Lens/Monster: Lich

Lens/Monster: Lich

Liches are powerful undead spellcasters with their souls hidden in special phylacteries. Unless the phylactery is found and destroyed, the lich is impossible to destroy permanently. Liches make for great villains, and their precious and heavily guarded phylacteries deserve whole adventures dedicated to finding them. Note that this is a D&D lich, its template differs quite significantly from the one in GURPS Magic.

Lich [Monster Manual, page 166]

424-817 points
Applicable to: Any corporeal humanoid creature with a skeletal system.
Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; DX+2 [40]; HT+2 [20].
Secondary Characteristics Modifiers: Basic Speed+1 [20]; HP+3 [6].
Advantages: DR 3 [15]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat or Drink [10]; Doesn’t Sleep [20]; ER 20 (Magic) [60]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; Immunity to Mind Control [30]; Immunity to Transformations [10]; Infravision [10]; Injury Tolerance (No Blood, No Brain, No Eyes, No Vitals, Unliving) [40]; Resistant to Turning (+3) [1]; Temperature Tolerance 10 [10]; Unaging [15]; Unfazeable [15]; Vacuum Support [5].
    Elemental Resistance (C,E) [45]: DR 20 (Limited, Cold, Electricity, -35%; Tough Skin, -40%) [25] + Immunity to Electrical Conduction [5] + Immunity to Noxious Cold and Electrical Effects [15].
    Phylactery: Unkillable 3 (Can be stolen by stealth or trickery, Will not work for the thief, -10%; Unique, -25%) [98].
    Lich Abilities (Select one or more of the following abilities) [6-399]:
    Coldfire: Fatigue Attack 1d (Freezing, +20%; Magical, -10%; Rapid Fire, RoF 2, +40%; Reduced Range, 1/2x, -10%) [14].
    Despair: Terror (-3) (Despair; Magical, -10%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%) [36].
    Doom Gaze: Affliction 1 (HT; Heart Attack, +300%; Magical, -10%; Malediction 1, +100%; Vision-Based, -20%) [47].
    Dream Haunting: Leech 1 (Accessibility, Only on sleepers, -20%; Magical, -10%; Malediction 3, +200%; Missed Sleep, +50%; Ranged, +40%; Steal FP, -25%) [84].
    Fear Aura: Terror (-1) (Sight; Always On, -20%; Magical, -10%; Selective Effect, +20%) [36].
    Grasp of Death: Affliction 1 (HT; Heart Attack, +300%; Magical, -10%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%) [36].
    Grasp of Enfeeblement: Fatigue Attack 1d (Magical, -10%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%) [6].
    Lich’s Touch [48]: Affliction 1 (HT; Cosmic, Immune to Dispel Magic, +50%; Extended Duration, Permanent, +150%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Paralysis, +150%) [42] + Toxic Attack 2d (Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%) [6].
    Magic Resistance: Magic Resistance 3 (Improved, +150%) [15].
    Painwrack Gaze: Affliction 1 (HT; Agony, +100%; Magical, -10%; Malediction 1, +100%; Vision-Based, -20%) [27].
    Voice of Maleficence [50]: Affliction 1 (Will; Accessibility, Only sapient beings, -10%; Based on Will, +20%; Hearing-Based, -20%; Immediate Preparation Required, 10 minutes, -45%; Malediction 2, +150%; No Signature, +20%; Requires Speech, -10%; Sleep, +150%) [36] + Mind Probe (Accessibility, Only on sleepers, -20%; Magical, -10%) [14].
Disadvantages: Appearance (Monstrous; Universal, +25%) [-25]; Fragile (Brittle) [-15]; No Sense of Smell/Taste [-5]; Skinny [-5]; Social Stigma (Dead) [-20]; Vulnerability (Crushing Attacks, x2) [-30].
Quirks: Cannot Float [-1]; Sexless [-1].
Features: Not Subject to Fatigue; Skull has only 2 total DR.
Creature Type: Undead.
 

  

                Human Wizard Lich [Monster Manual, page 166]

Typical Stats

ST:	9	HP:	12	Speed:	7
DX:	12	Will:	15	Move:	7
IQ:	15	Per:	15
HT:	12	FP:	-	SM:	+0
Dodge:	9	Parry:	12	DR:	3, 2 (ring of protection +2), 20 (vs. cold and electricity)

Quarterstaff (14): swing 1d+1 crushing, Reach 1-2; or thrust 1d crushing (KYOS: 1d-1 crushing), Reach 1-2.

Lich’s Touch (12): The lich can touch another creature, infusing it with necromantic energies. This touch deals 2d toxic damage. In addition, the victim must make an HT roll. Should he fail, he becomes permanently paralyzed. This condition cannot be dispelled by Dispel Magic, but is susceptible to Relieve Paralysis, Stop Paralysis, Remove Curse, or a similar effect.

Fear Aura: When a creature sees the lich’s horrifying visage, it must roll a Fright Check at -1. If a victim succeeds at his Fright Check, he will be unaffected by this ability for one hour. The lich can exclude any creatures from this effect.

Phylactery: An integral part of becoming a lich is creating a magic phylactery in which the lich stores its life force. As a rule, the only way to get rid of a lich for sure is to destroy its phylactery. When the lich reaches -10xHP, he does not die, unless its phylactery is located and destroyed. After this apparent death, the lich falls unconscious and heals normally. Once it is at full HP, its fully intact body coalesces at its phylactery’s location.

The most common form of phylactery is a sealed metal box containing strips of parchment on which magical phrases have been transcribed. The box has SM-6, DR 3, HP 10. Other forms of phylacteries can exist, such as rings, amulets, or similar items. Regardless of its form, the point value of the ability does not change – the phylactery can be hidden in a remote place, and it will still work, so its vulnerability in combat is not an appropriate limitation. Note that this is not a magical ability – a lich will still return to unlife even in a no-mana zone.

                Traits: Appearance (Monstrous; Universal); Cannot Float; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; ER 20 (Magic); Fragile (Brittle); High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Immunity to Mind Control; Immunity to Noxious Cold and Electrical Effects; Immunity to Transformations; Infravision; Injury Tolerance (No Blood, No Brain, No Eyes, No Vitals, Unliving); No Sense of Smell/Taste; Resistant to Turning (+3); Sexless; Skinny; Skull has only 2 total DR; Social Stigma (Dead); Temperature Tolerance 10; Unaging; Unfazeable; Vacuum Support; Vulnerability (Crushing Attacks, x2); Wizardly Study 20; Wizardry Talent 3.

Skills: Expert Skill (Thanatology)-17; Innate Attack (Beam)-17; Innate Attack (Gaze)-17; Innate Attack (Projectile)-17; Occultism-17; Research/TL3-17; Savoir-Faire (High Society)-15; Staff-14; Thaumatology-17.

                Spells: College of Fire-16; College of Knowledge-17; College of Meta-Spells-17; College of Mind Control-17; College of Necromancy-17.

Creature Type: Undead.