D&D 5E "The" Lich?

[RotGrub]

Vecna is a good pick, but Vecna was also in Ravenloft at one point.

If we are talking about the FR, I'd pick Zhengyi, who is apparently more powerful than Szass Tam.

 

[pedro2112]

Did they truly believe that doing that would accomplish anything other than irritating a lich with a wall that would only be there briefly?

Well, it was over 30 years ago that we played that mod. However, I recall under the rules of that edition that once a Wall of Stone was put up, it was permanent. They truly left afterwards, and I thought the mod indicated that if left alone, the Lich doesn't bother PCs.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Well, it was over 30 years ago that we played that mod. However, I recall under the rules of that edition that once a Wall of Stone was put up, it was permanent. They truly left afterwards, and I thought the mod indicated that if left alone, the Lich doesn't bother PCs.

According to the module, using magic in the area or casting detect magic will draw his attack. Of course he has the whole cave cloaked in an illusion to appear empty and if the party wanders in stumbling around then they are likely to stumble onto the lich hanging out in the back just chillin.

 

[allenw]

Even so, what lich are still lich (and not gods, or anything else well outside of PC ability to deal with) but very memorable and compelling?

Xykon.

Or, if he's not eligible due to not actually being in a D&D product: The fake "Acerak" from the fake tomb in Tomb of Horrors. It's probably the "lich" that the greatest number of players has fought, and almost certainly the one that the greatest number of players has defeated. It's even on the cover!

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I think we are not agreeing about what "iconic" means. In this case it means "average member who's stats should be used in the monster manual". So you have for the generic goblins not the stats of Selchak the Shower of Blade or Graznol who calls the Dark, but rather JoeBob TurnipFace.

If that's your definition, then Strahd shouldn't count as the "iconic" vampire. He's got way more going on than most vampires do.

 

[Uller]

I'll take "stuff I only know because my friends told it to me to try and convince me to watch Adventure Time" for 1 XP, Alex.

He is called "The Lich" afterall...

I like how they magically healed him and turned him into a giant baby former lich.

 

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

Xykon.

Or, if he's not eligible due to not actually being in a D&D product: The fake "Acerak" from the fake tomb in Tomb of Horrors. It's probably the "lich" that the greatest number of players has fought, and almost certainly the one that the greatest number of players has defeated. It's even on the cover!

This is the way I am leaning as well, that Acer is the "definitive" lich.

 

[Sunseeker]

He is called "The Lich" afterall...

I like how they magically healed him and turned him into a giant baby former lich.

It makes for an interesting way to kill an undead though, players so often just go straight to hitting it, it's rare someone says "I think I'll heal it!" because heck even by the old D&D rules, healing worked backwards on the undead.

 

[Shasarak]

It makes for an interesting way to kill an undead though, players so often just go straight to hitting it, it's rare someone says "I think I'll heal it!" because heck even by the old D&D rules, healing worked backwards on the undead.

It is hard enough to get the Cleric to heal us now, without wasting it on the Lich!

 

[Maxperson]

Well, it was over 30 years ago that we played that mod. However, I recall under the rules of that edition that once a Wall of Stone was put up, it was permanent. They truly left afterwards, and I thought the mod indicated that if left alone, the Lich doesn't bother PCs.

The permanence is irrelevant. High level wizards have access to pass wall, rock to mud, dimension door, etherealness, teleport, teleport without error, gem jump, and a plethora of other movement spells. All the wall of stone did was make the lich take a round to move past it and then kill the party. He could dismantle the wall the next day if he didn't happen to have rock to mud, limited wish or wish memorized.

I suspect that either the DM didn't know how to play a lich, or he was being very nice to you guys. Since I don't know him, I'll go with the latter