Help making a lich hatable

[TheGeek]

I suspect this is a rather unique problem.

I am designing a BBEG lich wizard. He's a cold-themed mystic theurge [wiz/ur-priest], and rules a small arctic island city-state, which is magically kept at a comfy 70 degrees at all times.

To make it difficult for the players to justify killing this guy, I made him a beneficial ruler - from the lich's perspective, ruling kindly and with the people's best interest at heart is more efficient, because nothing quells insurrection like being loved by the people, even if he hates them in return.

The citizenry agree that upon death, they will be reanimated as skeletons to work in the underground mines/farms. In exchange, they enjoy an unprecedented standard of living: all are free to pursue intellectual education, and thanks to public libraries, mages, clerics, and artificers abound. It's rather like the Capitol from The Hunger Games.

My problem is that now, I can't think of a reason for my players to want to kill this guy besides "He's undead, and detects as evil." How can I make him a complete jerkoff?

Social, economic, or similar advice would also be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

[sonofzeal]

Well.... the guy's supposed to be evil. So let's make him evil. Some possibilities...

- He takes good care of his own population, but is ruthlessly violent with neighbouring states.

- Since his main benefit from his population is when they die, perhaps he engineers plagues every once in a while. As long as they aren't traced back to him, he still appears loving and benevolent, which is all that matters to him.

- Give him a "Kick the Dog" moment. Find something the players care about or are symathetic to, and make him hurt it for no good reason. Again, it's only the opinion of the population at large that matters to him, so there's plenty of wiggle room.

[Reluctance]

What SoZ said. If he's generally benign and ultimately causes more good than bad, he's not really Evil. Do things to make his rule intolerable, so that the main reason people stick around is because the alternative is freezing to death.

(I'm personally fond of the LE archetype. Might just be because I've found that nothing pisses a player off more than heavy-handed authority figures. YMMV.)

[Alabenson]

I have a few thoughts on this:
1) Unbeknownst to the general population, in addition to reanimating the corpses of his citizens, the lich also consumes their souls / uses their souls for his experiments.

2) Undesirables (i.e. the poor, the mentally ill, criminals, those who object to the lich’s rule, etc.) are taken away to be killed / experimented on by the lich.

3) To help support the quality of life of his subjects, the lich aggressively exploits other islands or portions of the mainland, slowly (or not so slowly) killing off the inhabitants.


Also, in general, the lich is free to do all sorts of evil behind closed doors, as long as his subjects are largely unaware of it (or are aware and are in fact evil themselves).

[Novawurmson]

Sure, great standard of life for everyone, sure, sure.

Only problem is every other child you have gets sent to "training" for "advanced techniques" (the slave pens, then subjected to painful alchemical procedures to rapidly grow them to adulthood, then are ritually sacrificed and raised as undead).

For the other 50% of people, life is great! Too bad their entire lifestyle is only possible because of the thousands upon thousands of their dead children mining away below the island for eternity.

[Lord_Gareth]

If you would like to avoid cruelty to his own populace, I'd suggest an expansionist foreign policy. Another thought is that there may be dissenters within the population - dissenters that he cracks down on with the very definition of 'needless force'.

[Corlindale]

A popular fantasy/sci-fi trope is the "enemy conspiracy". Maybe this country has a certain, ancient archenemy, horrible monsters that come to attack once in a while, but which are always ultimately repelled by the lich's security forces.

The PCs will eventually discover that the one behind the attacks is really the lich himself, as it helps him create an artificial need for protection among the people, thus making them even more likely to accept his continual rule.

[Amoren]

I recommend going the 1984 route. As in, everyone THINKS that their standard of living is great, and the Lich is a benevolent ruler who keeps them warm and keeps them safe from hostile neighboring states that want to invade and take the productive mines that are housed beneath their city - with plenty of propaganda about how they will literally turn the city into a crater to get to the valuable ores underneath...

