D&D 5E GM: Who Do You Target? [READ OP BEFORE VOTING]

[Reynard]

That's not "Pulling Punches". That's building a story.

It's only a story after the game is done, and the dice have as much influence on.that story as the players and myself.

 

[Vaalingrade]

The dice need to know their place when they're in my house.

 

[Lanefan]

Eh...?

Depends on the situation and circumstance. Also the level of "Narrator being a Jerk".

If I've got a BBEG strong enough to stand against the entire party and whittle them all down before the BBEG is near to being defeated then it's a TPK before that point if I burn down single PCs. Because the loss of support/buffs/damage from the Cleric going down in Round 2 is going to reduce the output and survivability of the Rogue/Fighter/Wizard in rounds 3 and onward.

If I've got the party that pressed, to the point that they're -all- on their last legs and I could down any of them with my next hit, it's because I've been trying -not- to TPK and instead to make the encounter fun and varied rather than forcing one person to make a bunch of death saves and twiddle their thumbs while the rest of the party fights.

In the situation outlined, I would make my choice on who they down before escaping be based on the enemy type and narrative.

The situation outlined doesn't require "Optimal Gameplay Theory NPC" and so I wouldn't play them like that. I'd play them off their characterization.

If the BBEG is choosing who to kill at the end based on criteria and motivations such as you suggested in post #145, why wouldn't the BBEG be fighting based on those criteria and motivations all the way through the battle?

Intentionally trying not to TPK is IMO every bit as bad as intentionally trying to TPK: you're putting your heavy thumb on the scale.

If the BBEG has it in for Wizards for whatever reason, then as soon as the BBEG recognizes the party's Wizard for what it is then that Wizard had better either get out of there or die. Or if, say, the BBEG is a big-time Gruumsh Cleric and you prance in with your Corellon Cleric PC, who do you think that BBEG is going to spiral on? The NPCs and BBEGs have motivations too, and not to act on them just because doing so might go badly for the PCs just isn't on, IMO.

Now if the BBEG is a dumb brute or unthinking animal or construct, that's different; and who it attacks each round will be either random (if a construct) or maybe based on whoever it perceives as hurting/annoying it the most (if a dumb brute or animal); and even then, random or instinctive attacks can end up spiralling on (and killing!) one or two PCs just through bad luck and-or by their being the only things it can reach.

 

[Reynard]

The dice need to know their place when they're in my house.

Plot twist: it was the dices' house all along.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

Honestly... it depends on the BBEG!

But the description didn't include any dungeon enemies or minions in the fight. JUST the BBEG and the PCs.

And when I run that kind of encounter it's going to be, like, Strahd attacking a group of 2nd level PCs who need to be reminded of who is the real Master of Barovia. Just roflstomping a group of babies to make sure they hate him even harder when he escapes and they have to chase after him.

And also: It's THE BIG BAD EVIL GUY. Sometimes you need the fight where the underleveled characters get their butts kicked but survive and manage to get off a few shots before the enemy inevitably retreats.

except the bbeg is one attack away from dying, so obviously this isn't supposed to be a roflstomp (or if it it was, the bbeg screwed up UNIMAGINABLY terribly).

 

[Vaalingrade]

Plot twist: it was the dices' house all along.

Good thing we're playing the game of brutal home invasion!

C'mmere, dice!

 

[ECMO3]

if escape isn't possible, then no action the bbeg can take really matters. they can't kill anyone, and they can't survive. so really, at that point, you might as well roll to see who you hit. it'd do you about as much good as picking someone specific.

like i said earlier, it's a really nasty scenario to be in as the villain.

If the cleric is the only PC with healing and he can down the cleric before he dies he "can" kill someone. Probably requires naughty word rolls for death saves and medicine checks, but dying is a possibility if he can down the only healer.

I have had characters die in fights that were unwinnable for the adversary.

 

[Steampunkette]

If the BBEG is choosing who to kill at the end based on criteria and motivations such as you suggested in post #145, why wouldn't the BBEG be fighting based on those criteria and motivations all the way through the battle?

