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I am preparing for the last encounter of KoTR. After handling the multiple dragon encounters, the easy giants and considering the lack of loot in this module I am contemplating equipping Brazzemal with several magic items. After all why wouldn't an ancient dragon use some of his hoard as items to enhance his abilities? Say a pearl of power embedded in his hide? An amulet of mighty fists or a cube of frost resistance?
I don't want to unbalance the encounter, just make it last more than three or four rounds. My group has a way of springing surprises on me and brilliant use of everyday spells and feats. However if I make it too hard they will suffer greatly, and I don't want anymore unnecessary deaths in AoW, we've had a good share of those already.
Has anyone else allowed Brazzemal access to his hoard or have thoughts on great core rules magic items he might use?
If you really want to make your party sweat, wait until they're all in the Citadel of Weeping Dragons, and at some point, whether they're in the Vault or not (you decide when), have Brazzemal use rock to mud further down the base of the Citadel, where it's natural rock, and within perhaps 1, 2, 3 (you decide how many) careful applications of the spell, cause the entire Citadel to come crashing down into the gorge. Maybe some PCs spring free, maybe some go down with the castle, requiring some heroic skill checks and perhaps a teleport.
I tried that. The Citadel still stood in the aftermath, and Brazzemal escaped to be hunted down later, but it was really fun with portions of the castle collapsing while the group leapt, dove, and flew for their lives. ;-)
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Thanks Crust, I think that sounds pretty cool. What I am really looking for is a classic skin of your teeth battle with the big red, who is supposed to be so drawn to the phylactery that he abandons self preservation and rips the side of the citadel off and attacks the party physically.
Doc, I will be sure to up his AC and his saves. Right now I have him with an AC of 53 without buffing spells and have his saves improved by 5.
One of the players is an archamge and has the habit of changing energy types on his spells, so I need to be ready for that. After all, I am thinking that Brazzemal has found out what the party has been doing to his dragon troops and will be at least a little prepared.
I took inspiration from the module, of course. I doubt I would have thought of Brazzemal toppling the Citadel if it wasn't for the tactical situation given in the module. ;-) And honestly, I'm not entirely certain how many applications of rock to mud it would take to bring the entire spire down. Maybe 20. Maybe 100. You're going to have to decide how to present the environment and what your players will accept.
Others have suggested magical items, and I agree. Deck the dragon out. Give him a staff that serves as a wand for the great beast and have him use a possible retributive strike if necessary. Give him a glittering crown of ioun stones. Maybe some cool dragon-specific magical items from Draconomicon. However, I might suggest that you exercise caution in the items you choose. Make sure you're ready for the PCs to claim those items should they defeat Brazzemal, especially if any PCs can identify those items being worn/used.
I also added a second dragon to Brazzemal's assault: Xyzanth the fang dragon. You might also have an entire flight of reinforcements show up, another half-dozen or so dragons waiting for the signal to begin the second phase of the assault. Have as many dragons as you want diving down out of the sky.
If you're playing in Faerun, you might have one or a dozen Cult of the Dragon wizards/clerics/etc. accompany Brazzemal, as they too would want to retrieve the phylactery for Dragotha.
I also recommend making greater use of the marilith. If Vercinabex is slain, considering the marilith taking an interest in one or perhaps all of the PCs. She could become a greater villain than a mini-boss who is hurled at the PCs like a spear only to be broken.
I find these issues pretty typical of high level 3E gaming. I was trying to perform this balancing act all the time with Savage Tide. In particular, I found orb spells can be a b+~!$ against a single foe. If your party has any wizards with orb spells, especially maximized ones they can shred a dragon's hp in no time, and hitting a dragon's touch AC is a joke, so they aren't going to miss. To counter this I suggest uping hp over AC and having some quickened energy resistance type stuff at the ready. I also like the suggestion about making sure their buff's wear off. I'd definitely give him any boosts you think he needs. At this level of play, you owe it to your players to challenge them as much as possible. They have lots of tricks they can pull out, and even if the party suffers a few casualties they generally have the resources to bounce back. Don't worry about pulling the gloves off.
The battle with Braz went downhill (for him) quickly. The party's sorceror won initiative and hit him with an empowered enervate and rolled for 6 levels. Right off the bat the dragon was -6 to hit and lost some prepared spells. 2 rounds (and 2 more enervates) later he was in full retreat. It's tough managing a stat block that big, since I have limited time to prepare, so I'm sure I could have done a little better, but it didn't feel like a DC 23 battle. And I introduced my colossal red dragon mini for the battle, which had the players in awe, and it just ended up being so anticlimactic. Xyzanth was tougher.
