Taking down a Dragon in DCC

In tonight's DCC game, the setup of the adventure involved the PCs having to dissuade a band of bloodthirsty mutant Scottish barbarians from invading and ransacking the Elven Dome.  The Nudist Hermit accompanying the PCs made mention of knowing a dragon lair in the mountains nearby, which would be both more glorious and more honorable for the barbarians.

Now, my idea was one of several possibilities: the PCs could certainly have let the barbarians go off and be slaughtered by the Dragon, and then go on their merry way; they could also figure out a different target (like the peaceful Cactus-People beyond the mountains, or the vicious Sword-Octopi that harass the Cactus-people) and lead the barbarians to battle and potential loot.

But no, my group of players all decide that it would be an awesome idea to join the barbarians and take on a motherfucking dragon.

Their level, you ask? Well, there's a whole range, from level 0 - 2.

Yup, you read that right. These maniacs' best character was level 2, and they went off to fight a dragon.  Not just any dragon, but one they quickly learned was highly intelligent, a very powerful spellcaster, capable of summoning monsters, throwing fireballs, breathing ice, and becoming invisible.  It was as large as a house, unless it cast Enlarge, in which case it was as large as two houses.

The Barbarians, by the way, were wiped out in the first five minutes of the assault, taken down by a perfectly-placed Ice Breath that blasted through the entire entry-tunnel to the dragon's lair.

But still the PCs continued, with a series of careful, though mostly disastrous plans; the party's Dwarf blew himself to bits when he entered invisibly to the lair and fumbled when throwing an explosive device at the dragon. The human outlaw and the elven organic farmer both got killed in another attempt involving suicide-bomber chickens.

Finally, they managed to draw the dragon out, and a particularly vicious battle ended up being won by the well-timed use of the Invoke Patron spell and and a very lucky throw with a grenade.

So, three out of 7 PCs (and about 35 Barbarian warriors, and several chickens, horses, and cave bears) ended up dead, but they actually beat a dragon.

I personally never expected them to have a chance. But there you go; a strong lesson never to underestimate your players!

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