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Hunted [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Sorpus
07-25-07, 03:05 PM I've looked around the forum for a few days and thought this was the best place to put my scenario, if it's not please direct me somewhere else.

My problem in short is that I'm being hunted by a dragon. I'm looking for "Arrows Of Slaying"? and can't seem to find them anywhere. So any help on how I could possibly destroy the dragon and live to tell about it would be nice.

The story:
I play a Ranger (just now level 9) and the other day I killed a bard who happened to be the fianee of this blue electic dragon who was trying to kill my party. So I was then confronted by the dragon, nearly killed but made good saves, and ran far away very quickly. Luckily a dwarf was around to distract the dragon and let me run farther away. Thwe dwarrf actually made the dragon fly away but not before the dragon promised she'd return to hunt down her lover's killer. My plan is to stay away from her until level 15 (if I get there) at which point I plan to have Mounted Combat and Mounted Archery as feats. I've heard of arrows called "arrows of slaying" in which one shot will instantly kill whatever if it doesn't make it's fort save. If anyone's read "The Hobbit" this arrow is what kills Smog. I believe the arrow is also called "Bard's Arrow".

If someone could tell me where to find this arrow or an arrow that might do somethng similar that would be nice.

-The hunted
Ebonarc
07-25-07, 03:14 PM Dungeon Master's Guide page 228. Left column, bottom of the page.
Sorpus
07-25-07, 03:47 PM Thanks Ebonarc, you should be given many medals.

If I have craft bow/fletcher could I make those arrows myself.
Ebonarc
07-25-07, 03:54 PM You could make masterwork arrows, but to make arrows of slaying you'll need:

1. Caster Level 13.
2. Craft Magic Arms and Armor (feat)
3. finger of death (spell)
4. 1,144 gp
5. 91 XP
Sorpus
07-25-07, 03:56 PM thanks again
DrMorganes
07-25-07, 11:13 PM You could make masterwork arrows, but to make arrows of slaying you'll need:

1. Caster Level 13.
2. Craft Magic Arms and Armor (feat)
3. finger of death (spell)
4. 1,144 gp
5. 91 XP

That's 1,144gp and 91xp EACH, is it not?

And keep in mind that all but the youngest dragons will beat that DC 20 Fortitude Save 95% of the time. Those arrows are pricey for a 5% chance of an automatic kill...
dknight100
07-25-07, 11:46 PM Bards arrow? 5% chance of a kill? Bon Jovi's Livin; on a Prayer?
Bloodbat
07-26-07, 12:17 AM I know you've got your heart set on the arrows, but I suspect you might run into this dragon sooner than 15th level. Afterall, you killed her lover, she's not going to sit around waiting to avenge his death. Besides, if you wait for her to come to you, you will fight at her time and choosing, which is usually a bad idea when facing a dragon. So, you might want to employ some NPCs to seek out the dragon. Fight her on your terms. You just ran away; she's not going to expect you to come looking for her. She also might not expect you to bring friends.
Jenny With The Lantern
07-26-07, 07:13 AM Wouldn't it be cheaper to just rez the woman in question?
Ebonarc
07-26-07, 10:30 AM That's 1,144gp and 91xp EACH, is it not?Good point. Those things are expensive.

And keep in mind that all but the youngest dragons will beat that DC 20 Fortitude Save 95% of the time. Those arrows are pricey for a 5% chance of an automatic kill...Expensive and useless.

I know you've got your heart set on the arrows, but I suspect you might run into this dragon sooner than 15th level. Afterall, you killed her lover, she's not going to sit around waiting to avenge his death. I suspect that's exactly what the DM has planned for our friend here.
Besides, if you wait for her to come to you, you will fight at her time and choosing, which is usually a bad idea when facing a dragon. So, you might want to employ some NPCs to seek out the dragon. Fight her on your terms. You just ran away; she's not going to expect you to come looking for her. She also might not expect you to bring friends.That's a good point. How, when, and where you fight a dragon (especially one this far above your abilities) pretty much determines if you win and how hard it will be.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just rez the woman in question?It would for him. Somehow I doubt the DM will like it, though. It sounds like a simple solution to what should be an entire adventure arc.

Then again, the dragon and bard may just team up after he is raised, so they can get you for ever killing him in the first place.
DrMorganes
07-26-07, 11:27 AM Wouldn't it be cheaper to just rez the woman in question?

