I find that if I look at this from a simple player standpoint, it horrifies me. It horrifies me in all the ways that make gaming so much fun for me. The fluff alone sends chills down my spine, and gives me the impression that Abzirael is one of the more unpleasant things I will ever run in to. Let's face it kids, a thirty-foot alabaster monster with a bad attitude, tricksy tendencies, and memories of a time when he ruled the world is not the kind of thing you really want to meet.
If I look at this from the viewpoint of someone trying to run him in a game, I find the possibilities nearly endless. I have a hard time thinking of a campaign in which I wouldn't be able to include him. He can plane shift whenever he feels like it for the love of god.
There are those who would say (and have) that this particular villain is neither villainous, nor particularly driven.
I don't think I want to game with them. I personally love the idea of a villain that is sometimes mean just to be mean. I don't really get the impression that the Cackling Whirlwind is maniacal at all, in fact he scares me much more if he is, in fact, perfectly rational.
To say this character is over the top is, honestly, completely accurate. He used to rule the world. He's thirty feet tall. He's a genie. And a demon. And a real jerk, at the end of the day. He oughta be in a fantasy role-playing game.
If he's not your style, or you think you can't run him, that's okay. Not everybody can be the Fonz.
