Hi, I just read Kings of the Rift, and WOW its a good adventure.
PAUSE
Really good. But, it is a little intimidating to run. I was going to start getting stats for these dragons and printing off tokens to represent them, then it occured to me that my players will probably teleport away from them. How likely is this to happen? Did it happen in your game? What are the main parts I should focus on in this adventure. I have a week to prep, but I hate getting ready for things that probably arent going to happen.
IIRC they can teleport to escape if the going gets rough, but they can't easily teleport to other parts of the city, or proceed on their investigation that way. I think there was some kind of permanent effect on the city that prevents teleporting in. That's how I'd play it, anyhow.
The point of the dragon battles isn't to kill all the dragons, it's to get away from them and proceed with the search for the phylactery. I'd make sure the players are very clear on this, and use the dragons to make strafing runs only except for the designated encounters with the superstar dragons. Make them run for cover and burn their protection from energy spells!
I do not recall there being a general prohibition against teleporting within the city, and would probably not put in place such a effect, mainly because it smells of DM trying to make a workable adventure by limiting the rightful powers of the group, rather than working within, or forcing the players to use, those powers to create a interesting and challenging adventure. In other words, yes players are going to be teleporting all around in the adventure (although they cannot teleport into the vault in the tower, as it is teleport proof). So instead of trying to fight this fact, I would work with it. Have dragons cast Dimensional Anchor to hold their prey in place. Remember there is a timeline too, if the players retreat to memorize spells (I mean how many teleports can they have at one time, excepting scrolls) then the Dragons will probably find the Phalacery and head for the hills.
I would prepare for the players to fight the dragons, at least a few, maybe not pitched battles, but short ones. And I would also prepare for your players to use at least 2-3 teleports, depending on if they have a wizard or sorcerer in the group and if so what level/number of spells he/she has.
Yes, I definetely expect them to to teleport. We have one priest of Fharlagn who specializes in teleportation type spells, and a Magister (from the Arcana Evolved books).
My players teleported directly to the Citadel of Weeping Dragons. Theoretically, that would have put them far beyond all the other stuff leading up to that fight. I decided to teach them a lesson for their lack of stealth, and ambush them with Vermirox and a pair of invisible blues with metabreath feats.
Still, they got inside, and chatted it up with Kagro, even managing to negotiate their way out of fighting Bram (not easy at all, with a half-black dragonwrought kobold in the party). However, they knew they needed the other key, and thus were led back to the Rift Crawler's lair, and into an ambush by Necrozyte. On their way out, and to the Citadel, again, it was Xyzanth.
So, ultimately, teleporting or not, they'll find themselves in positions of traveling back and forth, where teleport likely won't be a foolproof way of traveling, and in those gaps, the dragons strike!
[Remember...(as a DM,) if you kill all the players, you win!]--thanks, Dragon Strike!