PDA

View Full Version : (3.5) A lich by any other name (Lich Template Variants)



Celebrochan
2009-06-10, 03:14 PM
A lich is fine and all but where is the pizzazz? You would think that somewhere along the line in the whole of history that spell casters would have come up with a little variety in the sorts of undead abominations they turned themselves into. That being said, I decided to make some variants to the lich template. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments / suggestions! (especially regarding challenge ratings and level adjustments.)

General Rules: All of the lich templates require a phylactery identical to a regular lich’s and as such must be at least an 11th level spell caster.


Bardic Lich
A Bardic Lich is an undead spellcaster, namely a Bard, who has used their magical powers to unnaturally extend their existence in a cruel mockery of life.

The Bardic Lich appears as it did prior to it’s death, except it is incredibly pale and gaunt, as though it had been drained of it’s blood. Bardic Liches are shrouded in a dreadful aura of misery and lamentation.

Bardic Liches speak Common plus any other languages they knew in life.

Creating A Bardic Lich
"Bardic Lich" is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature), provided it has a caster level of 11 or higher in the bard class and can create the required phylactery.

A Bardic Lich has all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type
The creature’s type changes to undead. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Hit Dice
Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.

Armor Class
A Bardic Lich has a +5 natural armor bonus or the base creature’s natural armor bonus, whichever is better.

Attack
A Bardic Lich has a touch attack that it can use once per round. If the base creature can use weapons, the Bardic Lich retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A Bardic Lich fighting without weapons uses either its touch attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A Bardic Lich armed with a metal weapon uses its weapon.

Full Attack
A Bardic Lich fighting without weapons uses either its touch attack (see above) or its natural weapons (if it has any). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack along with a touch as a natural secondary attack, provided it has a way to make that attack (either a free hand or a natural weapon that it can use as a secondary attack).

Damage
A Bardic Lich without natural weapons has a touch attack that uses negative energy to deal 1d8+5 points of damage to living creatures; a Will save (DC 10 + ½ Bardic Lich’s HD + Bardic Lich’s Cha modifier) halves the damage. A Bardic Lich with natural weapons can use its touch attack or its natural weaponry, as it prefers. If it chooses the latter, it deals 1d8+5 points of extra damage on one natural weapon attack. When using a metal weapon a bardic lich may transmit it’s touch attack through one attack using that weapon and deals their touch attack damage in addition to that weapon’s damage.

Special Attacks
A Bardic Lich retains all the base creature’s special attacks and gains those described below.

Music of the Damned (Su)
Both Mindless and Intelligent undead are effected by a Bardic Lich’s Bardic music effects even though they are usually immune.

The Last Laugh (Su)
A Bardic Lich may emit a horrible laugh as a Standard action. This uses up five applications of their bardic music. Those within a 30 foot spread of the bardic lich must make a will save with a DC of 10 + ½ the Bardic lich’s hit die + the Bardic lich’s cha modifier. Those that fail their saving throw are considered panicked for 3d4 rounds.

A panicked creature must drop anything it holds and flee at top speed from the source of its fear, as well as any other dangers it encounters, along a random path. It can’t take any other actions. In addition, the creature takes a -2 penalty on all saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. If cornered, a panicked creature cowers. A panicked creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.

Those that make their will save are merely shaken for 3d4 rounds. A shaken character takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.

This is a sonic necromantic mind-affecting fear effect.

Spells
A Bardic Lich can cast any spells it could cast while alive. In addition to their normal spells known, a Bardic Lich learns to cast Animate Dead as a 2nd level Bard spell, Create Undead as a 4th Level Bard Spell, and Create Greater Undead as a 6th level Bard Spell.

When creating undead using these spells they require no material component and may attempt to fascinate the created undead instead of commanding it.

Special Qualities
A Bardic Lich retains all the base creature’s special qualities and gains those described below.

Turn Resistance (Ex)
A Bardic Lich has +4 turn resistance.

