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Ah, the Dracolich. The best type of lich in existence. What could be more fun than taking an ancient evil dragon and combining it with the powers of a lich? Pretty much nothing if you’re a Game Master. Players, on the other hand, maybe have a slightly different take on the creature when they stumble across it. That is if they survive… probably not.

While we started this Deep Dive in 1986, the creature was conceived way back in 1979 with the module White Plume Mountain. An arrow pointed off the map with the following note:

"Beyond to the lair of Dragotha, the undead dragon, where fabulous riches and hideous death await."
White Plume Mountain, 1979

Next to this ominous note is a picture of a foreboding skeletal dragon. While that’s all we get, it lays the groundwork to introduce the Dracolich in a few years.

AD&D - Dracolich (Night Dragon)

Frequency: Very rare
No. Appearing: 1 (unless called by a ring of dragons)
Armor Class: -2
Move: As per former dragon type
Hit Dice: As per former dragon type
% in Lair: 20%
Treasure Type: B,H,S,T
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
Intelligence: As per individual dragon
Alignment: Evil (any sort)
Size: L (dimensions vary)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Chance of: Speaking 100%, Magic Use 96%, Sleeping 0%
Level/XP Value: Varies/As per former dragon type, plus 1000 + 10/hp (if destroyed, along with host)

The Dracolich is first featured in Dragon #110 (June 1986) in the article The Cult of the Dragon by Ed Greenwood. The Dracolich begins with an evil cult, whose mages are attempting to take over the world. It seems quite apropos for an undead creature to have its origins with an evil cult focused on utter world domination. Besides, we all know at this point that evil wizards are constantly plotting and scheming, creating such horrible monsters like the owlbear and hook horror.

This cult was first formed by Sammaster, a wizard turned lich turned destroyed by a group of paladins who fought and destroyed him in The Gates of Hell. Sammaster wanted dragons to rule the world, but based on the text in the book Chronicle Of Years To Come, there were to be no rulers but the dead. Obviously, this means that if a dragon isn’t dead, it can’t be the ultimate ruler. While some might be stymied by such a clause, not the followers of Sammaster who seized upon the idea to create dead dragon overlords.

Of course, no plan doesn’t have a few hitches along the way and, the cult has its fair share of problems. First, this has never been done before and, as you might guess, there are not a lot of volunteers willing to let some crazy people murder them and, maybe, grant them undeath. Second, it means allowing these cultists into your home where you keep your treasure hoard and all your favorite things. Third, these cultists are walking around with +2 dragon slayer swords and all sorts of weird poisons, not really helping their cause that they are just ‘helping’ and not here to slay you. So like any organization with a supply problem, they just had to create their own demand… by trapping dragons and forcing them through the transformation whether they like it or not.

Once you have a dragon, whether willing or not, you have 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 evil dragon control, and last but not least, one potion of invulnerability. While adding the ingredients, you'll need to stir this concoction 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 cultists must prepare the spirit of the dragon by creating a type of phylactery or soul gem for them. The phylactery must be a solid item that resists decay, worth 2,000 gp, and treated with magic. Such items are typically gems, and they need to have a few spells cast on them, like trap the soul, and placed near the dragon when it drinks the poison… er, we mean potion.

Once the dragon consumes the potion, whether by choice or not, it’s time to pray to whatever dark deity you worship. 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 you think a 54% chance of the potion working is not risky enough for your dark dealings, 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 your dark plots.

But if everything does work out, and you fix the dead dragon problem, the soul of the dragon then is trapped within the expensive soul gem, the phylactery, and you now need a body for the dragon. If you or any other creature, such as a kobold, decide to down this vile concoction, there is a whole slew of bad things that can happen. We won't get into them, but let's just say that it can be really bad for your health.

The next step in this ritual now requires that the spirit of the dragon is placed within some sort of lizard corpse, preferably something with wings. The corpse needs to be mostly fresh, no older than 30 days, and needs to be a cousin of a dragon, no matter how distant. Wyverns and drakes are the most popular, and you can also try a dracolisk or dragon turtle, but it probably won't work. Don't even think of trying a dinosaur unless you want to fail.

