[High level monsters and powers] What can Graz'zt actually do?

[Mirtek]

The thing that confused me, is not that there isn't any NPC rituals, but that there's one but not more: there's a ritual to become a Lich in the Monster Manual, and it's obviously not intended for players (since there's no rules on how to actually give a player a template)

Why arent there more of those?

Draconomicon also has some of them. Rituals which are usefull to dragons trying to improve their lairs but not of much use to PCs. So maybe we'll see a change in how 4e handles explaining such out of combat acts of NPCs

 

[James McMurray]

There are others, they just don't have stats (because they don't ned them). For instance, aboleths create servitors via a ritual. Boneclaws and Collosi are also created through rituals. Cultists summon demons or angels that way too. All of them are flavor text methods to allow GMs to design scenarios without the constriction inherent in a ritual with rules. I think the only reasons the lich ritual was given stats are that it sets a minimum level for the transformation, and gives rules for how phylacteries work.

 

[TheLordWinter]

Perhaps it was a hold over from when they were planning to allow PCs to become liches? It seems like a few other templates in the Dungeon Master's Guide, like the Mummy or the Death Knight, also should have had similar requirements/rituals, yet did not?

 

[Lizard]

"Lich" would be an EXCELLENT Epic Destiny.

 

[jensun]

"Lich" would be an EXCELLENT Epic Destiny.

Funnily enough this is exactly what one of my players wants to do. We are only just at level 11 so I have a while before it needs to be fleshed out.

 

[James McMurray]

Lich could be the paragon path, and demilich the epic destiny. The 30th level ability would be Apotheosis, a la Acererak and the Return to the Tomb of Horrors.