Behold My True Form: Creating Evolving Boss Monsters for 5th Edition

New for EN5ider patrons! It can be tough to run a solo boss encounter when the PCs have it outnumbered 6:1 with actions. The focused-fire principle often means that such encounters are embarrassingly short, unless you just make the creature a ridiculous bag of hit points. This article talks about ways to make your solo boss encounters more challenging, and more interesting, by giving it special traits which kick in at different times. By James J Haeck; illustrated by Ellis Goodson.

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[dave2008]

You may have just convinced be to re-subscribe! That and I my year end bonus

 

[robus]

I’ve got a plan for something like this with the Pudding King in OotA. Should be interesting reading.

 

[Slit518]

You can also make a solo monster challenging by giving it multiple turns a round.

Say for example:

Monster
PC 1
PC 2
Monster
PC 3
PC 4
Monster
PC 5
PC 6

or

Monster
PC 1
PC 2
PC 3
Monster
PC 4
PC 5
PC 6

And use abilities that target multiple PCs at once.

I also made boss monsters/creatures that make sense for why they're able to do this.

 

[GMMichael]

New for EN5ider patrons! It can be tough to run a solo boss encounter when the PCs have it outnumbered 6:1 with actions.

It can also be tough to survive a fight when you're outnumbered 6:1. I heard an anecdote that the US army doesn't stop using artillery until its odds are 3:1.

The focused-fire principle often means that such encounters are embarrassingly short, unless you just make the creature a ridiculous bag of hit points.

Isn't "bag of hit points" the mantra of 5e monsters?

This article talks about ways to make your solo boss encounters more challenging, and more interesting, by giving it special traits which kick in at different times.

This is an awesome idea, with an awesome tradition to match:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBFG5GdyUNw

 

[ad_hoc]

You can also make a solo monster challenging by giving it multiple turns a round.

Say for example:

Monster
PC 1
PC 2
Monster
PC 3
PC 4
Monster
PC 5
PC 6

or

Monster
PC 1
PC 2
PC 3
Monster
PC 4
PC 5
PC 6

And use abilities that target multiple PCs at once.

I also made boss monsters/creatures that make sense for why they're able to do this.

You just invented Legendary Creatures.

 

[Steffen Haeuser]

I think it is more important to design boss characters than boss combat mechanics. The combat mechanics is usually the easy part, but making an interesting and believable character as antagonist for the player characters (who is not "just another boss battle") is much more important. Some of the bosses my fav DM created years ago the group still talks about sometimes (and not because of the combat mechanics which usually is forgotten after all that time...).

 

[ad_hoc]

I think it is more important to design boss characters than boss combat mechanics. The combat mechanics is usually the easy part, but making an interesting and believable character as antagonist for the player characters (who is not "just another boss battle") is much more important. Some of the bosses my fav DM created years ago the group still talks about sometimes (and not because of the combat mechanics which usually is forgotten after all that time...).

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[RangerWickett]

I like my dragons to get three actions each round, and to move between them.

Claw, walk, PC goes; claw, walk, PC goes; bite, fly off, a couple PCs go.

Swoop, breathe fire, PC goes; swoop, cast spell, PC goes; land, tail slap, a couple PCs go.

Etc.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

Isn't this what Angry DM did two and a half years ago?
http://theangrygm.com/return-of-the-son-of-the-dd-boss-fight-now-in-5e/