>Bbeg is a business type, hiding from the shadows as he tries to screw them over financially. But he really needs them gone.
>When the party finally corners him, it turns out his combat stats are very high. Up to the point where he can oneshot them all if they're not careful.
What can be some reasons for why he didn't just do that sooner? How do you imply that he is strong as fuck despite avoiding direct confrontation?
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Lex Luthor COULD try to punch Superman to death, but it will most likely end with him in prison, whether he succeeds or not.
Don't fuck with this senator
Because if people know he's strong they won't understatement him.
Also, depending on the setting people might just want to fight him more.
He prefers outwitting his opponents and considers combat a method only the simple-minded have to resort to. The party has cornered him and thus beaten him. Now he has no choice but to fight, even if it is with much reluctance and disappointment.
-Lawful evil, it's not in his nature to kill when it's not necessary.
-Murder is a crime, greed is a virtue.
-Would put him under investigation or something like that. Loose ends evidence.
-Personal ties to a character preventing it (promise me you won't kill anyone, k big brother?)
Maybe he doesn't really like violence?
Economy is a fun game. Taking things by force leaves a foul taste in his mouth.
>understatement
underestimate, user.
It seems like the business man bad guy should employ or build powerful things to fight in his stead
Maybe he is extremely cautious and totally unwilling to take any unnecessary risk
Maybe he's working in the shadows because if he wasn't he'd be arrested or something
You could do that, but why? Was seeing through his deceptions and diversions not a challenging enough game?
You can seriously make an interesting game about tracking down the mad scientist or businessman or whatever without making him hard to personally kill when they corner him. Then, the challenge itself is cornering him, not killing him.
>You could do that, but why?
Because players expect a boss fight.
>Bbeg is a business type
There's your excuse. I doubt Microsoft would fare well if the world suddenly learned Bill Gates takes a walk through the mean streets of Detroit snapping necks every saturday.
misunderestimate
Being underestimated is a key advantage. If his enemies knew how powerful he really was, they might be more motivated to create problems for him.
When he IS finally ready to show the party what he can do, it's in a situation where nobody else will witness it, and he doesn't want the party to get out alive. An escape scenario.
Just make SURE you tell your players that you are SPECIFICALLY making this portion a "run your ass off" moment, don't rely on your PCs to make the decision to run. After all, nobody wants their kick ass character to have to flee.
Tell them it's like one of those levels of Crash Bandicoot where the camera's in front of you
I dare a motherfucker to leak that story
Are you saying that this villain follows the NAP?
But what if he body slammed terrorist instead? That'd be great for public image.
>Why hasn't a man with incredible wealth and resources who wants to remain in the shadows not dealt with the party despite being physically able to
Gee I dunno, OP.
>But what if he body slammed terrorist instead?
Shit son, what have you done?
>Terrorists are now hunted by PMCs hired by companies to advertise their goods
>"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to report that my team and I have finally located and captured Al-Baghdadi. And we couldn't have done it without our Microsoft tracking system, Herbalife protein bars and a refreshing bottle of Mountain Dew".
War has changed.
So literally
if he wanted to run a company?
Pretty sure there's an entire setting based on that. I don't remember the name, but I think it's something like STC Industries.
So what would companies like EA be like in such a setting? Dr Doom?
He could have to keep a facade up as a benevolent, altruistic type for public appearance. If he holds financial sway in the business world it doesn't really pay to let your competition know your true potential, even in a physical sense.
Plus nobody wants to do business with a guy who can sperg out and rip them in half like a phonebook.
Defense in depth.
>First you have to get past his various infosec measures to even figure out that something bad is occurring
>Then you have to get past the nameless mooks to make it to a location where you can physically confirm the bad things are connected to XYZ Corp
>Then XYZ Corp appears to be innocuous enouhgh but has further infosec and further badguys
>Then you'd have to avoid getting murdered or arrested by some of the government agencies he's corrupted/bribed
>If you manage all that he's still got his hardcore, elite homies to deal with you
>If you finally manage all of that shit then he'll just kill you himself and pay someone to clean it up, but he'd really rather not since he paid so much for the other measures that risking blowing his own cover for no reason would be pretty stupid
>Now that you've killed his cyborg-clone, where'd he get off to?
Armstrong would hate that shit though.
>Tfw, the fight with him would just be him going "FUCK THIS DAMN OFFICE" and tearing up his entire corporate HQ as he tries to kill you.
I love it when villains hate you so much that they decide to just tear off their shirts and beat you to death with their bare hands, fuck the plan and damn the consequences.
he isnt naturally strong, but he uses a suit/sterioids to become strong as a last line of defence
>How do you imply that he is strong as fuck despite avoiding direct confrontation?
Party picks up stories about the last group that got too close. There can be some misdirection here - maybe other people think that it was some merc group on his payroll that took them out because of some telltale sign, for example, only to find the BBEG uses it as well.
What sort of businessman are you that you wouldn't fistfight another man on top of a burning building to save your company? How would you deal with hostile takeovers?
>How would you deal with hostile takeovers?
youtube.com
>where'd he get off to?
DOCTOR DOOM
I hate that archetype, personally. That whole, "I'm above the thing the PCs do all the time" attitude is really grating, especially when they are effortlessly better at it than the party.
>Meanwhile, at the Seattle offices of Ares Macrotechnology