Challenging single "bosses" for level 2 party?

[Christopher K.]

Hey guys,
My party's prepping for a big fight in an urban environment against a giant demonic boar(Long story short, they know it's being summoned and where it's likely to show up afterward), and I'm scrambling to find a suitable creature to refluff for an enemy. I haven't decided on any supernatural abilities for it, as I'm more than willing to flex for the sake of picking a monster. My gut reaction was to use a dragon as a template, but it appears that even young dragons are typically a much higher CR than would be viable for a party of 5 level 2 adventurers to fight. I am aware of the pitfalls of having a combat encounter with a single target for a group of PCs, but I'm going to open this with a 4e-styled skill challenge so that even if they can all whale on this guy at once, everyone will have had a chance to be awesome and I can drum up the significance of the encounter from a narrative perspective.

Additionally, I have found that the recommended budgets for EXP are much higher than my players can deal with - I threw a softer combat encounter at them last week and they readily handled it, but if I follow the budget recommend in the Dungeon Master's Guide(accounting for the multipliers and everything), it seems that they have a bitter struggle for survival on what should otherwise be trivial encounters (their first encounter at level 1 against 4 cultists ended with 2 party members unconscious, and the wizard casting Sleep on the cultists so that they could flee.

If it helps at all, the party composition is as follows:
Dragonborn Barbarian 2
Elf Wizard 1 | Cleric 1
Dragonborn Monk 2
Human Ranger 2
Warforged(my homebrew; mostly similar to Eberron Conversion) Fighter 2

[dragsvart]

use a mimic, they have some cool abilities already and should give a level 2 party a fair enough challenge. all you would need to do is refluff it a little and perhaps throw in an extra ability rather than its shapeshifting (or leave the shapeshifting and have the demon boar hide as a vase or something).

There is also a monster by CR list out there so you could just look through the CR 2-4 monsters for a good one to refluff.

[Christopher K.]

I actually haven't been able to find the index of monsters by CR. Is it in the Monster Manual or elsewhere?

[dragsvart]

its in the DMG near the end, its also online somewhere (just google "d&d 5th edition monsters by CR" and it will be the first link)

[FatherLiir]

A lot of the free supplements from WoTC also have a little mini MM in them too, the Free DMG and the Supplements for HoTDQ, RoT, and PoTA all have some very nice choices of monsters too, plus there's always the Homebrews on the Interwebz too!

[PoeticDwarf]

There are 5 people in the party, I think they can deal with a CR 3/4 boss, because it's a boss.

[Lorin]

Well, on our second level our "boss-level" encounters we've had an ogre (not alone, but he was one of the more powerfull guys in challenge), our first "true" boss encounter was gibbering mouther, just before our level up. He was quite fun, master enhanced him with "magic is wonky around here, so you all operate on the sorcerer's wild magic chart. Roll a d20, on 1 - something fun will happen". Our second boss battle was on our third level. It was roguebard goblin with three legendary actions, on which he could cast vicious mockery, to stimulate his taunting nature or Tasha's laugh for the price of two leg. actions twice a day, or he could move his cloud of mist, which he used for his advantage to hide and make surprise attacks. It was pretty fun, actually.

[BW022]

There are three issues in 'boss' fights at low-level...

First, they tend not to be that impressive. Most low-CR creatures aren't that threatening to the general public. Most NPCs could deal with it. This is especially true in a city where you could just ask the town guard to handle it. Second, because of the low hit points from PCs and the monsters, and relatively height damage output... it is almost impossible to make an 'epic' fight within the bounds of chance. No matter how careful you plan something... a couple of lucky hits can turn the encounter into a slaughtering the PCs or the creature being slaughters so quickly it isn't memorable. Third, even if things do as 'planned' is it almost impossible to make normal combats at 2nd-level last long enough for it to be memorable.

As such... my recommendations are:

1. Don't bother. Get your PCs up to 4th or 5th-level fairly quickly. Keep having the PCs fight minions along the way. Wait until PCs have a fair range of abilities and hit points that randomness is less of an issue, you have a better gauge of their abilities, they are used to working together, etc.

If you must. Look at ways of making something memorable without the PCs, the look at ways of using an extremely powerful creature, but in ways that the PCs can defeat it.

1. Use NPCs. Make it part of a larger battle. Say the PCs have to lead a high-level rogue to fight the 'boss' while the PCs deal with minions or otherwise help the NPC in some key way. Players remember the battle, it can last a fairly long time, the creature is truly threatening, and yet the PCs actions helped turn the tide.

2. Give the PCs some clear advantage. Say some key magical items (potions of invisibility), a wand of curing, someone has a wand of fireballs, they are fighting from a really defensible position, time to setup a deadly ambush, etc. The PCs might sneak into a goblin camp and literally blast the boss's tent to bits with a wand while the other PCs fend of a few handfuls of goblins.

3. The PCs goal is not an outright defeat or not through literally hacking the boss apart. They are fighting say a troll... they only need to trick it to get onto a pit full of oil. Maybe they only need to delay the wizard for ten rounds, until the guards start arriving. Running, hiding, fog clouds, etc. are all fine.