Now that the spirit is safely housed in another body, hopefully you didn’t mess that part up or else it entered your meek humanoid body and is ripping your soul apart, it is time to finish up this ritual. That’s right, your Proto-Dracolich isn’t yet done as it now needs to feed on its old body, no matter if it’s been cremated or spread to the four winds of the world. The dragon, in its new body, has a craving only consuming its old corpse can satiate and can sense its body parts anywhere in the world. The Proto-Dracolich will do all it can to find and eat at least 10% of its former body. Once it does so, you then wait seven days while the Proto-Dracolich goes through a metamorphosis and then comes out the other end as a Dracolich. If a proto-Dracolich can't munch on its original body for whatever reason, it remains in its Proto-Dracolich form until it's killed, and you'll have to start the process over again. If you were able to use the dragon’s original body, you can at least skip the step where it eats its corpse.

You have gone through all this effort, so many corpses, and may even had your soul ripped apart by the spirit of a dragon you convinced to do a shot of whatever potion you brewed under the moonlight. So what is your prize? Well, you don’t really get anything as Dracoliches are just as prideful as dragons, if not more so, as when they were alive and demanded tribute in the form of coins and gems. Dracoliches still yearn for amassing a hoard and, if you want to stay in the good graces of the foul undead you just created, you better be bringing spell scrolls, magic items, and all sorts of shiny things to the Dracolich or find out what death is like.

So what can our new Dracolich do? Well, lots of stuff, most of it is bad for an adventurer like you. They can attack with their jaws, claws, and wing or tail buffets, which are the same things it could do while alive, though now it also deals negative damage when it hits you and causes you to become paralyzed. They can cause fear, permanently paralyze you with a look, and cast control undead if they feel like controlling the dead bodies of your friends. Dracoliches can use any magic available to them in life, get access to a ton of new 1st through 4th-level spells and use their breath weapon 3 times a day.

If that wasn’t bad enough, they are seemingly immune to every type of attack or effect, like charm, sleep, enfeeblement, polymorph, cold, electricity, insanity, and death spells. They are also immune to potions or items of dragon control, cannot be poisoned, paralyzed, held, or be turned by a cleric. They retain their keen senses from when they were alive, fearless in victory, and finally, they never need to eat. Basically, they are just like a living dragon, except immune to all the normal things you would do to a living dragon to make it dead.

Our last stop for this edition comes from Dragon #134 (June 1988) with the article Lords & Legends by William Simpson. In our introduction, we talked about how Dragotha is name-dropped in White Plume Mountain, but we don’t have much else to go on. This article provides information and a stat block for the fearsome Dragotha. Once a red dragon consort of Tiamat, he was one of Tiamat's fiercest warriors. Unfortunately for Dragotha, murdering another dragon is a no-no and so Tiamat ordered his death. All of Tiamat’s followers eagerly obeyed, as it meant they might take over his close position to her, and Dragotha was killed. Of course, that can’t be the end of our story as Dragotha was quite smart and had contacted an unnamed deity to ‘renew’ his life if he should die. While Dragotha probably meant to be returned to life, the deity thought it’d be better if he was an undead dragon. Sometimes, you need to be more specific with the help.

2e - 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 draolich and host must be destroyed)

Found in the Monstrous Manual (1993), the Dracolich largely looks and acts the same as the previous edition. Without getting too deep into it, the basics of creating such a creature require esoteric potion ingredients, forcing the dragon to drink the weird potion, trapping their soul in a gem or similar vessel, and then pushing the soul into a suitable body for the dragon to then devour its previous body and become a true Dracolich. The most exciting change about all this is now there is a 50% chance that if you go through all of that work, you’ll be rewarded with a Dracolich who will surely demand you give it fealty instead of just a dragon corpse you have to figure out what to do with.

