DRAGOTHA

FREQUENCY: Unique
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -3
MOVE: 12"/24" (MC: E)
HIT DICE: 19 (152 hp)
% IN LAIR: 99% (see below)
TREASURE TYPE: H, S, T, U, W x 2 (see below)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 5-12/5-12/6-36
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapons; spell use; disease; fear aura; creation of undead followers
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Surprised only on a 1 on 1d12; spell and psionic immunities (see below); immune to electricity; regeneration; takes half damage from edged weapons; cannot be turned by clerics
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 15%
INTELLIGENCE: Supra-genius
ALIGNMEANT: Neutral evil
SIZE: L (48' long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
    Attack/Defense Modes: Nil/Immune to all attacks
CHANCE OF: 
    Speaking: 100%
    Magic use: 100%
    Sleeping: Nil
LEVEL/XP Value: X/30,560 

Originally from the first plane of the
Nine Hells, Dragotha was in life a huge,
ancient, red dragon ? a consort of the evil
dragon queen Tiamat. Being the most
powerful of Tiamat?s companions, he
enjoyed privileges that no other dragon
could hope for. However, like all who are
in league with Tiamat, he was expendable.
When Dragotha murdered another dragon
who threatened his position with Tiamat,
the dragon queen became furious and
ordered Dragotha?s death. Ready to obey
her will (as well as eliminate a rival), the
other dragons killed Dragotha. Dragotha,
however, had made plans before his death
to insure that he lived forever. He had
contacted an unknown deity of death who,
for personal reasons, agreed to restore
?life? to Dragotha?s body when Dragotha
died. The deity restored Dragotha, but
instead of renewed life, Dragotha was
placed in an eternal cursed state resem-
bling lichdom. Dragotha was allowed to
escape to the Prime Material Plane, where
the deity was sure Dragotha?s rage would
cause massive death and destruction ?
which would please this evil deity, who is
rumored to have been Nerull the Reaper
(described in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK?
fantasy setting booklets).

Dragotha now lives in his lair on Oerth,
in the northern part of the Flanaess. 
Though mention of his lair on the map in
White Plume Mountain makes it appear
that he is located near that volcano-
fortress (hex T3-70 on the maps that come
with the WORLD OF GREYHAWK? fantasy
setting boxed set), Dragotha?s lair is actu-
ally in hex K4-58, on the edge of the Cold
Marshes just north of the Howling Hills.
He ventures out once every century or so
to spend his fury on whomever he can
find. The rest of his days are spent prepar-
ing for the day when he can challenge
both Tiamat and the deity responsible for
his curse. He does not venture out often,
for he does not wish to draw unwanted
attention. His influence across Oerth is
thus small, though his ultimate plans are
of mighty and merciless revenge. His lair is
said to extend endlessly into the earth, and
is filled with treasure and riches ? but it
is also said that Dragotha chooses only
magical items that he can use himself, and
he uses them freely if need be.

Dragotha appears to be a huge, skeletal
dragon, with wings covered by a thin,
clear membrane that allows flight when
he flaps his wings. His eyes glow with a
pale blue light, and his movements are
intelligent and carefully considered most
of the time. If enraged for some reason,
Dragotha loses all self-control and lashes
out savagely at all living beings nearby. It
is said that his voice is always that of a
soft, lisping whisper. Dragotha knows
most of the languages of the Flanaess, and
collects trivial bits of information from
captives (apparently for his own curiosity)
before slaying them.

While a red dragon, Dragotha was con-
sidered one of Tiamat?s best fighters. He is
still very capable. Dragotha attacks with
his two powerful claws and his vicious
bite. Any hit made by Dragotha not only
does normal damage but also casts  cause
disease  on living beings (a saving throw vs.
spells negates this effect). Although his
claws and bite are powerful, they are
nothing compared to his powerful breath
weapons. Because of his curse, Dragotha
can use three different breath weapons,
including a cone of frost similar to that of
a white dragon, and a poisonous chlorine
gas cloud similar to that of a green dragon.
The cone of frost is 90? long with a base
diameter of 30?; the gas cloud is 60? long,
40? wide, and 30? high. Each breath weap-
on does 152 hp damage if the victim fails
his saving throw vs. breath weapon; the
victim takes half damage if he makes his
saving throw. Dragotha can use each of
these two breath attacks two times daily.

However, sometimes Dragotha wishes to
use his opponents to serve his needs. In
this case, he uses his most powerful
breath weapon: his dreaded death wind.
This wind of negative energy causes all
beings within range to save vs. breath
weapon or die; slain humans, demi-
humans, humanoids, and giantkind are
then transformed into undead warriors
who serve their slayer. Those who save
take no physical damage, but have a - 4 
penalty applied to all saving throws,
attacks, and ability scores (to a minimum
score of 1) for 2-12 turns. Such survivors
are weak from having their life force
almost drained, and a second saving throw
vs. spells (with wisdom bonuses applicable)
must be made or else the victims are filled
with  fear,  causing them to flee in terror
and be unable to return to face Dragotha
for 4-24 hours. This breath weapon may
be used twice per day, resembles a blast of
rippling black energy, and has the same
dimensions as the cone of frost weapon.

