Lords of the Night: Liches
Lords of the Night: Liches
3.5
Void Lich: But the Guardian’s worst betrayal was yet to come. To prove his loyalty, the newly named Sentinel of the Void gave his dark master a terrible gift. He devised magical incantations that allowed mortals the ability to trade their life energy in exchange for the powers of Creation. Known as Black Rituals, these incantations were terrible and sinister indeed, for in addition to the power to shape reality, those performing the Rituals were flooded with Void, the wicked darkness that ensnared their minds and corrupted their thoughts. They became slaves to the Void, minions of a truly terrible evil.
Thriving on shadow, all who cast the rituals became known as Void Liches and they were a force of terrible darkness, twisted by the power of the Arcane and wrapped with the rage and madness of the Void.
Void Liches follow a similar progression to that of Arcane Liches yet unlike those of the Arcane, they have but one Ritual to bind them inexorably to the Void.
An Arcane Lich that has been corrupted by the Void.
Void Rituals on the other hand, can be found almost everywhere. Most great libraries will contain them, sometimes masked as the ramblings of madmen or disguised as nonmagical formulae and obscure mystical information. However innocuous they may at first seem, these Rituals are utterly corrupted and will drag the caster down the Path of the Void into utter despair. Only the most foolish, naive or desperate should attempt them. Or those wishing to align themselves with the Great Corrupter...
Unlike Arcane Liches, there is but one Void Ritual; a single mystical oath that binds a person, body, mind and soul to the power of the Void. Once the words are uttered, the Void is conjured, weaving itself into the caster’s thoughts. From then on they are bound by shadow, shackled to the Void with unbreakable chains of hunger. As a mortal moves down the Black Path, they are further twisted, their minds and bodies shifting into new forms until they finally collapse into death and arise, a dark and terrible Void Lich.
Void Wraith: Many of us reached out to the Void in an attempt to turn back the tide of shadow, yet those that did found only madness. The Void took those that had not the strength to resist and twisted them into harrowed creations. These Wraiths fled the Spectral to wander the mortal realms, champions of evil and enemies of the Arcane, bound in mortal flesh and given strength by the Void.
Those touched by the Void were transformed into madness-stricken Wraiths filled with a desperate thirst for Arcane energy and a terrible desire to feast upon our essence.
When a Void Lich is Vanquished, they Reform in the Spectral, bereft of sanity and filled with a terrible craving for Arcane energy. They are doomed to linger as madness riddled ghosts for the rest of eternity...
When the Arcane was touched by the Void, those that reached out to explore the new and alien force were corrupted by its power. They became the Darke Vertex, terrible beings of the purest evil (known as Wraiths by the Conclave).
Arcane Lich: In our most desperate hour we were left with only one option. We amended the Rituals the Sentinel of the Void had used to enslave his army of Void Liches. Binding the Ritual to the forces of Creation we gathered our powers and created the first Arcane Liches.
Armed with the Rituals of the Arcane Transference, the Conclave was sent out into the mortal realms in search of others to join our army. We offered our powers freely, allowing those that would cast the Rituals to do so of their own volition.
An Arcane Lich is a once-living creature that has sacrificed their mortality to gain a glimpse of the powers of Creation. Through the five Rituals of the Arcane Transference, the mortal imprints the matrix of their consciousness upon reality.
The Ritual of the Arcane Transference
The five Rituals of the Arcane Transference allow a mortal to exchange some of their life-force in return for the ability to manipulate reality. With every Ritual, a mortal must give up a portion of their life essence in exchange for a similar amount of Arcane energy. This energy grants them incredible powers but it also takes them one step away from their mortality.
When a Lich imprints their mind into reality, they are acknowledged by the universe and accepted by Creation. They are granted an endless existence, but this is in mind alone. To derive any lasting power from the Arcane, a potential Lich must become immortal.
The easiest way to do this is by passing into undeath.
The Arcane Rituals use necromancy to seal the caster’s flesh into undeath. Only then is the caster’s mind elevated to a new level of consciousness, free to explore the Path of the Arcane, unfettered by the demands of the flesh.
A mortal that has sacrificed their mortality to become one with the Arcane.
All mortals beginning down the Arcane Path must create a Lesser Phylactery. A Lesser Phylactery is a simple item, hand crafted by the prospective Lich as per the instructions in the Ritual of the Arcane Transference. Lesser Phylacteries typically appear as: jewelry, weapons, armor, crystals, ornate boxes and religious icons. A Lesser Phylactery has double the hardness, hit points and Break DC of a standard item of its kind. It has a crafting DC of 15, takes one week to create and costs between 25 to 50 gp (made up of silver, gold or at least one semi-precious stone).
