I made a previous post about this but now I'm looking for more specific help. I am planning a final battle where the BBEG is casting a spell to become a god(Karsus's Avatar). I have an idea to split the battle into a couple of stages.
First the players would arrive near the end of the ritual and fight through a bunch of simple one hit enemies.
Then a couple rounds later the boss would complete the spell and cause the area to start falling apart. This part would have the players be destroying four large crystals while the BBEG is trying to stop them. These crystals would help the BBEG to store some of the divine energy he had just gained so he didn't instantly die like the last person to cast the spell. He would be weakened because of the influx of new power but still very powerful, most of his attention would be focused on the large armies battling below.
Once all the crystals were destroyed he would be further weakened enough for the party to take in a straight fight.
I am looking for some help designing some actions/stats for the BBEG both in the second and third phases of the battle.
Edit: I forgot to mention, the BBEG to using the spell to replace Mystra, the goddess of magic.
Also here are some things that I have thought up so far.
Abilities
Spellfire Armor
Levels 0-2 spells have no effect
levels 3-6 spells have half damage and reflects the other half
Levels 7-9 spells are unaffected by this
Regeneration - 20 hp Regen per turn
Legendary Resistances
Spellcasting - All spells, 2x the spell slots as a level 20 spellcaster.
Actions/Reactions
Silver Fire - A lot of damage in a line/cone/sphere(Recharge 5-6)(Destroys any non-living thing it touches)
Control Spell - When a spell is cast he can use reaction to make a contested arcana check to retarget the spell.
Disable Magic - He can choose a 20 ft radius circle where magic ceases to function. This lasts for 3 rounds.
How big is your players' party, and what are their levels? Also tell us a little bit more about this villain; I'm not familiar with Karsus, so I'm maybe not catching some background about this character that would be obvious if I knew who Karsus was.
The villain isn't karsus, the spell was created by a netherese arcanist named karsus. I don't know how much you know about the netherese but they were basically a civilization of powerful mages like 2000 years before modern day faerun. They were wiped out when Karsus cast this spell, he tried to replace the godess of magic which resulted in the weave, the way that all magic functions, failing. And since all the influential and powerful people lived on flying cities, they all fell from the sky and died. All except one that had teleported to the shadow fell only days before. These people led by Telamont Tanthul, are the ones that are planning to cast this spell.
Okay, I think I've got the general vibe. So I understand that you want this guy to be in the process of seizing control of magic; even still, I would pare back some of the anti-magic mechanics on his kit, because as is he's liable to make your spellcasters quit in frustration. Here's how I would adjust what you have:
Spellfire Armor
I would honestly just replace this with Magic Resistance, or otherwise limit its duration to very short bursts. If you simply must keep it, I would weaken it to "the Godling takes half damage from spells and other magical effects". Your casters aren't even going to have access to 7th-and-above level spells at level 11, so they'll have no way to bypass the feature as written, and if they do choose to just try and tough it out with their 3-6th level spells they're likely to die well before the boss does. I recently tried a similar passive spell-reflection mechanic on a boss I made, and the test players were pretty clear: it basically made them feel like liabilities to the rest of the party. I ended up replacing it with something similar to Control Spell, so I'll touch on that next.
Control Spell
With Spellfire Armor, this reaction is basically a "heads I win, tails you lose" proposition; either your PC loses the contested check and takes the full force of their own spell, or they win the check, and then take half the damage anyway! Without Spellfire Armor, Control Spell is much better balanced. I would allow the PC to use their own Spellcasting ability (with proficiency) for the contested check rather than making it a contested Arcana check, though; otherwise you're effectively privileging INT casters over other types.
Legendary Resistance
I would not include this alongside Spellfire Armor. Fireball, just for example, deals a maximum of 48 damage at 3rd level; with half of that damage being absorbed by Spellfire Armor and Legendary Resistance available to halve it again, you're looking at a mere 14 damage in a best-case-scenario, less than an average Greatsword attack from a raging Barbarian. If you swap out Spellfire Armor for Magic Resistance you could keep this, but otherwise I'd remove it entirely. If you're afraid your party will trivialize the encounter with a lucky Hold Person or something, just make the Godling immune to most Conditions, like a Lich is.