Damage Reduction (Su)
A Bardic Lich’s undead body is tough, giving the creature damage reduction 15/bludgeoning and magic. Its natural weapons and any metal weapon it uses are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Immunities (Ex)
Bardic Liches have immunity to cold, Sonic Energies, polymorph (though they can use polymorph effects on themselves), and mind-affecting attacks.

Abilities
Increase from the base creature as follows: Int +2, Cha +4. Being undead, a Bardic Lich has no Constitution score.

Skills
Bardic Liches have a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. Otherwise same as the base creature.

Organization
Troupe (1 Bardic Lich, plus 2-4 Ghasts and 5-8 Ghouls).

Challenge Rating
Same as the base creature + 3.

Treasure
Standard coins; double goods; double items.

Alignment
Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil.

Advancement
By character class.

Level Adjustment
Same as the base creature +4.

Spirit Lich
A Spirit 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 Spirit Lich is one of the stranger sorts of lich. They have refined the Magic Jar spell and mixed that knowledge into the construction of their phylactery. Spirit Liches act as possessing spirits that steal the bodies of others to live again. However, no matter which body they inhabit their eyes seem to hold far too much knowledge and wisdom for someone of their age.

Spirit Liches speak the primary language of their host plus any other languages they knew in life.

Creating A Spirit Lich
"Spirit 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.

A Spirit Lich has all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type
The creature’s type changes to undead (incorporeal). Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Hit Dice
Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.

Special Attacks
A Spirit Lich retains all the base creature’s special attacks and gains those described below. Save DCs are equal to 10 + ½ Spirit Lich’s HD + Spirit Lich’s Cha modifier unless otherwise noted.

Possession (SP)
A Spirit Lich may attempt to possess a living creature it can perceive within 10 feet of itself per caster level it possesses. To do this it must sacrifice one of it’s spells of fourth level or higher. It may not attempt to possess a creature with more hit dice than itself.

Attempting to possess a body is a full-round action. It is blocked by protection from evil or a similar ward. When a Spirit lich possess a body it suppress the creature’s soul forcing it to watch helplessly as the spirit lich controls it’s body unless the subject succeeds on a Will save. Failure to take over a new host leaves the spirit lich’s life force in the old host, and for a year and a day that target automatically succeeds on further saving throws if the spirit lich attempt to possess its body again.

If the spirit lich is successful, the spirit lich’s life force occupies the host body, and the host’s life force is suppressed by the spirit lich’s own. The spirit lich keeps it’s Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, level, class, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, alignment, and mental abilities. The body retains its Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, hit points, natural abilities, and automatic abilities. A body with extra limbs does not allow the spirit lich to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal. The spirit lich can’t choose to activate the body’s extraordinary or supernatural abilities. The host creature’s spells and spell-like abilities are not under the control of the spirit lich.

Being possessed by a spirit lich is a terrible experience. Every day that spirit lich inhabits the body that body is energy drained one negative level. At the end of each day the body must make a Fort Save (DC 10 + ½ draining creature’s racial HD + draining creature’s Cha modifier) success means that, that day’s level drain isn’t permanent and the negative level for that day is removed. Failure means that the body permanently looses a level. Lost levels do not effect the spirit lich’s spells or will saves but does effect the body in all other ways. A body brought to 0th level dies. If the body is energy drained by another source other than the spirit lich, the same process applies, while in a host the spirit lich is essentially immune to level drain.

As a standard action, the spirit lich can shift freely from a host to it’s phylactery, regardless of range (though it cannot cross planer boundaries in this fashion). If it’s phylactery has been destroyed the spirit lich cannot use this ability. Returning to it’s phylactery releases control of the trapped soul which regains use of its body.

If the host body is slain, the spirit lich returns to it’s phylactery, regardless of range, and the life force of the host departs (it is dead). If the spirit lich’s phylactery is destroyed and the host body it occupies killed, it also dies.

