Dracolich

 A Dracolich sometimes appears as a skeletal or semiskeletal version of its former self, with glowing points of light in its shadowy eye sockets.

Physiological observations of the Dracolich are in direly short supply. Thankfully few of these creatures have existed. A sage was, through diplomatic request, able to gain temporary access to the only known Dracolich to have been taken “alive”: Daganth the Eclipse, held in highest restraints within the Elven temples of the Western Empire. The beast was terrifying even in captivity and his consciousness subdued. It took several attempts before they were capable of remaining in the room for more than a few seconds without fleeing in fear.

The physical body of a Dracolich can be an indicator of its power and age, with new Dracoliches still having flesh yet to rot. Once the soul has been removed from the body, the body is most certainly dead. As such, without proper physical care and magics, (both are required as mundane means only go so far) the body begins to rot and decompose. While there are the incredibly rare reports of Dracoliches who have maintained their body carefully throughout the ages, the overwhelming consensus seems to be that with great age comes little motivation to do so. Thus, most Dracoliches allow their body to rot until they are little more than great skeletal figures.

The decomposition process is what makes determining the original scale color of the Dragon difficult. One must work from clues based on skeletal shape, size, and wear. This can be terribly misleading, however, as time and personal habit can lead to odd markings and alterations. While conceivably a Dracolich may be of any age at the time of conversion, the experienced required to undergo the transformation means that most are skeletons of great size and age, the wyrms of their kind. This makes most of the beasts quite large, the size of several buildings in length and height, though obviously without much of the weight from organs and tissue. It maintains the great claws of the Dragon species, as well as the mighty teeth.

Though the beast has no eyes, it appears to have no trouble seeing. In fact, it seems capable of discerning friend and foe in the pitch black with ominous green light that emanates from the sockets. For all accounts and purposes this is completely cosmetic in that the creature has no need of the light. It is, however, incredibly unnerving. They are also capable of hearing, despite their lack of ears. Speech is possible through the use of magic. Mundane means no longer serve as the throat has long since turned to dust.

The Dracolich has no need to eat, breath, sleep, or even move unless it so desires. This makes its lair options quite varied, and allows it to choose according to its purpose. Mountain caves, old labyrinths, ancient forests, even the bottom of the ocean if it serves the beast's needs.

A truly fascinating aspect of the Dracolich is the presence of the Dragon's Breath, despite the creature's lack of inherent lungs, throat, or indeed even the need to breath at all. I believe that this is a kind of sentimental attachment to the existence of its living counterpart and the deep seated connection to its being and type. A Dracolich is quite capable of emitting terrible and powerful energies from its jaws, usually in the form of ghostly fire or necrotic black energy. However, some Dracoliches do not seem bound to this particular breath, as the Dracolich Saphira is said to have emitted jets of acid during the Wars of Myth in the Second Age. I am told that Daganth the Eclipse does not have this capability. This would suggest that the magical nature of the beast makes them capable of learning to augment this breath to suit their needs if they are sufficiently powerful and inclined to learn.

The body of a Dracolich is far from indestructible, though it is indeed incredibly resilient due to the powers that move it. Should the body be destroyed, the bones cracked and scattered to the point that the spirit of the creature can no longer maintain the form, it crumbles to dust. This is not the end of the beast, however, as long as the phylactery remains intact. In time, the soul crafts a new body to inhabit near the phylactery so that the beast may continue its unlife. Human variations of liches can take over a week to reform a physical manifestation. It stands to reason that the body of such a massive creature would take longer, possibly even months, before it is capable of being inhabited once more. During this time, the essence and soul of the Dracolich is bound to its phylactery, unable to act upon the world. This is when the creature is most vulnerable. As a result, the phylactery of such a creature is always well hidden and guarded.

The physical weaknesses of the Dracolich are few and far between. Being once Dragons, their bones are incredibly sturdy and difficult to destroy, and they retain the powerful energies that cause spells to falter in their presence. The addition of the... I reluctantly say “benefits”... of undeath make them even more resilient. The Dracolich does not have any of the valuable organs, the small breaks in the scaly hide, or the dependency on sensory organs that adventurers have used in the past to assail Dragons. The beast does not fear the lucky axe blade nicking an artery, or the well placed dagger piercing the eye. The necromantically infused bones will shrug off all but the most grievous of injuries and the lack of pain means that even these will not cause the beast to falter. The one true weakness these abominations seem to fear is the power of the Divine, and the life giving positive energies it brings. Even this is a difficult weapon to wield, as the beast is capable of attempting to stifle these energies to prevent them from affecting it. Daganth himself emits a horrible aura, and his lair was desecrated to slow the advance of the Elven Clerics that assaulted him.