So let’s say, that somehow, you are facing a Dracolich. Maybe you forced it into lichdom and now it is upset with you, or maybe you just happened to have stolen some of its treasure and now it is hunting you down. Regardless of why you are being attacked, you are being attacked and we shouldn’t be blaming you, the victim, in this situation. Obviously, the Dracolich is to blame, and we are here to tell you how to survive. A Dracolich isn’t all that different from the dragon it was in life, attacking and killing you the same way it would if it was that original dragon. It is now just immune to a bunch of effects and damage types, and is also undead. So, to beat a Dracolich, all you have to do is the same thing you would do if the dragon was living. While that might not be super helpful, unfortunately for you, these dragons are not given any new weaknesses to make up for all their immunities and defenses.

Though, this brings the question of what exactly a Dracolich looks like. A common misconception regarding the Dracolich is that they are these horrifying skeleton dragons, and the artwork for them often shows them like that. In actuality, the appearance for most of them is the same as when they were alive, and the only 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, and they often live within a few miles of one another, aiding each other if one is attacked.

If our previous mention of a dragon-loving cult piqued your interest, we recommend finding a copy of our next sourcebook, Cult of the Dragon (1998). This 130-page book goes over the history of the Cult of the Dragon, the formation of the first Dracolich, Sammaster’s role in all of this, and more information than you could ever need about dragons and how to properly be a cult. Most of the information is about the cult itself, but there are several other tidbits to glean. A mighty evil dragon named Shargrailar was the first dragon to successfully undergo the transformation process to become a Dracolich. Being first has its perks, as it went on to become the most powerful Dracolich that graced the lands of Faerun. Other infamous Dracoliches are mentioned, including Alglaudyx, Kistarianth the Red, and Malygris, who are all quite terrible and frightening in their own right.

If you were wanting a few more undead dragons to fill the halls of your Dracolich, get ready for Dragon #234 (October 1996) which features a slew of other undead dragons. In the article The Draconomicon, written by Jamie Nossal, we get to see what dragons would look like if they were zombies, skeletons, ghouls, mummies, vampires, wights, and so much more. Of course, these undead draconians can’t hold a match to the power of a Dracolich, but it’s cute that they are trying.

This magazine also includes the article The Creeping Doom by Ed Greenwood. It tells the tale of Daurgothoth, known as the Creeping Doom, who's a Dracolich who desires to combine the powers of all evil dragons, absorb their abilities, and then find a suitable mate to create a race of super Dracoliches. Almost every powerful mage in the land understands the disastrous consequences of such a plan, though we are quite proud of Daurgothoth for having big dreams. The problem with Daurgothoth’s plan, though, is that other people don’t want to see that happen, which is where some adventurers come together and storm his lair. If they do so, they’ll find he has breath weapons of three dragon types, tons of unique powers and spells, and his lair is loaded with more traps than a devil’s contract. While it’s probably foolhardy to take down Daurgothoth, we can only imagine the immense riches one could find in his treasure hoard.

3e/3.5e - Dracolich

Ancient Blue Dracolich (Sample Dracolich)
Gargantuan Undead
Hit Dice: 33d12 (214 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), burrow 20 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy)
Armor Class: 40 (–4 size, +34 natural), touch 8, flatfooted 42
Base Attack/Grapple: +33/+57
Attack: Bite +41 melee (4d6+12)
Full Attack: Bite +41 melee (4d6+12) and 2 claws +36 melee (2d8+6) and 2 wings +36 melee (2d6+6) and tail slap +36 melee (2d8+18)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, control undead, create/destroy water, crush, frightful presence, paralyzing gaze, paralyzing touch, rend, snatch, spell-like abilities, spells, tail sweep
Special Qualities: Blindsense 60 ft., damage reduction 15/magic and 5/bludgeoning, darkvision 120 ft., immunity to cold, electricity, magic sleep effects, polymorph, and paralysis, invulnerability, keen senses, low-light vision,spell resistance 30, undead traits
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +18, Will +23
Abilities: Str 35, Dex 10, Con —, Int 20, Wis 21, Cha 22
Skills: Bluff +42, Concentration +27, Disguise +6 (+8 acting), Diplomacy +46, Gather Information +8, Hide +19, Intimidate +44, Knowledge (arcana) +24, Knowledge (geography) +15, Knowledge (history) +15, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge (nature) +15, Knowledge (religion) +15, Listen +41, Search +41, Sense Motive +41, Spellcraft +43, Spot +41, Survival +5 (+7 aboveground natural environments, avoiding getting lost, following tracks)
Feats: Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Extend Spell, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Maneuverability, Large and in Charge, Power Attack, Recover Breath, Rend, Shape Breath, Snatch
Environment: Temperate deserts
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 23
Treasure: Triple standard
Alignment: Lawful evil
Advancement: 34–35 HD (Gargantuan)

**Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting**, 2001 WotC

The Dracolich is first found in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (2001) and is later shown off in the Draconomicon: Book of Dragons (2003). We are miffed that the Dracolich appears in none of the FIVE Monster Manuals for this edition, we have only witnessed this level of disrespect to the flumph who was just an April Fools gag in 4th edition. Still, not all is lost in this edition as the Dracolich is still just as terrifying as one would expect from such a powerful undead dragon.

The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting provides much of the same information regarding the creation of a Dracolich and the Cult of the Dragon. There is also a short adventure featuring an adult green dragon named Azurphax who was transformed into a Dracolich. Some mean old adventurers decide to ransack his lair and kill Azurphax and all the undead minions who were hanging out at his pad. Luckily, in this edition, it is spelled out that if a Dracolich’s physical form is destroyed, the spirit of the dragon retreats to the original phylactery that was made for it when it became a Dracolich. Unlucky for all Dracoliches everywhere, they are stuck in that phylactery until a dragon-like corpse is brought within 90 feet of them, meaning they better have a nice supply of corpses within range or else be stuck in a gem for untold centuries.

In the Draconomicon, it talks about why some dragons might like the idea of being a Dracolich as there are three options for an ancient dragon as they enter the twilight of their existence; departure, guardianship, and Dracolichdom. Departure is pretty straightforward as the dragon’s spirit departs its body. Guardianship entails the dragon transforming itself into a part of the landscape, such as a mountain, swamp, graveyard, or grove. Of course, what we are interested in is Dracolichdom. The process remains the same; evil spellcaster, foul potion, phylactery, and the corpse of a dead reptile. The end result is a Dracolich, and its powers and abilities remain scary. In addition, we get a bit more information about the Proto-Dracolich.

A Proto-Dracolich comes into being when a Dracolich's spirit possesses a body other than the corpse created when the dragon consumed its dose of Dracolich brew. A Proto-Dracolich has the mind and memories of its original form but only the hit points and immunities of a Dracolich. They can neither speak nor cast spells or use their breath weapon. It will only become a full Dracolich if it eats 10% of its old living dragon body, which might be hard to find after a few hundred years as a Dracolich. If it does consume its old body, then it just waits around for up to 8 days as it slowly reassembles itself.

**Dungeon #134**, May 2006 Paizo Publishing / Dan Scott

Dragotha also makes an appearance in this edition in Dungeon #134 (May 2006) within the Age of Worms adventure path. The penultimate installment of this adventure has a party of powerful adventurers reaching 20th level and fighting dozens of horrifying monsters, all culminating in an epic encounter with Dragotha, a CR 27 Dracolich who has been trying to usher in the Age of Worms alongside his ally, Kyuss. While there is still another installment after this one, against Kyuss itself, the party can rest easy knowing that they defeated a Dracolich that has survived for more than 2,500 years, putting an end to its reign of terror.

Our final resource for this edition features the Ecology of the Dracolich written by Richard Pett and Greg A. Vaughan in Dragon #344 (June 2006). While the creation of a Dracolich still involves crazy cultists, the most agreed-upon origin story is that Falazure the Night Dragon made the first Dracoliches. The first known Dracolich is our old friend Dragotha, a consort of Tiamat, who pledged to serve Kyuss, the god of undeath, in return for becoming an undead dragon of incredible power.

