Lich Template

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A lich is an undead spellcaster, usually a wizard or sorcerer but sometimes a cleric or other spellcaster, who has used its magical powers to unnaturally extend its life. A lich is a gaunt and skeletal humanoid with withered flesh stretched tight across horribly visible bones. Its eyes have long ago been lost to decay, but bright pinpoints of crimson light burn on in the empty sockets. "Lich" is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature), provided it can create the required phylactery (see below). A lich has all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Stats

• Creature Type: changes to undead
• Hit Dice: all HD become d12's.
• Armor Class: A lich has a +5 natural armor bonus or the base creature's natural armor bonus, whichever is better.
• Challenge Rating: base creature's CR + 2
• Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +2. Being undead, a lich has no Constitution score.
• Skills: Liches have a +8 racial bonus on Stealth, Perception, Investigation, and Insight. Otherwise same as the base creature.
• Alignment: Any evil.

Immunities and Resistances

A lich gains the following.

• Weapon resistance 15/magic
• Vulnerability: Good 5
• Turn Resistance: advantage on save to avoid being turned.
• Damage Immunities: Necrotic, Psychic, Cold, Electricity, Poison
• Effect Immunities: to Con Save Effects, Death Effects, Disease, Fatigue, Life Drain, Mental Effects, Paralysis, Ability Damage, Sleep, Stunning, Suffocation, Starvation, Necromancy Effects

Attacks

A lich gains a touch attack which it can use at the base creature's combat proficiency.

In a full-attack, the lich can use a primary weapon plus its touch attack with the off-hand. A lich retains all the base creature's special attacks and gains those described below. The lich also retains any natural weapons or weapon proficiencies it had in life.

Qualities and Actions

A lich retains all the base creature's special qualities and gains those described below.

• Fear Aura (Su): Liches are shrouded in a dreadful aura of death and evil. Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at the lich must succeed on a WIS save or be affected as though by a fear spell from a sorcerer of the lich's level. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same lich's aura for 24 hours.
• Spells: A lich can cast any spells it could cast while alive.

The Lich's Phylactery

An integral part of becoming a lich is creating a magic phylactery in which the character stores its life force. As a rule, 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 reappears 1d10 days after its apparent death.

Each lich must make its own phylactery, which requires the Craft Wondrous Item proficiency. 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.

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.