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V
Documentation Area
Name:
Lich (Undead Creature)
Stats:
No. Appearing : 1
Climate/Terrain: Any
Frequency : Very rare
Organization : Solitary
Activity Cycle : Night
Diet : Nil
Description:
The lich is, perhaps, the single most powerful form of undead known to
exist. They seek to further their own power at all costs and have lit-
tle or no interest in the affairs of the living, except where those af-
fairs interfere with their own.
A lich greatly resembles a wight or mummy, being gaunt and skeletal in
form. The creature's eye sockets are black and empty save for the
fierce pinpoints of light which serve the lich as eyes. The lich can
see with normal vision in even the darkest of environments but is un-
affected by even the brightest light. An aura of cold and darkness ra-
diates from the lich which makes it an ominous and fearsome sight. They
were originally wizards of at least 18th level.
Liches are often (75%) garbed in the rich clothes of nobility. If not
so attired, the lich will be found in the robes of its former profes-
sion. In either case, the clothes will be tattered and rotting with a
25% chance of being magical in some way.
Combat:
Although a lich will seldom engage in actual melee combat with those it
consideres enemies, it is more than capable of holding its own when
forced into battle. The aura of magical power which surrounds a lich is
so potent that any weaker creature (eg. fewer than 5th level) will flee
in terror for 5-20 rounds.
Should the lich elect to touch a living creature, its aura of absolute
cold will inflict 1-10 points of damage. Further the victim will be ut-
terly unable to move. This paralysis lasts until dispelled in some man-
ner.
Liches can themselves be hit only with magical enchanted weapons, magi-
cal spells, or by strong monsters (eg. more than 5th level) and/or
magical properties. The magical nature of the lich and its undead state
make it utterly immune to charm, sleep, enfeeblement, polymorph, cold,
electrcity, insanity, or death spells. Priests of at least 8th level
can attempt to turn a lich, as can paladins of no less than 10th level.
A lich is able to employ spells just as it did in life. It still re-
quires the use of its spell books, magical components, and similar ob-
jects. It is important to note that most, if not all, liches have had
a great deal of time in which to research and create new magical spells
and objects. Thus, adventurers should be prepared to face magic the
likes of which they have never seen before when stalking a lich. In
addition, liches are able to use any magical object which they might
possess just as if they were still alive.
Defeating a lich in combat is difficult indeed, but managing to actu-
ally destroy the creature is harder still. In all cases, a lich will
protect itself from annihilation with the creation of a phylactery in
which it stores its life force. This is similar to a magic jar spell.
In order to ensure the final destruction of a lich, its body must be
wholly annihilated and its phlactery must be sought out and destroyed
in some manner. Since the lich will always take great care to see to it
that its phylactery is well hidden and protected this can be an under-
taking fully as daunting the defeat of the lich in its physical form.
Habitat/Society:
Liches are usually solitary creatures. They have cast aside their pla-
ces as living beings by choice and now want as little to do with the
world of men as possible. From time to time, however, a lich's interest
in the world at large may be reawakened by some great event of personal
importance.
A lich will make its home in some ominous fortified area, often a
strong keep or vast subterranean crypt. When a lich does decide to
become involved with the world beyond its lair, its keen intelligence
makes it a dangerous adversary. In some cases, a lich will depend on
its magical powers to accomplish its goals. If this is not sufficient,
however, the lich is quite capable of animating a force of undead
troops to act on its behalf. If such is the case, the lich's endless
patience and cunning more than make up for the inherent disadvantages
of the lesser forms of undead which it commands.
Although the lich has no interest in good or evil as we understand it,
the creature will do whatever it must to further its own causes. Since
it feels that the living are of little importance, the lich is often
viewed as evil by those who encounter it. In rare cases, lichs of a
most unusual nature can be found which are of any alignment.
The lich can exist for centuries without change. Its will drives it on-
ward to master new magics and harness mystical powers not available to
it in its previous life. So obsessed does the monster become with its
quest for power that it often forgets its former existence utterly. Few
liches call themselves by their old names when the years have drained
the last vestiges of their humanity from them. Instead, they often
adopt pseudonyms like 'the Black Hand' or 'the Forgotten King'. Lear-
ning the true name of a lich is rumoured to confer power over the crea-
ture.
Ecology:
The lich is not a thing of this world. Although it was once a living
creature, it has entered into an unnatural existence. In order to be-
come a lich, the wizard must prepare its phylactery by the use of the
enchant an item, magic jar, permanency and reincarnation spells. The
phylactery, which can be almost any manner of object, must be of the
finest craftmanship and materials with a value of not less than 1500
gold pieces per level of the wizard. Once this object is created, the
would-be lich must craft a potion of extreme toxicity, which is then
enchanted with the following spells: wraithform, permanency, cone of
cold, feign death, and animate dead. When the next moon is full, the
potion is imbibed. Rather than death, the potion causes the wizard to
undergo a transformation into its new state. A system shock survival
throw is required, which failure indicating an error in the creation
of the potion which kills the wizard and renders him forever dead.
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