How would you protect YOUR phylactery?

[Falconer]

[theatrics]

You have performed the foulest of dark rituals, and thrown off the shackles of mere mortality to become a powerful lord of the undead. You will live forever, free to grow in knowledge and power. You are a lich, and your might will terrorize the world until the end of time.

[/theatrics]

But of course, there's that whole "phylactery" thing. You know, that thing that, if it's destroyed, makes you entirely kill-able? So naturally, many liches in D&D-land ward their phylacteries with magic, and hide them in the most secure place they know of.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, how would YOU protect a phylactery? As I'm aiming for more creative responses, let's say you're someplace below level 20, though whether you're an arcane or divine caster is up to you.

So now, Playground, it's time for us to bring out our impenetrable fortresses, psychotic traps, and utterly paranoid spells...to protect that one shiny little bauble.

[Jarian]

The obvious answer is genesis + your choice of barring interdimensional travel.

Though I suppose that depends on how far below 20th level you were talking.

[chiasaur11]

Magnificent mansion.

No style, but it seems workable.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Even if you don't have access to Genesis, having a Forbiddance up isn't a bad idea unless you're really buying into the 'security from obscurity' idea.

[PId6]

Why, I'd slap it as an amulet on my highest-level minion, then have him follow me around on all my missions of world conquest. The heroes would never expect it.

[Douglas]

The really creative one I remember from a similar thread a while back goes like this:
1) Acquire a Bag of Holding
2) Enter an Antimagic Field
3) Place phylactery inside BoH
4) Leave AMF
5) Laugh maniacally as your enemies futilely search everywhere except the (non-extra-dimensional) interior of the bag. Unless it's inside an AMF, reaching into the bag accesses the magical storage area, which is not where your phylactery is - and who's going to reach into a Bag of Holding deliberately when its magic has been turned off?

Add spells, wards, and other magical protections on the phylactery itself to taste.

[LibraryOgre]

You know, creating a permanent Magnificent Mansion at a certain place at extremely high altitude would work pretty well. Overland Flight to about 30,000 feat above a significant landmark (preferably near the middle of an ocean), create a permanent magnificent mansion, and layer some nondetection spells on it.

You're hugely away from anyone, meaning a lot of spells have to strain to reach you. No one can get into your sanctum, even if they do manage to find the specific 32 square feet of it in the middle of the sky well away from everything.

[gallagher]

i would do what Xykon did. give it to a high level cleric, protect it and beat the heck out of anyone who comes close. DMM the heck out of anyone and never give it up.

or give it to the oldest dragon possible who has his clan all close by. or put it somehow inside a tarrasque and have my cleric persist all the buffs that will keep it safe

[Starscream]

Find some way to ward it against stomach acid, and then feed it to the Tarrasque.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

The really creative one I remember from a similar thread a while back goes like this:
1) Acquire a Bag of Holding
2) Enter an Antimagic Field
3) Place phylactery inside BoH
4) Leave AMF
5) Laugh maniacally as your enemies futilely search everywhere except the (non-extra-dimensional) interior of the bag. Unless it's inside an AMF, reaching into the bag accesses the magical storage area, which is not where your phylactery is - and who's going to reach into a Bag of Holding deliberately when its magic has been turned off?

Add spells, wards, and other magical protections on the phylactery itself to taste.

Very clever, but since the adventurers will steal whatever isn't nailed down, doesn't that mean you'll re-form next to them?

[Ashiel]

I've been rather fond of hiding it in a different galaxy or planet, in addition to the usual methods (private sanctum, etc). Really, you're dealing with your immortal soul. You can't be too careful.

I love the bag of holding idea, by the way.

[PId6]

Find some way to ward it against stomach acid, and then feed it to the Tarrasque.

Wouldn't you need some natural acid immunity then when you regenerate?

[Curmudgeon]

The Genesis approach is solid. But I like a more elaborate scenario. Use Modify Memory on anyone who ever touched any of the bits used in the phylactery's creation, then Trap the Soul on each of them into a gem, and use the gems as a components in other spells. That should make it very hard for anyone to figure out even what the phylactery looks like.

Cast Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion and craft your phylactery in there, hiding behind Forbiddance and Mind Blank; that way nothing like Stone Tell can reveal any details. When done, drop the Forbiddance and Plane Shift to any random plane that includes stone and dirt, re-cast Forbiddance, and then Hidden Lodge (Spell Compendium, pages 113-114) where there's plenty of dirt. Inside the Hidden Lodge cast Move Earth to dig a deep hole. Add water (from a Decanter of Endless Water) and cast Transmute Mud to Rock to make a thick (more than 3') stone base. Drop your phylactery, weighted down with lead, on top, and use Move Earth to cover it deeply. Repeat the water and Transmute Mud to Rock until it's covered with plenty of stone to block divination spells. Smooth out the rest of the earth on top. Drop Forbiddance and return to your home plane. The Hidden Lodge will disappear the next day, leaving no special trace of your presence there.

[AtopTheMountain]

Implant it into the body of a small fish, preferably a member of a large school, then toss it back into the ocean. When the fish dies, kill yourself, regenerate by the phylactery, and repeat.

