D&D: In ‘Quests from the Infinite Staircase’ The Boss Fights Keep Coming
Quests from the Infinite Staircase‘s adventures show off the importance of having a memorable final fight.
Quests from the Infinite Staircase is here, and within its six different adventures can be found a variety of adventure locales, scenarios, creatures, and more. But one of the things I want to highlight is how these adventures show off what it means to “stick the landing,” so to speak. In this case, that means having good boss fights.
And in Quests from the Infinite Staircase, they just keep coming. Ramping up in intensity from facing off against a humble Cult Fanatic all the way to a confrontation with an elder evil powerful enough to masquerade as a god. And, ironically enough, both of those encounters are in the same adventure.
So, let’s take a look at what makes these boss fights memorable.
Quests from the Infinite Staircase – Who’s the Boss? Glad You asked!
In The Lost City, we actually have two “final” encounters. Though they’re meant to be spread out over the course of several levels, which is an interesting premise. And while that section of the adventure could maybe be handled better (more on this in our upcoming review), the fact that The Lost City contains the first and loss boss fights of the book is pretty poetic.
The Lost City is an interesting adventure because it ends when your characters manage to escape the temple they’ve stumbled into. So, there’s no guarantee of what the ultimate encounter will be. But, it is likely that you’ll square off against an evil cultist of Zargon the Returner in his office, counting out ill-gotten gains. And for a lower-level party, facing off against a Cult Fanatic (CR 2) and a few goons (CR 1/8) is definitely going to end in victory. But the fight comes with an added roleplay element, since the players will probably be possessed by a vengeful spirit in the process.
But stumble deeper into the Lost City, and you might well find Zargon himself. Or his minions, which include a Mind Flayer, Gibbering Mouthers, and worse besides. This is sure to be deadly to parties who have just started their adventuring career (Lost City only takes you to level 4), so there’s definitely a “come back and deal with this” vibe here.
In When a Star Falls, characters go through a long, arduous journey. What’s neat about the end of this adventure is that the players are on a quest to accomplish something with a fallen star. And once they do, there’s some negotiation, celebration, and then, in a payoff to some careful foreshadowing: a dragon attack.
And now your party of 6th-level adventurers must face off against a Young Red Dragon, which is a difficult fight for sure. The adventure gives guidance, though, that the dragon doesn’t fight to the death. But it’s still a sort of iconic D&D moment. Dragon attacks, how do you drive it off?
In Beyond the Crystal Cave, the final boss is your characters’ own greed. I won’t explain any more than that, but you don’t need stats. Or even to roll dice. It’s all about what choice you make, and I love that for it.
In Pharaoh, you fight a vengeful mummy, Nafik, the high priest of Amun-Sa. It’s a pretty straightforward fight, but it’s a very classic “the party vs. an undead spellcaster” D&D fight.
Likewise, in The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, players will face off against Drelnza, Iggwilv, aka Tasha’s evil vampire daughter. It’s a dramatic fight. And Drelnza has some souped-up vampire abilities, which is a nice preview of the enhanced vampires due out in the 2025 Monster Manual.
Finally, in Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, you get to do what the end of any good sci-fi adventure lets you do: kill a computer. It’s perfect, no notes.
Quests from the Infinite Staircase is available now!
