My party is about 2 turns max from getting crushed by a dragon. How's our plan?

[Skygrassface]

We're a party of level 4-5 people.

A fighter, a crusader, a druid and pet horse, a Barbarian, a Sorcerer, and a ranger.

Ranger is undead and in backstory made deals with a dragon as a hired gun. Dragon was going to kill him for not fulfilling contracts, yada yada yada. We're about to back out of there and escape via spells and trickery, but Ranger goes "F this dragon's minions." and goes to attack the minions.

Dragon is pissed but willing to let us go if we sacrifice our warforged fighter. Needless to say we didn't sacrifice him to be her plaything in her horde. Half of my party books it, abandoning us.

One dropped pillar and set off trap later, the crusader is now choking the dragon in chains while it's pinned under spikes. It's been blinded and broke one of its wings. there's some undead lions approaching from behind her and they're hard hitters, so we all run.

Naively thinking "it's blind! it's not gonna leave its cave!" a day and a thorough repremanding later, we decide to try reeling in some dire sharks for a reward. after getting one of the two, we're fairly hurt. That's when the dragon shows up out of nowhere and starts wrecking the place.

Somehow we manage to sneak around and kill most of the skeletal minions, before our cover's blown in the most stupid way possible.

Crusader manages to choke it again, and now it's bashing him against a wall, until he's about a turn from dying. At some point everyone's on top of the dragon and pulling on these chains wrapped around her neck. She's only taking -8 to hit rolls, so she's able to hit us no problem, bashing us against a wall. we're currently having 3 options, Run, Change tactics slightly or die. Running is obviously fine for about half of the party, the other half would rather die than let this thing live. We're planning on enlarging multiple people each round, (we have two potions and the sorcerer's got it equipped.) The Crusader's treated as huge with unarmed attacks and grapples, so we'd have a Crusader treated as Gargantuan, and a horse treated as huge, then two other people treated as large. We're thinking this should give us an advantage, at least weight wise in impeding the dragon from slamming us into a wall again.

How's our plan? could it use some tweaking? we've been racking our brains all week.

[Crake]

Whats the deal with the chains you got going, how are you utilizing that to give the dragon -8 on it's attack roll? What kind of dragon are you fighting? How old (or at least how big) is it? If -8 to the dragon's attack roll is an insignificant change, then I have to wonder if you're fighting something way over CR here.

Also, enlarge person won't work on a horse, just throwing that out there.

[Skygrassface]

Whats the deal with the chains you got going, how are you utilizing that to give the dragon -8 on it's attack roll? What kind of dragon are you fighting? How old (or at least how big) is it? If -8 to the dragon's attack roll is an insignificant change, then I have to wonder if you're fighting something way over CR here.

Also, enlarge person won't work on a horse, just throwing that out there.

We kinda are fighting something over CR. I'm pretty sure it's an adolescent, apparently "barely qualifying" for huge. The problem is, we probably weren't supposed to be fighting it, and just escape from it, but it's not in a few of our character's nature to let this kind of "evil" around. The Crusader in particular saw the dragon and immediately knew how evil she was and had an almost immediate and slightly uncharacteristic desire to destroy her, but was willing to set that aside until he was strong enough. Then it attacked us and a village and he *needs* to now.

The dragon is choking and taking "many penalties" over time. I'm guessing they're temporary stat point damage, strength/con and the like. It started with -2, then with each couple rounds it increases by -2, -4 with crits.

[Cwymbran-San]

Try to get some of that chain around the beasts maw, protecting you from bite and breath weapon. Apart from that, good luck on your rolls!

[Skygrassface]

Try to get some of that chain around the beasts maw, protecting you from bite and breath weapon. Apart from that, good luck on your rolls!

Thanks, I'm working on my backup character just in case. :P

[thethird]

The druid or the sorcerer should say hey guys accept this very useful buff for the fight then cast a teleport or other similar spell that will get them out of range of the fight proper.

[Skygrassface]

The druid or the sorcerer should say hey guys accept this very useful buff for the fight then cast a teleport or other similar spell that will get them out of range of the fight proper.

I'm fairly certain they're planning on knocking out the most reckless and thick skulled character, my Crusader, Then booking it, since it wouldn't be able follow us. I feel bad for the village though.

[Jay R]

We kinda are fighting something over CR. I'm pretty sure it's an adolescent, apparently "barely qualifying" for huge. The problem is, we probably weren't supposed to be fighting it, and just escape from it, but it's not in a few of our character's nature to let this kind of "evil" around.

Here's your problem. This action isn't pure and noble, it's Lawful Stupid. It does not help anyone for you to walk in and feed the dragon (several humans and a horse).


The Crusader in particular saw the dragon and immediately knew how evil she was and had an almost immediate and slightly uncharacteristic desire to destroy her, but was willing to set that aside until he was strong enough. Then it attacked us and a village and he *needs* to now.

What did the attack on the village change? You already knew how evil it was. He was going to do the intelligent thing to eventually destroy it, but the dragon gave you orders to come feed it. And you obeyed. Smart dragon.


The dragon is choking and taking "many penalties" over time. I'm guessing they're temporary stat point damage, strength/con and the like. It started with -2, then with each couple rounds it increases by -2, -4 with crits.

Can you survive until it collapses at that rate? If not, you aren't defeating it; you're just tenderizing its dinner.


Running is obviously fine for about half of the party, the other half would rather die than let this thing live.

Well, good. They just might get their wish
.

How's our plan? could it use some tweaking? we've been racking our brains all week.

Yes. The tweak is this. The decision isn't between "die" and "let this thing live." The options are "die and let this thing live forever" vs. "run and let it live until we're able to kill it". You dying now is the best result for the dragon, and the worst one for all your noble goals.

[JPlayah]

In order to give you the best possible help, I need to know all of the characters who are still fighting, their classes and levels, and any spells you have prepared and spell slots that you have left.

[Malroth]

Only ways a Lv 5 party can beat a huge dragon is either fell drain a kelegor's grave mist/flaming sphere/power word pain, feed it 5 cubic feet of psionicaly created sassoone leaf extract, or to empower a shivering touch anything less and you guys are dead.

[Caedes]

You seem to be in the classic conundrum of "I am playing a slightly lawful stupidish Crusader and my party is about to die." problem.

I am all about holding true to your Character's self. That being said. He can take the enlarge person. And tell everyone else to run!

Sacrificing himself in a most noble fashion to allow his comrades to live another day.

Or. Let him have a revelation of... "OH MY GOD. I DO NOT WANT TO DIE." And he runs as well.

That being said without figuring someway of keeping the Dragon there a bit. (Re-breaking his wing) Running will not help either. Just will fly and burninate you.

You sir are in a pickle! Good luck on your rolls!

[Skygrassface]

....our plan didn't work, but we're alive and here's how. We somehow rigged an explosion and woke a silver Dragon , who intimidated the black Dragon. Well,black Dragon used her necromancy to summon all the skeletons of the shipwrecks nearby. Silver Dragon is distracted, we're overwhelmed.

Crusader looks into his bag and remembers a cursed sharp object that turns any material it touches into a golem and becomes the core. He stabs the Dragon where our barbarian crit some scales off. Nat 20.

Black Dragon dies as blood is forced out of her and the core turns into a bloody visage of a (much smaller) Dragon and flies away.

We're all still concerned if we did more harm than good...but that's for another time I suppose. Silver Dragons are sort of indebted to us though, because we returned their apparently stolen horde that the black Dragon had.

"i guess that settles that." The crusader said blankly, clearly no longer giving a crap due to his confusing combination of pride, concern and self reflection.