Ice Walk. The dragon can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost it extra movement.
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.
Invulnerability: If a dracolich is slain, its spirit immediately returns to its phylactery. If no dragon-type corpse lies within 90 feet for the spirit to possess, the dracolich is trapped in the phylactery until such a time - if ever - that a corpse becomes available. A dracolich is difficult to destroy. If its spirit is currently contained in its phylactery, destroying that item when a suitable corpse is not within range effectively destroys the dracolich. Likewise, an active dracolich is unable to attempt further possessions if its phylactery is destroyed. The fate of a disembodied dracolich spirit - that is, a spirit with no body or phylactery - is unknown, but presumably it is drawn to the Lower Planes.
Undead Traits: A dracolich is immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, magic sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and any effect that requires a Con save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. It is not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage to its physical ability scores, ability drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or death from massive damage. It cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if it is willing.
Proto-Dracolich: A proto-dracolich comes into being when a dracolich's spirit possesses any body other than it's own. A proto-dracolich has the mind and memories of its original form but the hit points and immunities of a dracolich. A proto-dracolich can neither speak nor cast spells. Further, it cannot deal extra cold damage, use a breath weapon, or use frightful presence as a dracolich. Its Strength, speed, and Armor Class are those of the possessed body.
A proto-dracolich transforms into a full-fledged dracolich in 2d4 days. When the transformation is complete, the dracolich's form resembles that of its original body. It can now speak, cast spells, and employ the breath weapon it originally had, in addition to gaining all the abilities of a dracolich. A dracolich typically keeps a few "spare" bodies of a suitable size near the hiding place of its phylactery, so that if its current form is destroyed, it can possess and transform a new body within a few days.
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) cold damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing 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.
Cold Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales an icy blast in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
On any successful hit, add an additional 3 (1d6) cold damage
- Control Undead : Once every three days, a dragon can use control undead as the spell (caster level 15th). The dracolich cannot cast other spells while this ability is in effect.
- Paralyzing Gaze : The gaze of a dracolich's glowing eyes can paralyze victims within 40 feet who fail a Con save (DC 20). If the saving throw is successful, the character is forever immune to the gaze of that particular dracolich. If it fails, the victim is paralyzed for 2d6 rounds.
- Paralyzing Touch: A creature struck by any of a dracolich's a physical attacks may make a Con save (DC 20) or be paralyzed for 2d6 rounds. A successful saving throw against the effect does not confer any immunity against subsequent attacks.
Description
The dracolich is an undead creature resulting from the transformation of an evil dragon. The process usually involves a cooperative effort between an evil dragon and powerful cleric, sorcerer, wizard. But especially powerful spellcasters have been known to coerce an evil dragon undergo the transformation against its will.
The dragon must first consume a lethal concoction known as a dracolich brew. This act instantly slays the dragon, whereupon its spirit is transfered to its dracolich phylactery regardless of the distance between the phylactery and the dragon's body.
A spirit contained in a phylactery can sense any reptilian or dragon corpse of Medium or larger size within 90 feet and attempt to possess it. Under no circumstances can the spirit possess a living body.
If the animated corpse is the spirit's former body, it immediately becomes a dracolich. Otherwise, it becomes a proto-dracolich (see below). A dracolich appears as a skeletal or semi-skeletal version of its former self, with glowing points of light in its shadowy eye sockets.
Lair and Lair Actions
A White Dragon’s Lair
White dragons lair in icy caves and deep subterranean chambers far from the sun. They favor high mountain vales accessible only by flying, caverns in cliff faces, and labyrinthine ice caves in glaciers. White dragons love vertical heights in their caverns, flying up to the ceiling to latch on like bats or slithering down icy crevasses.
A legendary white dragon’s innate magic deepens the cold in the area around its lair. Mountain caverns are fast frozen by the white dragon’s presence. A white dragon can often detect intruders by the way the keening wind in its lair changes tone.
A white dragon rests on high ice shelves and cliffs in its lair, the floor around it a treacherous morass of broken ice and stone, hidden pits, and slippery slopes. As foes struggle to move toward it, the dragon flies from perch to perch and destroys them with its freezing breath.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Freezing fog fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The fog spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured. Each creature in the fog when it appears must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that ends its turn in the fog takes 10 (3d6) cold damage. A wind of at least 20 miles per hour disperses the fog. The fog otherwise lasts until the dragon uses this lair action again or until the dragon dies.
- Jagged ice shards fall from the ceiling, striking up to three creatures underneath that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The dragon makes one ranged attack roll (+7 to hit) against each target. On a hit, the target takes 10 (3d6) piercing damage.
- The dragon creates an opaque wall of ice on a solid surface it can see within 120 feet of it. The wall can be up to 30 feet long, 30 feet high, and 1 foot thick. When the wall appears, each creature within its area is pushed 5 feet out of the wall’s space, appearing on whichever side of the wall it wants. Each 10-foot section of the wall has AC 5, 30 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to acid, cold, necrotic, poison, and psychic damage. The wall disappears when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary white dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Chilly fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair.
- Freezing precipitation falls within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair, sometimes forming blizzard conditions when the dragon is at rest.
- Icy walls block off areas in the dragon’s lair. Each wall is 6 inches thick, and a 10-foot section has AC 5, 15 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to acid, cold, necrotic, poison, and psychic damage.
If the dragon wishes to move through a wall, it can do so without slowing down. The portion of the wall the dragon moves through is destroyed, however.
If the dragon dies, the fog and precipitation fade within 1 day. The ice walls melt over the course of 1d10 days.
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