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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 6633994" data-attributes="member: 6787650">That is somewhat similar to how I play dragons, except I also give them all levels in Dragon Sorcerer (so they can e.g. Shield or Blur themselves). Without sorcerer levels they are too easy to kill, although "easy" is still a relative term. Against a vanilla AC 19 adult Red Dragon, one simple strategy that my test party would use at level 11 is: spend some your Necromancer's spell slots (three 4th and one 5th, although I actually use SP) to get 26 skeletons and equip them with longbows and scale mail. Use another 5th level spell slot to cast Seeming to disguise everybody in the party and the skeletons so they all look like identical urds (I know you run blindsight differently, as a form of truesight against illusions, but I don't--and anyway dragons only have 60' of blindsight). Use a dispersed formation spread out over 150' or so, about twice the area of a traffic intersection. Have the wizard waiting under a backup hardpoint with Leomund's Tiny Hut up, as a point of retreat if things go south. (A lot of the details depend on whether you're seeking the dragon in his lair, or expecting him to attack you out in the open. Wall of Force would work approximately as well.) From inside the hut, he spends his concentration on an Air Elemental which he sends with the party.  As soon as the dragon enters range (600'), all the skeletons will fire doing 19.13 DPR on each round at long range while the dragon is closing on the party, and another 67.5 DPR at short range once the fight starts in earnest. The dragon's breath weapon is a 60' cone so covers 25% of the area of the formation, so at least 19 skeletons are guaranteed to survive the first breath weapon. That's just the skeletons--the air elemental is adding 14.9 DPR per round, or 22.35 total including the opportunity attack if the dragon tries to evade it to go after PCs, and of course the bardlock's 16 conjured Giant Owls from Conjure Animals V (who also look like urds) are hitting it for 37.6 DPR (plus up to 37.6 more from opportunity attacks) and hits it with Eldritch Blast on top of that for 10.05 DPR while the monk... well, her job is mostly done at that point because she did the recon, but she'll pew-pew with her longbow for 8.95 DPR while the paladin provides healing/blessing/sanctuary/etc. as needed, or adds 17.32 DPR if the dragon gets within melee range.Total party DPR: 139 to 191.5 plus was inflicted at long range. The dragon has 256 HP and cannot significantly degrade the threat within a single round, so it's basically toast in two rounds against an 11th level party. That's why I give dragons sorcerer levels (Shield alone reduces skeleton DPR to 15.0, or 0.75 at long range) and why I also play up their Stealth and other capabilities (which is why the monk's job is to scout ahead).</blockquote>

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