http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheManBehindTheMan

This was done very well at the conclusion of the Star Wars New Jedi Order series.

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The solution is more in what the villain will choose to use, and how, than it is in wimping him out (either by letting the PCs gain more levels or by reducing his levels). There’s a difference between withholding and choosing for valid reasons to keep something in reserve.

I don’t think there’s much of a distinction. If I’m the villain and you and your friends — people who have been foiling me for months — wander in, I’m going to hit ya with a nuke, not a squirt-gun and work my way up. Tactics in the MM and advice in the DMG recommend (urge?) the DM to unleash the best powers first. What villain worth his salt would do anything less? It’s even advised that powerful creatures use their action point in the first round to really nail ‘em. It wouldn’t take much changing for the person asking for advice to even the playing field a bit in terms of level or powers chosen. However, if the villain has it, they should use it. Don’t give an enemy something you won’t use is my philosophy. :)

Again, your plans seem predicated on this being the first encounter with the villain and not the grand finale of the campaign.

Not at all, but the grand finale simply seems to be coming too early, or will be one that’s either wimped out on or result in a TPK. It’s why we’re all trying to help. People just have different perspectives.

I like the idea of adding environmental things to aid PCs, though. As you said, Mike, that could even the playing field, if PCs are wise enough to think outside the box and look for such advantages.

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@Robert: That’s exactly the sort of thing that I was advocating. Don’t hand the PCs the victory on a platter, but do give them the opportunity to shift the tactical situation to one more of their liking – if they are smart enough! I’m not convinced by the anime-style powerups, though. It’s already hard enough to balance a huge encounter like this without introducing additional variables like “will this PC accept a powerup or not?”, and I’m not sure whether or not that would monkey with the suspension of disbelief – if you havn’t been offering these things (at this price) all along.

@Everyone: it’s worth remembering that the solutions offered work best when you’ve laid the foundations well in advance. Throwing all this stuff in at the eleventh hour is three times as much work and only ever half as satisfying & convincing. It’s also worth planting a few seeds for a sequel campaign sometime down the track…

Personally, I have always been a fan of invincible BBEG’s. Nothing the PC’s can do will harm them, that is until they find a way to strip them of their power. After that, simply reduce them to some level that would make them maybe 1-2 CR above the party level and go all out. That may be because a lot of the games I have played in ended up with BBEG’s like that, but it also gives me an excuse to have the BBEG withhold his power at first (he is invincible, what could those insects do to him?) without making the players feel cheated. Then when they strip him of his invincibility, all of a sudden desperation kicks in and he goes all out in a believable way.

Another cool method for the final fight (just the fight, not the dungeon crawl leading up to it) I have seen done is Anime-style powerups and second winds. The DM gave us all the ability to power up during the last fight via magic items, but at a price: after the powerup wears off, you die. And I think he only allowed the players to stay powered up for a number of rounds equal to some calculation he did on their remaining lifespans. This is perfect as well since it allows for those heroic deaths that 50%+ of the party always seems to want!

My response is slightly simpler. The PCs are level 20, and the villain sounds like he’s a bit higher and that’s where the issue is. Personally, it’s always better to go with an encounter that is tough and all out rather than impossible and withheld. The situation described makes it sound like the villain prepared would wipe the floor with the PCs. Frankly, this tells me the villain is coming onto the scene too soon. If you hold back and don’t go all out, you cheat the players of something they’ve been working a long time towards. If you go all out and wipe them in two or three rounds, you cheat the players of something they’ve been working a long time towards.

There are three solutions: 1) add more between the villain the PCs. Give them time to become more powerful before they confront the villain directly. 2) reduce the power of the villain, or give the PCs some sort of neutralizing power (such as breaking the Sceptre of the Gods near the villain will weaken his magical prowess for X number of rounds). 3) lower the villain’s level.

As I said, the situation seems imbalanced, and the question is a matter of kicking the snot out of the PCs or wimping out and cheating the PCs of a victory they want to win themselves. Fix the power differential and the problem will fix itself.

If the campaign has been building to this, the villain should NEVER withhold. The players will really feel cheated. My suggestion is to let the PCs close the power gap, either by gaining a few more levels or finding something to cause a weakening of the villain. If the GM isn’t super attached to what he has in terms of the villain’s current build, you can also just knock a few levels off him/her.

I also agree with Satyre: have them face the villain only to have the villain pull the building down on them. (This goes a bit with my #1 above – gives the players a chance to gain some more levels.) Let them see some of his powers in a situation that won’t result in their demise. The next time they meet him, they know some of what he’s capable of and are forewarned. If they still rush in unprepared and are annihilated… well…

Rafe’s last blog post..Let loose the Dogs of God!

1. Another thing to consider is if your big bad is hands-on or delegates; imagine the luckless apprentice dispatched to deal with the PCs! Then imagine the powerful fiend the big bad just conjured. How might each deal with the oncoming threat of the PCs?

2. I second the run away to fight another day – a method used by enduring villains e.g. The Merovingian from The Matrix movies who leaves the heroes in a room full of bodyguards while he goes elsewhere to do something equally important.

3. Also the last fight need not be fatal to the villain but can really put an epic crimp in their day (e.g. Darth Vader in Star Wars). Don’t be shy of giving xp for defeat rather than death; having them fall into a bottomless abyss may not be the end…

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