When the spirit lich occupies it’s phylactery it is bound to it and may not leave except by possessing another body. Spirit liches with levels in wizard may use the inside of their phylactery as a spell book with unlimited pages. While inside of their phylactery they may memorize any spells they have recorded in their phylactery. To record a new spell into their phylactery a spirit lich must enter their phylactery with that spell memorized and sacrifice that memorized spell to add it to their phylactery’s “spell book”.

A spirit lich that is successfully turned via turn undead is forced to return to it’s phylactery.

Spells
A Spirit Lich can cast any spells it could cast while alive.

Special Qualities
A Spirit Lich retains all the base creature’s special qualities and gains those described below.

Turn Resistance (Ex)
A Spirit Lich has +4 turn resistance.

Abilities
Increase from the base creature as follows: Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +2. Being undead, a Spirit Lich has no Constitution score.

Skills
The spirit lich gains access to half of the languages (rounded up) of the host creature. The spirit lich also gains a bonus to their skill rolls equal to half of the host creature’s ranks in those skills. This bonus cannot raise the spirit lich’s skills (ranks + this bonus)above their hit die +3 and may not raise their skills (ranks + this bonus) above the total ranks of the creature they are possessing.

Organization
Solitary

Challenge Rating
Same as the base creature + 3.

Treasure
Standard coins; double goods; double items.

Alignment
Any evil.

Advancement
By character class.

Level Adjustment
Same as the base creature +4.

Spectral Lich
A Specral 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 an incorporeal skeletal humanoid.

Liches speak Common plus any other languages they knew in life.

Creating A Spectral Lich
"Spectral 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.

A lich has all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type
The creature’s type changes to undead (incorporeal). Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Hit Dice
Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.

Armor Class
A spectral lich has a deflection bonus to it’s armor class equal to it’s charisma modifier (with a minimum of +2).

Attack
A lich has a touch attack that it can use once per round because it does not posses a strength score the spectral lich uses it’s dexterity to determine touch attacks. If the base creature can use weapons, the lich looses this ability. A creature with natural weapons looses those natural weapons.

Full Attack
A lich uses its touch attack (see above).

Energy Drain (Su)
Living creatures hit by a spectral lich’s incorporeal touch attack gain one negative level. The DC is 10 + ½ lich’s HD + lich’s Cha for the Fortitude save to remove a negative level. The save DC is Charisma-based. For each such negative level bestowed, the spectral lich gains 5 hit points, any hit points gained in excess of it’s maximum hit points are lost.

Special Attacks
A lich retains all the base creature’s special attacks and gains those described below. Save DCs are equal to 10 + ½ lich’s HD + lich’s Cha modifier unless otherwise noted.

Telekinesis (Su)
A Spectral Lich can use telekinesis as a standard action (caster level equal to it’s caster level). When a spectral lich uses this power, it must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again.

Spells
A Spectral lich can cast any spells it could cast while alive.

Special Qualities
A spectral lich retains all the base creature’s special qualities and gains those described below.

Turn Resistance (Ex)
A spectral lich has +4 turn resistance.

Unnatural Aura (Su)
Animals, whether wild or domesticated, can sense the unnatural presence of a spectre at a distance of 30 feet. They do not willingly approach nearer than that and panic if forced to do so; they remain panicked as long as they are within that range.

Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex)
Spectral liches are powerless in natural sunlight (not merely a daylight spell) and flee from it. A spectral lich caught in sunlight cannot attack, or cast spells and can take only a single move action or standard action in a round.

Immunities (Ex)
Spectral liches have immunity to cold, electricity, polymorph (though they can use polymorph effects on themselves), and mind-affecting attacks.

Abilities
Increase from the base creature as follows: Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +2. Being an incorporeal undead, a lich has no Strength or Constitution.

Skills
Spectral Liches have a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. Otherwise same as the base creature.

Organization
Solitary or troupe (1 spectral lich, plus 7-12 specters).

Challenge Rating
Same as the base creature + 2.

Treasure
Standard coins; double goods; double items.

Alignment
Any evil.

Advancement
By character class.

Level Adjustment
Same as the base creature +3.


Lich Characters
The process of becoming a lich is unspeakably evil and can be undertaken only by a willing character. A lich retains all class abilities it had in life.

