Good Lich [Template]

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Good Lich

A noble elven good lich

A good lich is a spellcaster who has extended its life for a noble purpose, such as protecting a sacred location, the tending of knowledge or learning or giving council to their desendants. Good liches are usually good aligned clerics or wizards, but in more than a few cases sorcerers, bards and other good-aligned spellcasters become good liches.
The positive energy that flows through the very being of these creatures makes them become more noble and upright than they may have already been in life.
Good liches look something like ageless, preserved corpses that lack internal organs and have very prominant skeletons. Those that still have hair often have it turn silver or white. Good liches whos eyes have decayed away gain two points of glowing gold energy which act as normal eyes for all intensive purposes. They usually are garbed in the ancient clothing they wore in life and any magical items in their possession. Often times a good lich won't move from a single spot for many years, and often finds themselves coated in a layer of dust.

Creating a Good Lich

"Good lich" is an aquired template that can be added to any humanoid creature (refered to hereafter as the base creature) with at least an 11th caster level, provided it can create the required phylactery.

A good lich has all the base creature's statistic and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type
The creature's type changes to deathless. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Hit Dice
Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.

Armor Class
A good lich has a +5 natural armor bonus to their existing natural armor. If the creature has no natural armor they instead gain the flat +5 bonus.

Attack
A good lich has a touch attack that it can use once per round. If the base creature can use weapons, the lich retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A good lich fighting without weapons uses either its touch attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A lich armed with a weapon uses its touch or a weapon, as it desires.

Full Attack
A good lich fighting without weapons uses either its touch attack (see above) or its natural weaponry (if it has any). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attacking along with a touch as a natural secondary attack, provided it has a way to make that attack (either a gree hand or a natural weapon that it can use as a secondary attack).

Damage
A good lich without a natural weapon has a touch attack that uses holy energy to deal 1d8+5 points of damage to undead creatures and evil outsiders; a Will save (DC 10+1/2 good lich's HD + good lich's Cha modifier) halves the damage. A good lich with natural weapons can use its touch attack or its natural weaponry, as it prefers. If it chooses the latter, it deals 1d8+5 points of extra damage on one natural weapon attack.

Special Attacks

Touch of Geas/Quest(Su)
Any living creatures a good lich hits with a touch attack must succeed on a Will save or become affected by a Geas/Quest spell (DC 10+1/2 good lich HD + Cha modifier). Any spell that can remove the normal casting of this spell can free the victem. The good lich may choose to not affect someone he touches if he does decides not to.

Turn Undead (Su)
A good lich can turn or destroy undead as a cleric of a level equal to its HD. (If the good lich already has the ability to turn undead, treat it as if its effective cleric level for turning was two higher than normal.)

Spells
A good lich can cast any spells it could cast while alive.

Special Qualities
A good lich retains all the base creature’s special qualities and gains those described below.

Turn Resistance (Ex)
A good lich has a +4 turn resistance.

Damage Reduction (Su)
A good lich's deathless body is tough, giving the creature damage reduction 15/bludgeoning and magic. Its natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Immunities (Ex)
Good liches have immunity to cold, electricity, polymorph (though they can use polymorph effects on themselves), and mind-affecting attacks, these are in addition to all immunities given by the deathless type.

Abilities
Increase from the base creature as follows: Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +2. Being deathless, a good lich has no Constitution score.

Skills
Liches have a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. Otherwise same as the base creature.

Organization
As base creature.

Challenge Rating
Same as base creature +2.

Treasure
Standard coins; double goods; double items.

Alignment
Any good

Advancement
By character class.

Level Adjustment
Same as base creature +4.

--

As you can see, not a terrible lot of difference from the regular lich, except alot of fluff. Just thought I'd make it ..."official", I guess.

[Maerok]

The picture looks a bit menacing for a good lich.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The picture looks a bit menacing for a good lich.

It's actually the picture for the good lich in Monsters of Faerun, it's probably menacing because Wayne Reynolds drew it... He's awesome.

[jjpickar]

Just think of what an evil Lich must looke like!
Oh noes!!

This is actually a bit better than a regular lich so you might want to take out the ability boos and turning abilities.

[Poppatomus]

I think you could change certain aspects though, beyond fluff. The problem with having this class, I feel, is that it makes the "choice" of becoming a Lich valid for basically any caster. Rather than being a unique manifestation of a caster that has gone beyond the bounds of mortality set by the gods themselves it becomes something you would almost expect a high level wizard to do.


Off the top of my head I would say exchange paralysis, a fairly terrible way to kill even an evil character, with Gaes or teleport. Maybe even connect them to the place they are protecting or require them to give up part of their personality, or limit their behavior in some way.

