Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 TheDutchDM May 25, 2015 1:58:28	Hi all,   So I've made the jump to 5th edition, I have a group of 6 10th level adventurers which have just been converted from their 4th edition designs (i.e. They've voluntarily agreed to keep classes and base stats and have rebuilt as 10th level characters) and we're going to be rolling onwards in the campaign.   However coming up in the not to distant future is a big Middle of Campaign boss battle to be fought by three of the PC's (a 10th level Paladin of Bahamut, 10th level Rogue and 10th level Cleric of Bahamut) versus the boss creature, an ageless human and leader of a team of (now dead) band of evil doers known as the Blasphemies.   Their leader, who calls himself Jack Slash (owing to having achieved most of his fame with what amounts to a sword of Sharpness) is the last man standing and has sworn a God oath with three of the players to meet them in a battle that none can interfere with.   So given that I've never built a 5th edition creature before, I'd like some advice on how to build Jack in a fashion that will provide a serious challenge for three party members while his minions fight the remaining three party members.   As of now, the only thing the players know about is abilities are   1: He has a blade that always does maximum damage (it's actually an innate ability as the 'weapon of sharpness' ability didn't exist inn 4th edition) 2: His blade can strike at a range of up to 30 feet as it was close combat (the other innate ability he gained from becoming a Blasphemy) 3. He has an unspecified regenerative ability or long life ability. He's over 2000 years old and still looks like he's in his mid twenties despite being human.   Everything else is open to design. I've been considering using the Oathbreaker as a template for him, as he's very much the personal nemesis of the Paladin in the group, but as I mentioned, my lack of experience at building monsters in 5th ed is a substantial drawback.   The good news is that I don't expect them to actually battle him for at least half a dozen sessions yet, so there is time.   Help?
#2 Imaculata May 25, 2015 4:30:36	I don't play 5e, so statistics for monsters aren't my area of expertise. But I can give you some tips for creating a cool boss battle. One thing I always do, is include multiple objectives. Maybe the boss has a regenerative ability that is fueled by something the players need to destroy. For example, I had a mindflayer-boss that was attached to a sort of feeding tube, which kept healing him. So the players had to sever that first.   Another thing to do is to create multiple targets. A boss battle doesn't have to be just one big baddy and his expendable minions. You can also have minions that aren't expandable, and which boost the powers of the boss in some way. For example, I once had a boss that was supported by singing statues. The statues would all cause different effects that made fighting the boss nearly impossible. One caused spell failure, another caused miss chance, one caused regeneration, and another caused damage reduction. The players had to prioritize their targets. And because the statues used sound to cause these effects, the bard in the party could also use his counter-song ability.   The last thing to do, is to create an interesting battlefield. The terrain can have a crucial effect on the battle. For example, I once had the players fight a giant golem inside a forge,. The golem would pour liquid metal into the arena, which would slowly shrink the area in which the players could fight. You can also place some of your enemies on higher ground, or have destructible terrain.
#3 TheDutchDM May 25, 2015 10:34:07	This was really helpful, especially as it reminded me of some of the things that are already in place.   Imaculata wrote: