| 7 people marked this as a favorite. |
BOSS
At the end of a challenging dungeon, or a harrowing adventure usually a powerful monster or villain waits for the adventurers to pose a finaly climactic fight. But in order for a single creature to be challenging to a party of multiple adventurers, the boss requires special abilities to break from its usual limits.
The following template can be applied to a single monster or NPC of any type in order to improve its action economy and allow it to stand multiple rounds against a party of multiple adventurers. The Template increases the Boss's abilities depending on party size, but does not change its CR, as a single creature is otherwise inherently at a disadvantage against a group of creatures.
Size, Type, Speed and Abilities: The base creature's size, type, speed and ability scores remain unchanged
Hit Points: If the adventuring party consists of 2 or fewer creatures (including animal companions, familiars, eidolons, cohorts, NPC allies and hirelings) the base creature's hit points remain unchanged. If the adventuring party consists of 3 to 5 creatures, the base creature gains maximum hit points for each hit dice instead of rolling or taking average hit points. If the adventuring party consists of 6 or more creatures, the base creature twice its average hit points (including bonuses from constitution, feats, favored class bonus, etc.)
Action Points: If the adventuring party consists of 2 or fewer creatures the base creature does not gain action points. If the party consists of 3 or more creatures the base creature gains a number of action points equal to its number of hit dice. On each of its turn it may spend up to two action points to gain an additional move or standard action per point spent. No more than one of these actions may be a standard action. Alternatively the boss may use two action points to remove a single one of the following conditions or types of spell effects from itself without provoking attacks of opportunity: confused, dazed, cowering, paralyzed, petrified, stunned, entangled, exhausted, frightened, panicked, prone, nauseated, staggered, compulsion.
Whenever an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from the Boss, the boss may immediately expend an action point to make an attack of opportunity even if it already has made its maximum allowed number of attacks of opportunity for this round.
If the adventuring party consists of 6 or more creatures, the boss may additionally spend 4 action points each round to gain an additional turn this round at its initiative score -20. The boss may spend action points to gain actions on its additional turn as though it were part of its regular turn, so if it has not spent any action points on its regular turn, it may spend up to 2 action points, if it spent 1 point on its regular turn, it may spend up to 1 action point on the additional turn, etc.
Organization: Always solo.
Challenge Rating: The creature's CR is unchanged. However since a boss marks the end of a dungeon or adventure, players should gain extra experience and treasure for completing the adventure.
----------------------------
I know a simple solution to Boss action economy is to add minions to the boss fight but I want there to be a way that a single unaided monster can fight the entire party, because sometimes it doesn't fit the theme of the boss that it has helpers around.
So I would love some feedback, do you think that this is too much, not enough?
I would love to hear feedback on this idea.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Looks pretty well thought out. I can't think of any suggestions to change this, you have clearly made something that will work for your game.
let us know how it works out!
I like it but instead of spend a point to remove all of the effects, maybe have some of them be gets to make a new save to end the effect; You should never be able to compulsion the final boss to let the rogue CdG it, but things that can hinder or cripple and aren't save or die shouldn't just be thrown out the window. For example paralysis or stunning effects could allow him to roll twice for a save at the cost of the point.
Another good way to work it (assuming its a later game boss) is to give the boss its own Timeless Plane: no need to spend several actions buffing yourself and the buffs last forever (granted its the same for the adventurers but they probably wont know they are entering a timeless plane before they do). Recently I build a final boss fight where she (the final boss) fights the PCs outside of her plain, would be brought down to <0 hitpoints causing a nearby plot element to implode sending her into her own plain, then slowly sucking the PCs in a couple rounds later to find that she is now in a polymorphed form and fully healed and buffed again (due to the timeless trait) at which point they would finally kill her in her own plane (which to all the meta-lore buffs, would indicate she somehow managed to reach pseudo-deity status). Just so I don't sound like I'm tooting my own horn, what you created actually works very well with this and I will 100% accredit you if I ever publish the module/Arc.
Thanks for the input, I will see how the template works out in practice, and see if any of your suggestions could improve them.
2 AP for move + standard combined into a full attack makes 2 full attacks in a row. The very definiton of rocket tag, you are going to kill 1 unlucky character per turn. not to mention caster bosses like dragon being able to set up spell combos. The system works in 5 because of the different action economy and damage-to-hp ratio, I don't think is going to be that functional in pathfinder.
2 AP for move + standard combined into a full attack makes 2 full attacks in a row. The very definiton of rocket tag, you are going to kill 1 unlucky character per turn. not to mention caster bosses like dragon being able to set up spell combos. The system works in 5 because of the different action economy and damage-to-hp ratio, I don't think is going to be that functional in pathfinder.
