BBEG and chivalry problems (Help a DM!)

[Particle_Man]

I am running a D&D game using the Legends of Excaliber: Arthurian Adventures setting by RPGObjects. I was hoping for some advice on an issue that is likely to come up.

In the game, characters have "nobility points" and in general, the more the better. But characters lose "nobility points" if they gang up on a single foe. (Basically, the characters have to "fight fair". One example given is of a knight that refused to fight on horseback vs. an opponent on foot, even when said opponent was a giant).

But usually (or at least, in other D&D games I have been in), the BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy) is a powerful single foe that you need the whole party to take down.

So I am faced with three options that I can see (I hope that you can suggest more!).

a) Make the BBEG break the rules first (using poison, missle weapons on a meelee opponent, arcane magic, etc., all break the code in this game, and one the "gloves are off", there is no penalty for ganging up (but still, a player would stand to gain bonus nobility points if she or he refuses to let her or his friends gang up on the BBEG that she or he is fighting, which may leave me with the same problem)).

b) Make the BBEG not so big, so that one character can have a reasonable shot at taking the BBEG out. Alternatively, have a team of BBEGs, one for each player. (The "multiple mirror of opposition" scenario)

c) Leave the BBEG powerful, yet smart enough not to break the knights' code first (unless in dire peril), and give the characters the dilemma of taking the nobility hit of ganging up on the BBEG, or facing the BBEG one at a time, and hoping to win by attrition after a few player character defeats/deaths.

So, any advice?

 

[Crothian]

Depends what the BBEG is, but if it is an intelligent foe I'd go with number 3. Its great when the bads can use the players against themsleves and if he can force them to fight hijm one on one where he has the advantage, this is a good thing.

 

[DMScott]

But usually (or at least, in other D&D games I have been in), the BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy) is a powerful single foe that you need the whole party to take down.

I think it kinda depends on the sort of feel you're going for. If you're going for Malory-style Arthurian legend, then the BBEGs should either be beatable by a single character, or difficult to beat in a straight fight but willing to yield to a suitably noble opponent (such as in Gawain and the Green Knight). If you can get two PCs to joust each other for the right to face the bad guy, you've got the right sort of players for a Malory-style game.

If OTOH you're aiming for a less romantic, more realistic portrayal of knighthood, then I'd look at only allowing nobility changes for actions that others hear about. So the PCs ride into the wilderness, set up a trap for the giant, and kill him while he's helpless... if they're the only ones left to tell the tale, and they all agree to tell everyone that Sir Ambergris bested the giant in single combat, then Sir Ambergris gets the accolades and no-one is the wiser. You can then run the occasional subplot where the real story might be discovered, and see how the PCs react to it.

In either case, they should also face enough mundane opponents that they have a chance to pad their reputation a bit. People who act nobly most of the time will probably be cut a bit of slack when they slip a bit from the ideal.

 

[green slime]

Well I don't have access to these nobility rules, but given that the stories of knights honour and nobility, you should be able to use your nobility points to help you defeat the opponent.

The stories are full of single knights facing overwhelming odds. It is part of the glory of martyrdom: standing up to insurmountable odds, for something you believe in. Facing certain death unflichingly because of a belief that you are right. In this manner, you succeed whether you die or not.

Christianity has these stories from ages past, and to us they are myths and legends. For muslims, the stories of their martyrs are very real.