any reason a Lich couldnt be assassinated (ie: Death Attack)

[Nail]

He dug 'em up. He didn't kill 'em.

 

[frankthedm]

It doesn't say that they're immune to spells with the [Death] descriptor. It says that they're immune to death effects. And you'd be hard pressed to convince me that "death attack" is not a death effect.

It is not a death effect. If the assassin’s death attack was a death effect, victims of it could not be raised or reincarnated. The lich is immune to it for other reasons.

The subject was addressed here. http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=185023

 

[Mouseferatu]

he did do that - in addition to killing scads of women and chopping them up for chum.

He dug 'em up. He didn't kill 'em.

You're both right. Ed Gein was primarily a grave robber. He was, however, responsible for killing a few of his victims--but only two or so, IIRC, not "scads" of them.

Feel free to look it up.

 

[calypso15]

Actually, I may have just convinced myself that "death attack" isn't a death effect.

Under "Death Attack" (or "death effect" as linked from the Undead type):

The spell death ward protects a character against these attacks.

Under death ward:

The subject is immune to all death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects.

As near as I can tell, the assassin's "death attack" is extraordinary. Which means that it is none of those things and therefore is not protected against by death ward. Since death ward protects against all death effects, "death attack" must not be a death effect.

Calypso

 

[Ardenian]

"The first official murder for which he was charged occurred on December 8, 1954. The next on November 16, 1957. He attacked his last victim in her shop and dragged her body to his truck which was parked at the back. The victim's son recalled that Ed Gein had come to see his mother just before she was last seen. When the police went to his farm, they found her headless body in his shed. They also found his strange human 'furniture' and a refrigerator full of human organs. Gein was arrested and immediately confessed to his crimes. On January 16, 1958 he was judged insane and sent to Central State Hospital at Waupun, Wisconsin. In November, 1968 he was tried again. He was now diagnosed to have chronic schizophrenia, found NGBRI and returned to Waupun. It was later theorised that Gein may have killed 2 men who hired him as their hunting guide, and were never seen again, and 2 other unidentified women whose body parts were found at his farm. In 1978 he was moved to Mendota Mental Health Institute. Gein was a model prisoner and died quietly in his sleep in the geriatric psychiatric ward."

 

[Nail]

From what I've read, most of his "victims" were taken from the local cemetaries. He was only ever convicted of the one murder, IIRC. And given his insanity, his "confessions" are highly suspect.

It's a fun case; too bad CSI didn't exist back in 1957.

 

[Dheran]

This would have been legal if you had a single level of Cleric and cast Grave Strike (a swift action spell) at the beginning of your attack against the lich.

 

[PallidPatience]

Not unless Death Attack magically affected objects, which it doesn't. That was also part of why it doesn't work on undead.

 

[IcyCool]

This would have been legal if you had a single level of Cleric and cast Grave Strike (a swift action spell) at the beginning of your attack against the lich.

As PallidPatience mentioned, even if you cast Gravestrike and got your sneak attack damage, the Lich is immune to effects that allow a fortitude save, so the Death Attack portion of your attack would still fail.

 

[RigaMortus2]

FWIW, this is the glossary definition of death attack (not death effect mind you)

death attack
A spell or special ability that instantly slays the target, such as finger of death. Neither raise dead nor reincarnation can grant life to a creature slain by a death attack, though resurrection and more powerful effects can. In most cases, a death attack allows the victim a Fortitude save to avoid the affect, but if the save fails, the character dies instantly. A victim cannot be made stable and thereby kept alive. In case it matters, a dead character, no matter how she died, has -10 hit points. The spell death ward protects a character against these attacks