Just wait until we get Lightsaber Dingos.

*shudder*

Also a bad guy should react to a lightsaber the way one would react to something that deadly. Not stick around. Hondo Inaka is a good example. he does not challenge a jedi on his own. When he encounters on he talks his way out or runs away.

There's a very good reason Hondo's still kicking around during the Dark Times, and that's because he's smart enough to know when to fold 'em.

A campaign BBEG should be equally clever, and if they see one of the PCs suddenly break out a lightsaber (especially if the PC hadn't been making widespread use of it), that BBEG's primary reaction should be along the lines of "oh crap, I'm facing a frakking Jedi!!!" and alter their plans accordingly, up to and including fleeing the encounter as quickly as possible so that they can re-think their strategies and include means to deal with somebody wielding a lightsaber.

That's likely one of the reasons David Xanatos of Gargoyles was such a well-liked adversary, was that he was smart enough to know when to cut his losses, and that "revenge is a sucker's game." That and being willing to accept smaller victories in the event his larger plans didn't follow all the way through, and if things didn't go his way, he largely shrugged it off and moved on to the next plan.

2P51 pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Most RPGs have a big problem when it's a group of PCs dog-piling on a single NPC enemy, and various solutions have been tried with varying degrees of success. Heck, I've seen full-blown Inquisitors in this system get steam-rolled by groups of Knight-Level PCs with only the Inquisitor having a lightsaber.

I've seen 50 XP level characters, by careful coordination, take down an inquisitor with a lightsaber... It's good, but it's not the insta-death many seem to want it to be.

And remember: Ben's disarming of the ugly fellow was a crit.

Preventing a 1 Critical Hit kill is pretty easy to do by giving your Nemesis a few ranks in Durable, and/or Center of Being.

So was running my weekly campaign.

The group had gotten to the end Boss (Nemesis).(adversary 2)

The Jedi guardian went first.(lightsaber 2,brawn 3)

Final result (2s,3a,1f,1t)

so he did 12 damage and a massive crit (roll +30 from crits, +20 from vicious)

rolled:92 on D100

dead Nemesis

rest of the party pissed off for the lackluster ending to the night

has anyone run into the problem of lightsaber quick kills before and is there anyway to remedy the situation.

Flip a destiny point and say the guy has internal bio-replicating nanobots. He returns with half-health and can't replicate again for 3 turns. Make all players do a hard fear/resilience check. If they fail they suffer a setback dice on their next check.

And yes I'm kind of a carebear GM, but if I want an end boss fight, I'm getting my end boss fight **** it! lol

Or if you want to allow the PCs their victory, have them be suddenly surrounded by a battalion of soldiers. Now they've killed the nemesis, but they are in a real pickle. Keep it cinematic.

Seems like a lot of good options and feedback. Durable, Center of Being, Destiny. I like the Destiny option myself. SW FFG RPG is at it's heart a narrative game...use the narrative. Even if the players don't optimize at the start, with time and experience, eventually if you go just by the dice, they will be in a position of dominance. I feel dice should not routinely override good narrative or story. Dice should complement or help highlight the story, especially when we are in a dramatically climactic scene (e.g. boss fight.)

Another option is the red-herring approach.

Begin scene.

Players enter the boss chamber. Boss turns and faces them alone.

PCs *burn all your 1/scene powers* *ffapph hsss zzaowiee* "boss" falls over.

Players celebrate...

...and then the *real* boss walks in.

"What? I may be arrogant, but I'm not stupid. You'd really thought I'd face all of you alone?" *evil laugh* *snaps fingers and the rooms fills up with minions* *doors slam* *turrets deploy* *mines under the PCs' feet go off*

The double doesn't have be a clone (though there is clone tech) it could be simply a disguised minion...or someone the PCs have routinely interactive with or via false leads and simply propaganda been led to believe is "the Boss."

Or you could roll with the dice...(no setback dice? no difficulty? vs. a nemesis?) and add in something appropriate, like generic reinforcements. Or the boss's significant other (dependent...helpless servant...or hidden master?)...who is now really upset.

Everyone here seem to think the NPC had time to do something.

door bust open initiative

PCs have first action(and 2nd/3rd)

Guardian activates enhance jump (has it as a maneuver)

you no the rest.

The door was guarded by 3 5-man minion groups.

one was going to fall back into the room to help the boss.

but I had forgotten that the heavy had a thermal detonator. (it had been a few weeks since the last game)

there goes all the Boss help.

I appreciate all the advice, but this session was just doomed from the start lol.

Everyone here seem to think the NPC had time to do something.

door bust open initiative

PCs have first action(and 2nd/3rd)

Guardian activates enhance jump (has it as a maneuver)

you no the rest.

The door was guarded by 3 5-man minion groups.

one was going to fall back into the room to help the boss.

but I had forgotten that the heavy had a thermal detonator. (it had been a few weeks since the last game)

there goes all the Boss help.

I appreciate all the advice, but this session was just doomed from the start lol.

