Technically a lich does not need a phylactry, but it would be foolish not to, almost to the point of why bother if not. As for chicken_champs notion that there are good liches, any DM that would not immediately alter anyone's alignment to evil after intentionally killing a baby is not a real DM.
One of the ingredients for the Lichnee Potion is a quart of blood from a human infant
At the end of the day the exact morality of lichdom is a DM call for their setting, but in the Forgotten Realms and the general lore Monster Manual entries are based on the destruction of souls is an inherently Evil act and undeath- particularly physical undeath- is a violation of and abomination to the laws of nature, with powerful physical undead almost always desiccating the land around them simply by residing in an area for an extended period (lair effects). Personally I prefer stories that are willing to commit to a position like this over playing the moral relativism card, because the distinctions in the latter have a tendency to be arbitrary with strong tones of “it’s okay when the protagonist does it/the plot demands it”.
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Technically a lich does not need a phylactry, but it would be foolish not to, almost to the point of why bother if not. As for chicken_champs notion that there are good liches, any DM that would not immediately alter anyone's alignment to evil after intentionally killing a baby is not a real DM.
One of the ingredients for the Lichnee Potion is a quart of blood from a human infant
At the end of the day the exact morality of lichdom is a DM call for their setting, but in the Forgotten Realms and the general lore Monster Manual entries are based on the destruction of souls is an inherently Evil act and undeath- particularly physical undeath- is a violation of and abomination to the laws of nature, with powerful physical undead almost always desiccating the land around them simply by residing in an area for an extended period (lair effects). Personally I prefer stories that are willing to commit to a position like this over playing the moral relativism card, because the distinctions in the latter have a tendency to be arbitrary with strong tones of “it’s okay when the protagonist does it/the plot demands it”.