Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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It's kind of weird to use the word 'phylactery' in the first place, as the word 'lich' is old English, and the most recognizable mythological example of a lich is Koshchei the Deathless.
The word is associated with conspiracy theories Hasbro chooses to reject.
"Spirit Jar" is an imperfect solution to an already imperfect term with no perfect fix.
And the truth that canon/lore is inconsistent between end user blocs pretty much makes any argument for such weak.
(You want a lich to be nigh-impossible to slay? Make the soul repository a single grain of sand)
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While unnecessary or oversensitive changes to terminology, lore, or rules rub me the wrong way as much as the next guy and it is a bit sad losing a word as beautiful-sounding and unique as phylactery, this is one change I can understand. When the first and sometimes only definition you see for the name of an evil undead wizard’s artifact when you look it up happens to be a real-life object specific to present-day Jews, especially in today’s climate, that’s probably a connotation better to avoid altogether, especially since, like Pantagruel said above, it seems to have been a word that was more or less chosen arbitrarily, anyway (though please feel free to correct that impression if it’s uninformed), and also especially because of the clearly not fully thought-through choice to even explicitly link it to the Jewish phylactery, specifically, in third edition.
As for the new name, I am at least pleased it is somewhat precedented in the game by the use of “jar” in that one second-edition article as well as the Magic Jar spell (though one wonders why it is not called magic jar, then), but one thing everyone here seems to have missed so far is the TV Tropes’ page for this very concept: “Soul Jar”—so clearly there was already some archetype in folklore from which that name derived; what is that? If we can determine the origin of that, it may become clear that the new name is actually the best choice, after all.
So, doing a little more research, I’ve found that a phylactery, beyond the Jewish thing, also used to be a term not just for a protective amulet—like which the Lich’s functions with respect to its soul—but for a reliquary in early Christianity, which is certainly what the Lich’s use of the term most evokes, as a container of the Lich’s remains, in a sense.
Jar seems to be the only other canonically precedented word for this device besides phylactery in D&D, specifically, as well as having apparently attained cultural significance in the fantasy and gaming space ever since 1999’s Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor, from which a literal “Soul Jar” as the thing necessary to create a Lich derived. The reason for “spirit,” instead, then, would seem to be because of real-life history; in ancient China, before the works of sword and sorcery and cosmic horror that most directly inspired E. Gary Gygax’s concept of the Lich and before the tales of Koschei the Deathless and the Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body to have preceded those, “spirit jars” (hunping) were funerary vessels that were believed to house the souls of the deceased for whom they were made, also echoing ultimately the even-older “canopic jars” of Egypt, in which mummies’ internal organs were preserved in order to allow them to live on after death, as they were believed to need their organs for the afterlife.
So, while phylactery might not have been as arbitrary a name as we first assumed and it is a bit of a shame to lose it, spirit jar would indeed seem to be the more directly applicable term, technically, and is probably the best alternative for this concept, historically…? So, if you agree with avoiding creating unnecessary Jewish connotations—which phylactery directly and unavoidably has—spirit jar seems to be a pretty good solution, after all.
But simple calling it Soul Jar sounds lame and kinda lazy. This Is the ítem that makes a Lich unable to die, must sound important dangerous, mysterius and unique. Calling it Phylactery, was the CHEF KISS of perfect name.
At least allow the option in the Lich Lore to GIVE IT more differents really cool Magic names
You can give it cool names as it is. Use a different term in game and have people roll either arcana, religion or history checks on names they don't recognize.
In an earlier post I suggested ' like "spiritus arca" ( Spirit box ) "Anima nervo" ( Soul tether ) "hydria exspiravit" ( 'Jar of spirit' or 'Breath from the jar' ) " ' and you can easily do that in your own games.
You are not limited to what is on the page or in the sourcebooks.
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It's actually a pretty bad name, because phylactery is a term from a real-world religion with a completely different meaning. Actual equivalents from myth and legend, such as Koschei the Deathless, do not use the term (side point: Kostchtchie in D&D appears to have a name inspired by Koschei, but is a completely different creature).
I will say that throwing some faux Latin phonemes together or doing the Google Translate version of “spirit jar” and then double checking they didn’t actually recreate a word with baggage would have kept a bit more arcane gravitas to the text, but it’s far from a dealbreaker for them to just use a slightly poetic plain text name as well. Really, any kind of fancy word should probably be setting specific, if you think about it. Technical words that aren’t immediately descriptive in the active language are often the result of carrying forward more literally descriptive terms from older languages- such as telephone being something loosely like “far speaker” in Latin- and so logically across different settings there’d be different words for a lich’s soul storing/anchoring object based on the roots of the concept in a given setting. Although that’s probably getting too involved given all the other linguistic handwaves and such present in D&D.
What do you mean "allow the option in the Lich Lore"? All lore has the option to do whatever you want, there's no "allowing" needed. Soul jar is just the noun for it, any give lich might have a different, such as the Cursed Urn of Thandurn, or the Six Times Blighted Vial of Emherat the Eternal, or the Skull of Suffering. If you think you need to be allowed to change lore or add to it in your games, you need to learn more about what D&D actually is.
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You need it specifically written down that you’re allowed to re-name something? I thought that was already pretty well known.
My slightly rambling 2cp worth...Maybe look at Phylactery more in terms of the Greek Phylakes/Phylax from Assassins Creed: Origins which, according of the dubious miracle that is google, means: Guard, Watcher or Protector and was a title given to someone who protects something rather than being some uber hard soldier as the game depicts.
Just have a bit in the lore where Phylactary is actually a typo/mistranslation introduced by the first spellcasters to create a Lich ritual and designed as the first hurdle others would have to overcome in order to correctly recreate said ritual. In this way whatever object is being used to house the LIches soul/essence is acting as a guard or protector and the various enchantments are watching over said soul/essence.
Although this doesn't completely eliminate the real world religious side of things it keeps its a bit more "agnostic" in origin but given spells required for any such ritual might include, but not be limited too, Soul Cage, Magic jar and Imprisonment using Spirit Jar as a word to describe the enchanted item isn't that off base.
As an aside, as an atheist I do find it a bit weird that Golem doesn't have a similar issue that be given its Jewish and Christian roots.
If everything borrowed from real world cultures and traditions was removed from D&D, there wouldn't be much left. However, the world golem is not being used incorrectly.
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ModeratorPlease keep this in mind. This was an old thread brought back to life, and seems to have run it's course if we're just going to cycle back to previous discussions or go onto tangents.
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