Dracolich
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In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, a dracolich is an undead dragon that possesses certain abilities of a lich.
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[edit] Description
A dracolich resembles a normal, living dragon at first, but as time goes, it ages and begins to partially decompose, so a very old dracolich really looks like a corpse, and may even be part skeleton.
Despite its wretched appearance, however, a dracolich is a very powerful opponent, with a very high challenge rating, since firstly it possesses both many weapons and plenty of minions. Only evil chromatic dragons like black, blue and red dragons become dracoliches, due to the evil magic involved in their creation.
Dracoliches are created from evil dragons through some powerful necromantic magics. Basically, it consists of the dragon first dying and then taking over its own corpse. However, it also gains a vessel called a phylactery, or soul jar, in which its spirit is actually stored as well as retreats if the dracolich's body becomes destroyed. Thus, it is important to destroy both the dracolich's body and its phylactery or the monster will be back.
[edit] Dracoliches in the Forgotten Realms
In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, an organization known as the Cult of the Dragon is responsible for inventing the method of the dracolich creation. The organization has also created several other undead dragon varieties, as well as other dragon-like monsters including the dracimera (a dragon-chimera) and the mantidrake (a dragon-manticore).
[edit] Dracoliches in Greyhawk
The oldest mention of a dracolich (although it was not described as such) belongs to the World of Greyhawk setting, found in the adventure White Plume Mountain. There is a note on the adventure map concerning an undead dragon called Dragotha, formerly consort to Tiamat, who was given his undead powers by the deity Kyuss It is unknown if other dracoliches exist in Greyhawk.
[edit] References
- Conners, William, et al. Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (TSR, 1989).
- Greenwood, Ed. "The Cult of the Dragon." Dragon #110 (TSR, 1986).
- Pett, Richard, and Greg A. Vaughan. "The Ecology of the Dracolich" Dragon #344 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).
