I saw Christopher West's post the other day. I was wondering, is Ilthane feasible as a Wyrm dragon? Would encountering a wyrm dragon that early in the game put the players off, not being quite as impressed by Dragotha? I doubt it but...
CR 20 versus a group of level 14s (by the end of the dungeon)
Really depends on your players and how effective they are. A CR that is 6 higher than party level is pretty darn hard, but some players can handle it while others can't.
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I don't actually intend to scale up Ilthane's stats when I use the Gargantuan miniature. (Unless, of course, I decide that she won't be enough of a threat as written; I understand other parties have found her to be a pushover in "Gathering of Winds".) I'm using it mainly for the "wow" factor, and because I don't have an appropriate Huge miniature to represent her.
The Sorceror on Black Dragon miniature is the right scale, theoretically, but I think the rider detracts from the awe the players should feel when they fight Ilthane, and the miniature itself looks too small for Ilthane, in my opinion.
Like dungeonblaster said, though...if your players can handle the threat of a full-fledged Wyrm, go for it. However, you may want to encourage them to rest and recover after the battle; even if a super-powered Ilthane doesn't kill them, she should weaken them to the point that the following encounters may proove too much for them.
Also to consider: the added XP the players would earn for overcoming an Ilthane several CRs higher than planned will put them ahead of the curve for XP gain. You may want to tone down the challenge of some other encounters to balance it out, or consider adding to the treasure value of the adventure to keep pace with the advanced XP.