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The Black Dracolich: Undeath Ascendant

At The Gaming Table / Dungeons & Dragons / Monsters

When WizKids drops a new dragon miniature, it’s always a moment for DMs to start plotting. And this one? This one is the stuff of whispered campfire tales and midnight horror—the Black Dracolich. This mini is a big one with a fantastic sculpt. When it arrived I had to take it out of the box and see it in its glory.

Standing ominously with jagged skeletal wings, a bone-pale skull mask of death, and the ghostly remnants of tattered flesh clinging to its ribs, this sculpt radiates malevolent authority. Where the Black Dragon Corruptor was festering, organic decay, this model screams cold, deliberate immortality. It’s not rot left to spread—it’s rot made eternal.

But what makes this release even more exciting is that it’s ripe for a two-act villain arc. If you’ve already terrified your party with the Black Dragon Corruptor (from our April post), this new mini offers a perfect “final form” for your campaign’s big bad.

From Corruption to Undeath: The Transformation

The Black Dragon Corruptor is a force of mutation and madness, bending swamp and soul to its will. But corruption has one flaw—it is bound to life. Eventually, even the most virulent decay succumbs to the grave.

The Corruptor, however, is not content to die. Whether out of fear, pride, or a lust for dominion beyond mortal spans, it seeks out forbidden necromantic lore. Perhaps it allies with a cult of Orcus or a coven of swamp-hags who promise the ritual of dracolichdom. Perhaps it stumbles upon an ancient phylactery hidden in the ruins of a drowned temple.

The transformation is not swift—it is a campaign in itself.

Campaign Arc: “The Grave Beyond the Bog”

Here’s how you could take your Corruptor and evolve it into a Dracolich over the course of a story arc:

1. Act I – The Last Corruptions
   The Corruptor’s lair grows eerily quiet. No new mutations spring up, and the land seems to be recovering—a false sense of victory for the heroes. In truth, the dragon is preparing for its ritual, drawing all its corruptive energy inward. Strange disappearances plague the region as it gathers components: ancient bones, cursed relics, and living sacrifices.

2. Act II – The Death Ritual
   The party learns the Corruptor plans to “shed” its decaying flesh for the permanence of undeath. This requires three unholy artifacts, each hidden in dangerous locales—forcing the party into a race against time. As the PCs sabotage or steal these components, the Corruptor retaliates by sending its most loyal, warped servants on counter-missions.

3. Act III – The Dracolich Ascends
   Whether the heroes fail to stop the ritual or arrive just as it concludes, the Corruptor’s transformation is complete. The swamp is now a cold necrotic wasteland. The acid rivers turn to black ichor that sears with necrotic energy. The once-feral minions become disciplined undead horrors, marching to the will of the newly risen Black Dracolich.

Lair Effects & Abilities of the Black Dracolich

Once the Corruptor completes its ascension, its lair and powers shift from organic corruption to necrotic domination:

• Necrotic Miasma: Within 2 miles of the dracolich’s lair, shadows lengthen unnaturally and the air feels colder. Living creatures that finish a long rest here must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution save or gain one level of exhaustion.

• Bone Bloom: Skeletal growths sprout from the ground like trees, some animated as bone golems under the dracolich’s control.

• Gravewind Breath: Replaces acid breath with a blast of necrotic wind—creatures hit take necrotic damage and must succeed on a Wisdom save or be frightened.

Final Thoughts & Miniature Review

The WizKids Black Dracolich mini is a perfect “stage two” for any long-running villain arc. It’s imposing without being oversized for the table, detailed enough for painters to go wild on the weathered bones and spectral effects, and distinct enough from the Corruptor mini to make each reveal feel fresh and earned.

The model invites narrative escalation. First, your party fights a living swamp god. Later, they face that same god stripped of flesh, made immortal, and commanding an army of the dead. The psychological punch of seeing that same dragon—recognizable yet transformed—is worth the setup. Head over to their website, check it out and let them know that Nerdarchy sent you.

In short: if you’ve already run the Black Dragon Corruptor, the Black Dracolich mini is the natural evolution for a campaign climax. And if you haven’t? Well… now you have a reason to start.

Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!!