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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 6569064" data-attributes="member: 2209">Dragon 344<a href="https://paizo.com/products/btpy7ywd?Dragon-Issue-344" target="_blank">Dragon 344</a>3.5Dracolich: Many sages and magical practitioners—“experts” in the realm of dragons—claim that Falazure the Night Dragon created the first dracoliches. There might be some truth to this, considering that “night dragon” is a commonly accepted term when referring to a dracolich. As wholly unnatural, created beings, however, a common heritage is hard to trace. The origins of dracoliches are as varied as the locales in which they appear, whether they come about through the machinations of madmen and demented cults or by dragons instigating the unnatural process through their own arrogance and naked ambition.The earliest known dracolich, the infamous Dragotha, was created from the body of one of Tiamat’s favored consorts. The god of undeath, Kyuss, granted him unlife in exchange for his eternal servitude. Since then, mortal adepts have developed dim echoes of Kyuss’ magics in the form of a powerful ritual accompanied by the consumption of a foul magical concoction—part poison to slay the imbiber and part elixir to bring about the cold existence of undeath—called The Damnable Libation, or more simply, dracolich brew.One other commonality in the origins of dracoliches is their absolute reliance on a magical phylactery in which to store their souls.Dracoliches are formed when a dragon drinks a foul concoction called dracolich brew and then partakes in a vile ritual of reanimation. The complex ritual requires the cooperation of clerics and wizards in addition to the dragon.In Faerûn, the first known dracoliches appeared nearly 500 years ago through themachinations of Sammaster First-Speaker—mad archmage, former Chosen of Mystra, and founder of the Cult of the Dragon. While studying an ancient work of the seer Maglas, Sammaster mistranslated a key passage that led him to believe he alone had uncovered the destiny of Faerûn—to be ruled by undead dragons. As a result of this and the influence of one Algashon Nathaire, Sammaster devised the means to create dracoliches.Some historians claim to have found evidence implying that some dragons allied themselves with the forces of Khyber during the Age of Demons, the cost of their allegiance being a dark gift of immortality—the secrets of creating dracoliches.Although the dracolich brew and accompanying ritual is by far the most common method of becoming a dracolich (if such a thing can be considered common), there are other, even less-known, paths to this form of immortality.Dragons who drink directly from the Well of Dragons arestricken down and die immediately. Those with exceptionally powerful personalities (Charisma of 25 or greater) sometimes manage to retain their minds, awaking in 1d4 days as dracoliches, the skulls of nearby lesser dragons spontaneously becoming their phylacteries.On very rare occasions, when the circumstances are just right, a dragon skeleton that has been necromantically charged and kept in long proximity with a receptacle holding the essence of some powerful evil being—such as an entrapped fiend or bound soul—can spontaneously arise as a dracolich.Dragon Zombie: Most dragons who drink directly from the Well of Dragons are stricken down and die immediately, animating as mindless zombie dragons in 1d4 days.</blockquote>

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