Returning to kill the shadow dragon

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I want to get Mazzy in my party asap, but I don't think I'll be strong enough to kill the shadow dragon. If I bypass it with the wardstone, kill the shade lord, can I go back and kill the dragon at a later time? Or will be gone since I killed its master?

 

The surface changes with killing the shade lord, but the underground areas stay the same (the statue of A is still there). The shadow dragon should still be there even after the shadow lord dies.

Having a free round to whack on the poor beast makes the fight easier. A good first round will really weaken the dragon. Save first. You could always use the chromatic doom trick (Aerie). If the dragon survives, reload. Make sure everyone is protected from fear.

 

I don't know, I have never left the Shadow Dragon for after the Shade Lord but I would suspect that the Shadow Dragon would vanish just like the spawning Shadow critters in the dungeon do.

Edit: Why not just get Mazzy and then leave and come back when you think you are strong enough to beat the dragon?

[ August 24, 2005, 22:08: Message edited by: JSBB ]

 

I'm pretty sure I went back after killing the Shade Lord and the Shadow Dragon was still there. It was a while back so I can't be 100% sure.

 

Yeah, Thax just hangs about, waiting for you to kill him.

For a giant spell-casting lizard, he's none too bright!

 

Both the Shadow and Red dragons just sit around waiting for you to kill them. Too bad Adalon disappears. That one I'd like to kill for dissing me

 

forgive me, what is the chromatic doom trick? I mostly rely on my melee characters in the past, while my spellcasters just cast buffs and cast summons.

 

Have Aerie set up a Spell Trigger with doom, then chromatic orb, in that order. Have her cast it at the dragon, and watch the fun!

EDIT: spelling fix

[ August 27, 2005, 05:09: Message edited by: Laiwethel ]

 

aaah...okies. will try that on my next game....and my 80% melle party (only Aerie and Viccy are the 'casters' that time) kept on dying with that dragon (remembers the fun of "dancing" Aerie and the PC while Viccy revives the fallen party members)

 

What items do you get from killing the Shadow Dragon?

 

IIRC gems, gold, black dragon scales, scroll of Crom Faeyr.

 

At 12th level, chromatic orb slays the target (the target gets a +6 to save). Doom helps to reduce that save -- I think you may only have a 10% of killing the dragon with doom-chromatic orb, but it's an instant kill. If you like to reload you can cast (save), reload, cast (save), reload ... cast (dead dragon).

 

After reading this topic, I sent my party to have at the two dragons we considered ourselves woefully unable to confront too early in the game. We are:

Khyrillion (me; mage)
Minsc (and Boo, don't forget Boo!)
Valygar
Kelsey
Jan
Anomen

We quickly became a fan of Kelsey's 5th level Lower Resistance spell, followed up with Khyrillion's 7th level Prismatic Spray. What a one-two punch! It made for a very short melee, indeed. (And contrary to what all the boastfulness would have one believe, Sir Anomen didn't even get a hit in. Just one critical miss. Heh.)

This combo kicked butt on the game's resident Red Wyrm, too...

As an aside, we didn't find a whole lot of booty upon slaying said dragons. Thax yielded only gold and the Crom Faeyr scroll; Firkraag, just some gold. The Monty Haul side of me was sorely disappointed!

 

If you want to use Chromatic Orb to kill dragons...chuck a Greater Malison in there as well...that pushes it up to about 40% instead of just 10%.

Still not worth it though...unless you have 3 or 4 casters in your party casting Chromatic Orb at the same time...that significantly ups your chances...assuming you've Greater Malison'd & Doom'd the dragon.

 

If it can be done fast enough and using Rhyllian's party:

Khyrillion, Jan, Kelsey - Gr. Malison
Anomen, Minsc, Valygar - Doom
Khyrillion, Jan, Kelsey - Lower Resistance
Khyrillion, Kelsey - Chromatic Orb

 

@Rhyllian

Do you literally mean there was nothing but gold or nothing good but gold? You may have killed the dragons with one of the special effects of Prismatic Spray where the enemy is turned to stone. If so, when the dragon was destroyed, it likely destroyed some really, really good equipment with it.

 

If you petrify a dragon, quickly use a scroll of Stone to Flesh or use Ring of Earth's ability to cure it. The dragon will have 1HP, cast a magicmisile and 'is dead! NOW, not only you get the full loot, you actually get the HUGE XP reward TWICE!!! NEAT! That is why I really like Flesh to Stone and prefer it over rather volatile Disintegrate.

If you disintegrate though, you are out of luck. I wish there was a spell called 'Reintegrate'...

 

@UCLAParadox:

Oboy, I feel about as bright as a gully dwarf at the moment... Oh, well. Next time through (when I'm planning on playing a cleric, so's I won't have to suffer His High-And-Mightiness), I'll be forewarned. Thank you!

(That's what I love about this board, and why I joined after lurking for a while. When something whizzes completely over my head, it's glaringly obvious to someone else, and it's happily shared!)

@Silverstar:

A very sneaky trick. I like it! And the double-scoop of XP is very, very tempting, too. Darn my Monty Haul streak!