Reasons for the BBEG not to kill the party

[veven]

My players are approaching their first confrontation with the BBEG and chances are he will mop the floor with them. He has shown no hesitation to kill people before. He really has no morals at all since his plot is to destroy the after life and his sins won't matter if he succeeds. He is really intelligent and I can't imagine him sparing them just because he is cocky.

Any ideas?

[INoKnowNames]

Hm... that's a bit of a tough one... biggest thing is that his plans require one or more of them, so he has to let them live... for now.

Alternatively, they might need saving by a 3rd party. This guy doesn't seem like he'd be very popular....

[Jerthanis]

One common motivation is that he wants the PCs to agree with him. He thinks they are powerful and would make useful agents, and his belief that his goals are justified and for the betterment of all means he believes that they can be convinced.

Alternatively, you could have some plot Macguffin that he needs fall into their hands, and them hide it away. He might want to keep them alive because he doesn't know which PC knows where it is, and that might give them time to escape after being captured.

Or you could just have him encounter them somewhere neutral, knock the PCs out, have him leave, then have NPCs arrive and stabilize them.

[TheSummoner]

Have the area they encounter the BBEG in be unstable. They fight, they get their butts handed to them, but the battle makes things begin to collapse. Debris separates the group from the BBEG, preventing him from going in for the kill and they have to get away before being buried in rubble.

[ReaderAt2046]

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In a campaign I am running, I plan to have the BBEG capture the heroes and tell them all about his plan. Thing is, this actually makes sense in a twisted sort of way, since the whole reason he's in this plan is to prove to the whole world that the crazy spell he's invented actually works. He's only working in secret because the spell is still not fully functional. The PCs will be the first witnesses to the casting of the finished version.

[veven]

Have the area they encounter the BBEG in be unstable. They fight, they get their butts handed to them, but the battle makes things begin to collapse. Debris separates the group from the BBEG, preventing him from going in for the kill and they have to get away before being buried in rubble.

This encounter will take place in an ancient underground temple so this is pretty much perfect!

One of my players is going to be a necropolitan by the time of the encounter. Other than Halt Undead, what spells would be useful in incapacitating, but not destroying undead? He has 2nd level Wizard spells and 3rd level cleric spells.

[JoshuaZ]

Another classic reason is for the BBEG to need one of them alive later for some prophecy to fulfill. This is a cheapshot sometimes but can work if done right. Another option which is having the BBEG be secretly related to one of the PCs (only do this one if you think the player really won't mind- to some people this will feel like dictating backstory once it comes out).

[invinible]

Have the death of any of the party characters basically undo all the work of the BBEG and not bringing those same characters back to life when they are killed to prevent the BBEG from being able to cause any damage to the after life plus make sure the BBEG knows those details.

[Techwarrior]

Have the Big Bad be In the middle of a long ritual that they have to finish before the 'insert cliche about eclipse here' The big bad doesn't have time to actually kill them, but messing them up really badly and making it clear he still had most of his resources works pretty well.

I had a long-running campaign in which the BBEG was a Cambion who wanted to kill his father for abandoning him on the Prime Material. The father was the most powerful general in all of hell. The party enters the ritual chamber to find the Cambion in the middle of the ritual neccasary to get to hell. Plane Shift requires a material component who's availability is specifically left to the DM, and all of the material neccasary to get to hell had been destroyed by the party.

The party fights his guards and summoned minions until the ritual is completed. Then the Cambion looks around in disgust and concludes he has three rounds to take out the PCs. Each one was in negatives, or otherwise incapable of action, except the rogue by the end of the 3 rounds. The Cambion told him he'd come back for the party when he was done killing (name of father). The wizard 'reminded' everyone who that was later, and they began to get really paranoid about seeing him again. They had been almost killed by a Marilith a level ago. The Cambion's father was the most powerful Marilith in hell.

[Slipperychicken]

He wants to mentally Dominate the party, and use them for his own ends. After all, the PCs are some pretty strong guys, having taken out quite a few of his own minions. Too bad the "Dominator" needs to sleep and refresh his spells right now, so he has to stick the PCs in prison (giving them time to mount an escape, of course).

