Ok, so I have a session coming up soon and there are a few things I'm unsure about. An NPC traveling with the party is secretly a spy for the BBEG who's trying to gain information on the PC's objective before he kills them. The players where hired by an organization that rivals the BBEG's and the spy's goal is to acquire information and then kill everyone.
First, I know when the NPC will reveal that he's a spy, but I'm still unsure of how I should run this. Any tips would be appreciated.
Second, the same NPC has a magic item that he can use to alert his boss that he needs reinforcements, and that he will use once it becomes clear that the players are going to beat him. His boss will then teleport in a few rounds later with a half dozen guards. However, the boss is WAY too powerful to the players to fight, and he will probably crush them in one or two rounds if they don't flee. I know that players don't like to run away, but that's pretty much the only way to get out of this scenario alive. The players are all relatively new, having only played a few games before, how should I let them know they can run away without making it seem like I'm railroading them?
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Re: running away. Players may not think of it as an option unless they've seen their opponents do it. Of course if they have to run away, you are "railroading" them at least in this moment. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you've seen enough threads on here about how some feel about forcing players' hands when it comes to getting captured or forced to run from a fight.
All that said, why does the BBEG have to reveal themself in this moment? If the BBEG is as powered as you lay out (TPK in one or two rounds ... it'll take one or two rounds to withdraw from combat safely ...) why would they bother to personally lead a rescue team for their agent? If the spy is really that valued to the BBEG, maybe the BBG teleports in with their rescue team who are also assassins, then BBEG teleports off with their spy and let the rescue team do the dirty work. Heck, that's your reveal right there. BBEG shows up, NPC takes the side of BBEG and *poof* their gone and the PCs have to fight off their attackers before figuring out what the heck just happened. That way they can either have a balanced fight in which they have to earn it to win it, but still have a chance, or they can withdraw to get their collective head straight on the betrayal and other current events. You don't need to show off the BBEG's power any more than that. The BBEG can plant a spy and then show up out of nowhere and set formidable forces upon the PC while the BBEG and spy magically leave the scene. The players will understand the BBEG is the BBEG and has that level of power.
Re: running away. Players may not think of it as an option unless they've seen their opponents do it. Of course if they have to run away, you are "railroading" them at least in this moment. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you've seen enough threads on here about how some feel about forcing players' hands when it comes to getting captured or forced to run from a fight.
All that said, why does the BBEG have to reveal themself in this moment? If the BBEG is as powered as you lay out (TPK in one or two rounds ... it'll take one or two rounds to withdraw from combat safely ...) why would they bother to personally lead a rescue team for their agent? If the spy is really that valued to the BBEG, maybe the BBG teleports in with their rescue team who are also assassins, then BBEG teleports off with their spy and let the rescue team do the dirty work. Heck, that's your reveal right there. BBEG shows up, NPC takes the side of BBEG and *poof* their gone and the PCs have to fight off their attackers before figuring out what the heck just happened. That way they can either have a balanced fight in which they have to earn it to win it, but still have a chance, or they can withdraw to get their collective head straight on the betrayal and other current events. You don't need to show off the BBEG's power any more than that. The BBEG can plant a spy and then show up out of nowhere and set formidable forces upon the PC while the BBEG and spy magically leave the scene. The players will understand the BBEG is the BBEG and has that level of power.
Thank you so much! I'm sorry if I wasn't clear, but just to clarify, the spy's boss is the lieutenant of BBEG, not the BBEG themselves. Based on your advice, I'll probably end up having the spy crush his pendant to alert the lieutenant before combat starts, then have the lieutenant pop in with reinforcements two or three rounds into combat and then pop out again (after casting arcane eye, of course).
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
UPDATE: I ran the encounter and it went amazingly! Thanks for help, guys!
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All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
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Ok, so I have a session coming up soon and there are a few things I'm unsure about. An NPC traveling with the party is secretly a spy for the BBEG who's trying to gain information on the PC's objective before he kills them. The players where hired by an organization that rivals the BBEG's and the spy's goal is to acquire information and then kill everyone.
First, I know when the NPC will reveal that he's a spy, but I'm still unsure of how I should run this. Any tips would be appreciated.
Second, the same NPC has a magic item that he can use to alert his boss that he needs reinforcements, and that he will use once it becomes clear that the players are going to beat him. His boss will then teleport in a few rounds later with a half dozen guards. However, the boss is WAY too powerful to the players to fight, and he will probably crush them in one or two rounds if they don't flee. I know that players don't like to run away, but that's pretty much the only way to get out of this scenario alive. The players are all relatively new, having only played a few games before, how should I let them know they can run away without making it seem like I'm railroading them?
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Re: running away. Players may not think of it as an option unless they've seen their opponents do it. Of course if they have to run away, you are "railroading" them at least in this moment. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you've seen enough threads on here about how some feel about forcing players' hands when it comes to getting captured or forced to run from a fight.
All that said, why does the BBEG have to reveal themself in this moment? If the BBEG is as powered as you lay out (TPK in one or two rounds ... it'll take one or two rounds to withdraw from combat safely ...) why would they bother to personally lead a rescue team for their agent? If the spy is really that valued to the BBEG, maybe the BBG teleports in with their rescue team who are also assassins, then BBEG teleports off with their spy and let the rescue team do the dirty work. Heck, that's your reveal right there. BBEG shows up, NPC takes the side of BBEG and *poof* their gone and the PCs have to fight off their attackers before figuring out what the heck just happened. That way they can either have a balanced fight in which they have to earn it to win it, but still have a chance, or they can withdraw to get their collective head straight on the betrayal and other current events. You don't need to show off the BBEG's power any more than that. The BBEG can plant a spy and then show up out of nowhere and set formidable forces upon the PC while the BBEG and spy magically leave the scene. The players will understand the BBEG is the BBEG and has that level of power.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Thank you so much! I'm sorry if I wasn't clear, but just to clarify, the spy's boss is the lieutenant of BBEG, not the BBEG themselves. Based on your advice, I'll probably end up having the spy crush his pendant to alert the lieutenant before combat starts, then have the lieutenant pop in with reinforcements two or three rounds into combat and then pop out again (after casting arcane eye, of course).
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
UPDATE: I ran the encounter and it went amazingly! Thanks for help, guys!
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.