So how screwed are we?

[frankthedm]

Don't expect much from the missile and melee weapon users then. Mage armor is pretty much a mandatory choice for one of a dragon's sorcerer spells and shield is close to mandatory as well.

It looks like your best option would be to flee until the dragon's short term buffs wear off. Sadly, since it is a sorcerer, it will have plenty of castings left. Seriously, you guys need to flee. Get in better standing with the Mage's guild.

So it looks like Regroup and running is the best option...

Yes, it is. Some encounters are flee or die. Nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately since 3E characters are generally on the Glass Cannon side, the window to recognize such an encounter is VERY slim. The other problem is dragons pack a LOT of power into their size. A dragon is always as tough as a creature a size category larger, and possibly TWO size categories larger! Never base your decision to fight a dragon on having beaten other creatures of its size!

 

[Empirate]

Frankly, to me it seems your best option would be to petition your DM to cut the crap and give you a friggin' break already. Unfair fight. I concur with Frank's assessment of the creature's CR (I had deduced the same as him: Pseudonatural Adult Green Dragon, meaning it has a CR of "entirely too much"). Single enemies are often less powerful than their CR indicates, and stuff like SR can be overrated a lot... but your situation looks pretty grim, as far as I can see, what with your horrible spell prep/next to no resources left/dragon not really hurt yet combo you've got going there.

Throwing yourself at the dragon's feet, acknowledging its mastery (and divinity), and begging to be spared so you might grow to understand better the sinfulness of your souls (and ways of cleansing yourselves that might be lucrative for the dragon) sounds in order. Along with a nice and friendly sidelines discussion with your DM, something like "so you know you never even hinted at a dragon being there, you know our loadout, and you know our level. Yet you make us fight that THING over there... why?!".

 

[frankthedm]

Yet you make us fight that THING over there... why?!".

The DM doesn't make them stand and fight anything! The PCs are not entitled to beat every monster they encounter. The real problem is that the desision to run away took so long to come to thanks in part to the dragon's deceptively small size.

Had the dragon physically been gargantuan, I think the group would have made the decision to flee at a much more opportune time. That they managed to get 80 damage on the Buffed up, SR 25 dragon is a testament to their capabilities.

 

[Fallenibilis]

The DM doesn't make them stand and fight anything! The PCs are not entitled to beat every monster they encounter. The real problem is that the desision to run away took so long to come to thanks in part to the dragon's deceptively small size.

This isn't entirely true when we were around level 6 we got boxed in by a wall of thorns and when my character cried out for mercy thinking we were facing some hidden druids three trees bellowed back "NO MERCY" turned out we were facing 3 Octopus trees... which if i remember correctly are like CR 11... can't remember how we got out of that one though i do remember them eating our ranger...

Though i do agree with you sometimes you need to run, it makes sense creatures of the world aren't built to you and sometimes you blunder into areas over your head. I was just hoping we could figure something out... We've had to do it before like escaping from a sea of acid zombies 50ft thick by climbing to the roof of the estate and using jump to leap over them.

 

[Fallenibilis]

That actually sounds like an awesome build.

Its even better when you know that the first 3 levels of the character were fighter.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Any chance that acquiring the Feather Token Tree shortly before this encounter was your DM handing you over the magic bullet for winning this fight, hoping you guys would be creative enough to think of it?

I really think getting that item inside the dragon, than triggering it, seriously will end this battle. The fact that you have a Regroup spell available is the solution to pulling the player out of the dragon afterward.

Does your DM reward creative thinking?

 

[Fallenibilis]

Any chance that acquiring the Feather Token Tree shortly before this encounter was your DM handing you over the magic bullet for winning this fight, hoping you guys would be creative enough to think of it?

Not really as i helped him roll the random treasure. So thank you lady luck?

 

[Dandu]

Alright, I think it's quite clear by now you're screwed harder than Sasha Grey in Fashionistas Safado: The Challenge.

 

[Zhang Liao]

Pray to an over deity (your DM) for a few divine ranks. I think 5 or so should do the trick.

 

[Zhang Liao]

A double post once existed here. now however, it is gone.