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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dykstrav" data-source="post: 3161884" data-attributes="member: 40522">I wholeheartedly agree that a dragon should be the big bad guy for a basic dungeon. It's in the title of the game for crying out loud!Assuming that you've gotten an APL of somewhere between 4th-5th level, any of the medium-sized dragons or the lower-end large dragons would probably be an interesting and evocative fight balanced by the rules for encounters. I like greens myself but perhaps a red would be more 'archetypical' for newbies. I'd also make the lead-in encounters relatively easy, say APL-2 or so. I'm thinking of running the dungeon faster to the big baddie, and draining the PC's resources would just slow them down. Simpler encounters at first would also be easier on new players, I'd stick with critters with either no special attacks or maybe just one iconic one (such as ghouls).Me, I'd personally go ahead and make the dragon a tough one. A young red (CR 7) would certainly be a big finish for 4th-5th level characters but within their means. I'd also put some things in the dungeon that are specifically useful against the dragon, such as a dragon bane frost longsword for the fighter and a minor ring of energy resistance against the breath weapon. This would reward the players that took the time to examine the dungeon and actually check out the rooms before they got to the dragon. The trick here is to make these treasures plausible but not too difficult to get. Perhaps the dungeon itself is the tomb of a legendary dragonslayer, and the dragon is looting it? That'd give the characters a strong incentive to go in and snatch up the treasure before the dragon got it all.Above all, a limited-time-format adventure should have the following features:1) Simplicity. Simple dungeons, simple characters and simple monsters are easier for new players to operate and faster for everyone involved. I'd say that 5th or perhaps 6th level characters are the highest I'd consider for such an event. 5th by far seems to me the best level for personal taste: the wizard/sorcerer choice discussed above becomes meaningful and several neat class abilities kick in right around 5th level (such as a paladin's mount). Character sheets should be one-sided and minis and dice provided. The dungeon itself should be no bigger than the physical space of the battle mat. I wouldn't bother with fiddly details such as tracking encumbrance, normal ammunition, or rations. Characters should be single-classed and focused on one or two things they do well.2) Easy to understand. This factors into simplicity above, but it bears repeating. Try to limit new players to making one or two rolls at a time. For example, don't include critters with finicky effects such as concealment or SR. Just give them an AC, some hit points to whittle at, and a wrinkle such as DR or a special attack. Think skeletons, goblins, ghouls, stirges, orcs and the like. This also applies to character design. The characters should be iconic, such as a gruff dwarven fighter or a quick elven archer. Leave the raptoran half-dragon ninja/warlocks at home, even if you could legally build then under the simplicity guidelines.3) Fast. Don't get bogged down with too many different things, such as terrain modifiers to movement, light, overly complex puzzles, or save-or-die traps. Make the dungeon the neat, boring place of 20-by-20 rooms evenly lit with torches. Don't worry too much if this is plausible or 'interesting,' keep the group moving and the dice rolling.4)A formal follow-up. Don't just run one cool fight for the new player and expect him to come back. Point him to your friendly hosting retailer and suggest he buy a Basic Game or a PHB if he really had fun. Try to set up or find a new campaign starting soon after the event, where newbies can show up with their 1st-level characters and start rolling. At least swap contact info. Try to not only entertain the player, but welcome into the gaming community.</blockquote>

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