so I have 48 bosses (I know that’s a lot but they don’t have to fight all of them they just need to kill the one linked to them) in my campaign I call judges (similar to final fantasy)of which only three things are shared amount them, they have way more health than normal, they all wear armor(even magic casters), and while not “true” undead, they count as undead for the purpose of mental and emotional defence.
now the thing is I need each of them to have a unique form of fighting since I really hate the whole “slash, block, slash, block...dead” and so I want them to feel like they each where made for a certain purpose. And the ones I have are
paladin type who completely ignores all armor that isn’t magical
ranger who can use an action to teleport 60 feet 10 times a day
summoner who hides away and throws summons at them until he runs out of spells or is killed
Paladin type who’s immune to any spells of 3rd or lower(including cantrips) (also this is meant as a main boss)
thief who only attacks with clones till you can find him
psion who literally all he does is set the room on fire and throw the flames at you(he’s abit mad😁)
Paladin that only uses light magic and shielding magic but it’s twice as powerful
warlock that if your within 5 feet of him and fail a save( even if he ran past you) you are under his control (again, main)
unfortunately I’ve ran out of ideas but as you can tell they are fully homebrew(I just put them against characters I want them to be the same level as over and over till I’m sure it’s balanced), so please any idea is worth posting, even if it is a dumb idea it could spark a great one, and this may even help other dms stuck in this same rut.
Maybe a wizard who builds constructs that the party has to fight, and when the party finally reaches the wizard he is using a stone/iron golem as a suit of armor (like a mech)
A vampire who (by the aid of some magical oil) is mysteriously able to walk about in sunlight without hindrance (the payoff here for the freedom of movement could be that the oil is highly flammable).
A forest.......where half the trees are mimics
An evil druid who is hiding as a chef at a resturant. Instead of straight up poisoning the party (which he thinks may be found out too easily by the discerning taste) he serves the party unique dishes that can be harmful or deadly if they arent careful {such as a desert gelatin that is really just a miniature ooze).
A fighter who can step into the astral plane as a reaction (this effect is temporary and only lasts until the attack or effect has passed through him). The key is that since it is a reaction he could only use it once per round.
Actual Cannibal Shia Lebouf
Not sure what else off the top of my head
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Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews!Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
The Berserker: A warrior of peerless might and rage, terrifying to behold. The Berserker can make either four or five attacks in a round, all reckless. He has 50 feet of movement speed, and one of his attacks is a thirty-foot leap that can knock targets prone. If the Berserker is (somehow) unable to reach a target to attack during his turn, he can instead unleash a furious roar imbued with primal magic, stunning anything that hears it and fails its save. If you've ever seen Fate, think the classic Hercules Berserker. The challenge is "oh my bloody beagle jeebus, how do we live long enough to bring this guy down?!" because every turn, the Berserker can unload a horrifying round of attacks on his target and he has nigh-unmatched pursuit capability. Sheer power boiled down into semihumanoid form. A straightforward battle, but one in which the PCs will be doing their best to play hot potato with the huge angry guy that can damn near one-shot one character a turn.
The Siren: A beautiful and alluring demoness in human guise. The Siren is effectively a war bard dialed to 11, with the ability to deal thunder damage with her screams or sing songs of befuddlement and beguiling. She can charm characters and woo them into betraying their allies for her, utilize Cutting Words to sabotage attacks against her, and comes with a suite of Vocal-component spells drawn primarily but not necessarily solely from the bard spell list. Preferably encountered in an area where she can be heard but not easily seen or approached and can throw the party into confusion trying to find the evil songstress. The challenge is in keeping enough of the party functional to continue threatening her, as the Siren's win condition is to charm the entire party and transform them into her thralls/meals. The party will have to keep on top of her powerful charm abilities, and while she's not physically formidable her ability to sabotage attacks and potentially counter spells makes it difficult to damage her in the first place.
