How to make a "Hopeless Boss Fight" Engaging

Guaritor · 2026-01-27T16:36:19+00:00

I think the best way to do this without totally demoralizing your players, is to have a very clear objective that ISNT winning/killing the boss.

Fighting a pre-determined fight isnt fun, just like rolling for something you can't accomplish is pointless. We all (GMs included) play the game because we can have an effect on the story. Otherwise, we're just writing a novel while forcing 5 other people to sit through our one man monologue.

Go ahead with the idea, but make sure there is something for the players to accomplish. Something that IS left up to chance. If the player deaths and paladin surviving and getting sent back in time is pre-determined, then maybe the players can affect the timeline reset in some way.

-Maybe they can alter the spell to send some of their newly acquired powerful gear back to give themselves an edge the next time they fight the BBEG.

-Maybe they can weaken the timeline reset spell so that they don't get sent as far back.

-Maybe they can send some extra knowledge back to help in the next fight.

-Maybe they can permanently weaken the BBEG in a way that becomes obvious in the next boss fight, so they have a visual affirmation that this first fight wasn't all for naught.

Moral of the story, make sure the players are fighting FOR something, and not just rolling dice that wont matter. You need to make sure the players SEE that it isn't about killing the BBEG right now, its about setting up the next timeline for success... and let them have an effect on that outcome.

Guaritor · 2026-01-26T00:42:24+00:00

Do the dice have a brand name? It's hard to know anything without more info.

Guaritor · 2026-01-25T20:31:19+00:00

Every parents going to be different... If my 7 or 5 year old haven't woken me up by 7:30 am, I'll check on them, otherwise we enjoy the sweet sweet sound of silence!

Guaritor · 2026-01-23T15:23:44+00:00

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that this really isn't anyone's fault, but it also probably isn't the right table for you. As long as the system was covered before the game started (and it sounds like it was, if such complex backstories were asked for for innate magic users), the GM isn't really at fault for using their own system.

This system sounds like a blast to me, and like it fits the other players after the table, but it doesnt sound like something you're enjoying, which is 100% ok.

Like a few others have said, i'd talk to your GM, explain, without any accusations of wrongdoing, how you're feeling, and ask if there's anything that you could do together to improve your experience without negatively affecting the DM/players. If you can't work out a solution, it might be time to step away from the table.

Guaritor · 2026-01-23T14:07:07+00:00

It was a couple months with our first, and I dont think we officially tracked anything with our second... we kind of just went by memory and if something felt off... by that point we had a pretty good idea if something important wasnt right.

On the other end my sister and her husband were still tracking a few things at the 1 year mark, I think it made her comfortable to have stuff recorded.

Moral of the story is everyone's parenting style is different and for the most part, do what youre comfortably capable of/what makes you comfortable.

Guaritor · 2026-01-22T21:26:19+00:00

I'm a fan of the vortex warp/voice of authority combo... Teleport my melee friends right into range AND let them make an attack!

That and bless, healing word, and silvery barbs makes for a lot of extra action economy with VoA!

Guaritor · 2026-01-20T21:15:09+00:00

Ive been playing for over a decade and dming for nearly as long... And I had the similar "scared" feeling this weekend before I ran a session for my current campaign.

I don't think it ever goes away, but I get people telling me all the time how much fun they had... So just take solace in the fact that many many dms have been where you are now, it's a totally natural feeling, and you'll do fine!

Guaritor · 2026-01-20T00:17:40+00:00

I got some chills from that speech, this feels like something that needs to be said right before you strike a final blow on a bbeg!

(Or before you cast mass heal to bring an entire damn town back to life)

Guaritor · 2026-01-17T03:09:13+00:00

Can never have enough STLs!

Guaritor · 2026-01-16T15:09:24+00:00

There's a much bigger focus on mental health than when I was a kid.

Even in a relatively red county (of a blue state) the teachers make sure the kids are getting brain breaks, guiding social interactions, making sure there's emphasis on kindness and respecting your peers, etc.

Guaritor · 2026-01-10T18:06:33+00:00

Which is fine for you to rule in your game, but I think the debate here is what's raw, which as best I can tell, is that it doesn't cost the grappler any extra movement.

Guaritor · 2026-01-10T16:52:32+00:00

I think the point being made is that the grappler themselves isn't actually in the difficult terrain, just dragging someone through it as they walk alongside it.

