Is using lich phylacteries to power devices evil?

[DM_Matt]

So I've been inspired by the concept of the Grisgol from MM3, a golem powered by the phylactery of a lich whose body has been destroyed. Say that a good character discovers the method by which the grisgol draws power from the phylactery and tries to use it to power a very large and powerful magical item. The question is, is it evil to do so?

I would say no. Its essentially the same thing as sentencing a really, really, evil villain to a mystical work camp where they do good, which especially by the punishment standards of most DND worlds, is certainly within the bounds of goodness. OTOH, I could see how people would call this slavery or say that the arcane power of a caster-turned-lich is inherently evil.

Thoughts?

 

[TheYeti1775]

Equals a Happy Lich

I think you would have a lich more than happy to control your magical machine through his phylactery. Think about it the lich isn't destroyed unless his phylactery is, so unless this machine sucks away the power for the lich to reform, I would say the lich now has a new body.

 

[Funeris]

Answering questions, eh Yeti? where's my complaining about a SH?

Evil would be defined best by the intent of the character using the phylactery. For example, a character using the phylactery to power some huge machine to...I dunno..irrigate land for growing crops would be good. A character using the phylactery to power some gigantic, unstoppable machine of death would be evil. And a character using it to power a machine that alternately kills one individual then heals another...well aside form insane, that would be TRUE neutral.

So, it depends on intent. Now, just realize that if it doesn't drain enough energy, perhaps the lich can control the machine. Also, if it works quite well, then you have to worry about other people stealing the phylactery to use it as a battery. Then you have governments condeming people into lichdom just to punish them eternally for possible wrongs....the list of possibilities goes on....and on.....

 

[TheYeti1775]

Intent...

Yes intent matters most here, but when the Lich reforms in a couple of days, intent is thrown out the window.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I'm not familiar with the Grisgol...does the use of the phylactery prevent the lich from reforming? i.e. so long as the phyactery is powering the creature (or theoretical magic item), the lich is bodiless and inert?

If so, I don't see using the phyactery as evil. I'd probably consider it neutral. You're imprisoning an evil creature by neutralizing its means of reforming, while making use of the magic.

I would consider it foolhardy, though. Far better to destroy the phyactery while you have the chance, rather than risk the possibility of the lich getting free later on....

 

[Funeris]

Foolhardy is right.

The road to the nine hells is paved with good intentions

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Let's look at it this way:

Let's assume that there's a powerful, evil being, which invests all of its power in an otherwise rather plain magical item - like an ensorceled gem. Perhaps it has some ancillary powers, like the ability to power a golem. So long as the item remains intact, the evil being can come back into power.

Is it Evil to ignore the consequences, and keep the item for its potential usefulness, when you could have destroyed it by crushing the gem?

Now, let's look at it this way:

Let's assume that there's a powerful, evil being, which invests all of its power in an otherwise rather plain magical item - like a heavy gold ring. Perhaps it has some ancillary powers, like the ability to turn its wearer invisible. So long as the item remains intact, the evil being can come back into power.

Is it Evil to ignore the consequences, and keep the item for its potential usefulness, when you could have destroyed it by tossing it into some lava?

Now how do you answer the question?

 

[DM_Matt]

Yeah, the machine would prevent the lich from re-forming.

As far as it being foolish, its no more foolish than giving an evildoer life in prison instead of executing him. In this case, however, the lich would be powerless to break out. And yes, the "technology" would be in high demand and is possible that a cabal of liches might start hunting people who have it to prevent people hunting them down for batteries.

The situation is that an evil necromancer has built a big scary eldritch machine powered by four lich phylacteries, and an ally of the PCs (actually, a retired PC they gave some research notes they stole from him) is going to figure out how to duplicate that aspect of the device. The PCs have a large compound in a city that it under attack and will soon be overrun. They want to make their compound into a flying island and float out to sea to safety with supplies and refugees. However, they need a way to maintain that kind of magic without turning their base into a giant magical item and taking months to do so. I'd like to put them in a race against time to find a way to power their flying base indefinately or else it will crash.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Yeah, the machine would prevent the lich from re-forming.

As far as it being foolish, its no more foolish than giving an evildoer life in prison instead of executing him.

I disagree, unless by "evildoer" you mean "inherently evil immortal sorcerer of terrible power." But since your mind seems made up on that point, no need for us to go further. As far as I'm concerned using the phylacteries is not evil in and of itself.

 

[CyberSpyder]

Let's look at it this way:
Now how do you answer the question?

The difference, of course, being that unlike the One Ring, lich phylacteries don't inevitably corrupt those who use them for good ends. Mustn't use improper analogies, after all.