How to turn a Dragon into a Lich?

[F.C.Desoya]

First off some background.....rksmoot stay out!

My players have been paying a Red Dragon magic items in exchange for safe passage through a forest area. Things were going well till one trip the dragon did not show up for its collection. They got curious and scryed on it to find it chained down in a dark room. Over the course of a few weeks they learned that it was being tortured and healed continuously.

What they do not know is that the dragon is being converted by a group of evil priest that the players have been harassing for some time now. What I am wondering is how they would go about turning the dragon into a lich once they did bend its will. I know I could just throw the lich template on it but I want to know how it would be done. What ways are there to be turned into a lich.

Thanks!

 

[BiggusGeekus]

One way to do it is to never tell the players what happened. They find the ritual area covered in dried blood and various corpses that appear to look as if they had their skin removed while still alive. Mystic diagrams are carved into the floor and in the corner a man, barely alive who has clearly been tortured constantly mumbles "stop, stop" over and over. He is incapeable of doing anything else other than screaming in agony if he is ever touched.

Just make your party wonder what happened. They'll invent nasty detials in their own mind. If you give an exact ritual ("Well, first we fired up the wheel of pain, and then took 5cc of dire spider venom ....") that will remove some of the mystery and horror.

 

[punkorange]

I agree with BG 100%, sometimes the best descriptions are the lack of them.

 

[focallength]

exactly one of the great things about being a DM is you dont have to worry about things like "how do I make a Dracholich" you just say "poof! your a dracholich!" In this case rules for becoming a dracholich are for players who want to become one and if you let a player become a dracholich...well...
"Its magic!" the only two words a Dm ever has to know to explain anything.
and if the players insist on knowing, let them be human sacrifices at the next "coming out" party for a dracholich then they can witness it first hand.

As far as bending a Red dragons will into becoming a dracholich...thats like trying to talk a kid into taking candy...it dosent have to be done. If you want flavor or knowledge of a cool Dracholich read the first spellfire book also 2E had a book (dont remember the name) but it was the dragon book on how to become a dracholich Im guessing the new dragon book probablly has it too.

 

[Dakkareth]

Just for inspiration I'd suggest the old 2nd edition book on the Cult of the Dragon, an organization from the Forgotten Realms specialising on exactly this - bringing dragons under their control and turning them into undead dracoliches. The free download above is quite an interesting read ...

 

[F.C.Desoya]

Thanks! The Cult of the Dragon was especially useful. And no I was not planning on telling the players exactly how or even what was done, just to have a good description of what was left after the ritual was over and the dracolich was gone.

 

[Storyteller01]

Mechanical hitch: ran a 2e published adventure a while back, which grew into a short campaign of sorts. A green dragon had been turned into dracolich and kept reappearing. The party could never find the phalactery!

The reason: The party had a sword which did massive damage to dragons (found in the Greens' original lair). Large green gem in the guard. When they received the blade, they learned that it was called Dragonslayer.

Thing is, they never checked the spelling. The sword was actually called Dragon's Lair. Can you guess where the phalactery had been?

It was great! Every time the party killed a dragon, they provided their nemesis with a body!

 

[yennico]

IIRC only a willing dragon can be tunred into a lich. If the dragon does not want to be turned into a lich, he never will become a lich.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Dracolich Template, Draconomicon, Page 146.

 

[Ao the Overkitty]

Cult of the Dragon also appears in Lords of Darkness (3e FR book). Complete with a hide-out mapped out.

Wearer of Purple (the higher ranked members of Cult sects) is a prestige class in Faiths & Pantheons (3e FR book). Might be useful for those evil priests they've been harassing.