Assuming the woman's soul wants to return, perhaps.

In my games I generally assume that dead NPCs are at peace in their respective afterlives and will refuse resurrection attempts. That is, of course, unless I have a plot hook specifically involving the return of a deceased NPC ;) All in all, however, I find that simply enforcing that little clause in the resurrection line of spells is the perfect way to keep the PCs from jumping straight to Raise Dead. If they want to try, I'll let them burn those diamonds (after making them work to get them). It usually only takes once and they don't try it again unless some plot hook or story clue indicates they are to resurrect the deceased.

Players, of course, always decide whether their character will return if resurrection is attempted.
Infernostrider
07-26-07, 11:46 AM are you alone or are you with a party? imo the party isn't a good one if they dont wanna help you out. if you were a the only evil aligned person in the group to run towards a metallic dragon JUST because its good, then they can let you die, but i assume you didn't know about the person and dragon being related in any way at all
Either way, if you convince your full party (and maybe pay a level 15+ wizard and/or a 15+ cleric who will only heal or, in times of reprieve, cast a short offensive buff or spell) to help you out, you can just go to the dragons lair and kill it...it'll HURT, but you can kill it

Also, if you can't find the arrows, talk to your DM. Ask him for a special (prolly long) quest in which you can work for the arrows, and possibly get some other loot and experience/gold aswell. If he agrees only if you only go for the arrows and let the group take EVERYTHING else, then its up to you to agree or not
Infernostrider
07-26-07, 11:48 AM ow yea..rezzing might be an option..but did you loot the bards corpse? dunno..bards arrows might just be there, in which case the bard was acting to be close to the dragon, so he could get physicly close enough to kill it
Sorpus
07-26-07, 12:20 PM ok my team is made up of four to seven people. Noone had a clue they were lovers and so when it comes my turn, instead of healing like I wanted to (the lady (before she turned into a dragon) had hit me with a lightning bolt and I retreated up a rock wall to get outnof range), I was told to shoot the bard since he had so many hits on him (the lady had just changed into a dragon during the round), and I agreed and killed him. The dragon comes after me, I run, dwarf distracts, and then the dragon flees (after taking 130-40 something damage)promising to hunt me and the dwarf down. Then smoke appears and the woman (she changed back into human form) is gone.

We did loot the bard's body but all we found was good armor which we sold, and a lute (musical instrument) which he used to cast buff on his dragon girl.

Yes those arrows are going to be a bit pricey. But I plan on waiting a while to gain more money and then buying quite a few, though it looks like it won't matter as you have to roll a percentage to get the Dragon Slayer arrows. And unfortunately none of the casters in the group can make weapons yet.

3rd favorite enemy- Dragon
Drag0nUL
07-26-07, 05:17 PM Dragon slaying arrows have only a 5% chance of killing a reasonably old dragon, but if you can put enough of them in the air it becomes matter of statistic (you have to put 20 arrows in the dragon to make sure she dies, and between full BAB, Rapid Shot Manyshot and buffs like haste it shouldn't take longer than 3-4 rounds). Still it remains to be seen if this is viable in a financial way.

Another alternative would be to get some NPC aid; assuming you can afford it/your DM allows it, you can offer a hefty reward for that dragon's head. This should get the dragon hunters of the land moving; even if they don't defeat it (which I assume they won't, kind of anticlimactic to have an NPC do the work for you), they should put her on the defensive, which gives you more time to prepare (gain xp/magic items).

And talking of magic items:

You should get a dragon bane bow, preferably with other enhancements that can hurt the dragon a lot (holy/unholy/axiomatic/anarchic,depending if you can use it and it hurts the dragon); Wounding arrows also make good addition to the arsenal of the smart dragon hunter (they wear down the dragon's hp and fort save pretty fast).

On the defensive part: you should have evasion and good reflex saves as a ranger so breath weapon shouldn't be a problem. The greatest threat to you would be the dragon's melee attacks. For that I recommend getting a cloak of displacement and figuring out a strategy with the other party membeers to keep the beast away from you so that you can use your bow safely.