In a similar vein, and possibly a replacement for a basic summoner: The Transmuter: This warrior uses powerful transmutation magic to animate everyday objects and convince them to attack the party, transform innocuous creatures into savage beasts, or even transform the PCs themselves to hinder their abilities. Bears a bevy of transmutation spells and effectively unlimited use of basic Polymorph, which he uses to turn ordinary rats, squirrels, Chihuahuas or such into dangerous and aggressive creatures. Encountered in an area cluttered with objects for him to animate and creatures for him to transform, the Transmuter can turn a regular city block into Happy Hell House. Characters are turned into sheep, bystanders are turned into wolves, every random pot and bucket could suddenly fly up and try to shatter itself over your skull...the challenge in this one is in keeping your cool and not allowing paranoia to paralyze you while you track the Transmuter down and put an end to his bullfudgery.
There's other things you could do, but rather than looking for 'fighting style' specifically, try and consider which overall archetypes you need. Some of these could be simple gimmick bosses, but others could be more puzzle encounter than fight; the Transmuter especially, given his ability to alter his surroundings, could be a challenge simply to find rather than a heavy combat contest.
Listen my guys. I am gonna give you a list of three dnd boss ideas that I hope are good. Here I go lads:
Curitus, The Dark Jester: Curitus (produced: Cur-it-us), is an insane male human jester that went mad after a series of unfortunate events. He uses the Spy Master stat blocks (see Monster Manual 2024), except his alignment is CE.
Smiler, The Laughing Ace: Smiler, is a human business man that runs a chain of brothels, casinos and clubs. His guard, a dumb male orc named Clubs, which uses the Tough Boss stats (see Monster Manual 2024) is the helpless lackey that clings to the every chains of his masters wills. Smiler uses the Spy Master stat blocks (see Monster Manual 2024). Smiler alignment is LE, and Clubs is LG.
Watcher, The Eyes of the Gods: Watcher is the Lord priest of an unknown cult that worships The Ever Eyes, a gargantuan eye that floats through the Far Realm. His stat blocks is the Cultist Hierophant (see Monster Manual 2024), except his alignment is LE
Cult leader that just orders via a lieutenant or uses hand gestures that has minions (can be powerful/high level) that run-in front of big guy and fight. Fight is all various. Can be skeletons and archers and monks and wizards etc. There are a lot of them waiting for their turn. All ready to sacrifice their life for the leader/boss.
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so I have 48 bosses (I know that’s a lot but they don’t have to fight all of them they just need to kill the one linked to them) in my campaign I call judges (similar to final fantasy)of which only three things are shared amount them, they have way more health than normal, they all wear armor(even magic casters), and while not “true” undead, they count as undead for the purpose of mental and emotional defence.
now the thing is I need each of them to have a unique form of fighting since I really hate the whole “slash, block, slash, block...dead” and so I want them to feel like they each where made for a certain purpose. And the ones I have are
paladin type who completely ignores all armor that isn’t magical
ranger who can use an action to teleport 60 feet 10 times a day
summoner who hides away and throws summons at them until he runs out of spells or is killed
Paladin type who’s immune to any spells of 3rd or lower(including cantrips) (also this is meant as a main boss)
thief who only attacks with clones till you can find him
psion who literally all he does is set the room on fire and throw the flames at you(he’s abit mad😁)
Paladin that only uses light magic and shielding magic but it’s twice as powerful
warlock that if your within 5 feet of him and fail a save( even if he ran past you) you are under his control (again, main)
unfortunately I’ve ran out of ideas but as you can tell they are fully homebrew(I just put them against characters I want them to be the same level as over and over till I’m sure it’s balanced), so please any idea is worth posting, even if it is a dumb idea it could spark a great one, and this may even help other dms stuck in this same rut.
Just thought of a few more...
Trap mage who hinders the party by moving around hoping they trigger the plethora of magic traps he can place
a knight whom as you get closer to him, You suffer a negative to your attack
Lets see,
Maybe a wizard who builds constructs that the party has to fight, and when the party finally reaches the wizard he is using a stone/iron golem as a suit of armor (like a mech)
A vampire who (by the aid of some magical oil) is mysteriously able to walk about in sunlight without hindrance (the payoff here for the freedom of movement could be that the oil is highly flammable).
A forest.......where half the trees are mimics
An evil druid who is hiding as a chef at a resturant. Instead of straight up poisoning the party (which he thinks may be found out too easily by the discerning taste) he serves the party unique dishes that can be harmful or deadly if they arent careful {such as a desert gelatin that is really just a miniature ooze).
