Hellfire Wrym?

[Gorfang113]

So, im thinking of having a hellfire wrym fight my Pcs as a boss monster. Knowing how badley MM2's cr is screwed up, how would you rate it? Is it underpowered for its CR? Overpowered? How did your PCs do against one?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I'd say it's not up to snuff for a CR 26. Compare it to a Red Dragon, which is CR 26 at Great Wyrm; 40 HD, Colossal with proportionate strength, 19th level Sorcerer spellcasting with access to spells from the Cleric list, etc. The Hellfire Wyrm is 23 HD, Huge size with Str 29, it has quite a list of spell-like abilities but nothing compared to actual spellcasting, pitiful breath weapon damage for that level, and some cool but not really powerful special abilities. Its breath weapon damage is equal to that of a CR 18 Red Dragon. An Adult Green Dragon is 23 HD, Huge size with Str 29, and it's only CR 16.

If you want a CR 26 Hellfire Wyrm, use a Great Wyrm Red Dragon, replace its special abilities list, SR, and DR with that of a Hellfire Wyrm, and give it all the Hellfire Wyrm's spell-like abilities as Sorcerer spells known in addition to whatever godlike defensive spells you give it. Give it appropriate feats to be a threat to the party (Improved Rapidstrike, Multiattack, Practiced Spellcaster, Persistent Spell, Snatch, Multisnatch, etc.) and they'll still probably just Disjoin all its buffs and destroy it within a few rounds.

If you want to use it as a threat to your party at their current level, pick a Monster Manual dragon at an age category of whatever CR you think would be appropriate for them, and do the above with that dragon as the chassis for HD, ability scores, AC, breath weapon damage (use the red dragon's at whatever CR you want for the d10s), etc. and maybe give it 1/day spell-like abilities for whatever it can't include with its spellcasting.

In either case, use standard dragon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/dragonTrue.htm) natural attacks, reach, frightful presence and breath weapon range, etc.