A mortal can only become an Arcane Lich through the Rituals of the Arcane Transference. These Rituals allow a mortal to imprint their mind upon the fabric of the universe through complex magical incantations and mystical words of power. The Rituals quite literally fool the universe into believing that the caster is one of the Arcane and has free reign to shape reality by the power of thought alone.
There are five Arcane Rituals, each one of increasing power and complexity. Only the first Ritual can be found in the mortal realms. Beyond that, if a mortal wishes to venture further down the Arcane Path they must journey to Kethak in search of the wisdom of the Conclave and their aid in becoming an Arcane Lich.
The easiest way to obtain the Rituals of the Arcane Transference is to visit Kethak and the Aedes Singularis, the home of the Conclave and the great Rituals of Power. Of course, merely getting to Kethak requires that the character be Arcane Touched, so that in itself is the first test. The Guild of Wizards guard their Rituals carefully, and those that petition the Conclave to become Liches are carefully screened for suitability. A candidate must show considerable magical potential, have the intelligence to comprehend the complex mystical incantations and have the stability to handle the transformation the Arcane will exert over mind and body. Only when the Conclave deems a mortal ready do they confer the next of the Rituals upon them.
Each Ritual has a minimum Intelligence requirement that a Lich must meet in order to be able to decipher its complex mystical instructions. To the less intelligent an Arcane Ritual is simply a jumble of incomprehensible glyphs, symbols and diagrams.
A spellcaster must be of sufficient power and level to be able to command the forces contained within each Arcane Ritual. They must be arcane spellcasters of a minimum level.
A lesser mortal (even one that can read the Ritual) simply will not be able to master the vast power needed to fuel the Ritual and all casting attempts will utterly fail.
Arcane Rituals are complex and often expensive affairs. Many can take months or even years to prepare. A number of rare and/or exotic items may be needed, all of which must be hand-crafted. A would-be Lich must take specific precautions indeed to ensure that the Ritual is performed as accurately and precisely as possible.
Before a mortal can begin the Rituals to become an Arcane Lich, he must have created a Lesser Phylactery. This is a simple device that ties his life force into the Arcane. A mortal cannot create a Standard Phylactery until he becomes a Sunken Lich.
The Arcane Rituals are complex and time consuming to perform. Each takes a minimum of eight hours plus at least two additional hours per Ritual level (to become a Skeletal Lich takes around sixteen hours). The caster must expend all of their Arcane energy in the process.
The Arcane Rituals are draining on the mortal endurance. They must only be performed once in every thirty day period or the caster could be utterly slain in the process. At a Ritual’s completion, a still-mortal caster is drained of all but one point of their Constitution and recovers at a rate of 1 point per hour thereafter.
A mortal must have a minimum level of Constitution to withstand the necromantic forces of the Ritual. If he does not meet the minimum requirement, he is slain in the casting of the Ritual and his mind is destroyed. Providing the caster follows the Ritual exactly (and meets all of the requirements) there is no chance of failure.
After successfully completing each Arcane Ritual, the mortal advances to the next Lich State, taking on a new template as his body is further infused with necromantic energy. Example: A mortal casts the third Ritual of the Arcane Transference and becomes a Sunken Lich. He applies all the template modifiers for his State and changes his type to Undead.
The Arcane Rituals were designed for the mortal races (specifically humans). Elementals, demons, undead, nonsentient beings and creatures non-native to the mortal realms cannot bind themselves to the Spectral. Additionally there is a fifty percent chance of failure for non-human creatures or for beings with exceptionally long life spans (in particular elves and drow). The Rituals NEVER work on magical creatures (including dragons, and all monsters).
Lich State Death Living Sunken Necrotic Skeletal Spectral
Touched Dead Lich Lich Lich Lich
Ritual Level AR1 AR2 AR3 AR4 AR5 N/A
Minimum Intelligence 16 17 20 22 25 30
Minimum Level 1 5 9 11 13 17
Constitution Cost 2 (11) 4 (8) All (5) - - -
Arcane +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +10
Arcana Points +3/1 +0/2 +0/3 +0/4 +0/5 +0/6
Arcane Threshold 3 6 10 15 20 N/A
Insanities +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 N/A
Insanity Threshold 12 (10) 13 (12) 14 (14) 15 (16) 16 (20) N/A
Sorcerae Modifier +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +8
Ability Penalty -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 N/A
Arcane Feats +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1
Ritual Level: This is the Ritual number that must be followed in sequence. Example: a mortal must become Death Touched before he can become Living Dead. Where noted, AR refers to the current Ritual level the character has attained. Example: AR2 indicates that the character has cast the second Arcane Ritual and is currently Living Dead.
