Advice for a new lich?

[Zweisteine]

I asked before I did it. He said liches are powerful and need more of a downside. I do agree and decided to take the +4 (without realizing what it really meant (I'm still new, this is my first character))

The template class does not eliminate the downsides of the lich template. Those levels do not grants hit dice, saves, or base attack bonus, they just split the template's benefits across four levels, so you can essentially take it one level at a time.