That's when you, as a GM, do some behind the scenes magic. Who says that the BBEG is actually dead? From the moment the PCs leave the area, the BBEG will have loyal minions like doctors and nurses pouring out to resuscitate him. If he's missing vital body parts then they rebuild him using the best cybernetics and cloning tech that money can buy. The advantage is now in your court as the GM because your BBEG is now considered to be dead, so they are free to do things that they normally couldn't do like start taking over other groups or gaining strength using a puppet head for the group. He could manipulate events that will make the life difficult for the PCs and they wouldn't be the wiser. He could also inform the local ISB about the jedi in the group and that will introduce an Inquisitor and all their power that they can bring to bear against the party.

Everyone here seem to think the NPC had time to do something.

door bust open initiative

PCs have first action(and 2nd/3rd)

Guardian activates enhance jump (has it as a maneuver)

you no the rest.

The door was guarded by 3 5-man minion groups.

one was going to fall back into the room to help the boss.

but I had forgotten that the heavy had a thermal detonator. (it had been a few weeks since the last game)

there goes all the Boss help.

I appreciate all the advice, but this session was just doomed from the start lol.

I call bs! My suggestion started with the NPC already dead from the uber jedi kill. LOL

That said, sometimes things just flow in favor of the players, to the point where you either call it, or just do some crazy GM mindtricky stuff. Honestly I think you could have gotten away with it, if your group was rather disappointed in the fight. It is always better to double down on a boss fight when the players want that too.

Everyone here seem to think the NPC had time to do something.

door bust open initiative

PCs have first action(and 2nd/3rd)

Guardian activates enhance jump (has it as a maneuver)

you no the rest.

The door was guarded by 3 5-man minion groups.

one was going to fall back into the room to help the boss.

but I had forgotten that the heavy had a thermal detonator. (it had been a few weeks since the last game)

there goes all the Boss help.

I appreciate all the advice, but this session was just doomed from the start lol.

The end is nigh...You have a round to do something. As he was not dead yet he had a round to be alive and call support or revenge...

As the GM you have the license to shape the story. Maybe the obstacles the PCs took out were the obvious ones, there's nothing prohibiting you to have more on "standby." Whether this was a premade scenario or not, players may think outside the box and bypass some parts you / the writer had planned, that's your opportunity to think outside the box as well.

Course the aforementioned thermal detonator certainly could have changed things...

There's usually quite a bit of time when it is your setting...

Everyone here seem to think the NPC had time to do something.

door bust open initiative

PCs have first action(and 2nd/3rd)

Guardian activates enhance jump (has it as a maneuver)

you no the rest.

The door was guarded by 3 5-man minion groups.

one was going to fall back into the room to help the boss.

but I had forgotten that the heavy had a thermal detonator. (it had been a few weeks since the last game)

there goes all the Boss help.

I appreciate all the advice, but this session was just doomed from the start lol.

Not much of an evil Nemesis. The first hint he has the heroes are upon him is when they kick in the door of the room he is in? Even Walmart has security cameras.....

The GM should never feel as if his hands are tied by the dice or his players. You're there to co-create a fantastical story with your players. They do something, you respond appropriately. I understand that, in the moment, it can feel like your carefully crafted encounter is a shambles. But that's when you bring in any number of scenarios.

To me, this sort of situation seems PERFECT for a "strike me down with all of your hatred" moment.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred(For further reference)

Heck, or you just flip a Destiny Point and then don't tell the players what it was for suddenly they aren't so sure of themselves any more! Then, next session, reveal to the players in a flashback what the Destiny Point was spent on.

The players can't ruin your plan if anything they do was "part of the plan all along."

I appreciate all the advice, but this session was just doomed from the start lol.

"The Jedi Guardian lands deftly on the balls of his feet, saber pulsing with fiery justice. His great armored foe stands for a moment, a stunned look on his face, before he staggers and slumps to his knees and toppling forward to the ground to move no more. Once again, your saber lashes out to bring balance to the Force."

". . . And then, the floodlights surrounding the parameter of the massive chamber shut off with a snap, one at a time, eventually leaving the Guardian bathed in one lone spotlight at the center of the room. A moment later, every wall of the room flickers to life with a burst of static, revealing a hooded figure shrouded in impenetrable darkness. 'Well played, you self proclaimed defenders of the galaxy - your defeat of my strong right hand was an amusing diversion. But know this, your pathetic efforts only serve to further my designs. And now, I bid you adieu.'

The sinister figure dissolves in a snowstorm of static, only to be replaced with a timer. 00:00:45. . . .44. . . .43 . . . .42"

So, what are you doing?"

There - problem solved.

Not much of an evil Nemesis. The first hint he has the heroes are upon him is when they kick in the door of the room he is in? Even Walmart has security cameras.....

"The Jedi Guardian lands deftly on the balls of his feet, saber pulsing with fiery justice. His great armored foe stands for a moment, a stunned look on his face, before he staggers and slumps to his knees and toppling forward to the ground to move no more. Once again, your saber lashes out, bringing balance to the Force."

