Blip-Out Baddies Bad

If you've been the DMing for any length of time you've likely run into the situation where the play characters have battled through your dungeon or tower and come up against the big-bad of your campaign. Then be it, luck, be it fate, whatever, in two rounds one of the player makes a roll that will "end" the big bad.

You panic. The campaign can't end like that! Going out like a fart in the dark! What about the rest of the session? You don't want to waste all the months of build up!

You might decide to "blip" your big bad, pretend he's not dead, have him cast a teleport spell, or slip through a hidden door, ANYTHING to stop it end this way!

Stop. Don't do it.

As bad as the fart in the dark might have been, the blipping baddie that just nopes out is worse for the players. Instead let them defeat the bad guy. Even congratulate them, tell them what a bad asses they are. Big them up.

Then, when they go to loot have them find a missive, a message cylinder, a graven tablet, or just a clue, that highlights that the recently dispatched big-bad was just a lieutenant of the real "big bad" , and that the real "big bad" is due to visit any day now.

Now you've got the set up to continue your story, a new threat. You've made the players realise that whatever they thought was going on, was a mere charade. You've turned from an unsatisfying "blip" to an exciting threat or grander mystery and everyone will be happy.