Apart from the ever-threatening scheduling conflicts, one of the biggest challenges a Dungeon Master can face in Dungeons and Dragons is introducing a big bad. If it's a long game, then the pressure is on for the final boss to be worth all the toil and the adventures that came before.
Fortunately, D&D is full of terrifying and challenging monsters just waiting to stand in a party's way at the end of the campaign. From classic monsters with a twist to totally unique figures from D&D mythology, enterprising DM's have a lot to choose from when crafting their campaign's ultimate end.
Updated September 22, 2022 by Declan Lowthian: As 5th edition D&D grows and changes, even more powerful monsters have been released that would all make excellent choices for the end of a campaign. We've revamped this list with some of the best and most unique endgame bosses available today.
14 A Red Dragon Dracolich Is A Classic With A Twist
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Dragons are one of the most iconic and recognizable monsters in Dungeons & Dragons. They are one half of the name, after all. Red dragons are the most powerful of the chromatic dragons, but there is a way to make them even more fearsome.
The Monster Manual provides a dracolich template, which bumps the classic monster to the next level. By adding enhanced necrotic abilities, damage resistances, and the ability to come back from the dead, turning a red dragon into a dracolich adds a new dimension to an old favorite.
12 Krakens Force The Party To Take To The High Seas
Deep-sea or high seas adventures in Dungeons and Dragons are always a hit with both players and Dungeon Masters. Having a mighty kraken as the final boss in mind gives more excuse to delve into this exciting D&D landscape.
The Kraken is one of the mightiest creatures in the Monster Manual, capable of driving an entire campaign on its own. The early phases could focus on a cult of kraken priests, while the late stages could see the players hunting the creature down to its watery lair.
11 A Warforged Colossus Creates A Battle Of Massive Proportions
Introduced in Eberron: Rising from the Last War, the warforged colossus largely resembles the humanoid warforged, except that it is many, many stories tall. Even a D&D campaign that doesn't take place in Eberron could easily find a place for a massive, ancient, magical titan.
A warforged colossus is designed to carry wizards and soldiers within its body, so they can function as final dungeon and final boss all wrapped up in one. A D&D party could even explore the inner workings of a warforged colossus early in their career before battling it's awoken form at the campaign climax.
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9 A Beholder Puts A Weird Spin On A D&D Campaign
Beholders have a long and storied history in D&D, and for good reason. These creatures are xenophobic masterminds with a wide array of psionic and arcane powers. Beholders can be found almost anywhere, and their bizarre powers make them a perfect end-game boss.
Beholders come in many different varieties, from the basic form to the vampiric death kiss beholder to the undead death tyrant. Some beholders can even warp the world around them as they dream, providing endless variety for the mayhem they can cause.
8 An Evil Solar Provides An Unexpected Subversion
Solars are the most powerful variety of angel in Dungeons & Dragons, and they tend to serve lawful good deities. However, nobody is perfect, even an angel. The Monster Manual describes how some angels fall from grace, either as a result of their own hubris or through some wicked deception.
A solar that has fallen from its path and turned to villainy makes for a unique and compelling villain. They maintain their angelic powers, and a party might be constantly trying to get through to whatever good might be left.
7 Illithiliches Combine Two Fantastic Monsters
Mind flayers and liches are both overplayed, but combining them both creates a new monsters that's more than the sum of its parts. With the illithilich, DMs no longer have to choose favorites. These undead mind flayers can leverage both psionic and arcane magic in their efforts to take down the party.
The build-up in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign featuring an illithilich is sure to keep the players guessing. They may, at different times, guess that the final boss will be one or the other. This will make the ultimate reveal all the more exciting and terrifying.
6 Greatwyrms Are The Ultimate Fate Of D&D's Mightiest Dragons
An ancient dragon is powerful enough, but Fizban's Treasury of Dragons introduced another, even more powerful stage to a dragon's lifespan. Greatwyrms are even larger than their ancient counterparts, and are accordingly even more powerful.
Any kind of dragon can become a greatwyrm, so there's no end to the variety these creatures offer. Any D&D campaign can end with a dragon fight, but only the most legendary will end by facing off against a greatwyrm.
5 Strahd Von Zarovich Looms Large In His Own Campaign And Beyond
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Strahd Von Zarovich is the star villain of the ever-popular Curse of Strahd campaign. However, DMs can easily lift this classic villain for their own campaigns. While he obviously takes a lot of inspiration from Bram Stoker's Dracula, fiction and mythology are both full of vampire story to take inspiration from.
A campaign with Strahd as the main villain will invariably feature horror elements, but might also contain intrigue, social scenarios, and some good old fashioned monster hunting. No matter what, this powerful undead monster is sure to dive an exciting D&D campaign.
3 The Tarrasque Is A World-Ending Threat
Not every D&D campaign has to be about saving the world. But for the ones that are, it's hard to find a more appropriate final boss than the tarrasque. This truly legendary beast is one of the most powerful creatures in all of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.
The tarrasque can make a whopping five attacks each turn, in addition to frightening anyone who stands too close to it. It can also reflect almost any spells sent its way, meaning that even a high-level party will need to leverage all their abilities to finally win the day.
2 Acererak Is A D&D Villain From The Old Days
Seasoned D&D players who have never faced Acererak ought to give it a try at least once. He originally hails from The Tomb of Horrors, widely considered one of the greatest, and deadliest, D&D adventures of all time. Acererak got the 5th Edition D&D treatment in the Tomb of Annihilation campaign, and he easily lives up to his reputation.
Acererak is a fairly generic evil lich in the grand scheme of things, so he can be easily slotted into any campaign world. He supplements his powerful magical abilities with several incredibly powerful magic items, making him a perfect candidate for campaign ending boss.
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