Need boss ideas

[danzibr]

Soon (maybe this coming summer, maybe later) I'll be running an undead apocalypse campaign. It'll be ~1800's technology, set in a city. All the players work at a government facility. They go to the bar (ikr) to relax, and this is where the first session starts. Zombie breakout, they have to defend or flee the bar.

So rule-wise, we're looking at PF/3.5 gestalt E6, starting at level 1. Player optimization level is sub-par. Also, with their job at the government facility they got shots which help them resist turning into zombies, but the more they get bitten the more mutated they'll get.

City-wise, again they start at the bar. They'll have to visit several zones and get information/McGuffins from each, and I'd like each zone to have a boss (if you're played Lightning Returns, it's like that). In no particular order...

1) The train yard. It's as you imagine. The trains may or may not be out of commission, but the entire campaign is to take place in the city. For a boss... unsure.

2) The war museum. With big guns and stuff. They could fight a big ol' hulk and make use of the weapons there (think Demolition Man). This part of the city is also flooded, and there'll be gator zombies.

3) The graveyard. Typical. No idea for the boss yet.

4) The asylum. There'll be an important plot person here. The bad guy will be someone especially cheery based on a boss I read about, a dude with children shackled to him. They attack him, they risk hurting the children.

5) The hospital. Again... pretty typical. Again, no idea for the boss (well, nothing I'm committing to).

6) The military base. Where the players work. This will be the final zone, sort of. Read below.

The big idea is... the government was working on zombie stuff (sort of like Umbrella, I guess). The party ultimately performs a ritual to travel through time, go to the military base, and there's a Nightwalker they'll have to beat down. This Nightwalker was pulling the strings which caused the apocalypse.

I've read threads on boss encounters (I know the basics of action economy). I'd just like to hear what ideas my fellow playgrounders have. While I think of myself as fairly creative, I'm sure there are awesome boss encounters people have had/thought of and would be willing to share, hopefully which would fit well with my zones. Speaking of which, I'm open to suggestions for my zones.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

1) The train yard. Some kind of mechanical opponent perhaps, like Crystal in the latest GITP comic, but more steampunk. Maybe a Half-Golem (MM2) turned zombie.

2) The war museum. Hulking Corpse, LM.

3) The graveyard. Boneclaw, MM3.

4) The asylum. Some kind of humanoid-appearing undead, possibly a Necropolitan but hopefully scarier. Make him a spellcaster if possible, such as a Dread Necromancer or even a (Cloistered) Cleric, and spam low-level spells with Fell Frighten (LM).

5) The hospital. Some kind of doctor, possibly with a bunch of patients with grafted limbs or a big Frankenstein beast that he rides on, throwing vials of medicinal weapons while it attacks.

[thecrimsondawn]

I enjoy making customs more then using base creatures.
I found a love of making boss fights a bit WOW like, with having the creatures tactics relate to the threat level or damage taken.

Ideas include having an add phase, a change in battle tactics (go from normal attacks, to trip and grapple attacks, or maybe start to use a special power or aura) Having a week point, or even having select body parts each having there own hp - all depending on what idea you have for said boss.

[Grooke]

For an undead experiment context, you may want to throw a couple of Grafts (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=12154) unto your bosses for a little something special.

[danzibr]

Ooh I like these. I think I'll combine the hospital ideas and make a mad doctor who grafted all sorts if things to himself.

Thanks!

[Grooke]

A fun idea might be to have the party fight the "donors" on the way to the boss.

"Why does that zombie have no arms? Oh, because the boss has 4"

[thethird]

I've found that a soulfused (magic of incarnum) cadaver golem (heroes of horror) works really really well as a frankenstein expy. It is actually alive. He could probably be a recurring, who doesn't necessarily need to be hostile to the party, at least at first. Alternatively this guy could be at the asylum, he is alive!

If the war museum is flooded consider including a drowned as a boss (warning Drowned are effingly difficult to deal with, it's from monster manual 3)

On the train station I would have a lot of trap haunts (dragon magazine compendium) animating the trains, the boss could be a ghost posessing a train.

[Brendanicus]

You mentioned that the players get mutated by being bitten by zombies due to a vaccine.

Maybe a boss got a similar vaccine and goes out of her way to get bitten, thereby gaining powerful mutations. Maybe give her a few mutant minions and you've got a sold boss idea start.

[daremetoidareyo]

A boss per sector has the problem of being tropey. Have you thought about encounters in these zones that don’t require a “boss” but instead a boss like challenge. Any scenario where PCs wind up on a roof of building that is getting swarmed by huge numbers requires not mad-fighting skills, but problem solving gusto. Maybe a bridge is taken out in the mid-span by survivors thinking that they could contain the zombies on the other side of a river, and a mob is approaching from behind. Any crescendo of danger is good.

[danzibr]

Great suggestions! Appreciated.

And while my party totally doesn't mind the tropey/video game-ish boss per zone thing, I have thought to have the boss not necessarily be a big baddie. Like maybe the train one could be hopping cars and beating/knocking guys off the train, and it ends when you shut down an out of control train or something.

Oh, and I had an idea. In the hospital there will be a room with subdued undead being used for experiments. Players can cdg them or let them be. If they let them be then they break free.

[Frostthehero]

You can never go wrong with charnel hounds and necronauts

[danzibr]

Alright, so it's looking like...

1) For the train yard, probably a challenge like a boss, but not a boss. Like moving from train car to train car, getting stuff done while being swarmed by undead.

2) For the war museum, big gigantic thing which must be gunned down/otherwise cleverly dealt with.

3) For the graveyard... I like Boneclaw, but I'll probably go Boneyard from LM. Toned down power-wise, but still, Boneyards are awesome.

4) For the asylum, I still think I'll do the creepily happily guy ``wearing'' children. I like the fear idea, but not too much fear. I don't like denying my players turns.

5) For the hospital, I'm pretty much sold on the graft thing. The entire building will probably have like 3 combat encounters. Find undead with missing limbs, come to the mad doctor with his experiments. Nice.

And I also like a vaccinated person pumping himself/herself to become stronger. Like Piers in RE6, sort of. Not sure where to put it... asylum? Maybe. Not hospital, that's taken care of. Or... war museum, thing pumps itself and *becomes* the big gigantic thing. Hrm.

Well, thanks all! Very useful responses. Necronauts are pretty damn scary.