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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tovec" data-source="post: 5622521" data-attributes="member: 95493">I guess my issue might be player expectations before and while they enter the dungeon. It is probably best broken up into separate questions with advice on each. Questions in bold.Do they know there is going to be five dragons? If they know there are going to be five, very big, very tough white dragons then they are going to be ready to have ice resistances and things to solve it. Personally if you haven't told them there are five white dragons guarding Bahamut, I wouldn't. It helps build the suspense and forces them to make preparations to fight any dragon type than just white (kill it with fire) dragons. If you HAVE already told them then change up the enemy as much as possible. Give them different stats, tactics, personalities, and powers for each dragon. It helps level the playing field if one specializes in long range, another casting, a third heals (or provides support), two attack in the foreground - like a party does.Are they all going to be there at the same time? Or Are they going to have to fight them all at once or in sequence?If the party is expecting to fight one they will gear up tactics different than expecting to fight hordes. This really sets up what the party will expect and how they deal with challenges. If they know there are five and will be expecting to fight all at the same time, then having them fight room after room of lesser whites might be okay, because it hopes they use up their generic anti-white spells before getting to the boss battle. If they think they're going to be dealing with several boss battles they'll stock resources differently.Proper player expectations:I can't stress this enough. If they don't know what to expect, don't know they are dragons and don't know how many, it works much better. Because after you have them fight a rigorous battle with one white have the curtain roll back revealing four more, similarly massive dragons yet to defeat. Then let them have a chance to escape with their hides after what would have been a fantastic battle they won. It has the added benefit of them training up to become stronger and come back to kill the remaining four.Important bits to remember:It is still a dungeon! Yes they'll end up fighting white dragons and they'll need to gear up for that appropriately. But it is still a dungeon. How would this be any different than if the party was invading a dungeon with mad cultists? Not every creature would be a demon, regardless if that was the cult's final goal. Throw a minotaur to buise them a bit, an ooze or two is an effective trap, a dryad can be responsible for putting them to sleep and delaying them, there are likely dozens of humanoid servants to cater to the elder dragons, there might be wizards who help re-enforce or who are there to secure the ice if something extra-ordinary happens. Perhaps un-aligned dwarves or drow, or anything really, have stumbled upon the ice-dungeon from below and seek to conquer it for themselves.Also..Twists are always a good part to throw in, especially ones that happen at the end of everything happening correctly where a completely sideways outcome occurs. Something like, in their attempt to release Bahamut, Tiamat is released instead, forcing the already tired party to put the evil-five-headed-goddess back into her cage.Oh And..Never forget, "the princess is in another dungeon". Meaning while this may have all been set up a certain way, when the party gets there they could have been led into a trap or their objective moved.</blockquote>

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