Green Dragon Tactics against a Deepwood Sniper

[Kibo]

So... He's supposed stay in the sky or on the riverbank long enough for you to do several hundred points of damage when you can only hit on a 20?

Given some of Kai Lords other musings on archers, I would say that would be long enough for one arrow assuming he confirmed.

 

[Kai Lord]

You want to go after a CR 21 creature with a 10th level character? Suicide.

Pretty much. That's why its cool.

A Wyrm Green Dragon is 35 HD (over 500 hit points) with a Wisdom of 21, and Spot is a "class" skill. It will have a spot of at least +43, and may have a magic item or spell that buffs it further. Even with a -50 to the spot check from the 500 feet of distance, it will know the general direction and area the arrows came from.

Does Blindsight work against characters underwater? What if I fired off a volley of arrows 5' from the shore then jumped into the cold water and let the current take me away. This whole attack will take place at night, and all the dragon will know is that I was outside of its Blindsight, probably along the riverbed. That's a lot of ground to cover if he wants to unleash hell in my direction.

If a full attack wouldn't give him enough mobility to get in the water, then he could fire off a prayer shot and if it hits use his movement to dive under the water.

Of course you'll tell me if this course of action would be totally futile either way.

Even at +19 to hit, you need to roll a natural 20 to hit AC 40. And you should have a -6 range penalty at 500 feet, even with a Composite Longbow and the Far Shot feet. Catching the dragon flat-footed won't help, as he has no dex bonus to his AC.

Even if you do get your attack bonus up high enough that you can hit him, you better hope that he doesn't have the Wind Wall spell. As a 15th level caster it create a Wind Wall that is 75 feet high and 150 feet long, and can put it 250 feet in front of it. Cast it out to the extent of it's range in the direction the arrow came from, and advance under cover of the wall, completely immune to arrows.

Hmm, maybe I should have some of the fodder elves lining the riverbeds as decoys with their griffons just behind the treeline. They each fire off an arrow when they see the dragon get pissed that I hit him then jump on their griffons and scatter. There's no way for the dragon to know who the shot came from, and it might give me the oppurtunity to get off a few more shots if he gives chase to one of the griffon riders.

Or obscuring mist, fog cloud, etc. None of those spells will impede it's senses, but will make it nearly impossible to hit.

It definitely looks like natural 20 will be the order of the day.

If it has Dimension Door it can simply teleport 500 or so feet in the direction of the arrow, or even just 250 feet, which would put you in range of it's blindsight. (Blindsight 330' radious for a Wyrm.)

If go with the griffon rider decoy trick he won't know which one is me.

You would only get one or two rounds before the dragon has located you and then one or two more rounds before it is in melee range with you (if it wants to be). Being a Wyrm Green Dragon, it may just get within 200 feet of you and then take control of you with Dominate Person. How are your Will Saves? It's going to be a DC 20+ Will save.

I think I can make it difficult to figure out which one of those pesky elves is doing the damage, maybe even long enough to do more damage....

 

[Stalker0]

Well it would be nice to have a brillant energy weapon with wounding on it. At least then you could actually hit the bastard and do some damage

Here's what you do, have one suicidal fanatically cleric, who just happens to have spring attack CHarge the beast and release a harm about its big booty. Then fire your arrows and slay the bastard.

Unless you've got some help in weakening this creature, you shouldn't be able to beat it in this scenario. Maybe over the course of a day with various ambushes would you might have a chance at it, but sitting in a tree from far away is going to get you wasted.

 

[WizarDru]

Is it possible for a 10th level character to single-handedly defeat a CR21 creature? Sure it is. All you require is the DM giving the DWS a collection of monty-haul equipment, and it's easy. In the regular 3E context, not too likely.

I'm trying to figure out how the DWS is going to hit for more than one round. All the Dragon does is cast haste and wind wall on round one, and then just look around. This makes the basic assumption that the Wyrm has no magical equipment, no prior warning to the invasion of his home territory, doesn't take advantage of his home terrain and no allies to aid him.

I'm all for cleverly winning a battle, but the only way to win this one is to allow the DM to hand it to you, that I can see.

 

[Kai Lord]

Just as further info on the scenario, the dragon in question is Cyan Bloodbane of Krynn, the Green Dragon who tricked the elven King Lorac to try and use a Dragon Orb which in turn ended up controlling the king and using his terrifying visions to twist the entire forest into a nightmarish dreamscape.

The dragon is shacked up in the main throne room making sure the king doesn't break from his trance. The forest isn't the dragon's "home turf" it belongs to the elves who'll be escorting me in. However, since the landscape has been twisted nobody will have an incredible advantage other than around the major unchanged landmarks like the river.

The dragon is whispering horrible thoughts that the king dreams about which the Orb then makes into reality in the forest outside. So the dragon is relying on the forest itself to take care of intruders because anyone who enters has to overcome illusions of their worst fears.

The Silvanesti elves all fled and took over the island where my wild elf brethren live. The only way to get these guys off my island is to go take care of the dragon in their forest. So there you go. A walk in the park.

 

[Xarlen]

Then I gotta ask WTF the dragon is doing outside of the castle? I'd stay in the throneroom, while peering around to make sure no one's around the castle.

I have to thumb up the Plot, tho. Very nice.

Though, I have to ask how the heck you're going to shoot a Dragon at 500 feet, in the Dark. How good is your vision?

 

[mmu1]

Pretty much. That's why its cool.

Oh, please... You can tell by looking at your posts that you're absolutely in love with your character. You're itching to go into it because, despite talk of "suicide", your character is getting the dragon handed to him on a platter...

Do me a favor, and post your inevitable story of triumphant victory somewhere else, eh?

 

[mmu1]

I have to thumb up the Plot, tho. Very nice.

Despite the fact it's just blatantly pulled out, almost word for word, out of a Dragonlance book, or because it is?

Or did I just fail my "Detect Sarcasm" check?

 

[Kai Lord]

Then I gotta ask WTF the dragon is doing outside of the castle? I'd stay in the throneroom, while peering around to make sure no one's around the castle.

Part I of the plan is getting him outside. That might be just as difficult as killing him with a fluke failed Massive Damage save.

I have to thumb up the Plot, tho. Very nice.

Though, I have to ask how the heck you're going to shoot a Dragon at 500 feet, in the Dark. How good is your vision?

We wouldn't make the attack unless there was sufficient moonlight to see a 100' lizard flying through the sky.

 

[Xarlen]

Despite the fact it's just blatantly pulled out, almost word for word, out of a Dragonlance book, or because it is?

Or did I just fail my "Detect Sarcasm" check?

Well, I don't touch Dragonlance, so I didn't know it was word for word.

I was being serious. Sounds like a neat plot.