Liches

Liches are interesting creatures indeed. Undead wizards that mastered the art of eternal life.

As typical, this comes at a price.

Ecosociology of a Lich

Ecological Impact

Liches are powerful undead sorcerers who have transcended mortality by binding their souls to phylacteries, achieving a form of immortality. As masters of necromancy, they wield incredible magical power and exert a profound influence on the ecosystems they inhabit. Their presence corrupts the natural world, spreading death and decay, and altering the balance of life.

1. Necrotic Influence
   • Liches corrupt the environment around them, spreading death and decay. The areas near a Lich’s lair often become blighted, with vegetation withering away, animals fleeing, and the land becoming barren and lifeless. This necrotic influence can extend for miles, creating zones of desolation that disrupt local ecosystems and displace entire species.
2. Creation of Undead
   • Liches are often surrounded by legions of undead minions, from skeletal warriors to powerful death knights. These undead creatures replace the natural fauna, turning once-vibrant ecosystems into silent, haunted wastelands. The Lich’s ability to animate and control the dead can lead to the near extinction of local species, as the undead hunt or drive away all living creatures.
3. Dark Magical Energy
   • The Lich’s presence warps the very fabric of magic in the surrounding area, creating zones of wild magic or dead magic where normal magical rules no longer apply. These areas can spawn dangerous magical anomalies, mutate local creatures, or create portals to other planes, further destabilizing the ecosystem.
4. Cursed Lands
   • The lair of a Lich is often a place of profound magical energy, twisted by the dark rituals and experiments the Lich conducts. These lairs are usually situated in areas already steeped in death—ancient battlefields, haunted ruins, or forgotten catacombs. Over time, the presence of the Lich can turn these places into cursed lands, where the dead walk, the air is thick with malevolent energy, and the very ground seems to resist the presence of the living.

Sociological Impact

Liches are not just powerful undead; they are former mortal spellcasters who have achieved immortality through dark and forbidden means. Their existence and actions have significant sociopolitical and cultural impacts on the societies they interact with, whether as feared tyrants, elusive scholars, or dark patrons.

1. Tyranny and Domination
   • Many Liches seek to dominate the regions surrounding their lairs, using their immense power and undead armies to enforce their will. They often become dark lords, ruling over conquered lands with an iron fist. The populations in these regions are subjected to the Lich’s whims, living in fear and subjugation. Societies under a Lich’s control may become twisted and corrupt, with their rulers either puppets or willing servants of the Lich.
2. Fear and Folklore
   • The mere rumor of a Lich’s presence can cause widespread panic. Over time, Liches become central figures in local folklore, often depicted as the ultimate embodiment of evil. Their names become synonymous with terror, and tales of their power are passed down through generations. This fear can lead to the formation of cults that worship the Lich, either out of reverence or in the hopes of gaining a fraction of their dark power.
3. Political Manipulation
   • Liches are often highly intelligent and cunning, using their vast knowledge and long lives to manipulate the political landscape. They might use spies, undead agents, or magical influence to steer the actions of kings and queens, wars, and treaties, all while remaining hidden in the shadows. A Lich might play different factions against each other, weakening them to the point where they can be easily conquered or controlled.
4. Dark Alliances
   • Liches may form alliances with other powerful beings, such as evil dragons, demon lords, or other undead creatures. These alliances often serve mutual goals of power and domination but are typically fragile, as the entities involved are prone to betrayal. The presence of such alliances can shift the balance of power in a region, leading to devastating wars or the rise of dark empires.
5. Guardians of Forbidden Knowledge
   • Liches are repositories of ancient and forbidden knowledge, often hoarding arcane secrets that have been lost to time. While they are usually reluctant to share their knowledge freely, they might engage in dark bargains with mortal spellcasters, trading knowledge for servitude or favors. Their libraries and experiments push the boundaries of magic, sometimes leading to breakthroughs in necromancy or other dark arts—but at a great cost.
6. Cultural and Religious Impact
   • The existence of a Lich can give rise to cults or secret societies dedicated to their worship. These groups might see the Lich as a god-like figure, capable of bestowing power and immortality on their followers. Alternatively, religious orders might arise with the sole purpose of hunting and destroying Liches, viewing them as abominations against the natural order. The presence of a Lich can polarize communities, leading to religious and cultural schisms.
7. Interplanar Connections
   • Liches often have deep connections to other planes of existence, particularly those tied to death and undeath, such as the Shadowfell. They might use these connections to summon otherworldly beings, create planar gateways, or even relocate their lairs to these planes to avoid detection. These interplanar activities can have ripple effects across the multiverse, drawing the attention of powerful entities, both good and evil.
8. Economic Disruption
   • The presence of a Lich can cause significant disruption to local economies. Trade routes may become unsafe due to the presence of undead, and towns might be abandoned as people flee the Lich’s influence. Conversely, black markets and illegal trades may flourish under the Lich’s rule, particularly in dark magic, cursed items, and forbidden tomes.
9. Philosophical and Ethical Questions
   • The existence of Liches raises profound questions about the nature of life, death, and immortality. Scholars, philosophers, and clerics may debate the morality of undeath, the pursuit of knowledge at any cost, and the balance between life and death. These debates can influence societal norms and laws, especially in areas where necromancy is practiced or outlawed.
10. Magical Warfare
    • Liches are often at the center of magical conflicts, either as aggressors or defenders of their dark domains. Their mastery of necromancy and other dark magics makes them formidable opponents in any arcane battle. The presence of a Lich can lead to the rise of magical militias or elite groups of spellcasters dedicated to combating the undead threat. These magical conflicts can devastate entire regions, leaving behind twisted landscapes and corrupted magic.