While the truth is that they're pretty poor off in comparison to normal standard of living (perhaps better off, with liberal application of magic for clean water and plumping), just enough to keep them placated and happy with the propaganda, with plenty of frivulous activities and false lotteries to keep the peasants happy and cheap alcohol. The Lich routinely casts divinations (or has an entire sect of intelligent, loyal spellcasting undead to do so) to keep track of his people's day to day lives to check for disloyalty. Anyone find plotting against the state is promptly and silently abducted by teleporting in and out, barraging their brains with spells until they're forced to be loyal, or if that proves impossible, killed and illusions/disguised actors setting up that the killed person decided to join the military and was killed in a shocking, revolting attack and turn them into a martyr to boost patriotism. Also, the other nearby states aren't puppy kicking evil aggressors as the Lich's propoganda protests, but are just trying to defend against the Lich's own attacks of conquest against them, and/or are trying to liberate the people that are taught to believe their the vilest type of creature from birth.

[The Underlord]

So..... how to make a lich hatable? Don't liches keep their head slot? :smalltongue:

[astrerouge]

Maybe people that are against some of his plans disappear only to reappear some time after,now happily following his ideas(mindrape)

[Dark Kerman]

Have him capture a member of the party and do terrible things with pointy sticks and feather dusters to them?
What are the skeletons mining for? If it's actually a murderous mcguffin that will kill all known life or perform some equally nefarious purpose, that might be enough?
Have him show excessive cruelty for lawbreakers, with punitively vicious punishments for those who break his laws.

[Invader]

So..... how to make a lich hatable? Don't liches keep their head slot? :smalltongue:

Hat´a`ble
variant spelling of hateable
a 1. Capable of being, or deserving to be, hated; odious; detestable.

[Emperor Ing]

My suggestion would be that the infrastructure from which the Lich's utopia are maintained is brutal, ruthless, and totalitarian. While they should be exposed to the positives, keep the undercurrents exposed. Everything looks good, and so long as the PCs follow the rules there won't be a problem. I would put emphasis every now and then on how brutally freedom that the lich doesn't like (make it completely arbitrary) is suppressed. Maybe the PCs chase down a criminal, only for the police to beat them to the crook, then brutally torture and humiliate him or her right there in public.

[The Underlord]

Hat´a`ble
variant spelling of hateable
a 1. Capable of being, or deserving to be, hated; odious; detestable.

My spelling nazism has been corrected. My apologies/

[Pancritic]

...all are free to pursue intellectual education, and thanks to public libraries, mages, clerics, and artificers abound...

Which is a fantastic setting to oppress the entire part of the population that can't use magic or doesn't work in a scholarly field.

In a similar vein to Amoren's suggestion above, read up on basically any dictatorship/oppresive regime from the past 100 years or so, look at how they treated their population and see if you can't adapt it to your setting.

[lsfreak]

Honestly, I think it would be better to keep things primarily as they are, instead dealing with perceptions of the lich, not his actions. The surrounding kingdoms know he's a lich and know he's trying to take them over, and don't realize (propaganda, honor before reason, "racism" (lifeism?), etc) that the lich will give them better lives than they ever had before. Have his armies play out as ruthless against resistance but, upon surrender, immediately bringing in medical supplies and food, rebuilding and enhancing infrastructure, and so on. The countries on the verge of being invaded see this as brainwashing and building up for further invasion, or only see and advancing and seemingly-merciless horde.

Now you don't have another clearly evil BBEG, you've got a BB?G and the PC's have to work their way through the conflicting perceptions and their own prejudices in order to arrive at what the best solution will be. Maybe it's kill the lich, maybe it's leave him be, maybe it's convince him not to invade, maybe it's convince the other countries it's in their interest to be under his rule. No matter what happens, it's going to be more involved (and hopefully far more interesting) than "here's a bad guy, go kill him," even though (or especially because) that's exactly what it will seem like at the start.

[grarrrg]

I am reminded of the Undead/Death campaign from Heroes of Might and Magic 4.
The main character is Half-Undead (seriously, right down the middle, it's MAGIC!! don't ask...), and is really a fairly decent guy. And actively fights AGAINST most other Necromancers for being...well.. "normal" Necromancers.

He is actually quite reasonable. His Undead Legions/Army are comprised mainly of fallen soldiers (friendlies AND enemies). And while "in-game" there are no living humans in the army, the story/manual shows that there are living soldiers.
One time when without his undead-minions while passing through a small-ish town (keep in mind the campaign is about the "rise to power", which is why he had no minions), he needed a message to be sent as fast as possible. So he asked for volunteers from among the elderly/sick so he could animate them as a Messenger Skeleton (can travel all day, no resting required). And actually got a number of volunteers.



