaliation.
- Deceptive Disciple: In the Dark Horse Comics, he became tricked Kharantus into taking him in as a priest of Ibis by killing and impersonating his friend Amon, the person Kharantus actually invited into the temple of Ibis.
- Demoted to Dragon:
- In Red Moon of Zembabwei, he is reduced to being a lackey by King Nenaunir.
- In the following story, Shadows in the Skull, he takes refuge with Queen Lilit of the serpent-folk following Nenaunir's defeat, and if forced to act as her subordinate.
- Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: In Conan the Buccaneer, Thoth-Amon has the Cobra Crown, which could help him Take Over the World, and Duke Villagro as an ally who is willing to promote Thoth-Amon's Religion of Evil in Zingara in exchange for the Zingaran throne. Thoth-Amon decides to betray Villagro anyway by having himself declared King of Zingara, which leads to Villagro turning on Thoth-Amon with the aid of the Cobra Crown (which Thoth-Amon took off in order to accept the Zingaran crown). As a result his betrayal, Conan and his followers are able pull a Big Damn Heroes moment against Thoth-Amon (The narration mentions that "Had he worn the Cobra Crown, he would have known of the approach of Conan and his men before they appeared"), and the Cobra Crown is broken by the time Thoth-Amon is able to reclaim it from the now-deceased Villagro, meaning that Thoth-Amon has both lost his opportunity to expand his god Set's influence into Zingara and undermined his own prospects at world domination over kingship of one country.
- Did You Actually Believe...?: In The Treasure of Tranicos, he mocks Count Valenso of Korzetta for thinking the latter could escape him.
- The Dog Bites Back: After being Made a Slave by Ascalante and subjected to Blackmail and physical abuse, Thoth-Amon has Ascalante killed as soon as he regains his power.
- The Dragon: To Set. In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he is referred to as Set's "chief votary." In Conan and the Grim Grey God, he is shown taking orders directly from Set himself. Following his defeat in Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he is implied to have fallen out of Set's favor and is forced to answer to other Set-worshippers, namely King Nenaunir and Zembabwei and Queen Lilit of the serpent-folk.
- Dragon Rider: He rides a wyvern when fleeing Zembebwei following the death of his ally, King Nenaunir.
- The Dreaded: Everyone who knows him fears quite rightfully, not even the king of Stygia dares crossing Amon. In Dark Horse Conan the Avenger, Conan freaks out upon sighting Thoth-Amon despite having a freakin army at his side and tells them to flee.Conan: Ride you bastards, like Hell itself was on your hinds. For it is!
- Elaborate Underground Base: His lair beneath the Black Sphinx og Nebthu is a mazelike series of corridors, with stairs leading down to an arena.
- Enemies Equals Greatness: When reminiscing about his Glory Days in The Phoneix on the Sword, he mentions that other magicians "hated me, but also feared me."
- Enemy Mine:
- In Marvel Comics, he teams up with Conan against Thulsa Doom.
- In Conan and the Grim Grey God, he briefly teams up with his enemy Caranthes to destroy the titular Artifact of Doom.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Impoverished, and abused by his father as a youth, he bade his beloved younger sister farewell, vowing to one day return for her. Many years and committed atrocities later as high-priest of Set, he suddenly remembered her and tasked a soldier to find her at all costs, promising himself she would want for nothing. Alas, weeks later it was revealed she had long since perished from a famine magically caused by Thoth-Amon himself. By then, Thoth-Amon's heart was so blackened that he rebuked the surprised soldier for giving him such trivial news, wondering to himself why he even bothered sending him in the first place.
- Every Man Has His Price: In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, Conan posits bribery as one of the possible methods Thoth-Amon used to manipulate Duke Pantho into sending soldiers into Poitan.
- Evil Chancellor: To King Ctesphon.
- Evil Former Friend: To Kalanthes in the Dark Horse Comics version.
- Evil Is Not a Toy:
- In Conan the Buccaneer, Duke Villagro tries to get Thoth-Amon to help him become King of Zingara. After playing along with him for a while, Thoth-Amon has himself declared king instead.
