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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The-Magic-Sword" data-source="post: 8721549" data-attributes="member: 6801252">I like the tall boss fights because to me (a player who started with 4e and loves it dearly) the wide boss fights don't feel the way boss fights should-- they don't feel like you're punching up at something super powerful because the HP values are generally hidden, so your larger damage numbers are just vanishing into a void until its bloodied / dies. In pf2e when my spells are reduced to half damage, that feels like the boss is showing me that its on a whole other level which makes it more satisfying when the party finally gets those big hits in, wears it down, and creates opportunities-- its got that whole "if it doesn't bleed, make it bleed then you can kill it" where you're throwing flanks and frightens and fireballs and magic missiles at it to build up to those grand slam moments and struggling against overwhelming force. It feels very cinematic to have that dynamic where the boss is a bull in a china shop and we need to thread the needle to wear it down and bring it to its killzone. Similarly, on the player's defensive side the bosses crushing blows (their greater likelihood of hitting and critting) really convey the enormous power that someone has to try and take, and the party has to deal with-- you feel like your party is going to 'overheat' from the amount of 'heat' the boss is putting on them if you can't bail water enough to keep fighting, and you have to race to end it before it catches you out. That feeling of desperate struggle is the main feature of PF2e boss fight for me, and I really love the feeling of fighting them, and the GM gets to have this awesome power fantasy where something like a dragon breath is just this huge 'oh, we're in for it now' moment for your players, and they'll probably pull through, but they have to really spring into action to pick up the pieces and drag themselves back from the brink.The fact that you can have that with like a dragon or some other stereotypical boss monster, and then eventually you might have an encounter where you're batting a bunch of them aside as they're coming at you, letting you see how far you've come, is icing on the cake.</blockquote>

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