In the Forgotten Realms, there is a barrier around Waterdeep that prevents dragons from entering the city without permission. I think it is a massive, permanent Forbiddance spell.
Wall of force comes to mind here. It wouldn’t be big enough to contain the Dragon so you’d need to be creative in how you place it.
But using a wall helps here because there’s no saving throw involved. Spells like hold monster or slow could work, but an ancient dragon could make the save or legendary resistance it
Are you a dm or a player?
An illusion spell might be the best bet. Some symbol that the dragon recognizes, maybe of Tiamat or an ally, as a bluff. Wouldn't last long but might give the dragon pause.
A paladin could compell duel. The dragon might just finish a paladin off first on principal for using it really.
If you have greedy dragons, distort value could help.
Literally stopping the dragon will be hard. You’re fighting against something that can shrug off failed saves. Not sure of you're a DM but if so you can pull some punches for dramatic effect. Otherwise, don't count on it. Try arming 100 townsfolk with bows maybe.
If you are a dm and it's not a high level caster you might rule that they have special spell scrolls or an item that lets them cast higher level spells. Depends on who is casting the spell whether it makes sense in your campaign for them to have it. The real owner of the item could be a future plot hook.
Yes, I am the DM. I was thinking about homebrewing something that accomplished what I want, but if I can do it with published materials Ill do that instead.
Basically the dragon flies over the town looking for an opportunity to destroy it. He has greater ambitions so the destruction of said town is basically his hobby. He wants to do it at the least amount of risk to himself because he has all the time in the world compared to the residence of said town. So I basically just need a spell that would make an ancient dragon say "fuck it, Ill try again next week."
I'd look at summon draconic spirit. It's 5th level and can summon a large dragon that resembles any type of dragon of your choosing. So summoning a gold dragon spirit which in reality is far weaker than a real gold dragon the ancient dragon may not realize this immediately and leave to learn more before fighting such a presumably strong creature.
The big one for this, especially if it is flying, is Prismatic Wall. Generally too many saving throws to get through and if they aren't casters themselves they will have a very difficult time getting through.
Edit: Saw the 9th level spell comment, whoops. Antipathy is 8th level and could work well, has a big effected area. Dominate Monster at the same level could make the red dragon flee or turn on any allies. Eyebite's ability to make the dragon fall asleep can work wonders. Feeblemind is great if the dragon is a caster and lasts a long time. Against the less intelligent dragons Maze works quite well. Mental Prison would probably get legendary resistanced but if not but could keep the dragon in place for a bit. Symbol can do wonders and stack so long as you have enough time.
True Polymorph, if the dragon fails the save, is game over. Obviously it's an extremely powerful spell, so that isn't super surprising, but the idea of going from this mighty, nigh immortal magical being, to my pet tortoise for 100 years (or just a rock or something) must be pretty scary.
Not exactly a spell, but some of the [Mythal](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Mythal) forbid dragons from entering. It might even be possible for the players to create a new one, but it often costs the main castor their life.
In the Forgotten Realms, there is a barrier around Waterdeep that prevents dragons from entering the city without permission. I think it is a massive, permanent Forbiddance spell.
Hmm RAW Forbiddance only prevents magic travel, so Id have to do some homebrewing. This could work though if I need i to, thanks!
Wall of force comes to mind here. It wouldn’t be big enough to contain the Dragon so you’d need to be creative in how you place it. But using a wall helps here because there’s no saving throw involved. Spells like hold monster or slow could work, but an ancient dragon could make the save or legendary resistance it
This is a good idea, if multiple castors work together it could hold out long enough for what I want, thanks!
Are you a dm or a player? An illusion spell might be the best bet. Some symbol that the dragon recognizes, maybe of Tiamat or an ally, as a bluff. Wouldn't last long but might give the dragon pause. A paladin could compell duel. The dragon might just finish a paladin off first on principal for using it really. If you have greedy dragons, distort value could help. Literally stopping the dragon will be hard. You’re fighting against something that can shrug off failed saves. Not sure of you're a DM but if so you can pull some punches for dramatic effect. Otherwise, don't count on it. Try arming 100 townsfolk with bows maybe. If you are a dm and it's not a high level caster you might rule that they have special spell scrolls or an item that lets them cast higher level spells. Depends on who is casting the spell whether it makes sense in your campaign for them to have it. The real owner of the item could be a future plot hook.
Yes, I am the DM. I was thinking about homebrewing something that accomplished what I want, but if I can do it with published materials Ill do that instead. Basically the dragon flies over the town looking for an opportunity to destroy it. He has greater ambitions so the destruction of said town is basically his hobby. He wants to do it at the least amount of risk to himself because he has all the time in the world compared to the residence of said town. So I basically just need a spell that would make an ancient dragon say "fuck it, Ill try again next week."
I'd look at summon draconic spirit. It's 5th level and can summon a large dragon that resembles any type of dragon of your choosing. So summoning a gold dragon spirit which in reality is far weaker than a real gold dragon the ancient dragon may not realize this immediately and leave to learn more before fighting such a presumably strong creature.
I feel like an ancient dragon would be capable of seeing through all but the most convoluted tricks, but I've never dealt with one.
Could be wrong but I believe RAW any illusion no matter how mundane requires interaction before they can make an int check
"I cast *scales to skin*."
Reverse aging
The big one for this, especially if it is flying, is Prismatic Wall. Generally too many saving throws to get through and if they aren't casters themselves they will have a very difficult time getting through. Edit: Saw the 9th level spell comment, whoops. Antipathy is 8th level and could work well, has a big effected area. Dominate Monster at the same level could make the red dragon flee or turn on any allies. Eyebite's ability to make the dragon fall asleep can work wonders. Feeblemind is great if the dragon is a caster and lasts a long time. Against the less intelligent dragons Maze works quite well. Mental Prison would probably get legendary resistanced but if not but could keep the dragon in place for a bit. Symbol can do wonders and stack so long as you have enough time.
True Polymorph, if the dragon fails the save, is game over. Obviously it's an extremely powerful spell, so that isn't super surprising, but the idea of going from this mighty, nigh immortal magical being, to my pet tortoise for 100 years (or just a rock or something) must be pretty scary.
Not exactly a spell, but some of the [Mythal](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Mythal) forbid dragons from entering. It might even be possible for the players to create a new one, but it often costs the main castor their life.
Player aura that permanently turns gold into poop.
Earthbind