- In Conan and the Grim Grey God, the necromancer Tevek Thul seeks to convince Thoth-Amon to let him burrow his Ring of Power. Thoth-Amon agrees, but also inflicts Thul with a deadly curse in order to keep Thul under his control.
- Evil Laugh: He has laughed several times across his various appearences.
- In The Treasure of Tranicos, he laughs when tauning Count Valenso about his impending doom.
- In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he let's one out after Conan enters his hideout, where Thoth-Amon is waiting for him alongside. hundreds of his minions. Later in the same story, he gives out another one when he unleashes the Black Beast on Conan and his allies.
- In Conan and the Grim Grey God, he also lets on out when making his Villain: Exit, Stage Left.
- Evil Old Folks: Thoth-Amon is several centuries old, and after being exposed to the Heart of Ahriman, he gains the appearence of one too.
- Evil Overlord: Thoth effectively rules over Stygia, having turned the actual royal family into his puppets, ran the nation to the ground by fighting pointless wars and terrorized those who didn't follow Set.
- Evil Sorcerer: He is a violent and power-hungry sorcerer.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Thoth-Amon has a deep voice.
- Evil Versus Evil: Thoth-Amon sometimes comes into conflict with other villains.
- In The Phoenix of the Sword, he summons a demon to kill Ascalante, an outlaw who enslaved Thoth-Amon and is conspiring to assassinate Conan.
- In The Treasure of Tranicos, he is plotting revenge against Count Valenso of Korzetta, a Zingaran nobleman who arranged the assassination of one of enemies, with Thoth-Amon's help, no less.
- He is also opposed by a fellow Stygian priest named Thutothmes. In The Hour of the Dragon, Thutothmes plots to uses the Heart of Ahriman to defeat Thoth-Amon and create his own empire.
- In Conan the Buccaneer: He fights in a duel with Duke Villagro (who has been empowered by the Cobra Crown) after reneging on his alliance with the latter.
- In Marvel Comics, he has a feud with Thulsa Doom, a rival Evil Sorcerer.
- In Conan the Invincible, he entrusts his subordinate Imhep-Aton with ensuring the downfall of both Amanar (the main antagonist of the story and a traitor to Thoth-Amon's order) and Morath-Aminee (Amanar's god and a rival of Set)
- The Exile:
- In the backstory of The Treasure of Tranicos, he was once an exile from Stygia when Mentupherra was its king. He was able to return after Mentupherra's death.
- Also in the backstory of The Treasure of Transicos, he is also forced out of Ferdugo after Valenso betrays him to his king.
- Failed a Spot Check: In Conan the Buccanneer, his huaghtiness prevents him from realizing the slave in his prescence is the Princess Chabela, who his allies are trying to capture. Although the narration mentions that Thoth-Amon never saw Chabella this close before, it also mentions that he would have learned her identity if he used his magic to do so, but he was distracted by the power of the Cobra Crown.
- False Flag Operation: In The Treasure of Tranicos, he leaves a chain with the Korzetta seal on the severed head of a Pict in order to trick them into retaliating against Count Valenso of Korzetta.
- Familial Foe: He is the Arch-Enemy of Conan, and he later becomes an enemy of Conan's son Conn as well, starting in The Witch of the Mists where he is involved in Conn's kidnapping as part of a plot against Conan. In The Black Sphinx of Nebthu, Conn joins his father Conan in his hunt for Thoth-Amon, and in Shadows of the Skull, Conn is the one who kills Thoth-Amon.
- Fate Worse than Death:
- Is believed to inflict this on people who intrude on his turf, as even desperately thirsty desert travelers will avoid the Oasis of Khajar, which is under the control of Thoth-Amon.
- He threatens to inflict this of Caranthes during their Wizard Duel in Conan and the Grim Grey God:Thoth-Amon: With the dark power granted me by Father Set, I shall seize the idol...and forever banish your essence into the blackest void!
- Faux Affably Evil:
- In Black Sphinx of Nebthu: He mockingly welcomes Conan to his empire after luring the latter into a trap in Stygia in the hopes of killing him.
