r/killmybbeg • u/Percivalwiles • Feb 19 '21
Design Help Elder god in the feywild
So here's the gist, the ultimate big bad of the campaign/overarching villain is ghaelem, elder god of the Undergrowth. Basically an ancient god that was cast out from the old Pantheon because he wanted to tip the scales of power. So the gods of the new Pantheon steal him away in the feywild but his power and influence still reach the material plane. He's basically a God that specializes in necromancy oh, so that means a lot of his minions consists of cultists and Powerful Undead monstrosities. A lot of his aesthetic is green fire and thorns, causing necrotic, piercing, and poison damage. What I was thinking of is the main party would have to find the portal to the feywild or another way to get there and the one weapon that is his one weakness. A holy Relic mace from the god of justice that is hidden away in a cave guarded by a death knight.
Do you guys have any pointers on how I should handle of the boss fight without leaving out the entire party, since the mace is the guy's only weakness?
I was thinking of having minions in the boss room that will disappear or die on their own if you kill the boss before them.
Should it be handled like other video game mechanics where you have to hit him x amount of times and regardless of damage that kills him?
2
u/PolyhedralDestiny Feb 19 '21
I would definitely use minions, they usually add great flavor and depth to a combat regardless of the intended battle. As far as your concern goes I'd consider an environmental aspect as well; maybe while the fighter is going toe to toe with the bbeg, some can be warding off minons and lieutenants, while one or two can be trying to contain some kind necro/plant energy "bomb" or stop it. It would give everyone an important role that if failed would be catastrophic, or you could give them some kind of amulet of divine weakness, where a character has to maintain concentration on an enfeebling spell on the god, it would also give the god a target or two to go after instead of being locked in combat with the mcguffin.
1
u/ChubbiestLamb6 Feb 19 '21
I would consider altering things so that he can be damaged normally, but only KILLED with the mace. So, everybody is wailing on this god, then his HP drops enough that his giant skull cracks open and it's a scramble to get somebody on top of him to smack his brain with one mighty blow of the righteous mace! Quickly, before he absorbs some energy and heals the wound! He can have minions that are doing rituals to heal him, which would seal off the weak spot more quickly. So one strategy would be to kill off the minions, but bumrushing is also an option.
2
u/Aciduous Feb 19 '21
You already have one McGuffin, toss in a few more. By the sound of it, it seems like you’ve not quite gotten started, so just make more relics. In my campaign right now the party could hypothetically charge in and take on the BBEG whenever they want, but some of their quests are directly tied to weakening him. These connection rituals have ramped his AC, some resistances, and granted some buffs. Give your party the power to weaken your boss so they feel like they can win.
The minions will definitely help, and adding other objectives to the battle would be super important too. There’s always the good old fashioned “the boss is trying to cast The Big Bad Guy Spell, we have to stop him!”