The Dracolich

Character Concept

Planning

We want to lean heavily toward Frightening opponents, but as a strategy, not a crutch. To get this level of flexibility, the best option is to be a full caster. Out of all the casters, there is really only one subclass that reliably can inflict the Frightened condition. That is the Undead patron Warlock. Unfortunately, Warlocks don't get a lot of spell slots and are especially limited with casting at higher levels, but a single level of Warlock is an incredibly low investment for what we're getting. We'll want at least 13 CHA to be able to multiclass Warlock. So we might as well go with a Charisma-based caster. I think there are several reasons to go with Sorcerer over Bard or even just sticking with Warlock. Generally, we will get more spell versatility through Metamagic and additional spells as we level.

There is one other way to cause the Frightened condition that I really want to include in this build and that is the feat Dragon Fear. This is quite strong in a number of ways, but I'll explain that when we get there.

Level 1

If we want to use the Dragon Fear feat, that means that we have to choose Dragonborn as our race. There are several subrace options to choose from that were released in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. In addition, each subrace has a choice of color of Dragonborn. There are plenty of good options. The one option that is not recommended is the original Dragonborn from the Player's Handbook. That one has a Breath Weapon feature that functions differently and doesn't work well with our build. Ultimately, I would likely choose the Topaz Gem Dragonborn because it has resistance to necrotic damage, which I think is thematically fitting, and gets limited flight at level 5.

Since we will be focusing on CHA-based spellcasting, I suggest these starting ability scores:

• STR: 8
• DEX: 10
• CON: 15 (+1)
• INT: 8
• WIS: 13
• CHA: 15 (+2)

This leaves us with a very low AC and not much way to increase it. Dropping WIS in exchange for DEX is an option, but, generally, failing WIS saving throws is much worse than getting hit by attacks or failing DEX saves. We will have plenty of defensive options and if we're causing enemies to be Frightened then they should have a harder time hitting us, but it's certainly something to be aware of. Play safe, especially at the early levels.

Our first level will be in Warlock and our patron will be Undead. This is sort of where this build gets its name and flavor-wise a dracolich would make an excellent patron. Just make sure your party Paladin doesn't find out. The first-level feature, Form of Dread, is excellent and scales quite well with Proficiency Bonus uses per day. It will also be our first method of causing the Frightened condition. When activated, one attack per round has a chance to Frighten an enemy! This is great and we also get some extra survivability on top of it in the form of temporary HP.

As for spells, definitely take the Eldritch Blast cantrip. We can use it to activate our Form of Dread's Frighten effect and it pairs very well since it adds additional attacks as we level, thus allowing more chances to hit if we happen to miss. Armor of Agathys doesn't stack HP with our Form of Dread but it will be a nice way to refresh those temporary HP when they run out and it scales very well. Since we might be getting hit a lot, it actually synergizes well with our low AC. And then I'd probably take Bane because it will help keep enemies from successfully saving against our fear effects.

If you're feeling bold, you can use your Breath Weapon. But be careful, you're a little squishy.

Level 2

Unfortunately, there isn't much left for us in Warlock. So we're jumping ship and taking levels in Sorcerer now. There are really only two options for subclass here, either Clockwork Soul or Aberrant Mind. Other subclasses get substantially less spells and while I would like to take the Draconic Bloodline, it just doesn't give us much. I would choose Clockwork Soul because the selection of spells is likely better and the abilities are quite defensive. In addition to the spells we get from Clockwork Soul (Alarm and Protection from Evil and Good), we should pick up Shield and Silvery Barbs. They're both going to help us stay alive and we'll probably need them. Keep in mind that we can swap out our Clockwork Spells for any Abjuration or Transmutation spells of the same level. We'll be doing that plenty later.

Restore Balance is also a great feature which we can use either offensively or defensively as needed.

Levels 3 - 4

Next, we'll be Sorcerer 2 and get Sorcery Points. They're not really useful until next level, though. There's another spell we may want to take at this level, though. There is an oft-overlooked feature of the Frightened condition that can be utilized in combat and that is the disadvantage on ability checks. Generally ability checks aren't common in combat, but some spells require ability checks to overcome. Silent Image is one of these and it is actually really useful (depending on your DM). Targets need to make Investigation checks to determine that this image is an illusion and they'll have disadvantage on these checks if they're Frightened and can see us. They need to see us, though, so maybe making an illusory wall won't work. Check with your DM to see what they'll let you do with this.

