Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the lich fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Rejuvenation. If it has a phylactery, a destroyed lich gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of the phylactery.
Spellcasting. The lich is an 18th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit with spell attacks). The lich has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost
1st level (4 slots): detect magic, magic missile, shield, thunderwave
2nd level (3 slots): acid arrow, detect thoughts, invisibility, mirror image
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, counterspell, dispel magic, fireball
4th level (3 slots): blight, dimension door
5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, scrying
6th level (1 slot): disintegrate, globe of invulnerability
7th level (1 slot): finger of death, plane shift
8th level (1 slot): dominate monster, power word stun
9th level (1 slot): power word kill
Turn Resistance. The lich has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.
Paralyzing Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) cold damage. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
The lich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The lich regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Cantrip. The lich casts a cantrip.
Paralyzing Touch (Costs 2 Actions). The lich uses its Paralyzing Touch.
Frightening Gaze (Costs 2 Actions). The lich fixes its gaze on one creature it can see within 10 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened for 1 minute. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the lich’s gaze for the next 24 hours.
Disrupt Life (Costs 3 Actions). Each non-undead creature within 20 feet of the lich must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw against this magic, taking 21 (6d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
A Lich’s Lair
A lich often haunts the abode it favored in life, such as a lonely tower, a haunted ruin, or an academy of black magic. Alternatively, some liches construct secret tombs filled with powerful guardians and traps.
Everything about a lich’s lair reflects its keen mind and wicked cunning, including the magic and mundane traps that secure it. Undead, constructs, and bound demons lurk in shadowy recesses, emerging to destroy those who dare to disturb the lich’s work.
A lich encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 22 (41,000 XP).
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the lich can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the lich can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- The lich rolls a d8 and regains a spell slot of that level or lower. If it has no spent spell slots of that level or lower, nothing happens.
- The lich targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. A crackling cord of negative energy tethers the lich to the target. Whenever the lich takes damage, the target must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the lich takes half the damage (rounded down), and the target takes the remaining damage. This tether lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round or until the lich or the target is no longer in the lich’s lair.
- The lich calls forth the spirits of creatures that died in its lair. These apparitions materialize and attack one creature that the lich can see within 60 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 52 (15d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. The apparitions then disappear.
Liches be Crazy.
Liches get stitches
Liches end up in ditches
Litches tpk then get stitches by new pcs
How does one become a lich? They seem pretty powerful
I got 99 problems but a lich ain't one
you win LOLOLOLOL
Liches ain't ish but bones and tricks.
To my knowledge there is a number of factors which have to be met in order to become a Lich.
I found a video on Youtube which describes it very detailed :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRhgc-hFG14&t=545s
for thou to become a lich a lich isn't a BEING per say but it's someone addicted to the ability dominating people or destroying things
the moment the lich tethers with your life cleric who has 40 HP left, and the sorcerer decides to disintegrate the lich. RIP Kal, my life cleric.
Power Word Kill - You thought you'd get to play this game, but no.
Curse of Strahd got a way.
Just some suggestions to others out there looking for some tweaked liches, consider the following changes to the spellbook: replace ray of frost with chill touch to shut down healing on 3 PCs per round (if they hit), absorb elements instead of magic missile to help with energy resistance, fire shield to shore up fire resistance instead of blight, negative energy flood instead of cloudkill for bonus hit points, and psychic scream instead of power word kill to possibly lock down multiple PCs for several rounds. If you really want to be mean, have them make use of simulacrum for a powerful beast or humanoid companion. Good hunting!
Smite all the liches , and burn all the witches,
And ride off on the back of my,
Greater Steed!
I gave that Lich a phylactery. Liches love phylacteries
uh wait a minute, does this mean a lich has infinite spell slots? so they can just keep making traps and safeguards inside their base? This means a lich could cover their whole layer in every version of private sanctum.
And, that’s before the magic items which an older Lich will have gathered.
A Lich is one of those monsters which, given unlimited time, can make itself effectively impossible to dislodge...in its lair.
I'm curious why anyone would seek to become a lich when immortality is much more easily achieved via the Clone spell.
Clone Doesn't save you from old age.