Proud of myself - letting a big bad go down.

[RangerWickett]

Last night's session was an entertaining one, and I'm proud of myself. The group captured a bad guy who was trying to kill them. They interrogated him, tortured him a little, felt like they were in charge. And then the guy slipped out of his bonds, hit them all with a spell that caused wracking pains, stole the plot-important item, and fled.

The group followed, trying to catch the guy, and I'm amused, because he's a big bad villain, and he's equipped with optimal 'recurring bad guy' magic, like teleportation. Unfortunately, while they're attacking him, he fumbles his attempt to planeshift away. Rolls a natural 1, which in the magic system I'm using for the game means that the spell goes awry. The villain is a blood-mage, so he ends up shattering his own limbs and knocking himself unconscious.

The group then proceeds to really beat the crap out of him, charm him up, interrogate the hell out of him, and then kill him. So now the party knows half the secret plot that I was planning to reveal much later, and one of my major bad guys is dead due to a fumble. I could easily have said that the mishap just hurt him a little, since the rules on mishaps are slightly up to GM fiat, but I knew that an escaping villain would be too irritating, so I let him go down.

 

[Crothian]

Good for you, nothing wrong with a big bad going down ealry. Lets the players feel like they have done something good

 

[philreed]

I could easily have said that the mishap just hurt him a little, since the rules on mishaps are slightly up to GM fiat, but I knew that an escaping villain would be too irritating, so I let him go down.

Sounds cool. I know how tough it can be to let a favorite villain die but sometimes it's best for the game.

And besides, anyone with that much power probably has some powerful minions that have been waiting for a chance to take control. What kind of damage will a power struggle between minions inflict on the campaign and players? What better way to prove that you should assume the leader position than by besting those that defeated your former master?

 

[Rl'Halsinor]

Very good DMing. Sounds like a cool campaign as well. It will be interesting to see the modifications that you will now come up with.

 

[Wormwood]

Nicely done, sir! There is no aspect of DMing that I find more difficult than allowing a great villain to die.

No joke, it really is difficult—but the players love it.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I salute you, sir.

 

[the Jester]

Well done, RW!

Many a dm would not allow their favorite villain to die early. A good dm- a great dm- will adapt their intentions to the actions of the pcs.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

My grand finale climax went like that on Thursday. I'm moving, so we were rounding out the SWRPG game ... they've been hunting one of their fellow padawans for some time (everybody is 6th, almost 7th, we were going to get them to knighthood).

The whole revolved around getting this guy to drive the Force Wraith inhabiting him out of his body ... on a planet full of people inhabited by wraith-possessed people. I was expecting them to fight him down, role play a bit, and eventually all Aid Another on Force Light checks to burn the wraith ...

I spent an hour coming up with the adventure layout for the evening, laid out the dark-side temple, built the main room with columns of differing heights and platforms and a pool with a raised dias ... a bunch of initiate jedi to fight, a big-bad jedi instructor, and Ovan Tarr (the fellow they were there to save) as one of the more powerful students.

I pictured a stunning combat, jedi-jumping from pillar to pillar Wudan style, flashing sabers, evil monologues, etc.

So the Dark Instructor gave his prepared evil speech, the characters implored Ovan Tarr to come with them, were spurned ... everybody had the moment of grimacing "Jedi Buff" round ... some padawans came wudan-ing across the 'water hazard' with flashing sabers, several more went skipping up the pillars dramatically ...

The Ithorian Healer took a move in and targeted Ovan with Malacia ... what we came to call "The Jedi Brown Note". Spent a Force point for a huge roll, got the top save DC, and even with a good save Ovan blew it by 1 and was Stunned for 2d6 rounds (5). So he's out of the combat. The next round the padawans came skipping in again, one blows a jump roll on a 1 and falls in the pond. Not "cool" at all. Then another blows his jump roll with a 1 and falls off a pillar ... my dramatic scenario is starting to go down hill. The Ithorian decides to burn through his VP and uses Heroic Surge to whack a nearby "Tough Padawan" with Malacia ... who goes down for 2d6 (4) and a Full Round action to target the Instructor across the room, who goes down for 8 rounds. It's now down to the party vs. the weakest padawans in the room and a handfull of battle droids. The party Force Pushes the padawans away and Prone, one grabs Ovan and tosses him over his shoulders, and they run out the door.



Wasn't quite the drama I was looking for. One PC gives most of the enemy a stomach ache and they grab their target and flee while the rest of the enemy flounders around in the water. The players loved it, though. They were in stitches. So I'm glad they had fun with it.

--fje

 

[the Jester]

I find that often the best games go wildly differently than I'd planned, and what makes 'em the best games is that I'm willing to let them go where the pcs lead.

 

[William Ronald]

Well done, RangerWickett!

I think that it is important to give PCs a chance to exceed your expectations -- which they did by taking out one of your favorite villains. So, I think thet the players should be proud of their victory. However, their victory may well set other things in motion.

Someone in the villain's organization may take over -- and there may be a power struggle that the PCs may take advantage of in attacking the organization. Similarly, the villain may have arranged to have someone avenge his death -- whether his on operatives or an assassin on retainer. Worse, the villain may have been keeping someone else occupied. He, she, or they may move in on the organization of the old enemy -- or even help the PCs. Mind you, this help may well be something the PCs will later regret, possibly exchanging one foe for another. (Of course, an enterprising group of PCs could learn of such a threat, point their old foe's organization to the new enemy, and have them fight it out.)