Henry
Autoexreginated
Looking at the Encounter rules, and using the calculator at http://dhmholley.co.uk/encounter-calculator-5th/
It says a Young Blue Dragon (or even a Young Red Dragon!) Is an "Easy" Encounter, when facing six level 6 characters by itself. I can understand, by the numbers, how they would get this, but looking at the damage output of these thing's breaths, and the overall damage and mobility of these things, there's no way they can survive the thing without at least two PCs going down! (Maybe three PCs!)
Unless I'm missing something. Am I vastly underestimating the staying power and damage output of a typical level 6 party in 5E, especially if it has six players? I want the penultimate encounter to be with a Dragon, but I don't want the dragon to handily wipe out half the party so that they stand a good chance of all being there for the Ultimate Encounter.
At first I was thinking Black Dragon (CR 7), but that came out as Trivial, for so many PCs.
Then I went up the chart, to Green, then Blue, and Realized even Reds came up a bit short, and those guys are CR 10!
Even an Adult Blue (CR 15) comes up as "Hard" and those guys would wipe a party of 6 PCs at that level and not bat an eye. So I know the system is a bit wonky at extremes, that's fine, what WOULD be an appropriate dragon to throw at a bunch of PCs without throwing tons of extra minions to balance it out?
OR, would a new LEgendary Actions be the solution? (Yes I know it's Young, I'm thinking mechanically here).
Any advice from those 1-year veterans of 5E? Or even just those gamers with a lotta 5E sessions? Or Math Nerds?
Thank you in advance!
--H
It says a Young Blue Dragon (or even a Young Red Dragon!) Is an "Easy" Encounter, when facing six level 6 characters by itself. I can understand, by the numbers, how they would get this, but looking at the damage output of these thing's breaths, and the overall damage and mobility of these things, there's no way they can survive the thing without at least two PCs going down! (Maybe three PCs!)
Unless I'm missing something. Am I vastly underestimating the staying power and damage output of a typical level 6 party in 5E, especially if it has six players? I want the penultimate encounter to be with a Dragon, but I don't want the dragon to handily wipe out half the party so that they stand a good chance of all being there for the Ultimate Encounter.
At first I was thinking Black Dragon (CR 7), but that came out as Trivial, for so many PCs.
Then I went up the chart, to Green, then Blue, and Realized even Reds came up a bit short, and those guys are CR 10!
Even an Adult Blue (CR 15) comes up as "Hard" and those guys would wipe a party of 6 PCs at that level and not bat an eye. So I know the system is a bit wonky at extremes, that's fine, what WOULD be an appropriate dragon to throw at a bunch of PCs without throwing tons of extra minions to balance it out?
OR, would a new LEgendary Actions be the solution? (Yes I know it's Young, I'm thinking mechanically here).
Any advice from those 1-year veterans of 5E? Or even just those gamers with a lotta 5E sessions? Or Math Nerds?
Thank you in advance!
--H