Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 wystenv2 Dec 09, 2011 12:18:52	Recently, the party has been asigned a task of rebuilding and defending a town and, recently, a Young Black Dragon has attacked the place, our frail will saves crumbling under it's fearful pressence causing all but 1 of us to flee, who was promptly killed. The party level is 7, and there are 8 of us. 1 Elf Wizard (Me, 16 hp. lolz) 1 Frenzed Bezerker Dwarf (killed 6 people (or rather, the same guy 3 times for being stupid enough to stand next to him dispite the same guy, in character, having been killed every encounter), 4 zombies, 3 zombie orges, three mercs and a Zombie Wyvern) 1 Teithling Hexblade 1 Angel Born (whatever it's called) cerlic 1 Halfling Barbarian 1 Female Dwarf Fighter (Tank) 1 Slashbuckler  1 Gnome Bard  Personally, I intend on casting Haste on the main damage dealers, flinging a couple of fireballs and probably hiding after that since it can very easily kill me with it's breath attack (16 hp probably means I won't even survive a passing attack, and being the partys only offensive spellcaster it's very likely.). Is slaying a dragon even possible at this stage? Considering that the guy who stayed barely did 7 damage.
#2 salla Dec 09, 2011 14:04:35	Firstly, get your hands on as many ways to resist acid damage as you can. Secondly, forget damage-dealing spells.  Don't even prepare them.  Prepare save-or-suck spells for the dragon.
#3 crowscape Dec 09, 2011 20:13:15	Not even save-or-suck. Ray of enfeeblement, ray of clumsiness, ray of exhaustion (might need to be applied twice if it makes the fort save). Coupled with acid resistance, you've just turned your young black dragon into an overgrown kitten with a few ranged touch attacks, half of which were level 1 spells. Your DM will hate you. Your bard can cast Good Hope to help against fear effects. If you can, convince the DM to let the cleric use bestow curse to weaken the dragon's frightful presence, otherwise have the cleric target the dragon's Charisma score for a -6 penalty. Then, if you want damage, scorching ray. At your level, it will do more damage than a fireball without granting the benefit of a saving throw, and you won't risk nuking your party members. Plus, it won't compete with your other dragon-slaying spells for slots. Edit: And, if you fear that ray spells put you too close to the dragon, there's always spectral hand. And with as few HP as you have, I hope you have false life.
#4 salla Dec 09, 2011 22:58:12	Or that spell in Frostburn that deals DEX damage.  One or two of those and the Dragon's DEX should drop to zero, rendering it helpless.
#5 Skewwed Dec 10, 2011 23:06:16	..crowscape nailed it, chilling grasp or whatever is a touch attack, and you pimpin the 18 hp's do not want to get melee with a dragon (unless of course its surrounded by a shell.. an eggshell) ..and if you can gain access to them the orb of ".." spells have no save and no spell resist.. ..atleast against the damage.. ..although I will have to agree with some earlier posts your going to want to focus on control.. ..buffs and disables if you have access to them (energy resist, invis, haste, slow, +4 stat spells and so on) ..and download the dragon books, I think that there are 3 of them, draconomicon and dragon characters, and there is a third one i think.. ..there are neat and aggresive spells designed to deal with.. ..well deal with dragons.. ..good luck and all that jazz..
#6 crowscape Dec 11, 2011 0:27:31	..and if you can gain access to them the orb of ".." spells have no save and no spell resist The great thing about young dragons: no spell resist XP Pinata.
#7 pluisjen Dec 11, 2011 10:30:39	Is it a Young Adult (like the title) or a Young (like the post?) There seems to be advice given for both types but they are very different. I'm asuming it's a Young Adult considering you mention Frightful Presence. Those do have Spell Resistance, but are still extremely vulnerable to Str/Dex damage. You definately want to hit it with Ray of Enfeeblement to neuter all its melee powers. If you add Resist Energy (Acid) to that to neuter its breath weapon, you've basically rendered it harmless. So yeah mostly what CrowScape says. Don't worry about hurting it; just strip away all its offensive abilities and then kill it. Make sure you fight in a spot where it can't easily fly away though.
#8 Skewwed Dec 11, 2011 10:37:43	XP Pinata. ..Word
#9 crowscape Dec 11, 2011 10:40:33	If it has spell resistance, see if you can pick up a few scrolls of assay spell resistance (Spell Compendium) to help out. Level 4 spell, so you'll need to make a caster level check, but that should be rather trivial to succeed.
#10 kare Dec 11, 2011 15:21:06	Hey, I've always favoured TOW missiles for dragonslaying. Good for characters of any level, although higher than about 15 or so and you're better off packing a wizard instead. JMH
#11 wystenv2 Dec 11, 2011 15:51:14	Thanks for all the replies so far! I do have searing flame, and I am likely to have 3 of that prepped in level 3 and 4 slot (2 in level 3, 1 in level 4 with metamagic enlengthen). Main issue is that I don't have access to necromancy and devine magic this campain I believe so I can't use anything with those descriptors. Plus uni work and what have you. That being said, I intend to priestage into the Seven Veils subclass, that will allow me to errect barriers as a immediate action if I live for long enough, giving me plenty of cover and time to plan. Seems like we won't be confronting it for a while, this session was mainly rebuilding the partys losses and trying to track it's rough layor down, while the tank of the party tries to repeatively assissinate The Dwarf Besekera and generally be stuborn. He drowned in a river, laughing from a hex cast on him to settle the dispute hopefully once and for all along with a bard who stupidly went in after him. @_@ Still, I will analyse this magic and attempt to get hold of some of those spells after passing through the wood elf settlement to barter for equipment.
#12 Skewwed Dec 11, 2011 16:14:01	Thanks for all the replies so far! ..good luck to you and all that jazz..
#13 TardisMaximus Dec 11, 2011 18:49:58	Or that spell in Frostburn that deals DEX damage.  One or two of those and the Dragon's DEX should drop to zero, rendering it helpless. Shivering Touch. It is a touch spell tho, so you have to get close to him. But 3d6 dex damage is enough to pretty much make any dragon helpless.
#14 crowscape Dec 11, 2011 23:01:52	Shivering Touch. It is a touch spell tho, so you have to get close to him. Talk to the spectral hand.
#15 wystenv2 Dec 19, 2011 4:53:09	Just a quick update, namely, the battle never took place. We were doing a favour for the wood elves in attacking bandits, we struck without taking situation into account, and apprently we attacked a village of our own kingdom, needless to say my character mentally broke and left the party (Long story, everyone who he had known in party had been steadily killed over the week.) the Celric and hexblade broke from the combat to kill eachother (leaving party) and the party bezerker died having jumped over the wall and took the fight to 12+ guards. To justify my reasoning, my will to roleplay conherently had been erroded by all the OCC banter and the constant stupidity of a couple members slowing every single event to a crawl, so I was quite litrally mentally broken by the time I got to this point, and was the only party member to willingly give up their own character with the most logical reason, and the other two leaving I presume to prevent me from having that title for long. @_@ However, it was for the better really. Three of the those who died are writing up Paladins as characters and I am going to become another wizard. Hopefully this will be enough to enforce a degree of unity in a otherwise discordant group.
#16 salla Dec 19, 2011 12:48:40	Three of the those who died are writing up Paladins as characters and I am going to become another wizard. Hopefully this will be enough to enforce a degree of unity in a otherwise discordant group.     Considering the mess that is the 3e Paladin, I wouldn't hold my breath on that.