The appearance for most of them, however, is the same as when they were alive. The only true  way to really know if they are a Dracolich is if you ask them or notice they have a best friend wizard that they seem bonded to. A Dracolich has a special connection to the wizard responsible for their transformation if the Dragon consented to the ritual, and they often live within a few miles of one another, aiding each other if one is attacked.

We fought hard to reach that treasure room. The Kobolds defended the caverns fiercely and jealously. The walls themselves conspired against us, riddled with poisoned darts and blades that could split a man. They were no match for a real band of adventurers in the end. Imagine our surprise when we found out all those wretched lizards were worshiping a mere corpse! No dragon, just a pile of bones splayed over treasure, like the vermin had already picked them clean. Sure, we all had a good laugh. We smiled and joked about how foolish the little lizards had been for venerating this pile of garbage. We even encouraged Rollin to pull out his lute and make a quick dirty limerick about the pile of dust. Not one of us had time to even call his name before that terrible greenish fire devoured him. He was... he was just ashes, body and soul. Gods, how could we have known it was listening?
Lorent of Raging Blood, 10 years after retirement

Dracoliches are, beyond thankfully, magnificently rare creatures. Much like the Dragons they once were, Dracoliches are solitary creatures. Though after their change, they are no longer driven to even interact with their own kind in order to breed, making them more reclusive than before. Their personalities are as varied as their living counterparts, though they tend to be more malicious and cruel due to the evil nature their unnatural life requires of them.

It is possible that a Dracolich may interact with others of its kind. Dragons tend to be as intelligent, (and often far more so) than Humans, and a Dracolich retains this quality. They are capable of forming bonds with each other, but are greatly uninclined to do so. They retain the predatory predilections of Dragon kind as well, both in speech and body language. Considering the power and investment their creation requires, it is safe to assume that most of the Dracoliches would be intellectual in disposition, though how that manifests can vary dramatically.

Most Dracoliches are unrepentant, and as such, treat other creatures with great maliciousness and cruelty. Being intelligent, they are driven by their own desires and wants, and therefore are not usually interested in interacting with what they consider “sub-races” or “sub-creatures” unless there is something particularly useful or noteworthy about the subject that the Dracolich fancies. This means that most creatures who come in contact with a Dracolich are either killed or subjugated. The reasoning is almost always selfish. A Dracolich's intelligence means that they are also capable of handling and keeping lesser creatures as minions, usually to guard their bodies and dissuade any intruders to the lair so that the creature need not bother itself with such trivial matters. All variety of creature may be found, from mindless undead drawn to the necromantic energies, to animals following carrion or cohabiting the environment, to even thralls or hired mercenaries from sentient races. Any preferences in slaves tend to match the Dracolich's personality from life. There are reports of a kind of reptilian affinity for those Dracoliches that keep living creatures as some strange form of “pet”.

When the Dracolich does enthrall or subjugate lesser creatures, they often tend to do so with purpose and reason. A Dracolich is more than capable of furthering its own goals through manipulation of the political landscape of lesser creatures, and as stated above this manipulation can last many many years through the quiet use of puppets and envoys before the true mastermind is revealed. There is commonly a desire to accumulate some form of wealth, which satisfies the beast's desire to be dominant over others.

Should a Dracolich seek an equal partnership with another creature, the power of that individual must be something to be reckoned with. In all likelihood, the Dracolich begrudgingly admires the creature, as in any other case it would most likely subjugate the competition. Usually any alliance is short lived, (relatively speaking), and serves some purpose or desire of the Dracolich, be it power, artifact, or personal gain.

Each Dracolich is unique in its behavior, as it is an intelligent individual. This is greatly influenced by its personality and preferences in life. It is known that certain Dragons have particular personality dispositions, and this can carry over into the creatures unlife. Dracoliches that were once Red Dragons tend to be greatly domineering and obsessed with power. Former Blue Dragons tend to be greatly contemplative and far scheming. Each may have its own habits or ticks that it has developed over the eons. However, a very common theme is isolation and secrecy, as when their presence becomes known there is great panic and attempts are made to eradicate them. A Dracolich may influence an area inhabited by lesser creatures for decades or even centuries before anyone ever discovers the beast itself.

The typical Dracolich has no actual necessity to move, and therefore can appear as nothing more than a pile of draconic bones. At the same time, the mind of the beast may be contemplating any number of things during internal processes, giving no sign of such machinations.