But back to DnD and the alignment system and Necromancy being PURE EVIL and all that....

I suggest going with some of the above.
Maybe not all out "random" plagues sweeping though. But maybe breaking the Law carries a higher chance of the (un)Death penalty. And vagrants/hobos/undesirables do have a tendency to disappear from time to time.
And maybe the Health Care system is...questionable.
You come in with a Cold or Broken leg, they fix you up (Healthy Bones are more important then Healthy Flesh *evil laugh*, and a cold would cure itself anyway).
You come in with an arrow in your chest though, and your odds of surviving 'surgery' are in the single digits...


Maube the Lich does not want to conquer the world, but there are frequent taids on neighboring territories for "supplies".


- Give him a "Kick the Dog" moment. Find something the players care about or are symathetic to, and make him hurt it for no good reason. Again, it's only the opinion of the population at large that matters to him, so there's plenty of wiggle room.

Or, better yet, just have him go around kicking dogs!

[Pokonic]

The reason no one realy bothers his little state? He kills and reanimates animals ranging from Rocs to Whales and sends them off to seas controled by his enemies. Ships? Whole crew is killed, then promptly reanimated and commanded to patrol his waters.

[Kyberwulf]

If your players are anything like mine?
I would just have him randomly teleport in, nuke their precious gear. Stand around while people swing at him, cast spells and doesn't take any damage. Then have the lich Laugh at them then Teleport out. ..

[ryu]

ANY players should be angry at that wolf. I didn't say character either. If a dm did that to me I wouldn't be a happy person.

[Urpriest]

You're thinking about this in the wrong direction. If the lich is a nice guy, why do you want the players to fight him in the first place? What role in the story did you create the lich to fulfill? How is he involved in the plot, and how did that involvement bring you to make him the benevolent ruler you set him up as?

[Kyberwulf]

I think you painted yourself into a corner.

To be honest.

Why WOULD any player OR character want to kill this Lich? The citizen's aren't being threatened or mistreated. They are given a choice, and he is living up to his end of the bargain.

If anything the Players/characters should be seen as the evil interlopers. Trying to spread their message of hate and bigotry into this world.

[Invader]

You're thinking about this in the wrong direction. If the lich is a nice guy, why do you want the players to fight him in the first place? What role in the story did you create the lich to fulfill? How is he involved in the plot, and how did that involvement bring you to make him the benevolent ruler you set him up as?

I think like this.

Instead of having the PC's fight the lich why don't you have them work for him? Maybe someone from the surrounding kingdoms is trying to sabotage his mining operations because they're so successful or maybe they're out to get him simply because he's a lich.

Personally I never subscribed to the idea that a lich had to be evil. It could simply be someone else who wanted power and immortality and was willing to pay that particular price.

[Jack Zander]

Why don't you just set up the entire town as one big adventure hook and see where the players go from there? Give them plot hooks for either helping or harming the lich, and let them control which direction they take the story.

[Ernir]

My point, Urpriest made it already.



Anyway, the most certain way I know of to make players sure of an NPC being up to something is to slightly overplay the NPC's trustworthiness.
You could even Schrödinger his motives. Once the conspiracy theories start flying, grab one and make it true.

[grarrrg]

My problem is that now, I can't think of a reason for my players to want to kill this guy besides "He's undead, and detects as evil." How can I make him a complete jerkoff?


You're thinking about this in the wrong direction. If the lich is a nice guy,....


This is the thing.
If the Lich is going to detect as evil, then he needs to somehow BE evil.

Quick Side question: Is the Lich Lawful-Evil, or Neutral-Evil?
I rule out Chaotic-Evil, because that is the least likely to run a benevolent kingdom.

For Lawful Evil, then have him run the kingdom like a Business, he's the "Evil CEO". Everyone in the 'company' is happy because 'money' and whatnot are pouring in. Everyone outside the 'company' is pissed because of "bad business practices" and whatever.

For Neutral Evil? Still some of the above, but should definitely be a dark lining in the society. Shady practices, people randomly disappearing, that kind of thing.

[Ernir]

This is the thing.
If the Lich is going to detect as evil, then he needs to somehow BE evil.

Thing is, he doesn't.

