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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goobermunch" data-source="post: 831807" data-attributes="member: 10516">Here's a thought . . .There are three main problems with your planned dragon fight.  First, there is the dragon's mobility.  Second, there's the problem of CR.  Third, there are the dragon's natural abilities.Here are some solutions.  Wyrmling/Very Young dragons can be encountered alone.  However, I don't think it's that common of an occurance.  In my campaigns it would be almost unheard of.  Dragons are smart and while they might not like their offspring, reproduction is a serious biological imperative.So why is your baby red dragon out on its own?There are two very plausible explanations: either its parents are dead (killed by adventurers) or one of its siblings kicked it out of the nest.  I like these explanations because of their inherent violence.  They allow you to explain why the dragon is not flying . . . its wing has been seriously injured.  Right there you've dealt with the problem of the dragon crisping your party from out of range.You will have to change the set up a bit to have the kobolds stealing the cattle, but that's a relatively minor change.  You can cover for it by having had someone hear wings overhead a few days before (maybe momma was searching for the little one . . . or maybe it was just a passing roc).Your other problem is that the PCs may be too strong for a Wyrmling and not strong enough for a Very Young dragon.  Fortunately, you can advance the Wyrmling to bump up its power a little bit.  This will help offset the lack of its flight abilities.Alternately, you can go ahead and make the dragon Very Young and role-play the fact that Reds often underestimate their foes and use claw and bite attacks in lieu of their breath weapon.  With the reduced mobility from the wing injuries, a Very Young dragon would be a little less impressive (and probably worthy of a CR penalty).Realize that even with all these suggestions, the red is probably going to kill at least one member of the party.  Eyebite (sleep) followed up by a coup d'grace will result in a very dead character.  The dragon may also use its suggestion power to order party members to "Flee!"  A very reasonable suggestion under the circumstances (meaning, of course that the PC will suffer a -2 on his or her saves).Finally, remember that the dragon will probably know that the party is coming and will at least be ready for them.  Since dragons have extreme blindsight, they probably don't light their lairs much.  This means that the dragon will see their approach (especially since Kobolds also have darkvision).Even without its wings, a red dragon is a formidable and daunting opponent.  I'd highly advise holding off on this encounter for a few levels.  I'd also advise allowing the dragon to escape.  Dragons shouldn't be easily killed under any circumstances.  It sets a poor precedent to allow a group of 2nd level characters to kill one.--G</blockquote>

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