The colossus is the highest CR construct that you’ll find in the 2024 Monster Manual for Dungeons & Dragons, with enough power to rival most end-game challenges. That power is raw and to the point, with the colossus being able to do little beyond stomping everything around it and shooting rays of damaging light.
Related
Dungeons & Dragons: The 20 Best Adventures For Low-Level Parties
These adventures are perfect for low-level D&D parties.
If you want to use a colossus to cap off your campaign, you might want to add some spice to it, or otherwise be ready for any unforeseen problems this big creature could bring. Here we have a few tips to make your players fear the might of the dreaded colossus.
7
Decide If The Players Can Befriend It
Maybe They Can Even Make One
The good thing when dealing with constructs is that they follow their master’s orders, whoever that is. As such, you might deem it possible for your players to befriend the colossus, or maybe the giant creature is the answer to how the party deals with a tarrasque on the horizon.
If you don’t want your players controlling the creature, be sure to explain that to them before they make any elaborate plans, so they don’t waste too much time. If you want to allow them to build one, then consider using the bastion feature: make a custom Special Facility unlocked at level 17, and have the players pour their resources into it to create their own mighty giant.
6
Consider The Colossus’ Power Source
You Can Make It Something Other Than Divine
In the lore text for the colossus in the 2024 Monster Manual, specifies that their power source is divine, likely created in the image of a god that bestowed its divine power to give the construct life. You don’t have to follow this too strictly if it doesn’t fit your campaign, but do consider making a few changes if gods aren’t needed to make the colossus walk.
The colossus only knows celestial because of its origin, so if devils or elves created it, consider changing that language to infernal or elvish when appropriate. This can be crucial if you add keywords to deactivate the creature since those words wouldn’t normally be in common.
5
Use The Colossus’ Range
The Fight Can Start From Far Away
A classically impactful scene is having the party witness the colossus awakening from far away, as it rises from underground, collapsing a nearby settlement. Once the scene is over, the players might want to charge to face this massive foe, although the fight can start just as they are just 300 feet from the Titan.
Related
Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build A Powerful Magic Bastion
Want to create the perfect magical bastion of your dreams in D&D? This guide has everything you need to know.
If the colossus knows who the players are, it can already sense them from that distance thanks to its Truesight. Then, it can start firing several Radiant Rays or even a few Divine Beams before the party is anywhere near range to answer the onslaught.
When describing the Divine Beam and its 300-foot range, focus on how the colossus starts the Beam directly below him, then arches the Beam upwards towards the party.
4
Have The Colossus Cause An Earthquake With Every Step
Concentrating Will Be A Challenge
While several other gargantuan creatures exist, a colossus is a particularly sturdy one, at least in concept. It is hard to translate this into a mechanic, but something you can add is to have small earthquakes happen each time the colossus takes a step, similar to the Earthquake spell.
Of course, the effect of the earthquake would only happen five or ten feet around the colossus, but that is enough for anyone facing it in melee to risk falling prone and losing concentration on spells. This would give added value to any flight abilities the party might have, either with special mounts or spells that allow them to hover.
3
Give The Colossus A Grab Attack
Slam Shouldn’t Be All He Can Do
With an Intelligence score of three, the colossus won’t be doing any complex strategies during battle, although it should be able to do other things with its hands other than slamming the ground. Adding a grapple attack isn’t hard at all, since it would use the same attack modifier as the slam.
Related
Dungeons & Dragons: 20 Best Legendary Magic Items
These legendary magic items certainly live up to their title.
Being able to grapple creatures opens not only plenty of strategies but also narrative situations. The colossus might want to toss the party’s tank over a mountain, or it might be trying to grab a priority target without dealing damage to it, like a priestess of the god that gave it life.
2
Give The Colossus A Weak Point
The Big Glowing Crystal In The Chest Is A Good Start
If your players aren’t particularly powerful (or if you just want the fight to go over smoothly), you could give the colossus a special weakness. Hitting that spot might deal double damage to the creature, or it might be the real target of the fight with its own hit points.
When doing this, the colossus itself should be resistant to all damage, so the players take the hint that they need to focus on some other target. The base design of the colossus comes with a big glowing crystal on its chest, making it ideal as a weak point, but you can make it anything from its ‘brain’ to its heel if you’re feeling poetic.
1
Have The Players Learn About The Colossus Before The Fight
Either Through Research Or Experience
We’ve discussed plenty of mechanics you can add to the mightiest construct, but your players are the ones fighting it in the end. You should have a clear way to have your players learn all these features, particularly if they often brute-force their way through their problems.
Research is one of the best ways to have your players be prepared, but few things beat first-hand experience. They might face the colossus and lose, barely surviving the encounter (you can always teleport them away somehow) and having to rethink their strategies.
Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
-
1974
- Player Count
-
2+
- Age Recommendation
-
12+ (though younger can play and enjoy)
- Length per Game
-
From 60 minutes to hours on end.
- Franchise Name
-
Dungeons & Dragons
- Publishing Co
-
Wizards of the Coast
- Brand
-
Dungeons & Dragons