>is it necessary to put on a epic boss fight at the end of the dungeon? No. Boss battles as a whole are rarely as fun as you think they are. In tabletop gaming they're more often than not simply a normal battle that drags on forever.
In videogames bosses have two functions; to shave off extra lifes; and to force you to prove that you have mastered the mechanics of the game. In tabletop games you have no continues or retries which invalidates the first option completely, and indirectly invalidates the second one because only a shit GM would kill the entire party when they're so close to achieving something.
Jaxson Campbell
It doesn't have to be a boss, but generally there should be the peak of action near the end of a dungeon. A particularly threatening enemy or enemies is the usual go to because most systems, or conflict in general, tend to revolve around combat.
It's less to do with game and more to do with very basic storytelling.
Adam Ward
These.
Ideally you can have the dungeon structured (if nor physically, narratively) in such a way that it prepares for the players for the encounter at the end. Gives them some kind of preview or throws them some kind of warning for what's ahead. A good finale to a dungeon lets players actually have to think about the encounters they might have to deal with.
Or something that scares them shitless.
Speaking as a player, my favorite dungeon my DM ran was something the rest of us eventually termed the "Party Tunnel." It had mind control worm-snake things. It was terrifying and the boss fight at the end took advantage of the shit those crafty fuckers could pull off.
Luis Brooks
Yo how would a boss fight where the creature can only be seen in reflections work? I had the idea of there being water easily spillable into the room (destroy the wall and there's an underground river) but not sure how to make it interesting after that one 'puzzle'
>Are there any good alternatives to the cliche epic boss fight at the end? Two ways that I enjoy avoiding the BOSS AT THE END cliche
1. Boss in the middle or start of the dungeon. It's a simple twist. But put the "boss" or big opponent first, or early. Then create reasons why the party can't get a long rest (maybe they know this going in, maybe they don't). Now suddenly every threat is a lot more intense because they burnt all their big spell slots, are much lower on hp, and used up all their long rest special abilities on the boss.
2. The dungeon is a puzzle. This requires more planning, and it works best with a group that are open to non-combat problem solving. But you could make a dungeon where clues or keys are scattered through. And the players have to problem solve ways to get through. Then, in a way, the "big boss" is the dungeon itself!
Brayden Miller
>only a dick gm would kill off players
Why? That's part of the fun. If you know you can die and the story is over, you'll try harder to live. You have a lot more invested in the story and action. That goes for long campaigns or even shorter ones. If you're all but guaranteed we may as well not play at all. And it adds more tension and feeling when a character you really liked gets killed off. Or if you all die and you fail your objective.
Only fags want to play Everyone wins and gets a trophy: the game.
Christian Clark
>Only fags want to play Everyone wins and gets a trophy: the game.
Gotta say, I usually find the opposite. People with their Life on easy mode tend to enjoy the change of challenge and casual conflict of hardcore gaming/entertainment People with Life on hard mode tend to enjoy just chilling and being reminded through escapism that sometimes you can enjoy an easy win.
Samuel Moore
Don't make it an instant thing. Lead in with the dungeon having mirrors the party can use, to figure it out at first, then make it so that the creature destroys them all (perhaps with a howl or something), then make the puzzle where to find more reflections (to which the underground river is an easy fix)
Luis Foster
Not true. Virtually everyone wants to win, and nearly no one wants to lose. It's not about playing a game with consequences, it's about playing a game that feels like it has consequences.
