LIVE. . REMAIN. LARLOCH’S LEXICON of LICHDOM

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Legendary , lich lore and lichy loot for the world’s greatest roleplaying game LARLOCH’S LEXICON of LICHDOM

Credits Writing & Layout: J. A. Valeur Editing: S. K. Valeur Interior & Cover Art: Licensed Art from Adobe Stock and Shutterstock, and art provided by Guild and used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for the DMs Guild. Inspiration & Reference This product is inspired by or directly references: AD&D (, 1977) AD&D 2E 1: (, 1990) AD&D 2E Volo’s Guide to (Ed Greenwood, 1992) AD&D 2E Monstrous Manual (Tim Beach et al., 1993) AD&D 2E Cormanthyr: Empire of Elves (Steven E. Schend & Kevin Melka, 1998) D&D 3E Monsters of Faerûn (James Wyatt & , 2001) D&D 5E ’s Guide (WotC RPG Team, 2014) D&D 5E Monster Manual (WotC RPG Team, 2014) Eventyrgames.com – DM’s Guild –Facebook – Twitter D&D 5E Princes of the Apocalypse (WotC RPG Team, 2015) Join the mailing list for updates, early access and D&D 5E Curse of Strahd special offers.

(WotC RPG Team, 2016) Disclaimer: The following pages feature dark magic and sinister rituals Slyflourish.com – The Deadly Lich performed either by professionals or under the supervision of professionals. (Mike Shea, 2016) Accordingly, the authors of this book and Larloch the Shadow King must insist D&D 5E that no one attempts to recreate or re-enact any ritual or activity described (WotC RPG Team, 2017) in this book. The authors and Larloch cannot be held accountable for any D&D 5E Xanathar’s Guide to Everything harm caused to mortal vessels, immortal souls, innocent sacrifices or reckless adventurers as a consequence of information relayed in this book. (WotCSample RPG Team, 2017) file DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, , , , , the dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.

This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by Eventyr Games and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. Introduction Contents here's nothing quite like the lich. Introduction ����������������������������������������������������������������������1 Wielding powerful spells, imbued with undead Chapter 1: About the Lich ������������������������������������������������2 energy, and virtually indestructible – the lich What is a Lich? �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 2 does it all. It’s not without reason that the What Can a Lich Do? ��������������������������������������������������������������� 3 Tlich has risen to become one of Dungeons How is a Lich Made? ���������������������������������������������������������������� 4 & Dragons players’ most feared adversaries, and a Chapter 2: The Lich Villain ���������������������������������������������5 favourite among Dungeon Masters across the globe. Psychology of the Lich ������������������������������������������������������������� 5 In this document, we pay homage to the lich as we The Phylactery �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6 explore its storied past and its ever-evolving traits and Allies &Adversaries ����������������������������������������������������������������� 9 characteristics. We will also delve deeper into what it The Lich’s Tactics �������������������������������������������������������������������11 means to be a lich – not just for the villainous lich, but Chapter 3: Lich Characters �������������������������������������������13 also for player characters who seek to attain lichdom. Becoming a Lich ���������������������������������������������������������������������13 Every facet of the lich’s undead existence is examined Being a Lich �����������������������������������������������������������������������������15 and expanded upon, giving both DMs and players Lich Feats ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������18 the tools they need to handle liches in fifth edition Chapter 4: Liches ������������������������������������������������������������19 Dungeons & Dragons. Lich Templates ������������������������������������������������������������������������19 In Chapter 1: About the Lich we dust off the old tomes Non-wizard Liches �����������������������������������������������������������������24 and delve into the history of Dungeons & Dragons to Legendary Liches �������������������������������������������������������������������30 determine exactly what liches are, what they are capable of, and how they are created. This look at the past lays Appendix: Magic Items ������������������������������������������������� 35 the groundwork for the expanded rules presented in later chapters. In Chapter 2: The Lich Villain we delve deeper into the statistics and characteristics of the fifth edition lich, as we discuss the lich’s psychology, how it maintains and protects its phylactery, which allies and adversaries it surrounds itself with, and what tactics it employs in combat. In short: all the information the discerning DM When I was approached to co-author this tome, needs to challenge their players with a memorable and my instinct was to refuse – and destroy the fools interesting lich villain. Chapter 3: Lich Characters is for players that want who dare ask such an impetuous question, along their characters to become liches – and for the poor with all the notes on lichdom they had compiled. DMs who have to handle the chaotic power of such an unholy union between a player character and an undead I realized, however, that the proverbial cat had archetype. We present several ideas for how a player already escaped its confines. The legends of undead character can become a lich, advice on how to handle a mages have become much too plentiful for even lich character in the party, and concrete mechanics for the dimmest of wits to fully ignore. Though still lich characters in the form of Lich Feats. So if you ever wanted to be an iconic undead archmage – well, here’s much misunderstood and maligned, lichdom is no your chance. longer the mystical secret it once was. Ridding the Chapter 4: Liches supplies the Dungeon Master with world of a few two-bit writers and a single book a wide array of new and interesting liches to use in isn’t going to change that fact, as much as I wish it their game. There’s lich templates for creating your own liches, statistics for the battle-ready lich that’s ready to would. be dropped straight into your game, less powerful lich Nay. If books must be written about lichdom, variants, several legendary liches from the Forgotten Realms – including the infamous Szass Tam and the better that they be penned by someone who austere Alathene Moonstar – and also non-wizard liches, actually knows what it means to be one. At least such as the lich bard and lich warlock. In total, you get then, I shall not have to suffer another clueless more than a dozen new liches to use in your game, plus mortal vilifying the perfectly natural and logical new templates to quickly create your own liches! Lastly, we end with an appendix of nine new magic choice it is to embrace an eternal existence, items for liches and would-be-lich-killers. Because what regardless of the form it takes or the cost it carries. fun is a lich villain without lichy loot the players for the I will tell you what lichdom is and how you can players to abscond with? Throughout the document, Larloch – Faerûn’s perhaps achieve it, if you believe yourself up to the task. most powerful and knowledgeable lich – offers his Whether you will thank me for it, or damn my insightfulSample commentary. As one of the oldest known liches file name ‘till the day you perish and beyond, well... in all the Forgotten Realms, and master to several lich ‘apprentices’ himself, there is no greater expert in liches We shall find out, shan’t we? and lichdom than the Shadow King. - Larloch the Shadow King

