Is there a History of how the Phylactery and Liches came to be?

[the Jester]

Hilariously, 3.0 brought into existence the "Good Lich", which I personally abhor. The Arch-Lich (Good, divine casters turned Lich), and the Baelnorn (elven liches) are both good aligned, but generally weaker than an actual Lich.

To quibble, good liches first arrived in 2e; the archlich was from Spelljammer and the baelnorn was a Forgotten Realms beastie.

 

[Sekhmet]

To quibble, good liches first arrived in 2e; the archlich was from Spelljammer and the baelnorn was a Forgotten Realms beastie.

Oh, thanks for the correction.
I still don't agree with the idea of good liches.

 

[the Jester]

Oh, thanks for the correction.
I still don't agree with the idea of good liches.

Hmmm, what if I slip a helm of opposite alignment on an evil one???

 

[Sekhmet]

[MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION] But, immunity to mind affects. (jklolmybffjill)
Consider the DC15 Will save. Typical Lich can roll a 1 and still pass.

 

[the Jester]

[MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION] But, immunity to mind affects. (jklolmybffjill)
Consider the DC15 Will save. Typical Lich can roll a 1 and still pass.

[MENTION=97602]Sekhmet[/MENTION]

Hmm, the 3.5 DMG doesn't tag the helm with the [mind-affecting] descriptor, and earlier editions didn't allow a saving throw.

I stand by my evil/good plan!!

EDIT: All right, I give.

jklolmybffjill???

 

[Sekhmet]

[MENTION=1210]the Jester[/MENTION] "Just kidding, laugh out loud, my best friend forever, Jill". It was a joke, I know the Helmet doesn't care if you're immune to mind affects.

 

[the Jester]

"Just kidding, laugh out loud, my best friend forever, Jill".

The funny thing is, that's what I came up with but was sure there had to be something else for the "Jill" part.

 

[thompsja]

My take on the phylactery/lichdom:

A lich is a being who is determined to continue on. This single minded determination allows an experienced caster to work out what needs to be done. The most common version requires the murder of twelve infants not yet weaned and harvesting their souls so that yours exists both in your body and in your phylactery. Liches are fundamentally creatures of evil, whose quest for existence, at any cost, drives them to commit terrible deeds.

If the ritual was any less costly, more people would do it. It has to be so repugnant, and calling on a favor from Orcus (or whoever is your god of undeath) to remake your basic nature.

 

[Archlyche]

Looking for a particular artwork

...a little off-topic, but

Regarding the Dragon Magazine #26 article "Blueprint for a Lich," does anyone know who did the art for that article? I remember an excellent lich pic, but can't find it, or who even did it.

Complicating matters, the article was reprinted in The Best of Dragon Magazine vol. II, and I can't remember which mag I saw it in!

Does anyone know? I'd hate to shell out $30 for them (each) on Amazon to find out.

 

[Yora]

The lich is a character from slavic myth turned into a generic monster, similar to Medusa from greek myth.

Koshei the Deathless is an immortal with magic powers, who can only be killed by finding his soul, which he has hidden on an island, burried under a tree, in a chest, in which there is a hare that has swollowed duck, in which there is an egg that holds a needle in which his soul is actually contained. Since his name is spelled similar to the word bone in many languages, he is often shown as an almost skeletal ancient old man.