How do you capture a wizard?

[Talakeal]

Let us look to the Movies and Television. Often, the hero is a very powerful person that if the BBEG took on in a direct fight, he would loose. (Unless the Hero was weak or plucky, and then it the power of the plot which does the heavy lifting)

Regardless, somehow, the hero manages to get captured...a lot...while often managing to break free of prison later, there is something that almost universally employed to get a hero to surrender and come quietly without resisting.

Hostages. Innocent villagers. Children, puppies. You name it, the hero usually comes willingly to be put in prison only to break out and rescue the hostages later.

It's a time honored trope and ones I don't think DM's use enough of. If your players are running actual hero's, use it against them. Have the Big Bads torture, main and capture innocents and the hero's will come running.

Have them show via divination spells just how powerless their victims are and if the PC's don't disarm and come quietly, we'll just kill one per minute.

Works great on hero's and Paladins.

Not so effective on Neutrals unless it has something personal to do with them. "come will us, druid, or we burn down your grove!"

Totally ineffective against evil's as they may want to watch or help out.


Why overpower PC's when you can have them give up willingly?

:)

I once had a BBEG force a direct confrontation with one of the PCs by having them threaten (and intend to carry through on) killing every person the PC ever met, from their friends and family to the employees of the businesses they patronize, to the people they simply say hello to on the street.