Lich

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Lich (Tank; CR 16)

Pure Evil - Medium - Undead
Lore: Know (Religion)
30 51
Basic DC Full DC
Initiative
Initiative Icon 2.png
27
Perception:
42 +32
Passive Active
Ambush:
10+
on a d20

Movement Types:

Defense

AC
Shield Icon 3.png
41
Man Def
Shield Icon 3.png
41
Monster Health
950 475 31
Hit Points Bloodied Hit Dice
Saving Throws
Fort: +18
Refl: +13
Will: +18

Strong Against:

Weak Against:

Offense

Size: Medium
5 ft. 5 ft.
Space Reach
To-Hit
+24
Sword Icon 3.png
Man Off
+28
Sword Icon 3.png
Action
1
Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

  • 1x Rotted Rapier +24 (3d8+18/19-20 x2)
    as slashing (physical, common)

Full Attack (Melee):

  • 3x Rotted Rapier +24 (3d8+18/19-20 x2)
    as slashing (physical, common)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

17
STR
15
DEX
31
CON
24
INT
21
WIS
25
CHA

Skills:

Languages: Common, Necril, Stilth, Fuligin, Erebral, Thanic, OM

Feats:

  • Combat Casting (EFFECT: +2 scaling feat bonus on Bailiwick skill check to cast a spell defensively or while grappled.)

Special Abilities

Aura of Horror (Su, Aura) Always On

Being near a Lich in battle causes all enemies to suffer horrific visions and icy-cold shooting pains as they see the true emptiness that awaits them in the grave. Once per round, when a Lich makes any attack action during its turn, including triggering special abilities, all enemy creatures within 20 feet of its space suffer 4d6+8 points of Necrotic (energy, uncommon) damage and suffer from the Trembling condition. All affected creatures are allowed a Fort save against a DC of 27 to reduce the damage by half and lower the Trembling condition to Nervous.

Note that the effects of Aura of Horror stack: If a creature has the Nervous condition and is affected by the Aura of Horror again, the Nervous condition is escalated to the Cowering condition. A successful save will then reduce it back to the Trembling condition. After several rounds of combat, a Lich's presence will reduce almost anyone into a Cowering status. Anyone outside of the aura for a full round may make a free Fort save against a DC of 27 at the end of their turn to attempt to end the condition (any of Nervous, Trembling, or Cowering).

This is a fear effect.

Walk In Darkness (Su) Free Action, Replaces 5-Foot Step

Any time the Lich elects to make a 5-foot step, it may use Walk in Darkness instead, which is a fifteen-foot teleport. This does not provoke, and acts in all other ways as a five-foot step.

Sadistic Command (Sp) Swift Action 1/Rnd

Up to once per round as a free action,the Lich can cast Sadistic Command on an enemy creature within 50 feet that it can perceive, causing that creature to make an immediate attack against a different creature within the target's reach. This attack is resolved as one of the Lich's own Rotted Rapier melee attacks, but it originates from the space of the target creature instead of the Lich's space.

  • Rotted Rapier +24 (3d8+18 / 19-20x2)
as Slashing (physical, common)

Ice Strike (Sp) Move Action
  • Concentration: 1d20 + 28 vs. a DC of 31 (3 needed on the die)

As a move action, a lich can cast an Ice Strike, affecting an 8x8x8 square area within 200 feet of the lich. Creatures inside the area of effect must make a Reflex save, DC 27, or take 3d8+18 points of cold (energy, common) damage, and gain the Torpid condition until the start of the lich's next turn. Creatures who succeed on the saving throw take only half damage and are not made Torpid.

Screaming Flames (Sp) Standard Action
  • Concentration: 1d20 + 23 vs. a DC of 31 (8 needed on the die)

As a standard action, a lich can cast their terrible Screaming Flames attack. Choose up to five enemy creatures within 50 feet, no two of which may be more than 30 feet apart. Each victim has horrible bloody-black fire erupt in their bodies, that tears free from their throats. These flames inflict 3d8+18 points of eldritch (energy, rare) damage to each victim. Victims are allowed a FORT save against a DC of 27 to reduce the damage by half.

