[RPG] meaningful difference between giving a monster multiattack and giving it multiple turns per round

action-economydnd-5emonster-designmultiattack

I'm creating a CR21 boss for my medium-level party of six players to fight. I know that action economy is a big disadvantage for a single enemy fighting an entire party, so I'm giving the boss the ability to attack 4 times per turn (20-35 damage per most attacks).

I know the most common way to give a creature multiple attacks is to give it Multiattack, an action that allows it to use its attack abilities several times in one go. I'm considering instead rolling initiative for the boss 4 times and giving it a whole turn for each initiative value, giving it 4 separate attacks.

Will this have a significantly different effect on the battle than giving the boss a standard multiattack?

A couple thoughts I've had:

  • This allows the boss to use more bonus actions per round. The boss I'm designing doesn't have any nonstandard bonus actions, so I don't think this will make a big difference.
  • This allows the boss to move more often. I've divided the speed I want the boss to have by the number of turns it gets per round, so its total movement per round will be the same.
  • This gives the boss more reactions. I can see this making it quite a but more difficult. I'm not planning on using many reactions when I play the boss, though.

Best Answer

Numerous spells, abilities, and actions change

The boss is stronger in strange ways, because they...

  • Can try to save four times per round against hold monster and similar save-or-suck spells. Other effects, like a monk's Stunning Strike, are unaffected.
  • Can grapple or shove four times per round. (One cannot substitute a grapple for an attack within Multiattack, unlike Extra Attack.)
  • Are less affected by one bad initiative roll. A good initiative roll isn't nearly as important as avoiding being the last creature to act.
  • Can stand up from prone four times per round.
  • Negate surprise after just one of their four turns in the first round.
  • Have four chances to beat the Assassin rogue, thus eliminating the rogue's advantage.
  • Can Disengage exactly when they need to, while only using one of their four attacks.
  • Can cast four spells if they have spellcasting ability. Typically, casting a one action spell takes the place of all of a creatures attacks.

The boss is weaker in strange ways, because they...

  • Are forced to save four times per round or take damage from spirit guardians and similar damage spells.
  • Are much more quickly affected by save-X-times-or-suck spells, like contagion and flesh to stone.

Legendary Actions are the normal answer

As the other answers stated, Legendary Actions avoid all of these problems by allowing a Legendary creature to act outside of its own turn. An Adult Red Dragon is one such Legendary creature and has the following Legendary Actions:

Legendary Actions

Can take 3 Legendary Actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature's turn. Spent legendary actions are regained at the start of each turn.

Detect: The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.

Tail Attack: The dragon makes a tail Attack.

Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions): The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 ft. of the dragon must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.

Legendary Actions can be anything. A high-level Legendary spellcaster could fire off four spells per round. A Legendary demon lord could teleport around the battlefield, striking PCs who thought they were safe. A Legendary archdruid could rapidly switch between different beasts, each one making a different attack.

One more thing - if you don't want your boss to fall to the first spell that the control wizard casts, don't forget to add Legendary Resistances. They may feel cheap when you use them, but allowing the boss to auto-save a couple of times helps the encounter be memorable in the right way. Turn 1 banishment against a creature with 8 CHA shouldn't be the answer to everything...

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