how to kill a dragon

[pseudodragon]

what is the best gear ( easiest to get) to kill a normal dragon with?

[Adlan]

Define Best, and Define Dragon.

But for me, I'd love to do a Bard, and take a Dragon with my Bow. That'd be an epic Bowhunt.

I bet dragon tastes good if you cook it right.

[Ravens_cry]

A thread in the Roleplaying Games sub-forum, unless you have an actual dragon to slay.:smalltongue:

[GreatWyrmGold]

A thread in the Roleplaying Games sub-forum, unless you have an actual dragon to slay.:smalltongue:

Duh.
Also, try training instead. Hiccup

[Thajocoth]

A machine gun would likely be sufficient. Best if fired from a distance. You don't want to be eaten while slaying...

It might break some endangered species laws to hunt dragons though, assuming you find any.

[Spiryt]

I think that on the right market in Jemen, or around you can buy a Stinger pretty cheaply.

And to RPG with that. :smallcool:

[RS14]

what is the best gear to kill a dragon with?

As far as man-portable stuff goes, I'd recommend any large bore rifle. .50 BMG would be preferable, configured to allow you to deliver a lethal shot from a safe range. Various other anti-materiel rifles are also reasonable. If it survives and comes after you, you may want some heavy AA machine-gun(s) as backup. .50 quad mounts can be had in the US if you have the money; with unlimited budget and no legal restrictions, consider 20mm quads, 40mm Bofors, or larger. Anti-Aircraft configurations are probably best, just in case the dragon gets airborn, and go all the way up to 128mm, at least, if you really need the firepower.

A .50 BMG rifle is definitely easiest to get. In most of the US, they're available with no particular restrictions and costing a few thousand dollars. In other states (E.G. California) or in Europe, consider .510 DTC EUROP, which is balistically very similar.

[pseudodragon]

what would be the best gear?

[GreatWyrmGold]

...Wait...since this isn't in the roleplaying games forum...
No. Not. A. Chance.
[scry]
[evilgrin]
[er, Lawful Good grin]

[Thajocoth]

what would be the best gear?

Metal Gear, obviously. Leaves you very well armored, and while they all have weaknesses, no one who pilots one seems to die permanently when it's destroyed with them in it.

[pseudodragon]

Metal Gear, obviously. Leaves you very well armored, and while they all have weaknesses, no one who pilots one seems to die permanently when it's destroyed with them in it.
i mean like what weapons in medeavel times

[Tyrandar]

i mean like what weapons in medeavel times

Another dragon. :smallyuk:

[Ravens_cry]

A thermoberic weapon if your going against an ice or silver dragon.

[Thajocoth]

i mean like what weapons in medeavel times

An army of people who aren't you. If you go toe to toe with a dragon on your own, with nothing but medieval armor and weapons, you may as well cover yourself in ketchup first.

Oh wait, you never said anything about surviving... Cover yourself in rat poison. When the dragon inevitably eats you, in your sacrifice, you'll take it down with you. Probably... And you'll also avoid the legal problems that come with killing off an endangered species.

EDIT: Wait, did they have rat poison in medieval times? Rats were spreading the black plague back then, they might not've... Use hemlock then. I'm sure they had that.

[Spiryt]

i mean like what weapons in medeavel times

Poisoned sheep.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Another dragon. :smallyuk:

Yep. 10 character rule, you annoy me so!

[pseudodragon]

Another dragon. :smallyuk:

great idea

[Comet]

I have undeniable evidence that magical dragon-slaying swords that shoot dragon-burning fire when swung are, in fact, the optimal gear for dragon hunting.
For added effectiveness, consider donning a full suit of magical dragon-repellant armour that shoots dragon-freezing energy whenever a dragon gets within a hundred metres.

And a stylin' magical dragon-charming hat, as a failsafe.

[Tavar]

What are the abilities of the dragon, and what's it's intelligence level?

[Totally Guy]

Dragon slaying swords can usually be found in the dragon's treasure. They don't want anyone else to have it. So therefore it's perfectly acceptable to go in unarmed and just expect to find the perfect weapon lying around.

[pseudodragon]

What are the abilities of the dragon, and what's it's intelligence level?

normal dragon

[Pyrian]

Poison a damsel and tie her outside the cave. :smallcool:

[Tavar]

normal dragon

That's about as descriptive as saying a normal RPG. There's no such thing. Again, what are it's abilities, and what is it's intelligence level?

[Thanatos 51-50]

Well, since we're restricting ourselves to medieval arms and armour - I need more information, as follows:
Western/Eastern Dragon
Size/Weight/Age
Intelligence
Abilities
Estimated weak points.