I highly recommend death ward.
The battle with Braz went downhill (for him) quickly. The party's sorceror won initiative and hit him with an empowered enervate and rolled for 6 levels. Right off the bat the dragon was -6 to hit and lost some prepared spells. 2 rounds (and 2 more enervates) later he was in full retreat. It's tough managing a stat block that big, since I have limited time to prepare, so I'm sure I could have done a little better, but it didn't feel like a DC 23 battle. And I introduced my colossal red dragon mini for the battle, which had the players in awe, and it just ended up being so anticlimactic. Xyzanth was tougher.
I highly recommend death ward.
Considering how enervation messed up one of my encounter in The Champion's Belt I cant beleive I forgot about that spell so quickly. Thanks for the reminder.
Scintillating scales makes your natural AC bonus into a deflection bonus.
I think I remember giving Brazzemal Anti-magic field as one of his spells.. This caused a much for fun fight, if it could be called a fight, since the PCs could only try and escape with the phylactery.
As far as I know, there's still no answer in all of 3.5 against a giant monster with Anti-Magic field thrown on it. Just be careful you don't TPK them if you use this tactic.
I think I remember giving Brazzemal Anti-magic field as one of his spells.. This caused a much for fun fight, if it could be called a fight, since the PCs could only try and escape with the phylactery.
As far as I know, there's still no answer in all of 3.5 against a giant monster with Anti-Magic field thrown on it. Just be careful you don't TPK them if you use this tactic.
Orb Spells, hit and run tactics, and luck. I would also pray that the monster's DR is SU and not EX.
Scintillating scales makes your natural AC bonus into a deflection bonus.
That is great to know! Well, my players are coming up against Dragotha soon, so evervate won't matter. But this will help against orb spells.
I totally agree with the antimagic field comment above. I used it for a white dragon in a 15th level adventure I slipped into this path, and it was absolutely lethal. The players were in an ice cavern (Glacier Season from Dungeon Magazine) and retreated down a narrow passage when they realized how impotent they had become with this spell cast. Another reminder: don't forget a dragon's burrow speed. I then had the white dragon tear the tunnel apart chasing them, and it was like a scene from a movie. Then, after leading him on a chase for several rounds, they teleported back into his lair, pilfered his treasure for a few rounds, and teleported home before he returned. The best laid plans...
I put the party I ran on a tight timetable -- no time to rest mid-adventure; they had to finish the thing in one run. Which meant by the time they reached Brazzemal, they were out of spells and low on reserves. Brazzemal cut through them like butter when he arrived, making them very glad they'd used their higher-level spells to astally project into the city and to teleport object the phylactery home before he caught up with them.
I put the party I ran on a tight timetable -- no time to rest mid-adventure; they had to finish the thing in one run. Which meant by the time they reached Brazzemal, they were out of spells and low on reserves. Brazzemal cut through them like butter when he arrived, making them very glad they'd used their higher-level spells to astally project into the city and to teleport object the phylactery home before he caught up with them.
So they did not kill him?
So they did not kill him?
Nope. After a hellacious fight, he blasted all their projections to kingdom come. They woke up in their real bodies and were very, very glad the cleric had "wasted" a 9th level spell on astral projection.
Scintillating Scales was rewritten to add Cha to AC as a Deflection bonus, instead of subbing out for Nat AC. That means a hefty stacking AC bonus, but not a Touch AC that is utterly impossible to deal with.
OF course, a party that sees a buffed Dragon and doesn't dispel at that level gets what it deserves.
==Aelryinth
So they did not kill him?Nope. After a hellacious fight, he blasted all their projections to kingdom come. They woke up in their real bodies and were very, very glad the cleric had "wasted" a 9th level spell on astral projection.
I guess that just means they have to deal with him later. :)
Scintillating Scales was rewritten to add Cha to AC as a Deflection bonus, instead of subbing out for Nat AC. That means a hefty stacking AC bonus, but not a Touch AC that is utterly impossible to deal with.
OF course, a party that sees a buffed Dragon and doesn't dispel at that level gets what it deserves.
==Aelryinth
I dont have that in the errata or in the Spell Compendium. Where did you get that from?
