>Low level campaign
>BBEG is a pacifist who uses other people for fights
>He moves slowly, protected by the bulk of his schemes already in operation
>Sacrifices his pawns against the party because he doesn't care about them
>Party manages to flip his number 2
>Convinces him to kill BBEG and take control
>Should be childswork to kill a pacifist who never dirties his hands
>No. 2 challenges him in front of the rest of the BBEG's crew
>Party is ready to bust in and sweep out the malcontents after the assassination
>Suddenly the BBEG maims the No. 2 without even having to try
>BBEG cleans off the blood casually and turns to the room
>"Now do you see why I was never worried about these attacks?"WasIt
R-R-RAILROADING??
How would it be railroading?
What was your reasoning for thinking him weak? Just because he "seemed" be to be pacifist.
>>43763492
>How would it be railroading?
>Players act on knowledge given to them
>Formulate a plan that isn't BUST IN FULL ATTACK
>RP it out and build contingencies
>DM "changes" the BBEG to "beat" their plan
>muh player agency
>>43763559
Yeah, acting on the information you have an realizing you don't have all the information isn't railroading. It just means people don't have all the information. People in real life make incorrect assumptions all the time.
If they had a piece of information that directly contradicted the idea he was a strong combatant then I'd be on his side. Being a pacifist doesn't automatically make you a weakling.
>>43763433
If there were no signs or even hints that the BBEG might be more than just a highly intelligent schemer? Yeah, I'd be kinda miffed. But it's more because GMs can hardly write schemers as satisfying antagonists.I tried once too, it didn't work.And thus it might mean I'd have to deal with ANOTHER unbeatable BBEG.
It all really hinges on if the PCs are ever going to be able to beat this asshole.
If you actually changed him up just to invalidate the PC plan, you're a shit GM, though.
>>43763433
Don't know if it's railroading but it feels like a completely ruined scene.
Ask your GM about it and tell him you thought it was kinda lame and anticlimactic
>>43763433
I fail to see how that would fit any definition of railroading.
>>43763433
his pacifism might have been a cynical facade
>>43763433
Nah, that isn't railroading, it's ju-
>>43763559
Oh wait, you're an idiot, okay.
>>43763433
>Pacifist
>Brutally maims his Starscream
Okay.jpg
>>43763873
He may be a pacifist because he views violence as being beneath him, not for any moral reasons.
So he's so powerful that he never had to fight before so the party assumed he was a pacifist? Kind of a bomb drop, but in the good way. A twist players would love to have instead of everything being predictable.
My group had a campaign where the BBEG was a pacifistic monk, he really detested conflict and fatal-fighting, but enjoyed spars and the peace of mind recreational combat gave him.
He even went so far as to non-fatally beat our asses when we forced engagement, he was a pacifist up until the point we fucked something up in such a way that personal preference took a serious back-seat to brutalizing us and setting an example.
>>43763433
Nah you just fell for the GM's trap more likely. He probably expected you to underestimate him.
>>43763433
it's kind of bad storytelling but i don't see how it qualifies as railroading.
>>43763559
You DO realize just because someone is technically a pacifist -- which is someone who doesn't like conflict/prefers not to solve things violently does not mean they are inherently weak and incapable of defending themself right?
Or do you hail from a society that abhors a pacifist and thinks them all weak for some insane reason?
>>43765034
Except that's really only true in the gunpowder era, anon. God might've made man, but it was Samuel Colt that made man equal.
>>43763433
>BBEG is a pacifist who uses other people for fights
That doesn't make sense. But whatever
Anyway, here's what you do. Obviously you can beat the BBEG's henchmen, so just burn everything he owns down, destroy everything he values and cares about. And don't ever directly confront him again, he can't be every where at once.
>>43766871
Yeah, that's bullshit.
There is a big difference between pacifist and non-violent, and neither of these assures you that the person cannot/will not fight
>>43763433
You probably should have expected this, though good on the GM for actually showing what the BBEG is capable of before letting the party into it uninformed.
>>43763433
>pacifist who uses other people for fights
Should've been your first clue, dude. Pacifists don't want ANYONE fighting, not just themselves. That just means he doesn't like to sully his hands with low-level shit.
>>43763433
>BBEG is a pacifist
>uses other people for fights
>casually maims the No. 2
That's not how pacifism works.
>>43763559
Honestly you guys got some valuable information out of that plan, and the no. 2 was probably not going to be a nice guy if he took over the organisation. It's a minor victory in my book. I don't see how it's railroading.
>>43767353
From the vibe of this, he is obviously not a pacifist, but he just doesn't give a fuck.
>>43763433
Nigga did you NEVER watch fucking Trigun.
Just because somebody doesn't want to bring the ruckus, does not necessarily mean they can't.
>>43766871
>>43768233
To be fair, in Trigun's case despite going on about Love and Peace, the main character was clearly an amazing badass from the beginning. Physically tough, quick, skilled with pistols - He just didn't kill and rarely wounded.
>>43763433
>BBEG is a pacifist who uses other people for fights
>Somehow gets in enough practice to mop the floor with his most trusted lieutenant
It's kind of an asspull. Did he normally go around in full armor with a weapon?
Remember: He had to get to his position as top dog somehow. Criminal organizations are bred in violence.
Also, pacifist isn't the correct word to describe him. He's in a management position after working his way up the chain, possibly as one of the grunts early on. He's experienced.
OP, you're just being a dumbass to assume it's railroading. You sent an NPC to fight another NPC without knowing how strong the BBEG is in comparison.
Even if it was railroading... You didn't expect the outcome? If you didn't send the NPC to attempt an assassination, he would've turned on you eventually. Seriously, know your tropes.
