young dragons - experience?

[Lojaan]

Howdy folks,

I'm considering using a young dragon as a reoccurring villain for a low level party. I imagine they'll encounter it at 1st lvl, but wont get a chance to kill it proper until 3rd or so. To achieve this I'm planning on tipping the fight in the PCs favor initially, and then it'll get harder subsequently as the dragon gets to fight on it's own terms/ground.

My question is this: what dragon do you think I should use?

I was thinking black, but the cloud of darkness power seems very powerful and, I don't know, not very dragony.It feels weird for people to be attacked by a dragon and to not be able to actually see it for some reason.

Statwise, a white dragon could be fun but it's odd that they don't get any special attack/ability, and greens and blues could be too powerful.

What do people think? What dragons have you had experience with that could be fun?

 

[Kinneus]

The black dragon's cloud of darkness ability has been confusing and awkward every time I've seen it come up in play, due mostly to the fact that the 'targeting what you can't see' rules have been errata'd... and nothing bogs down gameplay more than checking up on new rules in the middle of a fight. Still, a black dragon could definitely work. I'd just recommend not using their cloud of darkness ability in mid-combat... only use at the end, as sort of "poof, I'm gone! You may have won this round, you meddlesome heroes, but I'll be baaaaack!" Cheesy, but effective at ensuring that your recurring villain... well, recurs.

Personally, though, I'd suggest a green dragon. I'm planning on using one against my 3-4 level party, and I frankly can't wait. They seem to be very well-built... as a skirmisher, they have a lot of abilities that help them move around the battlefield, preventing it from turning into too much of a slugfest (as solo fights so often do). Their minor action "Luring Gaze" is nice, allowing you to teach your players to be aware of the terrain, lest the mean green dragon hypnotize them into walking off a cliff. Things like flyby attack and fly (hover) (I think black dragons are only fly (clumsy)) make them great at darting in for quick, harrassing, "Remember me, chumps?" attacks and making the all-important grand escape at the end.

Point is, green and black are probably your best bet, due to their ability to avoid death and capture. A white dragon can be killed by a well-built 1st level party (see the starter adventure in the DMG: "Kobold Hall"). A red dragon is a soldier, and soldier solos are simply grind-city. Blue is another decent option. Though I haven't studied it extensively, it could probably easily kill a level 1 party, so be careful if you decide to go that route.

 

[Intrope]

On Black Dragon's cloud of darkness: instead of using it as a place for the dragon to hide in combat, consider using it as a way for the dragon to leapfrog defenders (they don't get opportunity attacks if blind; I'd assume that you can't use an Immediate action if you can't see the trigger, either). Also, forcing the defenders to chase you around the battlefield could cut their effectiveness too.