A creature that lives forever generally has two options that overtake their behavior: Increased obsession with some goal or knowledge, or the eventual drifting into listless disconnection from the physical world. Being born from beasts of Dominance and power, the Dracolich tends to favor the former over the latter. This means that a Dracolich will spend countless years seeing some sort of goal come to fruition, (simple with no concept of time anymore), or continue to actively seek some fascination it held in life. A Dracolich, therefore, is an incredibly talented creature concerning the skills it may learn, the magical prowess it has pursued in arcane studies, or the procurement of truly astounding and unique artifacts for its treasure horde, (another quality they retain from life). This makes each and every one truly unique.

Unlife Cycle

As stated above, the Dracolich could be said to have no true life cycle. Upon completing the creation process, Dracoliches may suffer damage to their psyche. This can lead to varying degrees of memory loss for the creature. As with human liches, this is of little consequence to a being who now holds eternity. The unlife of such a beast is never over until its phylactery is utterly destroyed, and the remains sanctified by divine power in order to purge the necromantic energies that fuel it.

There is one particular ability that sets the Dracolich apart from its humanoid “cousin” in necromancy. When the body is destroyed, a Dracolich soul is capable of forcing itself into and taking control of the corpse of another slain Dragonkind. This need not be the same type of Dragon, or even another Dragon at all. In fact, the power seems only limited to being a sufficiently reptilian physiology. Documents of Dracoliches surviving assaults in such a way describe a marked change in the Dracolich, and it would appear that the process alters the souls according to the body it chooses to assume control of. In some cases, it could be considered an entirely new Dracolich due to the process. This also means that this particular form of preservation is a last resort for the creature.

Ironically, even these beings who have sacrificed everything to gain immortality are unexpectedly subject to the ravages of time. Much of the following is based on documents, some speculation regarding humanoid liches, and the journals of such beings that have been found. It stands to reason, however, that the Dracolich would follow much of the same procedure:

With the dislocation of the soul from the body, it is made free to wander without it at times. The soul can explore planes that no mortal coil could ever enter. During this time, the body is unattended and inanimate. It merely wastes away further, dissolving into dust until the soul returns to restore it over a slow process of regeneration. In humans, this great time takes a toll upon the psyche, and may eventually result in psychological damage. The soul may also find that the body rejects its return, and it must reassert its control, possibly unsuccessfully. The mental erosion can turn the bodiless lich into nothing more than an unstable essence that eventually fades to oblivion. This is the slow, but ultimately inevitable fate of liches that are not destroyed. It is uncertain whether the effects of time are as detrimental to a creature whose mind and body were built to withstand much greater passage than that of a humanoid. Thus, the Dracolich may be capable of this spiritual disconnection for much longer than any humanoid counterpart before detriment to the mind or its ability to control the physical manifestation.

One feared speculation among scholars is that the Dracolich may be capable of a particular transformation into an iteration seen in humanoid liches known as the “Demilich”. In humanoids, the extended deterioration leaves behind only the skull (which remains forever pristine) and little more than a shadow of the original intelligence or essence. The result is an unintelligent but incredibly powerful and dangerous skull that is capable only of a basic animalistic instinct... usually to devour the soul of any adventurer foolish enough to destroy it. While there are no documented cases of a “Demi-Dracolich”, this has not stopped the speculation that such a creature may be possible. More frightening, there are cases of “Awakened” Demiliches who retain their intelligence and have even greater power than before after eons of spiritual travel. Should an Awakened Demi-Dracolich skull exist, it would be an artifact of such terrifying power and malice that one trembles at the possible horrors it could inflict upon the world.

The Dracolich is an undead creature resulting from the transformation of a Dragon. The process usually involves a cooperative effort between an Dragon and a powerful Cleric, Sorcerer, or Wizard, but especially powerful spellcasters have been known to coerce a Dragon to undergo the transformation against its will. The Dragon must first consume a lethal concoction known as a Dracolich brew. This act instantly slays the Dragon, whereupon its spirit is transferred to its Dracolich phylactery, regardless of the distance between the phylactery and the Dragon’s body.

A spirit contained in a phylactery can sense any reptilian or Dragon corpse and attempt to possess it. Under no circumstances can the spirit possess a living body. The spirit’s original body is an ideal vessel. When killed in its corporeal body, the Dracolich doesn't "die". Instead, its spirit flees and hides in the phylactery, awaiting another suitable body to animate and inhabit. Like other types of Lich, a Dracolich is only truly annihilated when its phylactery is destroyed.

