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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dualazi" data-source="post: 7343494" data-attributes="member: 6855537">Ah yes, the old "just play the NPC as omniscient" answer. A classic, but as wrong then as it is wrong now. There are any number of reasons why this might not work, including being unaware the PCs are coming for them, being dependent on outside factors (need to travel, perform a risky ritual, maintain public appearance etc.), and really the only way the "plans within plans" thing works is if your antagonists just hang around in their doom forts until the players kick in the door.Also, nothing about the enemy (or the players for that matter) level is related to the assumption of experience with assassinations. You could easily become high level in a campaign against giants and ogres that never involves any subterfuge, so assuming that the big bad is always hyper-aware is just incredibly gamey.See above, unless your big bad is 100% certain that the PCs are coming and he needs to be on the defensive, chances are he's going to be progressing with whatever plan or goal that currently sets him up to be an antagonist. That can mean leading armies, meeting allies, forging armaments, you name it. Point is, all of those things can leave them potentially vulnerable, but that's simply an unavoidable fact of life unless they're veritable throne-room hermits.Legendary action ideasWarrior-types: Stunning shout (con save or stunned until end of boss' next turn), an attack that adds knockback and prone effects, granting forms of damage resistance, second wind, charge attacks, ripostes (probably give your players a head up that attacking him while he has this active is a bad idea), pinning arrow shots, and of course simple things like off-turn grapple checks to help secure them if need be.Rogue-types: crippling strike (damage+disadvantage for a set duration), AoO-free movement, shadow step (mentioned by other posters), speedily applying poison to a weapon, releasing poisonous mist in the surrounding area, blinding attacks, off-turn grapple escapes, off-turn saving throws (for when legendary resistance is gone), and attacks that make the target vulnerable to incoming damage for a set duration are all options I can think of off the top of my head.Mage-types: Really the sky is the limit here, simply being able to cast additional low-level spells is hugely influential on combat. Other than that I would strongly advise making these effects more about control rather than raw damage, so spontaneous terrain like wall spells, hazards like Stinking Cloud and Cloudkill, and charm effects are all great.Lair actions I feel like have less to do with archetype and more to do with where the foe resides, so you'd have to give more information about where you want him to be found, since a portal to the abyss will have different lair actions than a temple in the heart of a volcano.</blockquote>

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