This describes an encounter toward the end of an adventure, or maybe a complete campaign, depending on how much you have in front of it. See below to see what I mean.
The party enters a temple deep in a temperate forest, seeking a rare artifact. Deep within, they discover that the artifact rests on the tip of the pyramid. After solving a puzzle within, the artifact appears on top, ready for them to grab. When they emerge from the exit one floor below the summit, they stop. Above them, a green dragon and a black dragon are locked in a full aerial battle, each one intent on claiming the artifact for itself. The party has a front-row seat and absolutely no say in what happens next.
Here’s where the DM does something the players won’t see coming. Split the party into two groups and hand each group a dragon to run. One group plays the green, the other plays the black, and they fight it out using the dragons’ actual stat blocks. It’s a dragon battle to the death, role-played by the players themselves, and it tends to get loud and competitive in the best possible way. The DM runs the encounter, adjudicates the rules, and watches the table have more fun than they expected.
When one dragon goes down and only the wounded survivor remains, the players return to their own characters and face what’s left. A dragon that just fought another dragon to the death is not at full strength, which is the only reason a party of this level has a realistic shot. It’s still a serious fight, but it’s a winnable one, and claiming the artifact off the back of that sequence feels earned in a way that a straightforward dragon encounter can’t.
Party Level: 8-12. The dragon duel mechanic is the draw here, and the final fight against the weakened wyrm needs to feel dangerous enough to matter.
World: Any (I ran Forgotten Realms, in the Forest of Wyrms, of course)
Rules-set: 5e originally, but make sure the age/strength of your dragons matches the relative power of the party
Note: This was how I culminated an adventure for a group of 5e players. They had a blast playing the role of the dragons and really took their tactics seriously. – SW
If this made your session better, buying me a coffee keeps the Vault stocked.
