I'm a player in 2 different long(ish) running campaigns and enjoying quite a bit. However, when one of our DMs can't make it, I've taken to running epic level one shots and the players, myself included, love it. My issue is that I'm running out of ideas to make these super powered games feel fresh or new. We can only mop the floor with Tiamat so many times before the players get bored. I'm considering building a boss gauntlet of sorts using the 9 Hells, having them fight through each of the 9 levels and seeing who survives the longest. Any ideas or suggestions to improve the experience for my group and I would be greatly appreciated.
Fighting one really big boss is a fairly standard challenge for epic tier characters. A party of 5 characters level 17+ can wipe the floor with pretty much any single target.
Lower CR creatures might seem like nothing to such characters. But... a prolonged series of encounters with mid-level monsters that require constant output of resources from the party with no chance to rest in between... that can be an even greater challenge than the big baddie.
Sure, your wizard can cast Meteor Swarm and wipe out an entire army from a mile away..... once! And then the next army approaches... what then?
Sure, your cleric can bring the party back from the brink with Mass Heal.... once! And then the next army approaches.
Sure, your druid can summon a giant storm of acid, lightning, and frozen hail.... once! And then the next army approaches.
Also - hit points are just one way to drain a party's health. Exhaustion, poison, disease... these are challenges for even the toughest characters. Sure, your barbarian has a bazillion hit points, but after 3 levels of exhaustion all his attacks are at disadvantage, and at 4 his HP is cut in half. He's out.
Prolonged output without rest is a meat grinder that will reduce any epic tier party to tears. It's just a matter of time until your 20th level cleric is down to a single 1st level spell slot and has to decide which zero-hit-point teammate to bring back with his last Healing Word.
Run the gauntlet.
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Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
I'm guessing part of the problem is that you're trying to keep the "epic" feel... but also restricting things to a one shot. That sounds fairly difficult.
Maybe mix things up a bit? Go for a two-session episode where they have to destroy a new, Lovecraftian god that's appeared; maybe they have to destroy a villain that shunts them to the past during their final fight, and they have to try their best to retrieve an artifact without changing the past to get back and finish beating him.
You could also consider throwing a common thread through all of the one-shots. Maybe every now and then they notice someone watching. Eventually they find that someone has been keeping tabs on them. Come to find out it's a low-powered NPC they wrote off long ago, who's been ticked at their rise to power, and now he wants revenge... but he's managing to extract it without a huge confrontation. Perhaps he's kidnapped their loved ones, or has henchmen elsewhere who will reveal a dark secret the second that he falls dead. Force them to use their power and skills to find another way to defeat the guy (with battles interspersed and a climactic fight between entire armies at the end... maybe the guy convinced a king to help him destroy the heroes.)
I like that idea. I was thinking of having them battle through each layer of the 9 hells until they reached Asmodeus, only giving them time for a short rest and/or some magic healing between encounters, then boot em to the next fight. Thanks.
One of my player's PC that "died" in a previous campaign would be perfect for this actually. She was a chaotic evil rogue that kept making deals with Fey, fiends, and even celestial to save her own neck. Finally she actually died, but who knows what happened to her soul? Maybe it's been feeding the Archdevils info about the party. I like both of these ideas so far. Thanks friends.
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I'm a player in 2 different long(ish) running campaigns and enjoying quite a bit. However, when one of our DMs can't make it, I've taken to running epic level one shots and the players, myself included, love it. My issue is that I'm running out of ideas to make these super powered games feel fresh or new. We can only mop the floor with Tiamat so many times before the players get bored. I'm considering building a boss gauntlet of sorts using the 9 Hells, having them fight through each of the 9 levels and seeing who survives the longest. Any ideas or suggestions to improve the experience for my group and I would be greatly appreciated.
Use the PCs from one of the previous one-shots. See how long it takes them to realize they are fighting their previous party.
Fighting one really big boss is a fairly standard challenge for epic tier characters. A party of 5 characters level 17+ can wipe the floor with pretty much any single target.
Lower CR creatures might seem like nothing to such characters. But... a prolonged series of encounters with mid-level monsters that require constant output of resources from the party with no chance to rest in between... that can be an even greater challenge than the big baddie.
Sure, your wizard can cast Meteor Swarm and wipe out an entire army from a mile away..... once! And then the next army approaches... what then?
Sure, your cleric can bring the party back from the brink with Mass Heal.... once! And then the next army approaches.
Sure, your druid can summon a giant storm of acid, lightning, and frozen hail.... once! And then the next army approaches.
Also - hit points are just one way to drain a party's health. Exhaustion, poison, disease... these are challenges for even the toughest characters. Sure, your barbarian has a bazillion hit points, but after 3 levels of exhaustion all his attacks are at disadvantage, and at 4 his HP is cut in half. He's out.
Prolonged output without rest is a meat grinder that will reduce any epic tier party to tears. It's just a matter of time until your 20th level cleric is down to a single 1st level spell slot and has to decide which zero-hit-point teammate to bring back with his last Healing Word.
Run the gauntlet.
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Anzio Faro. Lvl 5 Prot. Aasimar Light Cleric.
I'm guessing part of the problem is that you're trying to keep the "epic" feel... but also restricting things to a one shot. That sounds fairly difficult.
Maybe mix things up a bit? Go for a two-session episode where they have to destroy a new, Lovecraftian god that's appeared; maybe they have to destroy a villain that shunts them to the past during their final fight, and they have to try their best to retrieve an artifact without changing the past to get back and finish beating him.
You could also consider throwing a common thread through all of the one-shots. Maybe every now and then they notice someone watching. Eventually they find that someone has been keeping tabs on them. Come to find out it's a low-powered NPC they wrote off long ago, who's been ticked at their rise to power, and now he wants revenge... but he's managing to extract it without a huge confrontation. Perhaps he's kidnapped their loved ones, or has henchmen elsewhere who will reveal a dark secret the second that he falls dead. Force them to use their power and skills to find another way to defeat the guy (with battles interspersed and a climactic fight between entire armies at the end... maybe the guy convinced a king to help him destroy the heroes.)
Just a couple ideas.
Sterling - V. Human Bard 3 (College of Art) - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist (w/ Mansion) - Jasper's [Pic] - Sterling's [Sigil]
Tooltips Post (2024 PHB updates) - incl. General Rules
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
I like that idea. I was thinking of having them battle through each layer of the 9 hells until they reached Asmodeus, only giving them time for a short rest and/or some magic healing between encounters, then boot em to the next fight. Thanks.
One of my player's PC that "died" in a previous campaign would be perfect for this actually. She was a chaotic evil rogue that kept making deals with Fey, fiends, and even celestial to save her own neck. Finally she actually died, but who knows what happened to her soul? Maybe it's been feeding the Archdevils info about the party. I like both of these ideas so far. Thanks friends.