Regeneration - 20 HP per turn
This is already a really powerful trait, and combined with everything else on this kit there's potential for it to make the fight literally impossible. For a party of 5 characters at level 11, you should be shooting for a CR of between 11 and 13. Most creatures that have Regeneration in this CR range only regenerate 10 HP per turn and have some condition that stops the Regen from working. The Vampire does regenerate 20 HP per turn, but it also deals below-average damage per round for its CR and has 4 ways to stop its regen from functioning. I would honestly remove this trait entirely, but if you're super worried about your PCs bursting down the boss I would at least pare back the Regen to 10 HP per turn and/or add a condition that disables it.
Spellcasting
This could be super complicated to run, but if you like complicated bosses I encourage you to go for it. If not, I'd just give it a handful of powerful spells it can cast and let it cast them either on Recharge or at will. If the battle lasts long enough for the Godling to burn through 40 spells slots, something has gone horribly wrong.
Silver Fire
Fine as is.
Disable Magic
I don't think you're likely to end up using this as an action considering how stacked this guy's Action Economy already is, but I generally like it as a concept. I would recommend making this a Lair Action instead. A Lair Action setup for this monster could look like this:
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Godling can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the Godling can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
Disable Magic. An Antimagic Field with a radius of 20 feet appears in a location the Godling can see. The Field lasts until the next initiative count 20.
Spellfire Armor. The Godling targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. A crackling cord of negative energy tethers the Godling to the target. Whenever the Godling takes damage, the target must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the Godling takes half the damage (rounded down), and the target takes the remaining damage. This tether lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round or until the Godling or the target is no longer in the Godling's lair. (via the Lich, though that version doesn't have a name)
Mystic Anchor. The Godling targets one creature it can sense within 120 feet of it and anchors it by sheer force of will. The target must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, its speed is reduced to 0, and it can’t teleport. It can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. (via the Elder Brain)
I would also recommend giving Legendary Actions to any monster that's expected to go against multiple PCs on its own. A very basic Legendary Action setup for this monster could look like this:
Legendary Actions
The Godling can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Godling regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Teleport. The Godling teleports to an empty space it can see within 60 feet of it.
Cantrip. The Godling casts a cantrip.
Spellcasting (Costs 2 Actions). The Godling casts one of its spells.
I hope you don't take all this too harshly; trust me, I absolutely get the energy of trying to design a super-powerful boss fight, only to come out way too hard and end up with something I have to pare back on the fly. Look over the Creating a Monster section of the DMG, and check out the table for Monster Statistics by Challenge rating; compare your monster's HP and Damage Per Round to those estimates. I personally think the DMG takes it a little too easy on players, but it's good to have those numbers in mind as an anchor to make sure you don't drift beyond what your PCs can deal with. Best of luck with the project!
Thank you so much, this helps out so much, I will definitely take these tips into consideration. And don't worry about it being to harsh, the harshest comments are usually the most helpful.
I made a boss monster you should never fight called the forgotten king (his bit was replacing the rules with those from older editions) and he could cause a spell to reverse effects as a reaction. healing to damage if you want, or you can be more creative.
I also made a golem that was designed to annoy clerics and could become the target of a spell, to genuinely mess with clerics trying to help their friends.
also, like Mdhe said, it should have legendary, lair, and maybe mythic actions
About Me: Godless monster in human form bent on extending their natural life to unnatural extremes /general of the goose horde /Moderator of Vinstreb School for the Gifted /holder of the evil storyteller badge of no honor /king of madness /The FBI/ The Archmage of I CAST...!
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Fun Fact: i gain more power the more you post on my forum threads. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
I have a tentative finished product. What do you think. Also, the hit points don't really matter, I'm going to keep track of damage but that doesn't mean that his death happens at 0 hp.
