Dracolich
Climate/Terrain:
| See below
|
|
Frequency:
| Very rare
|
Organization:
| Solitary
|
Activity Cycle:
| Night
|
Diet:
| Special
|
Intelligence:
| As per individual dragon
|
Treasure:
| B, H, S, T
|
Alignment:
| Evil (any)
|
No. Appearing:
| 1
|
Armor Class:
| See below
|
Movement:
| As per former dragon type
|
Hit Dice:
| As per former dragon type
|
THAC0:
| As per former dragon type
|
No. of Attacks:
| As per former dragon type
|
Damage/Attack:
| See below
|
Special Attacks:
| Breath weapon and spell use
|
Special Defenses:
| Spell immunities and spell use
|
Magic Resistance:
| See below
|
Size:
| As per individual dragon
|
Morale:
| See below
|
XP Value:
| As per individual dragon, plus 1,000 (both dracolich and host must bedestroyed)
|
The dracolich is an undead creature resulting from the unnatural
transformation of an evil dragon. The mysterious Cult of the Dragon practices the powerful
magic necessary for the creation of the dracolich, though other practitioners
are also rumored to exist.
A dracolich can be created from any of the evil dragon subspecies. A dracolich
retains the physical appearance of its original body, except that its eyes
appear as glowing points of light floating in shadowy eye sockets. Skeletal or
semi-skeletal dracoliches have been observed on occasion.
The senses of a dracolich are similar to those of its original form; it can
detect invisible objects and creatures (including those hidden in darkness of
fog) within a 10-foot radius per age category and also possesses a natural
clairaudience ability while in its lair equal to a range of 20 feet per age category. A
dracolich can speak, cast spells, and employ the breath weapon of its original
form; it can cast each of its spells once per day and can use its breath weapon
once every three combat rounds. Additionally, a dracolich retains the
intelligence and memory of its original form.
Combat: Dracoliches are immune to
charm,
sleep,
enfeeblement,
polymorph,
cold (magical or natural),
electricity,
hold,
insanity, and
death spells or
symbols. They cannot be poisoned, paralyzed, or turned by priests. They have the same
magic resistance as their original forms; only magical attacks from wizards of
6th level or higher, or from monsters of 6 or more Hit Dice have a chance of
affecting dracoliches.
The Armor Class of a dracolich is equal to the Armor Class of its original
form, bettered by -2 (for example, if the AC of the original form was -1, the AC
of the dracolich is -3). Attacks on a dracolich, due to its magical nature, do
not gain any attack or damage roll bonuses.
Initially, a dracolich has the same morale rating as its original form.
However, after a dracolich is successful in its first battle, its morale rating
permanently becomes Fearless (19 base); this assumes that the opponent or opponents
involved in the battle had a Hit Dice total of at least 100% of the Hit Dice of
the dracolich (for instance, a 16-HD dracolich must defeat an opponent or
opponents of at least 16 total HD to receive the morale increase). Once a dracolich
receives the morale increase, it becomes immune to magical fear as well.
The dracolich has a slightly stronger ability to cause fear in opponents than
it did in its original form; opponents must roll their saving throws vs. spell
with a -1 penalty (in addition to any other relevant modifiers) to resist the
dracolich's fear aura. The gaze of the dracolich's glowing eyes can also
paralyze creatures within 40 yards if they fail their saving throws (creatures of 6th
level {or 6 Hit Dice}or higher gain a +3 bonus to their saving throws). If a
creature successfully saves against the gaze of a dracolich, it is permanently
immune to the gaze of that particular dracolich.
The attack routine of a dracolich is similar to that of its original form; for
example, a dracolich that was originally a green dragon will bring down a weak
opponent with a series of physical attacks, but it will stalk more formidable
opponents, attacking at an opportune moment with its breath weapon and spells.
All physical attacks, such as clawing and biting, inflict the same damage as
the dracolich's original form, plus 2d8 points of chilling damage. A victim
struck by a dracolich who fails a saving throw vs. paralyzation is paralyzed for
2d6 rounds. Immunity to cold damage, temporary or permanent, negates the chilling
damage but not the paralyzation. Dracoliches cannot drain life levels.
All dracoliches can attempt
undead control (as per a
potion of undead control) once every three days on any variety of undead with 60 yards. The undead's
saving throws against this power suffer a -3 penalty; if the
undead control is successful, it lasts for one turn only. While
undead control is in use, the dracolich cannot use other spells. If the dracolich interrupts
its undead control before it has been used for a full turn, the dracolich must
still wait three days before the power can be used again.
If a dracolich or proto-dracolich is slain, its spirit immediately returns to
its host. If there is no corpse in range for it to possess, the spirit is
trapped in the host until such a time -- if ever -- that a corpse becomes available.
A dracolich is difficult to destroy. It can be destroyed outright by
power word, kill or a similar spell. If its spirit is currently contained in its host,
destroying the host when a suitable corpse is not within range effectively destroys
the dracolich. Likewise, an active dracolich is unable to attempt further
possessions if its host is destroyed. The fate of a disembodied dracolich spirit --
that is, a spirit with no body or host -- is unknown, but it is presumed that it
is drawn to the lower planes.
Habitat/Society: The creation of a dracolich is a complex process involving the transformation
of an evil dragon by arcane magical forces, the most notorious practitioners of
which are members of the Cult of the Dragon. The process is usually a
cooperative effort between the evil dragon and the wizards, but especially powerful
wizards have been known to coerce an evil dragon to undergo the transformation
against its will.
