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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nittanytbone" data-source="post: 3905525" data-attributes="member: 35709">My players have just come into possession of the phylactary of a certain lich (the Ghostlord from RHOD).How can such an item be destroyed by characters of 7th & 8th level?  I think it should not be as hard to destroy as an artifact, but it should not be easier than sundering a shield bought at the five and dime.THOG SMASH!A break DC of 40 is pretty hard core.  If the fighter (16 STR) buffed with Bull's Str (20 STR), and got two aid another attempts (+4), and used a crowbar (+2 more), and had Guidance running (+1 more), and rolled a "20," he'd still only get a DC 32.THOG HIT IT AGAIN...  AND AGAIN...  AND AGAIN!Hardness 20 isn't hard to bypass.  The fighter, enlarged, with a borrowed greatsword, does 3d6+14 (power attack)+9 STR.  Easily does more than 20 points of damage, bypassing the hardness.However, an iron weapon has only hardness 10.  Can it do damage to the phylactary?  I.E., can mundane steel items sunder adamatine ones?  It seems... lame... to just hit an incredibly expensive and powerful item over and over with a greatsword, as well.  I imagine many meanspirited liches would devise some sort of nasty curse or trick to foil such an obvious approach.THE MAGICAL APPROACHA targeted dispel magic will only suppress the item for 1d4 rounds.  Not long enough.Antimagic Field would suppress the phlactary for longer than Dispel Magic.Mage’s Disjunction would definitely work, but seems like overkill.THE QUEST APPROACHAny method that destroys an artifact should also work for a phylactary.  Grinding it in the stones of the earth, having it consumed in the fires of an ancient red dragon, casting it into the heart of Mount Doom, etc. etc.  So I could devise a suitable side-quest to destroy the thing.GREAT, ITS GONE...  NOW WHAT?Once the phylactery is gone, the lich cannot reform if slain.  So it is vulnerable to permanent death.Can the lich make another phylactary?  I'd say no, not without a Wish or Miracle to call back the lost life essence.Would the lich sally forth, determined to avenge itself on the adventurers at all costs?  Or would it be more likely to cower in a deep hole, afraid of permanent death?  I imagine the latter, combined with indirect strikes and plots is probably more likely.</blockquote>

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