Intentionally trying not to TPK is IMO every bit as bad as intentionally trying to TPK: you're putting your heavy thumb on the scale.

If the BBEG has it in for Wizards for whatever reason, then as soon as the BBEG recognizes the party's Wizard for what it is then that Wizard had better either get out of there or die. Or if, say, the BBEG is a big-time Gruumsh Cleric and you prance in with your Corellon Cleric PC, who do you think that BBEG is going to spiral on? The NPCs and BBEGs have motivations too, and not to act on them just because doing so might go badly for the PCs just isn't on, IMO.

Now if the BBEG is a dumb brute or unthinking animal or construct, that's different; and who it attacks each round will be either random (if a construct) or maybe based on whoever it perceives as hurting/annoying it the most (if a dumb brute or animal); and even then, random or instinctive attacks can end up spiralling on (and killing!) one or two PCs just through bad luck and-or by their being the only things it can reach.

Yeah, but I don't -care- about the scale. I care about the story.

I get that some people play the game as a numbers game of careful planning and high end builds with all the best features... That's never been how I play. And I don't want it to be how I play. It's Dungeons and Dragons not Spreadsheets and the Art of War.

And yeah. I typically play the BBEG as the BBEG throughout the whole encounter, not just at the end. But the question wasn't -about- the entire encounter. It was about one choice for a parting shot before the BBEG escapes.

And in my games, if the entire party is 1 shot away from hitting 0hp, it's because the BBEG is strong enough to toy with them and is doing so. So I answered from that perspective.

except the bbeg is one attack away from dying, so obviously this isn't supposed to be a roflstomp (or if it it was, the bbeg screwed up UNIMAGINABLY terribly).

Ehhh... shrug That's one way to look at it. Or the party got some lucky shots in. But the baddie will be getting away between their attack dropping someone and their "Escape" button in the presented scenario.

So I stand by my answers.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

NOTE: This poll is marked 5E because I use specific mechanics from that edition to set up the scenario. Obviously it could be adjusted to fit other versions of the game.

Here is the situation:

The party is in a fight for their lives. They are in combat with a powerful, intelligent enemy who has a powerful (save based) attack that does a significant amount of damage. Even on a successful save, it is enough to drop any one of the wounded, near spent characters.

The party has a Fighter who is up in the BBEG's grill, getting ready to hit him hard. Based on previous rounds, it may be hard enough to drop the BBEG.
The party has a wizard who the BBEG has seen cast a lot of spells but not his top tier spell.
The party has a rogue who is sniping from behind cover, and a successful hit is more or less just as likely as the fighter's hit to take the BBEG down.
The party has a cleric who the BBEG knows has spent all of their big magic and could potentially yo-yo a fallen character but not do any significant healing.

The BBEG, as stated, has an attack that can almost certainly drop one of those PCs, as well as bonus action that the BBEG can use for Misty Step or similarly "safe" movement. It is the BBEG's initiative and no PCs have held actions or reaction abilities beyond a standard OA.

You are the GM. Who does the BBEG attack? Why? What then?

Depends whenever or not Misty Step can be counterspelled.

If not, target the Rogue, then misty step away from the Fighter, probably close to where you could threaten the Cleric.

If yes, target the Wizard, then misty step away from the Fighter, possibly retreat from combat to regain health.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

If the cleric is the only PC with healing and he can down the cleric before he dies he "can" kill someone. Probably requires naughty word rolls for death saves and medicine checks, but dying is a possibility if he can down the only healer.

I have had characters die in fights that were unwinnable for the adversary.

ok, but did those characters go down in literally the last round of combat? i'm gonna guess probably not. in practical terms, none of the party is dying here.

Ehhh... shrug That's one way to look at it. Or the party got some lucky shots in. But the baddie will be getting away between their attack dropping someone and their "Escape" button in the presented scenario.

So I stand by my answers.

i think you'd need way more then a few lucky shots to turn a roflstomp into the situation the OP describes.