Undying Malice (Su; Tank Role) Auto Upon Death

The first time a lich is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, it collapses to the ground in a heap of dry bones and luxurious fabrics. It can take no further damage from additional attacks nor suffer any effects until the start of its next turn. At the start of its next turn, the lich rises again, restored to half its maximum health (475 hit points) and any status effects, ongoing effects, or other negative effects are immediately ended (tanks are generally immune to all of these things, but it is listed here for completeness). In addition, the lich reconstitutes in a standing position without the need to stand up from prone, and any creatures within 30 feet of the lich when it reconstitutes must make a Fort save, DC 27, or suffer 3d8+18} points of Negative (energy, uncommon) damage. Any undead in this area of effect are healed by this amount. Creatures that make their saving throw take only half damage from this effect.

Dangerous to Ignore (Ex; Tank Role) Immediate Action
Once per round, when a creature within 15 feet of the Tank performs an attack against anyone who isn't the Tank, or fails to include the Tank in the attack, the Tank may, as an Immediate Action, Slide up to two squares (10 feet) and perform a bonus attack against that creature. This bonus attack is resolved before the target creature resolves their own attack. If the creature is still alive after the Tank finishes, the target can resolve their attack as normal.

Invigorating Bloodthirst (Ex; Tank Role) Auto At Start of Encounter
At the start of any encounter, even during an encounter with a surprise round, Tanks gain a number of temporary hit points equal to their Bloodied Hit Points value (475 hit points). This ability can never be used more than once per encounter.

Agitation (Ex; Tank Role) Free Action 1/Rnd
Up to once per round as a free action, the Tank can target a creature within 40 feet to which they have both line of sight and line of effect, and Pull that creature up to 5 squares closer to the Tank. Each square of this forced movement must bring the creature closer to the tank (movement into squares that are the same distance as the current space or further away from the current space is not permitted). Since this is forced movement, it does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and the target creature may fall voluntarily prone in order to halt the movement at any point, if they wish.

In addition, if the target is an enemy creature, it gains the Vexed condition until the start of the Tank's next turn. If the target creature is an ally of the Tank, using Agitation on them removes any status condition they are currently affected by, and doing so does not cause a synergy to trigger.

Lich

Lich

This creature possesses the Tank role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

This monster frequently has the Tank role, but may be set to different roles if desired.

Liches are one of the principle undead corrupters, often placing themselves in positions of political power in the communities of the living. Liches are the ultimate expression of necromantic art, turned towards the purpose of establishing an immortal vessel for the lich to continue its search for MORE. Each lich is a unique individual, retaining the personality, goals, ambitions and flaws of its once-living soul. However, over the centuries of existing in the husk of their physical form, without the pleasures of the flesh or the respite of sleep, most liches become quite insane. These liches remain ambitious, and seek to grow their own power and make themselves even more immune to the erosions of time and emotion, and often become quite twisted indeed.

Liches look very similar to skeletons, but often drape themselves in finery and surround themselves in a lavish mockery of luxury. Since they have no need for food, sleep or even air, they will often create palaces which lack bathrooms, kitchens and bedrooms. Instead, these keeps feature prominent throne rooms, magnificent libraries, laboratories filled with bizarre experiments, and torture chambers designed to explore the limits of pain and despair. Liches will often employ living servants or slaves to help them maintain these grandiose furnishings, and as convenient fodder for their random outbursts of sadism.

A lich can employ magic to pass for a living humanoid, when it desires to do so, and frequently, liches work within a society as a member of the government or some other position of leadership and power. They are also highly capable at magical manipulation and control, making the jump to positions of secular power fairly easy for them. Once in place, they take pleasure in leading the living into a sense of oppressed fear and abject misery, usually through cruel and incremental indignities, invasive legislation, harsh taxes, and overreaching (and highly corrupt) law enforcement. To someone who knows what to look for, a society being led by a lich is fairly easy to spot.

Liches will rarely engage in fights directly, preferring to send trusted lieutenants to handle such distractions. However, this does not mean they are not fearsome combatants if they choose to take a hand in things directly. Liches are uniformly powerful spell casters, and are often gifted melee fighters as well, having spent centuries perfecting their own prowess.