Why would dragons want to become a Dracolich? Some argue that those that choose this route are quite insane. Others say that dragons are such narcissistic and ego-driven creatures they can't accept that they will eventually die like all other living things. Finally, others say a dragon's unquenchable thirst for gold, gems, and everything shiny drives them to live forever and to strive to have the best and biggest hoard.

The article also touches on the creature's physiology. A Dracolich doesn't need to sleep, which should be obvious to everyone since a Dracolich is undead. We all know that Dracoliches don't need to eat, but that won't stop them from munching on you. Even though they are dead, they remember the meaty taste of barbarian flesh, so they may try to recapture its delicious flavor. Lastly, there is no need for a Dracolich to find a mate since they are magically created creatures, which means that you don’t have to worry about stealing another dragon’s inheritance when you destroy the Dracolich and keep its hoard for yourself.

**Dragon #344**, June 2006 Paizo Publishing / WotC

4e - Dracolich

Level 18 Solo Controller
Huge natural magical beast (dragon, undead) / XP 10,000
Initiative +15 / Senses Perception +18; darkvision
HP 885; Bloodied 442; see also bloodied breath
AC 34; Fortitude 34, Reflex 32, Will 30
Immune disease, fear, poison; Resist 30 necrotic; Vulnerable 10 radiant
Saving Throws +5
Speed 8; fly 10 (clumsy)
Bite (standard; at-will) ✦ Necrotic Reach 3; +23 vs. AC; 2d8 + 8 damage. Against a stunned target, this attack deals an extra 2d8 necrotic damage.
Mesmerizing Glare (immediate interrupt, when an enemy makes a melee attack against the dracolich; at-will) ✦ Fear Close blast 3; +20 vs. Will; the target is stunned until the end of the dracolich’s next turn. Miss: The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls against the dracolich until the end of the dracolich’s next turn. Using this power does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Breath Weapon (standard; recharge ⚄ ⚅ ) ✦ Necrotic The dracolich breathes a coruscating blast of necrotic energy. Close blast 9; +21 vs. Reflex; 2d8 + 7 necrotic damage, and the target is stunned until the end of the dracolich’s next turn. Miss: Half damage, and the target is not stunned. Hit or Miss: The target loses any necrotic resistance it has (save ends).
Bloodied Breath (Free when first bloodied; encounter) The dracolich’s breath weapon recharges, and the dracolich uses it immediately.
Frightful Presence (standard; encounter) ✦ Fear Close burst 10; targets enemies; +20 vs. Will; the target is stunned until the end of the dracolich’s next turn. Aftereffect: The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of the encounter
Alignment Evil / Languages Draconic
Skills Arcana +17, Endurance +21, History +17, Insight +18, Intimidate +17, Religion +17
Str 26 (+17) Dex 22 (+15) Wis 18 (+13) Con 25 (+16) Int 17 (+12) Cha 16 (+12)

The Dracolich has finally made it into the first Monster Manual (2008) where it should’ve been all this time. They are described as a dragon that figured being undead would be a great way to satisfy its need for more power and more treasure. Like in previous editions, there is a ritual that a living dragon must subject itself to, transforming into a Dracolich, though the specifics of such a ritual are hidden from us. There is also another ritual out there that will turn a dragon into a Dracolich, but this one is a bit more insidious and subjugates the Dracolich under the control of those who enact the ritual. This is done by dark cults, with or without the dragon’s permission, and we get the feeling that these cults aren’t just looking for a cool dragon friend. You know if a Dracolich is under a dark cult’s control because they will be the ones with a phylactery, as free Dracoliches have no soul gem. Of course, that means a Dracolich with no phylactery can be destroyed just as soon as you defeat its physical body.

