D&D 5E Dragon Dilemma - Opinions? Advice? All are welcome!

If it were me running this, I would let the players escape without the dragon attempting to attack. The dragon just got its ass kicked and would've lost badly if it hadn't fled. It wasn't even close - the dragon was at 10hp with two PCs still at full health.

Why would the dragon assume it has a chance attacking immediately afterwards unless you are metagaming as a DM to know that the dragon recovers all its resources while the players don't?
 

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If it were me running this, I would let the players escape without the dragon attempting to attack. The dragon just got its ass kicked and would've lost badly if it hadn't fled. It wasn't even close - the dragon was at 10hp with two PCs still at full health.

Why would the dragon assume it has a chance attacking immediately afterwards unless you are metagaming as a DM to know that the dragon recovers all its resources while the players don't?
This. Is there someone reason the dragon is so bent on going right back after a party it barely escaped from? It has no way to know they are low on spells, or even that a party member is dead and wasn't just knocked out of the fight, even revivified. Unless they stole its egg or something, that dragon should be giving them a wide berth, IMO.

On top of that, you have unlimited narrative options as the DM. So if you must have a chase, the players could have a chance of finding a terrain feature that helps them. Or maybe they blunder into someplace that an injured dragon wants no part of. Or they run into a character, played by the dead PC's player. Literally anything could happen.
 

I concur that a dragon would not engage without really stacking the deck in its favor. The dragon has learned that with a bit of luck, the PCs could win.

I've seen 2 battles this year alone where the PCs won when they shouldn't have.

2 weeks ago, in a battle vs a powerful gnoll lord (the Lord of the Feast! from Drakkenheim), the party took 12 attacks from said boss monster, each with a +9 bonus to hit. One PC has a great AC but he never made himself a target. The rest of the party is in the 17-19 AC range - good, but not amazing.

Of those 12 attacks, two hit. Of course the party won. (the LotF had plenty of minions of course)

Last summer, my PC (level 8 mutagenist) was forced into a duel with a CR 15 paladin (Theodore Marshal, from Drakkenheim). Now my PC managed to convince him to do it barenuckle (benefiting me) and my PC is basically built to fight bosses... the odds were still massively in his favor. But because of all of the following

  • making a save with 15% chance of success
  • having advantage once/round because of my familiar
  • getting decent rolls vs his poor ones
  • inflicting 1d6+2 damage each time I was hit (noxious blood)
  • regenerating 5 hp/round
  • having a 15 hp boost from aid

I won with 7 hp left.

So yeah, if you want to live long, you have to stack the fights in your favor. 90% sure to win is not enough.

Source: I've been Ancalagon for almost 30 years now :P
 

This. Is there someone reason the dragon is so bent on going right back after a party it barely escaped from?

It was said that it wants the magic crystals the party has, and if the party leaves the area, it will probably never find them.

But yeah, I agree that the dragon should be afraid of the PCs at this point, so that's why to me it would make sense for it to at least try to threaten/bargain with the PC before risking a battle. Then it would be up to the PCs to decide whether they want to keep those crystals that much and whether they want to risk fighting the dragon again.
 

YES - the second attack happens, if the TPK occurs it becomes a cool war story for the players, if it doesnt they also get cool stories and loot
Yes, it prizes the crystals they have and cannot risk their escape.

Right. And after getting within one hit from being killed, why exactly is the dragon motivated to go back into a fight without its full power (legendary saves, in particular)? He’s potentially got a LOT to lose - hundreds of years and massive ambitions.
From a metagame perspective, healing all his hit points looks like enough to give him the edge on a group of PCs missing a member and running low on spells. But how does this appear to the dragon? He heals after a breather, he can expect the PCs to be similarly healed. Their spell output may have observably decreased, but does that definitely mean they’re out of their best spells? They might be severely weakened… but what if he’s wrong? They nearly killed him once in his rash arrogance. A terrible insult… but also a terrible threat!
If it were me running this, I would let the players escape without the dragon attempting to attack. The dragon just got its ass kicked and would've lost badly if it hadn't fled. It wasn't even close - the dragon was at 10hp with two PCs still at full health.

Why would the dragon assume it has a chance attacking immediately afterwards unless you are metagaming as a DM to know that the dragon recovers all its resources while the players don't?
This. Is there someone reason the dragon is so bent on going right back after a party it barely escaped from? It has no way to know they are low on spells, or even that a party member is dead and wasn't just knocked out of the fight, even revivified. Unless they stole its egg or something, that dragon should be giving them a wide berth, IMO.
In case you missed it in my other responses the dragon has been trailing the PCs for few weeks, knows of their exploits, and has an idea of what they are capable of.