- In Savage Sword of Conan #191, he initially speaks respectfully towards fellow Evil Sorcerer Thulsa Doom before abruptly dropping his pretense of respect and angrily accusing him of undermining him.Thoth-Amon: Now. So your are the earthly remains of Thulsa Doom—Greatest sorcerer in the days before the Great Cataclysm! Implacable foe of the legendary King Kull of Valusia. And the antiquated heap of dung-encrusted bones that is trying to steal away all my loyal followers!
- Feudal Overlord: In Red Moon of Zembabwei, he is informed by King Nenaunir that this is the best case scenario he can hope for himself, following Thoth-Amon's previous failures.
- Forced Sleep: In Conan the Buccaneer, he uses a beam to force Queen Nzinga into unconsciousness.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: In the Dark Horse version, he is revealed to have born into destitution and poverty with his abusive, alcoholic father forced him to beg and pickpocket for money. Then he got accepted into the cult of Set, rose through the ranks until he became the high priest, and eventually, king of Stygia in everything but name. Notably, Thoth is rather ashamed of his humble origins, freaking out when the ghosts in the Eyes of Usir confront him about it.
- Get Out!: He demands Tevek Thul to leave his dwelling in the Oasis of Khajar after Thul hands him two of Epithur's tablets. Thul, however, keeps pushing his luck, insistent on getting Thoth-Amon to let him burrow his Ring of Power. Thoth-Amon eventually relents, but puts a curse on him.
- Glory Days: In The Phoenix on the Sword, Thoth-Amon, at that point in time having been reduced to a slave, reminisces to Baron Dion about his time as a powerful sorcerer in Stygia.Thoth-Amon: Listen, my lord. I was a great sorcerer in the south. Men spoke of Thoth-Amon as they spoke of Rammon. King Ctesphon of Stygia gave me great honor, casting down the magicians from the high places to exalt me above them. They hated me, but they feared me, for I controlled beings from outside which came at my call and did my bidding. By Set, mine enemy knew not the hour when he might awake at midnight to feel the taloned fingers of a nameless horror at his throat! I did dark and terrible magic with the Serpent Ring of Set, which I found in a nighted tomb a league beneath the earth, forgotten before the first man crawled out of the slimy sea.
- Godzilla Threshold:
- In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, Thoth-Amon is such a dangerous sorcerer that Conan resort's to bringing the wizard Diviatix and the Heart of Ahriman (a powerful magical artifact which Conan says can turn white magician's power-hungry) before confronting the Stygian wizard.
- Grave Robbing: In The Phoenix on the Sword, he recounts to Baron Dion that "[he] found the Serpent Ring of Set in a nighted tomb a league beneath the earth, forgotten before the first man crawled out of the slimy sea."
- Greater-Scope Villain:
- In The God in the Bowl, Thoth-Amon, despite not physically appearing, is responsible for the story's conflict by plotting to have the titular Monster of the Week assassinate one of his enemies, a Stygian priest named Kalanthes.
- In Conan the Invincible, the Big Bad of the story is Amanar, a rogue subordinate of Thoth-Amon's order. Additionally, one of the secondary antagonists of the story, Imhep-Aton, is a loyal subordinate of Thoth-Amon who attempts to use Conan as a pawn in his plan to bring about Amanar's demise.
- In Conan the Valorous, he has a minor role in the plot compared to the story's two main villains, Hathor-Ka and Jaganath, but he is more cunning and powerful than they are. Thoth-Amon offers assistance to one of the story's main antagonists, Hathor-Ka, as a ploy to destroy her. At the end of the story, following the deaths of Hathor-Ka and Jaganath, the Khitan Wizard Cha tells Conan that Thoth-Amon could have stopped the conflict a long time ago, but allowed it to progress in the hopes it would rid him of his rivals.
- Green and Mean: He is often depicted wearing green.
- Hand Rubbing: He does thing after defeating Tevek Thul in their Wizard Duel.
- Heinous Hyena: The Black Sphinx Nebthu, which stood over one of his bases, was made in image of an entity known as the ghoul-hyena of chaos. Thoth-Amon also has the ability to summon the hyena creature that the aforementioned Sphinx is modeled on.
- Heir-In-Law: In Conan the Buccaneer, he attempts to usurp the throne of Zingara by hypnotizing the King Ferdrugo of Zingara into abdicating and marrying his daughter Chabella off to him, thus making himself its King. After Thoth-Amon flees, Ferdrugo nullifies this marriage, denying king kingship of Zingara.
