Why would anyone become a lich?

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Dimension Door and Teleport are verbal only spells, so they make a good choice for any wizard that fears to be grappled. Flame Shield is a good defense against all kinds of melee attackers, and it is certainly no fun for grapplers...

 

[Klaus]

I'd like to refer everyone to Scott Holden-Jones' most excellent "Playing the Numbers" series of articles over at www.fierydragon.com (just click on the Dragon's Breath logo). Specially Part III, where he discusses how to play a 400-year-old lich with 20+ Int and experience up the wazoo!

 

[Henry]

Yes, some would call it cheating. I call it being realistic. A Lich researching spells for centuries is only going to research the spells in the PHB? Nonsense.

That's why THESE are the spells I pull out when I introduce a hundreds-years-old Lich. Spells like Crushing Trench, Rolling Wave of Blood and Fire, and my personal favorite Osseus Eruptus, scare the **** out of players when they see them.

Any wonder why no one seeks out Lorlach in my Forgotten Realms campaigns?

 

[Sejs]

Dimension Door and Teleport are verbal only spells, so they make a good choice for any wizard that fears to be grappled.

Particularly if that same wizard knows Plane Shift. Ho-hum, I appear to be grappled. I think I'll just Dimention Door myself straight into the floor and volentarily blow my will save. Oops! Looks like it's off to the astral plane with me, then.


...sadly, they fixed that little escape with 3.5, much to my chagrin.


Of course, if you're a lich you could always just DDoor yourself and your (possibly willing) assailant as high into the air as you can go. I mean why not? You know you'll come back even if you don't survive the falling damage, after all.