Edit: I downloaded it(errata) again to make sure I did not have an old version, and its not there.
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Well, I advanced Brazzemal one level of sorcerer and fit him with a good selection of magic items. Based on a couple of suggestions here I upped his saves and his AC. I made his "armor" (I was thinking that over time an ancient red dragon could weave magic into his own scales) the equivelant of +5 studded leather, major cold resistance, improved sonic resistance. Amulet of mighty fists +5 gave him quite the melee boost, bracers of armor +4, cube of frost resistance as one of the jewels in his hide, a vest of resistance +5, almost evert ioun stone, a ring of counterspells, a pearl of power and a stone of luck. For stats he had a headband of intellect +4, gloves of dexterity +6 and a periapt of wisdom +4.
Looks like this...
Brazzemal the Burning, Male Dragon, Red, Ancient Dragon34/Sor1: CR 24; Gargantuan Dragon (Fire); HD 34d12+340(Dragon) , 1d4+10(Sorcerer) ; hp 575; Init +7; Spd 40, Fly, Clumsy 200; AC:51 (Flatfooted:48 Touch:10); Atk +54/49/44/39 base melee, +42/37/32/27 base ranged; +57/+57/+57/+57/+59 (4d6+12, Bite; 2d8+12, 2 Claw; 2d6+12, 2 Wing; 2d8+12, Tail Slap; 1d8+20, Unarmed strike); +59 (4d6+27, Crush); +59 (2d6+27, Tail Sweep); +59 (20d10+5, Breath Weapon); +59/54/49/44 (1d8+20, Unarmed strike); +59/54/49/44 (1d8+20, Unarmed strike); +59/54/49/44 (1d8+20, Unarmed strike); +59/54/49/44 (1d8+20, Unarmed strike); +59/54/49/44 (1d8+20, Unarmed strike); SA: Breath Weapon (Su) , Spell-like Abilities Locate Object 15 10 Suggestion 15 3 Find the Path 15 1 , Frightful Presence (Ex) , Spells Sorcerer 15 , Breath Weapon Type: 120 ft. Cone of Fire , Frightful Presence DC: 34 , Frightful Presence Radius: 300 ft. ; SQ: Subtype: Fire, Immunity: Fire (Ex), Immunity: Paralysis (Ex), Immunity: Sleep Effects (Ex), Keen Senses (Ex), Blindsense (Ex): 60 ft., Darkvision (Ex): 10 ft., Vulnerability: Cold (Ex), Damage Reduction (Su): 15/Magic, Low-light Vision (Ex); AL CE; SV Fort +36, Ref +29, Will +33; STR 41, DEX 17, CON 31, INT 28, WIS 25, CHA 24.
I included Necrozyte and 2 other green dragons who occasionally breathed into the room. The Ominous Fabler did his thing, infesting the party barbarian with worms beofer being turned to a brown smudge. Vercinabex Tor freaked out and mazed himself, but didn;t return until it was too late. I also let the party run the two raam giants, since they were pretty much against the dragons anyway.
Brazzemal's breath weapon, clinging, is brutal. Second he managed to get a hld of the brabarian and the paladin with his grab feats and pin them both. After his SR and the cube of frost resistance foiled the first major attempts at tharming him the party kind of knew they were screwed. One thing led to another and it was time to hit the escape button, and the party teleported out.
I failed to strike the balance here and the party got whooped, but they did destroy the phylactery. They were waltzing through most of the module, (except mother worm) I thought for sure I needed to buff the big red guy. There's got to be a happy medium. Just hard to find in AoW 3.5.
I dont have that in the errata or in the Spell Compendium. Where did you get that from?
Edit: I downloaded it(errata) again to make sure I did not have an old version, and its not there.
I dug up my Draconomicon, and the revised version is in there (Cha bonus as a deflection bonus to AC, but a penalty of half of the Cha bonus to natural AC, or something like that). Not nearly as good as I'd hoped, but what is said above is true - if they don't cast some greater dispels right off the bat, they deserve what they get.
I dug up my Draconomicon, and the revised version is in there (Cha bonus as a deflection bonus to AC, but a penalty of half of the Cha bonus to natural AC, or something like that). Not nearly as good as I'd hoped, but what is said above is true - if they don't cast some greater dispels right off the bat, they deserve what they get.