4. The PCs aren't going to win. The boss isn't there to fight the PCs, but find some type of clue or otherwise advance the plot. The PCs are expecting some minor thieves guild people to steal a stone in a temple they are guarding. Suddenly one of the thieves turns out to be the queen of were-rats and virtually unhittable. However, she is only there to steal the stone and once she has it she can leave. However, the PCs may learn something.

5. Set the combat in some area in which the area or setting is memorable and the main obstacle. For example, a fight on the city docks where the bad guy if fleeing across a number of boats, leaping between roof tops, a chase on horses or wagons, a burning warehouse, a 'water' slide through the sewers, etc. The creature isn't that powerful, but merely catching it could be difficult. The creature isn't spending much time attacking the PCs, but the PCs might end up falling in water, falling prone as they leap, trying to grab things, etc.

6. The PCs are fleeing. Similar to above. The monster is powerful, but just can't catch the fleeing PCs.

7. The combat is some place which is extremely limiting. A shadow in darkness, a mid-level rogue in fog, a fire elemental in a burning building, etc. The combat takes time simply because the enemy keeps going 'defensive', hiding, or otherwise frustrating the PCs. The PCs goal might be to outlast the darkness, put out the burning fire to the elemental can't hide in the flame, or get to an areas where the fog isn't an issue. Such things tend to increase the length of combats without directly damaging the PCs.

8. It is a non-combat encounter. A ball where the PCs need to expose the mayor's daughter as a doppelganger, a tavern scene where they PCs need to catch on of the town guard as corrupt, PCs need to allow themselves to be captured by the thieves' guild in order to warn them that their second-in-command is working for a rival guild, etc. These are harder to pull off, but it isn't necessarily possible to defeat them... but the goal is only to expose them through some non-combat means.

9. A three sized combat or one in which the PCs are setting it up. Sneak into the camp and convict the goblins that their leader is stealing from them or that one tribe is planning on selling the others out. Lead a pair of bears through the goblin camp. Let the two sides fight it out while the PCs deal with whoever wins.

There are lots of possibilities. In most cases, at low-levels, I find it better simply not to expect one-on-one combats to be that epic or memorable. Too random, too short, and too easy for one side to kill the other without much fan fare. Change the theme to make the situation, goals, tactics, etc. something other than a straight fight and then PCs have a chance of accomplishing something memorable without insane risks of just being slaughters or the creature being so weak, it doesn't take heroes to deal with it.

[Safety Sword]

There are three issues in 'boss' fights at low-level...

First, they tend not to be that impressive. Most low-CR creatures aren't that threatening to the general public. Most NPCs could deal with it. This is especially true in a city where you could just ask the town guard to handle it. Second, because of the low hit points from PCs and the monsters, and relatively height damage output... it is almost impossible to make an 'epic' fight within the bounds of chance. No matter how careful you plan something... a couple of lucky hits can turn the encounter into a slaughtering the PCs or the creature being slaughters so quickly it isn't memorable. Third, even if things do as 'planned' is it almost impossible to make normal combats at 2nd-level last long enough for it to be memorable.

As such... my recommendations are:

1. Don't bother. Get your PCs up to 4th or 5th-level fairly quickly. Keep having the PCs fight minions along the way. Wait until PCs have a fair range of abilities and hit points that randomness is less of an issue, you have a better gauge of their abilities, they are used to working together, etc.

If you must. Look at ways of making something memorable without the PCs, the look at ways of using an extremely powerful creature, but in ways that the PCs can defeat it.

1. Use NPCs. Make it part of a larger battle. Say the PCs have to lead a high-level rogue to fight the 'boss' while the PCs deal with minions or otherwise help the NPC in some key way. Players remember the battle, it can last a fairly long time, the creature is truly threatening, and yet the PCs actions helped turn the tide.

2. Give the PCs some clear advantage. Say some key magical items (potions of invisibility), a wand of curing, someone has a wand of fireballs, they are fighting from a really defensible position, time to setup a deadly ambush, etc. The PCs might sneak into a goblin camp and literally blast the boss's tent to bits with a wand while the other PCs fend of a few handfuls of goblins.

3. The PCs goal is not an outright defeat or not through literally hacking the boss apart. They are fighting say a troll... they only need to trick it to get onto a pit full of oil. Maybe they only need to delay the wizard for ten rounds, until the guards start arriving. Running, hiding, fog clouds, etc. are all fine.

4. The PCs aren't going to win. The boss isn't there to fight the PCs, but find some type of clue or otherwise advance the plot. The PCs are expecting some minor thieves guild people to steal a stone in a temple they are guarding. Suddenly one of the thieves turns out to be the queen of were-rats and virtually unhittable. However, she is only there to steal the stone and once she has it she can leave. However, the PCs may learn something.

