What are some ways to make a dragon encounter more interesting, without resorting to gimmick-filled bullshit.
>>46356514
Start by giving us examples of "gimmick-filled bullshit".
>>46356567
I can't think of any examples. If I was creative about this I wouldn't have to ask /tg/.
>>46356594
Then we can't help you. There's always the risk than any suggestion we make would be dismissed by you as "gimmick-filled bullshit".
>>46356644
I have a very high threshold of what I'd qualify as "gimmick-filled bullshit."
In fact, just ignore that qualifier entirely.
Is "gimmick-filled bullshit" classified as "anything that keeps the human player characters from getting killed instantly when fighting afire breathing lizard"?
>>46356715
Party is high enough level that they should be able to take it. But yes, auto-win for the party counts as a gimmick.
>>46356671
Then there are several ways a dragon encounter can go, other than a straight battle:
-Luring the dragon into an ambush
-Poisoning the dragon's food
-Sneaking into and stealing from the hoard
-Bargaining with the dragon
And all that is with just your basic, Fafnir-style dragon.
>>46356514
What setting/game/mechanics? We need details OP.
>>46356514
Ultimately depends on whether they're sentient or not.
Also, cool pic.
>>46356807
Setting is a homebrew that's generic and boring. The dragon they're going to fight is kind of "new in town" and they want to kill it before it gets bigger and causes problems.
D&D 5e.
>>46356873
They're sentient.
You could offer them a way to reason with it, but they sort of have to find it out for themselves (dragon does not starts talking)
Depends on the fact, if they have to kill it or just get rid of it in any way.
>>46357054
If they're evil, don't make them psychotic for the sake of it. Give them a goal. Maybe they see dragonkind as superior to humanity and will not stop until they are venerated as gods, as in the days of old. Perhaps they don't care about humanity, but they're constantly feeling threatened by civilisation's expansion, so have resorted to a 'get off my lawn, whippersnappers' approach. They might look at the dwindling numbers of dragons and reason that it's either them or humanity. Someone's gotta initiate the genocide. From there, mask up a great big plot. Make them respond to talking. Make them DO some of the talking. Hurl insults, refute arguments, become furious at the PC's insolence.
If they're good, you need to ask yourself why the PCs are fighting them. Are they disagreeing on the object of a quest? Maybe the means in which to do it? Dragons could be rather detached from humanity in terms of mentality: maybe they don't see collateral damage as an issue; the importance of loved ones may not be an issue; the stance on sacrifice could vary. Now do the same thing. Make them respond to things. Will they take a pacifist route and only defend? Will they try non-lethal attacks? Will they flee when something goes awry?Will they, fuelled by this battle, end up seeing the evil dragon's point of view?
>>46356514
I run a GURPS Dungeon Fantasy game so the core assumptions of our systems are completely different, but the one time my players got in a fight with a decent sized dragon (body about the size of a tank, wingspan maybe four times that) the fight was terrifying.
In my setting dragons are intelligent, though this one wasn't a spellcaster. They know that they have the advantage in mobility and strength, so it seldom landed and lured the players into a killzone by burning paths in the grassy field they fought it in. Once the dragon landed it only landed long enough to attempt to crush the party's fighter-type under its weight, which it would have if he hadn't rolled out of the way. The party ended up retreating by floating into an underground cave through a river after a long chase. Once they returned, they did so with horse-drawn ballistae with ropes and chains to drag the dragon to the ground, then hacked at its neck until the monster was finally dead.
So basically even if the dragon doesn't have anything more to it than firebreath, being big and tough, and wings, have it take full advantage of that. A dragon fights on its own terms, don't have it land just so players can hit it. A dragon should be terrifying and require specialized tactics to kill.
>>46357328
>They might look at the dwindling numbers of dragons and reason that it's either them or humanity.
I really like this angle, actually. It would give the party a possible path to solve the problem without using violence: Somehow convince the dragon that this is not the case, and offer to help him.
Of course, they have to come up with some ways to actually assist him, which might be tricky, but this should make for an interesting encounter either way. Thanks!
>>46357938
I'm now imagining the dragon giving the party the task of finding a mate cause dragon's are so spread out and hard to find.
The party then has to setup a date and help the dragon become presentable to his/her date. Doing so will bring a harmonious relation between mortals and dragons.
Literally love and peace
>>46356514
>A ragtag band of adventurers travel to the dragon's lair
>They have fought and lost, sacrificed many things sacred to reach the end of the journey.
>They begin to approached the entrance and to their surprise, it's empty.
>Suddenly, the healer have something to say.
>Promptly transformed into the very dragon they have been hunting.