- Horns of Villainy: The Marvel Comics version wears a horned helmet. Later on, he develops real horns.
- Horrifying the Horror: On the receiving end. According to Louhi in The Witch of the Mists, "Thoth-Amon [calls Conan] the most dangerous man the world," even though Louhi believed that honor went to Thoth-Amon himself.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen:
- By the start of The Phoenix on the Sword, Thoth-Amon has gone from being a powerful sorcerer in the favor of the King of Stygia, to the slave of an outlaw.
- Following the events of The Phoenix on the Sword, Thoth-Amon has regained his influence in Stygia, only to be brought down again during the de Camp and Carter pastiches. Thoth-Amon goes from being The Archmage of a powerful order of sorcerers to a fugitive from Conan's wrath following his defeat at Conan's hands and the destruction of the Black Ring during climax of the pastiche Black Sphinx of Nebthu. In the following stories, Red Moon of Zembabwei and Shadows in the Skull, Thoth-Amon is treated as a lackey by his fellow Set-worshippers.
- Human Sacrifice:
- In Shadows in The Skull Thoth-Amon declares his intent of sacrificing Conan's soul to Set.
- In Conan and the Grim Grey God, Tevek Thul believes that "Thoth-Amon had doubtless sacrificed thousands to Set in return for prodigious magical powers."
- I Have Your Wife: In The Witch of the Mists, Thoth-Amon orchestrates the kidnapping of Prince Conn through his ally Louhi, as part of a scheme to capture Conan.
- Implacable Man: In The Treasure of Tranicos, Thoth-Amon tracks down Valenso despite the latters efforts to evade him by "[sailing] to put broad seas between me and him." Valenso adds that "[Thoth-Amon] is too crafty to be trapped or slain as one would do with a common man"
- Intergenerational Rivalry: He is centuries older than his arch-nemesis, Conan the Cimmerian.
- I Warned You: During his time as a slave to Ascalante, he warns his master that he will reclaim the Serpent Ring of Set and wreak vengeance upon him. Ascalante responds with striking him and reminding him of his Betrayal Insurance against Thoth-Amon, forcing him to back down. Shortly afterwards, Thoth-Amon does find the Serpent Ring, using it to summon a demon to kill Ascalante.
- Karma Houdini: He gets away with his crimes in the Howard-written stories.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: However, in the de Camp and Carter pastiches, he loses his influence and network of allies, is pursued by Conan to the ends of the earth, and in Shadows of the Skull, he is killed by Conn.
- He's also killed off, fittingly, in Marvel's 2022 King Conan mini series, which is a hypothetical "final Conan story".
- Kill and Replace: In Dark Horse Comics, he does this to his friend Amon in order to become a priest of Ibis.
- Know When to Fold 'Em:
- In Conan the Buccaneer, he abandons his bid for the Zingaran throne after the Cobra Crown is destroyed.Thoth-Amon: It is time to cut our losses. The Crown is ruined—burnt out.Black Zarono: Let me go! We still have a good chance, and I'll kill that swine yet.Thoth-Amon: The gods have ordained that Conan shall win this time
- In Conan and the Grim Grey God, Thoth-Amon, having spent much of the story seeking the titular Artifact of Doom, opts to destroy it alongside Caranthes rather than allow it fall into enemy hands.
- In Conan the Buccaneer, he abandons his bid for the Zingaran throne after the Cobra Crown is destroyed.
- Laser-Guided Karma: In Conan the Buccaneer, he betrays his ally Duke Villagro, who hoped who become King of Zingara, by having himself named King instead. This provokes Villagro into seizing the Cobra Crown, which he was able to do because Thoth-Amon had to remove in order to be coronated with the Zingaran crown. As a result, Thoth-Amon gets into a magical fight Villagro, and by the time he kills Villagro and reclaims the Cobra Crown, it has been rendered useless, ruining Thoth-Amons plans to use it for world domination.
- Last Villain Stand: In Shadows in the Skull, he faces Conan in battle after being pursued by him the the fringes of the known world, and running out of allies to shield him from Conan's wrath.
