killing the Lich

[Darklone]

/jawdrop

Does a Lich destroyed within an Antimagic Zone return to his phylactery?

I would think so. The AMF around his phylactery would help though.

 

[James McMurray]

The phylactery doesn't trigger for 1d10 days, at which point his spirit has already departed this plane, so an AMF where he is wouldn't help. As Darklone says, an AMF around the phylactery would help, but you'll need a very long duration one or a magic dead zone. At which point, if you've found the phylactery why not just destroy it?

Could make for an interesting plot hook though, if an ancient lich managed to somehow turn an indestructible item (perhaps an artifact) into a phylactery, which was hidden deep inside a magic dead zone by his destroyers.

 

[Darklone]

Could make for an interesting plot hook though, if an ancient lich managed to somehow turn an indestructible item (perhaps an artifact) into a phylactery, which was hidden deep inside a magic dead zone by his destroyers.

Hehehe... reminds me of one of my campaigns, where the PCs finally found the phylactery that was hidden in the head of a vampire girl the players freed from a ghostship... yeah well. It was a magical adamantine box with pretty good hardness and hitpoints.

The biggest beaf PC, a cleric of Kord with strength domain, engaged all his buffs and all other specials, the other PCs did his best to help him as well... and he smacked it with full force! Actually he managed to cause 2 points of damage

Then the groups psion walked by, asked what they were doing... they told him. He snipped, levitated the thing high up and dropped it... CRACK. He grinned, said "Mind over matter" and walked away.

 

[shilsen]

Best thing IMX is to wait till the lich is back and to locate him all the time... he'll be back pretty close to his phylactery.

You know, that's not actually stated anywhere in the description of the lich's phylactery. It's a completely reasonable assumption, of course, but not one specifically pointed out in the RAW.

 

[pallandrome]

Well, actually, I wasn't thinking of destroying him at all. If you have some way of making a perminant AMF, or dead magic zone, just stick him in it, and have the fighter chain his butt to the floor. Very few liches are very scary in such circumstances. Another option is to drop an anti-magic feild on him, and have the fighter stuff his butt into a bag of holding, that the others hold at the edge of the feild. Toss bag into portable hole, and the Lich is now someone elses damn problem.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Unfortunately, any lich worth his salt will use spells to protect the location of the phylactery. The best to keep killig him every time that he shows up. You will get XP on a creature that is getting less and less powerful as he loses a level every time that he is defeated.

I think most liches have a bit more farsight than to attack the party weaker than they were the first time. He's not just going to come back to unlife, scry and teleport in to get his ass kicked with in an hour of coming coming back

A lich being immortal and usually very intelligent and/or wise recognizes this and will wait till he has a better, more diabolical plot than before. And having fought the party before he'll take time to be ready to exploit their weaknessess a defend against their strengths.



In response to the OP, I've always thought torturing a lich might be a good way to find out the location of the phylactery. Assuming sentient undead feel pain, if you hurt him enough to make him wish he were destroyed he might just tell you.
On the other hand you could always just capture the lich and make sure he's always too destracted to prepare new spells in whatever dungeon you lock him up in. Of course any DM worth his salt will have him eventually escape.

 

[Darklone]

In response to the OP, I've always thought torturing a lich might be a good way to find out the location of the phylactery. Assuming sentient undead feel pain, if you hurt him enough to make him wish he were destroyed he might just tell you.

Honestly, I can't think of one thing that would make a lich tell you about his phylactery. Torture? Never. Even if he would feel pain, he would laugh.

 

[DreamChaser]

Well, actually, I wasn't thinking of destroying him at all. If you have some way of making a perminant AMF, or dead magic zone, just stick him in it, and have the fighter chain his butt to the floor. Very few liches are very scary in such circumstances. Another option is to drop an anti-magic feild on him, and have the fighter stuff his butt into a bag of holding, that the others hold at the edge of the feild. Toss bag into portable hole, and the Lich is now someone elses damn problem.

You realize that the AMF would prevent the bag of holding from opening, right?

DC

 

[Darklone]

You know, that's not actually stated anywhere in the description of the lich's phylactery. It's a completely reasonable assumption, of course, but not one specifically pointed out in the RAW.

Yupp, looks like the Dracolich thing brought me off track.

 

[pallandrome]

You realize that the AMF would prevent the bag of holding from opening, right?

DC

Well, that's why I said to open it at the EDGE of the field.