The boss fight at the end of the tutorial dungeon.. I can just continue running past it and exit the dungeon while the boss is going through the animation sequence of removing the coffin cover, getting out of it, etc.

Is it supposed to be possible to bypass that way? Perhaps there should be another locked door behind the boss, with the key given as part of the loot when you defeat him. Or, force the character into combat stances sooner while the animation plays out (you do this with the very first scripted encounter prior to entering the dungeon).