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

[cranberry]

I attack the cleric. There is nothing worse than having to deal with a PC a second time that you just took down because the cleric brough them back up. The clerics healing essentially nullifies the attack the BBEG just made.

If the BBEG is in such dire straights that one more attack will take them out, it's may be a good idea for the BBEG to use their turn to escape.

 

[kigmatzomat]

This is where intelligence and experience can get weird. Unless he's fought the PCs before, the BBEG's experience is most likely that when he puts someone down with his big attack, they don't get back up again.

Once you are fighting a party with casters, it means you aren't dealing with level-0 nobodies. Those opponents can afford healing potions, which are is "don't die" in a bottle. As the bbeg is of a decent level, they have probably either been an adventurer or fought them. If you can't manage a coup de grace on a downed adventurer (2, honestly), their allies have time to pour a potion on them or just make a Medicine(10) check.

 

[MarkB]

Once you are fighting a party with casters, it means you aren't dealing with level-0 nobodies. Those opponents can afford healing potions, which are is "don't die" in a bottle. As the bbeg is of a decent level, they have probably either been an adventurer or fought them. If you can't manage a coup de grace on a downed adventurer (2, honestly), their allies have time to pour a potion on them or just make a Medicine(10) check.

What I meant was that most foes don't need a coup de grace. You take them to 0 hp, they're dead. Whether the BBEG should know that the PCs work differently will vary from table to table.

 

[James Gasik]

Probably the Fighter. In this scenario, the Fighter's damage output is a known quantity, and of the characters presented, is probably the hardest to take down in a potential rematch. So depriving the party of that member seems like the best strategy.

The precise amount of magic the casters have cannot be accurately gauged- maybe the Wizard has a top tier spell, but you can't really know for sure. Maybe the Cleric has one big heal left, or maybe they don't.

Also, the spellcasters will need a long rest to regain their powers, the Fighter could be back to full power after a short rest- if that's an observable fact for an NPC to be able to base their strategy on, then absolutely, remove them, and then harry the casters if possible to prevent that rest- possibly after you take a short one.

The Rogue is obnoxious, to be sure, but once the Fighter is out of the picture, they probably deal less damage and are easier to take down, perhaps with a readied action or a better choice of battleground.

 

[aco175]

Voted none of the above since one key point is missing what attribute saves against the spell? Choose the most likely to fail.

 

[Reynard]

Voted none of the above since one key point is missing what attribute saves against the spell? Choose the most likely to fail.

This isn't really relevant, since in the OP I pointed out that the effect would drop a character regardless of whether they saved.

 

[CreamCloud0]

not any sort of GM this is just my theorising on my part but first misty step to the wizard and attack, they have a high level slot so they're a wildcard who has their entire bag of tricks available in potentia, this, twofold takes them out and likely ties up the cleric's one spell on their turn, i then move up to the rogue to get up in their grill hopefully for an easy kill next turn, removing the bulk of their damage potential from sneak attack(as i am no longer flanked by fighter) and benefit myself from the cover, from both any ranged weapons the fighter might have or magic the wizard might use if they are revived before their turn comes up (AoEs also endanger the rogue if they use one on me), or if the fighter is in movement distance of the rogue's cover i seek separate cover further away,

 

[Dausuul]

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?

It depends on whether the villain's attack requires being in melee range.

If it does, target the fighter who is already in range. If it doesn't, target the wizard or the rogue, whichever seems more likely to fail the save (I don't let players know the monsters' exact hit points, so the villain doesn't know their hit points either).

The important thing is to keep that bonus action teleport open to use for escaping. Under no circumstances go after the cleric. An enemy spending their turn on healing instead of shooting is exactly what the villain wants right now. (However, initiative order might factor into the choice of target; pick someone who goes before the cleric so they lose a turn even if yo-yoed.)

 

[Dausuul]

This isn't really relevant, since in the OP I pointed out that the effect would drop a character regardless of whether they saved.

The BBEG doesn't know that.

 

[Reynard]

The BBEG doesn't know that.

The whole thrust of the hypothetical depends on it, so while you are free to edit the scenario any way you want in your own mind, I am more interested in how people respond to what was presented rather than their own alternate scenario.