[andrewas]

I assumed 12d6+12 damage was a typo. 24-84 damage, no dragon does *that* much. Not every round anyway. *one* hit from that will kill most level 4-6 level characters outright, and magic users probably get chunked into the bargain.

I dunno, but I seriously doubt the rest of the party is good enough to beat that without some discreet DM assistance.

By any chance, does the DM have a habit of making roles where you cant see them? If so hes probably manipulating the results, which all DMs do to some extent, but if your continualy getting screwed it does raise questions. Certainly you should demand to see any dice that result in instadeath.

One other suggestion - dragons and most other major monsters are inteligent and can be negotiated with. If the rest of the party can be restrained long enough the DM should at least let you attempt it.(Do /not/ attempt to intimidate it, be respectful and do not even sound like you think you could take it. If your *very* lucky it may decide to part with some artifact or other) If he instantly goes into "fry uss" mode then you know somethings not right.