The system allows standard, not FAs, I believe--though I could be misreading? Since I'm in a formatting kind of mood, I went ahead and took a whack, here. Anyway, please let me know if I made any unintentional changes:
BOSS TEMPLATE (CR+0 if used solo)
At the end of a challenging dungeon or a harrowing adventure, usually a powerful monster or villain waits to pose a final, climactic fight. In order for a single creature to be challenging to a party of multiple adventurers, however, the boss requires special abilities to break from its usual limits and allow it to pose an adequate challenge on its own.
The following template can be applied to a single creature or NPC of any type. The template improves the creature's action economy and allows it to stand multiple rounds against a party of multiple adventurers. While the template increases the Boss's abilities depending on party size, it does not change its CR, as a single creature is otherwise at a disadvantage against a group of creatures.
Size, Type, Speed and Abilities: The base creature's size, type, speed and ability scores remain unchanged
Hit Points
Modify the boss's hit points as follows, based on party size:
2 or fewer: The base creature's hit points remain unchanged
3-5: The base creature gains maximum hit points for each hit dice instead of rolling or taking average hit points
6+: The base creature twice its average hit points (including bonuses from constitution, feats, favored class bonus, etc.)
* including animal companions, familiars, eidolons, cohorts, NPC allies and hirelings
Action Points
The creature gains a number of APs, based on party size:
2 or fewer: No APs
3 or more: APs equal to hit dice, may spend up to 2 APs per round
6 or more: APs equal to hit dice, may spend up to 2 APs per round, plus 4 APs to gain an additional turn that round at its init score -20.
* including animal companions, familiars, eidolons, cohorts, NPC allies and hirelings
Action Point Costs
1 AP: Gain an additional move action or standard action (no more than one additional standard action may be purchased per round)
2 APs: Gain an additional save against an ongoing condition or spell effect on this list: confused, dazed, cowering, paralysed, petrified, stunned, entangled, exhausted, frightened, panicked, prone, nauseated, staggered, compulsion
1 AP: Whenever an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from the Boss, the boss may immediately expend an action point to make an attack of opportunity even if it already has made its maximum allowed number of attacks of opportunity for this round.
4 AP (available versus a party of 6+ only): This purchase does not count against the boss's normal 2 APs per round limit. If the adventuring party consists of 6 or more creatures, the boss may additionally spend 4 action points each round to gain an additional turn that round at its initiative score -20.
The boss may spend action points to gain actions on this additional turn as though it were part of its regular turn, though it may not otherwise bypass the normal 2 AP/round limit. This means if it has not spent any action points on its regular turn, it may spend up to 2 action points, if it spent 1 point on its regular turn, it may spend up to 1 action point on the additional turn, and so on.
Organization: Always solo.
Challenge Rating: The creature's CR is unchanged. However since a boss marks the end of a dungeon or adventure, players should gain extra experience and treasure for completing the adventure.
2 AP for move + standard combined into a full attack makes 2 full attacks in a row. The very definiton of rocket tag, you are going to kill 1 unlucky character per turn. not to mention caster bosses like dragon being able to set up spell combos. The system works in 5 because of the different action economy and damage-to-hp ratio, I don't think is going to be that functional in pathfinder.
Usually parties are 3-5 PCs meaning he will only have at most 25ish points at the late game; casters would probably do this to cast some sort of metamagic feat and then get a standard/move action in (as its wasteful to spend several points in a single turn, at least early on, and you cant two spells in a turn anyway) and martials will probably not spend two full attacks in the same turn (probably a movement, two swifts (extra standard to activate the swift) then a full attack) as it would be super douche-y for a GM to single out a single character and just off them (assuming they could even be offed with two full attacks). The boss still has to keep points around to cure status effects so blowing them willy-nilly on extra full attacks isn't a viable option for any boss whose smart or has casting abilities (because what boss doesn't).
Thanks for the formatting, Stompy.
One thing I've noticed: the AP expended for AoOs don't count against the 2 AP maximum per round either.
And you're correct the extra actions cannot be used to make an additional full-round action.
Action Points: If the adventuring party consists of 2 or fewer creatures the base creature does not gain action points. If the party consists of 3 or more creatures the base creature gains a number of action points equal to its number of hit dice. On each of its turn it may spend up to two action points to gain an additional move or standard action per point spent. No more than one of these actions may be a standard action. Alternatively the boss may use two action points to remove a single one of the following conditions or types of spell effects from itself without provoking attacks of opportunity: confused, dazed, cowering, paralyzed, petrified, stunned, entangled, exhausted, frightened, panicked, prone, nauseated, staggered, compulsion.
