Prep to kill a dragon
- Thread starter buzzard
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Geoff Watson
First Post
How did they surprise Ashy?
When my mostly-epic group fought him, it was a pretty hard battle, with multiple PC casualties, even with lots of PC-buffs, though I did change his feat and spell selections, using a few things from the Draconomicon.
Geoff.
He can sense the node attunement, so he knows when the PCs are able to enter the center, and has a huge Listen skill, so he can easily hear what's going on in most of the Bastion.
When my mostly-epic group fought him, it was a pretty hard battle, with multiple PC casualties, even with lots of PC-buffs, though I did change his feat and spell selections, using a few things from the Draconomicon.
Geoff.
Sejs
First Post
That's part of what I was curious about too. It makes mention of that speciffically in the encounter section. Which in turn means that his one possession that really turns the tide of a battle quickly would be up and ready.
Side note - how do you do the black on black spoiler section thing?
Side note - how do you do the black on black spoiler section thing?
Cerubus Dark
First Post
*GRRR* poor Ashardalon, may the goddess Timat spare his soul.
Last edited:
MerakSpielman
First Post
This is impossible to determine without knowing exactly how badly the characters were "twinked out."Sejs said:
A monty-haul DM makes encounters easier.
buzzard
First Post
OK, now I've read the module. I believe I can fairly comment on how my DM ran things. He was pretty much by the book.
spoliers follow
So, while the BADD folks may be upset about the big bad Ashardalon getting it in a round, that is the module's fault not my DM's (well unless you count the fact that we had very twinked out powergaming characters). In the right environment, the dragon would have been a major threat. He just wasn't in this case. Granted, I could have made things a bit more rought, but I doubt anything could have made the dragon win in those circumstances.
buzzard
spoliers follow
Sure Ashardalon via listen and attunement would have known we were comming. However the module states that he starts his power up suite on two conditions:
1) somebody gains attunment- OK we got that, but then we waited a couple days to do the proper buffing. Thus he did his power-up, but it was for nothing since we didn't go in at that point.
2) He hears you comming in: OK fine, he would have had very little warning in this case. We went in once all the spells were cast, and since there's no way he could know all the spells which were to be cast, he could not make any estimates. At best he could have gotten his Haste off having maybe a round of warning. BFD. The order in which the power-ups are applied is listed (and is somewhat stupid at that, but I'm not here to criticize the module).
Haste
Cat's grace
Displacement
Mind Blank...
IMHO Cat's Grace should have been cast every morning since it would last all day.
At worst he might have had displacement up, but then things might have lasted a bit longer, but not that much. We walked in with the tow half ogres pretty well buffed up. Everyone in the party had fervent ally on them (+20 will saves from R&R2). Everyone had energy immunity (T&B) fire. Bless,haste, prayer and all weapons were GMW to +5 and armor was all up to +5 as well (likely a moot point though). The half ogres were polymorphed into Storm Giants. This gave both of them strengths in the 50s. They both use 2 handed weapons, and they both were doing thoroughly obnoxious damage due to this fact. The deepwood sniper was polymorfed into a githzerai (+6 dex never hurts). He was using tiger claw arrows from Kalamar player guide (make arrows 19-20 slashing), so he had a 15-20 x4 critical. He also has a sick init bonus at the time. He gets the first shots off and does around 150 damage (only one crit sadly enough). The 1st half ogre moves to engage and smacks him for 250. The lasher moves around and hits for an additional 30 (I know, but every bit helps).
By this point the dragon knows he's in for it. The module does say he tends to use the breath weapon, so that's what the DM did. I might not have done this, but really it was fairly moot. He didn't have haste up yet, so that was his go. I imagine he could have thrown in a quickened horrid wilting. This probably would have taken out the wizard, but nobody else. Honestly the moduel says that one he starts his power up suite, he sticks with it to completion (which would have been suicide), so the DM didn't really do anything wrong. He had the power up suite begin once we moved into the room and rolled initiative. It probably could have started a round earlier, but truthfully the results would not have changed much at all.
