There is some Forgotten Realms, and I believe only Forgotten Realms, lore that not exclusively reserves archlich for "good liches." However, Vecna being called one and other D&D uses of the word Archlich pretty clearly follow the English and other language convention where "arch" means a rank above similarly designated: bishop and archbishop, duke and archduke, lich and arch lich.
As for demiliches, "demi-" here, as it does elsewhere, is prefixed to denote "partial" or "lesser magnitude", so the relationship between demilich, lich, and archlich is really more easily clarified by just looking at how the parts of the words function in the English language more than a lore dive.
Nope, that's not right. Demiliches are explicitly a further evolution of the lich into a form defined more by raw power than physical limitations, just to further confuse things.
Archlich is admittedly a weird naming choice for "good lich," but the lore is what the lore is, and the lore for liches is weird.
However Demiliches are weaker than regular liches. It's weird.
Because expecting that D&D's lore will remain consistent is like expecting that nobody's going to find something to nerdrage over in the next Star Wars movie.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
There is some Forgotten Realms, and I believe only Forgotten Realms, lore that not exclusively reserves archlich for "good liches." However, Vecna being called one and other D&D uses of the word Archlich pretty clearly follow the English and other language convention where "arch" means a rank above similarly designated: bishop and archbishop, duke and archduke, lich and arch lich.
As for demiliches, "demi-" here, as it does elsewhere, is prefixed to denote "partial" or "lesser magnitude", so the relationship between demilich, lich, and archlich is really more easily clarified by just looking at how the parts of the words function in the English language more than a lore dive.
Nope, that's not right. Demiliches are explicitly a further evolution of the lich into a form defined more by raw power than physical limitations, just to further confuse things.
Archlich is admittedly a weird naming choice for "good lich," but the lore is what the lore is, and the lore for liches is weird.
It used to not be right, but now that liches can degenerate into demiliches by failing to feed their phylacteries, there are two types of demiliches: the classic Acererak variety, and the lich who literally just forgot to imprison souls in their phylactery.
In 4e, there was an archlich epic destiny. The premise was that a spellcaster of sufficient power could become a lich without doing bad stuff, and so could be of any alignment. It's neat, but I wouldn't go so far as to argue that the word archlich only refers to those liches.
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Because expecting that D&D's lore will remain consistent is like expecting that nobody's going to find something to nerdrage over in the next Star Wars movie.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
It used to not be right, but now that liches can degenerate into demiliches by failing to feed their phylacteries, there are two types of demiliches: the classic Acererak variety, and the lich who literally just forgot to imprison souls in their phylactery.
different kind of "Archlich".
Forgotten Realms "Archlich" is a good lich
Vecna's "Archlich" is the strongest of all liches (or something)
In 4e, there was an archlich epic destiny. The premise was that a spellcaster of sufficient power could become a lich without doing bad stuff, and so could be of any alignment. It's neat, but I wouldn't go so far as to argue that the word archlich only refers to those liches.