Liches will often band together with other liches to achieve greater power and more towering heights of depravity. These circles are shrouded in secrecy and mistrust, but, since all the members are immortal, betrayals are often limited to subtle plays for primacy and social positioning.

Combat Tactics

If forced to engage in combat, a lich is a versatile and dangerous foe. It will fight intelligently, seeking out the most vulnerable or most easily slain foes to target first. It will avoid durable characters and also seek positions to make flanks difficult. It will make liberal use of Sadistic Command any time a foe dares to ignore it in combat. Its Walk in Darkness ability makes it nearly impossible to pin down or corner, its Flight allows it to attack from unexpected angles, and its Aura of Horror ability makes it very difficult to put down as the players must deal with the fear most rounds.

If no foes are within easy reach, it will use Icy Strike up to twice per round (a move action each time), or Screaming Flames followed up by an Icy Strike. If foes are nearby but spread out, it will move out of threatening squares and use Screaming Flames instead. In melee, it will use its rapier, demonstrating a remarkable grace and ease with the blade, triggering the Aura against all who dare to melee it.

With their usual Tank Role, liches are immune to pretty much anything that isn't damage, making them fairly durable foes. Even worse, their Aura of Horror means that only the most durable and doughty of foes can engage them in melee for any length of time. Liches who are confident their phylacteries are safe will press into melee aggressively, getting good use out of their rapiers and Aura.

Liches have no fear of defeat in combat, assuming they believe their phylactery to be intact. They will not make brash or suicidal decisions, however, as being out of commission for a week is often detrimental to their plans. If they have any doubts about the safety of their phylactery, they will fight very cautiously, ordering allies and vassals to cover them, and will seek to escape at the first safe opportunity. Liches are obsessed with their wretched immortality, so they will not throw away their existence, terrible as it is, if there is any danger it is a permanent death.

Out of Combat

Immortality
Many undead creatures, such as this one, cannot be killed by normal means. It will lie shattered and dormant for a few days, possibly a week, before rising again to seek to rid the world of life. This creature can only be truly slain if its phylactory is destroyed at the same time the creature's body lies defeated. Neither a Resurrection (Cleric Spell), nor even a Wish (Sorcerer/Wizard Spell) can slay such a creature. Even if the creature's body is completely disintegrated, it can reincorporate after this period of time, as long as its phylactory remains intact. This creature's body will never decay (further than it already has) nor age due to time or neglect.

A phylactory is an object chosen by the creature to house some portion of its soul, as well as a powerful necromantic charm which uses that vestige of their soul to reconstitute the creature any time its body is destroyed. A phylactory must be of fine craftsmanship, but can be nearly any object. A phylactory will radiate a weak necromantic aura if seen with Detect Magic (Sorcerer/Wizard Spell) or some similar means of discerning magical auras.

Spellcasting
All liches are powerful spellcasters, since the ritual to become a lich is arcane in nature, and requires absolute control and skill in the magical arts to perform. As such, when outside of combat, liches are assumed to have access to most arcane spells, with a caster level equal to their CR. Note that this does NOT mean a lich will begin any combat with a stack of buffs! In combat, they only have access to the powers described above, which should be more than enough.

Centuries of Self-Improvement
Liches are often quite old, and spend the majority of their time making themselves even more powerful and terrible. As a result, outside of combat, a lich is assumed to be skilled at nearly any skill it might require. Liches are also nearly always wealthy, or have easy access to wealth. They are also likely to have useful contacts, friends and people who owe them favors or debts.

Rewards

XP: 153,600 (Tank role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 86,250 gp.

Weight: 320 lbs.     Volume: 12.8 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 8 Nothing Found
9 - 12 1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
13 - 15 1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
16 - 18 1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
19 - 20 Roll on Table 2
### Nothing to see here!
### Or here. Move along.
Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3 4 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
4 - 7 4 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
8 - 11 1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
12 - 15 1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
16 - 18 1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
19 - 20 Roll on Table 3
### Or here. Move along.
Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3 4 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
4 - 5 4 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
6 - 8 4 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
9 - 11 4 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
12 - 15 1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
16 - 18 1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
19 - 20 1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)



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