INTRODUCTION | 1 Chapter 1: About the Lich

he lich has been around since the very What is a Lich? early days of Dungeons & Dragons and has grown to become one of the hobby’s most The broadest and most base definition of a lich can be archetypical villains. Any spellcaster worth their summarized in a single sentence: a powerful spellcaster Tsalt who is truly dedicated to their craft has at who willingly embraces to preserve themselves least entertained the idea of one day becoming a lich. beyond the confines of their mortal vessels. Below we delve into lore about liches in Dungeons & The lich is not a common or skeleton who has Dragons to gain a better understanding of what the lich been raised from the grave by some fell happenstance is, what it does, and how one becomes one. Woefully so it can wander around aimlessly, eating brains or little is written about the lich in fifth edition, which being bashed to bits by brave adventurers. No, the lich’s means we will have to scour the records and travel existence is much more deliberate and sinister than that. decades back to the lich’s inception to get the full picture. In the decades since the lich was given its first What we learn in this chapter lays the foundation for statistics, the lich has been described in many different the mechanical content presented later in this book, so ways and has had many different traits and abilities. while reading this chapter isn’t strictly necessary, it will There are some core features, however, that have help explain some of the design choices being made. remained mostly constant throughout, giving us the following basic concept of what a lich is: • The lich is a powerful spellcaster that has willingly become undeath through powerful . • The lich retains all the memories, personality traits, and abilities it possessed in life. • The lich’s soul is bound to a phylactery, an object that also allows the lich to reform anew when destroyed. A Wizard's Racket? Some sources – including the fifth editionMonster Manual – maintains that only wizards can become liches, but this hasn’t always been the case. In fourth edition, lichdom was available to all arcane spellcasters, while any spellcaster could become a lich in third Sampleedition. Even when the lich was filefirst presented way back in the days of Gary Gygax – D&D’s creator – the norm was that while most liches were wizards, clerics could attain lichdom too. Because the subject is contentious, and because it allows us to create more cool liches, this tome follows the traditional school of thought: while wizard liches are by far the most prevalent, any spellcaster can become a lich, as long as they are powerful enough. 2 | CHAPTER 1: ABOUT THE LICH To Be, or Not to Be, Evil Archliches and Baelnorns In the Forgotten Realms, two types of good liches have Whether or not liches have to be evil is another historically existed: the archlich and the baelnorn. While contentious point. In the fifth edition Monster Manual, not described in fifth edition, they are detailed in older the lich’s default alignment is evil, and in the few places edition sourcebooks such as ‘Spelljammer 1: Lost Ships’, we find mention of the requirements for becoming a lich ‘Cormanthyr: Empire of Elves’ and ‘Monsters of Faerûn’. in fifth edition, an evil alignment is one of them. In previous editions, an archlich was more or less just a In earlier editions, however, an evil alignment hasn’t non-evil lich – a powerful spellcaster that had sought undeath been a consistent requirement for lichdom, and there to pursue a noble purpose, instead of nefarious evil. The only difference between them and an ordinary lich was their are plenty of examples of good-aligned liches (called ability to use the Turn Undead-feature normally reserved for ‘archliches’ or, in the case of elves, ‘baelnorns’). Even in clerics. In fifth edition, the term archlich has also been used fifth edition itself, there seems