Pariah Crystal. If it has a pariah crystal with minds remaining, a destroyed lich gains a new body in 1d10 days.
Magic Resistance. The lich has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Impossible Angles. The space in a 10-foot radius around the lich is difficult terrain for non-aberrations. A non-aberration that starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or take 1d10 psychic damage and be Poisoned until the start of its next turn. Ranged attacks passing through this area are made with disadvantage.
Spellcasting. The Arch-Illithilich is a 18-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 18, +12 to hit with spell attacks). The Arch-Illithilich has following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): Mage Hand, Ray of Frost, Chill Touch
1st level (4 slots): Shield, Thunderwave
2nd level (3 slots): Mirror Image
3rd level (3 slots): Counterspell, Fireball
4th level (3 slots): Dimension Door, Blight
5th level (3 slots): Cloudkill
6th level (1 slot): Disintegrate
7th level (1 slot): Finger of Death
8th level (1 slot): Power Word Stun
9th level (1 slot): Dominate Monster
Multiattack. The lich makes two melee attacks, one of which it can replace with a cast spell of 3rd level or lower.
Icy Tentacles. Melee Spell Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) psychic damage plus 9 (2d8) cold damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 16) and must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or be Stunned until this grapple ends.
Nerve Rot Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +12 to hit, range 60/60 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (4d8) necrotic damage plus 11 (2d10) psychic damage.
Mind Blast Overcharge (Recharge 5–6). The lich magically emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or take 45 (8d8 + 9) psychic damage and be Stunned until the end of the lich's next turn.
Summoning: Reanimation (1/Day). The lich targets the dead fluid reservoirs or sacrificial thralls in the Cathedral. It causes 3 stone sarcophagi to rise from the ground. Each sarcophagus takes one full round to open. At the start of the lich's next turn, 3 Voidmind Thralls or Saltors emerge to join the fray. Players can attack and destroy a sarcophagus (AC 15, 30 HP) before it opens to prevent the summon.
Shield. As a reaction to being targeted with an attack, the lich can cast Shield, adding 5 to its AC until the beginning of its next turn.
Counterspell. As a reaction to seeing a creature cast a spell within 60 feet, the lich can cast Counterspell. It makes an Intelligence check (+5 modifier) against a DC equal to 10 plus the spell's level, negating the spell on a success. If the spell is 3rd level or below, the lich succeeds automatically.
The Arch-Illithilich 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 Arch-Illithilich regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Nerve Rot Bolt. The lich makes one attack with its Nerve Rot Bolt.
Cast Spell (Costs 1–3 Actions). The lich uses a spell slot to cast a 1st-, 2nd-, or 3rd-level spell that it has prepared. Doing so costs 1 legendary action per level of the spell.
Fold Space (Costs 2 Actions). The lich teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. Each creature within 15 feet of the space it departed must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be pulled 10 feet toward the space it departed and take 16 (3d10) psychic damage.
Description
The temperature in the cathedral plummets instantly, turning your breath into shallow plumes of white mist. The air grows thick, heavy, and oily, tasting faintly of ozone and ancient decay, while a low, rhythmic thrum, like a massive, dying heartbeat, vibrates directly inside the marrow of your bones.
Hovering a few inches above a dais of polished, purple-veined black stone is a towering nightmare of flesh and bone. At first glance, it bears the unmistakable, harrowing silhouette of a mind flayer, but any semblance of living biology has long since withered away.
Its elongated skull is a mottled, translucent alabaster, stretched tight over a void where a brain should be; instead, a faint, sickly green luminescence pulses rhythmically from deep within the bone itself. Where deep-sea, rubbery tentacles should hang, there are only four elongated, weeping tendrils of dark, desiccated sinew. They twitch with a sickening, independent hunger, their tips ending in exposed, needle-sharp barbs of calcified bone.
It is draped in regal, tattered vestments of midnight-black and decaying gold that drift around it as if submerged in deep water. Embedded across its chest and shoulders are fragments of glowing, emerald-colored soul gems, each one trapping a faint, agonizingly contorted face that silently screams beneath the surface of the crystal.
It does not possess eyes. Instead, two empty, abyssal sockets stare blindly into the room, burning with twin pinpricks of cold, malicious emerald fire. As you step forward, the creature doesn't move a muscle, yet a sudden, agonizing spike of pressure slams into your temples, a silent, mocking laughter that echoes violently inside your own minds, demanding your submission before it even raises a hand.
Lair and Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the lich takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the lich can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
Lair Action Option 1
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Psychic Feedback Loop. A wave of static psionic energy ripples through the cathedral. Each creature within the lair that is currently concentrating on a spell must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature's concentration ends, and it takes 14 (4d6) psychic damage. On a success, the creature takes half as much damage and maintains concentration.
Lair Action Option 2
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Grasping Tendrils. The purple-veined black stone of the cathedral floor liquefies into a mass of grasping, undead tentacles made of shadow and bone in a 20-foot-radius area centered on a point the lich can see. That area becomes difficult terrain. Each creature standing in that area when the tentacles appear must succeed on a DC 18 Strength or Dexterity saving throw (player's choice) or be restrained and take 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Lair Action Option 3
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Soul Gem Resonance. The screaming emerald crystals embedded throughout the lair flash with blinding, horrific light. The lich targets one creature it can see within 90 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the target magically swaps places in space with another creature of the lich's choice that the lich can see. Alternatively, the lich can choose to fail the save voluntarily to instantly swap places with one of its own summoned minions.
Previous Versions
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7/19/2026 7:44:01 PM
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7/19/2026 8:59:42 PM
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4
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Coming Soon
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