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Edited to put more emphasis on melee weapons and for better flow.
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Location, location, location

There are two primary locations one might be fighting a dragon:

  1. In the open

Here the dragon has all the advantages: its strong hide protects it from arrows, it's tail can swipe any spearmen out of range, if hoarded on all sides it can set the entire area around it on fire, if wounded by a weapon like a ballista it can fly away and recoup. Even any attempts to trap it with nets or pits will fail due to the dragons strength and cunning. The vast and insurmountable advantages of a large dragon against all conventional weaponry in the open field are the reason attacking it cannot be compared to hunting large animals and will always be able to avoid close encounters by attackers with melee weapons.

  1. In the dragon's lair

For this reason a much better strategy is attacking the dragon at it's weakest: when asleep or resting in its lair, after it has burnt and ravaged the surrounding countryside and is no longer met with open resistance. Sending a group of assassins to kill a complacentgorged, sleeping dragon in the enclosed space of its lair with melee weapons gives several advantages:

  • Information:Other weaponry unweildy: In the close quarters and stealthy approach to a dragon's lair, teams of soldiers carrying heavy nets, chains or rolling up a ballista would alert the dragon before our approach. Similarly with firing weapons we might be able to fire a single shot, but will have to rely on melee weapons to finish the job off. And the more the assailants carry, the less likely they are to complete a silent approach.
  • Night time approach: assuming the dragon has to sleep, and flying at nighttime can be dangerous, humans will have the advantage of being able to approach its lair under cover of darkness. This allows them to get much closer than when it is rampaging in the open and allows for the use of melee weapons in a close encounter.
  • Information: a close inspection of a sleeping dragon waymay allow us to discover any potential weak spots. Even if the attack fails this information may help in future attacks and a precise hit with a close-range weapon is most likely to exploit such weaknesses.
  • First strike:First strike: if the dragon does not wake, we are able to attempt a single possibly fatal or at least crippling attack with a strong melee weapon.
  • Reduced space:Reduced space: when surprised inside its lair a dragon lashing out may become disoriented: any fire it starts will fill the air with smoke, lashing out withwhipping its tail about will raise dust. As it focussesfocuses on a primary attacker, the dragon may not notice others hiding behind pillars or waiting underneath/behind the dragon.
  • Night time approach: assuming In the dragon has to sleep, and flying at nighttime canconfusion there may be dangerous, humans will have the advantage of being able to approach its lair under cover of darkness. This allows them to get much closer than when it is rampaging in the openmany opportunities for a direct attack with a melee weapon.
  • Lair destruction:Lair destruction: If a dragon is repeatedly attacked in its lair at close quarters and forced to fly away and create a different lairsleep elsewhere, the dragon could be convinced to leave the region entirely. Even if not killed, repeatedly attacking and wounding a dragon in its lair may convince it to fly over the closest mountain range and continue its rampage elsewhere.

Location, location, location

There are two primary locations one might be fighting a dragon:

  1. In the open

Here the dragon has all the advantages: its strong hide protects it from arrows, it's tail can swipe any spearmen out of range, if hoarded on all sides it can set the entire area around it on fire, if wounded by a weapon like a ballista it can fly away and recoup. Even any attempts to trap it with nets or pits will fail due to the dragons strength and cunning. The vast and insurmountable advantages of a large dragon against all conventional weaponry in the open field are the reason attacking it cannot be compared to hunting large animals.

  1. In the dragon's lair

For this reason a much better strategy is attacking the dragon at it's weakest: when asleep or resting in its lair, after it has burnt and ravaged the surrounding countryside and is no longer met with open resistance. Sending a group of assassins to kill a complacent, sleeping dragon in the enclosed space of its lair with melee weapons gives several advantages:

  • Information: a close inspection of a sleeping dragon way allow us to discover any potential weak spots. Even if the attack fails this information may help in future attacks.
  • First strike: if the dragon does not wake, we are able to attempt a single possibly fatal or at least crippling attack.
  • Reduced space: when surprised inside its lair a dragon lashing out may become disoriented: any fire it starts will fill the air with smoke, lashing out with its tail will raise dust. As it focusses on a primary attacker, the dragon may not notice others hiding behind pillars or waiting underneath/behind the dragon.
  • Night time approach: assuming the dragon has to sleep, and flying at nighttime can be dangerous, humans will have the advantage of being able to approach its lair under cover of darkness. This allows them to get much closer than when it is rampaging in the open.
  • Lair destruction: If a dragon is repeatedly attacked in its lair and forced to fly away and create a different lair elsewhere, the dragon could be convinced to leave the region entirely. Even if not killed, repeatedly attacking and wounding a dragon in its lair may convince it to fly over the closest mountain range and continue its rampage elsewhere.

