Flukes!

[XO]

Are you of the "dramatic ending must be played out, no matter what" school, or from the "let the dice lay where they fall" school...

In other words, the adventurers finally reach the inner sanctum of the BBEG, and the Sorcerer casts Disintegrate, rolls a natural 20 and confirms his critical.

The BBEG fails his fortitude save... Do you reveal this, or do you tell the sorcerer's player to roll 5d6 damage X 2 for the Crit?

I've been of the "give them the even hand" school where at least 3-4 times over the years, the anticlimax did occur, but there was ample festive rejoicing and great cries of Hooray...

 

[Goblyn]

Are you of the "dramatic ending must be played out, no matter what" school, or from the "let the dice lay where they fall" school...

In other words, the adventurers finally reach the inner sanctum of the BBEG, and the Sorcerer casts Disintegrate, rolls a natural 20 and confirms his critical.

The BBEG fails his fortitude save... Do you reveal this, or do you tell the sorcerer's player to roll 5d6 damage X 2 for the Crit?

I've been of the "give them the even hand" school where at least 3-4 times over the years, the anticlimax did occur, but there was ample festive rejoicing and great cries of Hooray...

I'd let the disnitegration happen; but the BBEG is so B and so E that he's able to hang on long enough to deliver some dramatic last words as his body separates into small glowing dust motes around him.

 

[wayne62682]

I am in the camp where I'd fudge a save to make the fight more enjoyable. The players will remember a knock-down, drag-out fight that they nearly lost but came through in the end much more fondly than the time Bob's Sorcerer got off a lucky Disintegrate/Save-or-Die spell and killed the BBEG in the first round (at least *I* would as a player). Just as I would fudge results for the players, I would fudge results for the BBEG to make the battle, especially what is essentially a final battle/season finale, memorable.

 

[Thurbane]

...and here I thought this was going to be a thread about monstrous flatworms!

 

[Celebrim]

It depends.

If the party has already been beaten up pretty bad on the way here, I play it for laughs. I'd say something to the effect of, "Kanos the Destroyer says, "It's too late. You can't stop me now. I'm invincible..." At that moment Vlars raises his hand a shoots forth a green bolt of light. Kanos disappears in a shimmering cloud of dust motes, leaving the beginnings of his maniacal laughter hanging ghostly in the air. Muhahahah..."

To much fudging like that can result in unfortunate player deaths, and that's worse than unfortunate NPC deaths.

If the party has already been breezing through to this point, I fudge the result. I probably have Kanos flee the scene on his next action (if he even gets it), and I resolve to better prepare for high level play next time.

 

[ThirdWizard]

It's what disintegrate does. Just like many mid-high level spells are. What's the point of disintegrate, baleful polymorph, finger of death, or the rest of the instant killers if they don't work on BBEGs. I don't fudge it when the PC wizard gets the disintegrate on the first round of combat. I don't fudge it when the BBEG does either. It's just what happens.

As an aside, this is why 1) difficult battles leading up to the BBEG and 2) instead of using one really powerful BBEG and instead a powerful BBEG with powerful cohorts are so important to high level play. The first means the PCs will use up resources on the way, and that disintegrate might need to be used ahead of time and the second that even if they do disintegrate the BBEG, there is still a fight to win.

 

[WhatGravitas]

It's what disintegrate does. Just like many mid-high level spells are. What's the point of disintegrate, baleful polymorph, finger of death, or the rest of the instant killers if they don't work on BBEGs. I don't fudge it when the PC wizard gets the disintegrate on the first round of combat. I don't fudge it when the BBEG does either. It's just what happens.

*nods*

Besides, it's fun to see a BBEG screaming "Nooooo, I wiiilll preeeevaaiiiiill....." *frz-frzs* *shhhh*

 

[Nikroecyst]

In the past I have run a sort of "Climatic" battle where the group faces a Green Dragon and its horde of hobgoblins, much like the bridge battle in Red Hand of Doom. All the PCs pressed forward and at the sight of the Dragon began to back down. But Lo! One player stepped up with bow and arrowS and fired upon the Dragon just as it was leaving its perch. He rolled a Nat 20 confirmed an dealt out MAX CRIT DMG. I nearly soiled myself as the dragon fell to the first attack in the first round of combat at double range for the weapon.

Heres what I did . . . .
The Dragon fell from the height of the tower where he was perched landing directly on bridge below. All of its minions except a few had already taken defensive possitions about the bridge. As the dragon tryed to pull itself to its feet the bridge cracked and collapsed sending all its minions (cept a couple on the opposite side) down into the gorge with it.

I decided to make the climax worthy of the ranger's courage thus making the combat memorable despite no one else getting a chance to do anything. Hopping the other players that didn't get a shot in would still feal a sense of accomplishment in the awe and excitement of the event.

Instead of all the other players, who didn't get to contribute, complaining and fealing left out they roared in excitement and congradulated the hero player.

Though this may not be exactly what you are talking about, to me, its a prime example of how to keep things interesting when something unexpected and/or unintentional pops up to potentially ruin your game.

 

[phindar]

Fall where they may.

 

[Victim]

Flukes like that are often more memorable and enjoyable then winning the conventional way.