Hi! I'm designing a dungeon where the gimmick is that it's more monster sparse than most dungeons, but the monsters that do exist in the dungeon help to give buffs to the bosses.
Hoping that the buffing monsters themselves aren't too strong, and the danger is more in them reaching the boss and handing them a buff. The players would be around level 3 when they reach this dungeon. If it matters I'm hoping to make the bosses Cambions. Thanks!
I mean, if you think of Master Blaster sorta thing. Can have a small weaker monster using help actions a bunch. Or taking the hit that would down them, hopefully letting them hit again if they live.
4th edition also had what was called minions. They had 1hp but otherwise were full stat monsters with evasion. So you can use about anything, but only give them 1hp. Figure if to buff the Cambion boss, can have an amulet that saps the wearers strength(hp). Maybe a thin line if someone uses detect magic, arcana, or religion. Sorta help guide them towards your boss too so there is a bit extra if a reason why they are able to die in a hit but also deal normal damage.
Like minions just delivering gear to the boss, or getting into position to operate traps that make the boss room more dangerous, or just simply actually casting buff spells, or...Camibions can fly, the minions can literally just run in and trip and spill ball bearings all over the floor and have made the fight harder.
In my current campaign I have some animated armor inspired enemies that add lightning damage to their bludgeoning damage. It wouldn't be hard to say their lightning reserves run dry after each attack, and they have other constructs running new batteries to them in order to keep the lightning bonus going every round.
You can also just handwave some general buffs for the battlefield. Maybe the boss receives healing every round equal to the number of minions left on the battlefield? Minions can sacrifice their action to let the boss make a move or an action, simulating legendary actions that derive from the minions rather than the boss itself? Boss has a bonus to saves equal to number of living minions? Boss' refresh roll on big abilities tied to number of living minions?
Lots of fuzzy options that don't need to be tied to a statblock entry, but can instead be defined by the context of the encounter.
Hi! I'm designing a dungeon where the gimmick is that it's more monster sparse than most dungeons, but the monsters that do exist in the dungeon help to give buffs to the bosses.
Hoping that the buffing monsters themselves aren't too strong, and the danger is more in them reaching the boss and handing them a buff. The players would be around level 3 when they reach this dungeon. If it matters I'm hoping to make the bosses Cambions. Thanks!
Owls of the fiendish variety, like you can summon with find familiar, only they can attack, like how Chainpact familiar owls can attack. Any cambion in the dungeon can see or hear out of any owl's eyes or ears, giving them 120 foot darkvision and advantage on seeing and hearing checks when sensing through an owl. Owls can take the help action with flyby with relative impunity.
Tressym as above, giving the cambions advantage to smell things and the ability to just see through invisibility.
Creatures within 10 feet of a Tressym have disadvantage on the saving throw against a cambion's Fiendish Charm ability and command spell. Any creature charmed by a cambion is also charmed by all Tressym in the dungeon.
Lemures as above, giving the cambions devil's sight (full color, even in magical darkness).
When a Lemure dies within 10 feet of a Cambion, the Cambion heals 3d8; any healing that would take it over its maximum is converted to THP.
All Cambions have:
Limited Pack Tactics.
The Cambion has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one owl, giant owl, bat, giant bat, tressym, or lemure ally is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
A little high for a 3rd level party, but the will-o'-wisp and the shambling mound have great synergy. Besides finding both in swamps, the mound is a brutish pool of hit points and the wisp can use its shock attack to heal it as needed.
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Hi! I'm designing a dungeon where the gimmick is that it's more monster sparse than most dungeons, but the monsters that do exist in the dungeon help to give buffs to the bosses.
Hoping that the buffing monsters themselves aren't too strong, and the danger is more in them reaching the boss and handing them a buff. The players would be around level 3 when they reach this dungeon. If it matters I'm hoping to make the bosses Cambions. Thanks!
I mean, if you think of Master Blaster sorta thing. Can have a small weaker monster using help actions a bunch. Or taking the hit that would down them, hopefully letting them hit again if they live.
4th edition also had what was called minions. They had 1hp but otherwise were full stat monsters with evasion. So you can use about anything, but only give them 1hp. Figure if to buff the Cambion boss, can have an amulet that saps the wearers strength(hp). Maybe a thin line if someone uses detect magic, arcana, or religion. Sorta help guide them towards your boss too so there is a bit extra if a reason why they are able to die in a hit but also deal normal damage.
Well, multiples of the same buffs don't stack, so some variety is needed.
A few acolytes with different buff and debuff spells, not to mention healing would be a pain.
You could also homebrew an encounter mechanic where the boss gets some buff depending on number of allies (don't go overboard).
Of course, a cambion by itself is already a pretty tough fight at level 3.
Aren't there like a million ways to do this?
Like minions just delivering gear to the boss, or getting into position to operate traps that make the boss room more dangerous, or just simply actually casting buff spells, or...Camibions can fly, the minions can literally just run in and trip and spill ball bearings all over the floor and have made the fight harder.
In my current campaign I have some animated armor inspired enemies that add lightning damage to their bludgeoning damage. It wouldn't be hard to say their lightning reserves run dry after each attack, and they have other constructs running new batteries to them in order to keep the lightning bonus going every round.
You can also just handwave some general buffs for the battlefield. Maybe the boss receives healing every round equal to the number of minions left on the battlefield? Minions can sacrifice their action to let the boss make a move or an action, simulating legendary actions that derive from the minions rather than the boss itself? Boss has a bonus to saves equal to number of living minions? Boss' refresh roll on big abilities tied to number of living minions?
Lots of fuzzy options that don't need to be tied to a statblock entry, but can instead be defined by the context of the encounter.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
All Cambions have:
Limited Pack Tactics.
The Cambion has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one owl, giant owl, bat, giant bat, tressym, or lemure ally is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
A little high for a 3rd level party, but the will-o'-wisp and the shambling mound have great synergy. Besides finding both in swamps, the mound is a brutish pool of hit points and the wisp can use its shock attack to heal it as needed.
"Not all those who wander are lost"