Balrogs vs Dragons

[Eonwe]

dragons vs. balrogs, eh? well, in the tales of dragons, they are usually more free agents, sort of. they seem to kind of do as the please, at least more so than balrogs. also, maybe that is why stealth doesn't work on balrogs: they are always holed up on a tower or on the field in a huge battle, whereas dragons make themselves comfy on a pile of someone's gold in a deep cavern somewhere by themselves. it is interesting to note, thought, that dragons very precise senses of hearing and smell (Bilbo and smaug episode), so they seem to have some defenses against stealth.

other than that, there is the obvious difference in flight capabilities.

[Bergil]

where, exaxctly did I say they were slow?

[Boromir88]

You didn't say they were slow, but you did say...

Balrogs are weaker, but it takes many good hits to take them down, so stealth is useless.

Which makes it seem like they didn't have stealth.

[Gurthang]

Well, considering that both are beings of fire, the outcome is rather hard to determine. All in all, it's an extremely tight match.

Balrog:
Sword
Whip
Magic(see Gandalf discussing the door in Balin's Tomb)
Creates Shadow
Maia

Dragon:
Teeth/Claws
Tough, Scaly Armour
Spellcasting Eyes
Emits Light
Fell Spirit.

All those attributes pretty much offset the opponents. There are only two aspects that give distinct advantages to one side: the Dragon's ability to fly and Dragon's weak stomach. Regardless of whether or not a Balrog has wings, it's generally assumed that it can't fly. So the Dragon, which definitely can, has the upperhand. On the other side, the Dragon's belly is soft and vulnerable, making it very susceptible to an underside attack.

So the real question is whether or not the Dragon's ability to fly overrides it's extremely weak tummy.

[Eonwe]

you forgot one thing in your otherwise excelent list. some dragons had fire. think on this: if a dragon can't or chooses not to fly, were are you going to attack him? i really see no way i would get killed if i was a dragon.

[Bergil]

I meant, that stealth wouldn't help AGAINST a balrog, but it would against a dragon, because the balrog can take a lot of damage.

[Gurthang]

Originally Posted by Bergil

I meant, that stealth wouldn't help AGAINST a balrog, but it would against a dragon, because the balrog can take a lot of damage.

But wouldn't a Dragon also be able to take a lot of damage? And in The Hobbit, it talks about Dragons 'sleeping with an eyelid open' or something like that. Not easy to sneak up on.

The fact that a dragon might choose not to fly, just brings us back to the point where the battle is pretty much even.