Minimum Intelligence: This is the base (minimum) level of Intelligence a Lich needs to be able to comprehend each Arcane Ritual. This must be his permanent Intelligence score and cannot be modified by spell or magical items.
Minimum Level: This is the minimum level a character must be before they can perform each Arcane Ritual. Only a Lich’s arcane spellcasting classes have any impact on the minimum level requirement. Example: A character must be 9th level to become a Sunken Lich. He must have nine levels of Wizard or Sorcerer (or any pure arcane spellcasting class); any other classes do not count.
Constitution Cost: This is the amount of Constitution a character loses when casting each Arcane Ritual. The number in parentheses is the base (minimum) Constitution a character must have in order to perform each Ritual. This must be his permanent Constitution score and cannot be modified by spell or magical items. Upon casting each Ritual the caster loses an amount of Constitution stated for that Ritual and gains an equal amount of Arcane in return. A character does not ever lose hit points from their reduced Constitution.
Necromantic Lich: Although necromantic liches (known as mundane liches) have existed in the mortal realms for millennia, they are not like us in any way. Some say the dark gods sought to mirror the power of the Ancients and to create beings that could shape the universe, yet instead they managed only to create beings that were trapped in necromancy and undeath, mortals twisted by darkness and the most terrible evil.
Sunken Lich: All mortals becoming Sunken Liches must fashion a Standard Phylactery. This is a more potent device of similar design to a Lesser Phylactery but has a hardness of 20, 40 hit points and a Break DC of 40. A Standard Phylactery has a crafting DC of 20 and costs 100,000gp and 2,000 XP. The creator must be 9th level or greater and must have the Craft Wondrous Item feat and a crafting skill of no fewer than 9 ranks in their chosen material (or materials).
Sunken Liches are those mortals that have passed beyond the veil of life and into undeath.
The three Advanced Rituals of the Arcane Transference allow a mortal to transform immediately into a Sunken, Necrotic Lich or Skeletal Lich. Hugely expensive and difficult, they are grueling to perform and the chance of success is not always guaranteed. They have no Arcane cost, but require many rare and/or exotic ingredients.
Many mortals quest for decades to get the correct mystical potions and artifacts together to perform one of these Rituals. Rare items are those highly expensive and/or difficult to obtain items that typically must be found or sourced by the aspirant Lich. They cannot normally be bought. The caster must make a Spellcraft check to perform each Ritual safely. A fail and the Ritual has absolutely no effect. Each Ritual is permanent.
Arcane Ascendance ritual of power.
Necrotic Lich: Necrotic Liches have advanced far beyond mortal existence. The long years have worn down flesh until nothing but tendon and sinew remain and the breath of life is nothing but a distant memory.
The three Advanced Rituals of the Arcane Transference allow a mortal to transform immediately into a Sunken, Necrotic Lich or Skeletal Lich. Hugely expensive and difficult, they are grueling to perform and the chance of success is not always guaranteed. They have no Arcane cost, but require many rare and/or exotic ingredients.
Many mortals quest for decades to get the correct mystical potions and artifacts together to perform one of these Rituals. Rare items are those highly expensive and/or difficult to obtain items that typically must be found or sourced by the aspirant Lich. They cannot normally be bought. The caster must make a Spellcraft check to perform each Ritual safely. A fail and the Ritual has absolutely no effect. Each Ritual is permanent.
Corpus Transformation ritual of power.
Skeletal Lich: Skeletal Liches are thousands of years old. Their flesh has long been consumed by necromancy and they are naught but bones.
The three Advanced Rituals of the Arcane Transference allow a mortal to transform immediately into a Sunken, Necrotic Lich or Skeletal Lich. Hugely expensive and difficult, they are grueling to perform and the chance of success is not always guaranteed. They have no Arcane cost, but require many rare and/or exotic ingredients.
Many mortals quest for decades to get the correct mystical potions and artifacts together to perform one of these Rituals. Rare items are those highly expensive and/or difficult to obtain items that typically must be found or sourced by the aspirant Lich. They cannot normally be bought. The caster must make a Spellcraft check to perform each Ritual safely. A fail and the Ritual has absolutely no effect. Each Ritual is permanent.
Osseus Transfiguration ritual of power.
Spectral Lich, Ghost Lich: Spectral Liches (also known as Ghost Liches) are powerful, and very old. They are those Liches that have passed beyond the physical and into a realm of pure consciousness.
Artifex Lich, Artificer: ?
Darke Lich: ?
Dirge Lich, Corpse Lich: ?
Frost Lich, Battle Lich: A Frost Lich is bound to the element of cold.
Mors Lich, Crypt Lich: ?
