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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Trit One-Ear" data-source="post: 6202953" data-attributes="member: 6678017">My group has finally, finally, reached the mastermind behind the cultist  infiltration of their current city. First off, many many thanks too all  of you who have helped me get them this far. I've been posting about   this adventure for ages (due to my lack of ability to pace things and my  groups tendency to go long periods between sessions).After a successful Skill Challenge to reach the citadel at the  center of town, the heroes are about to kick in the door and find the  Duke and his council, one of whom they suspect to be a succubus (They  are of course, right). She has dominated the Duke, and who knows how  many others. The heroes have decided, as the city battles behind them,  that no matter what they must end this devil's hold on the city (rumor  of a Grand Ritual has reached them, which they've determined to be a bad  thing to let happen).Enough back story! After reading Angry DM's articles on boss fights (<a href="http://angrydm.com/2010/04/the-dd-boss-fight-part-1/" target="_blank">Worth a read </a>if  you haven't), I've been wracking my brain on how I wanted to end this  long running adventure. Here are my initial concept using Angry DM's  3-stage model.Stage 1After a brief dialogue, the Duke attempts to arrest the heroes. As combat ensues, the guards move in, while protecting the Duke and his Succu-visor from the heroes.Planning this to include a handful of minions, while possibly having the Duke attack the heroes as well, forcing them to decide if they will retaliate or not. Meanwhile, our Succubus continues to play her role of advisor, relying on spells and abilities that are within her "character's" range of ability. After sufficient damage has been done to her and her minions, we progress to Stage 2.Stage 2Transitioning out of Stage 1, the Succubus pulls back, saying "I have humored you heroes and this charade long enough. Time to end this game." Revealing her true form, she turns the remaining guards on the humans. Her guards, surprise, are also revealed as Cambion (half-devils). Disguising herself as one of her Cambion, the heroes must now defeat her amongst her guards.At this point I think I'll remove the Duke, by engaging him in combat with an ally the heroes have in his council. While they fight each other, the heroes must fight the Cambion, trying to figure out which one was really the Succubus. On being hit, she'll teleport and switch places with another Cambion, making this stage more about eliminating the guards as they try to whittle her down as well. Finishing off her decoy Cambions progresses us to Stage 3.Stage 3Feeling cornered, the Succubus now lashes out in a frenzy. Attempting to simply knock everyone in the room unconscious in order to escape, she launches a large fiendish suggestion. The Duke, his remaining council members, even the Succubus' own guards and devils all succumb. The heroes resist however, thanks to a ritual they arranged to project them before assaulting the keep. Truly feeling out of options now, the Succubus becomes enraged, lashing out.Big satisfying chance to beat down on the cause of all the heroes' woes these past months. As she flits around the room, striking out viciously, the Succubus relies on many powers that cause the heroes to charge/attack each other (trying to actively stay away from Dominate here). Bloodied, dangerous and with nothing else to lose, this aims to be the vicious and bloody fight the heroes have been thirsting for.I plan to add a few more elements, such as portals to various Hells opening as the fight progresses to change the battlefield stage to stage. I'm not too married to any of these ideas, so if they seem... problematic or less fun than ideas you have, please do let me know! All comments and advice are welcome. I'll be updating this more as I move forward on my designs.Thanks as always!Trit</blockquote>

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