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Activate the Three Tome Sections

Encounters
Retrieve · High · 4 players, level 20

Activate the Three Tome Sections

If the party cannot activate all three sections, Tiamat remains in the fey court and the library is destroyed.

Run the fight

Round
1
Several hours if played as a stand-up fight; the tome can end the encounter sooner.
Creatures
20
High

This round

Nothing planned.

Win The party activates all three tome sections

Lose All four characters are dead or incapacitated

Party 4 players, level 20

System D&D 2024

Cheat sheet

Retrieve

Activate one tome section in each of the three library zones. A creature adjacent to a section uses an action to activate it; once all three are active, Tiamat is banished.

Win

The party activates all three tome sections; Tiamat and the dragons are banished from the fey court.

Lose

All four characters are dead or incapacitated, or the party abandons the library before activating all three sections.

If it goes badly: The dragons block the exits while Tiamat remains; if the party retreats, she lets them go and begins destroying the library.

Forces

  • 1 × TiamatAC 25 · HP 615 · CR 30
  • 10 × Adult Red DragonAC 19 · HP 256 · CR 17
  • 9 × Adult Blue DragonAC 19 · HP 225 · CR 16

Rounds

  • 2The shelves lurch. Each creature on the floor makes a DC 18 Dexterity save or falls prone.
  • 4A wave of fey light crosses one zone chosen by the GM.
  • 6The library folds its aisles.

Read aloud

Say this

Dragons punch through the library roof and drive the court's books into the air. Tiamat lands among the reading tables as three tome sections flare in separate rooms. The dragons turn toward the party while the first section begins to burn.

Forces

3

  • Tiamat

    Controller

    1 of them
    AC
    25
    HP each
    615
    CR
    30

    Chromatic Dragons · Limited Magic Immunity · Legendary Resistance · Multiattack

    Opens
    Use Divine Brilliance against the largest cluster of characters, then press toward the nearest inactive tome section.
    Targets
    The character activating a tome section.
    Flees
    Does not flee; vanishes when all three tome sections are activated.

  • Adult Red Dragon

    Bruiser

    10 of them
    AC
    19
    HP each
    256
    CR
    17

    Fire Breath · Frightful Presence · Multiattack · Tail

    Opens
    Use Fire Breath across a tome section and its approach; land between the party and the lectern.
    Targets
    The nearest character to an inactive tome section.
    Flees
    Fights until Tiamat is banished.

  • Adult Blue Dragon

    Artillery

    9 of them
    AC
    19
    HP each
    225
    CR
    16

    Lightning Breath · Frightful Presence · Multiattack · Tail

    Opens
    Use Lightning Breath down the longest clear aisle; remain aloft over the shelves.
    Targets
    A character separated from the group or attempting to reach a section.
    Flees
    Fights until Tiamat is banished.

What happens

Several hours if played as a stand-up fight; the tome can end the encounter sooner.
  1. 2

    At the end of round 2

    The shelves lurch. Each creature on the floor makes a Dexterity save or falls prone.

  2. 4

    At the end of round 4

    A wave of fey light crosses one zone chosen by the GM. Dragons there make a Wisdom save or lose reactions until the next round.

  3. 6

    At the end of round 6

    The library folds its aisles. All creatures are moved to the nearest zone; a creature can make a Strength save to stay in place.

The battlefield

Zones

  1. 1

    The Cleared Stacks60 by 40

    The first tome section rests on a waist-high lectern; two rows of shelves provide half cover.

  2. 2

    The Drained Court60 by 40

    The second section is chained to a reading table; a cracked skylight spills fey light across the floor.

  3. 3

    The Cut-Root Room60 by 40

    The final section sits inside a ring of empty plinths; each plinth is difficult terrain.

What the party can use

A brass reading rail can be dropped as an action; creatures beneath it make a DC 18 Dexterity save or take 4d10 bludgeoning damage and fall prone.
A creature adjacent to a tome section can activate it with an action; the first activation each round is safe, later activations that round deal 3d10 force damage to the activator.
A creature can use an action to tip a shelf into an adjacent zone; creatures in its path make a DC 18 Dexterity save or take 4d10 bludgeoning damage and fall prone.

Scaling

XP budget470,000 of 470,000 XP
Weaker

High

One fewer Adult Blue Dragon

Remove five adult red dragons and five adult blue dragons.
As written

High

Stronger

High

One more Tiamat

Add two adult blue dragons; each enters from the skylight at the end of round 1.

Treasure

The dragons leave scorched royal folios and a handful of intact spellbooks behind.

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