Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
PCs that are too big for their britches...do they live or die?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Rod Staffwand" data-source="post: 6357584" data-attributes="member: 6776279"><p>Man...I wouldn't play D&D if mouthing off to the BBEG meant certain death. Where the hell is the fun in that? We'll usually come up with silly nicknames or puns for them and give them no respect whatsoever. It's all part of the game.</p><p></p><p>When I DM, I take all of this into account when running the villain. If you know your players and their characters you can anticipate their actions and develop the BBEG's responses, either verbal or more physical. I've rarely felt the need to go to 'die' or 'save or die' responses.</p><p></p><p>Some BBEGs might hurl sneering insults back at the PCs. I had one that thought so little of the PCs he didn't even listen to what they had to say. They insulted him and he went right on with his monologue as if they weren't even there. When you just want to rebuke a single PC for getting uppity, I'll usually have the BBEG cripple, paralyze or otherwise prevent them from taking further action.</p><p></p><p>If violence IS called for, I'll usually have the BBEG turn the fighting over to subordinates or a champion of some sort. The BBEG has better things to do then to slaughter vermin--that's what minions are for. The BBEG leaves on pressing 'evil' business. Putting the PCs into a death trap is also good if you're into that sort of thing (and if you're not, you're one weird D&D player).</p><p></p><p>I'd only go with a direct attack if the BBEG is not the type to have minions (maybe a big anti-social dragon). In this case, it would be serve as a dramatic outro for the villain more than something designed to actually kill the PCs. The dragon might breathe on the group, but I'd give the party a round of warning allowing them to flee or dive for cover, thus reducing the damage. Or the dragon might just smash through a cavern wall, causing a collapse which the PCs then have to contend with. You're looking for impressive, but not instantly fatal.</p><p></p><p>Of course, all of this is predicated on my campaigns, where raise dead magic is not really a thing. In a game where PCs can come back from the dead, you might just want to kill them. Nothing motivates players better than sweet, sweet revenge.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rod Staffwand, post: 6357584, member: 6776279"] Man...I wouldn't play D&D if mouthing off to the BBEG meant certain death. Where the hell is the fun in that? We'll usually come up with silly nicknames or puns for them and give them no respect whatsoever. It's all part of the game. When I DM, I take all of this into account when running the villain. If you know your players and their characters you can anticipate their actions and develop the BBEG's responses, either verbal or more physical. I've rarely felt the need to go to 'die' or 'save or die' responses. Some BBEGs might hurl sneering insults back at the PCs. I had one that thought so little of the PCs he didn't even listen to what they had to say. They insulted him and he went right on with his monologue as if they weren't even there. When you just want to rebuke a single PC for getting uppity, I'll usually have the BBEG cripple, paralyze or otherwise prevent them from taking further action. If violence IS called for, I'll usually have the BBEG turn the fighting over to subordinates or a champion of some sort. The BBEG has better things to do then to slaughter vermin--that's what minions are for. The BBEG leaves on pressing 'evil' business. Putting the PCs into a death trap is also good if you're into that sort of thing (and if you're not, you're one weird D&D player). I'd only go with a direct attack if the BBEG is not the type to have minions (maybe a big anti-social dragon). In this case, it would be serve as a dramatic outro for the villain more than something designed to actually kill the PCs. The dragon might breathe on the group, but I'd give the party a round of warning allowing them to flee or dive for cover, thus reducing the damage. Or the dragon might just smash through a cavern wall, causing a collapse which the PCs then have to contend with. You're looking for impressive, but not instantly fatal. Of course, all of this is predicated on my campaigns, where raise dead magic is not really a thing. In a game where PCs can come back from the dead, you might just want to kill them. Nothing motivates players better than sweet, sweet revenge. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
PCs that are too big for their britches...do they live or die?
Top