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Message: <blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 7172229" data-attributes="member: 97077">Yes, absolutely. My 8th-level party just had a dust-up with an ancient red dragon a couple weeks ago. Well, sorta. It was a kind of simulacrum, but just as deadly except for being able to be dispelled, which they figured out. But I had been hinting at this encounter from the second session of the campaign. Ten sessions later, they had gathered allies and resources sufficient to at least be able to stand up to the red dragon, even though they were absolutely consigned to losing a few characters in the process. There was a certain grim finality in the air as they marched off to face it while it set about burning down city blocks with its fiery breath. It wasn't until they started picking up some strangeness during the fight that the red dragon wasn't all that it seemed to be.I can't underscore enough the value of telegraphing threats to the players via describing the environment well. If a creature that far outmatches the PCs' ability is on their path, then leaving signs of that creature's badassedness not only builds tension and makes the environment come alive, it signals to the players that they might be out of their depths. So whenever possible, I say the DM should be handing out hints and clues about what the PCs are likely to face so they can make informed decisions about what to do when they encounter these deadly perils.</blockquote>