Detecting Changeling Lich?

[Stryyke]

The description for Liches makes it clear that Liches can be discerned on sight. It says they have a powerful aura of fear, and the skin is rotted and the eyes are gone. One character thought to get around this by being a changeling. So I am wondering if my pseudodragon ranger -- who's favored enemy is undead, and who has blindsense -- would be able to tell the character is a Lich through its changeling disguise?

My character, Sina, has been using his hide to stay hidden from the group thusfar; assisting when he sees them in danger. So my character hasn't interacted with the Lich yet. The player asked me to help him in a conflict, but I can't if my character would be able to sense what the lich is. I'm not opposed to assisting the player, but I need to be able to justify helping a hated enemy.

[SilverLeaf167]

The lich makes a Disguise check (with a +10 bonus from Minor Change Shape, possibly other situational modifiers as well) and your Ranger makes a Spot check with the Favored Enemy bonus (2 + 2 per 5 levels). Whether success allows you to simply recognize it as a disguise or completely see through it is a matter of debate, I think.

Blindsense is imprecise enough that it only gives you the rough location of other creatures, and a changeling's disguise is actually physical (not just illusionary) so it won't make a difference.

[Zanos]

First up, Changeling disguises are not illusions, they're physical alterations to their features. Blindsense wouldn't help even if it was an illusion, it's only precise enough to determine that something is in a 5 foot square. The fear aura only affects creatures under 5 HD that look at the lich, so your character is automatically immune if they have more HD than that, although you might notice the effects on NPCs.

To overcome a disguise, you'd need a spot check. And since spot isn't magic x-ray vision, it can't tell what someone actually looks like under a physical change, just that they're hiding their real appearance.

[daremetoidareyo]

That fear aura though...

[Stryyke]

Is the 5 hd restriction total ECL or class level. Pseudodragon starts with 2 hd and 3 la, so I'm class level 4, ECL 9 at the beginning of the next session.

[Segev]

Is the 5 hd restriction total ECL or class level. Pseudodragon starts with 2 hd and 3 la, so I'm class level 4, ECL 9 at the beginning of the next session.

It's literal hit dice. So if you have 2 HD, you're susceptible. Something about him is terrifying.

[Mr Adventurer]

Creatures can suppress their own auras though, can't they?


Is the 5 hd restriction total ECL or class level. Pseudodragon starts with 2 hd and 3 la, so I'm class level 4, ECL 9 at the beginning of the next session.

You must realise that makes no difference...? ,':-|


It's literal hit dice. So if you have 2 HD, you're susceptible. Something about him is terrifying.

...he has 6 HD.

[SilverLeaf167]

That fear aura though...


Is the 5 hd restriction total ECL or class level. Pseudodragon starts with 2 hd and 3 la, so I'm class level 4, ECL 9 at the beginning of the next session.

In addition, the lich can actually suppress the Fear Aura at will - or rather, stop taking free actions to maintain it. Emphasis mine:


Fear Aura (Su)
The use of this ability is a free action. The aura can freeze an opponent (such as a mummy’s despair) or function like the fear spell. Other effects are possible. A fear aura is an area effect. The descriptive text gives the size and kind of area.

EDIT:

It's literal hit dice. So if you have 2 HD, you're susceptible. Something about him is terrifying.

He has 2 RHD and 4 class levels, which adds up to 6 HD and makes him immune.

[Zanos]

Kind of curious what party contains both an ECL 9 and ECL 15(minimum) character.

[Stryyke]

Kind of curious what party contains both an ECL 9 and ECL 15(minimum) character.

LOL. Well, that's a different story altogether. I'm not entirely sure how he and the DM worked it out. I figure it doesn't really mean too much, and just ignore it. I'm sure they worked it out somehow.

Partially, I was penalized for creating a new character when my last character was still alive. I just hated the character, and so did everyone else. So I asked to just build a new character, but had to sacrifice a level to do it.

[icefractal]

Spot vs Disguise would be right. I don't know that you'd necessarily be able to tell it was a Lich if you win, but you'd be able to tell it was undead and in disguise.

Also, I predict this will become a problem in a future session if not right away. It's pretty hard to completely disguise being undead.

Kind of BS to drop someone a level for changing a character that the whole group wanted changed, IMO.

[daremetoidareyo]

Also, I predict this will become a problem in a future session if not right away. It's pretty hard to completely disguise being undead.


"Why don't you ever poop, bob?"

[Crake]

I'm pretty sure transmutation effects like this effectively disguise the character as the creature they change into, the disguise check (to which the character gets +10 to) is only when attempting to disguise yourself as a particular individual.

Now of course, if you're trying to disguise yourself as the same individual constantly, you might occasionally get the disguise wrong, and people might notice something out of place, but it will never be "I saw through his disguise, I realise he's actually an undead!". It would be more like "Who are you, and what have you done with bob! Bob has a freckle under his left eye!" The transmutation disguise doesn't have "seams" for people to be able to see through, so there is no visual way to tell it's an undead.

And to solve the issue of turning into the same guy over and over, unless you're being rushed, just take 20 in a mirror to ensure all the fine details are correct and move on with your day. If you literally use the disguise once and then stay in that disguise for the rest of the game, it doesn't even become an issue at all.