Creation

While a Dracolich is an undead creature and in being so could be said to have no “life cycle”, its creation is still a process. Dragons are incredibly long lived beings, their lifespans far outstripping most humanoids. The existence of the Dracolich would suggest that even these majestic creatures still fear the ravages of time. The transformation process is unholy and dangerous, and therefore most commonly attempted by evil dragons that wish to stave off death, have struck some sort of dark pact, or simply have a unquenchable thirst for ever greater power. This leads many guild scholars to believe that the chromatic dragons are the most inclined to attempt the change into lichdom. Some have personalities that are too impatient to attempt this, these being the Green and White Dragons who have poor dispositions for such long term goals. Others colors have greater disposition towards the cost of achieving lichdom, such as the power hungry Red Dragons, the cruel and selfish Black Dragons, or the ever plotting Blue Dragons.

The transformation is a closely guarded secret, but there are many theories and hypotheses about surviving in undeath and preserving the consciousness. It is said that each particular ritual is tailored to the individual performing it, but all are painful and incredibly dangerous. Failure results not only in death, but damage to the soul (should it survive at all).

All methods agree that there must be a receptacle for the released soul known as a “phylactery”. This usually takes the form of a very well crafted and suitably powerful gem. These gems are always of the highest quality, as flaws and blemishes upon the object would make them unable to contain the necromantic magics required. These phylacteries are guarded jealously and under the most powerful minions, magics, and traps that the Dracolich can summon, for its immortality is assured as long as the artifact remains undamaged and unsanctified.

The ritual itself varies by Dracolich and theory. The process is a long ritual of great concentration and preparation, some theories claiming that it may take weeks to complete. Circles of power must be drawn, potions must be brewed, and artifacts collected. When all preparations are made, the Dragon must find a secluded place to perform the ritual where they will not be interrupted for an extended period of time. Often this takes place far and away from civilization where wayward humans might stumble upon them. The ritual involves a carefully planned suicide of the body, at which time the soul is drawn forth and magic is used to redirect it from any seeking divine power that would guide it to an afterlife. The purpose of the ritual suicide to slow the process of death so that Dragon may continue to weave the necessary magics even while dying and in incredible pain. Only the most disciplined of minds would have a chance at completing this task.

Some scholars insist that the process is not one that can be performed by the Dragon alone, and that it must be assisted by a powerful magic user who is willing to provide magical aid in directing the soul and balancing the flow of magical energies. The implications of this method would also suggest that a sufficiently powerful wizard may be able to force the transformation on a helpless Dragon. If any true evidence of this exists, then it has been wisely destroyed or forever hidden.

An opposing school of thought insists that the process is done alone through the brewing of a very potent extraction, which the Dragon imbibes in order to destroy itself. This theory has been the source of great research into necromantic brews that mimic the effects of death, from the rotting appearance of a corpse to the unholy resistances that undead beings have. The mixture would require a massive amount of necromantic power and negative energy infused in it, and could take years to brew a single draught. A single mistake could result in failure... or worse.

It is worth noting that a small school of scholars propose a more divine method through the evil Dragon god known as Tiamat. Humans have poor understanding of this deity, however, and so very little has come of such speculation.

A Dragon is necessary, whether willing or not, to begin the first part of this multi-stage transformation. Step 1 involves creating an elixir combining seven ingredients in an inert vessel. The ingredients required, and must be combined in this exact order, are two pinches of pure arsenic, one pinch of belladonna, one pint of Phase-spider venom no more than 30 days old, one quart of virgin long-lived demi-human blood, or if that's not available, a gallon of Treant sap no more than 7 days old, a quart of Vampire, or a person infected with Vampirism blood, also no more than 7 days old, one potion of Dragon control, and last but not least, one potion of Invulnerability. While adding the ingredients, this concoction needs to be stirred with a +2 Dragon Slayer sword under the light of the full moon. Simple, right?

Of course, it can’t be as simple as drinking a potion and turning into an undead Dragon. For this all to work, the spirit of the dragon must be prepared by creating a type of phylactery or soul gem for them. This object must be a solid item that resists decay and be worth 2,000 gp and treated with magic, (as well as often be close to corpses so the gem has a history of being set in a sword hilt). These items, most likely gems, (Carbuncle, jet, peridot, sard, ruby, back pearls, obsidian) need to have a few spells cast on them, (like item enchantment, glassteel, trap the soul and incanting the Dragon's true name - but not maze as this is not a soul prison) and placed near the Dragon at the time of drinking the potion.

