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Message: <blockquote data-quote="77IM" data-source="post: 7340870" data-attributes="member: 12377">Be wary of giving boss humanoids extra powers that other humanoids can't get -- it can seriously interfere with player decision-making. If a guy is tough because of his magic items or magic powers, sure; word gets around, and it's something visual and obvious. The players might try some stuff to counteract the magic or cope with it. For example, I consider the fact that the players could separate the boss from his minions to be a feature; that's clever game play, and a truly smart boss will travel with bodyguards at all times so it won't be easy.On the other hand, if a mighty warrior looks just like any other might warrior and busts out crazy legendary actions, it's going to feel artificial and the players may feel "cheated." Not because they themselves can't get those abilities -- but because nothing in the game-universe allows for those abilities. It may feel too "gamey" and reduce immersion, because the only way to wrap your brain around a regular dude with legendary actions is on a meta-game level.A good middle ground, I think, is to describe the legendary actions in-universe as unique and special real traits, possibly as a form of Epic Boons. (Actually, Legendary Resistance sounds like a pretty reasonable Epic Boon, even for PCs to earn.) So, yeah, the Evil Warlord isn't just a high-level fighter who happens to have legendary actions "just because" -- he's trained with the Marilith Commandos of Orcus in the Abyss, and returned to the material plane with knowledge of how to perfectly anticipate his enemy's movements! The Arch-Archmage isn't just casting bonus cantrips because "well a lich can do it and we wanted this guy to be hard," he's unlocked the ancient forbidden art of Weave-Splicing! The Assassin Queen isn't sliding around the battlefield stabbing people when it's not her turn because "well otherwise the fight would be over before she could act," she's subconsciously channeling ki into her nervous system, a technique she developed after meditating in a pit of vipers for 10 years!Stuff like that can bridge the gap between the game-mechanical requirements of a legendary creature and the in-game reality that people just can't do that kind of thing.</blockquote>

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