Lich Lord [PrC]

[Maerok]

Lich Lord



A lich is a powerful spellcaster give unlife through necromantic powers. Yet that power can be refined even more deeply through special focus and dedication to the evil of the lich's existence. In time, a lich becomes a lich lord; a true incarnate of undeath and the power that lies within its secrets. A lich lord makes up for the delay in a lich's training through endless study and practice; and liches tend to be all too willing to practice their arcane might on others as it is.

HD: d12

Prerequisites:
Alignment: Any Evil
Skills: Spellcraft 14 ranks
Special: Lich template, acquired with a level adjustment; must have existed as a Lich for one hundred years
Spells: Caster level 11

Skills: Concentration (Cha), Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (all), Profession, Spellcraft

Skill Points: 2 + Int modifier

BAB: 1/2
Saves: : Will - Good, Reflex - Poor, Fortitude - Good

Class Features:
Spellcasting: Advances as the class used to qualify for the lich template. This does not provide any other benefit.

1:
Lich Prowess (Su): A lich lord adds his class level to his caster level, but does not gain new spells per day because of it.

Eternal Studies: The Lich Lord gains either Spell Focus, Skill Focus, Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, Extra Turning, Improved Turning, or Spell Mastery.

2:
Spontaneous Wounder: The Lich Lord may spontaneous convert his spells into inflict spells a number of times per day equal to his class level plus his spellcasting attribute. A number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier, the Lich Lord may maximize or empower the converted spell's damage as per the metamagic feats (doing both at the same time costs two uses).

3:
Locate Object (Phylactery) and Scrying (Phylactery), at will.
Rekindle the Soul: As a bonus feat, from Complete Lich. If he already has this feat, choose another Undead feat listed here or any Vile feat he qualifies for.

4:
Unholy Grace: The Lich Lord adds his Charisma modifier to his saves. This does not stack with Divine Grace or any other ability that adds his Charisma modifier to any of his saves.

5:
Bonus Domain: The Lich Lord gains the Death, Deathbound, Evil, Knowledge, Magic, or Undeath domain. See Complete Divine about arcane casters and bonus domains. His effective cleric level is equal to half his levels in his qualifying spellcasting class plus his class level.

[Mr. Moogle]

I can see this growig into an extremely annoying end-of-campaign boss. Those bonouses to saves and adding caster levels, i mean its an awsome class but it should be used sparringly.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I'm guessing that the "with a level adjustment" is a subtle jab at Dread Necromancer. While I personally dislike that class I think it's wrong to disallow it since you'd have to be epic level to get into this class.

[Draken]

I am a great apreciator of liches and most other undeads (except, mostly, vampires, they are annoying). And just read your guide, but i see a problem with the ritual you designed there.

To much religious thing in it. Your ritual looks apropriate for a Cleric, but i think it is senseless for a Wizard or Sorcerer, sinse these two classes aren't really fond of religion.

Btw, think you would apreciate this, the Warcraft Lich, an empowered version of the common ones, and mostly focused to be used by Wizards.

Mostly the same but adds:

Spoiler

Show

Special Attacks:
Fascinate the Living: A Lich can channel Undead to Fascinate (Scare) creatures whoe tendency is non-evil. He makes the equivalent of a turn atempt. The afected living beings act as they where fascinated (attack roles against then gain a +2 bonus). The Efect lasts for 10rounds

Mana Drain: A Lich may drain spell slots of a target as if the Mana Drain spell. This skill can be used a number of times corresponding its Wisdom modifier.

Special Qualities:
Dark Vision 80 feet

Immunities: Fire as well.

Fast Healing 4 (as long as there is 1 hp left)

Create Lackeys (Sob): The lich can control 5 hit dies of undead per caster level. (This skill is a derivation of a skill belonging to the Necromancer Path of the Arcanist core class in Warcraft RPG scenery, it works just like the Animate dead Spell)

Habilities: Des +2, Int +4, Car +2 (instead of normal)

Skills: +8 racial bonus to Listen, Search, Sense Motivation (don't know if this is rigth...) and Spot checks.

Feats: Alertness is gained as bonus feat.

CR: +3
LA: +5

This lich, when used in the scenery, also requires you to have at least one level on the Necromancer Path of the Arcanist (Mage, Necromancer, Warlock, 3 classes comprised as one)

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@Skeleton

I think the "with a level ajustment" is very suitable, you can't consider yourself a truly Lich if you didn't go over the porper rituals to become one.

Also, there is no need to be epic to be in that class, not everyone will spend it lifetime leveling up. Some Wizards just like to sit back and read a good, old book, in a good old library, for some good old years...
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Ever think of reviving, and improving the "Complete Lich"? Because i think it has big(ger) potential.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I am a great apreciator of liches and most other undeads (except, mostly, vampires, they are annoying). And just read your guide, but i see a problem with the ritual you designed there.

To much religious thing in it. Your ritual looks apropriate for a Cleric, but i think it is senseless for a Wizard or Sorcerer, sinse these two classes aren't really fond of religion.

That's why there's no official ritual, because nobody would be happy with it. There are also probably multiple methods and some Wizards probably like religion. See the Arcane Devote Prc for example.

Btw, think you would apreciate this, the Warcraft Lich, an empowered version of the common ones, and mostly focused to be used by Wizards.

Mostly the same but adds:

Spoiler

Show

Special Attacks:
Fascinate the Living: A Lich can channel Undead to Fascinate (Scare) creatures whoe tendency is non-evil. He makes the equivalent of a turn atempt. The afected living beings act as they where fascinated (attack roles against then gain a +2 bonus). The Efect lasts for 10rounds

Mana Drain: A Lich may drain spell slots of a target as if the Mana Drain spell. This skill can be used a number of times corresponding its Wisdom modifier.