to be exceptions to the to describe powerful liches such as Acererak and Larloch, so rule that a lich must be evil: the lich Renwick Caradoon to avoid confusion we abandon the term entirely. in the official campaignPrinces of the Apocalypse A baelnorn is more unique, as they are described as “elven doesn’t appear to be evil neither before or after attaining liches who have sought undeath to become the backbones of lichdom. Thus, it appears that there’s at least some their families”. They are created by communal rituals instead flexibility to this rule. of through usual rituals of lichdom, and function differently Becoming a lich has traditionally also required the from usual liches because they have no phylacteries and don’t sacrifice of a sentient creature, which one could argue radiate auras of fear. means a lich would have to be evil to even become one. This point is emphasized in fifth edition, where it is stated that “a lich must periodically feed souls to its What Can a Lich Do? phylactery to sustain the magic preserving its body and consciousness” (something we will explore further under Having discussed what the lich is – the core ‘The Phylactery’ in Chapter 2: The Lich Villain). characteristics that defines it – we’ll now take a look However, because these soul sacrifices can be made what the lich is capable of. As mentioned previously, from either willing or evil creatures, the lich has some the lich’s traits and abilities have varied throughout the moral wiggle room. A non-evil lich might be the head of editions. To find the latest rendition of the lich’s abilities, an ancient household, who’s great-great-grandchildren we need look no further than the lich’s statistics in the Monster Manual willingly sacrifice themselves upon their deathbed to fifth edition . Stripping away the lich prolong the life of the house’s undead matron. Or, a statblock’s general features, proficiencies, lair actions good-aligned lich might tour the multiverse looking for and legendary features, we are left with these traits: evil creatures and foul beasts to slay so that it can rid the • It is undead but is resistant to being turned. world of evil while also feeding its phylactery. • It has truesight out to 120 ft. Thus, with alignment being what it is – highly • It is resistant to cold, lightning and necrotic damage. subjective and controversial to begin with – this tome • It is immune to poison damage and physical damage does not impose an alignment upon the lich, or those from nonmagical weapons. who aspire to become one. Simply being a lich doesn’t • It can’t be charmed, exhausted, frightened, paralyzed, affect your alignment – only the actions you take do. or poisoned. • It is restored to a new body 1d10 days after destruction if it has a phylactery. • Its touch is paralyzing. • Its gaze is frightening. • It can deal necrotic damage to creatures around it. • It is an 18th level spellcaster Most of these traits are consistent with earlier editions. The lich has always had either resistance or immunity to cold, lightning, necrotic, poison damage, and nonmagical weapons, as well as mind-affecting magic. The lich has also more often than not had the ability to paralyze targets with its touch, frighten its enemies (although this has often come in the form of a aura and not a gaze- action), and deal necrotic damage to creatures around it. The most contentious traits of the fifth edition lich is its truesight, which is an entirely new feature, as well as its status as an 18th level spellcaster, something that hasn’t been the default since AD&D 2E. Because they are discrepancies, these two traits are also the traits we Samplewill be most comfortable adjustingfile in later chapters. Just as I reject your binary understanding of ‘life’ and ‘death’, I also reject your attempts to label me ‘good’ or ‘evil’. Those are meaningless monikers. Power isn’t good or evil. It just is.

CHAPTER 1: ABOUT THE LICH | 3