Any evil dragon is a possible candidate for transformation, although old
dragons or older with spell-casting abilities are preferred. Once a candidate is
secured, the wizards first prepare the dragon's host, an inanimate object that
will hold the dragon's life force. The host must be a solid item of not less than
2,000 gp value resistant to decay (wood, for instance, is unsuitable). A
gemstone is commonly used for a host, particularly ruby, pearl, carbuncle, and jet,
and is often set in the hilt of a sword or other weapon. The host is prepared by
casting
enchant an item upon it and speaking the name of the evil dragon; the item may resist the
spell by successfully saving vs. spell as an 11th-level wizard. If the spell is
resisted, another item must be used for the host. If the spell is not resisted,
the item can then function as a host. If desired,
glassteel can be cast upon the host to protect it.
Next, a special potion is prepared for the evil dragon to consume. The exact
composition of the potion varies according to the age and type of the dragon,
but it must contain precisely seven ingredients, among them a
potion of evil dragon control, a
potion of invulnerability, and the blood of a vampire. When the evil dragon consumes the potion, the
results are determined as follows (roll percentile dice):
Roll
| Result
|
01-10
| No effect.
|
11-40
| Potion does not work. The dragon suffers 2d12 points of damage and is
|
| helpless with convulsions for 1-2 rounds.
|
41-50
| Potion does not work. The dragon dies. A full wish or similar spell is needed
|
| to restore the dragon to life; a wish to transform the dragon into a dracolich
|
| results in another roll on this table.
|
51-00
| Potion works.
|
If the potion works, the dragon's spirit transfers to the host, regardless of
the distance between the dragon's body and the host. A dim light within the
host indicates the presence of the spirit. While contained in the host, the spirit
cannot take any actions; it cannot be contacted nor attacked by magic. The
spirit can remain in the host indefinitely.
Once the spirit is contained in the host, the host must be brought within 90
feet of a reptilian corpse; under no circumstances can the spirit possess a
living body. The spirit's original body is ideal, but the corpse of any reptilian
creature that died or was killed within the previous 30 days is suitable.
The wizard who originally prepared the host must touch the host, cast a
magic jar spell while speaking the name of the dragon, then touch the corpse. The
corpse must fail a saving throw vs. spell for the spirit to successfully possess it;
if it saves, it will never accept the spirit. The following modifiers apply to
the roll:
-10 if the corpse is the spirit's own former body (which can be dead for any
length of time).
-4 if the corpse is of the same alignment as the dragon.
-4 if the corpse is that of a true dragon (any type).
-3 if the corpse is that of a firedrake, ice lizard, wyvern, or fire lizard.
-1 if the corpse is that of a dracolisk, dragonne, dinosaur, snake, or other
reptile.
If the corpse accepts the spirit, it becomes animated by the spirit. If the
animated corpse is the spirit's former body, it immediately becomes a dracolich;
however, it will not regain the use of its voice and breath weapon for another
seven days (note that it will not be able to cast spells with verbal components
during this time). At the end of seven days, the dracolich regains the use of
its voice and breath weapon.
If the animated corpse is not the spirit's former body, it immediately becomes
a proto-dracolich. A proto-dracolich has the mind and memories of its original
form, but has the hit points and immunities to spells and priestly turning of
a dracolich. A proto-dracolich can neither speak nor cast spells; further, it
cannot cause chilling damage, use a breath weapon, or cause fear as a dracolich.
Its strength, movement, and Armor Class are those of the possessed body.
To become a full dracolich, a proto-dracolich must devour at least 10% of its
original body. Unless the body has been dispatched to another plane of
existence, a proto-dracolich can always sense the presence of its original body,
regardless of the distance. A proto-dracolich will tirelessly seek out its original
body to the exclusion of all other activities. If its original body has been
burned, dismembered, or otherwise destroyed, the proto-dracolich need only devour
the ashes or pieces equal to or exceeding 10% of its original body mass (total
destruction of the original body is possible only through use of a
disintegrate or similar spell; the body could be reconstructed with a
wish or similar spell, so long as the spell is cast in the same plane as the
disintegration). If a proto-dracolich is unable to devour its original body, it is trapped
in its current form until slain.
A proto-dracolich transforms into a full dracolich within seven days after it
devours its original body. When the transformation is complete, the dracolich
resembles its original body; it can now speak, cast spells, and employ the
breath weapon of its original body, in addition to having all of the abilities of a
dracolich.
The procedure for possessing a new corpse is the same as explained above,
except that the assistance of a wizard is no longer necessary (casting
magic jar is required only for the first possession). If the spirit successfully
re-possesses its original body, it once again becomes a full dracolich. If the spirit
possesses a different body, it becomes a proto-dracolich and must devour its
former body to become a full dracolich.
A symbiotic relationship exists between a dracolich and the wizards who create
it. The wizards honor and aid their dracolich, as well as providing it with
regular offerings of treasure items. In return, the dracolich defends its wizards
against enemies and other threats, as well as assisting them in their various
schemes. Like dragons, dracoliches are loners, but they take comfort in the
knowledge that they have allies.
Dracoliches are generally found in the same habitats as the dragons from which
they were created; dracoliches created from green dragons, for instance, are
likely to be found in subtropical and temperate forests. Though they do not live
with their wizards, their lairs are never more than a few miles away.
Dracoliches prefer darkness and are usually encountered at night, in shadowy forests,
or in underground labyrinths.
Ecology: Dracoliches are never hungry, but they must eat in order to refuel their
breath weapons. Like dragons, dracoliches can consume nearly anything, but prefer
the food eaten by their original forms (for instance, if a dracolich was
originally a red dragon, it prefers fresh meat). The body of a destroyed dracolich
crumbles into a foul-smelling powder within a few hours; this powder can be used by
knowledgeable wizards as a component for creating
potions of undead control and similar magical substances.