Any Magic users can become Liches?

1. Necromancer Lich

   • Archetype: The classic Lich. • Characteristics: These Liches are the most traditional, having already walked the path of necromancy in life. They are masters of undeath, capable of raising vast armies of skeletons, zombies, and more powerful undead. Their lairs are often surrounded by necrotic energy, blighted landscapes, and cursed ground. They have an insatiable hunger for the souls of the living, using them to fuel their dark rituals and sustain their phylactery. • Abilities: Mastery of necrotic energy, raising and controlling undead, curses, and soul manipulation.

2. Evoker Lich

   • Archetype: The Destructive Lich. • Characteristics: Once dedicated to the school of evocation, these Liches retain their overwhelming destructive power even in undeath. Their transformation amplifies their ability to harness elemental forces like fire, lightning, and cold. Evoker Liches are walking weapons of mass destruction, capable of laying waste to entire armies with their magical prowess. Their lairs are often charred, frozen, or otherwise scarred by their experiments and their unrestrained elemental fury. • Abilities: Enhanced destructive spells, elemental mastery, magical explosions, and devastating area-of-effect attacks.

3. Enchanter Lich

   • Archetype: The Manipulative Lich. • Characteristics: These Liches were once masters of enchantment, and their transition into undeath has only deepened their control over the minds and wills of others. Enchanter Liches are subtle and insidious, manipulating entire populations through charm, compulsion, and domination. They prefer to rule from the shadows, using their thralls and enchanted subjects to do their bidding. Their lairs might resemble grand palaces filled with unwilling servants, all bound to the Lich’s will. • Abilities: Mind control, charm, mass domination, and illusions that manipulate perception.

4. Illusionist Lich

   • Archetype: The Deceptive Lich. • Characteristics: Illusionist Liches are masters of deception and subterfuge, weaving intricate illusions that can baffle even the most perceptive minds. In undeath, their illusions become more potent and terrifying, with the power to distort reality itself. These Liches are virtually impossible to track down, as they can create entire false realities, ensnaring their enemies in nightmares of their own making. Their lairs are labyrinthine and constantly shifting, with illusions that confound and terrify intruders. • Abilities: Reality-warping illusions, phantasms, invisibility, and mental assaults through fear and confusion.

5. Abjurer Lich

   • Archetype: The Defensive Lich. • Characteristics: Abjurer Liches are nearly impossible to destroy, having perfected the art of magical protection. Their lairs are fortified with layers of magical wards, traps, and barriers that can repel even the most determined attackers. These Liches are cautious and calculating, using their magic to create near-impenetrable defenses around their phylactery. They often act as guardians of ancient secrets, protecting forbidden knowledge from those who would misuse it. • Abilities: Powerful magical wards, counterspells, energy shields, and nullification of other magic.

6. Transmuter Lich

   • Archetype: The Alchemical Lich. • Characteristics: Transmuter Liches view undeath as the ultimate transformation, an alchemical process that elevates them beyond mortal limitations. They are obsessed with altering reality, reshaping the physical world according to their will. Their lairs are filled with strange and wondrous transformations—stone turned to flesh, lead to gold, and other alchemical marvels. They constantly experiment with new forms of matter and energy, often resulting in unpredictable and dangerous creations. • Abilities: Reality manipulation, transmutation of materials, shape-shifting, and alteration of the laws of physics.

7. Conjurer Lich

   • Archetype: The Summoner Lich. • Characteristics: Conjurer Liches have a deep connection to other planes of existence, calling forth beings from beyond the veil to serve them. In undeath, they become even more proficient at summoning and binding extraplanar entities, from demons and devils to elemental beings and eldritch horrors. Their lairs are often riddled with portals and gateways to other planes, and they command an army of summoned creatures. These Liches may also have bound entities guarding their phylactery. • Abilities: Summoning and binding extraplanar entities, creating portals, planar travel, and wielding the power of otherworldly beings.

8. Diviner Lich

   • Archetype: The Oracle Lich. • Characteristics: Diviner Liches possess a terrifying awareness of past, present, and future. They can see beyond the veil of time and space, foreseeing events and manipulating them to their advantage. In undeath, their prophetic abilities are magnified, making them nearly impossible to surprise or outmaneuver. Their lairs are often filled with scrying mirrors, crystal balls, and other devices that allow them to monitor the world. They might manipulate events on a grand scale, subtly influencing the course of history. • Abilities: Foresight, scrying, prophecy, and manipulation of fate and destiny.