[arguskos]

Well, since we're restricting ourselves to medieval arms and armour - I need more information, as follows:
Western/Eastern Dragon
Size/Weight/Age
Intelligence
Abilities
Estimated weak points.
Got Smaug on the brain there, Than? :smallwink:

[Ravens_cry]

Build a dome of stone with arrow slits all around. Get a bunch of ballista and bombards, keeping the powder in a cellar under the dome.
And let loose.
Dragon scale or no, that dragon is fubar if they get hit by a volley of cannon and ballista bolts.

[Dvandemon]

Metal Gear, obviously. Leaves you very well armored, and while they all have weaknesses, no one who pilots one seems to die permanently when it's destroyed with them in it.

Is the Metal Gear solid?[hr] And what Tavar said, define "normal"

[Eldan]

Well, if it's an ice dragon, greek fire. Otherwise, I agree on the cannons. And since you didn't specify european middle ages, or when in the middle ages...

Dardanelles Gun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelles_Gun)

[Lev]

Well, there's all sorts of sneaky ways-- putting some vermin within a tasty piece of meat then using colossal vermin, you could use the meditation domain of a cleric and cast a level 9 summoning spell and get a 32HD monster to spawn in it's keep, or go with a classic death-domain brand spell with specialization in it.

Assassins also can gamble on an unbelievable hit, I know you can build a duct-taped deep wood sniper out of an assassin and just use the +20 to next attack roll and the ability/feat that allows you to take a sneak attack from any distance, that way if by some odd twist of fate you don't score 3 20's in a row you can just hide before the arrow comes in range of the dragon at all.

In real life? Probably an AA flak to take out it's wings and then bunkerbuster.

Most awesome way? Probably this:
http://www.starshiptroopers.net/img452.gif

[Recaiden]

Build a dome of stone with arrow slits all around. Get a bunch of ballista and bombards, keeping the powder in a cellar under the dome.
And let loose.
Dragon scale or no, that dragon is fubar if they get hit by a volley of cannon and ballista bolts.

Yep. Although poison is also a very good idea. Even dragons need to eat.

[Tavar]

The problem with that idea is that it relies on hitting a relatively fast moving object with notoriously inaccurate single shot weaponry.

[Ravens_cry]

Yep. Although poison is also a very good idea. Even dragons need to eat.
Yes, but think of the amount of poison you would need for a something the size of a dragon larger then a large dinosaur. And poison isn't like the moves where it kills you dead in a few seconds. A dragon can still do a lot of damage while the poison works it's way.

The problem with that idea is that it relies on hitting a relatively fast moving object with notoriously inaccurate single shot weaponry.
Hence at volley.

[Dragon queen]

If you want to kill a dragon you will need the following:

1. A Very big axe.

2. A bottle of the deadliest poison that exists.

3. A very very very efficient way to get out before Mr.dragon eats you.

4. Gold. Lots of gold to pay for life insurance.

5. Chain mail armor.

and finally a word of warning to you npcs(PAY ATTENTION):smalleek:

6. DO NOT TAKE ON A DRAGON UNLESS YOU ARE A MAIN CHARACTER. TAKING ON A DRAGON AS A NPC MAY RESULT IN SERIOUS AND FATAL INJURIES. THE COMPANY THAT HAS SUPPLIED THIS MESSAGE WILL NOT BE BLAMED IF SUCH INJURIES OCCUR. WE WARNED YOU!:smallsigh:

[Spiryt]

This thread is weird. And it smells like weed. :smalltongue:

[Rutskarn]

Like, music, man. Music's the best weapon there is. It could, like, make the dragon weep so hard it died, or just--oh, dude, it could blow the dragon's mind. How cool would that be? Oh, man, that'd be sweet.

Alternately, try feeding it pesto. I see no reason why this wouldn't kill a dragon.

[Thajocoth]

I've got it... Ride in with 2 sets of platemail, 1 on you, and one full of poison and mutton, set up to look like a second person holding on to you. Also, fill any empty spaces in your own armor with poison. The dragon WILL eat both of you, but the poison could be sufficient.

[Tavar]

Hence at volley.

Right. The same things that can miss formations of men, marching straight for them. Yeah, that's going to work real well.

[742]

try just eating the damn things soul and forcing the empty mortal shell into eternal servitu-um i mean try nuclear weapons? dragons must have some real complex DNA the radiation should fry the thing if somehow the explosion doesnt.

you could always try summoning up a world devouring um whatever the PC term for "eldrich horror" is. i dont like the term but i dont know any other way to refer to them :( calling something horrible just seems mean when theyre all so cute and fuzzy*.:smallsigh:

*figuratively for the most part.

