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Villains that are supposed to escape
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<blockquote data-quote="coolAlias" data-source="post: 7625852" data-attributes="member: 6998948"><p>I may be late to the party (i.e. only read first page of thread so far), but if you go this route, you should always be prepared for your PCs to not only still defeat the villain, but now also have a Ring of Spell Storing.</p><p></p><p>A guideline I believe I read in 2e AD&D's Complete Book of Villains (excellent book for any edition, btw) is if you want your villain to live, don't have them fight.</p><p></p><p>Instead, have them counter the players as much as possible out of combat, for example by using their influence to impose bureaucratic pressures such as being denied permission to do {x} by the local magistrate, or by interfering with the people the PCs rely on for supplies / training / etc.</p><p></p><p>If combat is inevitable, the villain doesn't fight - his henchmen do. The villain is already high-tailing it out of there because it's not worth the risk. Preferably they're gone before the PCs even get there - villains typically keep tabs on the whereabouts and doings of dangerous enemies, and there isn't anything more dangerous to a villain than a PC.</p><p></p><p>When the PCs do finally catch the villain, they should still have an escape plan - lackeys to run interference, secret passages to escape through, etc., but the villain's fate at this point is up to the roll of the dice and player decisions, vs. what the story as written thinks it requires.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="coolAlias, post: 7625852, member: 6998948"] I may be late to the party (i.e. only read first page of thread so far), but if you go this route, you should always be prepared for your PCs to not only still defeat the villain, but now also have a Ring of Spell Storing. A guideline I believe I read in 2e AD&D's Complete Book of Villains (excellent book for any edition, btw) is if you want your villain to live, don't have them fight. Instead, have them counter the players as much as possible out of combat, for example by using their influence to impose bureaucratic pressures such as being denied permission to do {x} by the local magistrate, or by interfering with the people the PCs rely on for supplies / training / etc. If combat is inevitable, the villain doesn't fight - his henchmen do. The villain is already high-tailing it out of there because it's not worth the risk. Preferably they're gone before the PCs even get there - villains typically keep tabs on the whereabouts and doings of dangerous enemies, and there isn't anything more dangerous to a villain than a PC. When the PCs do finally catch the villain, they should still have an escape plan - lackeys to run interference, secret passages to escape through, etc., but the villain's fate at this point is up to the roll of the dice and player decisions, vs. what the story as written thinks it requires. [/QUOTE]
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