- Light Is Not Good: In Conan the Buccaneer and Conan and the Grim Grey God, he is shown wearing a white robe.
- Made a Slave: He was once enslaved by the outlaw Ascalante.
- The Man Behind the Man: In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he is revealed to be behind Duke Pantho's leading his forces into Poitan.
- The Man Behind the Monsters: He is behind the monsters Conan faces in The God in the Bowl, The Treasure of Tranicos, and The Phoenix on the Sword.
- Maniac Monkeys: The monster he summons to kill Ascalante resembles a baboon.
- Murder by Inaction: He does not act to prevent Conn from killing King Nenaunir.
- Near-Villain Victory: He comes close to killing Conan at the climax of Shadows in the Skull, but he is killed by Conn before he can complete his objective.
- Never My Fault: He blames Conan for Nenaunir's defeat, even though he himself allowed Nenaunir to be killed by Conn.
- No Body Left Behind: In Shadows in the Skull, Thoth-Amon's body disintegrates after Conn kills him.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: He inadvertently thwarted the assassination attempt on Conan by sending a demon to kill Ascalante.
- No Honor Among Thieves: In Conan the Buccaneer, he is recruited to help Duke Villagro to usurp the throne of Zingara from Fredrugo, but in the climax of the story he has himself declared king instead.
- Noble Demon: Most of the time.
- Oh, Crap!:
- In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he has this reaction when he learns Conan and his wizard ally Divitax have the Heart of Ahriman in their possession, moments before the latter uses it to wipe out Thoth-Amon's followers.
- In Conan and the Grim Grey God, he becomes terrified when he is being reprimanded by Set for seeking the Grim Grey God.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You:
- Averted in Conan the Buccaneer, where Thoth-Amon allows Black Zarono to deal with Conan as he sees fit if the opportunity presents himself.
- In Shadows in the Skull, Thoth-Amon insists to his ally Lilit on being the one to end Conan's life.
- During Marvel's Conan the King, he again insists on being the one to kill Conan, this time to his current ally, Baron Maloric.
- Ontological Inertia: One of his curses, the Taper of Death, is mused by Tevek Thul to be able to continue killing the victim even in the event of Thoth-Amon's death.
- Out-Gambitted: In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he sets a trap in Stygia in the hopes of massacring Conan and his army. However, Conan made sure to bring the wizard Diviatix and the Heart of Ahriman with him before confronting Thoth-Amon, which results in the destruction of Thoth-Amon's organization of wizards and Thoth-Amon himself being forced to flee Stygia.
- Person of Mass Destruction: In The Treasure of Tranicos, Valenso claims that "[Thoth-Amon] can raise storms to sink ships and throw down castles."
- Pet the Dog: In Conan the Buccaneer, he takes his time to rescue his henchman, Black Zarono, from the wrath of Conan and his allies after their plans fail.
- Playing with Fire: In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he primarily attacks his enemies by conjuring green flames.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: In the Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he calls Conan "dog of a northlander savage."
- Pragmatic Villainy:
- In Conan and the Grim Grey God, Thoth-Amon, upon learning that his ally Tevek Thul had massacred a village of people who were hostile to Thoth-Amon's Religion of Evil, refers to it as "A thorough desecration, but ill-timed and utterly lacking in subtlety."
- At the end of Conan the Valorous, Cha tells Conan that Thoth-Amon is too wise to fool with the powers of the Great Summoning.
- Rapid Aging: He suffers from this after being exposed to the Heart of Ahriman in Black Sphinx of Nebthu.
- Religion of Evil: He is the high priest of the cult of Set.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: He is on the delivering end in Conan the Valorous, where he uses SenMut as a spy in the household of a rival sorceress Hathor-Ka, only to hand him over to Hathor-Ka for punishment as part of a deal he makes with her, saying that that "I have no use for him. He would betray me as easily as he did you."
- Ring of Power: The Serpent Ring of Set.
- Saved by Canon: Since some of his appearances in pastiches, such as The Treasure of Tranicos, Conan the Buccaneer, and Conan and the Grim Grey God are set before the events of the Howard story The Phoenix of the Sword, Thoth-Amon's survival in them is a Foregone Conclusion.