At level 4 we will take Sorcerer 3 and get Metamagic. Of course, this changes a lot of things. We'll probably want to be making attacks (likely Eldritch Blast) with our action to trigger our Form of Dread so Quickened Spell will let us cast spells like Silent Image with our Bonus Action. Careful Spell is probably also a good option to protect our allies from some of our area spells. We'll also get 2nd level spells and I would recommend Web or Misty Step. Web also requires an ability check to escape so it gains the same synergies as Silent Image. Misty Step is just a great all-around mobility spell that will absolutely come in useful all the time. It's probably worth taking both of these here and we can do that if we trade Shield for one of them and then swap out Alarm for Shield since it's an Abjuration spell and thus applies for Clockwork Magic. We could have swapped Alarm for Shield last level, but we didn't have any other 1st level spells we really needed.

Level 5

Level 5 is a great level for us and it's where this build starts to really come together. We get an ASI or Feat and we'll be picking up the Dragon Fear feat I mentioned earlier. This Feat was somewhat forgettable when it was first introduced, but has since gotten quite a lot better for a few reasons. First, the new Dragonborn variants have more reliable use of their Breath Weapon. Second, they can use it as one of their attacks when they take the Attack action. Third, the newer rules for ability scores at character creation make it easier to create a Dragonborn that works well as a CHA-based character.

Add all of these factors together and it's a very nice Feat. We won't be taking advantage of using it as part of an Attack action in this build but the other points are very nice. At this level, we will have 3 uses of our Breath Weapon per long rest. Depending on your table, that might mean it's usable in every combat but I would imagine at the very least it will be usable in MOST fights.

One very nice part of the effect from Dragon Fear is that if the target fails the initial save, they are Frightened for an entire minute, 10 rounds, and only get to repeat the save if they take damage. If we can be strategic with our party and placement of your Dragon Fear, we can keep some enemies affected for entire encounters. It's incredible. The +1 CHA is icing on the cake.

On top of that, we get to fly for one minute per long rest. Nice for when we really need to be out of reach or get somewhere important. And we get one new spell. I would suggest Tasha's Mind Whip and probably swap out Silent Image for Phantasmal Force if you're getting some good mileage out of illusions. Tasha's Mind Whip can be absolutely debilitating to our enemies and, when combined with Frightened, pretty much makes most enemies completely useless. It also scales quite well and targets a very weak save for most enemies.

Level 6

Sixth level is where the base of this build ends. We get 3rd level spells and of course we're going to grab Fear. It's a solid spell for any build and perfectly fits our theme. If you already feel like you have enough coverage between your other abilities, I'd probably grab Hypnotic Pattern. It gives us coverage for when enemies are immune to the Frightened condition. There does tend to be some overlap between immunities to these two conditions, but versatility doesn't hurt.

Levels 7+

That's pretty much all there is to this build and these strategies stay effective against anything that's not immune to being Frightened all the way up to high level content. From here, I would suggest continuing with Sorcerer. At level 7, you'll get Bastion of Law which is a great defensive ability and there are plenty of other reasons to stick with Sorcerer. More Sorcery Points and higher level spells being the most important.

That being said, I could absolutely see going back for another level in Warlock to pick up some Eldritch Invocations. In particular, Misty Visions is quite nice, allowing you to cast Silent Image as often as you like. If your DM has given you a lot of creative freedom with this spell, I would probably go this route and then go back to Sorcerer.

I can't imagine taking any other classes unless you have a very particular build in mind like a College of Swords Bard to become more effective in melee, but that's beyond the focus of this build.

As for ASI / Feats, I'd try to get CHA to 20 and take Resilient (Wisdom) at some point. Beyond that, it's dealer's choice.

Analysis

This build is fantastic at controlling the battlefield and supporting allies as they take down enemies one-by-one. It's very heavily dependent on the Frightened condition, though, so things like undead and dragons will probably require a different approach. Thankfully, you should have plenty of other spells available to cover those bases.

Survivability in encounters where some enemies might be dishing out high levels of damage is a real concern so I highly recommend using some Sorcery Points for Bastion of Law and trying to keep some temporary HP at all times. It shouldn't be too hard between Armor of Agathys and Form of Dread. In fact, against melee attacking enemies, going toe-to-toe and keeping a high level Armor of Agathys could be the right move.

If you're trying to play defensively, moving in and using Dragon Fear then escaping with Misty Step is a solid strategy that should keep you mostly out of danger, especially if some of the enemies fail their save.

Since you'll have really good coverage for Frightened (especially if you picked up Fear), focus spell selection on other conditions or focused damage. Be wary of area-of-effect damage because dealing damage to Dragon Fear-ed enemies will give them more saves. Try to keep them Frightened for as long as possible while you and your party wear down anyone who isn't affected.

Your party will love you as much as your enemies will fear you and try to work on strategies together that synergize.