How to end a campaign?

[HarbinNick]

-So the campaign is over, after several months. I will be moving to another city and was planning this all along.
-So the party will go against the temple of the Cult of Nod, and fight through the three guardians to reach the final boss.
They are the Shadow Guardian (a Derro Vampire Rogue)
The flame guardian ( A burning skeleton Red Dragon skeleton)
and the Door Keeper ( a hill giant armed with a scythe and full plate armor)
-After this they will go against an advanced Aboleth with 150 hp.
-They are three level 5 characters all armed with both +1 weapons and +1 armor, and will have potions to help them against the enemies (resist fire). In addition a NPC oracle of life with a CMW wand and channel 3d6 healing is part of the party. There is Paladin and the smite evil will be deadly on the undead.
-My question is how to end on a good note. Secondly, how can I make them feel like they have saved the day...lastly, I expect a character to die on the final boss. Aboleths are tough and clever foes, and this is his home turf.

[pauljathome]

Don't pull punches. Make what you think will be a very, very hard but winnable fight and then let the players do the rest. If they fail, let them. Otherwise they'll feel their victory wasn't earned.

That said, be liberal in interpreting the crazy crap your players will try and pull. Don't allow everything but be far more ready to say yes than you normally are. And tell the players that they're allowed to think outside the box. Let them call in all the favours they've hopefully accumulated. Let them plan and gear up

[Lincoln Hills]

Budget about an hour of time beyond 'the final combat'. Have NPCs hand out rewards and throw parties celebrating the PCs' victory. Quiz each player on what his character intends to do with the rest of his life. Give the players a bit of closure on the whole experience while leaving the window open a crack for them to use the characters again someday.

[Ascalaphus]

Tying up loose ends at the end of the campaign is good. After one memorable campaign ended with a big climactic fight, we spent another session entirely on the loose ends, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

[Scavion]

The End

Optional: And they lived happily ever after.

[Propsken]

Celebration and tying up loose ends sound perfect.
Another option which I've always planned to implement is to create an "epilogue". Fast-forward to X years in the future; start describing how, thanks to the PCs' actions, the world has changed through observations and NPCs.
Maybe one of the PCs eventually got into politics and has become a benevolent, well-known and respected (if not revered) ruler? Maybe some of the party-members have opened an academy for would-be-adventurers? Maybe the PCs' actions have earned them a place in the historybooks?
Whatever you do, make sure you end on a high note. If possible, of course.

[Chyrone]

Propsken wrote:

Another option which I've always planned to implement is to create an "epilogue".

^ That.

With an orc raised human ranger (trophy skulls of slain foes, normally evil?) i went through 1st steps part 1. I know the guy irl too and he made epilogues for everybody in that campaign. As such, my ranger now has the skull of Halli on display in her house. By this time also the one of the Jinkin boss from Veteran's Vault.

[The Saltmarsh 6]

With those last four fights sounds like a TPK is on the cards

[HarbinNick]

Well...they did it...
of course they all had potions of protection from evil, which saved them from the mind control elements.