[Ravens_cry]

Right. The same things that can miss formations of men, marching straight for them. Yeah, that's going to work real well.
Source please.

[Tavar]

Source please.

Umm...Civil War era cannons missed such formations. And that's not even getting into a more accurate portrayal, which would be artillery targeting planes. With round shot. Didn't work too well in WW 1 or 2.

[Ravens_cry]

Umm...Civil War era cannons missed such formations. And that's not even getting into a more accurate portrayal, which would be artillery targeting planes. With round shot. Didn't work too well in WW 1 or 2.

OK, maybe not bombard, but how accurate were ballista?

[Thanatos 51-50]

Got Smaug on the brain there, Than? :smallwink:

I admit to nothing!

[Tavar]

Not sure about that. Probably a bit more accurate due to less recoil, but also slower and less powerful. You'd have to have a lot of lead to get a decent hit, and if the dragon's intelligent at all it won't give you that. Plus, in either case it could simply fly up to a great height, then fly down directly on top of your dome. If it's not strong enough, that will crush it. If it is, it can still ruin your day with fire, or something.

Of course, this is assuming something like a Red Dragon from DnD, without casting. Different kinds would have different strengths and weaknesses.

[Dexam]

Poison a damsel and tie her outside the cave. :smallcool:

... what a waste of a perfectly good damsel. :smallconfused:

:smallbiggrin:

[Dvandemon]

You don't kill it. If someone else does then you raise its kids as your own. Intelligent shape-shifting children are a blessing

[Dancing_Zephyr]

Saint George's sword?

[mucat]

... what a waste of a perfectly good damsel. :smallconfused:
Who says she was a perfectly good damsel? You could use (name redacted because, for some reason, ***** ***** is considered to have something to do with real-world politics. Although, I bet Tina Fey could fool the dragon into eating the poison and leaving the girl alone...)

[Tirian]

> KILL DRAGON

With what? Your bare hands?

> YES

Congratulations! You have just vanquished a dragon with your bare hands! (Unbelievable, isn't it?)

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

Remember: It is the Cyber-Ninja, not the Weapon.

Alternatively we can go screaming in there with a loincloth and an heirloom of a sword that hasn't tasted flesh since grandpa let you play with it as a kid, and your mother still hasn't forgiven him. This seems like the better idea. Go down in a blaze of glory.

[Serpentine]

At least one dragonslayer found spiked armour to be effective.

[Ravens_cry]

Remember: It is the Cyber-Ninja, not the Weapon.

Alternatively some schmuck we can go screaming in there with a loincloth and an heirloom of a sword that hasn't tasted flesh since grandpa let you them play with it as a kid, and your their mother still hasn't forgiven him. This seems like the better idea.Go Get them to go down in a blaze of glory.
I believe the proper form of etiquette in these situations is to enunciate that I have ameliorated, nay, meliorated your statement, good sir or madam.
Good day to you.

[mucat]

I believe the proper form of etiquette in these situations is to enunciate that I have ameliorated, nay, meliorated your statement, good sir or madam.
Dammit, does this mean that I was not supposed to get drunk IRL tonight, so I could understand what the hell you are saying?

EDIT: Purrcat is a badass, nonetheless.

[Excession]

I would rate the dragon's strengths as:
1. It can fly.
2. It's a freaking dragon.

Therefore, your first order of business is to remove the beast's ability to fly*. Then you only have to deal with the fact that it's still a freaking dragon.

* Many dragons help you out here by living in caves. I feel that this says something about the intelligence level of dragons.

[The Glyphstone]

I would rate the dragon's strengths as:
1. It can fly.
2. It's a freaking dragon.

Therefore, your first order of business is to remove the beast's ability to fly*. Then you only have to deal with the fact that it's still a freaking dragon.

* Many dragons help you out here by living in caves. I feel that this says something about the intelligence level of dragons.

Yes, because you forgot #2.5 - they typically breathe fire, or your destructive elemental energy of choice. This make caves, or usually tunnels, a remarkably effective place to defend themselves if necessary, unless the attackers happen to be fireproof.

[Ravens_cry]

Dammit, does this mean that I was not supposed to get drunk IRL tonight, so I could understand what the hell you are saying?

