Dragons main disadvantage

[Darkness]

Exactly. Only 3 dragons can't heal.

Imo the main disadvantage of dragons are that they are mostly alone (1 action vs 4) and the low touch AC coupled with WotC new broken spells.

I think the new spells are less problematic than the old, pre-3.5 harm.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Having read threads about how to best use a Dragon, and the power of it, etc, etc.

I still find it an extremely vulnerable creature, it has a VERY weak spot...

He can´t heal.

I think this is mainly a problem of D&D, due to de huge difference between natural healing and magical healing, but I don´t want to make this a Rant thread.

Instead, I want to focus on how a dragon should deal with this issue. With the RAW.

Clearly, if a Dragon confornts a party of medium level adventurers, and he gets pretty wounded, and flees, he can´t engage this party until he has healed, which should take him at least a couple of days.
Meanwhile... the party can heal itself in a mater of minutes, without spending spell slots (Wands of CLW). With a few scrolls, the party could still have a healthy supply of spell fire power.

So, the party can be ready to confornt the dragon in minutes, but he need days.

This gives the party a huge advantege, searching of its lair, scrying, teleporting to it, or whatever.

Thoughts?

It's a load of rubbish? Dragons can use wands and potions too, and every single cleric and sorceror spell is on their spell list. Just the other night, I was running a dragon that had cure light wounds as a known spell.

Meanwhile a scry-n-fry is uncertain and will take at least 10 minutes to work. The dragon is gonna return fully healed and with a charged breath weapon before that happens.

And of course the party has a 4th and 5th level spell devoted to the tactic, that can't be used to get the dragon.

 

[Derren]

I think the new spells are less problematic than the old, pre-3.5 harm.

Have you seen shivering touch and quill blast? Sure 3.0 Harm was worse (Its nearly impossible for a sane designer to make something more broken), but not by far.

 

[Lasher Dragon]

I think the biggest weakness dragons have is that they can be "critted". Now I'm not saying that they should be immune to crits, far from it. Even with crits, they can be a big pain in the rear. Yet I have seen more than a few big bad dragons suffer deathblows... ie nat 20, nat 20, crit. I know it doesn't happen often, but sometimes it does, and there is nothing stranger to me than watching the archer get a deathblow in the first few rounds of combat.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Yet I have seen more than a few big bad dragons suffer deathblows... ie nat 20, nat 20, crit. I know it doesn't happen often, but sometimes it does, and there is nothing stranger to me than watching the archer get a deathblow in the first few rounds of combat.

Just like in The Hobbit.

 

[Raloc]

Honestly I think that just assuming that the locals know intimately the powers of a dragon is a bit flawed. Also, you should have your dragons prepare areas that they live in with the array of formidable spells they have access to. Magical traps, item etc. can go a long way to sway a battle. Also, you might set it up so that the dragon has an escape route that will bring intruders through traps that the dragon can avoid easily (whether by magic or might).

 

[AuraSeer]

Sure 3.0 Harm was worse (Its nearly impossible for a sane designer to make something more broken), but not by far.

I was about to argue with that parenthetical bit, but then I noticed the "sane" qualifier. The creator of miasma was clearly out of his mind.

 

[Endur]

Dragons can heal.

At least half the Dragon species, including Red Dragons (the most common opponent type in games) have access to clerical spellcasting and can heal. Furthermore, its spontaneous casting.

He can´t heal.

 

[Stone Angel]

I think that a big weakness for a dragon is that there are usually one dragon and multiple adventurers.


The Seraph of Earth and Stone