Far Realm Parasite. Inside the lich’s torso dwells a wormlike parasite that contains the lich’s soul. When the lich dies, it implodes into the parasite, which then vanishes into the Far Realm. In 2d4 days, the parasite causes the lich to reappear within 1d4 miles of where it died. If the lich died inside a magic circle cast to contain Undead, the lich instead reappears as an otyugh with all the lich’s memories.
Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If the lich fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Unusual Nature. The lich doesn’t need air, food, drink, or sleep.
Multiattack. The lich makes one Parasitic Tentacle attack or uses Spellcasting. The lich also uses Psychic Whisper twice.
Parasitic Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 25 (6d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 25 (6d6 + 4) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. The poisoned target can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. The third time the target fails the save, the target dies and dissolves into a gibbering mouther that obeys the lich and uses the target’s initiative.
Psychic Whisper. The lich targets one creature it can see within 120 feet of itself. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or take 25 (6d6 + 4) psychic damage and be stunned until the end of the lich’s next turn as incomprehensible whispers fill the target’s mind.
Spellcasting. The lich casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17):
At will: detect magic, mage hand, prestidigitation
2/day each: dispel magic, hunger of Hadar, lightning bolt
1/day each: arcane eye, dimension door, plane shift (self only)
Far Realm Step. Immediately after taking damage, the lich, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, magically teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Description
From beyond the stars, a Great Old One whispers promises of reality-defying knowledge and world-bending power. When a wizard or a warlock hears that whisper and listens too intently, they might set foot on the twisting path toward becoming an eldritch lich.
Like other liches, eldritch liches are spellcasters who have cheated death, but an eldritch lich does so by allowing a Great Old One to implant a Far Realm parasite in the lich. That parasite bestows undeath upon the spellcaster and causes strange tentacles to sprout from the body. The parasite’s mouth is visible on the lich’s torso, and the parasite guards the lich against destruction, reviving the lich a few days after death. Canny foes can sabotage an eldritch lich’s revival by slaying the lich in a magic circle, thereby forcing the lich to return in a distorted form, robbed of most of its power.
An eldritch lich constantly hears bizarre whispers from the Far Realm, to which the lich nods and mutters. Occasionally, the lich uses its telepathy to share those whispers with the minds around it.
Form of the Great Old One
Multiple entities bear the title Great Old One. You may roll on the Great Old Ones table to determine which entity gave an eldritch lich its parasite.
Great Old Ones
| d6 | Form |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cthulhu |
| 2 | Tharizdun, the Chained God |
| 3 | Dendar, the Night Serpent |
| 4 | Ghaunadaur |
| 5 | Zargon, the Returner |
| 6 | That Which Lurks |
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Posted Apr 21, 2022Gibbering mouther, huh? That's harder to reverse than death itself!
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Posted Apr 21, 2022This is terrifying.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022This is cool, but I wish it had a lair and legendary actions. Also Turn Undead Resistance, like the standard lich.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022I'm very disappointed this wasn't named "The Eldri-Lich."
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Posted Apr 21, 2022The art for this creature is sick but the statblock is a bit underwhelming. A tentacle and a stun are basic mindflayer stuff, the side effects of the tentacle require 3 failed saves before it does anything, and the spells and reaction seem more in line for running from the players than sticking to a fight.
Definitely needs some minions to work with, because it's a bit of a sleep walk solo, even when it far out classes the players.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022Damn, imagine the terror on the faces of all those wizards that dumped CON.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022I'm curious if the "third time the target fails the save, the target dies and dissolves into a gibbering mouther" means three SUCCESSIVE or 3 total. The way it reads is 3 total, which is so much scarier.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022From beyond the stars, a Great Old One whispers promises of reality-defying knowledge and world-bending power.
"I can tell you how to jailbreak your iPhone."
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Posted Apr 21, 2022I'm curious if the "third time the target fails the save, the target dies and dissolves into a gibbering mouther" means three SUCCESSIVE or 3 total. The way it reads is 3 total, which is so much scarier.
3 successive fails as one save gets rid of the effect completely.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022Says the third time the target fails so three fails you're out.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022for its multiattack, it can use its tentacle and psychic whispers twice in a single round? I'm confused on the wording.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022To buff the this lich I would use the boons of elder evils in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes in the star spawn section in the bestiary also I would give the lich some cantrips from the warlock spell list I would give it an ability where it can open a rift to the far realm and summon some star spawn and an aura of whispers that deals a little physic damage when you get in a 10 foot radius of the lich and to give it some regional affects when you look into the night sky you hear strange whispers and you have to make a wisdom saving throw or get a level of madness then around the lich’s lair are rifts leading to the far realm with aberrations coming of and have all minions of the lich have a telepathic bond and have aberrations and psychic creatures being drawn to this area and have local creatures being warped by madness and having strange mutations
it also gives the lich some flavor and makes it more connected to the backstory of the undead creature
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Posted Apr 21, 2022Reborn as an Otyugh? How embarrassing...
I think this guy is really cool & I'm getting over the new spellcasting but the list is horrible. No attack cantrips? As a SPELLCASTER CR 15 there are no Uber damaging spells? No legendary resistances/actions?
Dont get me wrong, turning into a mouther aint fun but I'm sorry but WotC please make your monsters scarier not tamer
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Posted Apr 21, 2022That’s kind of what Psychic Whisper is for. I agree that it’s lame that it doesn’t have Psychic Scream or whatever, but the maddening whispers of things that should not be seem like an acceptable substitute, thematically speaking.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022Hi Sir,
No, so you can use the tentacle attack once, and Psychic whispers twice in one round. OR you can substitute the Tentacle attack to use a spellcasting(one spell) and Psychic Whispers twice.
Multiattack option A: 1 Tentacle attack + 2 psychic Whispers
Multiattack option B: One spell + 2 psychic whispers
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Posted Apr 21, 2022It has four Legendary residences but it would be nice for it to have some regional affects too
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Posted Apr 21, 2022These are rad, love all the lich sidegrades we've been getting
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Posted Apr 21, 2022So you need to get this thing into a magic circle to kill it permanently. Magic circle has a 1 minute casting time, and a creature can teleport out of it if it makes a charisma saving throw, which should be easy for this thing with its legendary resistances.
I wonder what could be an effective way to get that thing into a circle and keep it inside.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022I'm very interest in the parasite. Anything that can safely transport both bodies and souls to and from the Far Realm has some pretty interesting potential.
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Posted Apr 21, 2022Totally saving this for a mid-level boss fight in my campaign that already features a lot of Far Realm style creatures.