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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Willie the Duck" data-source="post: 8561953" data-attributes="member: 6799660">All the D&Ds up to 2e (so oD&D, AD&D, and the basic/classic line) had this. The dragons didn't have the HD and impossible ACs (at the upper end) as 2e and 3e, but the breath weapon still made them incredibly frightening. Upper age category 2e dragons, honestly, those were 'engage these creatures in some way that doesn't involve your actual stats'-type enemies (sick them against each other, hire some giants to help, collapse the dungeon upon them, etc.). 5E --  presumably having taken a lesson from all the big-bads that have to have a high CR because of all the things they can do but get ganked by a party of CR-appropriate level because they still can only do one of them per round -- did a lot of paring down of monsters with massively multiple special abilities that can't all be used in the same turn. Dragons are big combat bruisers that can fly and have a breath weapon, and then the boss ones get lair/legendary actions (nullifying the action economy issue). Note that I believe it is the MM that mentions DMs adding spells to dragons to be a good strategy where appropriate. But yes, the general attitude of 5e is that if you want a bruiser enemy with spellcasting in the mix, you add a spellcasting enemy to fight alongside them.</blockquote>