As per the wording of the True Resurrection spell, it affects creatures that have "been dead for no longer than 200 years and that died for any reason except old age." The spell also states that "if the creature was Undead, it is restored to its non-Undead form."
So, if this spell were to be used on a lich that had transformed itself no longer than 200 years ago, would they suddenly become a living creature again, losing all of their lich powers? What would happen to their phylactery?
In the Legacy version, the spell requires that their soul be "free and willing" in order to restore them to life, but the 2024 version completely omits that, essentially forcing them back.
Given that there's additional details on mechanics and limitations of resurrection in the 2014 DMG, I expect they simply cut that out of the spell description so it's not repeating what the DMG already says: the DM has some discretion over exactly what souls are eligible to be called back, particularly on the NPC side of the street.
Also, technically a lich is not a creature that is dead. It is undead, which by definition is a separate state of being than death.
I generally agree with the above. That said, true res is a 9th level spell and has a 1-hour casting time. So it’s pretty powerful and not something you’re going to pull off in combat. So if you’re the DM and wanted to use it as a plot hook, I’d say it’s maybe not entirely a bad idea. Force the PCs to discover the lich’s real name and do a ritual. Could be interesting.
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As per the wording of the True Resurrection spell, it affects creatures that have "been dead for no longer than 200 years and that died for any reason except old age." The spell also states that "if the creature was Undead, it is restored to its non-Undead form."
So, if this spell were to be used on a lich that had transformed itself no longer than 200 years ago, would they suddenly become a living creature again, losing all of their lich powers? What would happen to their phylactery?
In the Legacy version, the spell requires that their soul be "free and willing" in order to restore them to life, but the 2024 version completely omits that, essentially forcing them back.
Just an idea I had, want some opinions on it.
Given that there's additional details on mechanics and limitations of resurrection in the 2014 DMG, I expect they simply cut that out of the spell description so it's not repeating what the DMG already says: the DM has some discretion over exactly what souls are eligible to be called back, particularly on the NPC side of the street.
Also, technically a lich is not a creature that is dead. It is undead, which by definition is a separate state of being than death.
I agree with @The_Ace_of_Rogues : an undead creature, by definition, is not dead.
I generally agree with the above.
That said, true res is a 9th level spell and has a 1-hour casting time. So it’s pretty powerful and not something you’re going to pull off in combat. So if you’re the DM and wanted to use it as a plot hook, I’d say it’s maybe not entirely a bad idea. Force the PCs to discover the lich’s real name and do a ritual. Could be interesting.