5. Set the combat in some area in which the area or setting is memorable and the main obstacle. For example, a fight on the city docks where the bad guy if fleeing across a number of boats, leaping between roof tops, a chase on horses or wagons, a burning warehouse, a 'water' slide through the sewers, etc. The creature isn't that powerful, but merely catching it could be difficult. The creature isn't spending much time attacking the PCs, but the PCs might end up falling in water, falling prone as they leap, trying to grab things, etc.

6. The PCs are fleeing. Similar to above. The monster is powerful, but just can't catch the fleeing PCs.

7. The combat is some place which is extremely limiting. A shadow in darkness, a mid-level rogue in fog, a fire elemental in a burning building, etc. The combat takes time simply because the enemy keeps going 'defensive', hiding, or otherwise frustrating the PCs. The PCs goal might be to outlast the darkness, put out the burning fire to the elemental can't hide in the flame, or get to an areas where the fog isn't an issue. Such things tend to increase the length of combats without directly damaging the PCs.

8. It is a non-combat encounter. A ball where the PCs need to expose the mayor's daughter as a doppelganger, a tavern scene where they PCs need to catch on of the town guard as corrupt, PCs need to allow themselves to be captured by the thieves' guild in order to warn them that their second-in-command is working for a rival guild, etc. These are harder to pull off, but it isn't necessarily possible to defeat them... but the goal is only to expose them through some non-combat means.

9. A three sized combat or one in which the PCs are setting it up. Sneak into the camp and convict the goblins that their leader is stealing from them or that one tribe is planning on selling the others out. Lead a pair of bears through the goblin camp. Let the two sides fight it out while the PCs deal with whoever wins.

There are lots of possibilities. In most cases, at low-levels, I find it better simply not to expect one-on-one combats to be that epic or memorable. Too random, too short, and too easy for one side to kill the other without much fan fare. Change the theme to make the situation, goals, tactics, etc. something other than a straight fight and then PCs have a chance of accomplishing something memorable without insane risks of just being slaughters or the creature being so weak, it doesn't take heroes to deal with it.

You forgot one option: Cheat.

As the DM you can cheat for the betterment of your game. The monster inexplicably misses, the wizard's spell does a little more damage.

My personal favourite is adjusting a monster's hit points on the fly so that it survives longer or less depending on how the PCs are handling it.

Of course, never reveal that you cheat. That would take away the mystery of how the PCs always scrape though.

It's an acquired skill and one that I've been using for lots of years.

[JAL_1138]

To me, part of the problem in the cultist fight you described was that the wizard held Sleep as an escape plan rather than opening with it. Attacks on unconscious creatures have Advantage and, if they hit, do damage as if they were crits.* And unconscious creatures stay unconscious ten rounds unless someone spends an action to wake them or they get damage done to them. Open with Sleep if you're going to cast it; if you think the enemies have too many hit points, position it so it only hits one or a couple. Either they're out of the fight a while, other enemies waste their turns, or the PCs run up and kill them while they're KO'd. It doesn't stay as relevant in higher levels, but at low levels 5d8 HP worth of creatures getting KO'd is practically a win button with a half-decent roll.

Also, encounters at levels one through three are very swingy and depend as much on the dice as on you balancing them. Don't sweat the details.

And hey, if PCs die, it's D&D. Adventuring's a dangerous business. What's the point if you're guaranteed to survive?


*Technically they are crits, but not automatic hits, which is what many players think of with the word "crit," hence the language relating to damage above.

[pibby]

I remember running a specific module from last session's dnd expeditions that did a decent job of challenging the party without neccessarily killing them. The end of it had a black wyrmling that had Lair Actions. The adventure itself was balanced around a party of 5 characters all at level 2.

I would take the dragon as is or another wyrmling of same CR with more appropriate Lair Actions since the party in that adventure had to go through other encounters before facing the dragon.

For future encounters with same sort of challenge make sure the single monster:
-has a way to do more than one action per turn. This is typically through Lair Actions, Multiattack, or Legendary Actions.
-has a way to threthen or deal with more than one member of the party. This may be breath attacks, spells, or clever use of the environment. The creature doesn't have to deal damage or impede the other party members themselves but the creature needs a way to isolate party members to mitigate potential damage or debuffs they do not threaten otherwise.

[mephnick]

You could also look up Angry DM's articles on boss monsters and Paragon monsters.

It's kind a neat way to build solo boss encounters without giving up action economy.

[Ramshack]

I always make custom bosses for my sessions. It's really fun and always brings something unique to the session.

I would look up stats for a CR4 creature and use similar HP and AC values.

Then give it some neat things. Don't forget it's legendary and lair actions.

For instance Demonic Boar: I picture a large frenzied boar that's possibly on fire or breathes fire or something similar give it resistance to fire.

It can make a melee attack for x damage and if it moves more than 10 feet that round it can also make a gore attack with a bonus action.

As a legendary action it can also immolate and any creature standing adjacent to it has to make a dex save or take fire damage.

As a lair action you could have bone hands try to grab players or maybe have smaller boars spawn etc.

Also as an afterthought it might be cool if any ground the boar moves through is now on fire and continues to burn, have it work like the bonfire cantrip.