Lich Dialog-Help Please!

[Jendekit]

I'm building a Lich antagonist along the lines of Imhotep from the Brendan Frasier Mummy Series and Corypheus from Dragon Age 2-Legacy and am having a hard time coming up with dialog.

I've got the first line that he says upon waking up from his slumber/imprisonment, but am stuck in coming up with anything else without taking it straight from those two sources. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Ravens_cry]

I'm building a Lich antagonist along the lines of Imhotep from the Brendan Frasier Mummy Series and Corypheus from Dragon Age 2-Legacy and am having a hard time coming up with dialog.

I've got the first line that he says upon waking up from his slumber/imprisonment, but am stuck in coming up with anything else without taking it straight from those two sources. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Well, what's that first line?

[Red Fel]

I'm building a Lich antagonist along the lines of Imhotep from the Brendan Frasier Mummy Series and Corypheus from Dragon Age 2-Legacy and am having a hard time coming up with dialog.

I've got the first line that he says upon waking up from his slumber/imprisonment, but am stuck in coming up with anything else without taking it straight from those two sources. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I would generally advocate against creating a fixed dialogue, since the players almost always break it up. It's like they don't bother to follow the script or something.

Instead, I would suggest developing a general attitude and vocabulary, and going with that. Saying what the character would say, rather than what the script says he says.

Towards that end, tell me about the character. The impression that I have is that this is someone who was powerful, and still carries the ego that comes with being the biggest, baddest dude in the room; that he was killed/sealed in a can/otherwise incapacitated, and likely feels the rush of freedom/rage against those who imprisoned him/a vast sense of superiority over those present at his liberation.

So, working from that, here's what I see. I see a Smug Snake (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SmugSnake). After he gets over the initial rush of being free, he'll notice people present, something along the lines of, "Oh... and I see people have already arrived to grovel before me. Well, get on with it. It's been ages since I've been adored. I might even let you live if you do a good job of it."

If opposed, he'll probably resort to mockery. "Oh, no, they plan to slay me. Oh, heavens, save me from their adorable little pointed sticks."

If endangered, the anger will come out. "That's enough playing. Yes, I think I've had quite enough of you... Insects." (Cue some insect-related spell, because pun-based spells are badass.)

The key thing for a character like this, I think, is disdain. He believes the PCs - and indeed, most things - are beneath him. And he's not afraid to show it. Even if he loses a little ground, it's only a minor setback. He's undead; he can wait. His enemies will pass into the dust, but he is eternal, and all-powerful; his victory will come in time. In the words of my favorite arcane undead, "But I have time... A thousand years, ten thousand, you will never defeat me! For wherever evil exists, Mumm-Ra lives!"

[Jendekit]

The problem with not having a fixed dialog is that he's been locked away so long that he doesn't speak any modern languages, and I had decided long before this character that the setting that I am using has no "comprehend languages" or such spells.

I'm having the language that he speaks be represented by Latin, so I need to translate everything that he says from English, to Latin. Thus, not being fluent in Latin, I cannot just come up with what he says on the fly, I need to have some lines already down.

The only thing that I currently have is "Hoc est, ex aliquo somnio delectari me?" Which translates to "Is this some dream I wake from?"

[herrhauptmann]

Do your players speak latin? Ancient greek?
Is this going to be a recurring character?

If this guys not gonna speak in any language the characters understand, just run a few paragraphs and single sentence lines through google translate.
You'll want phrases like "What is this?" "Who are you?" "Kneel before your master." Beyond that? You can just take some soliloquy from Shakespeare for sufficient length.

Seriously, it won't matter. Because no one but you will know what he's supposed to be saying.

Maybe, possibly, if he's going to be around for several sessions, the players may be able to learn a few of his common phrases.

[nedz]

I'd just jot down some key phrases, catch-words even, and throw them into the dialog. They will be much more memorable if they emerge organically rather than in some stilted box text. An opening line or two is probably fine though, but these should be questions — or at least raise questions; helps engage the listeners.

[Marcelinari]

Conversational Latin is perhaps not the most refined area of study, but I'm sure there are a few fun bits that can be thrown around. Try a few of these on for size:

'Cur tu me vexas?' - 'Why do you annoy me so?'

'Qui sunt?' - 'Who are you?' - In the plural.

'Salvete, servi! Quam tempus habebat?' - 'Welcome, slaves! How much time has passed?'

'Qui stulti hi mortales sunt.' - 'What fools these mortals be.'

'Necate! Perite! Abite!' - 'Die! Die! Die!'

'Ubi omnes divitiae sunt?' - 'Where are all my riches?'

'Ignis est. Mors est!' - 'I am fire. I am DEATH!' (Smaug has the best smug lines) EDIT: Actually, for purposes of aesthetics, you might want to go with 'Ignis est. Orcus est!' Orcus was the god of death, and the two-syllable name goes better.

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. The grammar may be a little off - but it's pretty good, and it's doubtful any of your players speak Latin with any particular fluency. I think I'll get away with it.

[Ravens_cry]

'Necate! Perite! Abite!' - 'Die! Die! Die!'

What does that mean literally? They obviously aren't all the same word.

[Zweisteine]

Use Lorem Ipsum (http://www.lipsum.com/)!
Just change the punctuation a bit.

Ut vel scelerisque nunc? Sed id dolor sed eros porttitor accumsan vitae eu velit. Etiam!

Sed malesuada mollis consectetur. Suspendisse ornare cursus odio, id vehicula.

Donec semper massa ac dui!

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

[Marcelinari]

What does that mean literally? They obviously aren't all the same word.

True, but killing is for the Romans like snow is for Inuit. That is to say, they have a lot of words for it.

'Necate' actually means 'Murder', so I got that voice wrong. Should have been 'Necare' - 'Be murdered'.

'Perite' is 'Pass away' or 'Be destroyed'. Like perish.

'Abite' literally just means 'Go away'. I like the double meaning that that brings, makes it sound like he's just really fed up with them being around.

All of them have either primary or secondary meanings of 'Die', though.

[Jendekit]

'Ignis est. Mors est!' - 'I am fire. I am DEATH!' (Smaug has the best smug lines) EDIT: Actually, for purposes of aesthetics, you might want to go with 'Ignis est. Orcus est!' Orcus was the god of death, and the two-syllable name goes better.

I'm using this for sure with one modification: 'Frigus est. Orcus est!' He's a cold-favoring spellcaster. 'Frigus' being what I got from Google Translate for cold.

[Ravens_cry]

True, but killing is for the Romans like snow is for Inuit. That is to say, they have a lot of words for it.

'Necate' actually means 'Murder', so I got that voice wrong. Should have been 'Necare' - 'Be murdered'.

'Perite' is 'Pass away' or 'Be destroyed'. Like perish.

'Abite' literally just means 'Go away'. I like the double meaning that that brings, makes it sound like he's just really fed up with them being around.

All of them have either primary or secondary meanings of 'Die', though.
Ah, cool. Thank you. Latin is one of my favourite languages, though I know basically none.