Dragon Tactics: To be or Not to Be a Jerk?

[Rechan]

As the DM, I'm prepping for the inevitable battle with the dragon in my game. I'm looking over the dragon's stats, I'm looking over my party, and it strikes me the best tactics for the battle (from playing the dragon smart/efficient) make for a boring fight.

The dragon: Young Cobalt Dragon (5th level)

The Party: 2nd Level (but beefed up with House Rules)
Dragonborn Paladin (Chaladin)
Human Barbarian, Thunderborn
Deva hybrid Cleric|Invoker
Dwarf Protection Shaman
Revenant Tempest Fighter
Revenant Assassin

While some PCs are not optimized to fight a monster by itself, they have the capacity to decimate anything I've thrown at them thusfar. Especially with the Assassin, I know these guys can really obliterate a single target.

So back to my dilemma. Looking at the dragon's stats, the best method of attack is: Frightening Presence, Actoinpoint: Breath Weapon, and then second round, Savage Mauling. Or alternatively, Breath Weapon Action Point: Savage Mauling.

However, that's Boring. The dragon just used TWO Encounter powers (and a recharge power) in the first round - and those are the only encounter powers it has. It would make the rest of the fight rather dull, since it has nothing else to pull out of its sleeve, nothing tactically useful. Besides, it's a +7 vs Will; it likely will miss a few.

Not to mention it's an ass thing to do: in the first round say "No one gets a turn", and hitting everyone with a breath weapon, and then getting a new turn to hit everyone again. I generally hate Stun. Denying players any chance to act in a round is just mean. However, looking at my party, I think I need that edge.

Finally, for a 5th level solo the thing is not going to be hurting my party a whole lot - it doesn't do a lot of damage.

How do I make this fight awesome AND dangerous?

 

[Rechan]

As a side note, I just compared the Steel dragon to the Cobalt dragon. The Steel is the same role, and just 2 levels higher, but it looks leagues more lethal than the Cobalt.

The bite: +2d8 more damage. The claw: +1d6 more. (Comparing the At Will double attack, I think the win goes to the Cobalt though - it gets a bite, and two claws, with a shift in between).

The at-will immediate reaction attack knocks the target prone and lets the STeel dragon get away, compared to the Cobalt simply pushing the target away when they miss with an attack. This means that the Steel dragon is going to get to cancel one melee attack per turn (since it fires on an adjacent move).

Breath weapon: 2d10 vs. 1d6! Dazed vs restrained/slowed.

I wonder why the Steel is so much more potent?

 

[Mad Hamish]

There was a change in design in monsters (especially solos iirc) between MMi & MMII

 

[Rechan]

There was a change in design in monsters (especially solos iirc) between MMi & MMII

Both monsters are from the same book: Draconomicon 2.

 

[Nightson]

Lower the dragons hit points a bit and use other monsters. I just don't think a solo monster is going to work very well period against that PC setup.

Edit: Also, isn't that setup a L+1 fight? I mean that's just not going to be a challenge, especially when they go 'omg dragon!' and blow their dailies.

 

[ricardo440]

give it friends (kobold slaves/worshipers), and make the terrain treacherous. Like tall pillars of rock above a (smallish if 2nd level) fall.

You could roll the fight too. Fight it a bit, it fights quite recklessly. It runs away, leaving its minions to do some pain.
Then they get it in its lair.

 

[Rechan]

Edit: Also, isn't that setup a L+1 fight? I mean that's just not going to be a challenge, especially when they go 'omg dragon!' and blow their dailies.

Eh? Level 2 vs. Level 5 Solo? That's a L+3.

 

[Starfox]

Eh? Level 2 vs. Level 5 Solo? That's a L+3.

Its a level 2 party of 7 characters.

Actually, i think what you outlined as "abusive tactics" are perfectly fine. The dragon needs to either take out a big part of the party very quickly or hurt them all to the point where they will avoid taking dangers if it is to have any chance at all. And once the shock and awe of the first assault wears off, your players will feel this is an uphill battle they heroically win anyway - which works very well dramatically. Or they scream and run and come back another day - which is also a memorable encounter.

What I'd be afraid of in an encounter like this is having the lone solo stunlocked by "until the end of your next turn" effects, The dragon can stunlock the party for one round, the party can potentially lock up a single solo for about one round per party member, depending on what powers they have - I just had this happen in a similar fight at level 19. Of course, a lvl 2 party has less resources than a lvl 19 party.

 

[fba827]

The short answer "be a jerk"

The dragon is supposed to make them wet themselves, and a first couple rounds of deadliness will do just that. But, also, have a couple kobold (or other) mooks around (even if just minions) or something different in the terrain -- -something-- that will add variety in the later rounds of combat.

(Perhaps if fought in the dragon's lair, he has something that will recharge one of his encounter powers the first time he's bloodied - and he moves to stand next to it for a round)

 

[Rechan]

Its a level 2 party of 7 characters.

6, not 7.

Fighter
Assassin
Paladin
Barbarian
Shaman
Invoker|Cleric hybrid.

What I'd be afraid of in an encounter like this is having the lone solo stunlocked by "until the end of your next turn" effects,

Not possible. I have the House Rule that for SOLO monsters:

Daze = Loss of minor and immediate actions.
Stun = Loss of move action.

Fortunately, only one PC has a lockdown power, and that's a daze. I'm more concerned with the weakening power that player can drop.

I think I'll put a frozen lake in the encounter. It'll start to crack. The dragon can also smash it. Although, this means that saving the Frightening Presence for when the PCs in the water would be better, but this prevents the "Nuke them" opening salvo.