Actually, since the Draconomicon was published in November 2003 and the Spell Compendium in December 2005, the Spell Compendium version supercedes the Draconomicon version. (Personally, I regard all non-core books published in 2003 to be on the cusp of 3.0/3.5, as editing/printing schedules would not necessarily have allowed the authors to see the final version of the 3.5 rules.)
The differences are as follows (if anyone's interested). The Spell Compendium version lasts for 1 minute/level (instead of 1 round/level). The Spell Compendium version transforms (i.e., replaces) the natural armour bonus into an equivalent deflection bonus (instead of adding a deflection bonus equal to the Con modifier and decreasing the natural armour bonus by half that value).
Actually, since the Draconomicon was published in November 2003 and the Spell Compendium in December 2005, the Spell Compendium version supercedes the Draconomicon version. (Personally, I regard all non-core books published in 2003 to be on the cusp of 3.0/3.5, as editing/printing schedules would not necessarily have allowed the authors to see the final version of the 3.5 rules.)
The differences are as follows (if anyone's interested). The Spell Compendium version lasts for 1 minute/level (instead of 1 round/level). The Spell Compendium version transforms (i.e., replaces) the natural armour bonus into an equivalent deflection bonus (instead of adding a deflection bonus equal to the Con modifier and decreasing the natural armour bonus by half that value).
Thanks for the update. The updated version is usable, unlike the Draconomicon version. The whole Charisma modifier thing is pointless. Plus 6 or 7 to deflection, but minus 3 or 4 to natural armor - more trouble than it is worth to even track it.
As I want to make a lasting impression with Brazzemal and recently had a very hard time to threaten a TPK on my players, I followed much advice on this thread. Too add to the tips, I wanted to point to some stuff I found in the Draconomicon that is particularly useful.
- On page 24 about "dragons and magic items" I got inspired on what items to give Brazzemal. A belly stud of resistance +5? Hell, yeah!
- The metabreath spells are really awesome as they add without complicating too much. Dispelling Breath (p.78) is very helpful for Brazzemal, and Blinding Breath fits his concept very well.
- Brazzemal qualifies for epic feats, so I gave him Spellcasting Harrier (p.74). Casters in his reach cannot cast defensively now.
He is very mean now: 1) Much better defense thanks to some items and better buffing spells, 2) a strong first impression with a "dispelling tempest 20d10 fire breath", and 3) tactical supremacy in tight spaces due to Spellcasting Harrier.
We'll see how that goes *evilgrin*
I would also recommend two feats from the dragon section of the Draconomicon: Suppress Weakness and Overcome Weakness. It is a small feat chain which has Iron Will as a pre-requisite.
While I don't have a problem with dragons being "colour-coded for your convenience", I also don't see why they shouldn't be tricksy about getting around their known weaknesses. Learn and adapt, I say! :)
When my group went through this adventure, Brazzamel was killed by the first hit.
We use the "players roll all the dice" option from Unearthed Arcana, including the offensive saving throws. That means anytime a monster needs to make a save, the player forcing it rolls the d20 and adds his modifiers to the rolls (DC 15 turns into a d20+5) and compares it to the monster's saving throws. High: the monster fails; low: the monster makes it.
Well, the party's gnoll ranger crit for 50+ points of damage, and rolled Brazzamel's massive damage save and rolled a nat 20 (the equivelant of rolling a natural 1 in the standard rules). Autofail.
Some folks are going to say this is why they don't use massive damage rules, or whatever. I stick by it though. We've lost more than a few PC's to massive damage over the years, so this was fair trade. More importantly however, this story gets retold with some frequency. How many times has a PC ever killed a dragon in one hit? One of the highlights of the cmpaign.
When my group went through this adventure, Brazzamel was killed by the first hit.
We use the "players roll all the dice" option from Unearthed Arcana, including the offensive saving throws. That means anytime a monster needs to make a save, the player forcing it rolls the d20 and adds his modifiers to the rolls (DC 15 turns into a d20+5) and compares it to the monster's saving throws. High: the monster fails; low: the monster makes it.
Well, the party's gnoll ranger crit for 50+ points of damage, and rolled Brazzamel's massive damage save and rolled a nat 20 (the equivelant of rolling a natural 1 in the standard rules). Autofail.
Some folks are going to say this is why they don't use massive damage rules, or whatever. I stick by it though. We've lost more than a few PC's to massive damage over the years, so this was fair trade. More importantly however, this story gets retold with some frequency. How many times has a PC ever killed a dragon in one hit? One of the highlights of the cmpaign.
