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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MarkB" data-source="post: 7979268" data-attributes="member: 40176">Here's an alternative: Don't age the dragon. Have it start out as already Adult, bordering on Ancient.Instead, build into its history that it's just survived some form of near-death experience - maybe it defeated a rival at great personal cost, or completed a ritual which granted it some form of awesome new capabilities or minions at the cost of sapping its life-force.As a result, when the PCs first encounter it, it's only at a fraction of its full strength, and as the campaign progresses it gradually heals itself and builds itself back up to its true power.Make the PCs well aware of this, so that it feels like a time pressure on them - they don't yet know where it is, or what its ultimate plans are, but they do know that the longer it takes them to find and confront it, the more of its strength it will recover. Maybe some of their quests can revolve around hearing about some item or organisation which can accelerate the dragon's recovery, and trying to get to it before the dragon does.</blockquote>