Location, location, location

There are two primary locations one might be fighting a dragon:

  1. In the open

Here the dragon has all the advantages: its strong hide protects it from arrows, it's tail can swipe any spearmen out of range, if hoarded on all sides it can set the entire area around it on fire, if wounded by a weapon like a ballista it can fly away and recoup. Even any attempts to trap it with nets or pits will fail due to the dragons strength and cunning. The vast and insurmountable advantages of a large dragon against all conventional weaponry in the open field are the reason attacking it cannot be compared to hunting large animals and will always be able to avoid close encounters by attackers with melee weapons.

  1. In the dragon's lair

For this reason a much better strategy is attacking the dragon at it's weakest: when asleep or resting in its lair, after it has burnt and ravaged the surrounding countryside and is no longer met with open resistance. Sending a group of assassins to kill a gorged, sleeping dragon in the enclosed space of its lair with melee weapons gives several advantages:

  • Other weaponry unweildy: In the close quarters and stealthy approach to a dragon's lair, teams of soldiers carrying heavy nets, chains or rolling up a ballista would alert the dragon before our approach. Similarly with firing weapons we might be able to fire a single shot, but will have to rely on melee weapons to finish the job off. And the more the assailants carry, the less likely they are to complete a silent approach.
  • Night time approach: assuming the dragon has to sleep, and flying at nighttime can be dangerous, humans will have the advantage of being able to approach its lair under cover of darkness. This allows them to get much closer than when it is rampaging in the open and allows for the use of melee weapons in a close encounter.
  • Information: a close inspection of a sleeping dragon may allow us to discover any potential weak spots. Even if the attack fails this information may help in future attacks and a precise hit with a close-range weapon is most likely to exploit such weaknesses.
  • First strike: if the dragon does not wake, we are able to attempt a single possibly fatal or at least crippling attack with a strong melee weapon.
  • Reduced space: when surprised inside its lair a dragon lashing out may become disoriented: any fire it starts will fill the air with smoke, whipping its tail about will raise dust. As it focuses on a primary attacker, the dragon may not notice others hiding behind pillars or waiting underneath/behind the dragon. In the confusion there may be many opportunities for a direct attack with a melee weapon.
  • Lair destruction: If a dragon is repeatedly attacked in its lair at close quarters and forced to fly away and sleep elsewhere, the dragon could be convinced to leave the region entirely. Even if not killed, repeatedly attacking and wounding a dragon in its lair may convince it to fly over the closest mountain range and continue its rampage elsewhere.
Source Link
8DX
8DX
  • 266
  • 1
  • 4

Location, location, location

There are two primary locations one might be fighting a dragon:

  1. In the open

Here the dragon has all the advantages: its strong hide protects it from arrows, it's tail can swipe any spearmen out of range, if hoarded on all sides it can set the entire area around it on fire, if wounded by a weapon like a ballista it can fly away and recoup. Even any attempts to trap it with nets or pits will fail due to the dragons strength and cunning. The vast and insurmountable advantages of a large dragon against all conventional weaponry in the open field are the reason attacking it cannot be compared to hunting large animals.

  1. In the dragon's lair

For this reason a much better strategy is attacking the dragon at it's weakest: when asleep or resting in its lair, after it has burnt and ravaged the surrounding countryside and is no longer met with open resistance. Sending a group of assassins to kill a complacent, sleeping dragon in the enclosed space of its lair with melee weapons gives several advantages:

  • Information: a close inspection of a sleeping dragon way allow us to discover any potential weak spots. Even if the attack fails this information may help in future attacks.
  • First strike: if the dragon does not wake, we are able to attempt a single possibly fatal or at least crippling attack.
  • Reduced space: when surprised inside its lair a dragon lashing out may become disoriented: any fire it starts will fill the air with smoke, lashing out with its tail will raise dust. As it focusses on a primary attacker, the dragon may not notice others hiding behind pillars or waiting underneath/behind the dragon.
  • Night time approach: assuming the dragon has to sleep, and flying at nighttime can be dangerous, humans will have the advantage of being able to approach its lair under cover of darkness. This allows them to get much closer than when it is rampaging in the open.
  • Lair destruction: If a dragon is repeatedly attacked in its lair and forced to fly away and create a different lair elsewhere, the dragon could be convinced to leave the region entirely. Even if not killed, repeatedly attacking and wounding a dragon in its lair may convince it to fly over the closest mountain range and continue its rampage elsewhere.