I like it! I think this will be a really memorable fight for your players. I do have one concern still: with Anti-Magic Zone, does casting it again after recharge create a new zone, or move the existing one? If it creates a new zone, since there's no duration specified, a series of lucky recharges could leave the battlefield completely dead to spellcasters. The obvious solution is just, you know... Don't do that, if given the chance. Or do! Maybe your players will think that's cool, you know them and I do not.
That was actually something I thought of, he would have to leave some spaces uncovered since he depends on magic so much for his power. It would slowly make the battlefield smaller and force the players to adapt their strategy. I also shrinked the radius from 20 ft to 10 ft on the most current version.
The maps for the fight are going to by 30x30 squares if your wondering.
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I made a previous post about this but now I'm looking for more specific help. I am planning a final battle where the BBEG is casting a spell to become a god(Karsus's Avatar). I have an idea to split the battle into a couple of stages.
First the players would arrive near the end of the ritual and fight through a bunch of simple one hit enemies.
Then a couple rounds later the boss would complete the spell and cause the area to start falling apart. This part would have the players be destroying four large crystals while the BBEG is trying to stop them. These crystals would help the BBEG to store some of the divine energy he had just gained so he didn't instantly die like the last person to cast the spell. He would be weakened because of the influx of new power but still very powerful, most of his attention would be focused on the large armies battling below.
Once all the crystals were destroyed he would be further weakened enough for the party to take in a straight fight.
I am looking for some help designing some actions/stats for the BBEG both in the second and third phases of the battle.
Edit: I forgot to mention, the BBEG to using the spell to replace Mystra, the goddess of magic.
Also here are some things that I have thought up so far.
Abilities
How big is your players' party, and what are their levels? Also tell us a little bit more about this villain; I'm not familiar with Karsus, so I'm maybe not catching some background about this character that would be obvious if I knew who Karsus was.
The villain isn't karsus, the spell was created by a netherese arcanist named karsus. I don't know how much you know about the netherese but they were basically a civilization of powerful mages like 2000 years before modern day faerun. They were wiped out when Karsus cast this spell, he tried to replace the godess of magic which resulted in the weave, the way that all magic functions, failing. And since all the influential and powerful people lived on flying cities, they all fell from the sky and died. All except one that had teleported to the shadow fell only days before. These people led by Telamont Tanthul, are the ones that are planning to cast this spell.
The party will be 5 level 11's.
Okay, I think I've got the general vibe. So I understand that you want this guy to be in the process of seizing control of magic; even still, I would pare back some of the anti-magic mechanics on his kit, because as is he's liable to make your spellcasters quit in frustration. Here's how I would adjust what you have:
I would honestly just replace this with Magic Resistance, or otherwise limit its duration to very short bursts. If you simply must keep it, I would weaken it to "the Godling takes half damage from spells and other magical effects". Your casters aren't even going to have access to 7th-and-above level spells at level 11, so they'll have no way to bypass the feature as written, and if they do choose to just try and tough it out with their 3-6th level spells they're likely to die well before the boss does. I recently tried a similar passive spell-reflection mechanic on a boss I made, and the test players were pretty clear: it basically made them feel like liabilities to the rest of the party. I ended up replacing it with something similar to Control Spell, so I'll touch on that next.
With Spellfire Armor, this reaction is basically a "heads I win, tails you lose" proposition; either your PC loses the contested check and takes the full force of their own spell, or they win the check, and then take half the damage anyway! Without Spellfire Armor, Control Spell is much better balanced. I would allow the PC to use their own Spellcasting ability (with proficiency) for the contested check rather than making it a contested Arcana check, though; otherwise you're effectively privileging INT casters over other types.
I would not include this alongside Spellfire Armor. Fireball, just for example, deals a maximum of 48 damage at 3rd level; with half of that damage being absorbed by Spellfire Armor and Legendary Resistance available to halve it again, you're looking at a mere 14 damage in a best-case-scenario, less than an average Greatsword attack from a raging Barbarian. If you swap out Spellfire Armor for Magic Resistance you could keep this, but otherwise I'd remove it entirely. If you're afraid your party will trivialize the encounter with a lucky Hold Person or something, just make the Godling immune to most Conditions, like a Lich is.
