Replace every non-descript end of arc boss

[xl8]

There's little pay off to a story arc without a named EB/AV/Hero.

That sense of justice being done, the big bad vanquished... it's lacking when you face off against generic boss 001.

Can you simply insert a named EB/AV/Hero for the end of each story arc currently lacking one?

 

Thx.

[Greycat]

There isn't? Finishing whatever is going on in the arc should be it. Some don't need "a boss at the end," or wouldn't really make sense to have one.

 

For instance, Croatoa - the closest any of the arcs come to having a "boss at the end" is Broadkin in Buck Salinger's arc. Defeating him isn't the end though - and would be *really* disappointing if it were.  (The other arcs often have someone with a name, but it's not really about them, and you can defeat them without really noticing them.)  A "named boss at the end" wouldn't really make sense. You:

- investigate the area, get a general introduction, and essentially get a "do a favor for this other person," (Gordon Bower)

- stop a ritual that drives the fir Bolg into the world by not letting them escape (Skipper Legrange,)

- destroy the henges (the "bosses" here, I guess) that keep the battles in Croatoa going on (Kelly Nemmers) and

- Rescue mystics to prevent the Red Caps from taking over Salmanca (Buck Salinger.)

 

Even the KHTF doesn't have a "named boss at the end" mission - the point is a rescue. The only real "named boss fight" is Mary Macomber, and that's meant as a test for you - and comes early in the task force. And yet they feel completely satisfying without an "end boss" to fight. You couldn't really put one in without (a) shoehorning them in and making it feel awkward or (b) doing a good bit of rewriting for no real payoff.

 

There are others like that, where you're fighting an event, not a person, or you're getting the arc as part of a longer story - a "to be continued" (once you hit the next tier of contacts.) And there are some groups that it doesn't make much sense - the DE, for instance, rarely (as I'm recalling) have named bosses unless it's a recently devoured/converted person - Hamidon's their boss and driving force. They're a force of (twisted) nature, not a gang.

 

Besides, I'd hate for every arc to be cut-and-paste "fight to and defeat end boss" same-y. It'd really restrict the storytelling.

[Glacier Peak]

No thanks

[krj12]

Quote

 

Besides, I'd hate for every arc to be cut-and-paste "fight to and defeat end boss" same-y. It'd really restrict the storytelling.
 

 

 

Edit:  Changed my reply after re-reading the original post.   I could see changing current arcs with a generic boss to be named.   But yeah,

having every arc be the same could get boring.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2021 by krj12

[General Idiot]

Yeah, if the arc ends with 'defeat this named guy' already then it makes sense to make the named guy an EB. AV maybe not so much unless they're particularly notable but a lot of them especially in the lower level arcs aren't. But adding bosses to missions that don't already having them means rewriting the story of those missions to justify a boss fight, and at that point I'd prefer they just write new stories instead.