Once the dragon consumes the potion, whether by choice or not, it’s time to pray to a deity. There is a 46% chance that the potion does nothing, inflicts a lot of damage, or causes the Dragon to have a seizure and have permanent memory loss. If a 54% chance of the potion working is not risky enough, well, there is a further 29% chance that the potion works great except for one minor detail; it immediately kills the Dragon. This tends to be the kind of thing which foils plots.

If this step is successful the dragon will fall instantly into a coma for 1-4 days, and during this time its mind cannot be contacted or attacked by magic or psionics. Its mind is unreachable, as it's spirit flits back and forth constantly between the host and its dragon body. If the Dragon dies or is slain at any time after this, its spirit will go into the host regardless of the distance between the Dragon body and the host, (which can even be on different planes of existence) or the presence of prismatic sphere, lead boxes, cubes of force, or similar obstacles. At this time, the host will levitate and the need for a freshly killed, (current moon or 30 days) reptilian is necessary.

Sometimes the corpse rejects the spirit possessing it, lead the Dragon's spirit to impatiently take over the magic user's own body unless the magic user returns it to the host. If the corpse accepts the Dragon's spirit it becomes animated as a proto-dracolich which has only one drive, to seek out and devour its corpse. The Dragon's spirit can sense the direction and distance of its own former body. It the Dragon's own body has been burned or dismembered, it need only to devour the ashes or pieces.

Typically various teeth and organs of a dragon are carried off by magic users, alchemists or adventurers wishing to sell such remains and the proto-dracolich will often seize and devour these parts.

Dracoliches typically lair where they did in life.

Dragons and dracoliches are loners, but they do enjoy the knowledge that they have allies, and place value in such relationships.

When threatened, the Dracolich is a deadly foe. They are cunning and planning, often not engaging until the opportune moment and having servants and thralls soften the defenses of the enemy first. When pressed into combat themselves, they prove more dangerous than any creature at their command. Ghostly fire or life devouring energies may spring from the bony jaws and consume a foolish adventurer. Their claws and teeth can crush and maul any melee combatant, piercing through the hardiest of armors and magical protections, making quick work of the enemy. Most fearful of all, however, are the powerful magical energies that the creature has at its command. Centuries or even millenia of arcane knowledge and artifacts may be at the Dracolich's command, along with the tactical experience necessary for deadly efficiency with tooth, claw, and magic. No one wishing to slay this beast should make the attempt without a great deal of planning and adequate provisions. Even then, the chances of success are slim.

Combat

A Dracolich is rarely surprised by the foolhardy attacks of a short lived and mortal being, having eons of experience on its side. They create a daunting task. Should the party bring the fight to the beast themselves, they should expect a dangerous lair filled with defenses and traps tailored to their intrusion, as well as a variety of intelligent and unintelligent creatures that the Dracolich has collected and subjugated to serve him. They should also expect a very fatiguing battle, as the entire lair gives them no chance of resting and little chance of healing.

The biggest weakness of this kind of villain is its pride. A good way to flavor the personality of this particular monster is to remember that it believes itself invulnerable and superior to any challenger, (a very Draconic trait). Who doesn't love a little bit of cliched “This cannot beeeee!” as the warrior sunders the phylactery of this mighty foe?

The greatest strength is the Dracolich's versatility, and as such they serve best as a “controlling” type monster on the battlefield, buffing melee thralls and delivering devastating pain in the background. They are easily augmented, and capable of taking class levels as wizards, sorcerers, or warlocks. They also gain the use of feats both monstrous and humanoid. Metamagics can serve fantastically for a Dracolich who wishes to ambush the party with silent spells and maximized damage. Feats for multiattack and increased melee damage can give the monster a fall back for when the party closes the distance either in the air or on the ground. You can also justify having the negative energy breath weapon drain levels, just like a number of undead creatures. It makes for quite a scene when the party has its paladin and barbarian driving off the hordes of Dragon Cultists in brutal melee while the wizard and priest are deflecting blasts of necrotic energy and hurling thunderstorms at the Skeletal Dragon.

The process of becoming a dracolich was discovered by Sammaster the Mad, a fallen Chosen of Mystra, who was inspired after re-translating The Chronicle of Years to Come by the prophet Maglas. He was convinced that Toril would suffer a great apocalypse and "naught will be left save shattered thrones with no rulers. But the dead dragons shall rule the world entire…" Sammaster's first success was with the great red wyrm Shargrailar the Dark in the Year of the Queen's Tears, 902 DR. Since then, Sammaster and his followers, the Cult of the Dragon, created many more, preparing for the apocalypse they "knew" would come."