But you are much better at this than I, so take these as you will.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Evil lich


But I was thinking the aura of menace isn't necessary. I'll drop that.

[Miraqariftsky]

The picture looks a bit menacing for a good lich.

I second that. 1. Yes, it's horrifying. 2. Those ain't glowing golden orbs!

Hmm, seems I took too long. But then indeed, artistically and objectively, yes, that portrait is great.

[jjpickar]

I second changing the paralysis with something less evil. Geas/Quest actually makes a lot of sense and would be dang funny.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

I second changing the paralysis with something less evil. Geas/Quest actually makes a lot of sense and would be dang funny.

Not a bad idea.

[reorith]

are you a good lich? or a bad lich

that being said and done, i think there should be some kinda of difference between the good lich's phylactery and the kind a bad one would make.

[Matthew]

Heh, heh; good work Krimm. This particular example of Wayne England's work is pretty good, but I have to say he's prone to drawing some daft looking Dwarves and Weapons...

[Wolfman42666]

this is too awesome too pass up, also i think the picture looks great, don't change it, i mean what's the point of having clerics try to turn you if you don't get a bonus to intimidate checks?
also, Krim your deviantart.. wow, wish i could draw like that.

[Sutremaine]

The good lich reminds me of Raziel...

And the phrase you're looking for is 'for all intents and purposes'. How does 'for all intensive purposes' make any sense whatsoever? What if my purpose is non-intensive, and how does one decide what makes a purpose intensive?
(This, along with 'could of', is a major peeve of mine.)

[SITB]

are you a good lich? or a bad lich

"Good... bad... I'm the undead with the phylactery."

It had to be said.

That being said, the process of creating a regular phylactery is unspeakably evil. So what's the process of making a "good" phylactery?

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The Good Liches Phylactery

The good lich must make for itself, a beacon of it's undying soul to keep it's body eternal and pure. Any good-aligned spellcaster of 11th level and the Craft Wondrous Item feat may become a good lich through a process of pure positive energy and through an act of good will and pure-heartedness.
This process requires the spellcaster to sacrifice 120,000 gp and 4,800 XP to the cause of good. The process sort of loosens the persons soul from their body, though the soul remains within it, when killed, the good liches soul releases and finds the phylactery and the good lich is regenerated in 1d10 days.
Common phylactery's include golden statuettes, large holy symbols of good deities or golden wire headbands.

[BisectedBrioche]

<-- So that's what its for.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

<-- So that's what its for.

Damn, you've discovered V's not-so-malicious secret. But now that you know, you must be silenced...

With hugs! Hooray!





This has been an example of a REALLY good lich. It shows they can be just as bad as regular ones...so watch your back, evil!

[Mordokai]

It's actually the picture for the good lich in Monsters of Faerun, it's probably menacing because Wayne Reynolds drew it... He's awesome.

I'm pretty sure that picture is supposed to represent Banelich. It would make hell of a lot more sense too. You could argue it represents baelnorn because of it's pointy ears, and I imagine that no lich, good or evil would look pretty to a living being, but still, I think this is a banelich.

As for the template... Sorry to say this, but I got this felling that you only took what was already writen down in MoF and put it in more formulated form. It's like eating something you already ate before: good, but bland.

[Dryad]

Ehm.. Well, yes, the liching-ritual is quite evil in itself. Well, be a bit creative with it, and suddenly, it doesn't need to be. However..

Make sure it costs any character who wants to become one something awful. After all, becoming this kind of lich is a last-resort action. When the country is under attack by evil undead, and there's no other option left than become one.. You might just go there. You might just do it.
Other than that: Slowly decaying over thousands of years, slowly losing your body to the rot... Well, that's already quite dreadful. A lich has a terrible final death awaiting her, were it not for adventurers ready to smash her skull to bits, to ease her suffering.

How about this one: Cost: two points of strength, which cannot be restored in any way. The sacrifice of one willing person, not under influence of any mind-affecting spell or ability.
Your phylactery must remain under the care of your chosen good-aligned deity, and cannot be taken more than five miles away from a hallowed shrine, or a priest of said deity. If it remains separated from a shrine or priest of said deity by over five miles the Phylactery will take one point of damage per hour per mile beyond the first five. Your character, even if she is a priest of said deity, does not count as a priest of the chosen deity for this drawback.
Your phylactery must be made from one of the bones of your willing sacrifice.