Prime Lich, High Lich: ?
Umbral Lich, Puppeteer: An Umbral Lich is an elementalist bound at least partially to the element of Shadow.
Servitor: Servitor Arcane power.
Arcane Vampire: There are whispers of ancient Rituals that can convert a vampire into an Arcane Vampire, beings far beyond those of the Void and attuned to the powers of Creation. The Sanctus Cor are said to be capable of performing these Rituals, but they have not chosen to do so. They have told the Conclave that they are waiting for something. But for what could the mysterious Sleepers be waiting...?
Blood Lich: Void Liches may at first seem similar, but there are actually several different Types. The best performing members (those supplicants that Destroy the most Arcane Liches or devour the most Arcane energy) are summoned to Varg’Ash where they are subjected to powerful energies in chambers terrifyingly close to the very essence of the Void. There they are transformed in an agonizing process into the higher forms of Void Lich.
Nether Lich: Void Liches may at first seem similar, but there are actually several different Types. The best performing members (those supplicants that Destroy the most Arcane Liches or devour the most Arcane energy) are summoned to Varg’Ash where they are subjected to powerful energies in chambers terrifyingly close to the very essence of the Void. There they are transformed in an agonizing process into the higher forms of Void Lich.
SERVITOR
This is the power of legends, for through it you can raise the dead and create permanent Servitors for yourself. These Servitors are your absolute minions and you can have great power over them. While most of your Servitors are skeletons and zombies, at higher levels of power you can create unique and powerful forms of undead, from mundane vampires, to spectres and even greater creations. The most powerful Liches can create entire armies of shambling undead.
Creating the Undead
You can animate the dead by expending Arcane energy to create Servitors, artificially created corpses under your absolute will. These Servitors are mindless creatures, incapable of anything but the most menial tasks.
Your Servitors rise up as Skeletons or Zombies (depending on the creature and condition of the corpses). You may create more powerful Servitors with this ability but you are restricted as to the maximum HD and number of undead you can control at any one time.
Use of this power takes one full round. The dead begin to rise at the start of the second round.
Regardless of the hit dice of a Servitor, you cannot create a nonstandard monster with the standard Servitor powers. Only higher State Liches can create Vampires, Shadow Knights and other Liches.
Creating Servitors
You gain the ability to create more powerful undead as you gain further ranks in the Servitor Arcana. For more information on the number, type and power of your Servitors at each Arcana rank, consult the Servitor Creation Chart, below.
SERVITOR CREATION
Skill Rank Undead per Arcane Cost Max Control Max Undead HD
First Tier Necromancer 1 1 2 2
Second Tier Necromancer 2 1 4 2
Third Tier Necromancer 3 1 6 3
Fourth Tier Necromancer 4 1 8 4
Fifth Tier Necromancer 5 1 10 5
Sixth Tier Necromancer 6 1 12 6
Servitor Creation Notes
♦Servitors have stats identical to those of the undead creature they mimic (ie. skeleton, zombie, ghoul. etc.)
♦You cannot create any one Servitor whose Hit Dice exceed your own.
♦ You can see through the eyes of any of your Servitors at any time as a standard action.
♦ The eyes of your Servitors glow with an eerie purplish energy while using this Arcana and streams of Arcane force surround them.
♦ Servitors do not have their original souls. They are Arcane-animated corpses created by your will. They can be turned (although they receive a bonus to their Turn Resistance equal to your Arcana rank).
♦ Your Servitors are affected by Null Magic. Any passing through such areas are instantly destroyed.
♦ Providing a corpse has not been irreparably damaged, you can create a new Servitor out of the parts of old ones. Servitors created with this power simply rise up from the parts of destroyed creatures, glimmering with Arcane energy.
♦Servitors cannot be commanded or compelled by anyone other than their creator through mundane means. However, another Arcane Lich may attempt to take control of another’s Servitor by Arcane methods...
ARCANE ASCENDENCE
Level Requirement: 15th
Apparatus: 250,000 black (must have 25+ Intelligence and no less than five rare/exotic items)
Performance: 24 hours (difficulty: 40)
Transforms a character into a Sunken Lich.
CORPUS TRANSFIGURATION
Level Requirement: 15th
Apparatus: 500,000 black (must have 27+ Intelligence and no less than six rare/exotic items)
Performance: 24 hours (difficulty: 45)
Transforms a character into a Necrotic Lich.
OSSEUS TRANSFIGURATION
Level Requirement: 18th
Apparatus: 1,000,000 black (must have 30+ Intelligence and no less than seven rare/exotic items)
Performance: 24 hours (difficulty: 50)
Transforms a character into a Skeletal Lich.
