How do you make an NPC stay dead?

[Epametheus]

Stone to Flesh, and then toss the statue into a portable hole.

?: Is it possible to plain shift into a portable hole?

If you're evil, you could also use Create Undead to turn the dead guy into some wimpy monstrosity that's under your control. And then you Screen it or something so that it can't be found by divination.

Imprisonment also isn't bad -- it takes a Wish/Miracle just to find the schmuck.

Though when the DM gives the baddies infinite resources (and fanatically loyal minions), there just isn't much the players can do to get rid of the nuisance.

 

[bret]

Flesh to Stone.

Permanent Magic Mouth on the Statue.

Everytime any sentient being comes close to the statue, have it recite "I am a big, incompentent fool. I've been killed so many times by The Party (TM), that they have lost count. I have no idea why my allies keep bringing me back, considering how many failures I've had."

Unveil the statue someplace that is likely to have a lot of bards. Donate it to a paladin with a sense of humor.

Even if the BBEG does come back again, he is going to be the laughing stock of the community.

Each time you encounter him after that, always start with "So how many times have we defeated you? I've lost track." If done as an intimidate, it is likely to make his thugs decide someplace else is the place to be.

 

[Li Shenron]

Unfortunately, if your DM has played the "divine intervention" card, he's probably determined to keep this NPC alive. It's entirely possible that he'll keep finding some way to bring the guy back no matter what you do.

You said it. You are never going to kill him, anyway, no matter which tactic, or rule you point out, once a DM uses "divine intervention" against the PCs, there is no way to beat it.

Try to figure out if the DM is not doing it against the PCs, maybe it is fundamental to the plot, and finding the ONLY way in the universe to kill the NPC is the source of fun for the rest of the campaign. Otherwise, if he IS using it to just screw up every tactic of yours, let him play his game alone

 

[Xarlen]

Hit him with so many negative levels he turns into a Wight. Unleash a whole lot of Shadows on him.

Make him an undead, in essence. You can't come back after you are an undead.

 

[AuraSeer]

Hit him with so many negative levels he turns into a Wight. Unleash a whole lot of Shadows on him.

Make him an undead, in essence. You can't come back after you are an undead.

This is not correct. Only Raise Dead has that restriction.

Resurrection, True Resurrection, and even Reincarnation will still work.

 

[Caliban]

Animate the body and walk it into a Dead Magic area.

He can't be raised or resurrected as long as the body is undead, and they won't be able to locate it via scrying or summon it as long as it's in the Dead Magic Zone.


Animate just the head and put it in your bag/haversack/portable hole. Then put it in another one, and it will cause a rift and be forever lost.

 

[SimonMoon5]

Borrow a sphere of annihilation and drop the bad guy in it. Anyone killed by a SoA can only be returned by direct intervention of a deity.

Oh wait, if your DM is already using deity intervention, that doesn't work so well...

 

[Tiberius]

2. Ask the DM to let you research a spell that ages someone. Don't tell him it's for his NPC. Once you die of old age, you don't come back.

Not quite accurate. Only the clerical spells (and apparently Clone) have this restriction. Reincarnate does not. MotW specifically states that a druid may restore youth and life to one who has died of old age.

-Tiberius