Fighter/barb half ogre then steps up the the plate and finishes him off. With the threat range of 12-20 on his falchion and a strength in the high 50s, the dragon didn't stand a chance. He didn't even need all his attacks to finish the business. There was still the wizard and cleric left to go.
The module fails to mention anywhere that the dragon can cast divine spells. I'm not sure it would have made much difference, but it's still sloppy editing. My DM isn't a rules junkie to the extent that I am, so he didn't use any divine spells. He went with the creature as it was written. As Ashardalon is set in the adventure, he is doomed. He can't manuever, he wastes time with a poorly ordered power-up suite and his spell selection sucks. They don't specify that he gets divine spells.
1) somebody gains attunment- OK we got that, but then we waited a couple days to do the proper buffing. Thus he did his power-up, but it was for nothing since we didn't go in at that point.
2) He hears you comming in: OK fine, he would have had very little warning in this case. We went in once all the spells were cast, and since there's no way he could know all the spells which were to be cast, he could not make any estimates. At best he could have gotten his Haste off having maybe a round of warning. BFD. The order in which the power-ups are applied is listed (and is somewhat stupid at that, but I'm not here to criticize the module).
Haste
Cat's grace
Displacement
Mind Blank...
IMHO Cat's Grace should have been cast every morning since it would last all day.
At worst he might have had displacement up, but then things might have lasted a bit longer, but not that much. We walked in with the tow half ogres pretty well buffed up. Everyone in the party had fervent ally on them (+20 will saves from R&R2). Everyone had energy immunity (T&B) fire. Bless,haste, prayer and all weapons were GMW to +5 and armor was all up to +5 as well (likely a moot point though). The half ogres were polymorphed into Storm Giants. This gave both of them strengths in the 50s. They both use 2 handed weapons, and they both were doing thoroughly obnoxious damage due to this fact. The deepwood sniper was polymorfed into a githzerai (+6 dex never hurts). He was using tiger claw arrows from Kalamar player guide (make arrows 19-20 slashing), so he had a 15-20 x4 critical. He also has a sick init bonus at the time. He gets the first shots off and does around 150 damage (only one crit sadly enough). The 1st half ogre moves to engage and smacks him for 250. The lasher moves around and hits for an additional 30 (I know, but every bit helps).
By this point the dragon knows he's in for it. The module does say he tends to use the breath weapon, so that's what the DM did. I might not have done this, but really it was fairly moot. He didn't have haste up yet, so that was his go. I imagine he could have thrown in a quickened horrid wilting. This probably would have taken out the wizard, but nobody else. Honestly the moduel says that one he starts his power up suite, he sticks with it to completion (which would have been suicide), so the DM didn't really do anything wrong. He had the power up suite begin once we moved into the room and rolled initiative. It probably could have started a round earlier, but truthfully the results would not have changed much at all.
Fighter/barb half ogre then steps up the the plate and finishes him off. With the threat range of 12-20 on his falchion and a strength in the high 50s, the dragon didn't stand a chance. He didn't even need all his attacks to finish the business. There was still the wizard and cleric left to go.
The module fails to mention anywhere that the dragon can cast divine spells. I'm not sure it would have made much difference, but it's still sloppy editing. My DM isn't a rules junkie to the extent that I am, so he didn't use any divine spells. He went with the creature as it was written. As Ashardalon is set in the adventure, he is doomed. He can't manuever, he wastes time with a poorly ordered power-up suite and his spell selection sucks. They don't specify that he gets divine spells.
So, while the BADD folks may be upset about the big bad Ashardalon getting it in a round, that is the module's fault not my DM's (well unless you count the fact that we had very twinked out powergaming characters). In the right environment, the dragon would have been a major threat. He just wasn't in this case. Granted, I could have made things a bit more rought, but I doubt anything could have made the dragon win in those circumstances.
buzzard
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