9. Warlock Lich

   • Archetype: The Pact-Bound Lich. • Characteristics: Warlock Liches have struck dark bargains with otherworldly patrons, trading their service for power. In undeath, they continue to honor (or exploit) these pacts, drawing on the power of their patrons to maintain their immortality. Depending on their patron—whether fiend, fey, Great Old One, or other—these Liches might wield a variety of strange and powerful abilities. Their lairs often reflect the nature of their patron, filled with eldritch symbols and otherworldly artifacts. • Abilities: Patron-specific powers, eldritch invocations, pact magic, and the ability to call upon their patron’s influence.

10. Sorcerer Lich

    • Archetype: The Bloodline Lich. • Characteristics: Sorcerer Liches are creatures of innate magical power, with their abilities stemming from their bloodline rather than learned spells. In undeath, their connection to their arcane heritage only deepens, allowing them to channel raw magical energy with terrifying efficiency. Depending on their bloodline—whether draconic, elemental, or otherwise—their powers might include devastating elemental attacks, manipulation of raw magic, or otherworldly resilience. Their lairs might be manifestations of their inner power, such as a dragon-themed fortress or an elemental nexus. • Abilities: Raw magical power, bloodline-specific abilities, metamagic, and spontaneous casting.

11. Bard Lich

    • Archetype: The Dirge Lich. • Characteristics: Bard Liches are masters of the power of words, music, and performance, using their talents to charm, inspire, and manipulate. In undeath, they become even more dangerous, their music and words imbued with necrotic energy that can enthrall or destroy. These Liches might weave powerful curses into their songs, or use their voice to drive entire crowds into a frenzy. Their lairs could be grand opera houses or concert halls, filled with the echoes of haunting melodies and ghostly performances. • Abilities: Necrotic music, bardic inspiration with undead themes, curses, and manipulation of emotions through performance.

12. Druid Lich

    • Archetype: The Blight Lich. • Characteristics: Druid Liches are a twisted perversion of nature’s cycle, using their connection to the natural world to spread rot and decay. In undeath, they become avatars of death and blight, warping the land into a nightmarish reflection of its former self. Their lairs are surrounded by dead forests, poisoned rivers, and fields of rot. They command undead plants and animals, and their very presence brings death to all living things nearby. • Abilities: Control over undead flora and fauna, blight spells, withering touch, and the ability to drain life from nature itself. • Obsessed with the circle of death on nature, they find a way to break or get out of that cycle. Related to decay, fungi, and rot. Probably located at a swamp.

13. Cleric Lich

    • Archetype: The Heretic Lich. • Characteristics: Cleric Liches are former servants of the divine who have turned away from the gods to pursue forbidden knowledge and immortality. These Liches often worship dark or forgotten deities, using their divine powers to corrupt and destroy. Their lairs are filled with profane altars and cursed relics, and they might continue to serve as dark priests, spreading their twisted faith to others. They can still channel divine power, but it is often tainted by the necrotic energy that sustains them. • Abilities: Necrotic divine magic, unholy blessings, curses, and the ability to raise undead in the name of their dark deity.

14. Monk Lich

    • Archetype: The Ascended Lich. • Characteristics: Monk Liches are paradoxical beings, having pursued both physical and spiritual perfection only to transcend life through undeath. Their bodies are mummified, yet their physical prowess remains unmatched, and their minds are sharpened by centuries of meditation. They retain their martial skills, but now these abilities are bolstered by necrotic energy, allowing them to strike with deadly precision. Their lairs might be ancient monasteries, filled with undead monks and haunted by the echoes of forgotten chants. • Abilities: Necrotic ki, enhanced martial abilities, life-draining strikes, and spiritual attacks that weaken the soul.

15. Ranger Lich

    • Archetype: The Wraith Lich. • Characteristics: Ranger Liches are hunters of the living, stalking their prey with unnatural patience and precision. In undeath, they become masters of the night, their senses attuned to the faintest sign of life. They often haunt dark forests, ruined cities, or desolate wastelands, preying on those who wander too close. Their lairs are filled with trophies from their hunts—skulls, bones, and other macabre souvenirs of their victims. • Abilities: Necrotic-enhanced hunting abilities, undead animal companions, heightened senses, and the ability to track and ambush with supernatural precision.

16. Artificer Lich

    • Archetype: The Mechanized Lich. • Characteristics: Artificer Liches merge their mastery of magical invention with their undead nature, creating a horrifying blend of necromancy and technology. Their bodies might be enhanced with mechanical or arcane augmentations, and their lairs are filled with undead constructs, traps, and arcane machinery. These Liches are constantly inventing new horrors, fusing flesh with metal, and imbuing their creations with dark magic. • Abilities: Creation of undead constructs, magical inventions with necrotic energy, arcane traps, and enhanced magical devices.