With the downfall of advanced technology on Zheng-Kitar, the means of becoming a Blackpowder Lich have all but been lost to time - as such, the means to become one are only vaguely described in this document. GMs who are interested in letting players become a Blackpowder Lich should first consider if such a template fits their setting, but should otherwise treat it as a similar undertaking in Gold Pieces and effort to becoming a normal lich, with the crafting of their signature firearm(s) and infusing their areas of legend taking the place of the phylactery creation.
Description
Creatures born of an unholy union of gunslinging skill and fell, corrupting power, Blackpowder Liches are a dying breed in the modern Era of Zheng-Kitar - the downfall of advanced technology and firearms themselves has meant that the beings who were once feared as the undead gunman who could bring entire civilizations to their knees have declined into the single-digits. Even more reviled than the typical Lich, the Blackpowder Lich is an unholy amalgamation of everything Zheng-Kitar despises and hates so much - advanced firearm technology and blasphemous necromantic knowledge that allows a prospective necromancer or gunman to walk out of the halls of myth and into undying legend, living forever through the energies that surround their bodies.
Unlike normal Liches, Blackpowder Liches have no phylacteries - instead, from what little knowledge remains of Blackpowder Liches, the most important part of becoming one of these unholy abominations is the solidification and formation of one's "Area of Legend": a location in the world which held import to them during life, which becomes a fell nexus for their unholy power in undeath. In a process involving rituals similar to the lich, a Blackpowder Lich must handcraft a firearm of superhuman, near-divine craftsmanship with their own blood, sweat, and tears - creating a weapon within which to focus the fell energies of the grave that will serve to grant them immortal life even as they tear their own souls and lives and deaths out of their bodies and implant them all into the soil surrounding their area of legend.
With their essences decoupled from their bodies and bound to their Areas of Legend and with their legendary firearms crafted to serve as foci for the unfathomably vast power that must suffuse their bodies, Blackpowder Liches must end their rituals in the most gruesome and insidious means imaginable - their eyes must be torn from their sockets as specially crafted "Lich's Eye Bullets" are fired into their skulls in their place from the barrel(s) of their own guns, as a third bullet is then fired directly into the forehead: ending their own life, but if done correctly, allows them to return as one of the legendary Blackpowder Liches, minds warped by evil energies but granted immortality for their unholy efforts.
Notably, unlike normal liches, it is not unheard for them to occur naturally - though such is an unfathomably rare occurance such that in thousands of years of history it has only happened less than 5 times. Invariably, this process occurs naturally only on gunman and wandering gunslingers whose journies and deeds have become the stuff of myth and legend - and whose skill with firearms surpasses the realm of mortals and into the realm of the gods. When these superhuman slingers meet their ends in hails of gunfire against overwhelming odds for a cause they believe in above all else, in the place their legend began, there is an exceedingly rare chance they are given a second unlife as a Blackpowder Lich, reborn within their Area of Legend to enact cruel and hideous vengeance on their killers. Typically, these gunslingers are those who are put to death as misunderstood folk heroes, or legends who go down against overwhelming odds defending the birthplace of their legend but die in the attempt. Notably, there is no known way to trigger this process intentionally - and often, those who try experience gruesome and torturous rebirths are failed undead.
Statblock
CR: Same as base creature + 2
Alignment: Any Evil
Type: The creature's type changes to undead. Do not recalculate BAB, saves, or skill ranks.
Senses: A Blackpowder Lich gains darkvision 60ft, as well as "Powdersight 120ft" - allowing them to instantly pinpoint firearms and gunpowder within this radius as well as allowing them to see perfectly within all cloud or powder-based visual obstructions.
Aura: A Blackpowder Lich emanates the following aura:
Jamming Aura(Su)
An unliving anathema to the advanced firearm technology that gave rise to them, Blackpowder Liches emanate a 60ft aura which prohibits advanced technology from functioning properly - high-tech weapons use twice as many charges as normal with each use, firearms consume twice the ammunition with each firing, and all firearms Misfire on a number one higher than normal. In addition, all firearms and high-tech weapons target normal AC instead of touch AC when fired at creatures within this aura. The Blackpowder lich is unaffected by its own Jamming Aura.
Armor Class: A Blackpowder lich gains +5 to its existing natural armor bonus.
Hit Dice: Change all of the creature’s racial Hit Dice to d8s. All Hit Dice derived from class levels remain unchanged. As undead, Blackpowder Liches use their Charisma modifiers to determine bonus hit points (instead of Constitution).
Speed: A Blackpowder Lich gains a fly speed equal to their base land speed with perfect maneuverability.
Defensive Abilities: A Blackpowder Lich gains channel resistance +4, DR 15/bludgeoning and magic, and immunity to fire and electricity (in addition to those granted by its undead traits). The lich also gains the following defensive abilities.
Undying Legend(Su)
Notoriously hard to kill, Blackpowder Liches are each tied to a specific area or location in which their legend was born - and where it must always end. Whenever a Blackpowder Lich is slain outside of the area of their legend, they are slowly reconstituted in a place of power within that area over the course of 1d10 days, restarting if the body is destroyed again before that time passes. If slain within their area of legend without their Named Bullet Weakness being exploited(See Below), this duration is increased to 1d10 years. A Blackpowder Lich cannot move the area of their legend, as it is inexorably tied to their essence, but are not required to stay within that area - though their egos often cannot abide others meddling in their areas of legend for long.