A fighter who can step into the astral plane as a reaction (this effect is temporary and only lasts until the attack or effect has passed through him). The key is that since it is a reaction he could only use it once per round.
Actual Cannibal Shia Lebouf
Not sure what else off the top of my head
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
The Berserker: A warrior of peerless might and rage, terrifying to behold. The Berserker can make either four or five attacks in a round, all reckless. He has 50 feet of movement speed, and one of his attacks is a thirty-foot leap that can knock targets prone. If the Berserker is (somehow) unable to reach a target to attack during his turn, he can instead unleash a furious roar imbued with primal magic, stunning anything that hears it and fails its save. If you've ever seen Fate, think the classic Hercules Berserker. The challenge is "oh my bloody beagle jeebus, how do we live long enough to bring this guy down?!" because every turn, the Berserker can unload a horrifying round of attacks on his target and he has nigh-unmatched pursuit capability. Sheer power boiled down into semihumanoid form. A straightforward battle, but one in which the PCs will be doing their best to play hot potato with the huge angry guy that can damn near one-shot one character a turn.
The Siren: A beautiful and alluring demoness in human guise. The Siren is effectively a war bard dialed to 11, with the ability to deal thunder damage with her screams or sing songs of befuddlement and beguiling. She can charm characters and woo them into betraying their allies for her, utilize Cutting Words to sabotage attacks against her, and comes with a suite of Vocal-component spells drawn primarily but not necessarily solely from the bard spell list. Preferably encountered in an area where she can be heard but not easily seen or approached and can throw the party into confusion trying to find the evil songstress. The challenge is in keeping enough of the party functional to continue threatening her, as the Siren's win condition is to charm the entire party and transform them into her thralls/meals. The party will have to keep on top of her powerful charm abilities, and while she's not physically formidable her ability to sabotage attacks and potentially counter spells makes it difficult to damage her in the first place.
In a similar vein, and possibly a replacement for a basic summoner:
The Transmuter: This warrior uses powerful transmutation magic to animate everyday objects and convince them to attack the party, transform innocuous creatures into savage beasts, or even transform the PCs themselves to hinder their abilities. Bears a bevy of transmutation spells and effectively unlimited use of basic Polymorph, which he uses to turn ordinary rats, squirrels, Chihuahuas or such into dangerous and aggressive creatures. Encountered in an area cluttered with objects for him to animate and creatures for him to transform, the Transmuter can turn a regular city block into Happy Hell House. Characters are turned into sheep, bystanders are turned into wolves, every random pot and bucket could suddenly fly up and try to shatter itself over your skull...the challenge in this one is in keeping your cool and not allowing paranoia to paralyze you while you track the Transmuter down and put an end to his bullfudgery.
There's other things you could do, but rather than looking for 'fighting style' specifically, try and consider which overall archetypes you need. Some of these could be simple gimmick bosses, but others could be more puzzle encounter than fight; the Transmuter especially, given his ability to alter his surroundings, could be a challenge simply to find rather than a heavy combat contest.
Please do not contact or message me.
Listen my guys. I am gonna give you a list of three dnd boss ideas that I hope are good. Here I go lads:
Curitus, The Dark Jester: Curitus (produced: Cur-it-us), is an insane male human jester that went mad after a series of unfortunate events. He uses the Spy Master stat blocks (see Monster Manual 2024), except his alignment is CE.
Smiler, The Laughing Ace: Smiler, is a human business man that runs a chain of brothels, casinos and clubs. His guard, a dumb male orc named Clubs, which uses the Tough Boss stats (see Monster Manual 2024) is the helpless lackey that clings to the every chains of his masters wills. Smiler uses the Spy Master stat blocks (see Monster Manual 2024). Smiler alignment is LE, and Clubs is LG.
Watcher, The Eyes of the Gods: Watcher is the Lord priest of an unknown cult that worships The Ever Eyes, a gargantuan eye that floats through the Far Realm. His stat blocks is the Cultist Hierophant (see Monster Manual 2024), except his alignment is LE
Cult leader that just orders via a lieutenant or uses hand gestures that has minions (can be powerful/high level) that run-in front of big guy and fight. Fight is all various. Can be skeletons and archers and monks and wizards etc. There are a lot of them waiting for their turn. All ready to sacrifice their life for the leader/boss.