EDIT: Purrcat is a badass, nonetheless.
It means, more or less, with far too many words and syllables,
'Fixed that for you'.
I am a word nerd with a thesaurus, it's what I do.
EDIT:And yes, a Badass. A dead badass, but badass.

[For Valor]

You're all terrible people. :smallsmile:

To fight a dragon, you want energy resistance (I'm assuming you're not playing a [Tome] game, so you can't grab Energy-Resistant armor easily and quickly). You can grab a Ring of Energy Resistance (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ring_of_Energy_Resistance), but you'd have to get one that's specific to the dragon you want to killzore. Use divination spells to to plan the attack beforehand (dragons have lots of blindsense, so sneaking around is useless), and when you do, strike hard and fast.

You need Ranged Tough Attacks (Scorching Ray, Disintegrate, Eldritch Blasts) and magic all over the place. Most people trying to take the Dragon head-on will be ruined because of its combat superiority (It can also kite and breath fire if necessary... so melee isn't that much of a challenge for most dragons). Most Dragons make a lot of flyby attacks, so somebody good at AoOs would be nice.

Anywayyy... stuff to have: Energy Resistance items, magic weapons (of course), and strong spells w/RTAs.

[Ravens_cry]

You're all terrible people. :smallsmile:

To fight a dragon, you want energy resistance (I'm assuming you're not playing a [Tome] game, so you can't grab Energy-Resistant armor easily and quickly). You can grab a Ring of Energy Resistance (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ring_of_Energy_Resistance), but you'd have to get one that's specific to the dragon you want to killzore. Use divination spells to to plan the attack beforehand (dragons have lots of blindsense, so sneaking around is useless), and when you do, strike hard and fast.

You need Ranged Tough Attacks (Scorching Ray, Disintegrate, Eldritch Blasts) and magic all over the place. Most people trying to take the Dragon head-on will be ruined because of its combat superiority (It can also kite and breath fire if necessary... so melee isn't that much of a challenge for most dragons). Most Dragons make a lot of flyby attacks, so somebody good at AoOs would be nice.

Anywayyy... stuff to have: Energy Resistance items, magic weapons (of course), and strong spells w/RTAs.
And I want an A-10 Warthog. I doubt either of those things were available in the European Middle Ages.

[paddyfool]

A large enough bounty ("half the kingdom and the hand of the princess in marriage" is, I believe, traditional). Then just watch a whole slew of greedy young men try every trick under the sun. Keep close watch on the cave. If one of them comes close to succeeding, see if you can replicate his attempt with more firepower while the beast is wounded. If one of them succeeds, assassinate him.

Alternatively, since dragons like caves & similar lairs:

Watch the dragon's lair; work out all entrances, and when it sleeps.

Buy up the land around the lair (should be cheap).

While it's sleeping, cart lots of stone to the lair, cover over with cement (dates back to Roman times).

Get a covenant put on the land that forbids any building or excavation on the site, just in case dragons can hibernate (not an uncommon mythic description).

Forget about it.

[Closak]

Now why would you want to slay the dragon when you can lay the dragon?

...*Runs and hides*

[Frozen_Feet]

Laying the dragon might be inconvenient if the dragon is straight and not of the opposite gender. It might also not be on the mood. Gathering the amount of cattle / damsels / treasure needed to warm it up might be harder than just killing it.

Here a few tactics:

#1 Ambush it in the lair


Track the dragon to it's lair. Sort out all the entrances.
Hide untill the dragon gets into its lair. Block off or guard all entrances.
Get siege ballista and catapults near the cave. Aim them on the entrance.
Bide your time. Sooner or later, the dragon has to come out. When it does, mass Sneak Attack it in the face.


#2 Ambush it in its hunting grounds

Get a hold of what the dragon likes to eat, and where it likes to hang out. Wait till it's gone for a moment.
Prepare a trap involving chains to tie the dragon down and massive sharp objects to impale it. Anything to get keep its mouth shut is a bonus.
Get the dragon's favorite morsel as bait. Poison is optional.
Bide your time. Hope the dragon falls for it.


#3 Trickery

If the dragon is a shapeshifting one, appeal to its pride or something else to fool it into a form more vulnerable than a dragon.
Exploit weaknesses of the new form. If its a damsel, grab it by the wrist. If it turns into a fish, bring tartar sauce.
If it turns to something your size or smaller, you can try catching it by surprise. Hope your Sneak Attack takes it down.

[Eldan]

You mean, get him to transform into a toad and bring a cage?

Cookie for the reference.

[2xMachina]

Shivering Touch? :P

[Cleverdan22]

Attack its weak point for massive damage?

...sorry, had to be done.

