How do you deal with PCs that have gotten too strong?

[Bohandas]

I have an idea, (although it might require a disproportionate amount of prep on your part).

It sounds like your party is in a good position to tackle the age old question "Why doesn't Elminster/Tenser/Murlynd/whomever just fix all of world's problems" (or in this case all of the region's problems)

Basically, get a bunch of lower level adventures and see how many they can bulldoze through without rest

[Theoboldi]

I have an idea, (although it might require a disproportionate amount of prep on your part).

It sounds like your party is in a good position to tackle the age old question "Why doesn't Elminster/Tenser/Murlynd/whomever just fix all of world's problems" (or in this case all of the region's problems)

Basically, get a bunch of lower level adventures and see how many they can bulldoze through without rest

Sadly, that is not really feasible as a way to fill sessions in Godbound. A high level pc in that game can keep a whole world free of low-rate threats just as part of his downtime, with plenty of options for permanent safety.

For OP, is there anything that could lure your players into wanting to explore other places? Cool artifacts maybe, or perhaps travellers from other worlds who come in search of great divine heroes to save their people from their tyranical overlords? New challenges need not be threats to their own realm, and you can easily keep it as their perfectly secure headquarters that they retreat to between crusades righteous adventures across the multiverse.

If you want to tug on their heartstrings, maybe make those travellers alternate universe versions of NPCs they already like.

[King of Nowhere]

I can totally see not wanting to pop out new enemies out of nowhere, or randomly destroying their paradise just as a plot hook. That's cheap and poorly received, just like going after their family.

You could have every lower level enemy left alive (or resurrected) join forces against them. I did something similar. A common enemy is a powerful motivation for overcoming divisions, and so i was able to do it realistically. Perhaps only the final boss is a decent challenge for them, but throw in a few dozen lesser enemies, it may still give them a decent struggle.
And i don't know how the main villain was confined, but i'm sure it can be reverted somehow. Just think how the pcs could manage it, and give the enemy (or his minions) similar capacity.

Or call off a good epilogue. One thing i found from other media is that a good story needs a good ending. You may want it to never end, but it will wilt away if you drag it

[jintoya]

Some kind of monster that sucks the power from powerful beings eats the easily caught BBEG and gains his powers... It's also got a few other powers that keep it challenging for them and it comes for them.

Sometimes a horrible monster from another dimension just gets the munchies

[KineticDiplomat]

I might just try that. That's actually not a bad idea at all.

That said there is a fair chance that the players might just spend time talking to npc's they've grown fond of. I like it, but man, I want to get around to wrapping up this campaign. I have a really cool way to continue it planned, but I need to complete the new system that we'll be using for it and I'd like to focus on that instead of prepping sessions.

You may just need to have that talk with them. You're the GM, and yes of course you facilitate the players, but you do it for the fun as well. If you are growing weary of the campaign, better to address it with the players and pivot rather than wait until you are worn to a nub, start seeing it as a chore, and then eventually leave.

[Jay R]

Just as a weird, out-of-the-box suggestion, have you considered trying to solve this OOC problem with an OOC solution?

"Guys, a long series of boring, unchallenging adventures isn't fun for me to create or run, and I'm not going to do it. We have worked our way up to the big finale, and that's our next adventure. When you're ready for the boss fight we've been leading up to, let me know, and we can bring back this universe and have the last big adventure. But until then, I'm not going to create and run boring games of no consequence.

"So shall we finish this game now, or is somebody else going to run one, or are we through with rpgs for awhile?"

Honest, straightforward, and clear.

[Merellis]

I was going to suggest other beings attempt to take over their lands because they're upstarts.

But it sounds like you want to finish the campaign as there isn't much story left to tell beyond the final showdown.

So, I would talk to the players and just tell them, there's only one challenge left to take on. If they refuse the call to adventure, have that big bad start cheating something fierce by continuing to try and find a way out of their predicament. Hire more minions, break the laws of the universe, start a ritual, make deals with dark gods, anything to last past what the heroes will eventually do.

The longer they take before deciding to end the threat they think they've neutralized, the more bull**** you can pile onto this fight.

[RNightstalker]

Another option is to make them fight themselves. In 3.5 there's an Aleax which is basically an improved version of the character.

[Psikerlord]

So I'm running a game and my PC's have gotten too strong. By this I mean that there is no challenge that fits with the setting that I have created that can challenge them. The only fight that could be hard for them is the final boss, but they've essentially neutered the final boss and the final boss can't leave his tower without dying. He might be a decent fight for the party, but they get to choose when that fight happens, and nothing the final boss can do can interfere with the party.

The thing is, the players are still interested in playing in this setting, and don't want to fight the final boss because then the game would be over, however they do feel the lack of a challenge. To my other GMs, how do you deal with such a situation? To be clear, I do have a second adventure prepped for when they leave this area, but they just don't want to because they are attached to it. I also don't want to have monsters from outside the area coming in, because that was the plot of the current campaign, and it feels silly to just keep repeating the same plot over and over. Especially because it keeps undoing their saving of the area. They saved it, and I want it to stay saved.

Try using 5e Hardmode instead. Might help. If not, hmm, just add more and more monsters until they are challenged. Problem with this is it will slow combat down due to sheer numbers.

[Friv]

Try using 5e Hardmode instead. Might help. If not, hmm, just add more and more monsters until they are challenged. Problem with this is it will slow combat down due to sheer numbers.

This post might win an award for "advice that shows you haven't read the rest of the thread."

[Cikomyr]

If they don't want to defeat the big bad before moving on, have someone else from Elsewhere do it in their stead.

Interlopers. New pieces on the board. From another multiverse maybe?

[Psikerlord]

This post might win an award for "advice that shows you haven't read the rest of the thread."

Ah, quite possibly, as I only read the OP :O