- Shadow Archetype: To both Conan and Kalanthes. In Conan's case they're both driven men who rose from humble origins to achieve greatness; the difference is that Conan (despite being amoral at times) never abandoned his humanity and is proud of his heritage while Thoth is ashamed of his and sacrificed everyone he ever loved for power. In Kalanthes's case Thoth came from humble origins and should have known what it was like to be oppressed yet stepped on others, whereas Kal was born in privilege but was willing to help the weak and less fortunate.
- Shrouded in Myth: According to The Hour of the Dragon, "the western world knew [Thoth-Amon] only as a figure of terror and myth."
- Sibling Murder: He committed an unintentional example. His sister is killed in a famine that he himself caused. He doesn't learn about it until after the fact from a soldier he sent to find her, but once he is informed of her fate, he shows no remorse for it.
- Sickly Green Glow:
- In Conan the Buccaneer, his home in the Oasis of Khajar has torcheres which glow green.
- He has the ability to cast green flames.
- He also gives a green glow when teleporting away.
- Slasher Smile: In Savage Sword of Conan #191, his grinning face is seen in the eye of Ee-Ch'ing, as an indication that Thoth-Amon is possessing Ee-Ch'ing.
- Sole Survivor: Of a caravan attacked by Ascalante's reavers in Koth. Ascalante had everyone else killed, but kept Thoth-Amon as a slave after learning his identity.
- Start of Darkness: The Book of Thoth describes his origins, and details his fall from somewhat ruthless but still having humanity to a monster who cares for no one.
- Stripped to the Bone: This happens to Thoth-Amon after Conn stabs him. However, the bones quickly crumble as well.
- Summon Magic: He has the power to summon monsters. One such demon is summoned by Thoth-Amon's ring to kill Ascalante.
- Supervillain Lair:
- He has his home at the Oasis of Khajar. It is a red sandstone building, and the narration of Conan the Buccaneer, is is described as being "better called a palace than a mere house."
- In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, he has an Elaborate Underground Base beneath the titular statue.
- Take Over the World: In Conan the Buccaneer, he plans to use the Cobra Crown for world domination.Thoth-Amon: At last! With this, the empery of the world is within my grasp! and the holy rule of Father Set shall be restored over lands near and far.
- A Taste of the Lash: He suffered this at the hands of Ascalante.
- The Theocracy: In Conan the Buccaneer, Black Zarono suspect that Thoth-Amon will turn Zingara into one if he succeeds in securing his kingship.Conan the Buccaneer: Zarono had no illusions about the gratitude that he could expect from Thoth-Amon, should the Stygian make good on his claim to the Zingaran throne. All the posts of real power and wealth would doubtless go the the Stygian priests of Set.
- Threat Backfire: After Conan threatens Thoth-Amon by telling him this will be their final meeting, Thoth-Amon's response is to turn Conan's threat on its head and declare that he will be the only one who survives their encounter.Thoth-Amon: For the last time, you say? So be it! From this encounter, but one shall emerge alive, and that will be myself.
- Ungrateful Bastard: In Red Moon of Zembabwei, he is granted refuge from his enemies by King Nenaunir. Thoth-Amon repays him by allowing Conan's son Conn to kill Nenaunir, because Nenaunir insisted on Thoth-Amon being a "regent or governor" instead of an equal partner.
- The Usurper: In Conan the Buccaneer, he attempts to usurp the throne of Zingara from King Ferdrugo.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: He flees in Conan the Buccaneer, The Witch of the Mists, Black Sphinx of Nebthu, Red Moon of Zembabwei, and Conan and the Grim Grey God.
- Villain Killer: In The Phoenix of the Sword, he kills Baron Dion with a knife, and Ascalante through a demon he summons. In Conan the Buccaneer, he kills Duke Villagro with his magic.
- Villain of Another Story: In the original stories, while Thoth-Amon's machinations often caused trouble for Conan, the two were never in opposition.
- Villainous Breakdown: In Conan the Buccaneer, when he realizes the Cobra Crown, which he planned to use to Take Over the World, has been rendered useless, he curses and discards it, before making his Villain: Exit, Stage Left.
