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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheOverlord" data-source="post: 4825779" data-attributes="member: 83747">The session I am currently running is also at 15th level and they are tricksy...While I believe in challenging them the odds of victory against a CR19 dragon are 3720 to 1....that is if they are pimped out as any intelligent dragon should be. With that said you know your party best so do what you need to do. I would use the following as a base...keeping in mind that every dragon is different but in 3rd edition the following prep would need to be pretty standard against practiced high level partiesYou will find a huge gain by taking a look at what casting abilities the dragon should have. Your CR19 Very Old Blue Dragon casts as an 11th level sorcerer so you should have a fair set of spells. You will want to hand pick them. I will list my suggestions shortly. Also, most dragons of high intelligence would want to invest in use magic device (max rank of 33 for your dragon for total of +37 with your base 18 cha) so that they can easily use scrolls or wands whenever they are prepping for a combat that actually feel will not be overwhelmingly in their favor. With that said a dragon's chances would be greatly diminished against a skilled high level party without the following spells prepped:Ray Deflection-(sor4) (protects from disintegrate and enervation just to name a couple you should worry about)Death Ward(clr4) (from scroll or wand) -- protects from death effects, energy drain Sheltered Vitality(clr4) (from scroll or wand) -- protects from ability damage and drainScintillating scales(sor2) - (known sorcerer spells) -- takes natural armor and makes it into deflection bonus (varies depending on whether you are looking at Spell Compendium(SC) version or Draconomicon(DC) version--SC version is slightly stronger and was published more recently. )Round this out with a ring of counterspells with dispel magic in it and you have yourself a veritable defense against the arcane.Now after that I would leave the dragon's uniqueness and customization to your other choices of spells as well as feats. As an aside the awaken spell resistance (especially in this case is worth it) it will raise your Spell Resistance to the dragon's HD or in your case from 25 to 30. Which is a major improvement as most 15th level characters' checks will be 1d20+15. You've reduced their spell effectiveness by up to 25%...and if that isn't enough you can take it again.Melee:If you are going melee you definitely want to know the spell haste and have the feats multiattack, improved multi-attack, rapid strike and improved rapid strike (DC). Strafe:If you are going to strafe then take feats that allow you to stay back and keep mobile such as Flyby attack, Wingover, Adroit flyby attack, Power Climb, Snatch, Improved Snatch and Snatch and Swallow, Improved Maneuverability...get the Draconomicon if you don't have it.Also learn the spell teleport as one of your two 5th level spells. (Or Dimension door(sor4) if you are running a lower level dragon or want your 5th level spells for nastier things)Crush:Also never underestimate the Crush ability. This ability alone accounts for a point or two of any larger dragon's CR. Read up on how it works it is awesome if used properly. (Neutralize the Cleric)Tricky:Never underestimate how tricky you can be with the spells at your disposal, a couple feats spent in meta-magic can set up some interesting scenarios. Quickened Invisibility is a great way to regroup and don't forget that as a sorcerer you only have 2 core 5th level spells as an 11th level caster but with meta-magic feat you can make your options much broader as the number of 5th level spells per day you can cast is at least 4.  Or get the spells breath weapon substitution and dispelling breath to help soften up the party. A strafing dragon could use the breath weapon substitution fairly well as it could cast the spell as it turned for another pass at the part.I don't particularly condone tpk's but *meh* here are some great ideas to help you along.</blockquote>

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