D&D 5E Blue Dragon Lair Concept

[Zardnaar]

Tonight my players are facing an adult blue dragon in her lair.

Her main cave will be big enough to fly and she has allied Gnolls.

My plan is though to have "sand pits". through the lair. She has carved out the rock and filled it with sand. Blue Dragons have a burrowing speed.

Her main lair is connected to these tunnels and has healing available. Some other allies are from a Dragon Empire. I'll probably add in some Dragonborn divine soul or clerics along with a cache of healing potions.


The idea is the wear them down and a sand pits will be near the entrance. Final battle might be in the entrance.

Some rock fall traps will also be used. Nets on roof with Gnolls.

So ideas for 6-8 encounters? Note each PC retrieved Dragonlances as well (dragonslayer spears/Lance's)

5PCs level 8.

Elite gnolls
Elite Dragonborn
Dragonborn support
Dragon
Gnolls
Gnolls
Trap
Trap

Dragon is mobile, hits and fades.

Ideas for treasure are also welcome.

Books I can use.

2E
Cult of the Dragon

3E
Draconomicon
Dragons of Faerun

5E
HotDQ
RoT

 

[LordEntrails]

I would mix one of the traps with some of the gnolls. This of course depends on your party, and mostly if they can fly, but I would think some sort of defensible vertical terrain that the gnolls can use to attack from a distance while the party has to navigate the climb and avoid the trap.

Something like a 50 ft high rock wall/chasm with rock falls and guards at the top.

I would also put terrain and hazards in the cavern where the dragon will be fought. Also might want to include an escape path out for the dragon, as most intelligent creatures would not want to be cornered.

 

[Zardnaar]

I would mix one of the traps with some of the gnolls. This of course depends on your party, and mostly if they can fly, but I would think some sort of defensible vertical terrain that the gnolls can use to attack from a distance while the party has to navigate the climb and avoid the trap.

Something like a 50 ft high rock wall/chasm with rock falls and guards at the top.

I would also put terrain and hazards in the cavern where the dragon will be fought. Also might want to include an escape path out for the dragon, as most intelligent creatures would not want to be cornered.

The Dragon can tunnel through the sandpits. One can lead to the desert.

2 of my encounters

Elite Dragonborn, a half dragon and Dragonborn knight and veterens.

Support squad all priests and a refluffed mage or something. Mostly to heal her.

 

[Eltab]

One room is wet - perhaps a well is the central feature - and has large (but shallow) puddles of water on the natural-rock floor.
Because water conducts lightning breath electricity.

 

[Zardnaar]

One room is wet - perhaps a well is the central feature - and has large (but shallow) puddles of water on the natural-rock floor.
Because water conducts lightning breath electricity.

So everyone within say 20' takes the breath weapon damage?

 

[Eltab]

So everyone within say 20' takes the breath weapon damage?

Everybody standing in that puddle.
Conveniently, somebody came down here while the PCs were crashing the front gate and threw a few bucketfulls of water on the floor, forming several long thin splatters on the floor.

 

[Zardnaar]

Everybody standing in that puddle.
Conveniently, somebody came down here while the PCs were crashing the front gate and threw a few bucketfulls of water on the floor, forming several long thin splatters on the floor.

She can have a diverted river, decanter of endless water, or other means of getting it. I'll make it difficult terrain and knee deep.

I've got 7 encounters, several sand pits for hit and fade and I'll use your water trap idea in her main chamber which is where treasure us with the nearby healers.

Using a war priest from Volos and normal priests from the MM.

The idea is she'll use the pits the wear the PCs down and use the mobile reserves to harass them.

Using some NPC stats from PotA. Gnolls are from Tome of Beasts and Volos to get some tougher ones.

Rolled a decent horde and converted son of the treasure into cp and sp.

Swapped out some adamantine armor for

Dragonlords armor.
+1 full plate, resistance to dragon breathe weapons, dragons have disadvantage on attacks.

 

[Coroc]

One room is wet - perhaps a well is the central feature - and has large (but shallow) puddles of water on the natural-rock floor.
Because water conducts lightning breath electricity.

But do not shortcut the dragon it might overload

 

[Zardnaar]

Well they got through several rooms, the lair isn't that many.

Encounter in the passage going in, Gnolls easy fight. Wizard was talked out if using thunderwave.

Room 2 sleeping dragging with sandpit and large circular room with walkways. Walkways old dragon pens. 4 Gnoll archers.

The dragon is an illusion, rockfall hits the PCs for 8d6 bludgeoning damage and the Gnoll hunters don't last to long. The Divine Soul/cleric ditched an extended spirit guardians for twinned greater invisability. Then they found out the dragon was an illusion. Dragon popped out of the sand pits and breathed on them.

Near the young dragon pens they found a dragon mating room the ancients used to erm encourage them. Basically dragon porn frescoes.

Final encounter was with the dragons mobile hit squad. 5 CR 2 guardians, a half dragon and a blue Dragonborn flame priest of Veles. They got fireballed after the invoker fireballed them. Of course they were red Dragonborn.

Ended the session there as some RP earlier took up time.

Making a throne room if the ancients were the Dragonlords armor will be located. Sandpit for the dragon to pop out of.

Thinking of putting the dragons hoard in a deeper chamber only accessible to burrowing critters. That might be a bit mean but I could have some way for them to figure it out.

 

[Jediking]

A Xorn may be a good creature to use as a potential source of information for encounters, or to travel to the main lair?
The Xorn is scared of the dragon, but seeks it's treasure (maybe knowing certain items that are in the hoard). Maybe the PCs can bargain with it to discover a safer way in/get information on where traps are.