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<blockquote data-quote="gamerprinter" data-source="post: 5826711" data-attributes="member: 50895">I don't do it often, but when I have needs for a reoccurring bad guy, he never directly fights the PCs, as it's certainly possible that he'll be killed in such a conflict. Dead bad guys tend not to reoccur. As a boss, he directs others to attacking the PCs while he watches long enough to see the combat progressing, then he disappears before the combat is complete - often he disappears after the first round of combat.&nbsp;Each time he reappears, he has tougher minions to do the combat, but always watching from a distance, before leaving the scene.&nbsp;If you want someone to 'reoccur', it's never smart to put them into direct combat with the PCs, as there is always a good chance the bad guy will lose the fight. As long as the PCs know that the bad guy is organizing and commanding over the minion force, they'll hate him and recognize him as a primary target. He needn't actually fight with the PCs for the party to know him.&nbsp;At some point later in the campaign, the opportunity for direct combat will occur, and perhaps the bad guy will even have a planned escape, but this is when chance might get in the way for him to finally be killed. Of course, if successful, he could possibly kill a PC and escape once more, or the PCs win and end him right there.&nbsp;IOW, prevent direct combat with your reoccurring bad guy, until you're ready for the party to win - even then nothing is for sure, but if you put him in direct combat at the start, as you've discovered in your first attempt, he might not live long enough to reoccur. Avoid combat with the PCs - this is key.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="gamerprinter, post: 5826711, member: 50895"] I don't do it often, but when I have needs for a reoccurring bad guy, he never directly fights the PCs, as it's certainly possible that he'll be killed in such a conflict. Dead bad guys tend not to reoccur. As a boss, he directs others to attacking the PCs while he watches long enough to see the combat progressing, then he disappears before the combat is complete - often he disappears after the first round of combat. Each time he reappears, he has tougher minions to do the combat, but always watching from a distance, before leaving the scene. If you want someone to 'reoccur', it's never smart to put them into direct combat with the PCs, as there is always a good chance the bad guy will lose the fight. As long as the PCs know that the bad guy is organizing and commanding over the minion force, they'll hate him and recognize him as a primary target. He needn't actually fight with the PCs for the party to know him. At some point later in the campaign, the opportunity for direct combat will occur, and perhaps the bad guy will even have a planned escape, but this is when chance might get in the way for him to finally be killed. Of course, if successful, he could possibly kill a PC and escape once more, or the PCs win and end him right there. IOW, prevent direct combat with your reoccurring bad guy, until you're ready for the party to win - even then nothing is for sure, but if you put him in direct combat at the start, as you've discovered in your first attempt, he might not live long enough to reoccur. Avoid combat with the PCs - this is key. [/QUOTE]

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