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

[Maxperson]

I did specify intelligent, so the BBEG can do whatever is most tactically sound (from your perspective).

Looking over the OP, the fighter and rogue are the two biggest threats it looks like. I think the BBEG misty steps to the rogue and takes the rogue out and gains the benefit of the cover.

 

[Hussar]

Hitting the cleric is pointless unless you straight up kill him. Every other character can stand the cleric up - potion of healing at a minimum and likely more ways besides.

Drop the wizard. Always drop the wizard.

 

[Redwizard007]

I'm operating under the assumption that OP is the cleric, got dropped and is salty.

 

[payn]

Okay, playing this NPC as a caster who is smart but doesn't possess metagame knowledge or is necessarily a tactical genius. They're on their last legs, but so am I, and I can only reliably take down one of them. It doesn't matter which one, the others will be enough to finish me. So with the numbers against me my priority is escape. And thus the real question is, which of them is it best to take off the board to allow that?

I would say the best one to remove is the Fighter. They're the melee opponent who can tie me up with OA, not to mention enabling the Rogue's Sneak Attack. If I take out the Fighter, I can move first and then Misty Step, making it easier to break line of sight and begin my escape. Sure, the Cleric can pick them back up, but that buys me time. Maybe even a full round's head start, depending on turn order. The Rogue is fast but isn't as much of a threat if they can't Sneak Attack. The Wizard might be a danger, depending on what spells they have, but depending on the terrain I might be able to make it hard for them to catch up.

Dropping the Fighter, even if it's temporary, is the best bet for being able to make an escape.

+1

 

[el-remmen]

I say drop the cleric and then misty step in the direction of escape, preferably in a place that puts you out of line of sight of the rogue and/or wizard. If the cleric is the party's means to get back up when dropped or back to life when killed, then a dying cleric is a bigger distraction than anyone else dying. This is esp. true if you play with hidden death saves (as you should )

 

[kigmatzomat]

The odds of getting an impactful kill is low so escape should be job #1.

I vote "Misty step (bonus action) & double move, behind cover/concealment if possible". That should be 90ft, meaning the fighter can't catch you to melee. The rogue loses sneak attack from an ally in combat and if you can force the rogue to move to be able to shoot you, they can't take Steady Aim so you'll survive them. 90ft plus whatever range the cleric & wizard were at eliminates a lot of spells, reducing both casters' options. And if you can get cover, that's at least a bonus to Dex saves even if you are in range of an up-cast fireball.

 

[Micah Sweet]

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?

The cleric. Take your chances with the others, but make sure the yo-yo master goes down.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Is this character so petty that they will die to make sure the party doesn't get healing?

Or are the keenly aware that the terrifying outer god that controls their every action will be sad if someone is healed back into the fight?

 

[Kurotowa]

Is this character so petty that they will die to make sure the party doesn't get healing?

Or are the keenly aware that the terrifying outer god that controls their every action will be sad if someone is healed back into the fight?

Rather than "petty", I can imagine a scenario where a BBEG believes that death is not the end and crippling the party of heroes is an important short term goal. Maybe the heroes lured off the BBEG's minions with a diversion, and the BBEG expects them to return shortly to finish off the weakened heroes and use the Scroll of Raise Dead their loyal Lieutenant carries. Maybe the BBEG has performed a dark ritual, or has assurances from their Dread Master, and hopes to rise again even more powerful than before after the heroes strike them down. Or maybe the fight is personal, all the BBEG cares about is taking down the heroes with them, and a posthumous revenge as their unleashed menagerie of monsters finishes off the heroes is sufficient.

In those situations, taking out the Cleric might be a valid choice. But it assumes facts not in evidence, and spins the offered scenario in new directions. Also it assumes the Wizard isn't hoarding those high level spell slots so the party can Teleport out to safety as soon as the fight is won, having expected exactly this sort of vindictive move.

 

[Tonguez]

Hit the cleric then misty step to escape