Why does the BBEG always delegate?

CandyLaser · Jul 7, 2024

overgeeked said:
Sort of, but not really. I’ve seen the “learn to run” thing and said it myself. I’ve never seen anyone suggest having the BBEG attack the PCs at low level because of that statement. It’s mostly as CandyLaser suggests, they’re busy, they’re arrogant, and they delegate the task.

Actually, I quite enjoy having the BBEG attack the PCs early on, as long as you can make it happen in a way where PC death isn't the inevitable result. In Fellowship this is even one of the suggested campaign openers, but I've done it in D&D too. In my last 5e campaign set in Eberron, the BBEG for most of the campaign was Erandis Vol, first in a mortal guise as Lady Illmarrow and later in her true lich form. I had her make her first appearance when the PCs were around level 7; they had a MacGuffin she wanted, so she teleported in and tried to take it. The PCs couldn't hurt her (literally; she had an invulnerability spell up), but they were able to play keep-away with the item in question long enough to destroy it. That, in turn, caused her to get pissed, kill one of them (with a quick power word kill) and then leave. Vol didn't kill the PCs en masse because doing so would have exposed her to unecessary risks. Her attack came when the PCs were in a public place, so she didn't want to stay out for too long, and they'd also managed to strip away the illusion on her and reveal her true form, so being in the public eye might have drawn unwelcome attention from her other enemies.

The scene was a big success for several reasons:

It helped remind the players that combats don't need to end in indiscriminate killing. Vol wasn't there to kill them; she wanted the MacGuffin. They couldn't kill her. Even when the MacGuffin was destroyed, she expressed her anger by instakilling one of them, but since it's D&D that's really just a speed bump after a certain point.
While they knew that Lady Illmarrow was their enemy, the PCs didn't know (in character) that Illmarrow was in fact Erandis Vol. Some of them might have known OOC; I don't actually know what Eberron lore they had going in.
The encounter reinforced the power gap between them and Vol and told them what they'd need to overcome to have a chance against her. A second encounter later in the campaign when they were around level 12 reinforced this, with them also losing that battle but managing to actually inflict a little damage and escape without any deaths.
Their defeat helped puncture the aura of invulnerability/plot armor that sometimes follows PCs around.

What's more, it didn't feel forced; the PCs knew that Illmarrow/Vol wanted the MacGuffin, and in fact they were trying to deliver it to someone who could protect it better than they could. Because she was after the MacGuffin, she couldn't, e.g. open combat by throwing a meteor swarm at the party, because that would risk damaging or destroying it. She was trying to remain in character as Lady Illmarrow and keep concentration on her invulnerability spell, which further prevented her from unleashing her full magical might on the PCs. And she didn't know exactly what the PCs were capable of, which meant she didn't want to stick around and risk her own (un)life once her objective (the MacGuffin) was destroyed.

billd91 · Jul 7, 2024

Tonguez · Jul 7, 2024

Because BBEGs have real goals that they are working on and havent got time to micromanage all the low level complaints and annoyances that come in. Thats what minions can deal with and file in a report.

MarkB · Jul 7, 2024

In a lot of cases it will be that they don't consider the PCs a threat, or even a potential threat, because the way that levelling works in a D&D style game almost never matches that game's fiction.

If the PCs are 2nd-level when encountered, the BBEG has no reason to expect them to be 15th-level five months later as its plans are coming to fruition, because the vast majority of people in that world would require decades of hard work, training and study to become so much more powerful.

HaroldTheHobbit · Jul 7, 2024

In our real world, late stage capitalism is one of the BBEGs that will end the world. But I don't have Elon Musk chasing me with a greatsword. It's the gazillion of minions in sales, marketing, advertising and share holder value maximizing that is chewing at my soul.

So BBEGs that delegate in rpg's seem pretty realistic and logical to me.

Committed Hero · Jul 7, 2024

Narrative convention has its uses.

Umbran · Jul 7, 2024

cranberry said:
Why do they always delegate dealing with low level PCs to their minions? Well, I know the answer. Because if they did, there wouldn't be many 2nd level PCs.

Why doesn't the CEO clean their own office? They have better things to do with their time than mop up small messes.

Low-level adventurers multiply like rodents. If the BBEG bothered with all of them every time they showed their faces, there'd be no time for the actual work of villainy.

Tonguez · Jul 7, 2024

MarkB said:
In a lot of cases it will be that they don't consider the PCs a threat, or even a potential threat, because the way that levelling works in a D&D style game almost never matches that game's fiction.