- Villain Team-Up:
- In the Dark Horse comics, he makes one with Tsotha-lanti following the latter's defeat in that continuity's adaptation of The Scarlet Citadel.
- Defied in Marvel's The Savage Sword of Conan. Thulsa Doom attempts to team up with Thoth-Amon, but Thoth-Amon rejects him on the grounds that he is untrustworthy.
- We ARE Struggling Together: He has a hard time getting along with his supposed allies. In The Witch of the Mists, Louhi decides to keep Conan alive (against Thoth-Amon's protests for her to just kill him) as her prisoner so she can use him as leverage against Thoth-Amon. In Red Moon of Zembabwei, King Nenaunir refuses to share power with him, deiging to make him his underling instead, leading to a spurned Thoth-Amon to allow Conn to kill him. He also feigned allegiance to the serpent-folk, while also seeking to undermine them. In Shadows of the Skull, he argued with the serpent-folk's ruler, Queen Lilit, over Conan's life.
- We Can Rule Together: In Red Moon of Zembabwei, Thoth-Amon makes this offer to a fellow villain, King Nenaunir. However, Nenaunir dismisses him as a has-been, declaring that he will rule the world alone, and that the best Thoth-Amon can hope for is governing one of the regions he conquers. Shortly after this rebuttal, Thoth-Amon allows Nenaunir to be killed by Conn.
- We Meet Again: He says this to Conan when confronting him in both Red Moon of Zembabwei and Shadows in the Skull.
- We Need a Distraction: In Black Sphinx of Nebthu, it is revealed that he used Duke Poitain to distract Conan so his thieves could infiltrate Tarantia.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Kalanthes.
- We Will Meet Again: He declares this to Conan at the end of Conan and the Grim Grey God: "One day we shall meet again, dog!"
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?:
- In The Witch of the Mists, He unsuccessfully attempted to convince his ally Louhi to kill Conan as soon as possible.
- Ironically, in Shadows in the Skull, Thoth-Amon allows Conan to reawaken instead of killing him while he was still unconscious. Conan himself internally wonders why Thoth-Amon passed up an easy opportunity to kill Conan.
- Wizard Duel:
- He has one with Diviatix in Black Sphinx of Nebthu.
- In Conan and the Grim Grey God, he participates in two separate duels, one against the necromancer Tevek Thul, and another with the Ibis priest Caranthes.
- Wizards Live Longer: He is centuries old.
- Would Hurt a Child: In Red Moon of Zembabwei, Thoth-Amon plans to kill Conan's teenage son, Conn, alongside his father. Before he can carry out his threat, he is stopped by his ally Nenaunir, who decides to sacrifice him to Damballah instead.
- You Fool!: In Conan the Buccaneer, he shouts "Give me the Cobra Crown, fool!" to his ex-ally Duke Villagro, who stole the Cobra Crown from Thoth-Amon after the Stygian sorcerer betrayed Villagro. Villagro refuses to return it.
- You Have Failed Me:
- In Conan the Invincible, he threatens Imhep-Aton with this if the latter is unable to bring down Amanar and Morath-Amanee.
- In Conan and the Grim Grey God, he himself is threatened with this fate by Set if he cannot reclaim the Black Ring, or if the Grim Grey God falls into enemy hands. Immediately afterwards, Thoth-Amon plans to invoke this against his pawn Tevek Thul (whose foolish massacre of a village is part of the reason Set is upset with Thoth-Amon) by allowing the Taper of Death to kill him.
- You Have No Chance to Survive: In The Treasure of Tranicos, he tells Count Valenso of Korzetta that he will not be able to escape his demiseThoth-Amon: Did you think to flee me once mor? It is too late for that! All your schemes shall avail you naught, for tonight I shall send a messenger to you. It is the demon that guarded the treasure of Tranicos, who I have released from his cave and bound to my service. He will inflict upon you the doom, that you, you dog, have earned: a death at once slow, hard, and disgraceful. Let us see you mulct your way out of that!
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: In Conan the Valorous, he hands his spy SenMut over to the sorceress Hathor-Ka, who he was spying on for Thoth-Amon, after haveing no more use for him.
- Your Days Are Numbered: He can inflict this using the Taper of Death, as he does on the necromancer Tevek Thul.