A person changed by Dragotha into an
undead warrior (known in legend as a
drakanman)  retains all hit dice, hit points,
and strength scores, but loses all other
learned skills and bonuses as well as psio-
nit and spell-casting abilities. Each drakan-
man (unless magical items or armor
dictate otherwise) has a base AC 7, with a
bonus of - 1 per level of the victim over
1st level to a limit of AC 0. (To determine
the level of multiclassed characters, aver-
age the levels and round up.) Beings with
less than 1 HD or of zero level simply
become 1 HD drakanmen. Drakanmen
(like Dragotha himself) are immune to all
enchantment/charm and illusion/phantasm
spells, all forms of  fear  and paralysis,
poison, insanity, death-related spells, sun-
light, psionic attacks, and all cold-based
spells and effects. They strongly resemble
zombies but gain normal reaction in 
melee. Holy water does 2-8 hp damage per
vial to them. Drakanmen are semi-
intelligent, but they follow only Dragotha?s
orders, which are given in a coded lan-
guage that only Dragotha speaks. They
can use armor, shields, weapons, and
simple magical devices ? often the very
ones that they used in life when they came
to attack Dragotha. A resurrection spell
can reverse this condition, if cast within
seven days of the drakanman?s creation;
after that, only a wish will work (affecting
only one drakanman per wish).

A drakanman is usually useful for 10-40
years, after which time it collapses and
disintegrates; the victim cannot then be
returned to life by any means. All drakan-
men have a movement rate of 15?. If
unarmed, they strike once per round with
a fist, doing 1-4 hp damage, plus any
strength bonuses possessed in life.

Dragotha can control as many hit dice of
warriors as he has hit points (152).
Because of his powerful nature, Dragotha
is aware of how close to this limit his
combined force of drakanmen is, and he
knows the relative power of individual
drakanmen. Dragotha?s control over his
drakanmen allows him to select one of his
individual drakanmen and see whatever
that drakanman sees, though this activity
cannot be performed while doing anything
else. Switching to another drakanman?s
viewpoint takes one round. Dragotha can 
still receive brief mental warnings from
any one of his drakanmen at any time, if
such were placed on guard duty and
ordered to notify Dragotha if intruders
appear. In such an event, Dragotha would
receive the warning but would have to
look through the drakanman?s eyes to see
what the problem was, as no other infor-
mation but the ?paging call? could be sent.
The range of this mental effect is one mile.
One of Dragotha?s favorite tricks is to
place his drakanmen in positions whereby
they not only frighten away potential
looters but also serve as spies.

Excess drakanmen not controlled by
Dragotha (but produced by him) are given
one last command by Dragotha and sent
away; the command is limited to a few
words, typically ?Go back from whence ye
came and kill all that ye see.? The demigod
Iuz, who rules the land south of Drago-
tha?s lair, was rumored to have sent a
hundred goblins to test his neighbor. Dra-
gotha sent them back as 1-HD drakanmen
that caused Iuz much regret.

In addition to his terrible breath weap-
ons, Dragotha can also cast spells at the
power of a 14th-level magic-user. He can
cast seven first-level spells, six second, five
third, four fourth, three fifth, two sixth,
and one seventh. He can choose from any
magic-user spells but must memorize them
as any other magic-user. It is believed he
already knows the spell write and has the
permanent power to read magic and see
invisible objects.

If wounded, Dragotha  regenerates  dam-
age at the rate of 1 hp per turn. The mere
sight of this monster causes all creatures
within 120 yards and under 5 hit dice or
levels to flee in panic. More powerful
beings are allowed a saving throw vs.
spells, though those with 8 hit dice or
levels are immune to this effect. Living
dragons who meet Dragotha immediately
flee without bothering to attack, as they
have heard of him and are terrified to be 
in the same area with him.

Dragotha has few weaknesses.
Attackers may hit him with nonmagical weapons,
and holy  swords  do double damage to him
(edged weapons, however, do only half
damage to his skeletal form). Like all
undead, he is affected by holy water,
which does 4-10 (2d4 +2) hp damage to
him. Dragotha, although formerly a red
dragon, is now vulnerable to fire due to
his undead status, taking + 1 per hit dice
of damage.

Because Dragotha has many guards
(20-80 levels worth at any one time) and
because of his innate ability to see invisible
creatures (even through the eyes of a
drakanman), he is rarely surprised. All of
his mazelike caverns are closely watched
and trapped due to his desire for privacy.
If caught in a no-escape situation, Drago-
tha attempts to bargain his way out. This
does not mean that he will serve an earth-
ly master, however, for he has vowed to
never again be placed in the role of a
servant.

Dragon magazine

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Monster Manual III

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Dragon #134