Special Qualities:
Dark Vision 80 feet

Immunities: Fire as well.

Fast Healing 4 (as long as there is 1 hp left)

Create Lackeys (Sob): The lich can control 5 hit dies of undead per caster level. (This skill is a derivation of a skill belonging to the Necromancer Path of the Arcanist core class in Warcraft RPG scenery, it works just like the Animate dead Spell)

Habilities: Des +2, Int +4, Car +2 (instead of normal)

Skills: +8 racial bonus to Listen, Search, Sense Motivation (don't know if this is rigth...) and Spot checks.

Feats: Alertness is gained as bonus feat.

CR: +3
LA: +5

This lich, when used in the scenery, also requires you to have at least one level on the Necromancer Path of the Arcanist (Mage, Necromancer, Warlock, 3 classes comprised as one)

That's just a screwed up version of the previous Warcraft Lich which actually had a Turn Living power.

@Skeleton

I think the "with a level ajustment" is very suitable, you can't consider yourself a truly Lich if you didn't go over the porper rituals to become one.

Also, there is no need to be epic to be in that class, not everyone will spend it lifetime leveling up. Some Wizards just like to sit back and read a good, old book, in a good old library, for some good old years...

You would need to be Epic to get into this class from Dread Necromancer which turns you into a Lich at level 20. If you knew what I was talking about you might have been able to answer me properly.

The Dread Necromancer does go through rituals to become a lich he just does it slowly. The with a level adjustment thing is no more than a petty jab. In fact it makes this class useless to NPCs because only PCs have level adjustments.

You're truly a Lich when you have the Lich template or one of its variants. Which the Dread Necromancer has despite his lack of level adjustment.

[Draken]

That's why there's no official ritual, because nobody would be happy with it. There are also probably multiple methods and some Wizards probably like religion. See the Arcane Devote Prc for example.

Well, thats a point.

That's just a screwed up version of the previous Warcraft Lich which actually had a Turn Living power.

Well, sorry but my translation habilities lacks improvement, that is probably the same model you have seen, with some words badly translated and some minor adaptations to the newer class models of Warcraft RPG.

You would need to be Epic to get into this class from Dread Necromancer which turns you into a Lich at level 20. If you knew what I was talking about you might have been able to answer me properly.

What's the minimal level for one to have all the qualifications for Dread Necromancer? Most PrCs hardly pass 6° level.

The Dread Necromancer does go through rituals to become a lich he just does it slowly. The with a level adjustment thing is no more than a petty jab. In fact it makes this class useless to NPCs because only PCs have level adjustments.

You're truly a Lich when you have the Lich template or one of its variants. Which the Dread Necromancer has despite his lack of level adjustment.

You have a point again, so let's see the author's opnion on the subject.

[Closet_Skeleton]

What's the minimal level for one to have all the qualifications for Dread Necromancer? Most PrCs hardly pass 6° level.

Dread Necromancer is a base class. 20 levels, lich abilities spread throughout. It's to necromancy what Warmage is to evocation.

I personally dislike it because there's already a Necromancer class, it's called Wizard with a certain specialisation. I don't see the need to make a redundant specialist class.

[JoshuaZ]

Lich Lord
Prerequisites:
Alignment: Any Evil
Skills: Spellcraft 14 ranks
Special: Lich template, acquired with a level adjustment; must have existed as a Lich for one hundred years
Spells: Caster level 11

Why insist the lich needs to be evil? One has for example in FR the Baelnorn which is a good lich and I don't see why one couldn't have that. I'd also specify some spells. I'd also consider including some knowledge(arcana) or knowledge(religion) (maybe 8 ranks in the first if coming through an arcane class, 8 ranks in the second if coming through a divine class?). I'd also suggest maybe having to know Animate Dead or Create Undead as well.

[B][U][SIZE="5"]
Lich Prowess (Su): A lich lord adds his class level to his caster level, but does not gain new spells per day because of it.

So a Lich Lord is a really powerful caster but doesn't get any new spells learned or new ones per a day? Sound like a sensible class to describe Azalin.

Eternal Studies: The Lich Lord gains either Spell Focus, Skill Focus, Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, Extra Turning, Improved Turning, or Spell Mastery.

You may want to specify whether or not the Lich Lord must meet the normal prereqs of the feat (I presume yes). Also, putting this on first level makes me slightly worried about a lich doing a 1 level dip to pick up an extra feat. However, there isn't that much one can do about that, and lichs as characters aren't that common so it shouldn't be a concern I guess.

Spontaneous Wounder: The Lich Lord may spontaneous convert his spells into inflict spells a number of times per day equal to his class level plus his spellcasting attribute. A number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier, the Lich Lord may maximize or empower the converted spell's damage as per the metamagic feats (doing both at the same time costs two uses).

Spontaneously converting to Inflict spells is very common. What about something more interesting like also allowing them to spontaneously convert spells to Animate Dead, Create Undead and Create Greater Undead? I would suggest then spreading these out, maybe at levels 2,4 and 5 of the PrC.


Overall, it looks like a nice little PrC for a BBEG or for an interesting PC. I doubt many PCs will be able to take it without a heck of a lot of DM assistance(due to the 100 year requirement) which also helps prevent a PC from immediately becoming a lich and then going on the next level or the level after to become a Lich Lord.

[Matthew]

This is a great idea, but I wonder whether it shouldn't be either Levels 11-15 or 16-20. It seems odd starting at Level 12.