Maybe he just wants to torture/humiliate them, because he's some kind of messed-up sadist, or was abused as a child, or something similar.

Killing them would let the PCs' allies rez them, and the BBEG would have to fight them again. He can't take that chance.


Even Commoners under the DMG2 Mob template on become a Grapple-monster, sporting a +34 to Grapple. Maybe the Mob of minions just dogpiles the PCs and ties them up (binding mouths and stripping them of useful-looking items, of course).

[ghost_warlock]

The BBEG's plot actually requires that he sacrifice himself to be successful (possibly with a resurrection/reincarnation clause of some time) so the PCs are actually doing his bidding by killing him. Of course, it won't do to let them know that so he'll still put up a fight and maybe take a couple of them out.

[Bouregard]

Maybe he wants to ransom the party to someone else? Even the BBEG needs cash.

[Killer Angel]

My players are approaching their first confrontation with the BBEG and chances are he will mop the floor with them. He has shown no hesitation to kill people before. He really has no morals at all since his plot is to destroy the after life and his sins won't matter if he succeeds. He is really intelligent and I can't imagine him sparing them just because he is cocky.

Any ideas?

He wants them to live, ‘cause he wants to use them. As unknowing tools and messengers.
He fears that someone (stronger than the PCs) will interfere with his evil plan, so he needs to spread false rumors, to deviate unrequested attentions. The PCs are perfect, he’ll do some bbeg’s speech, revealing the “plan”, or he’ll let them put their hand on some “secret clue”.
This way, he’ll gain time (and he can also scry the ones that will follow the false clues)

[hymer]

Maybe it's time they realize they're in over their heads and should back down rather than confront BBEG? Could be made dramatic, overly so if you want it to. :)

[supermonkeyjoe]

If his evil plot is to destroy the afterlife do the PCs know this? If so then he may not want anyone with that knowledge getting there first to warn whoever or whatever makes sure the afterlife keeps doing what it does. He may just want to capture the PCs and imprison them until he succeeds.

[Scowling Dragon]

This encounter will take place in an ancient underground temple so this is pretty much perfect!

One of my players is going to be a necropolitan by the time of the encounter. Other than Halt Undead, what spells would be useful in incapacitating, but not destroying undead? He has 2nd level Wizard spells and 3rd level cleric spells.

This is actually genius. The players can defeat him if they play smart and destroy the environment instead of just smash and bashing.

[nedz]

He's intelligent, but is he wise ?
Also, is he Genre Savvy ?

If the answer to both of those questions is NO, then one or more entries from this table should suffice.

I believe that, in certain games, a d% might be appropriate.

[ReaderAt2046]

Another classic reason is for the BBEG to need one of them alive later for some prophecy to fulfill. This is a cheapshot sometimes but can work if done right. Another option which is having the BBEG be secretly related to one of the PCs (only do this one if you think the player really won't mind- to some people this will feel like dictating backstory once it comes out).

I'm pretty sure that's what's going on in anti-Heroes, as it's the only remotely rational explanation for why Arderas would give Aldran the location and let them go. (Presumably Aldran is the only one who can open the prison, and he'll have to do so to kill Arderas.)

[Water_Bear]

If it's early enough in the campaign, the BBEG might be indifferent to them anyway.

Think about it; you're a powerful Evil mofo trying to put some plot together, keeping the big fish (Kings/High-level Adventurers/Gods) off of your trail, gathering macguffins for your dark rituals, managing anywhere from dozens to thousands of minions and likely at least one stronghold. And then while you're doing some errands 4-8 low level peons jump out and yell "Taste Steel Fiend!" You're not going to take any more time than you need to brushing past them and getting whatever it was your were there for in the first place and leaving, and who cares if they survive? They're a random encounter and you get xp just for defeating them.

The surest way I've found to get Players to want a villain dead is not taking their characters seriously. Making them earn the villain's respect through their actions gives a better underdog feel and adds a layer of badass nonchalance to the villain. After all, it's not like the BBEG knows they're the main characters.

[JohnnyCancer]

Give the party a chance to get some leverage over the BBEG so that the villain is less inclined to outright kill them.

