D&D 5E Dragons and Resistances

J

jamesfoxbr

Villager

• Dec 22, 2014

• #1

Sorry for my bad English:

Why dragons don't have Magic Resistance in D&D 5th like AD&D and D&D 3e? I see other monsters with this trait, but not dragons.
Why dragons don't have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non magical weapons too like the other editions? I'm really upset about the details they have only 4 age categories.

You think dragons are harder or easier to defeat than the AD&D and 3e versions?

 

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Sir Brennen

Legend

• Dec 22, 2014

• #2

For older dragons, there is the Legendary Resistance, which is a more powerful but more limited version of Magic Resistance.

As for why on the other stuff... who knows. The designers obviously felt those features aren't necessary to balance the dragons at the given challenge rating.

That said, using the DMG Monster Creation rules, it's really easy to add those features back in. Just make a note of how that will affect the dragon's challenge rating (assuming the features' CRs are additive that way to existing monsters.) I think, though, that will make fights take alot longer, which is really in the dragon's favor, especially if it happens in their lair.

Reading through the forums, people seems to have mixed opinions on dragons. Some say they're too easy, others that they're really tough. I haven't run a dragon fight in my game yet (soon, though), so can't comment from experience at this point.

Edit: One other hack I've thought about using... giving younger dragons more limited versions of Legendary features... like instead of auto-save on 3 saving throws, it can automatically gain advantage on 3 saves. Or giving a younger dragon one Legendary action.

 

Last edited: Dec 22, 2014

rjfTrebor

Banned

Banned

• Dec 22, 2014

• #3

i personally like having fewer dragon ages.

the resistance thing is because lower level parties probably aren't going to have magic weapons and WotC didn't feel like arbitrarily doubling every dragon's HP. dragons are more like sentient magical beasts. their high AC and natural toughness removes the need for resistance to physical damage.

 

Ravenheart87

Explorer

• Dec 22, 2014

• #4

rjfTrebor said:

the resistance thing is because lower level parties probably aren't going to have magic weapons and WotC didn't feel like arbitrarily doubling every dragon's HP. dragons are more like sentient magical beasts. their high AC and natural toughness removes the need for resistance to physical damage.

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This. Dragons are creatures of flesh and blood, no matter how much magic power they have. They aren't outsiders, spectral creatures, magical constructs. On the other hand, it's interesting that the lich has resistances that the dracolich don't get.

 

D

Derren

Hero

• Dec 22, 2014

• #5

Ravenheart87 said:

This. Dragons are creatures of flesh and blood, no matter how much magic power they have. They aren't outsiders, spectral creatures, magical constructs. On the other hand, it's interesting that the lich has resistances that the dracolich don't get.

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Lycantropes are also flesh and blood, yet they get immunity. And what makes Perytons and Gricks so special that they get resistance and dragons not?

 

Last edited: Dec 22, 2014

Ravenheart87

Explorer

• Dec 22, 2014

• #6

Derren said:

Lycantropes are also flesh and blood, yet they get immunity. And what makes Perytons and Gricks so special that they get resistance and dragons not?

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Lycanthropes get immunity because they have it in myths. The case of the peryton and the grick is a more interesting question, they seem to be mundane beasts for me, although one can argue about the peryton's magical origin. The true reason was probably to make their defense tougher without increasing HD or AC - things that can seriously alter the CR.

 

Minigiant

Legend

Supporter

• Dec 23, 2014

• #7

Lycantrophy is a magical disease caused by a curse.

Gricks are aberrations, they don't follow natural flesh and blood rules.

Got me on perytons but they scream "a wizard did it".

 

J

jamesfoxbr

Villager

• Dec 26, 2014

• #8

I still don't understand why they removed from the dragons the classic D&D dragons abilities: Magic Resistance and Resistance to Non-magical weapons. I can read in many forums about low level characters defeating dragons in encounter type "Deadly".

 

J

Joe Liker

First Post

• Dec 26, 2014

• #9

jamesfoxbr said:

I still don't understand why they removed from the dragons the classic D&D dragons abilities: Magic Resistance and Resistance to Non-magical weapons. I can read in many forums about low level characters defeating dragons in encounter type "Deadly".

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In the vast majority of those cases, the dragon was not played intelligently. A well-played dragon is very deadly.

 

Lucas Yew

Explorer

• Dec 26, 2014

• #10

Well, apart from resistances, I believe that they should have at least be given magical weapon attacks.
Frankly it's quite disturbing to see them get slaughtered by iron golems that easily...