UltimaGabe
First Post
Hey, everyone. I was looking at a monster just released on the Wizards website- the Steel Dragon. At first glance, it seems interesting- then I realized it's insane.
A Great Wyrm Steel Dragon, by their charts, is a CR 18. Okay, I understand CR 18s are generally really really powerful, but look at this. As a Great Wyrm, it's got 536 HP, AC of 44, Fly Speed of 250 feet, and DR of 10/Magic. Not so bad, so far. But it's got all of this, and it's only Huge Sized (as opposed to the Colossal size of most other Great Wyrms). That can afford them certain advantages over other dragons, but that's nowhere near the bad part.
It's got two breath weapons- a line of acid (12d6) and a Cone of Poison. Anyone in the cone of poison must make a Fortitude Save (DC 36) or take 12 points of Constitution damage (1 per age category). 1 minute later, you must make the save again or take the same damage. Evasion doesn't help against this, so the rogue is dead, as is almost anyone but the Fighter.
But, again, that's not the bad part. It casts spells as a 21st-level Sorcerer, and has Polymorph 5x/day, and Charm Person, Enthrall, Mass Charm, Suggestion, and Mass Suggestion all 1x/day. Again, not that bad part.
It's got Spell Resistance of 38. Meaning, a 20th-level caster has to roll an 18 to affect it. But that's against 5th level spells and higher- against any 1st through 4th level spells, its Spell Resistance is 48. So there's no chance of any of them affecting it.
All this for a CR 18. An 18th-level party can't affect it with spells, won't survive its breath weapons, and sure as heck won't be able to match its spellcasting power. And that's a Great Wyrm. The earlier ones are just as bad- a Wyrmling has Spell Resistance of 16, and it's a CR 2. It always has spells, and always has spell resistance, regardless of its Age Category (as opposed to all other dragons, which don't get spellcasting ability OR spell resistance until around Young Adult).
Anyone feel that this is an adequate CR 18?
A Great Wyrm Steel Dragon, by their charts, is a CR 18. Okay, I understand CR 18s are generally really really powerful, but look at this. As a Great Wyrm, it's got 536 HP, AC of 44, Fly Speed of 250 feet, and DR of 10/Magic. Not so bad, so far. But it's got all of this, and it's only Huge Sized (as opposed to the Colossal size of most other Great Wyrms). That can afford them certain advantages over other dragons, but that's nowhere near the bad part.
It's got two breath weapons- a line of acid (12d6) and a Cone of Poison. Anyone in the cone of poison must make a Fortitude Save (DC 36) or take 12 points of Constitution damage (1 per age category). 1 minute later, you must make the save again or take the same damage. Evasion doesn't help against this, so the rogue is dead, as is almost anyone but the Fighter.
But, again, that's not the bad part. It casts spells as a 21st-level Sorcerer, and has Polymorph 5x/day, and Charm Person, Enthrall, Mass Charm, Suggestion, and Mass Suggestion all 1x/day. Again, not that bad part.
It's got Spell Resistance of 38. Meaning, a 20th-level caster has to roll an 18 to affect it. But that's against 5th level spells and higher- against any 1st through 4th level spells, its Spell Resistance is 48. So there's no chance of any of them affecting it.
All this for a CR 18. An 18th-level party can't affect it with spells, won't survive its breath weapons, and sure as heck won't be able to match its spellcasting power. And that's a Great Wyrm. The earlier ones are just as bad- a Wyrmling has Spell Resistance of 16, and it's a CR 2. It always has spells, and always has spell resistance, regardless of its Age Category (as opposed to all other dragons, which don't get spellcasting ability OR spell resistance until around Young Adult).
Anyone feel that this is an adequate CR 18?