This sourcebook graces us with the presence of three Dracoliches, each stronger than the last. The first is a typical Dracolich that can kill you with a look, by breathing on you, or scaring you to death and is the weakest of the ones presented at only level 18. The Blackfire Dracolich is a gargantuan creature that gains a new power that not only blasts you in the face with necrotic energy but sets you ablaze with magical fire. This powerful creature is only the second strongest presented here and is level 23. The final Dracolich is the Runescribed Dracolich, a powerful level 29 undead dragon with all the tricks as its predecessors, plus the ability to redirect ranged attacks from it to another creature of its choice. This simply means that you better pack up your crossbows and spellbook and pick up a longsword to bring down this baddie.

**Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons**, 2008 WotC

If three Dracoliches aren’t enough to satisfy your craving for the dark and depraved, the Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons (2008) is here to help with four more Dracoliches. These Dracoliches don’t follow the traditional paths for Dracolichdom, but rather have ended up there in different ways that make it difficult to say if they truly are Dracoliches. The first one, the Bone Mongrel Dracolich, is created by gathering the bones of several dead dragons and performing a ritual over them, causing this horse-sized skeletal beast to be formed. It has a glimmer of intelligence but hates the unlife it is forced to live, seeking its destruction by attacking any creature it comes across. Then there are the Stoneborn Dracolich which are fossilized dragon bones that are unearthed and a spark of magical life is returned to them. They can unleash a stony breath weapon and their tail has a large stone cudgel at the end, making them dangerous from both ends.

If you are wanting to join an exclusive club of Dracoliches, then the Icewrought Dracolich is only for white dragons who sought a ritual or location, it is unclear which, known as the Heart of Absolute Winter. They seek to extend their life through the power of winter and can often be found accompanied by their white dragon children that they protect until strong enough to survive on their own. The final Dracolich invades our dreams and is known as the Dreambreath Dracolich. The Dreambreath haunts the dreamscapes where all dreamers go while they sleep, tormenting and consuming as they please as they seek the heart of Dream where they might bask in its power.

Of course, this path to becoming a Dracolich is solely for those evil dragons, largely chromatic dragons, who are seeking life after death. For good dragons, often metallic dragons, they have their ways of cheating death by utilizing the elemental energies within themselves. In Draconomicon: Metallic Dragons (2009) we can find the Hollow Dragons who are metallic dragons that have become magical constructs with an animating spirit that controls the empty shells of their dragon scaled bodies.

While Dracoliches rely on shadows and undeath, the metallic dragons rely on elemental energies to further their life. The process to become a Hollow dragon involves the dragon channeling the elemental magic within the core of its body, how it uses its breath weapon, and using it to destroy the muscle, bone, and organs within its body, leaving only its hide and scales behind. It appears as it did in life, but now only its cracked hide and scales remain with glimmering elemental energy peeking through the crack in its ancient hide. These creatures stick to isolation, preferring to continue their studies far from others, though a few who have gone through this process become evil, subjugating others beneath their claws.

**Draconomicon: Metallic Dragons**, 2009 WotC

There are plenty more Dracoliches that appear in various magazines and sourcebooks, but they repeat a similar stance. Dracoliches are evil beings who wished to delay the inevitable death and seek life through undeath and shadow magic. The last thing we want to mention is that between the 4th and 5th editions, we have the D&D Next system, which includes the strange module Vault of the Dracolich (2013). The players are tasked by the sage Imani to obtain a diamond staff that unlocks the secrets of an ancient elven kingdom. One minor problem, though; the staff is located in the hoard of a Dracolich named Dretchroyaster, and it's unlikely to share. This adventure is designed for 4th level characters, which seems hopeless for the party except you are expected to run this module with multiple groups entering the vaults at the same time as you, but from different approaches. Hopefully one of them will incur the wrath of Dretchroyaster so you can go home with all your limbs.