[RndmNumGen]

Very clever, but since the adventurers will steal whatever isn't nailed down, doesn't that mean you'll re-form next to them?

Or reform inside the bag? Wouldn't be too comfortable...

[Zeful]

Very clever, but since the adventurers will steal whatever isn't nailed down, doesn't that mean you'll re-form next to them?

That is not covered by the rules. The Lich reforms exactly where the DM commands, if that is by the phylactery (Icewind Dale, OotS) so be it.

[Ormagoden]

Become a Demilich.

Find the closest Hecatoncheires and insert yourself into a piece of jewelry it wears.

Have fun slaying gods until you are one.

[Maerok]

Would hiding it in the Elemental Plane of Lead prevent one from reforming?


Edit:

As previously mentioned, the SRD text is:
"Unless its phylactery is located and destroyed, a lich reappears 1d10 days after its apparent death."

It doesn't say that the lich spawns from the phylactery. They could possibly phase in to any single location that has been meaningful.

[Starscream]

Wouldn't you need some natural acid immunity then when you regenerate?

Hmmm. Well, you can use most anything as a phylactery, so why not have it be a ring of acid immunity? You'll reform right next to it, put it on, and then can teleport to safety at your leisure.

Other idea. Use a bag of holding as your phylactery. Put it in a portable hole, and it will be "forever lost" (but not destroyed). Dunno where you'll regenerate, probably somewhere like the far realms, or some uncharted place on the astral plane. Then plane shift back to reality.

[Warpwolf16]

I say leave it on a spelljammer that floats in wild space only piolted by another undead sorcerer of some sorts. It floats above the world in question and when the lich is destroyed he regrows on the spell jammer.

[0Megabyte]

First of all, I would wear a large red ruby on my chest. I'd make a very big show of making clear that that is not my phylactery, and in fact my phylactery is actually someplace else. The ruby would be trapped, too. The stupid ones would believe me. They might go on to stage two. Smart ones would figure I was lying, and when they destroyed my body, they would take the ruby, only to find out it was trapped. (and not the phylactery.) The smarter ones would realize it was a trap.

If they searched, they would find a well hidden spot with an object dear to me from my childhood. Something that they had to fight hard to find, and would be certain would be the real phylactery. This would be trapped as heavily as I could, with every spell and plan I could manage.

Naturally, that object, too, would be a red herring.

The real one would be an ordinary item the PC's wouldn't think to destroy, such as a minor magic item they'd figure was look, perhaps something like a ring of resistance +1 there with the rest of the treasure. Something they'd sell off without noticing, while going off looking for the more grandiose possibilities.

[Crafty Cultist]

Have your phylactery provide other magical effects, including one to hide its soul containing properties. for bonus points, make it able to slowly possess or control its user. the hero who loots your body will become your pawn.

[Mastikator]

I'd put it inside a portable hole, inside a bag of holding, inside a ropetrick inside a genesis. Put nondetections on every level.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

A Coin. With Magic Aura to cover any magical traces. Given to a dragon to then place in his hoard. Then either Modify Memory or simply Mindrape to make said dragon forget about this, or ever even having seen you.

Even if the party finds it, they likely won't know what it is, and it will be just another coin in their party treasury. Which is the safest place it can possibly be, because we all know how fiercely an adventuring band guards their treasure...

[Yrcrazypa]

Have your phylactery provide other magical effects, including one to hide its soul containing properties. for bonus points, make it able to slowly possess or control its user. the hero who loots your body will become your pawn.

I did a campaign like that once. It was one of the best I've ever done.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Have your phylactery provide other magical effects, including one to hide its soul containing properties. for bonus points, make it able to slowly possess or control its user. the hero who loots your body will become your pawn.

I dunno, it didn't turn out so well for Saruon...

[Dracons]

Make phylactery. Make it fireproof. Put it inside magical golem that is also immune to all elements and can swim. Put Golem inside a perment Magnifiit Mansion that has all oxygen drained from it, and filled with negative energy trait. Have this Mansion in the deep part of a deep ocean of fire in plane of fire. Have a cotinency spell that if it loses 3/4 of its HP, then it has an automatic dispel anchor or anytype of stopping teleport spell, then have it plane shift to a set place in plane of water with a beacon to tell you that it's been found. Take it, find it, rehide it somewhere again with above spells. Cast modify memory on yourself to make you forget yourself where it is.



BTW: No-one ones to know what I did with the epic lich. Party just gave up trying to destroy it forever as they cannot find all the pieces of its phylactry.

[Ravingdork]

I plan to make my phylactery out of a grain of sand. I will than toss it into the middle of the campaign's largest desert...that resides on another planet.

[Lord Raziere]

just make the phylactery some generic ring than sell it to some merchant. who would possibly find it? it looks like every other ring in existence.

alternatively, make your phylactery some random farmers tool. those things can last for years.

[RndmNumGen]

I think I like the minor magical item more than insignificant items, like sand or gold. Such common things are in such quantity that not a lot of care is taken to guard them, and they may accidentally be destroyed. Minor magical items may be insignificant enough that whoever is strong enough to defeat you would just sell off, while being valuable enough to be carefully guarded.

I also like the bag of holding tricks, though.