Most D&D campaigns have a main villain pulling the strings, but players rarely meet them before the final battle. That’s usually because if the villain ever shows up, one of two things happens: the party kills them, or the villain kills the party. Unless the villain is vastly stronger or has an easy escape, that can lead to an early and disappointing end.

I was reading The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore yesterday which inspired this; Drizzt encounters a mirror that lets him essentially FaceTime the main villain. It’s a small moment, but it stuck with me. It is such a smart way to give the villain a way to interact with the hero without risking their own skin. That got me thinking: what other ways can we let players interact with the BBEG without either side dying too soon?

Resurrection & Immortality

If death isn’t permanent, the villain can afford to take risks. In Curse of Strahd, Strahd can fight the party, lose, and still return later. This lets him learn from the party’s tactics while making their eventual victory more satisfying.

Ways to do this:

• The villain is undead, divine, or otherwise revives after death.
• They have a hidden backup plan that brings them back.
• They fake their death with illusions.

Scrying Mirrors & Magical Communication

The villain doesn’t have to show up in person to interact with the party. A mirror at the end of the dungeon could suddenly show their face. A stolen letter could reveal they’ve been watching the party’s progress.

Other ways to use this:

• Sending stones or magical projections let them speak remotely.
• Scrying pools show the villain watching them.

Clones, Simulacra, and Avatars

A villain with magical or technological resources can send copies of themselves into the world. This lets the party fight or interrogate them without real consequences.

Ways to use this:

• The villain sends a simulacrum or weaker construct version.
• A warlock patron or god sends an aspect of themselves.
• The villain experiments with transferring their mind into different bodies.

Dreams, Visions, and Possession

A villain who doesn’t need a physical body can be anywhere. They might invade the party’s dreams, whisper in their minds, or possess an NPC to speak through them.

Ways to use this:

• The villain warps the party’s dreams to taunt or threaten them.
• A possessed NPC delivers a message, unwillingly or otherwise.
• A cursed object keeps the villain’s voice in their heads.

The Rival Method

Instead of a distant figure, the villain could be a rival, and someone the party competes with or crosses paths with throughout the game. Maybe they were once an ally, or they need the party alive for their own reasons.

Ways to use this:

• The villain is another adventurer, growing in power alongside them.
• They’re a noble or merchant who controls resources the party needs.
• They have mutual enemies, forcing an uneasy truce.

Make It Your Own

A villain shouldn’t just be a boss fight. The more your players interact with them, the more satisfying the final battle will be.