If the one PC wasn't killed (which if nothing else the dragon will observe his absence if he discovers the PCs again...), the dragon would wait for more advantage and continue trailing the PCs through the wilderness.

Also, the dragon will change tactics. Believing it was powerful enough to tackle them head-on, and seeing that failed, the dragon will grapple each and fly away with them in turn to repeat how it killed the first PC. Straffing breath weapons will limit the PCs to ranged attacks, which the dragon knows first-hand from the first battle are much weaker and lack range to be a threat.

If the battle by chance somehow is going against it again, it will flee at half HP this time, and continue to harrass the PCs again and again until it has the crystals. However, each encounter it is likely another PC will fall...

A LOT depends on how the "extra session" we're sneaking in tomorrow night goes. How the players roll stealth (they might just happen to avoid it entirely!), any chance of parley or deal, etc. before it comes to battle.

On top of that, you have unlimited narrative options as the DM. So if you must have a chase, the players could have a chance of finding a terrain feature that helps them. Or maybe they blunder into someplace that an injured dragon wants no part of. Or they run into a character, played by the dead PC's player. Literally anything could happen.
This is the sort of stuff in the OP I am loathe to do. As a DM I don't feel I should bend the game to "rescue" the PCs. I will allow the PCs to make Wisdom (Survival) checks to look for the "best place to hide" and other such things, but where they are in the wild the random chance of another NPC or something happening by is rare at best.

It was said that it wants the magic crystals the party has, and if the party leaves the area, it will probably never find them.

But yeah, I agree that the dragon should be afraid of the PCs at this point, so that's why to me it would make sense for it to at least try to threaten/bargain with the PC before risking a battle. Then it would be up to the PCs to decide whether they want to keep those crystals that much and whether they want to risk fighting the dragon again.
If discovered, this is likely the most hopeful resolution. One PC is dead--payment for their affront to the dragon-- and the dragon gains the crystals, it might consider the encounter a draw.

However, I have been informed by the rogue player he intends to keep one crystal to use as a spellcasting focus.... I hope they don't agree to give the crystals and the dragon discovers this PC kept one back---not good for that PC then!
 


What is the player of the dead PC going to do while everyone else plays? Nobody likes sitting there even though things could change or it was his fault or whatever. I might come up with a NPC character in the swamp that might help the PCs. Perhaps a wizard is out gathering herbs or a knight is searching for the PCs to pledge his service. It can be a 5th level henchman-type, but gives the player something to do.
 

What is the player of the dead PC going to do while everyone else plays? Nobody likes sitting there even though things could change or it was his fault or whatever. I might come up with a NPC character in the swamp that might help the PCs. Perhaps a wizard is out gathering herbs or a knight is searching for the PCs to pledge his service. It can be a 5th level henchman-type, but gives the player something to do.
He's working late and won't attend, which is why we scheduled it for tomorrow night.

Even if he was attending, he would be working on a new PC since his died. I have never minded having a player more "sit out" and hang around during a session. Otherwise, depending on where the PCs are in the game, yes an NPC or even playing an enemy is an option.
 

UPDATE:

Our (brief) session went very well for the players. The dragon took the corpse of the fallen PC, but the others recovered a few items from the site where he fell--including his magical warhammer which the dragon didn't bother with (failing to realize the weapon itself was magical).

After that, they scouted a good site to get in a short rest and made successful Wisdom (Survival) checks to find a nice, deep place in the river to hold up and hide out in case the dragon returned. They used a potion of Animal Friendship to acquire varies small and tiny beasts to serve as early warning for the dragon's return as well.

They also realized the signifcance of the magical crystals and used a servicable dinghy from the keelboat debris to send the crystals in the dinghy down river. The dragon discovered the dinghy and accepted the crystals, but its reaction wasn't enough to stop it from seeking the PCs for vengeance.

As it searched for the PCs, the beasts warned them it was coming upstream. The players rolled for their checks to hide themselves in the river brush and such. The Tank rolled Wisdom (Survival) to camouflage himself and rolled 18, for a total 21. The Scout used Dexterity (Stealth), rolling 10 for a total of 22. But the Healer rolled Dexterity (Stealth) with guidance for a total of 19.

The DC for passive Perception is 21, so two successes on the group check means the dragon failed to find them concealed in the river.

They wisely decided to remain well-hidden where they were to complete a long rest. Over the next five hours the beasts warned the PC of the dragon's return twice, so it was best they stayed where they were. A few hours after the last "fly by" the long rest was complete, the PCs summoned the Giant Constrictor Snake from their staff of the python and rode it downstream to the lakeside village, arriving in time to get a meal, bath, and find some villagers to stay overnight with before heading to town the next morning.

So, in the end all is well... at least for now. ;)
 

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