". . . And then, the floodlights surrounding the parameter of the massive chamber shut off with a snap, one at a time, eventually leaving the Guardian bathed in one lone spotlight at the center of the room. A moment later, every wall of the room flickers to life with a burst of static, revealing a hooded figure shrouded in impenetrable darkness. 'Well played, you self proclaimed defenders of the galaxy - your defeat of my strong right hand was an amusing diversion. But know this, your pathetic efforts only serve to further my designs. And now, I bid you adieu.'

The sinister figure dissolves in a snowstorm of static, only to be replaced with a timer. 00:00:45. . . .44. . . .43 . . . .42"

So, what are you doing?"

There - problem solved.

The enemy speaks French!!!

Naw, the word adieu is Corelllian for "Hasta la vista, baby!"

I gotta say, after running a lot of Savage Worlds, I've come to terms with the fact that sometimes my PC's are going to blast my Big Bad Guy to smithereens. The way that game rolls, every so often a simple pistol shot or dagger strike results in more damage than the bad guy can possibly absorb.

So I'm used to it. But whenever it happens, I have to act like I've just been defeated. I don't play the Adversarial GM unless I've just lost. Why? Because it makes the players feel like friggin' badasses. So let your Jedi have this one. The next guy he faces should have some ranks in Durable, Parry, maybe Cortosis armor, and some way to isolate him from the group. Then bring the hammer down.

I'm fine with how it turned out

the PCs did their homework and handled the challenge well.

it was more there "that was it" attitude that I was worried about.

will just have to increase the difficulty for the next one.

I'm fine with how it turned out

the PCs did their homework and handled the challenge well.

it was more there "that was it" attitude that I was worried about.

will just have to increase the difficulty for the next one.

Alternatively, don't let all your PC's fight the same nemesis, give them several tasks that they must accomplish in rapid succession, more nemesis, elite henchmen. This system doesn't do super invincible bosses very well, if the party outnumber a guy 4-1, then they will most likely kill him by the virtue of having a lot more resources. Alternatively, have his elite henchmen start to ambush the PC's, they can't stay together all the time so give them plenty to worry about and they won't be able to afford to concentrate all their effort on one guy.

I'm fine with how it turned out

the PCs did their homework and handled the challenge well.

it was more there "that was it" attitude that I was worried about.

will just have to increase the difficulty for the next one.

Alternatively, don't let all your PC's fight the same nemesis, give them several tasks that they must accomplish in rapid succession, more nemesis, elite henchmen. This system doesn't do super invincible bosses very well, if the party outnumber a guy 4-1, then they will most likely kill him by the virtue of having a lot more resources. Alternatively, have his elite henchmen start to ambush the PC's, they can't stay together all the time so give them plenty to worry about and they won't be able to afford to concentrate all their effort on one guy.

The point was not to have a super Nemesis.

this was the final assault on the bosses stronghold.

He had slipped through their fingers 3 time already. (took 6 sessions to track him down)

So they had finally cornered him.

The point was not to have a super Nemesis.

this was the final assault on the bosses stronghold.

He had slipped through their fingers 3 time already. (took 6 sessions to track him down)

So they had finally cornered him.

So I guess the question for you was - how did you handle it? Was your response to the roll:

A) "You rolled 20 damage? That's 6 over his wound threshold, so you kill him"

or

B) "With a mighty roar your strike team detonates the charges on the final bulkhead to the command center, the last bolt-hole of the base. As your armored foe steps forward through the swirling wisps of smoke while raising his crimson blade, the guardian leaps through the glowing shards of metal door, plunging his blade straight and true into his black heart. He slumps to the floor without a sound. Once again, you have cut a worthless object. . . "

One is pretty **** epic even if it was a one-hit kill. The other? Not so much. . . .

The point was not to have a super Nemesis.

this was the final assault on the bosses stronghold.

He had slipped through their fingers 3 time already. (took 6 sessions to track him down)

So they had finally cornered him.

So I guess the question for you was - how did you handle it? Was your response to the roll:

A) "You rolled 20 damage? That's 6 over his wound threshold, so you kill him"

or

B) "With a mighty roar your strike team detonates the charges on the final bulkhead to the command center, the last bolt-hole of the base. As your armored foe steps forward through the swirling wisps of smoke while raising his crimson blade, the guardian leaps through the glowing shards of metal door, plunging his blade straight and true into his black heart. He slumps to the floor without a sound. Once again, you have cut a worthless object. . . "

One is pretty **** epic even if it was a one-hit kill. The other? Not so much. . . .

Replace A) With "You rolled a 142? That's bleeding out, he'll die next round." But same idea.

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I'm quite intrigued as to how they managed to roll this.

(lightsaber 2,brawn 3)

Final result (2s,3a,1f,1t)

And there's potential for mods on the sabre but even with those that's a really lucky roll, then followed by a second lucky roll on the critical table the player probably deserved it.

And that's only if your villian didn't have any additional defence dice which I'd expect from a big bad.