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

[I'm A Banana]

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?

Hmmm...as the BBEG, I've lost this fight. Regardless of who I take out, I get taken out.

• If I kill the cleric, one of the other three hits me and I die. They then give the cleric a potion at their leisure.
• If I kill the rogue, wizard, or fighter, the cleric just yo-yo's them, and one of the two who can take an action take me out.

So, depending on what my motives are, I might not attack. If I'm intelligent and a worthy adversary, I would likely use my safe movement and then dash to get out of range of the rogue. Live to fight another day.

If I'm in a final last stand, but I am smart enough to realize it, I might take a hostage. Wizard is a good candidate there, as they're not likely to be able to out-grapple me, I'd stop them from casting their spells, and I could arguably use the wizard as cover against the rogue.

If I'm in a final last stand, and I don't realize it, I hit the biggest threat - the fighter - and go down as the rogue or wizard eliminate me.

If I'm in my final last stand and I have some personal vendetta against one of the PC's, I take that one out - good character moment - before getting taken out myself.

 

[Burnside]

I probably take out the cleric. At this point, the BBEG is hoping to escape, and doesn't want the party pursuing, and REALLY doesn't want them pursuing with all 4 members.

 

[Distracted DM]

Hmmm...as the BBEG, I've lost this fight. Regardless of who I take out, I get taken out.

• If I kill the cleric, one of the other three hits me and I die. They then give the cleric a potion at their leisure.
• If I kill the rogue, wizard, or fighter, the cleric just yo-yo's them, and one of the two who can take an action take me out.

So, depending on what my motives are, I might not attack. If I'm intelligent and a worthy adversary, I would likely use my safe movement and then dash to get out of range of the rogue. Live to fight another day.

If I'm in a final last stand, but I am smart enough to realize it, I might take a hostage. Wizard is a good candidate there, as they're not likely to be able to out-grapple me, I'd stop them from casting their spells, and I could arguably use the wizard as cover against the rogue.

If I'm in a final last stand, and I don't realize it, I hit the biggest threat - the fighter - and go down as the rogue or wizard eliminate me.

If I'm in my final last stand and I have some personal vendetta against one of the PC's, I take that one out - good character moment - before getting taken out myself.

With PC capabilities I don't get how the BBEG is supposed to get away in this scenario without something that will completely remove them from the area, like plane shift, teleport, at LEAST dimension door, or a magic portal that'll shut off as soon as he passes through.
Unless these are tier1 PCs that have somehow almost defeated the BBEG, they can run and dash and who-knows-what to end up next to him again next turn.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The villain dashes for the self destruct switch, then cackles “if I’m not getting out of this, then neither are you (Mua ha ha ha)”.

 

[CleverNickName]

The villain dashes for the self destruct switch, then cackles “if I’m not getting out of this, then neither are you (Mua ha ha ha)”.

Spoiler

The villain clears her throat and carefully says, "I wish you to end" and the scene fades to black.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

Well according to the scenario any PC cab kill the BBEG. So honestly I won't think we have enough info.

i don't think it's a matter of not having enough info. i think it's a matter of this BBEG being completely screwed.

 

[TheSword]

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.

I see zero hp as being badly wounded and unable to fight. They’re not coherent and not able to act. For me it doesn’t mean dead - or even about to die. Just that there is a chance.

 

[I'm A Banana]

With PC capabilities I don't get how the BBEG is supposed to get away in this scenario without something that will completely remove them from the area, like plane shift, teleport, at LEAST dimension door, or a magic portal that'll shut off as soon as he passes through.
Unless these are tier1 PCs that have somehow almost defeated the BBEG, they can run and dash and who-knows-what to end up next to him again next turn.

I mean, it's a hypothetical. Any actual scenario will be able to answer the question of if the Big Bad can escape or not in that actual scenario. Hypothetically, that's what I'm looking at as a DM in this situation - a way to escape. BBEG has lost. Taking out a PC is going to be at most a speedbump. If I've got goals and schemes I want to accomplish, the best use of my action is not to take out a PC.

 

[Reynard]

I mean, it's a hypothetical. Any actual scenario will be able to answer the question of if the Big Bad can escape or not in that actual scenario. Hypothetically, that's what I'm looking at as a DM in this situation - a way to escape. BBEG has lost. Taking out a PC is going to be at most a speedbump. If I've got goals and schemes I want to accomplish, the best use of my action is not to take out a PC.

It's almost like the white space in the hypothetical is intentionally there to get folks to answer in interesting ways.

 

[James Gasik]

I drop the Fighter over the Rogue because he's more dangerous than the Rogue, and if I want to go back and harry the party later (personally and/or with minions), they'll be weaker without him at full strength, which he likely will be since he has the most hit points that need recovering.

I don't drop the Cleric or the Wizard over the Fighter because I can only guess what they may or may not be able to do. I know what the Fighter can do in this instant.