Also since your group seems to be quite normal and story-driven I think I'd better keep silent about the powergaming dragon killing methods.
wevans
07-26-07, 07:27 PM I could be wrong, but shouldn't you be able to take a blue dragon with seven 9th-level PCs? Is your party not helping you for some reason?
Generic_Paladin
07-26-07, 09:07 PM Check out the Draconomicon if you want some really nasty dragon slaying stuff. There's a prestige class in there called Dragon Stalker. Basically, it lets you stay completely hidden from dragons and then take them down in minimal time. I know multiclassing to kill one enemy is a bit over the top, but we are talking about a dragon here. It might even advance an age category between now and level 15 if the DM really wants to mess with you.

You could also potentially score a Blade of Dragondoom. It's a +3 greatsword that can generate a smite attack three times per day against dragons larger than medium. The bigger the dragon, the bigger the damage (2d6 extra for a large, 3d6 extra for a huge, etc.)

Heck, you could even find yourself a mage and have one or of all your weapons made into Bane weapons.
Sorpus
07-28-07, 01:34 PM My teammates were either under a hold person speel, or failed their saves and ran away once they got up there. It was a very bad moment for rolls. The only one who didn't fail was the dwarf. My current cash is only 2,400. And some of the party is level 10 maybe one is 11 now.
PeteRR
07-28-07, 05:04 PM Do you know where the dragon's lair is or a way to get in contact with it? It's LE, so I'd send a neutral party to parley. Explain that you don't like to be hunted and is there a way to atone/pay/adventure to save your skin. If nothing else you'll gain some info on your foe and maybe a way to slay it.
Sorpus
07-29-07, 12:16 AM Well after the encounter the session was over..however we are currently standing in front of a huge cave. And I'm fairly certain that I won't get to pay my way out, as it was heavily implied that the dragon and bard were madly and deeply in love.
PeteRR
07-29-07, 12:22 AM In that case you need a patron. Someone the dragon will at least hesitate to attack. Work for him and gain experience while being protected.

