So long ago in the game the players skirmished with an Adult Blue Dragon. They drove it off.
Then it attacked their airship convoy over the jungle and they drove it off. Mostly because the Cleric got an Oathbow and Smite Evil 1/day from her PrC.
Now they are doing the PC thing and planning to find and kill it.
It has the Ravenous template so is a CR 14 but the party is 4 lv 15 (Paladin, cleric, mage and Wilder).
I've given the dragon lightning immune lizard man servants who have levels in Cleric or Barbarian.
But, with two cheesy smite evils at the dragon it's almost not worth rolling for.
So here's the set-up for the lair, let me know if I missed anything.
The dragon has scrying spells active so will know their approach.
When they show up, a lizard man shaman will be sitting there with Form of Dragon II or III. He's mostly to use up the big guns.
Then other lizard men engage, the shamans using scrolls of Greater Dispel Magic on the buffs, as the dragon burrows up to attack the mage.
Now this next trick is one I'm not sure about. A Simulacrum spell, would it produce a CR 6-7 young blue dragon or another adult? I'm thinking of having two or three of them also around (party is good about preparing spells etc. So breath weapon is only a threat to the mage really). (Also have one simulacrum invisible near the first dragon so PCs with True seeing get "rewarded" for seeing through the Form of Dragon spell.
What do you think?
How does this encounter look?
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If you have the dragon having access to these spells...then I recommend he ambushes the PC's camp at night.
Use the fact that the dragon can fly and has cover of darkness, have him drop off a few folks on the first round that jump off his back.
Another thing to note...you can pimp out a dragons AC pretty high with just a few buffs...mage armor, shield of faith...and then have them fight with combat reflexes. Now you can pop that AC way up there.
On top of this make sure your dragon has a few spells quickened and never be afraid to D-Door.
Another thing to have is to use spell immunity on some of the more common abilities the PC's use. Also, displacement...50% miss makes life a punk for the PC's.
Above all...consider the use of the cleric minions for divination and "spying" abilities. That should inform the dragon of tactically intelligent choices for the combat, where to ambush them, and when to do it with what buffs up.
Your other option...
Turn this dragon into Claw ala inspector gadget style. He has already succeeded in being able to attack and get away from them twice, and now he has minions. Send the minons forward while he tries to unlock some ancient power that will put him far beyond the PC's reach.
You can easily stretch this story out if you wanted, which I think would be the right thing to do. The PC's are motivated to find him...now make it a serial episodic adventure where they are constantly just one or two steps behind him.
Dragons is tricksy, and best of all...they are not static creatures. On top of that if you are looking for motivation...the impending knowledge of heros coming to slay the dragon would push him out of his normal eat, sleep, plunder, hoard treasure thought process and into time to find daddy's hoard of treasure he told me about when I killed him...
Dragon physcology 101: In the end, it always comes back to mommy/daddy. ;p