Dracolich

A dracolich was a dragon who had voluntarily tied its soul to a reliquary, freeing itself from death. A type of lich, the dragon's soul gem could exert control over other undead. In addition, they retained all the powers and abilities of the former body. That meant a dracolich had the supernatural fear aura, spells, and breath weapon it had in life, plus the terrible might of the undead.

Description

A dracolich retained its shape and size upon transforming, its skin and scales drawing tight to its bones or sloughing away took leave a skeletal form beyond. Its eyes appeared as glowing points of light floating in shadowy sockets, hinting at the malevolence of its undead mind.
Creating a dracolich required the cooperation of the dragon and a group of mages or cultists that could perform the proper ritual. During the ritual, the dragon consumed a toxic brew that slew it instantly. The attendant spellcasters then ensared its spirit and transferred it to a special gemstone that functioned like a lich's reliquary. As the dragon's flesh rotted away, the spirit inside the gem returned to animate the dragon's bones.
If a dracolich's physical form was ever destroyed, its spirit returned to the gem. That gem granted the dracolich the power to bend all the undead within a certain radius to their will. Furthermore, it was theoretically possible to extend that gem's influence still further, creating more and more dead servants for the dracolich.
Only an ancient or adult true dragon could be transformed into a dracolich. Younger dragons that attempted to undergo the transformation died, as do other creatures that aren't true dragons but possess the dragon subtype, such as pseudodragons and wyverns.

Behavior

Though many dracoliches pursued vain goals of destruction and dominance, dracoliches were more nefarious than the most evil dragons, driven to rule over all. A dracolich was a fiendishly intelligent tyrant that crafted complex webs of foul schemes, attracting hordes of mindless undead to serve its will. Acting from the shadows and actively plotting to keep its existence a secret, a dracolich could be a cunning and challenging foe.

Notable Dracoliches

• Vhakizla the Valiant

Campaigns

The Menagerie 

• Vhakizla: Upon arriving in Vhakizla, the Menagerie was alarmed to discover their patron deeply in denial about her state as a dracolich. (Chapter 4)

Dracolich

Creature Type: Undead (Template)
Size: Huge
Challenge Rating: 17
Features: Breath weapon, frightful presence, resistant to necrotic, magic resistance, rejuvenation, legendary and lair actions