2 points = 2 actions, 1 move and 1 standard. Together they form..... FULLROUND ACTION!!!!!
Anyway, if it works for you.
Full round or not, the boss can still cast two, even three spells on a round if there are 6+ PC.
Perhaps the standard action, if used to cast, must allow only personal range spells, and not allow to cast the same spell twice in the same round whne used the option of the extra turn.
Actually, I'm in a fight boss with Mythic initiative, and it is very easy that what Dekalinder said happens: Two full rounds against a single PC is mostly a certain dead.
Its up to the GM to spread different round actions among the PCs or not to do.
Full round or not, the boss can still cast two, even three spells on a round if there are 6+ PC.
Perhaps the standard action, if used to cast, must allow only personal range spells, and not allow to cast the same spell twice in the same round whne used the option of the extra turn.
Actually, I'm in a fight boss with Mythic initiative, and it is very easy that what Dekalinder said happens: Two full rounds against a single PC is mostly a certain dead.
Its up to the GM to spread different round actions among the PCs or not to do.
I have been thinking on this. If the creature did not have a template like this one, he or she would probably have a buffer/caster minion.
In this case, it's taking the pace of the minion.
Perhaps what we want is if the second standard is used to cast a spell, it cannot be from the highest spell levels known, but must be 2 lower.
BOSS TEMPLATE (CR+0 if used solo)
At the end of a challenging dungeon or a harrowing adventure, usually a powerful monster or villain waits to pose a final, climactic fight. In order for a single creature to be challenging to a party of multiple adventurers, however, the boss requires special abilities to break from its usual limits and allow it to pose an adequate challenge on its own.
The following template can be applied to a single creature or NPC of any type. The template improves the creature's action economy and allows it to stand multiple rounds against a party of multiple adventurers. While the template increases the Boss's abilities depending on party size, it does not change its CR, as a single creature is otherwise at a disadvantage against a group of creatures.
Size, Type, Speed and Abilities: The base creature's size, type, speed and ability scores remain unchanged
Hit Points
Modify the boss's hit points as follows, based on party size:
2 or fewer: The base creature's hit points remain unchanged
3-5: The base creature gains maximum hit points for each hit dice instead of rolling or taking average hit points
6+: The base creature twice its average hit points (including bonuses from constitution, feats, favored class bonus, etc.)
* including animal companions, familiars, eidolons, cohorts, NPC allies, and hirelings
Action Points
The creature gains a number of APs, based on party size:
2 or fewer: No APs
3 or more: APs equal to hit dice, may spend up to 2 APs per round
6 or more: APs equal to hit dice, may spend up to 2 APs per round, plus 4 APs to gain an additional turn that round at its init score -20.
* including animal companions, familiars, eidolons, cohorts, NPC allies, and hirelings
Action Point Costs
1 AP: Gain an additional move action or standard action (no more than one additional standard action may be purchased per round)
2 APs: Gain an additional save against an ongoing condition or spell effect on this list:[/i] confused, dazed, cowering, paralysed, petrified, stunned, entangled, exhausted, frightened, panicked, prone, nauseated, staggered, or compulsion.
1 AP: Whenever an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from the Boss, the boss may immediately expend an action point to make an attack of opportunity even if it already has made its maximum allowed number of attacks of opportunity for this round. Points spent in this way do not count against the 2 AP/round limit.
4 AP (available versus a party of 6+ only): This purchase does not count against the boss's normal 2 APs per round limit. If the adventuring party consists of 6 or more creatures, the boss may additionally spend 4 action points each round to gain an additional turn that round at its initiative score -20.
The boss may spend action points to gain actions on this additional turn as though it were part of its regular turn, though it may not otherwise bypass the normal 2 AP/round limit. This means if it has not spent any action points on its regular turn, it may spend up to 2 action points, if it spent 1 point on its regular turn, it may spend up to 1 action point on the additional turn, and so on.
Organization: Always solo.
Challenge Rating: The creature's CR is unchanged. However since a boss marks the end of a dungeon or adventure, players should gain extra experience and treasure for completing the adventure.
Stompy's possible house adjustment, not sanctioned by the OP: If the boss uses an AP to cast a second spell per round (such as by spending 1 AP to gain a second standard action), this spell is limited to a spell that is 2 lower than the highest level they may cast. This adjustment is meant to simulate a multi-creature scenario, where the spell would typically be cast by a lower-CR minion.
I noticed something else. The 2 AP ability should straight up remove the condition/compulsion effect, not make an additional save.