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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jolly Giant" data-source="post: 1330890" data-attributes="member: 5278">If your party is lvl 19-20, knows that they're up against a lich and has sufficient time to prepare, they'll very probably destroy him in the first round of combat. Seriously!  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":eek:" title="Eek!    :eek:"  data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":eek:" /> High-level characters can do just about anything. Information is the one and only guaranteed path to victory in high-level play. With sufficient knowledge and time to prepare, they can beat practically anyone and anything. (It's taken my quite some time to make my PCs realize this, but now, at ECLs around 29-30, I think they've finally got the idea! They've even started using divination spells for more than just identifying magic items...  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f644.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":rolleyes:" title="Roll eyes    :rolleyes:"  data-smilie="11"data-shortname=":rolleyes:" /> )Since this lich has been plagueing your PCs for quite some time, I assume they have a pretty good idea of what they're up against and will use that information for all it's worth. What you need to keep in mind when planing the encounter is that the lich also knows what he's up against! He should be as well prepared for this encounter as your PCs.I'm not saying he has to know exactly when and how they'll attack him, but he is prepared for them to attack in some way at some time. If he knows what's good for him, he will invest some time and resources in finding out as much as he can about them. He'll use whatever it takes; divinations, rumour-gathering minions or good, old-fashioned spies, to find out all he can about his enemies. He'll probably be aware of any weaknesses they might have, and if so, he will have found ways to exploit those weaknesses. He'll also be aware of their favorite tactics, and he will have spent some time figuring out how best to defend himself against them. (My PCs have learnt the value of not telling anyone about their greatest exploits and most brilliant strategies the hard way!  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> )One thing any undead BBEG should have is the reverse of "Negative Energy Protection"-spell; i.e. a spell that protects them from positive energy. A lvl 20 paladin with a decent CHA can "Lay On Hands" a lvl 30 lich to pieces with a single touch-attack. No save, no SR...  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f644.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":rolleyes:" title="Roll eyes    :rolleyes:"  data-smilie="11"data-shortname=":rolleyes:" /> One last piece of advice: If you want the encounter to last more than one round of combat, make sure the lich has plenty of minions for the PCs to hack their way through. The minions doesn't have to be all that though, they just need to be many!A swarm of dire bats, a small army of sceletons, some low-level goblin rogues, elementals, minor fiends... They're not meant to be any real threath in themselves. They're just there to be in the way, giving the lich a couple of rounds to cast the most important buff-spells on himself. (Or even make good his escape, if he feels the need to.) Of course, if some of the PCs 1 round/level buffs expire while they're hacking their way past the minions, then that's just fine with the lich...  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> Ok, looong post...  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":o" title="Eek!    :o"  data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":o" /> Hope at least some of it is useful!</blockquote>

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