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.







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Posted Apr 24, 2021If so, then my campaign's BBEG is pretty unique! (Unless every DM likes to use liches in this way.)
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Posted Apr 28, 2021In my campaign, a different lich (not the BBEG) is following the PCs around, but they don't know that it is. It was unlucky enough to be Feebleminded earlier (after all of its Legendary Resistances were used up) by a different adventuring party. The players just let the "zombie" follow them around, not suspecting a thing. When the lich recovers, it will be a nasty surprise for the players... (evil laugh).
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Posted May 3, 2021Try asking vecna, or orcus
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Posted May 7, 2021Could a lich choose to look like a vampire or other undead instead of being a rotting piece of shit
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Posted May 12, 2021What if the following happened?
One day, a lich discovered that other worlds lay beyond the planet's atmosphere. He devised a plan that would allow him to reach those other worlds, wishing to explore the universe. The lich created a machine that would automatically refill his phylactery for him, much like Acerak did. The lich scribed enough spell scrolls of Fly to allow him to reach space, not knowing that the distance between worlds was so great that it would take trillions of years to reach another one. When the day came for him to leave, he flew as high as he could. As he reached the area where air finally gave way to the void of space and the spell wore off (yes, I know the boundary between space and the atmosphere is porous, but bear with me), the lich realized that his lips could not speak the verbal components for Fly, since the air in his lungs had left when he exited the atmosphere.
The lich continues sailing through the void to this day. Needing no sleep, air, food, or drink, he remains alive. He will continue flying through space, due to inertia, for trillions of years to come. Because no sound can pierce the vacuum of space, no spells requiring verbal components can be cast. The end.
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Posted May 20, 2021Could a bard become a lich? Bards have access to magical secrets after all.
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Posted May 26, 2021it says so in their bio undernearth the card.
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Posted May 26, 2021when your party is level 4 and faces a lich... ;-;
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Posted May 30, 2021Lich is my fav spooky scary
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Posted Jun 4, 2021Step 1: Create a your own phylactery
Step 2: Die
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Posted Jun 25, 2021Hey ,what about the levels of a litch
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Posted Jun 25, 2021Hey, what about the levels of a lich
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Posted Jun 25, 2021Either way they are evil but I’d like to know about the levels
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Posted Jun 30, 2021I’m currently playing a Lich as a character for the campaign I’m currently in.
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Posted Jul 12, 2021Find undead, use magic jar, the jar is now houseruled a phylactrey. You can even raise your own corpse with create undead to give yourself a stronger lich body
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Posted Jul 18, 2021I contend that there is nothing quite so terrifying in D&D than a well-prepared spellcaster.
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Posted Jul 18, 2021-
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Posted Aug 19, 2021Why is the Imprisonment spell not in it's spell list, or is it assumed to have a spell book of which the contents contain that spell?
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Posted Sep 15, 2021There are different ways to do that, but there isn't exactly an official description. The only thing these descriptions have in common is that you need to be a high level spellcaster. Actually, if you conciser Curse of Strahd an official description on how to do stuff, there is a way to become a lich.
SPOILER WARNING AHEAD FOR PEOPLE WHO STILL HAVEN'T PLAYED COS, IT'S A GREAT MODULE, YOU SHOULD TRY IT.
There is a location in Barovia called "The amber temple". Inside of it there is a LOT of amber sarcophagi, each containing a dark vestige. One of the vestiges will offer you "The dark gift of Tenebrous". If you touch the sarcophagus, can cast 9th level wizard spells and "accept" the dark gift given by the vestige you learn how to make a phylactery and a potion that will transform you into a lich and put your soul into the phylactery. You'll also get a flaw "All I care about is gaining more magic power".
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Posted Sep 17, 2021What about a well prepared spell caster that is also an ancient dragon?