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I have a session coming up soon where the PCs are about to encounter a dragon. I keep dragons extremely rare, and therefore, try to make encounters with them extremely memorable (read: challenging).
The dragon in question is a Wyrm White Dragon. The party will encounter it in an enclosed space, so Fly-by tactics are out the window. I think it'd be cool to make it a caster, but I'm not sure how viable it is at this level.
Does anyone have any advice for spells and feats?
Here's the party line-up, if it affects things
Human Ranged Fighter
Human Zen Archer
Half-Elf Sorcerer (pretty blasty)
Dwarf Cleric
Gnome Summoner (quadraped pouncy-style Eidoleon)
If the environment is not icy or snowy, the dragon should have some kind of spell or magical item that lets it create those conditions, as that lets it utilize its other abilities more effectively.
Beyond that, defensive spells and spells that enhance its melee combat abilities would be good.
The problem with making a wyrm white dragon a primary caster is that it only has 5th-level spells, despite being CR 16. That combination isn't particularly suited to the caster role. Even the CR 18 great wyrm only has access to 6th-level spells, while your PCs will have access to 7th-level spells.
Edit: I must say that with limited maneuverability, the dragon will have a hard time against a 6-person party with 3 frontline combatants and an archer. Especially if the party has foreknowledge of the dragon encounter and are able to prepare accordingly. I would add some minions and have the encounter play out in an environment that would be advantageous for the dragon.
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Give your dragon minions.
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Your dragon has the odds stacked against it.
Severely stacked against it.
It has to be full attacking from the get go as the Sorcerer (who presumably has several fire spells) and two ranged attackers will destroy it if it doddles where they can see it. (Two rounds?)
Getting in close should be through stealth, cover, or burrowing.
The key is to isolate half+ the party and get full attacks on the rest.
-Use the dragon's terrain abilities to the utmost, including burrow to come right up on characters. Maybe even snatch and burrow away (with the Cleric if the dragon can tell he's the sole healer.)
-Lots of fog/ice to cut down on maneuvering and ranged attacks.
-Add pits and wind effects (strong enough to blow flyers around and mess up ranged attacks) if you want to be really mean.
Best case may be on a frozen mountainside trail with major gusts and low visibility. "Enclosed" isn't really that good unless you add pits (perhaps iced over) and walls (perhaps crevasses dragon can reach into). Heck, maybe fire spells cause flooding or make icicles fall on party. :)
Cave In, CR 8, is a nice add.
Spells:
Stoneskin, Dim. Door, Black Tentacles, Wall of Ice, et al
Pro. Fire & Resist Fire (and/or disguise effects to look like different dragon/creature)
Stinking Cloud (gives both cover and may take out some PCs too)
Wind Wall (liberally used before combat)
Shield and Mage Armor,
Haste (to get rid of Slow after Dim Dooring away, or aid minions)
With high perception dragon and low stealth PCs (right?) then he should know they're coming in time to prep quite a bit (both buffs and terrain spells).
Minor Globe of Invulnerability can be unusually useful as the sorcerer probably uses empowered/maximized low-level fire spells (which still count as lower level and can't get through.)
He's outspelled, so DO NOT engage in in-combat spellcasting. He will die fast and tragically. (Separation spells and control/delay spells like Stinking Cloud and Black Tentacles are exceptions.)
Do not plan to use its breath weapon. White Dragons have pitiful damage and any plan based on this will suck.
Full attack w/ power attack and multiattack is its only way to match PCs' damage/heal rate.
Feats: Snatch (to force separation/chase), Hover (right out of their reach and/or where it creates blinding cloud vs. ranged attackers), Blindfight (to counter many PC options)
Hit and runs are barely effective if you're trying to injure the party, but illusions can be used (from hiding) to spend some of the PCs bigger blasts before the real damage starts.
Feel completely free to have the dragon trigger major buffs and then LEAVE an unimportant location. (Not recommended except for rare battles like this.)
Heck, an enormous, dark cavern where the party is a beacon and the dragon remains in the dark could be interesting (especially if the dragon can attack from range.
Other options:
Add Sorcerer levels. Drop his age, but add enough levels to get spells like Forcecage and Empowered Chain Lightning (WHAT! We were ready for COLD!)
He will be significantly weaker (even at same CR), but perfect for the huge, dark cavern scenario. (Cast before moving so party targets/searches where it was.)
Add minions. Always the best option, as even meaningless creatures that don't add to CR of encounter can distract large portions of the party. If the encounter 'appears' to be with minions, you may even get the party to separate themselves, i.e. very long cavern, eidolon and barb move forward several moves to destroy goons, dragon burrows up under casters and archers.
Frost giants could work well. Adjust a few feats toward ranged combat. Post them at least 40 feet apart from each other and far away. Party spreads out to face them, perhaps encountering a pit or two and dragon erupts out of ground or swoops down from its illusion-covered perch to hover and blind. Facing the barb/eidolon while hovering would cut off the ranged attackers from seeing it. Maybe have ambushers cut them off from aiding.
Bone Devils (with liberal use of Wall of Ice) can be really mean and an advanced Remorhaz (or three) ambushing can be a good delay.
Anything that can cast (Greater) Dispel (to debuff) or that can counter fire spells is a good add.
Deeper Darkness (several demons can do this at will) can be used to eliminate most magical light. Paint the cavern black before battle.
Oh, and maybe a Dimensional Anchor... :)
I'm done. :)
JMK
as for casting give the Dragon Buff Spells and defence Boosts Like Mage Armor and Shield. the give it Fighter, Ranger, or Barbaren Levels.
Dragon uses his ice shaping ability to make tunnels in a glacier or iceberg (iceberg thats acool idea for a layer) Than just when he is about to dead he runs away and floods his layer which is connected to a freezing cold underground river. Consider giving the dragon an iron golem minion. that way all those fire spells become worthless and actualy heal the golem.
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Give your White Dragon two kobold Clerics of Tiamat. One will constantly buff the dragon, the other will dispel/counterspell the party.
Yes to creating fog to add concealment and stop those ranged attacks.
Yes to splitting the party.
Dispel stone skin ASAP to ensure the multiple attacks actually deal damage.
Resist Fire is also a great suggestion.
+1 to giving the dragon minions. You could add quite a bit and jump the cr up to like 17-18.
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.if you're building the dragon, then double his HPs and make sure he has the spell "fickle winds" to shut down those archers (either himself or a minion casting the spell).