Monster, Lich, Master of Undying Secrets

Lich

Medium undead, lawful evil

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Armor Class: 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 135 (18d8 + 54)
Speed: 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
11 (+0)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	20 (+5)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)

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Saving Throws: Con +9, Int +11, Wis +8
Skills: Arcana +17, History +11, Insight +8, Perception +8
Damage Resistances: cold, lightning, necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities: poison
Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses: truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages: Common plus up to five languages
Challenge: 17 (18,000 XP)

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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 hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of the phylactery.

Spellcasting.

The lich is a 18th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 19, +11 to hit with spell attacks). The lich has the following wizard spells prepared:

• Cantrips (at will): mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost, shocking grasp
• 1st level (4 slots): mage armor, magic missile, shield, detect magic
• 2nd level (3 slots): mirror image, misty step, hold person
• 3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, fireball, vampiric touch
• 4th level (3 slots): blight, greater invisibility
• 5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, wall of force
• 6th level (1 slot): disintegrate
• 7th level (1 slot): finger of death
• 8th level (1 slot): power word stun
• 9th level (1 slot): power word kill

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Actions

Paralyzing Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.
Hit: 21 (6d6) cold damage. The target must succeed on a DC 19 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 a success.

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Legendary Actions

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). One creature the lich can see within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of the lich’s next turn. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

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Tactics

• The lich begins combat by casting greater invisibility or mirror image to protect itself.
• It targets the most dangerous enemy with disintegrate or finger of death, and uses cloudkill or fireball to control groups.
• When cornered, the lich uses shield to increase AC and misty step or its legendary Frightening Gaze to create distance.
• The lich retreats to its phylactery if its hit points drop below 30%, using wall of force to block pursuers.
• It keeps undead minions or summoned creatures around as buffers, focusing on spellcasting over melee.

Lich

Once fine robes hang in tatters from this withered corpse’s frame. A pale blue light shines from where its eyes should be.

Liches are usually among the most powerful undead creatures in almost any setting in which they appear, and are one of the most powerful non-unique undead creatures.

Lich CR 12

XP 19,200
Human lich necromancer 11
NE Medium undead (augmented humanoid)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., life sight*; Perception +24; Aura fear(60-ft. radius, DC 18)

DEFENSE

AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 21 (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +2 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 111 (11d6+55 plus 15 false life)
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +11
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4; DR 15/bludgeoning and magic; Immune cold, electricity, undead traits

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee touch +5 (1d8+5 plus paralyzing touch)
Special Attacks grave touch* (9/day), paralyzing touch (DC 18), power over undead* (9/day, DC 18)
Spells Prepared (CL 11th)

6th—circle of death (DC 22), globe of invulnerability, maximized fireball (DC 19)
5th—cloudkill (DC 21), cone of cold (DC 21), quickened magic missile, waves of fatigue 
4th—dimension door, enervation, fire shield, wall of ice (2)
3rd—dispel magic (2), fireball (DC 19), suggestion (DC 19), vampiric touch (2)
2nd—darkness, extended mage armor (already cast), false life (already cast), scorching ray (2), see invisibility, spectral hand
1st—magic missile (3), ray of enfeeblement (2), shield (2)
0th—bleed (DC 16), detect magic, ray of frost, read magic

Prohibited Schools illusion, transmutation
*Necromancer power

STATISTICS

Str 10, Dex 14, Con —, Int 22, Wis 14, Cha 16
Base Atk +5; CMB +5; CMD 25
Feats Craft Wondrous Item, Defensive Combat Training, Extend Spell, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Toughness
Skills Craft (alchemy) +20, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (planes) +20, Linguistics +20, Perception +24, Sense Motive+24, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +24; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception, +8 Sense Motive, +8 Stealth
Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Ignan, Infernal, Orc, Undercommon

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Fear Aura (Su)

Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at a lich must succeed on a Will save or become frightened. Creatures with 5 HD or more must succeed at a Will save or be shaken for a number of rounds equal to the lich’s Hit Dice. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same lich’s fear aura for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Paralyzing Touch (Su)

Any living creature a lich hits with its touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save or be permanently paralyzed. Remove paralysis or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim (with a DC equal to the lich’s save DC). The effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by it seems dead, though a DC 20 Perception check or a DC 15 Heal check reveals that the victim is still alive.

Rejuvenation (Su)

When a lich is destroyed, its phylactery (which is generally hidden in a safe place far from where it chooses to dwell) immediately begins to rebuild the undead spellcaster’s body nearby. This process takes 1d10 days—if the body is destroyed before that time passes, the phylactery merely starts the process anew. After this time passes, the lich wakens fully healed (albeit without any gear it left behind on its old body), usually with a burning need for revenge against those who previously destroyed it.

The most common form of phylactery is a sealed metal box containing strips of parchment on which magical phrases have been transcribed. The box is Tiny and has 40 hit points, hardness 20, and a break DC of 40.

Other forms of phylacteries can exist, such as rings, amulets, or similar items.

ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure NPC gear (boots of levitation, headband of vast intelligence+2 [Perception], ring of protection +2, potion of invisibility, scroll of dominate person, scroll of teleport)