A dragon, with its superior intellect, would probably use this tactic when it would be sure its intended targets would have limited ability to evade (cliffside path? down in a gorge?)...with fairly sizeable rocks (AE?). It wouldn't so much be aiming at the party as aiming at a spot.
Now here's an interesting tactic if the terrain supports it:
Dragon casts wall of force at one end of a gorge.
Dragon approaches party from the other end and drops a boulder like a bowling ball.
The boulder takes 1 round to hit the ground. (Boulder is falling as dragon continues to move forward.)
The boulder hits and the party runs towards the wall of force.
They hit the wall and bunch up, and the dragon uses its breath weapon (maybe using the feat that changes a line into a cone, if the gorge is fairly wide).
A very interesting discussion of tactics. Carry on!
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One of the reasons I still assert that Dragonslayer has the best dragon in film history is that the beast flies like it was born to be an air combatant. In open air, it maneuvers like a fighter pilot...in closer spaces, it uses helicopter-type tactics.
I mean, I run mean, mean dragons...but if I were an actual combat pilot, I'm sure I could step it up a bit.
Watching Dogfights on the Military History Channel has been enlightening, to be sure, but no matter how much I'd watch that show, I'd just be recycling tricks...and maybe not the appropriate ones for the situations.
A real pilot running a dragon in aerial combat? Gah!
Given time and a bit of OCD, a spellcasting dragon who likes the boulder bomb tactic could use Shrink Item over and over and over again, building up an arsenal of tiny, clothlike boulders...
Then, flying over the party with his arsenal, he says the trigger word while releasing them...resulting in either a cluster bomb effect (if released simultaneously) or a carpet bomb effect (if released sequentially).
Sort of like the 2Ed spell "Bombard," but not really dispelable.
One of the reasons I still assert that Dragonslayer has the best dragon in film history is that the beast flies like it was born to be an air combatant. In open air, it maneuvers like a fighter pilot...in closer spaces, it uses helicopter-type tactics.
I mean, I run mean, mean dragons...but if I were an actual combat pilot, I'm sure I could step it up a bit.
Watching Dogfights on the Military History Channel has been enlightening, to be sure, but no matter how much I'd watch that show, I'd just be recycling tricks...and maybe not the appropriate ones for the situations.
A real pilot running a dragon in aerial combat? Gah!
Yeah, Dogfights was awesome, and i usually hate the more modern/WWII stuff.
Thinking of dragons like fighter jets might not be a bad idea, though certainly not like helicopters. Fighter jets move at great speed, but need to take wide turns, do barrel rolls (I hope I'm using the right term) for evasion and getting behind the enemy, etc.. because of that speed. Helicopters are slower, but more maneuverable. Dragons, having high speed and low maneuverability, are definitely more like jet fighters.
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Well, by helicopter tactics, I mean primarily taking advantage uneven terrain.
In Dragonslayer, Vermithrax- again, thinking in 3D- uses his speed and maneuverability to make sure Ulrich loses LOS even though the mage is on top of a mountain, then hugs the ground for a low approach and pops up at the edge of the mesa to hover (briefly) and breathe fire at his target. When the strike proves unsuccessful, Vermithrax ceases his hover, stalls and rolls right to dive away.
Ulrich anticipates the strike, yes, but the tactic is sound, and resembles the way some birds will attack prey, as well as certain dogfight techniques and helicopters' use of hillsides to travel behind and occasionally pop up to launch a rocket, and then drop down again.
The low-level spell Mirror Image turns one dragon into a fearsome flying attack squadron.
The party came hunting for one...and 4 are diving for a strafing run? It's not a fear effect, but anyone who hasn't faced that spell in a long time might not realize what's happening until they'd already soiled their armor!
The low-level spell Mirror Image turns one dragon into a fearsome flying attack squadron.
The party came hunting for one...and 4 are diving for a strafing run? It's not a fear effect, but anyone who hasn't faced that spell in a long time might not realize what's happening until they'd already soiled their armor!
That is a great use of a low level spell - and, certainly a way to make the party panic into soiling their armor.
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Quick question - in reading over the Dispelling Breath spell in Draconomicon, does that replace the normal breath weapon, or is that on top of the breath weapon damage, which would be pretty scary. The text is not clear to me.
__________________ "Who's more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi Wan Kenobi
I agree that its not 100% clear, but I'd lean towards the spell's effect being a substitute for the normal breath weapon effects instead of being an add-on.
I agree that its not 100% clear, but I'd lean towards the spell's effect being a substitute for the normal breath weapon effects instead of being an add-on.
Thanks for the response.
__________________ "Who's more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi Wan Kenobi
FWIW, note that Spell Compendium changed the spell, weakening it quite a bit: the SC version is 5th level, and it's an area dispel (that is, you can only dispel one spell per target). SC also specifies that "Spells are dispelled prior to the effect of your breath weapon being resolved", which implies the breath weapon does have its regular effect.
