Lich

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Lich (Tank Role; CR 16)

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 living in a 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.

GENERAL

CR 16 Hit Dice 24

XP 153,600 (Tank role included)

NE Medium Undead (Humanoid)

Init +7; Senses Standard Darkvision 60 ft., Perception +24

DEFENSE

AC 39, touch 23, flat-footed 33 (+10 armor, +6 dex, +6 natural, +7 deflection)

hp 748 (Tank role included)

Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +19

Aura: -

SR: -

Special Defenses: Undying Malice (see below), Immortality (see below)

Immunities:

• Tanks are immune to all conditions (all status conditions, and any other non-damage effect which reduces their capacity on the battlefield)
• all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)
• disease, poison, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain
• death effects, necromancy effects, sleep effects
• nonlethal damage
• paralysis, stunning, fatigue, exhaustion
• any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless)

Weaknesses: Cannot heal damage on its own (if it has no Int), but healed by negative energy.

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.

Single Melee Rapier +26 (3d8+10/19-20x2) plus Lifetap

Full Melee 3x Rapier +26 (3d8+10/19-20x2) plus Lifetap

Ranged None, but see Ice Strike

Special Attacks Lifetap, Ice Strike, Sadistic Command

Action Points 0 (tank roles do not get action points)

STATISTICS

Str 17, Dex 15, Con 31, Int 24, Wis 21, Cha 25

Base Atk +16; CMB +26; CMD 34

Feats Combat Casting (EFFECT: +4 to concentration checks to cast while threatened)

Skills All knowledge skills +27, Bluff +25, Diplomacy +25, Sense Motive +25

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

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Lifetap

Any damage that the lich inflicts on an enemy heals the lich for the same amount. This includes damage from spells. Area of effect spells only heal the lich an amount equal to the highest amount of damage taken by an affected enemy (not the sum of all damage inflicted). Damage mitigation abilities, such as DR and ER also reduce the amount of healing the lich receives. It is only the pain and misery of others that causes the lich to heal, so mitigated damage does nothing.

Ice Strike

• Concentration (Primary Caster): d20 + 28 with a DC of 31 (3 needed on the die; includes Combat Casting feat)

As a move action, a lich can cast an Ice Strike, affecting a 20-foot radius (8 squares x 8 squares) within 200 feet of the lich. Creatures inside the area of effect must make a Reflex save, DC 24, or take 8d6+1 points of cold damage, and gain the Torpid condition for 2 rounds. Creatures who succeed on the saving throw take only half damage and are not made Torpid.

Sadistic Command

Any time a creature within 50 feet makes an attack which does not include the lich, the lich may, as a free action, issue a Sadistic Command to that creature. The creature must make a Will save, DC 24, or make a melee attack against an ally in their reach. If there is no ally within their reach, they attack themselves instead. This attack is resolved against the ally's flat-footed AC, since it is unexpected. The attack deals normal damage and does not include any precision damage the creature might normally be able to inflict. A lich may only issue a Sadistic Command up to once per qualifying creature per round. Damage caused by a Sadistic Command heals the lich due to its Lifetap ability.

Undying Malice

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 or 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 (374 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 24, or suffer 4d6+1 points of negative energy damage. Any undead in this area of effect are healed by this amount. If this effect harms any creatures, the lich is healed by the same amount due to its Lifetap ability. Creatures which make their saving throw take only half damage from this effect.

TREASURE

sell value of approximately 23,750 gp

COMBAT TACTICS

If forced to engage in combat, a lich is a versatile and dangerous foe. He will fight intelligently, seeking out the most vulnerable or most easily slain foes to target first. He will avoid tanks and also seek positions to make flanks difficult. He will make liberal use of Sadistic Command any time a foe dares to ignore him in combat, healing himself each time the Command causes damage.

If no foes are within easy reach, it will use Icy Strike up to twice per round (a move action each time). In melee, it will use its rapier, demonstrating a remarkable grace and ease with the blade.

Tanks are immune to pretty much anything that isn't damage, and liches also heal themselves with any damage they deal, making them fairly durable foes.

Liches have no fear of defeat in combat, assuming they believe their phylactory 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 phylactory, they will fight very cautiously, and often seek to escape at the first safe opportunity. Liches are obsessed with 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 (Su)

Liches cannot be killed by normal means. In point of fact, a lich cannot be slain unless its phylactory is destroyed and the lich is also destroyed. Neither a resurrection spell, nor even a Wish spell can slay a lich. If a lich's body is destroyed through violence, the lich will remain dormant for 1d6+4 days, after which it will reanimate and be fully restored to its body. Even if the lich's body is completely disintegrated, it can reincorporate after this period of time, as long as its phylactory remains intact. A lich's body will never decay (further than it already has) nor age due to time or neglect.

Spellcasting (Sp)

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.

Centuries of Self-Improvement (Ex)

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.

Phylactory (Su)

A lich's phylactory is an object chosen by the lich to house some portion of its soul, as well as a powerful necromantic charm which uses that vestige of their soul to reconstitute the lich 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 or some similar means of discerning magical auras.