[Driderman]

My players are approaching their first confrontation with the BBEG and chances are he will mop the floor with them. He has shown no hesitation to kill people before. He really has no morals at all since his plot is to destroy the after life and his sins won't matter if he succeeds. He is really intelligent and I can't imagine him sparing them just because he is cocky.

Any ideas?

Depending on your setting's take on resurrection and such, how about you just let him kill them and then have them brought back to life by (and logically indebted to) a third party?

[turkey901]

I guess it depends on the level discrepancy. If we are talking about a bunch of level 5's running into a level 14 big bad then we have to think why he shouldnt be interested in doing the job right.

I would either go with;

Kill the players and rez them by a 3rd party (as mentioned previously)

Have him busy with something and only pay a modicum of attention to the PC's ( a mage could just cast summon monster etc )

He sends a minion(s) of high enough level to challenge the party while he walks away

Or if you REALLY want to play the deviousness, maybe he needs some item, "the sword that killed the evil deity he wants to bring back but King Kick-a** in awesome town has that sword locked down," but if he pretends to be after something else, something that he knows this item would be used to stop this fake plan, then he could lay a false trail forcing the PC's to obtain the item and walk it past all the defenses into the open where he can steal it from them. So keeping the PC's alive makes perfect sense, he cant send his own agents in this way since magical detection would easily reveal duplicity.

[Dimers]

The BBEG wants to keep them all as underdressed dancing slaves.

Especially the Initiate of the Seven Veils.

[TheOOB]

If the PC's know the encounter is too tough for them, and go into it anyways(assuming they have a choice), kill them. Actions must have consequences.

Otherwise, a Geas spell makes for a wonderful reason to keep the players alive, give them some sort of mission, and use magic(or threats to something) to make them do it. Make it something the villian could never do without the help of goodie goodie heroes.

[AuraTwilight]

He's in it for the philosophical victory. He wants to keep them, and all other heroes of their ilk, alive until after he succeeds so that they can spend the rest of their lives waiting for oblivion and nihilism.

[Vaz]

Does cocky necessarily equal arrogance? Can he not have the intention to just use them as pawns? Is he new tk his power? Are the PC's the Mystery Gang from Scooby Doo? If so, perhaps he can attempt to direct them into an antrain of thought simply because he can?

[TheOOB]

In any case, I'd avoid having him not kill the heroes because they're no threat to him, or he's arrogant, a stupid BBEG is not a threatening BBEG. At least make them deliver his demands to some king somewhere.

[Slipperychicken]

Maybe he wants to sell them to the slavers. After all, the PCs are full of energy and clearly quite able to work, maybe serve as fodder for the arena (or provide other, ickier services ). There might also be a bounty on their heads, and someone wants them alive. Or someone just wants to eat them for dinner. It would be an awful waste to kill these strong, handsome youngsters when someone out there is willing to pay a good price for them.

If the PCs don't manage to escape, they might be bought and freed by their allies. They might have to fight their way out of a coliseum, escape prison, break out from some cannibalistic kitchen, or liberate themselves from some corrupt slave-brothel.

[paladinofshojo]

Well, there's always the Lich King from WoW Wrath.... You meet him several different times in Northrend, thwarting his lieutenants and underlings. But all he ever does is simply appear, scoff you and let's you live, and leaves, claiming he can kill you whenever he wants. Of course he does prove he can kill you when you and your raid enter Icecrown citadel and he one shots the whole lot of you. His plan was that he wanted to kill you all at your strongest so that he can raise you all to be his vanguard to conquer the whole of Azeroth in the name of the Scourge. It would have worked if it wasn't for that meddling paladin Tirion Fordring....

[holywhippet]

1) Throw some high level henchmen at the party before they confront the BBEG. Make it a brutal fight that will leave them badly beaten (hopefully) in order to convince them to reatreat as they are outmatched.

2) Have a third party teleport them to safety before they are wiped out.

3) Hit them with something like baleful polymorph to force them to run for it.

4) Have him make a deal with some slavers. He might capture the PCs and sell them as arena gladiators in exchange for something.