If the PCs are 2nd-level when encountered, the BBEG has no reason to expect them to be 15th-level five months later as its plans are coming to fruition, because the vast majority of people in that world would require decades of hard work, training and study to become so much more powerful.

yeah in the Conan movie it took some 20 years for Conan to go from level 0 child slave to high level Pit Fighter/Sword Master/Thief able to defeat Thulsa Doom. In DnD that same arc is expected to take what 4-6 sessions?

The High Priest of the Snakemen isnt going to waste his effort on some amusing little barbarian boy trying to lift his fathers sword

Snarf Zagyg · Jul 7, 2024

The answer to this question is here-

Peter's Evil Overlord List

I would look to the following rules-

40. I will be neither chivalrous nor sporting. If I have an unstoppable superweapon, I will use it as early and as often as possible instead of keeping it in reserve

45. I will make sure I have a clear understanding of who is responsible for what in my organization. For example, if my general screws up I will not draw my weapon, point it at him, say "And here is the price for failure," then suddenly turn and kill some random underling.

56. My Legions of Terror will be trained in basic marksmanship. Any who cannot learn to hit a man-sized target at 10 meters will be used for target practice.

70. When my guards split up to search for intruders, they will always travel in groups of at least two. They will be trained so that if one of them disappears mysteriously while on patrol, the other will immediately initiate an alert and call for backup, instead of quizzically peering around a corner.

71. If I decide to test a lieutenant's loyalty and see if he/she should be made a trusted lieutenant, I will have a crack squad of marksmen standing by in case the answer is no.

75. I will instruct my Legions of Terror to attack the hero en masse, instead of standing around waiting while members break off and attack one or two at a time.

78. I will not tell my Legions of Terror "And he must be taken alive!" The command will be "And try to take him alive if it is reasonably practical."

80. If my weakest troops fail to eliminate a hero, I will send out my best troops instead of wasting time with progressively stronger ones as he gets closer and closer to my fortress.

88. If a group of henchmen fail miserably at a task, I will not berate them for incompetence then send the same group out to try the task again.

That said, to answer the question.... a BBEG has better things to do than to take out the garbage themselves. That's why they have lackeys. Why bother getting to be the Big Bad if you can't order others to do the dangerous stuff?

Seriously, the best BBEGs work through others and stay in the shadows. IMO.

Tonguez · Jul 7, 2024

Snarf Zagyg said:
The answer to this question is here-

Peter's Evil Overlord List

I would look to the following rules-

40. I will be neither chivalrous nor sporting. If I have an unstoppable superweapon, I will use it as early and as often as possible instead of keeping it in reserve

45. I will make sure I have a clear understanding of who is responsible for what in my organization. For example, if my general screws up I will not draw my weapon, point it at him, say "And here is the price for failure," then suddenly turn and kill some random underling.

56. My Legions of Terror will be trained in basic marksmanship. Any who cannot learn to hit a man-sized target at 10 meters will be used for target practice.

70. When my guards split up to search for intruders, they will always travel in groups of at least two. They will be trained so that if one of them disappears mysteriously while on patrol, the other will immediately initiate an alert and call for backup, instead of quizzically peering around a corner.

71. If I decide to test a lieutenant's loyalty and see if he/she should be made a trusted lieutenant, I will have a crack squad of marksmen standing by in case the answer is no.

75. I will instruct my Legions of Terror to attack the hero en masse, instead of standing around waiting while members break off and attack one or two at a time.

78. I will not tell my Legions of Terror "And he must be taken alive!" The command will be "And try to take him alive if it is reasonably practical."

80. If my weakest troops fail to eliminate a hero, I will send out my best troops instead of wasting time with progressively stronger ones as he gets closer and closer to my fortress.

88. If a group of henchmen fail miserably at a task, I will not berate them for incompetence then send the same group out to try the task again.

That said, to answer the question.... a BBEG has better things to do than to take out the garbage themselves. That's why they have lackeys. Why bother getting to be the Big Bad if you can't order others to do the dangerous stuff?

Seriously, the best BBEGs work through others and stay in the shadows. IMO.

oh 100 stings!

100. Finally, to keep my subjects permanently locked in a mindless trance, I will provide each of them with free unlimited Internet access.

Why does the BBEG always delegate?

CandyLaser

Adventurer

billd91

Not your screen monkey (he/him) 🇺🇦🇵🇸🏳️‍⚧️

Tonguez

A suffusion of yellow

MarkB

Legend

HaroldTheHobbit

Adventurer

Committed Hero

Adventurer

Umbran

Mod Squad

Tonguez

A suffusion of yellow

Snarf Zagyg

Notorious Liquefactionist

Tonguez

A suffusion of yellow

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