Lichdom

Causes

A person wishing to become a Lich only has to do a very simple action. They must rip their own soul completely from their body and insert it into a new host. This is only ever attempted by powerful mages as not only is removing one's own soul without simply killing one's self difficult, but they must also be skilled enough to remotely animate their body from where their soul is housed.

Symptoms

A Lich truly lives from inside their Phylactery, the object that they chose to house their soul. Their original body is simply a dead host that operates as an extension of their consciousness. As such, their body is mostly superfluous and upon its destruction, their soul at the Phylactery can form a new body. They are immortal for as long as their Phylactery is intact, safely housing their soul.
The Lich being only a magical soul, is naturally connected to and adept at magic. They are skilled at commanding undead. Their dead host bodies are weak to silver and life magic, but death magic heals them. While many mages may become Liches for at least neutral purposes, living as a Lich separate from mortal affairs often turn a person jaded and self centered. This combined with powerful magics that have a propensity for dangerous uses has created an image that all Liches are evil.

Type

Magical