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There comes a time when everyDungeons & Dragonsparty has to face off against a boss.
Building an entire kingdom from the ground up can be hard work in Dungeons & Dragons.
Heres what you gotta know to get started.
What kinds of stats do you oughta create for a boss?
How do you check that this enemy is balanced and well-suited to take on your party?
This guide has you covered.
Vecna by Kieran Yanner
Heres everything you gotta know to create boss stat blocks.
What Kind Of Creature Is Your Boss?
Before diving headfirst into stats, you should firstconsider what kind of creatureyoure throwing in your partys way.
Vecna by Kieran Yanner
This willimpact the entirety of their stat block, and what kind ofspecial abilitiesyou might want to give them.
key in Of Creature
Look
Key Attributes
Examples
Humanoid
Humanoid bosses may be powerful spellcasters or other fighters.
Monster
Monsters can range from classic creatures like zombies to specific demonsfrom the Nine Hells.
Wizard by Billy Christian
Once youve determined what kind of creature your boss is,jot down some basic characteristicsfor them.
Use these questions as jumping-off points.
Take note of how many members there are in your adventuring party for balancing purposes later.
Tiamat by Chris Rallis
Example -Your adventuring party has eight members.
Result -Your boss takes eight attacks before it’s allowed a single action, making them vastly outnumbered.
Example -One party member has armor that makes them invulnerable to necrotic damage.
Dragon Encounter from the 2024 Player’s Handbook 5th Edition.
Example -A member of the party can cast True Polymorph.
Result -Your boss fails their Wisdom saving throw and the combat encounter is ended early.
Example -Your party has a grand total of 500 hit points.
A Wizard In His Study by Olga Drebas
First, letsstart with these basic elements.
Monsters may have tougher hides or natural armor.
Hit Points
Depending on party size, you’ll want to see to it their hit points scale appropriately.
Quanbraxel by Lily Abdullina
confirm they have some strengths and weaknesses based on the pop in of creature they are.
A wizard might not be all that strong, but should have high intelligence.
Speed
For most humanoids, this should be 30 feet.
Most humanoids will be small or medium in size.
Other monsters can scale up as high as gargantuan.
Refer to similar monsters in the Monster Manual to compare for the size of your boss.
Red Dragon, by Andrey Kuzinskiy
Reference similar creature types in the Monster Manual and compare abilities and flavor to determine creature key in.
Next, youll want toconsider some secondary attributesyour boss might have.
These can include thingslike the following.
Candlekeep Mysteries Cover Art by Clint Cearley
The main things youll want to balance are things likeArmor Class, Hit Points, and Saving Throws.
Consider the table below and questions when balancing these attributes.
Basic Stat
How To Balance
Look at your party’s spellcasting and attack modifiers.
Example -The party’s average modifier is a +8 to hit.
Consider the top-level spells and attacks your party has access to and the party’s overall size.
Example -A party member just learned Blight, which can cause 8d8 damage on a failed save.
Solution -8d8 averages to about 30 points of damage.
Saving Throws
Take a look at your party’s abilities that require saving throws.
Example- A party member can cast Feeble Mind, which can end the encounter too quickly.
Solution -Give your boss proficiency in Intelligence saving throws to avoid succumbing to this spell.
Check out these tips!
These can besingular features and traits that you design, or you canborrow them from other stat blocks.
Here are some basic ones to consider.
Explain what these are and how they work in combat if necessary.
These areenvironmental effectsthat happenon initiative count 20, or upon the use of an action by the boss themselves.
Here aresome examplesof lair actions.
For this boss archetype, here areour notes answering the above questionsregardingcreature typeandparty abilities.
Now, lets take a look at thesample stat block.
If you follow along with this example, you’ll be creating fantastic boss stat blocks in no time!
