Lichdom

Some wizards are content neither to accept the span of their mortal lives, nor to risk death at the hands of their enemies. Those whose paranoia or hubris outstrips their moral compunction might seek to allay these fears in undeath. While lichdom is nearly always the pursuit of evil spellcasters, dire need might compel a heroic wizard to become an Archlich, a timeless lore keeper and defender. The following includes a playable adaptation of the lich statistics presented in the Monster Manual. It also includes methods for creating a phylactery and a transformation ritual.

Becoming a Lich

Players that want to become a lich face a number of challenges. Both the method of creating a phylactery and the ritual used to transform into a lich are among the most closely guarded secrets in the planes. Powerful fiends or evil gods might divulge such information, but always require sworn service in return. Those seeking the secret of lichdom in the writings of other Wizards must be even more cautious, as few who have achieved such are transformation are eager to see others follow.

Creating a Phylactery

A lich's phylactery is usually a small metal box, but can take any form provided that its interior can be scribed with arcane sigils.

Regardless of its form, the phylactery must be of the finest craftsmanship and materials, worth at least 10,000 gp. Once created, the prospective lich must expend an additional 500 gp worth of powdered silver and pass a DC 20 Knowledge: Arcana check to inscribe sigils within the phylactery. Failure renders it unusable, requiring the phylactery to be recreated before another attempt can be made.

Dark Rituals

After creating a phylactery, the character must complete a vile ritual that binds their soul to the phylactery, preventing it from traveling to the Outer Planes after death. The nature of the ritual varies depending on the caster and their methods, but all such ceremonies involve sacrificing a soul to power the nascent phylactery. A more common ritual is performed thusly:

On the night of a full moon, the future lich must cast the imprisonment spell, targeting a sentient, mortal creature and using the phylactery as a material component. Immediately afterward, the character must mix the blood of the imprisoned creature with the rare poison Midnight Tears and drink the resulting brew.

Upon drinking the poison, the character falls dead. At midnight, the lich's body rises as its soul is drawn into its phylactery.

Maintaining a Phylactery

A lich's body and consciousness are sustained by the consumption of souls, which it traps within its phylactery using the imprisonment spell. When a lich casts the spell in this matter, it does so without consuming material components, although if the lich's phylactery is not on the same plane of existence, the spell fails.

A creature imprisoned by the lich is trapped, body and soul, within its phylactery. Casting dispel magic as a 9th-level spell targeting the phylactery can free the creature, but a creature trapped within the phylactery for 24 hours is consumed entirely. A phylactery can hold only one creature at a time.

Liches and Imprisonment Liches traditionally make use of the imprisonment spell in creating and fueling their phylacteries. Most liches are wizards and bards who have learned the spell, or warlocks who have had it bestowed upon them by a patron. However, adventurers might gain access to imprisonment by unusual means--an evil deity in need of a champion might grant the spell to a fanatically devoted cleric, a druid might twist their powerful connection with nature to unnatural ends, or a particularly determined sorcerer might reach beyond the power typically granted by their bloodline.

Lich Features

Players that manage to become a lich find their bodies warped by their undead nature, skin stretched taught over bone and eyes burning with unnatural light. Although the lich is immortal so long as it maintains its phylactery, its body will continue to decay until only bones remain. Lichdom confers the following benefits:

Undead Nature: You gain immunity to poison damage and to the poisoned and exhaustion conditions. You no longer need to eat, sleep, or breathe. You must still rest to replenish spell slots and abilities.

You gain immunity to poison damage and to the poisoned and exhaustion conditions. You no longer need to eat, sleep, or breathe. You must still rest to replenish spell slots and abilities. Rejuvenation: If you have a phylactery, you gain a new body 1d10 days following your destruction, regaining all hit points and becoming active again. This new body appears within 5 feet of your phylactery.

If you have a phylactery, you gain a new body 1d10 days following your destruction, regaining all hit points and becoming active again. This new body appears within 5 feet of your phylactery. Turn Resistance: You have advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.

You have advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead. Paralyzing Touch: As an action, you may make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 cold damage and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Once you use this ability, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.