5e - Dracolich (Adult Blue)

Huge undead, lawful evil
Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 225 (18d12 + 108)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 30 ft., fly 80 ft.
STR 25 (+7) DEX 10 (+0) CON 23 (+6) INT 16 (+3) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 19 (+4)
Saving Throws Dex +5, Con + 11 , Wis +7, Cha +9
Skills Perception +12, Stealth +5
Damage Resistances necrotic
Damage Immunities lightning, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses blindsight 60ft., darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 22
Languages Common, Draconic
Challenge 17 (18,000 XP)
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dracolich fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The dracolich has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Multiattack. The dracolich can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d10 + 7) piercing damage plus 5 (1d10) lightning damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dracolich's choice that is within 120 feet of the dracolich and aware of it must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dracolich's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Lightning Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dracolich exhales lightning in a 90-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 66 (12d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions The dracolich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dracolich regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dracolich makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dracolich makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dracolich beats its tattered wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dracolich must succeed on a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (2d6 + 7) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. After beating its wings this way, the dracolich can fly up to half its flying speed.

The Dracolich has kept up the pace and returns in the Monster Manual (2014), and like many other editions, it is a template that can be applied to almost any dragon. There are a handful of restrictions to keep in mind though, like the dragon must at least be an adult dragon, meaning they’ve lived at least 101 years, and they have to be a true dragon. All wyverns, drakes, dragon turtles, and lesser dragons, like kobolds, need not apply as they’ll just die.

If you do meet the qualifications, then you better prepare yourself as you need a team of cultists or mages to help prepare a special potion that kills you outright and then have the team capture your soul and inject it into a phylactery. This phylactery must now be a special gemstone. What makes it special is a mystery as this edition’s source material provides scant information. It’s just special. Once it’s soul is captured in the phylactery, it can then send its soul back into the remains of its corpse, whose flesh and scales have all rotted away, leaving behind a pile of dragon bones for it to animate. The process is then complete, the Dracolich can then thank all of the spellcasters who helped it, presumably by tearing their flesh from their bones and making a small skeleton unit as the first troops of its undead army.

Beyond being dead, not much else changes for the Dracolich. They do gain resistance to magic and necrotic damage, immunity to poison damage, and a few condition immunities, but not much else to warrant sacrificing your very life. We suppose that some dragons just don’t like the idea of ever dying, and that is the greater motivator than simply gaining a ton of new powers and abilities that we would want if we had to consume a toxic potion that rotted the flesh from our bones in an instant.

Our last sourcebook has us in the new Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons (2021). One might think that the Dracolich would be showered with love in this new book about all things dragon, but sadly, we find very little information. What information does exist are just a few bare paragraphs that talk about the Cult of the Dragon and that their whole existence and reason for creating Dracoliches is based on a mistranslated fragment of prophecy. To create such powerful undeath, all because you messed up a translation is kind of impressive. Of course, that reasoning is only for the Forgotten Realms, other places have Dracoliches because of the dragon’s echo, as apparently dragons exist in sync across thousands of worlds as echoes, that echo forced the dragon to become a Dracolich… because of the mix-up from the prophecy. What we’re saying is that its the Forgotten Realms fault, and its lore, that we have Dracoliches.

We do have several other undead dragons in this book, including the hollow dragon which is now filled with radiant energies and a sacred protector of some artifact or other great purpose. There are also ghost dragons who haunt their ancient treasure hoards, their avarice acting as a tie to the mortal worlds where they protect it from those who would try to steal from them even in death. The last type of dead-undead dragons are the draconic shards which hold the everlasting psychic impression of a gem dragon, housing it within the gem. It seems like they are merely Dracoliches but trapped in their phylactery with no true physical form beyond a spectral imitation of one.

**Fizben’s Treasury of Dragons**, 2021 WotC

Dracoliches have long been a powerful force of necrotic energies and shadow magic. They are created through hideous and ancient rituals that are just as likely to kill them as to give them everlasting undeath. Of course, what truly motivates these creatures to follow such a risky plot is hard for mere mortals to understand. Perhaps their sheer avarice keeps them in life, or they can not comprehend a world that doesn’t include them, or maybe that nice cult has more insidious purposes than the dragon first thought. Regardless, if you find yourself watching a pile of bones flapping through the air at you, we recommend offering up as much treasure as possible, hoping that maybe it’ll be enough to satiate its undying greed.

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