He could be friggin' Exalted Good, and still detect as Evil (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/detectEvil.htm), just by virtue of the creature type.

[lsfreak]

This is the thing.
If the Lich is going to detect as evil, then he needs to somehow BE evil.

By game rules, animating all those undead is going to be enough to have him read evil, pretty much regardless of what else he does. Especially if he hates all these living people and only tolerates them because it's easier/safer to be loved by them than to put form the effort to oppress them.

[Parra]

Maybe not all the citizens agree to having there bodies exploited after death. Maybe someone doesnt like seeing their poor (un)dead grandmother slaving away.


Failing that you can fall back to getting the Lich (or agent thereof) to steal something from the group. Nothing gets players gunning for a bad guy like a little bit of theft

[Amoren]

I've got it! Make his favorite song Friday, and that's the national anthem of his state. Which is blared every... Guess which day of the week.

[ryu]

By the real Rebecca Black who was resurrected and plane shifted to your game world?

[grarrrg]

I've got it! Make his favorite song Friday, and that's the national anthem of his state. Which is blared every... Guess which day of the week.

Blared on Sunday, cause it's the holy day?
Or Saturday if you're an orthodox Fridarian.

[sreservoir]

I've got it! Make his favorite song Friday, and that's the national anthem of his state. Which is blared every... Guess which day of the week.

wednesday?

[Manly Man]

Have him be something like Vlad Dracula. Yes, he is a beneficial patriarch, but he also is very infamous for being unyielding and extremely harsh. Nearly any transgression is punishable by a painful execution, and those who commit serious crimes such as murder, rape, arson, etcetera, are also damned to undeath as a skeleton or zombie. He has a reputation for using fear tactics against his enemies, such as freezing corpses and using them as ammunition for siege weapons, or if he happens to garner prisoners of war while he and his enemies are still fighting, he will have them executed on the battlefield and risen as fresh skeletons for the visual horror of watching the bones rip themselves from the corpses. This is D&D, use your imagination to let him do stuff that's all kinds of scary. Maybe have one of his worse deeds be that he freezes the leaders of his opposition- generals, nobility, royalty- solid in a clear ice block, and puts them on his city walls like trophies. Maintaining and polishing the ice could be a job for a select few of his undead servants.

[Andorax]

Is it established how long he's been around?

The current "benevolent" state is the result of having actually TRIED the nasty, unpleasent control approach before. This guy could well have been around for centuries...and has done all manner of vile and despicable things, which have been very professionally covered up in the current setup.

If you're familiar with Stargate, I'd shoot for the Ashen approach...the populace is comfortable, docile, undereducated, and completely unaware that the advanced society that looks after them was responsible for their own downfall a few generations ago.

Heck, under an alternate guise, he could even have orchistrated the overthrow of his own earlier, dysfunctional realm. Do they even know he's a Lich, or is there a secret door at the bottom of the crypts where corpses, once interred, are taken out quietly. It is, of course, custom and taboo to never disturb the dead once interred.

Which is where the PCs come in, since someone was buried with an important/valuable heirloom and the PCs...outsiders...are asked to sneak in and reclaim it so the owner doesn't get into trouble. Bad timing...since a corpse claiming crew was in the crypts at the same time.


You could also put the whole situation on a timer. Once he has enough undead troops, he won't need the civilian population anymore...or at least be able to get enough troops out of the slaughter of his own people to get to the final quota.

[Arcane_Secrets]

I suspect this is a rather unique problem.

I am designing a BBEG lich wizard. He's a cold-themed mystic theurge [wiz/ur-priest], and rules a small arctic island city-state, which is magically kept at a comfy 70 degrees at all times.

To make it difficult for the players to justify killing this guy, I made him a beneficial ruler - from the lich's perspective, ruling kindly and with the people's best interest at heart is more efficient, because nothing quells insurrection like being loved by the people, even if he hates them in return.

The citizenry agree that upon death, they will be reanimated as skeletons to work in the underground mines/farms. In exchange, they enjoy an unprecedented standard of living: all are free to pursue intellectual education, and thanks to public libraries, mages, clerics, and artificers abound. It's rather like the Capitol from The Hunger Games.

My problem is that now, I can't think of a reason for my players to want to kill this guy besides "He's undead, and detects as evil." How can I make him a complete jerkoff?