At higher level 50 points of damage is too easy to come by. That is another reason I don't use that rule.
If you're going to toss in variant rules while retaining massive damage threats at this level you should at least use the Massive Damage Based On Size variant (DMG p. 27). That makes Brazzemal's massive damage threshold 80 hp.
Through the entire campaign, Brazzamel was the only notable non-player casualty of massive damage, so I'm going to keep running with the standard rule. My point was that the players had fun and a great story was forged. The character lopped off Brazzamel's head with one swing. It was pretty epic.
We'll see how that goes *evilgrin*Well, how did it go? Must tell!
Finally, the party encountered Brazzemal. They had lots of their resources depleted, as they didn't want to risk resting with the dragon army advancing.
Lineup: Rickas (Favored Soul), Pallas (Paladin), Galliard (Rogue/Bard), Sama (Sorcerer). With very good diplomacy, they had secured Kargo Thundersmiters help, Vercinabex Tor was charmed, one Raam undead controlled, and the other taken over by Sama with magic jar.
Brazzemal was buffed big time (AC 55, mirror image, cold immunity, better attacks, true seeing, ...), and shocked them with a dispelling tempest breath, obliterating Vercinabex Tor and dealing lots of damage to the Paladin and the Favored Soul. Spallcasting Harrier proved to be very effective, especially vs. the Favored Soul who initially wanted to go into melee. A ring of counterspelling saved him a full precious ruond with all buffs up. Pallas would have died about four times would Rickas not have cast Mass Heal three times. Brazzemal employed tactics like bull rushing Pallas and Kargo out of the opening into the Rift Canyon, and dropping opponents after a grapple is spaces that let him move as he desired. After 8 (!) rounds of combat, Galliard was fleeing and tried to get reinforcements, Pallas dead on the Rift Canyons bottom, Kargo falling downwards, Sama without spells and flying outside to get Kargo back (who had dealt quite a share of damage), and only Rickas left standing. A charge with his holy greatsword luckily connected critically, and took away the last of Brazzemals 60 hitpoints, who was just about to heal himself. Very very close to TPK. Excellent session.
Spellcasting Harrier, good buff spells, and ring of counterspelling were key here. Could well have ended worse though, so apply cautiosly - or not :)
They had lots of their resources depleted, as they didn't want to risk resting with the dragon army advancing.
If three (9th level) mass heal spells left over is "depleted," I'd hate to see them at full strength. Were they 20th level?
They had lots of their resources depleted, as they didn't want to risk resting with the dragon army advancing.If three (9th level) mass heal spells left over is "depleted," I'd hate to see them at full strength. Were they 20th level?
They levelled from 18th to 19th just before opening the door, and I ruled that they'd gain access to their new spell slots. The Favored Soul/Chosen of Kord (homebrew PrC) thus gained access to 9th level spells right before the battle, and used all his daily castings on mass heal. The sorcerer, on the other hand, took his last level in Fiend-Blooded ('loss' of spellcasting level), and had, besides 3rd level slots and lower, only one 6th level slot available - which he used to successfully disintegrate the phylactery. He was pretty much useless afterwards.
At full strength, they are quite formidable, but alas, that's just the way it is at this level. They are even a bit below treasure curve, and have mostly good but sane builds, nothing crazy. Still, spontaneous divine casting does make a difference (at the price of turning mechanics, which would lead to other headaches).
They leveled from 18th to 19th just before opening the door, and I ruled that they'd gain access to their new spell slots.
Ah, that explains it. I usually wait until they rest before allowing them to level, rather than permitting instantaneous leveling.
Has anyone else allowed Brazzemal access to his hoard or have thoughts on great core rules magic items he might use?
I always customize named NPC monsters for my games, especially with regards to feats, spells, and magic items. I feel that the party should earn the items they gain from them, and as such a large amount of their treasure is items the monster uses in the encounter.
My version of Brazzemal was as follows:
BRAZZEMAL the BURNING (non-elite ancient red dragon) (CR 23)
AL/Size/Type: CE Gargantuan Dragon (fire)
HD: 34d12+340 (561 HP)
Init: +0; Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Blindsense 60 ft., Keen Senses
Aura: Frightful Presence (300 ft.)