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 feat. The character must be able to cast spells and have a caster level of 11th or higher. The phylactery costs 120,000 gp and 4,800 XP to create and has a caster level equal to that of its creator at the time of creation.

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.

Frog Dragon
2009-06-10, 03:21 PM
First off. Bold the ability names and write the creature names on size 3. Would make it clearer to read.

On first glance they seem decent though the last laugh ability seems weird.
The fail less than something effects are not usually dne in D&D.

Limos
2009-06-10, 03:26 PM
Nicely done, I like the Spirit Lich the most out of the three. Have you considered a Divine power source Lich?

Maybe a Lich Ascetic who can empathically damage others through self flagellation? Sort of an evil undead fanatic.

Rustscale
2009-06-10, 03:31 PM
Indeed, I also concur that the Spirit Lich is the best of the lot.

They all seem a little overpowered (with regard to their LAs), maybe step them all up +1 or so.

The Bardic Lich's Last Laugh ability seems especially far too difficult. Maybe make it a once-daily ability, as, if so minded, a Lich with an especially difficult save DC could merely stand back and scare off incomers repeatedly while throwing damaging spells.

But overall, they look good!

Celebrochan
2009-06-10, 04:00 PM
Frog Dragon: Made the boldness / size changes. Thanks!

Limos: I hadn't thought of that... You should write one up and post it! :smallwink:

Rustscale: I changed the last laugh ability to take five uses of their bardic music ability and required that the bardic lich actually be at least an 11th level bard. This means that if they use no other bardic music per day they could use the last laugh ability once per five levels in bard, twice maybe three times per day.

Thank you for your comments! :smallcool:

Stormthorn
2009-06-11, 12:05 AM
Bardic Lich...i picture members of Kiss or perhaps a Goth Rock band.

Pyrusticia
2009-06-11, 01:07 AM
Spirit Lich
...
Being possessed by a spirit lich is a terrible experience and every day that it occupies it’s host, that host is energy drained for one negative level. This does not effect the spirit lich’s spells or will saves but does effect the body in all other ways.
...
If the host body is slain, the spirit lich returns to it’s phylactery, regardless of range, and the life force of the host departs (it is dead). If the spirit lich’s phylactery is destroyed and the host body it occupies killed, it also dies.

Does "in all other ways" include HP? Because if it does, the spirit lich would run through bodies like crazy. He'd need to possess a new 15th level body every two weeks. And heaven help the lich that builds his lair in some deserted area (as most do, so they can continue their magical studies uninterrupted). He'd never get out of his phylactery.

To counter this, I would recommend one of two things:

1 - The negative levels do not affect the body's HP until such a point as the lich leaves the body. This allows a spirit lich to use a body indefinitely, or until it is killed/they are exorcised from it.

OR

2 - The spirit lich may leave their phylactery without a body, but they are severely restricted when they do. They must remain within 5'/lvl of their phylactery (allowing a typical level lich to wander freely around a large laboratory, or between a small laboratory and an adjacent library). They have no attacks aside from their possession ability and spells memorized. They have a very weak form of at-will telekinesis which allows them to continue their magical studies (just strong enough to turn pages, brew potions, etc).

Thoughts?

Celebrochan
2009-06-11, 01:42 PM
Stormthorn: hehe I suppose... though I was thinking more along the themes of the dirge singer prestige class. Being a singer of laments, requiems and dirges. Many cultures put loss to music.

Pyrusticia: Thanks for the feed back! I had intended it to include Hit Points. The spirit lich is supposed to be a monsterous vampiric soul sucking entity that lives by destroying the lives of others. Though perhaps one level a day is a little much.

I had intended that the body would get a fort save each day as per the negative levels rules ((DC 10 + ½ draining creature’s racial HD + draining creature’s Cha modifier). Theoreticly a very lucky character with a high enough fort save could serve as a host indefinately. Perhaps I should clarify that point.

I had also considered having them perform consitution or wisdom drain in place of energy drain. What do you think?