Social, economic, or similar advice would also be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

You never specified what actually gets mined and/or farmed.

What if it's raw material for the magical equivalent of WMD and he's your world's biggest arms dealer (like in Lord of War?)

[The Gilded Duke]

Humans become middle aged at 35 years old. When they become middle aged they take penalties to all of their physical statistics and a bonus to mental statistics. Zombies and skeletons however don't actually use mental statistics, a middle aged or older zombie or skeleton is less valuable then one that is younger.

So everyone dies at age 34 or less. Maybe they sacrifice themselves willingly, maybe they are taken away, maybe there is some sort of magical sickness, but nobody in the kingdom ever gets to be 35 years old. With the increased age requirements, this would also make Clerics, Druids, Wizards and Monks significantly less common then in other kingdoms, with the additional years of training required.

Euthenasia at 34 should give the players enough reason to act, even if society is otherwise wonderful.

[Waker]

Though I saw several good ideas, I'll take my suggestion in a different direction.
How about the Lich is a legitimately good ruler? Maybe he's not all rainbow and sunshine, but he is a fair and just ruler. The party will most likely suspect that this is just a front and that is where you play upon their preconceived notions. Have a series of events occur here and there. Accidents that seem a little too convenient, but are in fact just bad luck. Rumor mongers and dissidents spreading horror stories about what the Lich is really doing behind closed doors. Incomplete or conflicting histories researched paint different pictures of what the Lich was like in life. And so on.
After the party is convinced that Lich is engineering the apocalypse, they storm into his chambers and kill him. Then you leave the party with the realization that without the Lich around, the kingdoms weather controlling magic will fail, neighboring armies will loot and pillage uncontested, power factions will battle it out in the streets to determine the next ruler, the "mining" operations were in fact a secret war to keep Farspawn from escaping from an underground prison...
A crazy way to end a campaign. And potentially a way to start a new one as the party now takes the role of people living in the shattered kingdom.

[Lord_Gareth]

Though I saw several good ideas, I'll take my suggestion in a different direction.
How about the Lich is a legitimately good ruler? Maybe he's not all rainbow and sunshine, but he is a fair and just ruler. The party will most likely suspect that this is just a front and that is where you play upon their preconceived notions. Have a series of events occur here and there. Accidents that seem a little too convenient, but are in fact just bad luck. Rumor mongers and dissidents spreading horror stories about what the Lich is really doing behind closed doors. Incomplete or conflicting histories researched paint different pictures of what the Lich was like in life. And so on.
After the party is convinced that Lich is engineering the apocalypse, they storm into his chambers and kill him. Then you leave the party with the realization that without the Lich around, the kingdoms weather controlling magic will fail, neighboring armies will loot and pillage uncontested, power factions will battle it out in the streets to determine the next ruler, the "mining" operations were in fact a secret war to keep Farspawn from escaping from an underground prison...
A crazy way to end a campaign. And potentially a way to start a new one as the party now takes the role of people living in the shattered kingdom.

This is brilliant. Do this.

[Octavian]

Don't make people hate him at all. However, give him something the PCs need and let them determine how they're going to get it.

[avr]

Have death/reanimation be a not uncommon punishment, and then do it to someone the PCs have a reason to deal with.

e.g. If they're buying a magic item off someone in town, they organise the deal, then the night before the exchange is made the guards drag the vendor off on some charges. Dealing in stolen goods perhaps. His possessions including the item are forfeit to the crown of course.

[TheGeek]

Thanks for the rapid replies, all. I love all the feedback.

Responding to a few of your thoughts...



You're thinking about this in the wrong direction. If the lich is a nice guy, why do you want the players to fight him in the first place?


I think you painted yourself into a corner.

To be honest.

Why WOULD any player OR character want to kill this Lich?

These were my thoughts. I really like the solution that some have suggested: the lich is benevolent and kind to his own citizens, but ruthless and efficient in destroying enemies.




The current "benevolent" state is the result of having actually TRIED the nasty, unpleasent control approach before.

<snip>

Heck, under an alternate guise, he could even have orchistrated the overthrow of his own earlier, dysfunctional realm.

I love this idea; it's a great twist, and I'm definitely going to incorporate it.

