Party is going to be hunting down a white dragon.
the party has been given pretty good directions to the dragons den and will be able to go there pretty much directly.
the dragons lair is not so much a dungeon crawl as some cave spaces that she (the dragon) has recently populated with a few minions as a home defense mechanism after her eggs were crushed.
as such the party should be pretty strong when they reach the dragon and one is a paladin that could possibly drop the dragon in one round with lucky rolls.
if the dragon does not drop she will retreat and attack later.
here is where I need your advice.
knowing a little about the party from the first battle the dragon is likley to approach by burrowing through the snow and ice to attack from below rather than attacking from the sky due to the ranged paladin.
how would I run the parties perception as they are walking toward home and the dragon ambushes them from below.
dragon is also likley to employ the aid of a minion monster to distract the party. should the party get a check in combat to notice the dragon burrowing up from below?
lastly how much would you say the average adult white dragon knows about paladins right off the bat. I mean... they would probably know the dnagers of smite, the ability to heal and other such knowlage right?
Young (not age category) dragons are pretty limits in options as they have yet to start packing spells and do not yet have all the resources older dragons have.
A white dragon with knowledge religion should know all about paladins with a DC10+Paladin Level check. How many peices of information that dragon would possess is up to you. Since Smite Evil is the first thing a paladin can do I would say that knowledge is one of the first peices of information acquired.
- Gauss
Nicos:
Diplomacy-gather information might tell the dragon it is being hunted by a paladin. Divination spells could also tell the dragon. Direct observation (itself or via spies) could tell the dragon that the paladin has a holy symbol and then when the paladin uses some ability that is paladin based (lay on hands for example) appropriate checks should give that information.
Dragons are smart, canny, and should not be a monster that you simply 'run into'. In many cases they know you are coming and will prepare appropriately.
- Gauss
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How old is this dragon... age category?
I'm old school running dragons... they are memorably tough.
1. The PCs have to withstand nature... extreme cold, ice, crevasses, blizzards, whiteouts, avalanches, etc. Her nest would be somewhere that you must fly or scale shear ice walls to reach with at least two exits... one maybe she squeezes out into water.
2. The PCs would be well known to the dragon before they ever reach her. Her winter wolves or other suitable arctic minions would engage and retreat from the PCs knowing that they pay the dragon for protection in exchange for information, food, and material tribute.
3. The dragon could face the PCs on frozen water that she can shatter and fly away. Then find the PC ice cubes later for their loot.
4. The dragon would retreat the first time after taking at most half damage or feeling at all threatened. Maybe even a couple of rounds to size up the PCs. This would not be her first rodeo with adventurers.
5. She would lead the PCs toward another equal or more powerful predator to kill two birds with one stone.
my two coppers
cheers
Why would it screw the paladin? It is not like the dragon can do anything to stop a Smite Evil (barring one 20% chance to stop it in Ultimate Equipment IF it had that particular armor).
I am not sure why monsters should be played unintelligently. As for intelligence. Yes, an adult white dragon only has a 12int and a 12charisma. So? A Rogue usually has a 12int but that doesnt make him stupid. He can still gather information. Perhaps the dragon has a headband of int to boost that.
Honestly, Dragons do not have to be super-smart to know how to protect their territory. A few spies, prepared spells, and a bit of research will tell the 'average intelligence' white dragon all it needs to know.
- Gauss
Jubal Breakbottle: At the end of the OP's post he mentioned the dragon is Adult.
- Gauss
White dragons are not really that smart.I agree taht the posibilities you listed could happen but they should not happen more or less in game. The DM should not use it to screw the paladin.
The OP said the dragon had already met the party in an earlier encounter: "knowing a little about the party from the first battle"
Jubal Breakbottle: At the end of the OP's post he mentioned the dragon is Adult. - Gauss
Thanks. Missed that. Int = 12.
6. Ice Shape to create the perfect lair for her. Sheer cliffs, caves, and twisting tunnels to sky or water. Dancing lights with highly reflective surfaces.
7. Swim 60-ft and likes to eat frozen meals... why fight them, drown them.
8. Burrow 30-ft as a last resort to escape and take 20 on Stealth to watch the PCs
9. Fog cloud and Gust of Wind at will to deny ranged attackers line of sight and buffet flyers.
Too much fun.
its an AP. I am not going to go into which AP but the situation is that the players arive in a village that is being regularly raided by the dragon for the specific reason that a member of that village snuck into the dragons lair at some point and smashed her eggs while she was away.
The village and the dragon pretty much ignored each other prior to the incident and the village pretty much knowns where the dragons lair is. thus its not so much a hunt as the players going out to kill the dragon to win the villages good will.
The AP does not include much in the line of dragon minions beyond a possible random encounter on the way to the lair.
but I figure it would make sense for the dragon, in the wake of having her lair raided, to enlist some kind of local monsters or kobolds at the very least to help defend her lair.
when the PCs arive the dragon will know nothing about them.
but the dragon should be able to extrapolate the paladins class when the first thing he does is smite and attack her for insane damage.
depending on the power of the attack the dragon will either run away and attmpt to attack the party after a chane to heal.
OR she will use the terrain of her lair to best effect.
she is not going to be overly intelligent. simply as intelligent as one would expect a pissed of person to be when some one of possibly greater strength raids their home.
in other words I can beat them... if i ambush them.
BTW I know that its a stupid way to set up a dragon that a villager can walk into her lair and crush her eggs but thats the AP.
I can only modify how things happen after that as th story kind of hinges on the event.