Being a dragon and lawful means she'll come at you sideways. Beware of mysterious persons offering you jobs that are too good to be true. She'll lure you into an ambush, sure as shooting.
kelvinaw273
07-29-07, 03:11 AM Arrows of slaying sound great but with the save, they probably aren't worth it ... why not go for some brilliant energy bane arrows instead? It's a more sure fire way of killing the dragon, given the number that you'll have to put into it anyway.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sorpus 07-25-07, 03:05 PM	I've looked around the forum for a few days and thought this was the best place to put my scenario, if it's not please direct me somewhere else. My problem in short is that I'm being hunted by a dragon. I'm looking for "Arrows Of Slaying"? and can't seem to find them anywhere. So any help on how I could possibly destroy the dragon and live to tell about it would be nice. The story: I play a Ranger (just now level 9) and the other day I killed a bard who happened to be the fianee of this blue electic dragon who was trying to kill my party. So I was then confronted by the dragon, nearly killed but made good saves, and ran far away very quickly. Luckily a dwarf was around to distract the dragon and let me run farther away. Thwe dwarrf actually made the dragon fly away but not before the dragon promised she'd return to hunt down her lover's killer. My plan is to stay away from her until level 15 (if I get there) at which point I plan to have Mounted Combat and Mounted Archery as feats. I've heard of arrows called "arrows of slaying" in which one shot will instantly kill whatever if it doesn't make it's fort save. If anyone's read "The Hobbit" this arrow is what kills Smog. I believe the arrow is also called "Bard's Arrow". If someone could tell me where to find this arrow or an arrow that might do somethng similar that would be nice. -The hunted
Ebonarc 07-25-07, 03:14 PM	Dungeon Master's Guide page 228. Left column, bottom of the page.
Sorpus 07-25-07, 03:47 PM	Thanks Ebonarc, you should be given many medals. If I have craft bow/fletcher could I make those arrows myself.
Ebonarc 07-25-07, 03:54 PM	You could make masterwork arrows, but to make arrows of slaying you'll need: 1. Caster Level 13. 2. Craft Magic Arms and Armor (feat) 3. finger of death (spell) 4. 1,144 gp 5. 91 XP
Sorpus 07-25-07, 03:56 PM	thanks again
DrMorganes 07-25-07, 11:13 PM	You could make masterwork arrows, but to make arrows of slaying you'll need: 1. Caster Level 13. 2. Craft Magic Arms and Armor (feat) 3. finger of death (spell) 4. 1,144 gp 5. 91 XP That's 1,144gp and 91xp EACH, is it not? And keep in mind that all but the youngest dragons will beat that DC 20 Fortitude Save 95% of the time. Those arrows are pricey for a 5% chance of an automatic kill...
dknight100 07-25-07, 11:46 PM	Bards arrow? 5% chance of a kill? Bon Jovi's Livin; on a Prayer?
Bloodbat 07-26-07, 12:17 AM	I know you've got your heart set on the arrows, but I suspect you might run into this dragon sooner than 15th level. Afterall, you killed her lover, she's not going to sit around waiting to avenge his death. Besides, if you wait for her to come to you, you will fight at her time and choosing, which is usually a bad idea when facing a dragon. So, you might want to employ some NPCs to seek out the dragon. Fight her on your terms. You just ran away; she's not going to expect you to come looking for her. She also might not expect you to bring friends.
Jenny With The Lantern 07-26-07, 07:13 AM	Wouldn't it be cheaper to just rez the woman in question?
Ebonarc 07-26-07, 10:30 AM	That's 1,144gp and 91xp EACH, is it not?Good point. Those things are expensive. And keep in mind that all but the youngest dragons will beat that DC 20 Fortitude Save 95% of the time. Those arrows are pricey for a 5% chance of an automatic kill...Expensive and useless. I know you've got your heart set on the arrows, but I suspect you might run into this dragon sooner than 15th level. Afterall, you killed her lover, she's not going to sit around waiting to avenge his death. I suspect that's exactly what the DM has planned for our friend here. Besides, if you wait for her to come to you, you will fight at her time and choosing, which is usually a bad idea when facing a dragon. So, you might want to employ some NPCs to seek out the dragon. Fight her on your terms. You just ran away; she's not going to expect you to come looking for her. She also might not expect you to bring friends.That's a good point. How, when, and where you fight a dragon (especially one this far above your abilities) pretty much determines if you win and how hard it will be. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just rez the woman in question?It would for him. Somehow I doubt the DM will like it, though. It sounds like a simple solution to what should be an entire adventure arc. Then again, the dragon and bard may just team up after he is raised, so they can get you for ever killing him in the first place.
DrMorganes 07-26-07, 11:27 AM	Wouldn't it be cheaper to just rez the woman in question? Assuming the woman's soul wants to return, perhaps. In my games I generally assume that dead NPCs are at peace in their respective afterlives and will refuse resurrection attempts. That is, of course, unless I have a plot hook specifically involving the return of a deceased NPC ;) All in all, however, I find that simply enforcing that little clause in the resurrection line of spells is the perfect way to keep the PCs from jumping straight to Raise Dead. If they want to try, I'll let them burn those diamonds (after making them work to get them). It usually only takes once and they don't try it again unless some plot hook or story clue indicates they are to resurrect the deceased. Players, of course, always decide whether their character will return if resurrection is attempted.