I love both The Gilded Duke's and Waker's ideas, but I'm not sure how to synthesize them. I want to preserve the idea that the lich has begun to genuinely care for his own people - if I'm not mistaken, this is not unheard-of in evil characters - if not others.


Though I saw several good ideas, I'll take my suggestion in a different direction.
How about the Lich is a legitimately good ruler? Maybe he's not all rainbow and sunshine, but he is a fair and just ruler. The party will most likely suspect that this is just a front and that is where you play upon their preconceived notions. Have a series of events occur here and there. Accidents that seem a little too convenient, but are in fact just bad luck. Rumor mongers and dissidents spreading horror stories about what the Lich is really doing behind closed doors. Incomplete or conflicting histories researched paint different pictures of what the Lich was like in life. And so on.
After the party is convinced that Lich is engineering the apocalypse, they storm into his chambers and kill him. Then you leave the party with the realization that without the Lich around, the kingdoms weather controlling magic will fail, neighboring armies will loot and pillage uncontested, power factions will battle it out in the streets to determine the next ruler, the "mining" operations were in fact a secret war to keep Farspawn from escaping from an underground prison...
A crazy way to end a campaign. And potentially a way to start a new one as the party now takes the role of people living in the shattered kingdom.

This idea is right in line with the moral ambiguity I was looking for. I think that if I add in a bit of obsessive protection of his people, and a dash of disregard for all other cultures, it'll be just what I'm looking for.

Thank you, everyone, for your input.

Any suggestions for how to make the players uncomfortable in Lichville? I almost want to go for a Stepford feeling, with the exception that everything is perhaps utopian.

[Waker]

I suppose one of the questions that you should probably answer is why did the Lich establish/take over the kingdom? Does he have a goal of some type?
As for some of the creep factor, I would suggest emotional extremes such as depression and frequent suicides for the population. Depending on how far you take this utopia idea, having ever need met effortlessly and immediately would lead to a lack of desire and excitement. People would crave novelty and change. Stupidly reckless behavior for the adrenalin rush, excesses of various kinds (gluttony, brothels, drugs), frequent duels and small border skirmishes because what else is there to do? Have the population be made up of equal parts zombies (not literally) and manic thrill junkies.
Of course the thrill junkies will want to tear down the system for the change, while telling the party how cruel a despot the Lich is. The party is unlikely to really examine the culture and simply listen to the stories they tell.

[HeadlessMermaid]

The citizenry agree that upon death, they will be reanimated as skeletons to work in the underground mines/farms. In exchange, they enjoy an unprecedented standard of living: all are free to pursue intellectual education, and thanks to public libraries, mages, clerics, and artificers abound.
Congratulations, you just invented a viable utopia. Everyone benefits, no one loses. The skeletons have neither feelings nor a conscience or self-awareness, they are machines for all intents and purposes. The souls have already passed to another plane and are not affected. And meanwhile, people are safe, free, healthy and happy. Everybody lives, Rose!

There's only one reason to object to all this (assuming we're in a standard D&D setting, and society hasn't yet thought of abolishing monarchy and establishing a democracy or anything). That liches and Necromancy are by RAW objectively Evil. Understandably, you don't want to resort to that, so here are your options.


1) It looks like a utopia, but in reality it's a dystopia.
The first thing I thought wasn't "1984", but "Brave New World", it seems a lot more appropriate. However, it will be very hard to pull off (the whole idea needs to be adapted to a pre-industrial, pre-consumerist society).

So yeah, we can be blunt here. Mind control, the skeletons are in fact mudered undesirables, the fancy academies are a facade and everything learned there must be pre-approved by the lich, etc.


2) It's a utopia, but with a twist.
There must be a catch. I don't have any new suggestions, there were already a lot of good ones in the thread: Maybe people aren't turned to skeletons after they die of natural causes, but are horrifically sacrificed. Maybe the lich is good to his own subjects, but murders and reanimates the neighbors. Maybe he secretly tortures people now and then, to amuse himself. Etc.


3) It really IS a utopia. There is no catch.
This option is valid only if your players DON'T take it for granted that they will triumph (or die trying), but appreciate ambiguous and/or bitter endings.

You can easily make them go for the lich. The information they get from the other kingdoms will be that he mind-controls the population, that the skeletons are murdered undesirables, and that he is expanding his realm by invading and plaguing their lands.

