Dracolich
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS -Evil alignment
-At least 2 levels of a dragon class.
Special:-Must have died while on the possession of one item worth 7000 or more GP, thereafter known as the phylactery.
HD:d12| Level | Bab | Fort | Ref | Will | Feature |
| 1 | + 0 | +0 | +0 | + 2 | Vile Pact, Phylactery Possession, Dracolich Body, Protoform, Grave Invulnerability |
| 2 | + 1 | +0 | +0 | + 3 | Draco Bones, Paralyzing Gaze, Grave Invulnerability |
| 3 | + 1 | +1 | +1 | + 3 | Paralyzing Touch, Diabolical Purpose, Grave Invulnerability |
Skills: 2+int modifier per level, no class skills.
Proficiencies:The dracolich doesn't gain any new proficiencies.
Features:
Vile Pact: A Dracolich may swap dragon levels for dracolich levels in a 1-1 basis, meaning you can take this prc even if you didn't have enough exp to level up, provided you sacrifice one dragon level right away. You cannot however sacrifice your first dragon level for this.
Phylactery Possession: initially, the dracolich is nothing but a spirit trapped in his phylactery. It loses all senses, except it can detect any dead reptilian or dragon corpse of medium or larger size whitin 90 feet. If someone picks up the phylactery, it can telepathically communicate with them, but it cannot take any other actions but attempt to possess it, which demands 24 hours of concentration during which both the phylactery and corpse must remain completely indisturbed. Living, undead, constructs, and anything else able to take actions cannot be possessed this way.
If the corpse chosen is the Dracolich's original body, sucess is automatic. Otherwise it demands a DC 20 Charisma check for a true dragon corpse, a DC 25 check for any other kind of dragon, or a DC 30 for any other kind of reptilian creature. If the check fails, the dracolich can never possess that particular corpse. For each extra level in Dracolich, the above DCs are reduced by 5.
If the corpse accepts the spirit, it is animated as an undead, a skeletal version of its former self, that slowly changes to resemble its original draconic form. If it is destroyed, then it collapses to useless dust and cannot be possessed again, and the dracolich's spirit returns to the Phylactery, from where it can attempt to possess a new body (if there's any nearby).
Dracolich body: A Dracolich loses all other racial modifiers and gains the following undead traits
* No Constitution score.
* Darkvision out to 60 feet.
* Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
* Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects.
* Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.
* Heals naturaly.
* Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
* Uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks.
* Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.
* Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead.
* Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.
Do not recalculate saves or other statistics. The Dracolich now uses Str or Cha instead of Con to determine its Nat armor and Breath Weapon DCs, whichever's higher. The Dracolich's flight becomes a Supernatural ability.
Proto Form: It takes time for a dracolich to adapt to its new form. For the first 2d4 days after possessing a new body, it cannot speak, cast spells/manifest power, use any of its breath weapons neither its Frightful Presence.
Grave Invulnerability: At each level, the Dracolich can choose to become immune to one of Electricity, Cold or Polymorph effects against its will. If it would gain an immunity it already has, it is instead healed by 1/2 the damage it would suffer if it wasn't immune.
Draco Bones: At 2nd level the Dracolich gains DR/bludgeoning equal to half its HD.
Paralyzing Gaze: At 2nd level the dracolich's empty eye orbits start to glow, and anyone whitin 40 feet that looks at him must make a Fort save with DC 10+1/2 HD+Cha mod or be paralyzed for 1d2 rounds. If all Dracolich levels are taken, the duration of the paralyzis increases by one die size for every 4 HD of the Dracolich. Creatures that make their save are immune to this for 24 hours. If the Dracolich has 13 or more HD even creatures normally immune can be affected, but they gain a +5 bonus on their saves.
Control Undead: At 2nd level the Dracolich can use Control Undead as a SLA 1 once per three days save DC 10+1/2 HD+Cha mod, and while it is under effect the Dracolich cannot use any other spells/SLAs/powers/PLAs. If the Dracolich has 12 or more HD this can be used 1/day and no longer limits the Dracolich's abilities for the duration.
Paralyzing Touch: At 3rd level the Dracolich chooses one of its Natural Weapons for every 3 HD it has. Creatures struck by that natural weapon are affected by Paralyzis as if gazing to the Dracolich, except that they don't gain immunity against this if they save.
Diabolical Purpose: At 3rd level the Dracolich gains a permanent +2 to Cha and can attempt to possess corpses in just one minute. In addition if it takes further levels in its original dragon class, it can count its dracolich levels as levels of that class for purposes of CL and for the purposes of learning new spells and geting new spell slots (or psionic equivalents in the case of a gem dragon).
If it has 13 or more HD, it can attempt possession as a fullround action.
If it has 15 or more HD, it can attempt possession as a standard action.
If it has 17 or more HD, it can attempt possession as a move action.
If it has 19 or more HD, it can attempt possession as a swift action.
Pretty recent in the request list, yes, but this one caught my attention due to the requester's reasonins (dead dragon player, want to come back as undead!).
Since the original fluff is somewhat silly (dragon drinks poison while trusting an humanoid caster to complete the ritual, and not, for example, loot their dead body), I decided to scrap it and go for the client's proposal.
Thus you can turn into a Dracolich after a battle that went wrong for you but not for the rest of the party. Tecnically you could take it at level 2, but the Phylactery costing 7000 GP will limit that.
Otherwise, the original Dracolich is kinda a lich on steroids, being able to pump out paralyzing touches with all of its natural attacks and then still having a paralyzing gaze on top of that. It can come back faster, but needs big bodies nearby to do it, and then still takes some time to complete the transformation.
Thus all in all didn't really need any big custom abilities, just polishing a bit around (how much time it takes exactly to possess something), limiting the worst offenders (paralyzis with all natural attacks), and done. Not too hard, in particular since I'm still not fully recovered from that cold.
So if you want to play an unliving dragon, the dracolich's for you!