Infernostrider 07-26-07, 11:46 AM	are you alone or are you with a party? imo the party isn't a good one if they dont wanna help you out. if you were a the only evil aligned person in the group to run towards a metallic dragon JUST because its good, then they can let you die, but i assume you didn't know about the person and dragon being related in any way at all Either way, if you convince your full party (and maybe pay a level 15+ wizard and/or a 15+ cleric who will only heal or, in times of reprieve, cast a short offensive buff or spell) to help you out, you can just go to the dragons lair and kill it...it'll HURT, but you can kill it Also, if you can't find the arrows, talk to your DM. Ask him for a special (prolly long) quest in which you can work for the arrows, and possibly get some other loot and experience/gold aswell. If he agrees only if you only go for the arrows and let the group take EVERYTHING else, then its up to you to agree or not
Infernostrider 07-26-07, 11:48 AM	ow yea..rezzing might be an option..but did you loot the bards corpse? dunno..bards arrows might just be there, in which case the bard was acting to be close to the dragon, so he could get physicly close enough to kill it
Sorpus 07-26-07, 12:20 PM	ok my team is made up of four to seven people. Noone had a clue they were lovers and so when it comes my turn, instead of healing like I wanted to (the lady (before she turned into a dragon) had hit me with a lightning bolt and I retreated up a rock wall to get outnof range), I was told to shoot the bard since he had so many hits on him (the lady had just changed into a dragon during the round), and I agreed and killed him. The dragon comes after me, I run, dwarf distracts, and then the dragon flees (after taking 130-40 something damage)promising to hunt me and the dwarf down. Then smoke appears and the woman (she changed back into human form) is gone. We did loot the bard's body but all we found was good armor which we sold, and a lute (musical instrument) which he used to cast buff on his dragon girl. Yes those arrows are going to be a bit pricey. But I plan on waiting a while to gain more money and then buying quite a few, though it looks like it won't matter as you have to roll a percentage to get the Dragon Slayer arrows. And unfortunately none of the casters in the group can make weapons yet. 3rd favorite enemy- Dragon
Drag0nUL 07-26-07, 05:17 PM	Dragon slaying arrows have only a 5% chance of killing a reasonably old dragon, but if you can put enough of them in the air it becomes matter of statistic (you have to put 20 arrows in the dragon to make sure she dies, and between full BAB, Rapid Shot Manyshot and buffs like haste it shouldn't take longer than 3-4 rounds). Still it remains to be seen if this is viable in a financial way. Another alternative would be to get some NPC aid; assuming you can afford it/your DM allows it, you can offer a hefty reward for that dragon's head. This should get the dragon hunters of the land moving; even if they don't defeat it (which I assume they won't, kind of anticlimactic to have an NPC do the work for you), they should put her on the defensive, which gives you more time to prepare (gain xp/magic items). And talking of magic items: You should get a dragon bane bow, preferably with other enhancements that can hurt the dragon a lot (holy/unholy/axiomatic/anarchic,depending if you can use it and it hurts the dragon); Wounding arrows also make good addition to the arsenal of the smart dragon hunter (they wear down the dragon's hp and fort save pretty fast). On the defensive part: you should have evasion and good reflex saves as a ranger so breath weapon shouldn't be a problem. The greatest threat to you would be the dragon's melee attacks. For that I recommend getting a cloak of displacement and figuring out a strategy with the other party membeers to keep the beast away from you so that you can use your bow safely. Also since your group seems to be quite normal and story-driven I think I'd better keep silent about the powergaming dragon killing methods.
wevans 07-26-07, 07:27 PM	I could be wrong, but shouldn't you be able to take a blue dragon with seven 9th-level PCs? Is your party not helping you for some reason?
Generic_Paladin 07-26-07, 09:07 PM	Check out the Draconomicon if you want some really nasty dragon slaying stuff. There's a prestige class in there called Dragon Stalker. Basically, it lets you stay completely hidden from dragons and then take them down in minimal time. I know multiclassing to kill one enemy is a bit over the top, but we are talking about a dragon here. It might even advance an age category between now and level 15 if the DM really wants to mess with you. You could also potentially score a Blade of Dragondoom. It's a +3 greatsword that can generate a smite attack three times per day against dragons larger than medium. The bigger the dragon, the bigger the damage (2d6 extra for a large, 3d6 extra for a huge, etc.) Heck, you could even find yourself a mage and have one or of all your weapons made into Bane weapons.
Sorpus 07-28-07, 01:34 PM	My teammates were either under a hold person speel, or failed their saves and ran away once they got up there. It was a very bad moment for rolls. The only one who didn't fail was the dwarf. My current cash is only 2,400. And some of the party is level 10 maybe one is 11 now.
PeteRR 07-28-07, 05:04 PM	Do you know where the dragon's lair is or a way to get in contact with it? It's LE, so I'd send a neutral party to parley. Explain that you don't like to be hunted and is there a way to atone/pay/adventure to save your skin. If nothing else you'll gain some info on your foe and maybe a way to slay it.
Sorpus 07-29-07, 12:16 AM	Well after the encounter the session was over..however we are currently standing in front of a huge cave. And I'm fairly certain that I won't get to pay my way out, as it was heavily implied that the dragon and bard were madly and deeply in love.
PeteRR 07-29-07, 12:22 AM	In that case you need a patron. Someone the dragon will at least hesitate to attack. Work for him and gain experience while being protected. Being a dragon and lawful means she'll come at you sideways. Beware of mysterious persons offering you jobs that are too good to be true. She'll lure you into an ambush, sure as shooting.
kelvinaw273 07-29-07, 03:11 AM	Arrows of slaying sound great but with the save, they probably aren't worth it ... why not go for some brilliant energy bane arrows instead? It's a more sure fire way of killing the dragon, given the number that you'll have to put into it anyway.