BADD- evaluate my dragon DM'ing? (KotSQ, Glacier Season module SPOILERS)

[Dr Midnight]

I don't mean to be overly critical or harsh, here, but aren't you basically saying the Dragon will allow them to live until they become powerful enough to kill it? That does not seem like a good idea, although that is of course just my opinion.

I completely understand what you're saying, and agree- but that's what would happen if it were a real life-styled campaign. I try to run it as epic fantasy, where the entire party getting wiped out would be like seeing Luke Skywalker beaten to death by the sand people in Star Wars. Bam, everything's over. I know with this dragon that I could kill them just like turning off a light switch.

I just can't do that, so it's time for them to take some HEAVY hurt.

 

[Wolfspider]

Part of the reason why dragons tend to be "disposible" is the fact that parties of adventurers don't respect their power, and DMs tend to be soft on them 'cause they don't want a TPK. I suggest a compromise, much like what Jairimi suggested. Have it grab one character and take off with him. Have the other characters discover the frozen remains of the character later as they try to track him down. This will let them know the dragon means business and will also still allow for the dead character to be raised.

But I would definitely not coddle the characters too much.

EDIT

I try to run it as epic fantasy, where the entire party getting wiped out would be like seeing Luke Skywalker beaten to death by the sand people in Star Wars.

OK, understood. Hurt them and hurt the ones they love. But I've found out that players are remarkably immune to hurts that their love ones suffer. They just shrug these attacks off, unless they are really good role-players. (This is also why it's usually useless to hold love ones hostage; the players will just have their characters attack anyway, I've found.)

 

[MasterOfHeaven]

Originally posted by Dr Midnight


I completely understand what you're saying, and agree- but that's what would happen if it were a real life-styled campaign. I try to run it as epic fantasy, where the entire party getting wiped out would be like seeing Luke Skywalker beaten to death by the sand people in Star Wars.

And that's a bad thing? It just means Obi Wan and Hans Solo would've gone on to greater glory! Heh, although I did like Luke.

Bam, everything's over. I know with this dragon that I could kill them just like turning off a light switch.
I just can't do that, so it's time for them to take some HEAVY hurt.

Ah, I see. Totally undestandable. I do think you should do some major damage to the PCs in some way, though. Jairamis suggestion is a good one. Taking away some of the PCs precious equipment is always a good way to make them suffer.

In fact, in my opinion, doing such is usually a better way to teach your players a lesson than destroying NPCs or villages their PCs are supposed to care about. YMMV, of course.

Edit: To elaborate on that a bit, it's like Wolfspider says. The players/PCs usually just shrug off such "personal" losses and go on their merry way. It's much more effective to take away items and such to teach the players/PCs a lesson in most cases because of this.

 

[Old One]

Options...

Doc -

As a long-time reader of your story hour, I know your PCs don't get mad, they get even!

The dragon is royally pissed, but it also has a dragon-sized ego. Killing the imbiciles that dared to come into its home is far too easy - it would want to torment and humilate them! That said, I think you have some interesting options here:

(1) An immediate counter-attack should be in order, before the PCs have time to regain their spells and rest up. Have the dragon swoop in (or tunnel up under the inn) and grab a PC or two (preferrably the ones that can teleport). After knocking them out, he strips them naked and sets them free up in the mountains - telling them that it will brook no further intrusions and commanding that they inform their fellows, if they live.

(2) The dragon returns to the village and takes some hostages to ensure the "good behavior" of the PCs. If the PCs keep messing with the dragon, he turns the hostages into "villagersicles" (impaled and frozen) for a late-night snack.

(3) Since they teleported into his lair and were flying last time, the dragon would definitely take some precautionary measures. A fine one would be to line the roof of the main cavern with huge icicles. A massive tail slap as the dragon retreats into its alcove brings the icicles raining down on the PCs, causing crushing and cold damage.

(4) Blackmail - The dragon utterly wipes out a village in a nearby kingdom, then sends the rulers a message..."Sit on the obnoxious adventurers or else. Every time they bother me, I will wipe out another village. If they leave me alone, I will leave you alone!"

I would definitely take every opportunity to ridicule, torment and bitchslap the PCs with the dragon - not to kill them, but to show them that this wyrm won't be toyed with.

It should make their eventual triumph over the beast that much more delicious if they really hate it!

~ Old One

 

[Galfridus]

I haven't seen the module, so I don't know what spells it has. But there must be a couple 5th or 6th level spells that it can use to lay down some serious hurt.

The dragon also has a tremendous mobility advantage. If you want to lay down some long-term hurt, have it hit-and-run in the area, then take off for somewhere entirely, where it acquires an anti-scrying item (sack a mage's guild, extort one from a city, etc.). Once immune to scrying, it has a lot more options in terms of surprise attacking the party.

 

[Wolfspider]

(4) Blackmail - The dragon utterly wipes out a village in a nearby kingdom, then sends the rulers a message..."Sit on the obnoxious adventurers or else. Every time they bother me, I will wipe out another village. If they leave me alone, I will leave you alone!"

I like this idea. It'll rankle the adventurers good.

 

[Dr Midnight]

Thanks Old One! Some great advice there.

Also thanks to the representatives of BADD, making a nice showing here.

The PCs are going to whine like mewling kittens next session. They have misbehaved, and will be spanked.

Now- how can I calculate overland movement for this thing's flight? How many feet are in a mile?

 

[Henry]

From Dr. Midnight:

I don't want any of my players reading this. Especially Doug. You hear me, you system-exploiting goateed bastard?

For a minute there, you sounded like my DM talking to me...

You can use one of two tricks here:

1) If the dragon has minions handy, they can stage a midnght raid on the inn where they sleep. After all, they just bypassed ALL those defenses and allies the dragon had set up, so there should be no end of fun waiting to slap the PC's silly.

2) The dragon could try the aforementioned burrowing tactic, or better yet, just airlift huge rocks in the air and drop them all on the inn, flattening it. The dragon can then fly-by and flash freeze or even fireball anyone leaving the inn.

Good luck with your Dragon Vengance plotline!

 

[Jezrael]

Thanks Old One! Some great advice there.

Also thanks to the representatives of BADD, making a nice showing here.

The PCs are going to whine like mewling kittens next session. They have misbehaved, and will be spanked.

Now- how can I calculate overland movement for this thing's flight? How many feet are in a mile?

That would be 5280 feet to the statute mile, and around 6076 feet for a nautical mile.

I believe nautical miles would be considered "as the crow flies".

Edit: I assume you need this to figure out just how much rest your player's characters get?

 

[Old One]

Feet in Mile...

Thanks Old One! Some great advice there.

Also thanks to the representatives of BADD, making a nice showing here.

The PCs are going to whine like mewling kittens next session. They have misbehaved, and will be spanked.

Now- how can I calculate overland movement for this thing's flight? How many feet are in a mile?

5,280 ft/mile

~ Old One

PS - I thought of something even more evil that would work well for Dartan or another fighter. Dragon kidnaps, strips naked and encases in a solid block of ice with an Amulet of Survival around his neck. PC gets to watch while the dragon eats the villagercicles. After an appropriate time period of mental torture, the dragon picks up the block and deposits it in the town square, right before market day for all to see!

But the dragon just gave the PC a magic item! Not so, if the gem in the amulet is exposed to above freezing temperatures for more than 1 round, it explodes into shards of ice, doing 5d6 damage to all within a 15' radius (probably killing all of those nice merchants and little kids that just chipped the PC free)!