Pimp my lich

[SelcSilverhand]

Lots of good ideas here.
Something else you might look at is Corpse Crafter and Destructive Retribution from Libris Mortis. Any undead you create explode for negative energy damage when killed. If you animate enough undead you've got a nice surprise when the melee types start using great cleave or the casters do some nuking.
You can either send them in as bombs to soften them up or have them fight at your side providing some free healing as they get destroyed. You could have some archer minions purposefully destroying your undead around you as you need healing.

I just ran a lich encounter for my group (around 13th level). He opened up with a quickened ray of exhaustion (for the barbarian to prevent him from raging) then waves of fatigue for the rest of the melee. Next round he used a quickened blindness/deafness on the wizard and stinking cloud. He then ran around with greater invisibility doing finger of death and paralyzing attacks. Luckily the druid managed to hit him with faerie fire and the few remaining mobile people started taking him down.

My favorite tactics still involve using a quickened silence + solid fog + cloudkill then wall of force in front and behind (if in a corridor). If you can get some incorporeal minions such as wraiths, shadows, or ghosts that can move around in the cloud they can keep the casters busy so they don't have a chance to get off a dispel magic (If they happen to have a silent one prepared or a rod).

 

[Bungus]

Lots of good ideas here.
Something else you might look at is Corpse Crafter and Destructive Retribution from Libris Mortis. Any undead you create explode for negative energy damage when killed. If you animate enough undead you've got a nice surprise when the melee types start using great cleave or the casters do some nuking.
You can either send them in as bombs to soften them up or have them fight at your side providing some free healing as they get destroyed. You could have some archer minions purposefully destroying your undead around you as you need healing.

I just ran a lich encounter for my group (around 13th level). He opened up with a quickened ray of exhaustion (for the barbarian to prevent him from raging) then waves of fatigue for the rest of the melee. Next round he used a quickened blindness/deafness on the wizard and stinking cloud. He then ran around with greater invisibility doing finger of death and paralyzing attacks. Luckily the druid managed to hit him with faerie fire and the few remaining mobile people started taking him down.

My favorite tactics still involve using a quickened silence + solid fog + cloudkill then wall of force in front and behind (if in a corridor). If you can get some incorporeal minions such as wraiths, shadows, or ghosts that can move around in the cloud they can keep the casters busy so they don't have a chance to get off a dispel magic (If they happen to have a silent one prepared or a rod).

Thanks - some excellent ideas here. Nice encounter with the greater invisibility & finger of death.

 

[Bungus]

how did your lich session turn out, by the way?

My target is for the lich (or the balor) to make an appearance at next Saturday's session.

If I do go with the balor-gating idea, that battle will likely take up the last half of the session, meaning the lich won't be there until the following Saturday. Though, I suppose the lich could walk in at the close of the session after the balor explodes and then mention something about being angry that his pet was destroyed by you interlopers.

And, then call it a day gaming-wise.

 

[Bungus]

Undead minions??! Last Lich in a game I ran was a Druid conjurer specialist, summoning up demonic vegetation. Who knew spinach & broccoli with templates would freak out players

the location is more conducive to undead minions than plants, but that is a good thought for a future lich.

 

[Bungus]

Well, the Dread Necromancer becomes a Lich for essentially free at level 20.

It's from the book Heroes of Horror.

I'm not sure what precisely you're asking, so sorry if my suggestion makes no sense.

Looks pretty good - a sorcerer type that becomes a lich. However, the spell list seems a bit limited to me, and spontaneous casters can't quicken spells unless they have an item that gives them that ability.

Responding now because I forgot I had Heros of Horror and I looked it up when I found it.

 

[Theroc]

Looks pretty good - a sorcerer type that becomes a lich. However, the spell list seems a bit limited to me, and spontaneous casters can't quicken spells unless they have an item that gives them that ability.

Responding now because I forgot I had Heros of Horror and I looked it up when I found it.

Can't a Dread Necromancer use Divine Metamagic to use his rebuke attempts for that?

I'm not a casting expert, so if I misunderstood something with the magic, don't mind me.

I especially can't look it up since a virus killed all my PDFs.

 

[Bungus]

Can't a Dread Necromancer use Divine Metamagic to use his rebuke attempts for that?

I'm not a casting expert, so if I misunderstood something with the magic, don't mind me.

I especially can't look it up since a virus killed all my PDFs.

I could be wrong on that - so, I will look it up. But, I don't recall the divine metamagic feats allowing quickening of spells? I was thinking of the Divine feats in PHB2, but there could be others?

 

[Theroc]

I could be wrong on that - so, I will look it up. But, I don't recall the divine metamagic feats allowing quickening of spells? I was thinking of the Divine feats in PHB2, but there could be others?

I believe the quicken was in COmplete Divine... but I may have imagined it.

 

[Bungus]

I believe the quicken was in COmplete Divine... but I may have imagined it.

Yes - looked it up and you can give up a turn attempt to apply 1 level of metamagic to a spell, or 4 turn attempts to apply 4 levels (to quicken)

 

[Elethiomel]

Yes - looked it up and you can give up a turn attempt to apply 1 level of metamagic to a spell, or 4 turn attempts to apply 4 levels (to quicken)

I'm pretty certain it's level of metamagic +1, so 5 to quicken.