I suspect the Draconomicon version was intended to be blast + dispel, too, but the targeted dispel made it too strong for 4th level, so they weakened it in SC.
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FWIW, note that Spell Compendium changed the spell, weakening it quite a bit: the SC version is 5th level, and it's an area dispel (that is, you can only dispel one spell per target). SC also specifies that "Spells are dispelled prior to the effect of your breath weapon being resolved", which implies the breath weapon does have its regular effect.
I suspect the Draconomicon version was intended to be blast + dispel, too, but the targeted dispel made it too strong for 4th level, so they weakened it in SC.
Thanks - a huge area targeted dispel would be more like an 8th level Chain Dispel, I would think?
__________________ "Who's more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi Wan Kenobi
Just another tactic for rock-bombing, spell-casting dragons:
Antimagic Field, cast on the dragon, will not interfere with its flight, the dropping of rocks, passing strikes with its tail as is strafes, etc., but will impair the effects of spells cast upon it.
For giggles, the dragon could dive into a low strafe carrying a load of Itemized boulders, casting the Antimagic Field at the last possible moment...
The Field will negate the Item spell while the boulders are within its radius...resulting in a sideways avalanche right below the dragon as it passes over the party. (Depending upon a variety of options, the dragon may even be breathing on the party at this point.)
As the dragon completes its strafe, the Field will cease to affect the boulders, and they will revert to their miniaturized state.
For giggles, the dragon could dive into a low strafe carrying a load of Itemized boulders, casting the Antimagic Field at the last possible moment...
The Field will negate the Item spell while the boulders are within its radius...resulting in a sideways avalanche right below the dragon as it passes over the party. (Depending upon a variety of options, the dragon may even be breathing on the party at this point.)
As the dragon completes its strafe, the Field will cease to affect the boulders, and they will revert to their miniaturized state.
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That would be rather evil. How would one even adjudicate something like that?
Since it's a blue dragon, they'll be in the desert, or at least a very arid & hot savannah.
__________________ "Who's more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi Wan Kenobi
Well, unless the party is careful, it could result in a TPK.
I would HOPE that someone in a high-level party would have the presence of mind to:
1) Jump out of the dragon's expected path.
2) Put up a Wall of Stone, or some such.
3) Go intangible
4) Teleport
5) Some cool tactic involving a magic item (Instant Fortress) or spell (Rope Trick)
6) Put up a Wall of Force
Of course, since the dragon has an Antimagic Field upon it, #2, #3, #5 & a poorly timed #4 would prove to be ineffective, and the TPK could still occur.
In all fairness, though, since the Field is a 10' radius spell, only a certain amount of the party's magic would be affected by it as it flies over...probably only the single line of hexes or squares directly below the dragon.
An even craftier dragon using this technique would probably use an area Dispel Magic to de-Itemize the boulders, resulting in a quasi-shotgun effect...which may also drop party defenses.
Simply put, though, if you're going to stand still and "take" a dragon's strafe, you're asking to get your booty handed to you in a neatly wrapped package.
5) Some cool tactic involving a magic item (Instant Fortress) or spell (Rope Trick)
I know in old editions, there was the Drawmij's Instant Fortress spell, but I didn't see similar in the SRD or the Spell Compendium? I looked under plane "instant fortress", plus "mage's instant fortress" and "drawmij" as well.
is there a 3.5 one?
__________________ "Who's more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi Wan Kenobi
It's a wondrous item, not a spell. Of course, there are some mordenkainen's (or "Mage's" in the SRD) spells to create buildings. And other spell like tiny hut, etc...
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Given time and a bit of OCD, a spellcasting dragon who likes the boulder bomb tactic could use Shrink Item over and over and over again, building up an arsenal of tiny, clothlike boulders...
Then, flying over the party with his arsenal, he says the trigger word while releasing them...resulting in either a cluster bomb effect (if released simultaneously) or a carpet bomb effect (if released sequentially).
After seeing this tactic used to brutal effectiveness I have since house-ruled that any spell or magic item designed to manipulate mass or weight of an object has random unpredictable effects on its aerodynamics. This means that such objects shift somewhat randomly in the air and can not be effectively targeted.
I find it cuts down on some rather disturbing abuses of these spells.
Just when the party thinks they are to set upon the dragon, they instead set upon his flunkie minions. What's the DM upside to this? Spells start ticking away... tick tick tick tick... PC's get really anxious when all their buffs start to fade away...
2) Dragons have magic items in their horde, And They Can Use Them:
Why can't that dragon use that ring of protection +4 in his hoard (I guess that would be a house rule on wether or not magic rings still shrink/enlarge to the size of the user, or is that an older rule...).
He can have clutched in his hand a metamagic rod of Maximize or Quicken.
He can have ioun stones surrounding his head.
3) Maximize the Dragon's Breath Weapon:
Put the party in a long tube passage and put the dragon in front of it. Even if the party has a 30-point resist, the breath weapon will start to nickle-and-dime them.
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