Making a Unkillable Villan

[Blackwolf]

Can that be done with exploding dice and adventure cards, edges Etc. I plan for a Young Darth Vader like Villain to appear in a adventure but he needs to escape and return many times later is that possible in the Savage world system with out giving unlimited bennies to the bad guy?

[Ckorik]

Can that be done with exploding dice and adventure cards, edges Etc. I plan for a Young Darth Vader like Villain to appear in a adventure but he needs to escape and return many times later is that possible in the Savage world system with out giving unlimited bennies to the bad guy?

Well you make an unkillable villain by fiat. You can then wrap that fiat choice into whatever deus ex machina fits your story. As a fellow GM - a word of advice though - if you want your villain to be returning - it's better that they never act on scene when the players are present. RPG's are not novels - and the idea of the recurring villain is much more exciting to the GM than the players. It's better though if the players see the actions of the villian after they happen, or through a recording (or magical recording) - even video calls between the two for taunting - but never where the players can act on him - because they will want to - and making their actions *not matter* sucks for the players.

Better to build things up like the movie Jaws where you just don't see the big bad in the flesh until you are comfortable with the idea of the players actually winning.

[Blackwolf]

"Well you make an unbillable villain by fiat. You can then wrap that fiat choice into whatever deus ex machina fits your story. As a fellow GM - a word of advice though - if you want your villain to be returning - it's better that they never act on scene when the players are present. RPG's are not novels - and the idea of the recurring villain is much more exciting to the GM than the players. It's better though if the players see the actions of the villain after they happen, or through a recording (or magical recording) - even video calls between the two for taunting - but never where the players can act on him - because they will want to - and making their actions *not matter* sucks for the players."

"Better to build things up like the movie Jaws where you just don't see the big bad in the flesh until you are comfortable with the idea of the players actually winning."

Do you mean for me to put my Villain in an Italian made sports car(https://www.fiatusa.com/bmo.html#/models/2019/fiat_124_spider) or this Definition of Fiat(an arbitrary decree or pronouncement, especially by a person or group of persons having absolute authority to enforce it:
The king ruled by fiat.) I am unsure and neither really fixes my issue.
I want to have the Bad Guy on site and get away. They already have at least two off screen nemeses that they very badly want to come to terms with. this Guy has to get away till at least later in the story arc.

[YamaShintaku]

My understanding of GM fiat is that the GM does something without rolling or anything and simply makes it so. There has been plenty of discussion of whether this is a proper way to run an RPG or not...

If I want a big bad NPC to return I will usually play them smarter than other NPCs firstly... E.g. Have an escape plan if he is getting pounded. Also, make him a wild card (obviously). And, find ways to ramp up his toughness (parry is good, but bows and magic jump right past that).

The last guy that I needed to live to fight another day, I gave him a trap door in the room they battled him and when he was close to dying, he simply pulled the lever and the floor swallowed him up... It took the NPCs a round or two to follow him, and he'd already headed into an area with several possible paths. He was bleeding though and they followed a trail, but that slowed them down a hair. He managed to get where I wanted him for the final battle.

One thing you can do is utilize magic (if he can use powers) and have a few spells in his back pocket. Things like Invisibility, Fly, Illusion, Darkness, Shape Change, Speed, and Teleport all come to mind...

Regardless of my plans, I still follow the idea of dice being the final deciding factor. So, if my big bad get killed with a single exploding attack... So be it.

[Blackwolf]

That something to work with Dodge for range and so much armor and toughness and I did plan to have arcane psionic and a few really tough extras to keep them from getting to much gang up or any bonus. I would rather keep it in the Rules rather then wave my hand and say he escapes. they hate that ****.

[Mask_of_winter]

So if you want your NPC to survive an encounter. If you don't want the players to affect the story they are the heroes of, you can:
1) Not let the outcome of the scene be dictated by die rolls. So as the others said, GM fiat.
2) Go write a book.

[esmdev]

It reminds me of a Dragonlance character Fewmaster Toede. He arrived on the scene and gave his statement "Stand and cover my glorious retreat!" and my players were like DOGPILE on the runner! I was like okay... and then I just changed things up in future modules. As a GM you build the framework but the players determine the direction. It was something that I didn't like about the DL series in general, there was so much players must go here or there no matter what they wanted to do. Nothing should be unkillable.