Dragonomicon: Dracolich Mongrel
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Mathew_Freeman
Adventurer
Maybe they trust gamers to invent their own details on top of what they give us? Maybe they want to encourage DM's to make the game their own, by giving them the bare bones of a monster (with description that I find tantalising and full of ideas, but YMMV) and letting them run with it?
I apologise if this sounds snarky, but I am getting quite fed up of seeing people take time to post to a thread just to say "This sucks", effectively. I fully appreciate that 4e isn't to everyone's taste, but if you didn't like something, can you at least be a bit more precise about what you didn't like, and how you'd make it better?
Mustrum_Ridcully
Legend
Constructive Criticism is a way of the past. We don't want that anymore, it's too much work.
Phaezen
Adventurer
Just looking at the fluff in this preview, we know the following:
A Bonemongrel Dracolich is an unwilling undead created from the remains of several dragons.
They are compelled by the ritual that created them tom serve thier masters, and even though they hate thier existance the ritual prevents them from harming themselves, although it doesn't compell them to flee if they are in danger.
Thier phylactory is built into thier skeletal structure.
WHat moe do you really need? As shown above by Asmor and myself, this is more than enough fluff to create interesting encounters and even adventures.
Here is another idea that I have from reading this preview:
Bonemongrels are often used by the Cult of the Dragon as guardians. These bonemongrels are usualy created from the remains of dragons who refused the gift of lichdom, or failed or betrayed the cult in some way.
Phaezen
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
Mustrum_Ridcully
Legend
What's with all the screaming? Everything okay? Caps Lock broken? Do you feel unwell? Should we call a doctor, a therapist or a technician?
It seems quite lame to me and hardly deserving of being associated with lichdom. It also seems really limited in that they are all large in size which I supose means that either dragons have been shrunk or that they are only made from small dragon bones. Why not just call them guardian dragon skeletons or something but even then I would expect them to come in other much larger sizes. As far as liches go lame seems to fit IMO. Maybe they would have been better as constructs. Maybe there is more to them that was unpublished in the preview otherwise two thumbs down on this "dracolich".
Good golly, the negative reaction is amazing to me. This particular version comes in large sizes. That in no way means that other versions can't come in huge or gargantuan sizes. Much like there are orcs of varying levels statted out in the various monster sources (including Dungeon), this one just happens to be a large version. Why do people feel that these kinds of rules are so constricting? I just don't get it. I really don't get it.
It looks like an interesting monster, in that it is an unwilling slave. I can already envision several interesting RP opportunities in that (one of them escapes control and tries to enlist the PCs into helping to free its kin also - do the PCs help free likely evil creatures to weaken the evil empire that enslaves them - if they do, what do the lesser liches turn out to be? is just one idea).
It looks like an interesting monster, in that it is an unwilling slave. I can already envision several interesting RP opportunities in that (one of them escapes control and tries to enlist the PCs into helping to free its kin also - do the PCs help free likely evil creatures to weaken the evil empire that enslaves them - if they do, what do the lesser liches turn out to be? is just one idea).
I really like this dragon. Its not really a "dragon" to me, in a way... its more an undead critter, but its a good undead critter.
The only thing I would add would be rules for the phylactery. Maybe something like, "It takes Ritual X to create a Dracolich Mongrel, and costs Y. If you already have the phylactery, possibly because you salvaged it after a previous Dracolich Mongrel was destroyed, the cost is reduced by Z."
Or even just a general statement: "It is far easier to recreate a Dracolich Mongrel from a salvaged phylactery than it is to create one from scratch."
That would give some simple hooks for the monster- you might have to fight it more than once because your party didn't realize they had to destroy the phylactery, and it was salvaged and rebuilt.
The only thing I would add would be rules for the phylactery. Maybe something like, "It takes Ritual X to create a Dracolich Mongrel, and costs Y. If you already have the phylactery, possibly because you salvaged it after a previous Dracolich Mongrel was destroyed, the cost is reduced by Z."
Or even just a general statement: "It is far easier to recreate a Dracolich Mongrel from a salvaged phylactery than it is to create one from scratch."
That would give some simple hooks for the monster- you might have to fight it more than once because your party didn't realize they had to destroy the phylactery, and it was salvaged and rebuilt.