>The beast that have brutalized all of them, was their friend all along.
>The dragon asked for forgiveness, begging to be clear of it's past crimes.
>Tension surged in the group, they decided to kill the dragon out of greed and vengeance.
>They return as heroes, basked in triumph and glories, the dragon's head in a cart along with it's treasures.
>Though they won, they lost something in return.
>The group broke up, consumed by grief and regrets, everyone of them died alone in a hovel and can't stop reminiscing about that day.
Dragons, they fuck with your minds too. :^(
>>46356514
Have the dragon play smart. It's not going to fight in a cave - it's a flying creature with a ranged attack, it's going to fight in an open area. It's not going to land, either - it's going to fly above the party breathing fire or whatever on them, maybe making flyby attacks if 5e dragons can do that. If PCs don't have flying, good ranged attacks or the right spells, they're done for.
I prefer that my dragons are embodiments of overwhelming force and terror, and you don't reason with them. Whatever the motivations, they are simply too alien to understand and if the dragons can communicate they have no apparent interest in doing so. The fight should make the players feel disadvantaged, perhaps having an early encounter where the players are helpless. Although in general I am not a big fan of dragons, they have their place.
Twist the idea of what is a dragon a tad, elemental winged lizards are cool and shit, but always bringing the classic FIRE BREATHING SCALED SCUM tires.
Give it more mundane tools to work with, make him a master of its environment not just thanks to elemental and physical superiority, but evolutive adaptations - as much as the party is stalking towards its den, the dragon stalks around them, camouflaged in hiding places he already dug prior.
If it lives in a mountain its scales blends near perfectly as craggy rock, in the woods and swamps, a green dragon's slightly sinuous body plays like branches and vines, and sandy biome drakes tend to burrow, scuttling quietly as they watch over prey and trespassors.
Also, being intelligent and, by what you say, likely a young wirm, don't be afraid of throwing a seemingly 'weak' drake only to it play as dirty as possible even if cowardly. Let it take blows and flee, but make it smart enough to flee in the most troublesome ways for the party. It may take a secret path to its lair that happens to be filled with strong mobs, it may take strange turns in the layout of the dungeon just to crash through a wall or peek through a hole to unleash sneak attacks, the beast will do its best to tire you out before it tires out and then resort to agreements - with all the cockiness of a wyrm saying that 'it was all a test to find suitable servants' and all that jazz.
>>>>46361906
I guess that's one possible solution, then.
>>46356514
The party is arrested and brought to the local Judge for sentencing.
The Judge is a Dragon, not even polymorphed or shapeshifted, it's a dragon and everyone knows it.
The party must plead their case or they branded as criminals and either thrown in jail or exiled from the country.
The Dragon is a fair judge, attacking him will automatically make the party enemy number one for the country and widely disliked in the neighboring ones.
>>46356514
wait till you're a better DM. for the next encounter, have them face a nasty advanced manticore. get a feel for flight rules and how to play a cunning beast before you try running a dragon. dragons are complicated running right.
Have the dragon be stealthy
Is a wing-buffet gimmick-filled bullshit?
>>46367389
Wing-buffet?
>>46367418
Whatever it is called when the great Drake thrusts it's leathery wings down lifting up a storm of blinding dust, sand and pebbles plus a hundred mile wind knocking them on their asses.
>>46367418
Funnily enough, wing attacks and tail sweeps are a part of core dragon natural attacks (iirc, I've been focusing more on pathfinder in the last few years)
>>46356514
Make it a force of nature.
Put your players in multiple "hope we don't die" kind of hopeless situations.
>>46356514
Restrict the dragon in some way to scale down its CR.
You could rip off Dark Souls and have its wings pinned so its grounded.
Perhaps it just fought an another dragon and is missing a leg or something?
Environment is probably going to be the biggest factor, of which the possibilities are endless.
>>46356514
Alrighty I will try
As the dragon lifts its wings, you see several thousands of small.. orbs. A successful perception check will reveal that the orbs are in fact eggs.
As the battle progresses, 1d4 eggs will fall on the ground each round and spawn a new dragon (roll a d12 to see what age group the dragon will be) will emerge and rapidly grow (1 age group per round until it has reached its potential aka the d12 from before)
A further perception check will reveal that the dragon has been sweating the entire time. Some weird clear liquid. A very slippery liquid. So slippery that the players will have to succeed on a balance check or fall on their butts.
Near the end of the battle the dragon will fire its breath at the liquid (and possibly remaining dragon spawns will do the same) resulting in a giant inferno which should catch the players on fire and/or create a huge explosion which the dragons have evolved to be immune to.
During this time the dragon will try to fly away and escape.