This is already a really powerful trait, and combined with everything else on this kit there's potential for it to make the fight literally impossible. For a party of 5 characters at level 11, you should be shooting for a CR of between 11 and 13. Most creatures that have Regeneration in this CR range only regenerate 10 HP per turn and have some condition that stops the Regen from working. The Vampire does regenerate 20 HP per turn, but it also deals below-average damage per round for its CR and has 4 ways to stop its regen from functioning. I would honestly remove this trait entirely, but if you're super worried about your PCs bursting down the boss I would at least pare back the Regen to 10 HP per turn and/or add a condition that disables it.
This could be super complicated to run, but if you like complicated bosses I encourage you to go for it. If not, I'd just give it a handful of powerful spells it can cast and let it cast them either on Recharge or at will. If the battle lasts long enough for the Godling to burn through 40 spells slots, something has gone horribly wrong.
Fine as is.
I don't think you're likely to end up using this as an action considering how stacked this guy's Action Economy already is, but I generally like it as a concept. I would recommend making this a Lair Action instead. A Lair Action setup for this monster could look like this:
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Godling can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the Godling can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
I would also recommend giving Legendary Actions to any monster that's expected to go against multiple PCs on its own. A very basic Legendary Action setup for this monster could look like this:
Legendary Actions
The Godling can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Godling regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Teleport. The Godling teleports to an empty space it can see within 60 feet of it.
Cantrip. The Godling casts a cantrip.
Spellcasting (Costs 2 Actions). The Godling casts one of its spells.
I hope you don't take all this too harshly; trust me, I absolutely get the energy of trying to design a super-powerful boss fight, only to come out way too hard and end up with something I have to pare back on the fly. Look over the Creating a Monster section of the DMG, and check out the table for Monster Statistics by Challenge rating; compare your monster's HP and Damage Per Round to those estimates. I personally think the DMG takes it a little too easy on players, but it's good to have those numbers in mind as an anchor to make sure you don't drift beyond what your PCs can deal with. Best of luck with the project!
Thank you so much, this helps out so much, I will definitely take these tips into consideration. And don't worry about it being to harsh, the harshest comments are usually the most helpful.
I made a boss monster you should never fight called the forgotten king (his bit was replacing the rules with those from older editions) and he could cause a spell to reverse effects as a reaction. healing to damage if you want, or you can be more creative.
I also made a golem that was designed to annoy clerics and could become the target of a spell, to genuinely mess with clerics trying to help their friends.
also, like Mdhe said, it should have legendary, lair, and maybe mythic actions
Pronouns: Any/All
About Me: Godless monster in human form bent on extending their natural life to unnatural extremes /general of the goose horde /Moderator of Vinstreb School for the Gifted /holder of the evil storyteller badge of no honor /king of madness /The FBI/ The Archmage of I CAST...!
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Fun Fact: i gain more power the more you post on my forum threads. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
I have a tentative finished product. What do you think. Also, the hit points don't really matter, I'm going to keep track of damage but that doesn't mean that his death happens at 0 hp.
I like it! I think this will be a really memorable fight for your players. I do have one concern still: with Anti-Magic Zone, does casting it again after recharge create a new zone, or move the existing one? If it creates a new zone, since there's no duration specified, a series of lucky recharges could leave the battlefield completely dead to spellcasters. The obvious solution is just, you know... Don't do that, if given the chance. Or do! Maybe your players will think that's cool, you know them and I do not.
That was actually something I thought of, he would have to leave some spaces uncovered since he depends on magic so much for his power. It would slowly make the battlefield smaller and force the players to adapt their strategy. I also shrinked the radius from 20 ft to 10 ft on the most current version.
The maps for the fight are going to by 30x30 squares if your wondering.