In reality, the subjects of the nearby kingdoms willingly travel all the way to the arctic and submit to the lich (it's not like they're free under their current King), because they know their lives will improve immensely. The PCs may witness this, but attribute it to mind control.

And when the lich falls, the whole island goes back to poverty, want, illiteracy, and menial work from dusk to dawn for a loaf of bread. Food for thought, as your wrap up the campaign.

[Personally, I think that would be awesome. YMMV.]


4) Bonus Stage: The realistic approach
Realistically, educating people and relieving them from the burden of mining and farming doesn't make them automatically happy. Think of ancient kingdoms and city-states, where mining and farming (and a whole other things) were done exclusively by slaves. And where the pursuit of knowledge was often considered a normal activity for the rest, at least for the males. They weren't particularly blissful. There was strife and ambition and conflict and war - and a lot of depressive poetry, I should add.

More importantly, it won't keep people under control. On the contrary. Give them time to think and study, and before you know it they'll do something totally unexpected, like inventing democracy and overthrowing you. Or worse, inventing banks and owning you. Or simply researching a more powerful Unseen Servant spell: they can industrialize its production (self-resetting traps), replace your skeletons in the mines with said traps, and then point and laugh at you. There's no telling what they'll think of.

Or some of them will find a way to make loads of money/achieve social status over the rest, and suddenly you got another player - a guild or a social class that yearns for power. Why should the lich control everything? Because he's a powerful necromancer? We can learn that, too! Or we can hire someone to work for us, we can afford it! And if not, we can do away with his system, bring back good ol' serfs, and rule!

Really, I don't see it as the "safe" thing to do at all - safe for the lich, I mean. I think it's a recipe for disaster. Unless the education isn't really free, but designed to produce conforming people one way or another. (Which brings us back full-circle to "Brave new world". Huh.)

Now, I'm not saying you should take all that into account. It's a fantasy story and a game, feel free to simplify things. I only mention it because you asked for "Social, economic, or similar advice". :)

[Endarire]

Why does he need to be EVIL (or evulz)? So far, you can make him nice but make others see him as bad due to their insecurities.

Don't overvalue alignment here. Play him how he should be played!

[Bouregard]

Like the OP said, he's only friendly as long as he needs the living. Now say that whole mining stick is his way of finding a powerful MacGuffin he believes is burried beneath the city.

Our poor band of adventurers has found the MacGuffin in a random tomb somewhere and as they are of course all good and holy destroyed that evil thing on the spot.

A "good agency of GOOD!" contacts the adventurers and explains to them that while it was smart of them to destroy the artifact, there will be some problems:

As soon as the Lich finds out that his artifact is destroyed (spies, informants, nosy deities our just plain old scrying) he will have no more use for the city and might sniff out every living existence in the city whose presence he had suffered for so long.

The adventurers are now tasked with stopping the Lich from cleaning house.


They can...

-make sure he still thinks the MacGuffin is down there
-explain to him that while his plan is ruined, he still had some awesome years and may continue to care for the city, or at least leave without incident.
-kill him

For extra brownie points: the MacGuffin is his long long lost phylactery

[2xMachina]

Or, better yet, just have him go around kicking dogs!

Lich: I only do that cause I have traumatic flashbacks to dogs trying to chew on my bones!

[Jack Zander]

Soylent Green is people!

There. BAM! Done.

[ryu]

Uh if the artifact was both destroyed AND the liches soul-hidey-place wouldn't he just be truly dead instead of a lich?

[grarrrg]

Soylent Green is people!

There. BAM! Done.

Actually, that would be a VERY efficient use of "resources".

Flesh > Food
Bones > Minions

Nothing is wasted!

[Waker]

Actually, that would be a VERY efficient use of "resources".

Flesh > Food
Bones > Minions

Nothing is wasted!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
A Druid Lich environmentalist?

[Axinian]

In Monsters of Faerun, there's the Good Lich template... It's really vague on how alignment factors into it, but it's there. He could be one of those if you go for the legitimately Good route suggested.

How I generally rule it (though this may not actually seem to be the case) is that while the transformation into a lich is an evil act, continued existence AS a lich isn't, hence the existence of the template.