Lich

Once fine robes hang in tatters from this withered corpse's frame. A pale blue light shines from where its eyes should be.

Lich (CR 12)

Human lich necromancer 11
Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid)
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Initiative: +2
Senses: Darkvision 60 feet, life sight*; Perception +24
Aura: fear (60-feet radius, DC 18)

Speed: 30 feet
Space: 5 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 23, touch 14, flat-footed 21 (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +2 Dex, +5 natural)
Hit Points: 111 (11d6+55 plus 15 false life)
Saving Throws: Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +11
Channel Resistance +4
Damage Reduction: 15/bludgeoning and magic
Immunity: cold, electricity, undead traits

Offense

Melee: touch +5 (1d8+5 plus paralyzing touch)
Reach: 5 feet

Special Attacks: grave touch* (9/day), paralyzing touch (DC 18), power over undead* (9/day, DC 18)

Spells Prepared (CL 11th):

• 6th - Circle Of Death (DC 22), Globe Of Invulnerability, maximized Fireball (DC 19)
  
  
• 5th - Cloudkill (DC 21), Cone of Cold (DC 21), quickened Magic Missile, Waves of Fatigue
  
  
• 4th - Dimension Door, Enervation, Fire Shield, Wall Of Ice (2)
  
  
• 3rd - Dispel Magic (2), Fireball (DC 19), Suggestion (DC 19), Vampiric Touch (2)
  
  
• 2nd - Darkness, extended Mage Armor (already cast), False Life (already cast), Scorching Ray (2), See Invisibility, Spectral Hand
  
  
• 1st - Magic Missile (3), Ray Of Enfeeblement (2), Shield (2)
  
  
• 0 - Bleed (DC 16), Detect Magic, Ray of Frost, Read Magic Prohibited Schools illusion, transmutation

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
10 (+0)	14 (+2)	-	22 (+6)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)

Base Attack Bonus: +5
CMB +5
CMD 25

Feats: Craft Wondrous Item, Defensive Combat Training, Extend Spell, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Toughness

Skills: Craft (alchemy) +20, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (planes) +20, Linguistics +20, Perception +24, Sense Motive +24, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +24

• Racial Modifiers: +8 Perception, +8 Sense Motive, +8 Stealth

Languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Ignan, Infernal, Orc, Undercommon

Special Abilities

NONE

Ecology

Environment: Any
Organization: solitary
Treasure: NPC gear (boots of levitation, headband of vast intelligence +2 [Perception], ring of protection +2, potion of invisibility, scroll of dominate person, scroll of teleport)


Few creatures are more feared than the lich. The pinnacle of necromantic art, the lich is a spellcaster who has chosen to shed his life as a method to cheat death by becoming undead. While many who reach such heights of power stop at nothing to achieve immortality, the idea of becoming a lich is abhorrent to most creatures.

The process involves the extraction of the spellcaster's life-force and its imprisonment in a specially prepared phylactery-the spellcaster gives up life, but in trapping life he also traps his death, and as long as his phylactery remains intact he can continue on in his research and work without fear of the passage of time.

The quest to become a lich is a lengthy one. While construction of the magical phylactery to contain the spellcaster's soul is a critical component, a prospective lich must also learn the secrets of transferring his soul into the receptacle and of preparing his body for the transformation into undeath, neither of which are simple tasks. Further complicating the ritual is the fact that no two bodies or souls are exactly alike-a ritual that works for one spellcaster might simply kill another or drive him insane.

The exact methods for each spellcaster's transformation are left to the GM's discretion, but should involve expenditures of hundreds of thousands of gold pieces, numerous deadly adventures, and a large number of difficult skill checks over the course of months, years, or decades.

The Lich's Phylactery

An integral part of becoming a lich is the creation of the phylactery in which the character stores his soul. The only way to get rid of a lich for sure is to destroy its phylactery. Unless its phylactery is located and destroyed, a lich can rejuvenate after it is killed (see Creating a Lich, below).

Each lich must create its own phylactery by using the Craft Wondrous Item feat. The character must be able to cast spells and have a caster level of 11th or higher. The phylactery costs 120,000 gp to create and has a caster level equal to that of its creator at the time of creation.

The most common form of phylactery is a sealed metal box containing strips of parchment on which magical phrases have been transcribed. The box is Tiny and has 40 hit points, hardness 20, and a break DC of 40. Other forms of phylacteries can exist, such as rings, amulets, or similar items.