I originally posted this on the Dungeon World Tavern, in response to Lauri Maijala asking:
"How do you handle wizards etc. 'boss monsters' that do not have a cohort of minions to keep the characters busy. I have failed constantly with them and feel like even three characters can take out any single threat without too much of a trouble."
The Dungeon World community at large is pretty quick to say "read the 16 HP dragon" article (content warning: passing reference to violence against children) when someone asks about making monsters more than just their numbers. It's a good article, but it doesn't really tell you how to do those things; it shows you a high-level example of those things in action.
It's on my "someday maybe" list to write up a fictionalized "actual" play example of the 16 HP dragon incident, showing how that scene might have actually played out, with moves and rolls and GM deliberation.
But until then, here's an attempt at some specific, actionable advice for running "boss" monsters.
Step 1: Stat the boss monster up, hardcore
Use their moves, special qualities, and potentially their lair and gear to make them hard to get at, able to interrupt player actions, and capable of dealing with multiple foes at once. Bonus points for moves that take PCs out of the fight without actually killing them.E.g. qualities like “Aura of will-sapping menace” or “Hidden by swirling shadows.” Moves like “Reveal a preparation” or “Unleash a spell of death and destruction” or “Turn their minds and fears against them.”
For a spellcaster/magic-user, maybe think a little about the specific spells they can cast, or at least the nature of those spells. Try to word that into your moves (“Unleash a deadly spell of fire and flame” is better than “Unleash a spell of death and destruction”). Or, make a list. But if this really is a big bad, don’t feel constrained by the list. Think of that list as giving yourself permission to do those things, but maybe they can do other stuff, too.
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| if it helps, find a badass picture that helps you visualize the BBEG |