Speed: 40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy)
Space/Reach: 20 ft. / 15 ft. (20 ft. with bite)
AC: 43 (-4 size, +33 natural, +4 mage armor), touch 6, flat-footed 43
DR: 15/magic; SR: 28
Immune: fire, paralysis, sleep; Resist: cold 30
Saves: Fort +29, Ref +20, Will +27
BAB/Grapple: +34 / +65
Full Attack: Bite +52 (4d6+22 [critical 19-20]) and 2 claws +50 (2d8+12 [critical 19-20]) and 2 wings +50 (2d6+12 [critical 20]) and tail slap +50 (2d8+31 [critical 20])
Special Attacks: Breath Weapon, Crush, Tail Sweep, SLAs, Spells, Snatch, Tail Constrict
Special Qualities: Frightful Presence, Vulnerability to Cold
Abilities: STR 48, DEX 10, CON 30, INT 22, WIS 24, CHA 26
Skills: Bluff +45, Concentration +47, Listen +44, Sense Motive +45, Spot +44 [plus other]
Feats: Improved Critical (bite), Improved Critical (claw), Multiattack, Flyby Attack, Hover, Wingover, Cleave, Power Attack, Snatch, Improved Snatch, Tail Constrict, Quicken Breath
Languages: Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Dwarven, Elven, Giant
Treasure: amulet of mighty fists +3, belt of giant strength +6, deathguardian bracers, ring of resistance +5, ring of greater cold resistance, gemstone of heavy fortification, sending stone, stone of good luck [plus various nonmagical items listed in adventure]
Breath Weapon (Su): Can breathe a 60 ft. cone of fire that deals 20d10 fire damage every 1d4 rounds. DC 37 Reflex save for half damage.
Frightful Presence (Ex): Creatures within a 300-ft-radius are subject to the effect if they have fewer HD than the dragon. DC 35 Will save for 24 hour immunity. On a failed save, creatures with 5 or more HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds. Dragons are immune.
Spell-Like Abilities: (CL 15th)
10/day – locate object
3/day – suggestion (DC 21)
1/day – find the path
Spells Known: (CL 15th, +30 ranged touch; CL 16th for ferocity of sanguine rage)
7th (5/day) – arcane spellsurge, justice of the wyrm king
6th (7/day) – greater dispel magic, heal, ray of entropy
5th (7/day) – burning blood [draco], dispelling breath, teleport, transmute rock to mud
4th (8/day) – forceward, orb of force, sharptooth, stoneskin
3rd (8/day) – blacklight, ferocity of sanguine rage, protection from energy, wreath of flames
2nd (8/day) – cat’s grace, mirror image, scintillating scales, scorching ray, see invisibility
1st (8/day) – cure light wounds, identify, mage armor, magic missile, shield
0th (6/day) – arcane mark, dancing lights, detect magic, ghost sound (DC 18), guidance, mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic, resistance
Other Information:
- Benefits from mage armor added: +4 armor bonus to AC
- Active: burning blood [15 fire damage in a 5-ft. radius each time he takes melee damage]
- Pre-Combat: arcane spellsurge, cat’s grace, ferocity of sanguine rage, mirror image, protection from energy, scintillating scales, sharptooth, shield, see invisibility, blacklight, stoneskin
- Usually power attacks for 20
It was a pretty nice fight until the party's 4-actions-vs-1-action took over :)
With Scintillating Scales up, I can imagine some fighter with Mage Slayer slicing on through and finding the Dragon only ac 10. Heh!
==Aelryinth
Ugh, my group has a mage slayer, you cant cast defensively and when i hit you, your buffs are gone guy too. We just finished Brazz this weekend and he did meh. Mostly because the group took in The Ominous Fabler and Vercinabex, which provided me with some much needed mook-age
If you have a Mage Slayer in your group, you would need to do things a little differently. In any case, I tend to give my dragons a large amount of swift spells and immediate spells (as that allows them to full attack as well as use their spell slots meaningfully). Some dragons I give Quicken Breath, and some I give Quicken Spell, both for the same reasons. Dragons should be full-attacking as much as possible :)
If you have a Mage Slayer in your group, you would need to do things a little differently. In any case, I tend to give my dragons a large amount of swift spells and immediate spells (as that allows them to full attack as well as use their spell slots meaningfully). Some dragons I give Quicken Breath, and some I give Quicken Spell, both for the same reasons. Dragons should be full-attacking as much as possible :)
+1 to all that. Also, it helps to remember that pierce magical protection is a standard action. Blegh for me forgetting that.