New to DMing Running Curse of Strahd... Problem....

[Mihek]

Spoilers Ahead for Curse of Strahd
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So my PCs arrived at Van Richten's tower and easily solved the door riddle. But they made a mistake on their first attempt and released the young blue dragon. One of my PCs is obsessed with dragons, so she attempted a Diplomacy check with the dragon.... She rolled a Nat 20. As soon as this happened, another PC did the lock correctly and resealed the dragon away. They have since taken the lock from the door.

I am not sure what to do. I cannot have a dragon in the game that is friends with the PCs as it would make things too easy, but I also don't want to hinder this player because they did score a critical on a diplomacy check. I allowed them to take the lock, because if I allowed he scene to play out right there, I would not be sure how to go about it. Even though she critted on the diplomacy check, is it fair to have the dragon try and manipulate her in attempt to free itself from the prison it is trapped in?

[Hopeless]

Yes?

Don't see the problem, what's its ultimate aim?

If it wants to escape Barovia it will need to help the party defeat Strahd so the question should be what does it want in return?

[Mihek]

I can do something like that. It would be interesting to see the Lawful Good Paladin interacting with the Lawfully Evil Dragon. That said, I am not as versed in the numbers. Will the addition of a Young Dragon to the party break the game? Will their fight with Strahd be too easy because they have cut a deal with a dragon to help them?

[Aembrosia]

I see into your soul small one. You have much promise, a great respect for dragon-kind; I sense we share a similar desire. I am bound to this place by powerful magic for all of time. But you, you will leave this tower, and this realm, and you will deliver me back to my kin.

The blue dragon begins to evaporate into tiny wisps of arcane light as it touches you on the shoulder with one of its razor sharp claws. A prick of blood flows down and in that place a dimly glowing blue mark of a claw appears on your body.

You have received a mark of prestige from "made up dragon name here" granting "some benefit used while communicating with dragons" once ever, once per, always w.e you want.

[ruy343]

Who says that a natural 20 automatically means that you're friends? Perhaps it just takes a normally hostile dragon and makes it ambivalent to your presence, and it lets you go after asking for a tribute instead of your lives.

I know that natural 20s are supposed to be awesome and fun, but let's try to dismiss the idea that just because a natural 20 is rolled, that the players receives a "limited Wish" spell that makes their desires come true.

[Odessa333]

The dragon can be friendly without being your new BFF and joining every fight. If the player has impressed the dragon, let it give some minor aid/benefit ('you should watch out for X' or 'there's treasure you might like at Y') and then have it leave. If you want to bring it back - say it's following the party or something - then go from there, make new rolls, etc. The player did good, so give some reward, but that doesn't mean the dragon is now her forever loyal companion.

If you want to be TRULY evil about it, subvert this. If the players all THINK the dragon is suddenly friendly, tamed, etc, have it pretend to go along with this interpretation... and then betray the party later. Maybe it leaves in the night after taking anything valuable, making the players have to co chase it. Maybe it brings bits of hair to Strahd (so he can scry on them easier) in exchange for his own freedom. Anything's possible here.

[TmasterT]

Also as per the rules, there is no "critting" skill checks
Only attack rolls can crit. Not saves, or skill checks. Like it's been stated above it might be a good roll but in no way is it a wish spell

[Herobizkit]

Also as per the rules, there is no "critting" skill checks ... BUT there's no reason the DM can't rule that making a natural 20 on a Skill check MEANS that something special happens.

[Specter]

An evil young dragon seems like the perfect plaything of corruption for Strahd. Just sayin'.

[Battlebooze]

Just have the Dragon offer it's one time/one battle assistance to the negotiator, if said help will will also help free itself. Nothing more, nothing less. That's a perfectly fair negotiation success.

[JackPhoenix]

Let it help them, if they want... but it's still a dragon, evil dragon to boot. Why would it help a band of humanoids? Perhaps if they offered it all the treasures they'll find. Play it as a dragon... arrogant, greedy, manipulative...

Perhaps it's got some uses for the party. They may help it to take its revenge on whoever imprisoned in the first place. Treat them as its minions. Get them to take over a village or two...

[Maxilian]

Just look at it in this way...

As an intelligent being, he will want something... what would he want, dragons love to hoard treasure, he may help the PCs and then go to a nerby village and burn it down to the ground to get its new hoard now that its free, it may still see the PC as "Not an Enemy" (Big difference between that and a friend) but that doesn't mean everyone see it that way, they may in the end, get a subquest that its based on the dragon attacks, or maybe it will help work against Stradh but mainly because it wants something that he have, and giving an evil dragon more power, its never good