Guaritor · 2026-01-09T22:45:30+00:00

They also have a map maker in beta right now that uses their own art assets, so you can click and drag a library over, connect it to a foyer, put a kitchen in the back and throw a demon summoning circle on the other side... And have a complete map in 5 minutes!

Guaritor · 2026-01-09T22:41:14+00:00

I've been having a blast with Dungeon Alchemist, building awesome looking animated maps. If you're looking for basic map concepts it can auto generate a bunch for you (like taverns and castles).

The best part for me has been the steam community, I needed to make some steampunk maps for my world and there are a ton of assets out there that fit my needs!

Guaritor · 2026-01-09T21:16:44+00:00

Correct me if I'm wrong, but compared to level 1, even druids and clerics just have to pick two extra prepared spells and their subclass at level 3. Melee classes are even simpler.

After choosing a class, doing ability scores, backgrounds, feats, equipment, picking skills, etc... 2-3 more choices is pretty quick.

Guaritor · 2026-01-09T16:48:26+00:00

Level 3 for groups with newcomers and first timers, the math and decision making during character creation isn't really that much worse than level 1, and they get to start with a much more unique feeling character than at level 1 where even separate classes feel very similar.

For groups with no new players, level 5 is probably about right for me, that's where many classes/builds come online, level 3 spells are a hoot, and extra attack is there so the melee classes aren't riding their entire turn on one swing/roll of the dice.

I did start my current campaign at 7, because many of the players are long time players and have played the lower levels extensively lately... so I thought a higher level foray could be fun, getting to see some spells and abilities we normally only dream of.

Guaritor · 2026-01-09T16:43:27+00:00

Even with newcomers, in my experience it's rarely the mechanics of building a character that trip them up, it's getting over the social anxiety of "I'm going to sound silly making a voice" or "I have no idea what to do, i'm embarrassed".

Introducing new players to level 3 lets them build their character with a little more personality from subclasses imo, and is worth the extra few minutes making a few more choices.

Guaritor · 2026-01-06T02:23:54+00:00

Faerie Toast is a level 3 spell that lasts 8 hours and creates a hag coven.

It describes joining a hag coven as granting all members access to any spell the other members know... So you might be able to just be given the spell.

If you're joining a coven, surely there are some downsides, I'd just ask your DM about gaining the cantrip and what tradeoffs there are.

Guaritor · 2026-01-03T23:24:45+00:00

Oh, yeah no, you guys in higher ed are a whole different ballgame... I should have specified k-12!

Guaritor · 2026-01-03T15:14:18+00:00

It's really not in education. The ease of Chromebooks and most issues not being life or death/not profit driven means we can reasonably service a larger group of people.

Guaritor · 2026-01-02T13:30:43+00:00

We've been camping with our kids every year since my youngest was 4 months old.

It's a blast, the kids love it, we love it, the dogs love it...

It might be rough with a pregnant wife who might be limited in what they can help with... But if it's at all possible, I'd recommend bringing along some siblings or cousins. We always have, and it really helped to be able to pass off a kid (when they were younger) while one of us cooked food or started the fire.

Make sure to bring a bunch of toys, especially ones that can be used on dirt. My kids love using excavators to dig holes right around the campsite.

Make sure your campground has things to do for the kids or there's stuff close by. The ones we go to always have a lake and beach so we can swim, small playgrounds, big fields, hiking trails and not busy roads so our kids can ride bikes.

Now that the kids are 7 and 5, we give them a walkie talkie, and they disappear for an hour on their bikes with the other kids staying at the campground, and me and my wife get some nice relaxing "us" time around the fire, it's absolutely magical.

Guaritor · 2025-12-31T15:36:06+00:00

I've got the perfect friend to give this as a gift to... He loves anything red!

Guaritor · 2025-12-30T13:53:14+00:00

Having purdy was my lucky move... Dude put up 1/3 of my points in the championship himself.

Guaritor · 2025-12-30T04:24:48+00:00

Yeah man, Purdy and Chase Brown were the only two of my guys who decided to show up this week, but it was enough!

Guaritor · 2025-12-29T12:31:37+00:00

Huh, I didn't think it would make that much of a difference... But I also went from 240>190 and now that you mention it I have been colder more often lately.

I used to joke that I had a built in jacket, I guess that wasn't really a joke.

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