The phylactery thing is something I would do, however, because you have to be pretty damn sure of yourself to put the power over your very existence in the hands of a good-aligned priestly order. It's also a tad dangerous, as it can be nicked. Of course; if it is, and you can't find it back in time, you're pretty much dead, but that's the whole point of it, isn't it? You have to trust first will you be trusted. It's some awful power you yield, and to pay a price, roleplay-wise, than actually influences your character on paper, aswell..
Well, I think it's nifty.

[Saeveo]

Other than that: Slowly decaying over thousands of years, slowly losing your body to the rot... Well, that's already quite dreadful. A lich has a terrible final death awaiting her, were it not for adventurers ready to smash her skull to bits, to ease her suffering.

Nope, Good Liches don't decay or turn to demiliches. Positive energy would preserve a corpse indefinitely, rather than decaying it.

[Poppatomus]

It is now clear that we require an Omni-lich template to confer epic status on this creation. Might make a good entry into the contest next month.... hmmm.....

[psychoticbarber]

I like this idea, but personally I would turn the "Good Lich" into some sort of positive energy ghost, like the guys in Azure Guard.

I would do this for a couple reasons, the first of which being "Let the Lich have its fun." Few things strike fear into the hearts of players as a Lich does, and that effect gets kind of ruined with "Well, are you a Good Lich or a Bad Lich?" The answer is either "Good Lich" or "*Finger of Death*".

I suppose I just want the "Good Uber-Powerful Undead Magic User" to be distinct from the Lich.

That being said, as it is, it's pretty good ..

[Fizban]

Here's an idea to make it more exclusive: require one or more exalted feats, such as sacred vow. Sacred Vow is basically a throwaway feat used to get to the higher vow feats, and exalted feats require a paladin's level of goodness to keep. Additionally, you can't atone to regain an exalted feat if you lose it from doing evil. So, require a the sacred vow feat and stipulate that if the holy lich loses it, he immediately dies.

[Abjurer]

...well, is destroyed.

...because he's already dead...

[Arctura42]

Ah! This thread exists! Wonderful!

This is good stuff - I'm trying to create a character based on this concept (well, sort of based on this concept), but it goes beyond simply making a good lich template.

Undead are normally created using negative energy, and (sometimes) are directly linked to the negative energy plane. This character has had an extremely bad experience with undead in childhood (yet to be determined . . . but it will be awful), and seeks the polar opposite of undeath. Thus, he is obsessed with anything related to the positive energy plane, in the hopes that with his research he can figure out how to create undead using positive energy.

This leads to several changes in this character (currently, the concept is a gestalt wizard/cleric, with levels in undead prestige classes):

1. Any spells dealing with summoning or creating undead have to summon "positive" undead, which I have to figure out.
2. The aforementioned PrCs have to be changed so that the bonuses they give are "positive".
3. The character needs to find a good lich equivalent. This has several options of its own, including the one mentioned here.

Generally, there are two things I think of when I think good lich. The first is someone who gained this awesome power in order to protect something against a power greater (formerly) than his own. And the second is not someone who turned himself into the standard undead, but rather one who became something totally different, becoming a being overflowing with life rather than one who is an eternally existing walking corpse. It is, in short, true eternal life, as it was meant to be attained.

The problem with that is it's too good (and also requires quite a bit of homebrewing). It's eternal life without becoming an inhuman, rotting corpse, and there don't seem to be enough drawbacks with that. This is where I'm stuck on my character, so if anyone has any ideas in that direction, let me know.

[Lysander]

How about this for a penalty:

Cause
Good liches are sustained not through negative or positive energy, but by divine magic that keeps their body preserved in order to be an agent for good. Each good lich is given an ongoing mission to oppose one specific type of evil. Only when that evil threatens to overwhelm the land may a lich move freely. Otherwise a lich feels incredible exhaustion, and may sleep for centuries, only rousing when awoken by those in need of its aid.

[Temotei]

I was going to make this a while back, but I got caught up and forgot about it. Now I don't have to! Hooray!

[Sereg]

The cause is a good fit with the fluff and will ensure that people don't become one without a good reason, so that seems to fit. I like the fact that you've "made it official".

[dsmiles]

Have you looked back to 1e and 2e? I remember a "good lich" from those days. You may find some interesting abilities you might want to add to your template.

Overall, good work though. I look forward to more.

[dsmiles]

I'm pretty sure that picture is supposed to represent Banelich. It would make hell of a lot more sense too. You could argue it represents baelnorn because of it's pointy ears, and I imagine that no lich, good or evil would look pretty to a living being, but still, I think this is a banelich.

Actually it's the picture for a Baelnorn. It's an Elven lich-like creature that guards elven tombs and such.