Wudinar's Adventuring Tips
Keep in mind not only who your opponents are, but what they are: unless the plan is on a schedule, a dragon antagonist can simply account for human interference by going to the ground for 20 years, and resume from there. At the same time, that’s 20 years to /really/ throw a wrench into the works, and many long-lived species tend to think of the rest of us as little flickers, with no significance. Use the opposition’s mindset against them, if possible.