Would it be possible for someone to become a lich but not know it? As in some other powerful force opted them into the process of lichdom? Also what are the subtleties of the liches process? How do they become a lich and how are souls stored in the phylactory?
from my knowledge of fantasy lore, both from D&D and other sources, a lich can only be made when you take a VERY powerful spellcaster, who is at the least partially skilled in some kind of soul magic, or knows a soul transference ritual (i'm gonna make that on the homebrew section later),and he transfers his soul into the phylactery. from that point on, he is a lich, and his body will start to slowly decay, unless he takes action to prevent it (an example being getting his body preserved like you would for a modern day funeral). Now, you would know that you have become a lich, because the process of having your soul removed can range from either mildly painful for someone experienced, to painful to the point of wanting to kill yourself. The reasons for someone becoming a lich can vary greatly, though there is at least one for each alignment. (i only know 2, maybe 3 off the top of my head). For a chaotic evil character, his or her reason could be because they have been wronged severely in their past, and they have been pushed back into a corner so bad, that they feel that having an almost immortal body is worth the risk of being hunted by every kingdom and adventurer within 1000 leagues.
Now, there is a good reason, which would be to preserve nearly lost knowledge for future generations. This would be a spellcaster that has found a treasure trove of books and scroll that, unfortunately, have magic on them that prevents them from being copied. And so, the spellcaster has transferred his soul into a phylactery to be able to take care of his precious books till the end of time. (which may be tomorrow or it could be 1000000 years from now.)
and finally, there is a nuetral reason, which could be, "I am a scholar of the highest degree, interested in everything, and i want to see what being a lich is like."
as for the storing of the soul, the phylactery is most often something that is close to the spellcaster/ person being made a lich. The only requirement is that it has some kind of gem or crystal in it. This is because gemstones and crystals are natural containers for all forms of energy, and that is basically what a soul is, an amalgamation of energy.
AS for the subtleties,anybody that is turned into a lich becomes capable of casing powerful magics, so basically they become a level 18 wizard. In addition, they start to slowly rot, and by the time a year has passed, they will be a full skeleton. Some liches can stop this process through either magic or alchemical solutions. (figurative in the first case, literal in the second). at the same time, they will gain in strength, since they will cease to rely on muscles to move and rely on magic more and more. their constitution will also increase, though both of these stats will only have minor increases of 1 or 2.
and there you go. there is my knowledge on the lich, along with hypotheses on how to do it and what might happen to the body
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Would it be possible for someone to become a lich but not know it? As in some other powerful force opted them into the process of lichdom? Also what are the subtleties of the liches process? How do they become a lich and how are souls stored in the phylactory?
The MM does not say anything specific about the path or the ritual to take.
Very useful info can be found in this article of Dragon+.
from my knowledge of fantasy lore, both from D&D and other sources, a lich can only be made when you take a VERY powerful spellcaster, who is at the least partially skilled in some kind of soul magic, or knows a soul transference ritual (i'm gonna make that on the homebrew section later),and he transfers his soul into the phylactery. from that point on, he is a lich, and his body will start to slowly decay, unless he takes action to prevent it (an example being getting his body preserved like you would for a modern day funeral). Now, you would know that you have become a lich, because the process of having your soul removed can range from either mildly painful for someone experienced, to painful to the point of wanting to kill yourself. The reasons for someone becoming a lich can vary greatly, though there is at least one for each alignment. (i only know 2, maybe 3 off the top of my head). For a chaotic evil character, his or her reason could be because they have been wronged severely in their past, and they have been pushed back into a corner so bad, that they feel that having an almost immortal body is worth the risk of being hunted by every kingdom and adventurer within 1000 leagues.
Now, there is a good reason, which would be to preserve nearly lost knowledge for future generations. This would be a spellcaster that has found a treasure trove of books and scroll that, unfortunately, have magic on them that prevents them from being copied. And so, the spellcaster has transferred his soul into a phylactery to be able to take care of his precious books till the end of time. (which may be tomorrow or it could be 1000000 years from now.)
and finally, there is a nuetral reason, which could be, "I am a scholar of the highest degree, interested in everything, and i want to see what being a lich is like."
as for the storing of the soul, the phylactery is most often something that is close to the spellcaster/ person being made a lich. The only requirement is that it has some kind of gem or crystal in it. This is because gemstones and crystals are natural containers for all forms of energy, and that is basically what a soul is, an amalgamation of energy.
AS for the subtleties,anybody that is turned into a lich becomes capable of casing powerful magics, so basically they become a level 18 wizard. In addition, they start to slowly rot, and by the time a year has passed, they will be a full skeleton. Some liches can stop this process through either magic or alchemical solutions. (figurative in the first case, literal in the second). at the same time, they will gain in strength, since they will cease to rely on muscles to move and rely on magic more and more. their constitution will also increase, though both of these stats will only have minor increases of 1 or 2.
and there you go. there is my knowledge on the lich, along with hypotheses on how to do it and what might happen to the body