[mikeejimbo]

Like, music, man. Music's the best weapon there is. It could, like, make the dragon weep so hard it died, or just--oh, dude, it could blow the dragon's mind. How cool would that be? Oh, man, that'd be sweet.

Alternately, try feeding it pesto. I see no reason why this wouldn't kill a dragon.

This reminds me of how you kill a dragon.

You grow up and stop playing with it. Then it dies.

[Dvandemon]

You mean, get him to transform into a toad and bring a cage?

Cookie for the reference.

Only an ogre would fall for such a trick

[Killer Angel]

With Emmerich's godzilla didn't work, but it's a possibility.
Hide a consistent number of ballista in the woods, with foliage cover.
Put some delicious food in the open.
Wait for the dragon.

Ending one: you die
Ending two: profit

[_Zoot_]

I vote for a 50 megaton nuclear bomb, that should sort out your dragon problem!

[Killer Angel]

I vote for a 50 megaton nuclear bomb, that should sort out your dragon problem!

I fear it's not a weapon easily available in medieval times.
And even if, it leaves absolutely no corpse to plunder for dragon hide, and so on... :smalltongue:

[_Zoot_]

I fear it's not a weapon easily available in medieval times.
And even if, it leaves absolutely no corpse to plunder for dragon hide, and so on... :smalltongue:

Oh, right.... Medieval.

Eh, Go with St George. :smallbiggrin:

[742]

theres always time travel, but if you have time travel just preventing its birth is probably a funner option. also; a friend of a friend <.< >.> tells me summoning rituals are pretty cheap if you can round up a few human sacrifices.

[Killer Angel]

theres always time travel, but if you have time travel just preventing its birth is probably a funner option.

Why preventing the birth? at that point, better to imprinting and taming the hatchling... :smallcool:
(please, don't bother me with boring problems such "dealing with the real mother" :smalltongue:)

[Closak]

If the dragon is of the opposite gender you can just lay it instead of slay it.

Because, you know, half-dragons are cool :smallamused:

Dragons are known for being pretty promiscious...


If you absolutely have to kill it, then you should try to shoot it in the eyes with a crossbow or something like that.

Weak points on a dragon:
A: The eyes lead to the brain, hit them there with a sufficiently powerful ranged weapon and you win
B: The inside of the mouth, you can just shove a sword straight upwards once you enter the mouth and there you go.
C: The dragons equivalent of armpits, aim for those, the armor is much weaker there.

Beyond those i honestly don't think dragons have any more weak spots you can go for.

[For Valor]

{Scrubbed}

[Brother Oni]

{Scrubbed}

The OP later posts "i mean like what weapons in medeavel [sic] times".

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

Well, St George managed to off a dragon, so perhaps you could simply follow in his footsteps. :smallsmile:

[Deca]

How strong is the dragon's hide and how big is it?

Theoretically, you could sneak up on it while it's sleeping and just set a whole bunch of hunting dogs onto it. Unless it's scales are metal or something, they should be able to bite out it's throat.
Of course, a fair few hunting dogs might die but you should have packed a large number of them for this dragon-slaying endeavour. If that fails, send in the trained bears.

Note: Make sure it's in an indoor place like a cave or whatnot. A dragon just flying away is embarrasing.

[Ravens_cry]

{Scrubbed}
Wow, that was rather rude and abrasive.
I still like my idea of stone dome with ballistas. Two for every arrow slit, better firing time.
They were pretty accurate, much more then comparable cannon of the time, and even early models could pierce even through shields to skewer the target behind. Unless they are magically tough, I think that ballista bolts could get through dragon hide (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEcGVj_oPyg&feature=related).

[Eric Tolle]

It's worth pointing out that flying and elemental attacks are far from a given-- most dragon stories that I recall had ground and water oriented dragons, with venom as its main attack. Which admittedly makes poison more problematic, but at least its within reach.

My suggestion thus is, assuming you don't want to bury yourself along its track and wait for it to go for a drink, is to refine some potent liquor, and build a circular fence with eight gates and eight vats of liquor at each gate. When the dragon comes and drinks the liquor, it will fall asleep, and you can easily remove all eight of its heads.

Because for traditional monsters, traditional solutions work the best.

[Ravens_cry]

Because for traditional monsters, traditional solutions work the best.
Now where is the fun in that?:smallannoyed:

[Killer Angel]

Well, St George managed to off a dragon, so perhaps you could simply follow in his footsteps. :smallsmile:

Following the path of holyness? :smallwink:
I fear many of us are not suited for that task. :smalltongue: