bbeg smarter than me OR THE DM IS CHEATING

[jasper]

Ok how do you handle this.
You in high school etc and the dm
your players have books older than you
etc
How do play a monster smarter than you.
Take extra time outside the game to plan extra traps and allies

Or do wait and let the players present their plans that is PRESENT their plans ahead of time so you can have the monster think of counter because it would have but you too stupid or inexperence to think of counters on the fly

 

[toberane]

Planning, planning, planning. That's how the BBEG got so big and bad in the first place, and that's why he's always one step ahead of the good guys. He planned for any eventuality.

Get to know the NPC. Place traps, and then place more traps to catch people when they are disarming the first traps. It's like playing chess. You are not just looking at the move in front of you, but you are planning for 5 moves from now.

Some of this will come easier as you get a little older and have more ingrained experience on how the player will react (I don't know how old you are, but if you are in high school, then I have gamed longer than you have been alive). My nephew is in HS, and he's going through some of the same issues now. He has the rules of the game down, but he's still working on the flow and the feel of being DM.

Until you gain enlightenment just be creative. Plan for what you can, and make up what you can't plan for. Don't feel you have to thwart all the PC's plans. If they come up with a really good idea that you hadn't thought of, reward them by letting them win at least a small victory. It's also a good idea to make sure that, if the BBEG dies during one of these conflicts, make it dramatic, and make it an obscure death, where no one really sees him die and you can't find the body. Then, when he returns later even more powerful than before, it may be surprising, and it will certainly be fun.

 

[Sarellion]

I prepare the encounter beforehand.
If it is the BBEG and you are inexperienced ask around here. Some people here have really good ideas.
Take time for spellcasters in game, especially for multiple ones.

After some games you will see what your group is doing against this kind of opponents, so you can plan ahead what the villain would do against this tactic.

Use spies for the villain so they can tell him what kind of tactics the group used (as an in game explanation why the villain could prepare ahead of them, if the players ask).

 

[jasper]

um guys im 38 and been playing since 79
I was tring to get suggestions for when a DM is outclassed by his players
ex one complaint on the boards has DM who has a Navy seal playing doing a perimeter check.

But if my players are smarter than me is it legal to listen to their plans and then think of a counter punch.

Or does the DM just have to roll with the punches as they roll initiative.

Most of time I can counter their plans but i have the xp throw out what you think

 

[Henry]

Here's my opinion, which may get me SHOT by some of the other board members here.

I believe that, just as it's okay to play a dumb monster as dumb by not taking advantage of all the options available to it, that it's also okay if you have to fudge a little (a LITTLE) in order to portray a very smart villain.

If your players pull a plan that in hindsight is exceedingly simple to see through, then perhaps the villain DID have a contingency in place to plan for it. It is difficult, VERY difficult, to portray someone who has intelligence and wisdom as high as some of the smartest and wisest humans in history - because WE aren't.

Just remember to keep two things very separate - Intelligence and wisdom. Wisdom equates to common sense, willpower, and being able to see simple holes in complex plans. Intelligence equates to comprehensive planning, but not necessarily the skill at adjusting those plans to survive encounter with the enemy.

If a high-INT but low-WIS wizard gets blindsided by a brilliant player bait-and-switch, it's okay - it's very realistic to do so. I know many people in real life who can plan and vision like a son-of-a-gun, but who can't successfully adjust those plans for the life of them. I also know people who hate planning, but can implement something by the seat of their pants very well. This is intelligence versus wisdom, in my opinion.

So when you have a 20 Intelligence and 20-wisdom villain with 15 class levels, he's probably got contingency plans up the wazoo, and has figured out a heck of a lot. Just don't make him so smart that the heroes can't even have a hope of defeating him - that's where killer and antagonistic DM's make their mistake, INHO.

So in the end, it doesn't boil down to how to make him smarter- it boils down to how to make him smart enough to give the PC's a good time.

And yes, you do get better at it the more practice you get.

 

[alsih2o]

a really smart bbeg will use everything he/she can to benefit.

ground/position, timing(attacking while spells are being memorized?), weaponry, henchmen, traps yada yada.

by giving your bad guy 1 or more advantages and giving the bbeg one or two contingencies for escape you will make the critter appear much smarter than it is. and at the same time maybe ,make you appear much smarter than you are. at that point you have the players afraid, and everything becomes easier