Legend's Lair(Su)
While residing within the area of their legend, Blackpowder Liches are even more formidable - empowered by the unholy energies that gave birth to them in the place their legend began. They gain the following abilities while within the area of their legend:
Lair Actions: The Blackpowder Lich always acts twice in combat - once on a normally rolled initiative score, and another on initiative count 20, where they may use a number of "Lair Actions", each tailored to the specific Blackpowder Lich in question. These "Lair Actions" generally do not provoke Attacks of Opportunity, but only one can be performed per round.
Boss Actions: Each Blackpowder Lich gains a unique "Boss Action" that they may use as an immediate action at any point in the round, usually set to trigger with a certain condition - such as immediately attacking a creature who misses them with a ranged attack, or teleporting anywhere within 30ft when struck for damage, etc.
Use of the following SLA's at-will: Discern Location, Fabricate, Major Creation, Demand
Use of the following SLA's Once Per day: Greater Teleport(Only within their area of legend), And one other tailored to the Blackpowder Lich to represent their unique, individual legend.
Named Bullet Weakness(Ex)
While all weapons are capable of dealing death to a Blackpowder Lich, only one method exists to grant a true and final death to them - a firearm targeted at their heads(Functioning as the gunslinger's Targeting deed) with a bullet inscribed with their true name. When struck and damaged by such a method, a Blackpowder Lich is automatically struck by a Dimensional Anchor effect for 24 hours with no save, and will die permanently if killed during that duration within their Area of Legend.
Attacks: A Blackpowder Lich can melee attack with any wielded firearm as if it were a longsword or greatsword(Depending on if it were one or two handed). The firearms they wield are treated as having a thrown range increment of 20ft, allowing them to throw their guns at foes and call them back to their hands like returning weapons. Additionally, any firearms it wields(2 Maximum) can be bound to its unholy power in a ritual the Blackpowder Lich can perform over 24 hours - granting them the called weapons property until they are unbound, or the Blackpowder Lich is slain.
Special Attacks: A Blackpowder Lich gains the special attacks described below. Save DCs are equal to 10 + 1/2 lich’s HD + lich’s Cha modifier unless otherwise noted.
Best there ever was(Ex)
A Blackpowder Lich doubles the range increments for all ranged weapons it wields, and can target touch AC against foes in any increment. Its weapons, in addition, instantly reload the moment they are fired - allowing it to make unending cascades of shots at its enemies. Firearms it wields have no chance of misfire, and it may fire firearms in melee without provoking Attacks of Opportunity.
Smoke Infusion(Su)
A Blackpowder Lich infuses all weapons it wields with the flaming burst special weapon quality. Additionally, once per combat as a full-round action that does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity, a Blackpowder Lich can discharge its weapons to create a 120ft radius of deeper darkness in which it can see without issue.
Abilities: Dex +4, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +4. Being undead, a Blackpowder Lich has no Constitution Score.
Skills: Blackpowder Liches have a +8 racial bonus on Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth checks. They always treats Climb, Disguise, Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, and Stealth as class skills. Otherwise, skills are the same as the base creature.
Feats: A Blackpowder Lich gains a single deed from the gunslinger, treating their HD upon their creation as their gunslinger level. Once chosen, it cannot be changed. They may use it for free. They gain Clustered Shots, Precise Shot, and Improved Precise Shot as bonus feats ignoring pre-requisites.
The Blackpowder Lich's Area of Legend
An integral part of becoming a Blackpowder Lich is the creation and establishment of their "Area of Legend", where their soul, life, and death are all stored and infused into the land. As described above, the only way to truly get rid of a Blackpowder Lich is to kill them with a named bullet to the head while they reside within this Area of Legend - otherwise, a Blackpowder Lich's connection to its Area of Legend is so potent, its legend so
real and
remembered, that its existence is inexorably tied to that very area such that it will rejuvenate after any other death that is not a permanent one.
These areas are unique to each Blackpowder Lich, and resemble the areas in which they built their legend and mythos during their lifetimes - a wandering gunslinger's hometown, a frontier town which they served as sheriff to build their legend, and so on. These areas are so
intrinsically tied to the legend of the Blackpowder lich that it, quite literally, gives them power - oftentimes, this is represented in this Area by the population that dwells within it: oftentimes, songs are sung of their deeds, tales are told of their accomplishments, small trinkets are crafted in their image as small gifts and wards for homes and travelers, and so on. There, in this Area of Legend, their reputation is at its maximum - whether that reputation is
good or
evil is wholly irrelevant.
Likewise, the process of becoming a Blackpowder Lich cements these legends with blasphemous rituals and magical circles of unfathomable power, to cement that reputation and legend in the very air, land, water, and minds of every living creature within that area such that their entire existence becomes "spread out" amongst it, more unfathomable and unknowable than it could ever be alone...for to be remembered, to be praised, to be sung of and known - to a Blackpowder Lich, is existence itself.
The Blackpowder Lich’s Appearance
After completing their transformation, the Blackpowder Lich's body remains roughly the same overall size as it did in life - though their external appearance becomes that of a bleached skeleton as all their flesh is burnt away in the transformation. In place of their eyes, two unique bullets float in the center of their eye sockets while a third bullet lies embedded in the center of their forehead, its visible base inscribed with unholy script. Typically, they wear loose-fitting trenchcoats, scarves, and wide-brimmed hats - though many keep similar fashion trends that they had in life in keeping with their sensibilities. Regardless, they are a sight to behold - black mist billows from them constantly, their weapons are set aglow with glowing red script, and their movements are uncannily quick and accurate to evidence their preternatural skill with ranged weapons of all kinds...especially firearms. With thunderous cacophony, their firearms are surrounded by the black smoke that billows from them with each firing, the mist forming solid shells to instantly reload their weapons as they float about with supernatural power...sourceless and unfathomably evil.
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