One other thing that bugs me, why is Hookface a CR 18 and Moltenwing is only a CR 16? Hookface has a few minor spells and Moltenwing has two breath weapons. Both of them use magic items. Both of them have the same hit points, and AC and attack bonuses are within a few points of each other. IMHO, they should both be the same CR, but then the CR system has always given me fits with stuff like that.
Not to mention that one of Moltenwing's two BWs is a very devastating line of disintigration.
Creative Director
|
I agree that Hookface is not as dangerous a foe as Moltenwing, in a stand-up equal fight. Hookface DOES have a lot more room to move around than Moltenwing, but Moltenwing's stats are better. If you want to swap their CRs around, I certainly wouldn't complain.
In the book, though, their CRs pretty much have to be the way they are since that's the way they're presented in the Monster Manual and the Draconomicon.
I agree that Hookface is not as dangerous a foe as Moltenwing, in a stand-up equal fight. Hookface DOES have a lot more room to move around than Moltenwing, but Moltenwing's stats are better.
While Hookface does have more room to move around, ie all the air he can fly around in, Moltenwing has a much more deadly maneuverability. Flying PC's can chase Hookface all they want to, but it's pretty hard to chase a dragon who likes to bull rush your friends into the lava and then dive after them. Even with a good Protection From Energy spell you're going to run out of protection in a round or two and then you're looking at all that damage from lava immersion. Plus there's the little matter of needing to breathe.
Sometimes the CR system just seems broken to me, like in this case when the tougher dragon has a lower CR. Even Vitriss Bale was a CR 16 and he was waaay more of a threat than Hookface since the party fought him when they were at a much lower level.
I understand that the good folks at Paizo have to use the CR as given by WOTC but maybe a little blurb thrown in at the end of those difficult encounters suggesting a 50% increase in XP for the really toughies and the dangers of the environment.
Moltenwing really hosed my party, resulting in my Holy TPK Batman! thread. They were not happy when they found out that not only did their evil outsider bane weapons not affect him, but that he had a DC 28 disintegration breath weapon and he was only a CR 16. It was like adding insult to injury in their eyes.
My guys ran into Moltenwing tonight. He sent out his disintegrate breath weapon after some diplomacy checks and beots (the party was doing great until their "diplomat" stated quite clearly that they intended to stop the Cagewrights!), and then we paused until our next session on Friday. This will give my guys a chance to stew for a while.
I also thought that Moltenwing's CR was a little low--and I have this really cool GARGANTUAN black dragon mini that makes a wonderful stand-in for the OLD pyroclastic dragon Moltenwing. 1 more age category = 4 more HD, a CON bump to 24, a size increase from Large to Gargantuan, and a CR 18. It's not really that much work for the DM, but the result is well worthwhile. A tough fight coming for my guys--they're afraid. They're VERY afraid! (But of course, they WILL triumph in the end.)
Make Moltenwing OLD. Have fun!