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Message: <blockquote data-quote="trix" data-source="post: 265703" data-attributes="member: 5337">Cool thread.Artoomis's 5 level prestige class is quite good.A wizard wouldn't be gainining spell advancement and would be 'weaker' than his/her peers if it wernt for the ability benifits.With the motive being immortallity, it would open the doors to unlimited level advancement and effectively, the deeper creation and research of magical items which requires a long life to create and research.As a DM I would allow the prestige class becoming available under the following circumstances:Alot of research and knowledge the becoming a lich is possible.One shouldnt 'just' have the option of becoming a lich while fighting their way through dungeons and castles.Signficant knowledge needs to be obtained.Take a modern example:As a person, I know what a helicopter is.Throwing alot of money and time into research, I could probably make a radio-controlled one.  Does this make me a good pilot? Or an electronics engineer?  (Probably bought radio control equipment and hope that it works).Becoming a lich is along the same lines:I would require the player to acquire the 5 levels in the prestige class.  The player would need to acquire significant knowledge or research before gaining a level.  Magical items might need to be created as tools for undergoing the lich transformation.  (Item 1, Item 2, Item 3, etc).  These might have no usefull combat or gaming ability other than an aid in the transformation process.The raid of a lich's library and/or dedicated time spent in research would be required.  Certain creatures might provide important spell components.  There would be a significant chance in failing the final level, which would result in death of the wizard.  (Otherwise every wizard without morals that has the knowledge would be a lich).  Over time the number of lich's would outweigh the number of non-lichs.I wouldnt restrict the the player to gain levels in the lich prestige class, but I would put an ingame timelimit by which all 5 levels of the prestige class must be completed.I may/maynot allow a player to store XP towards the advancement of levels since alot of it would be required at higher levels.  The window in which lich tranformation must take place might be quite small (a couple of years with specific protection prepared during the first level of transformation or a couple of months or days without said protection).  The transformation might take a long time.Eg: A specific spell/research combination must be cast each moon/whatever, for the next 6 moons.  Failing one results in character death or starts character death.A failiure of a level check would determine whether or not the player had enough information/requirements to advance themselves within the prestige class.  (Rolling, at each level, a 2/d20 might negate the level advancement, 1/d20 is character death).The failiure of a magical item during the transformation process might require the player to construct a new item.  Can the player create the item before his life essence drains away?Example scenario:Some wizard happens to fall across knowledge on lichs.  The tome is the research of some other wizard, or enough to give the insight on what could become.So the wizard does some research, finds some problems in the result and starts the process.Now, the conversion process has been started, but the tome was incomplete.  The wizard realises this as he isnt what he expected to become.  He can feel a change, but does research and may or may not figure out the next step.  If the next step isnt figured in time, the wizard's life essence may fade away and character death occurs.  The abilities of the Lich might also be proportional to how much life essence s/he managed to capture/loose.  You might come across a lich who has Fear @ 10', Partial paralysis touch once per day instead of permanent paralysis at will, etc.Maybe thats why the tome is incomplete and the origional owner/researcher/author does not exist.  (The PCs happen accross the tower of some 'missing' wizard).The failure of some process might make the wizard lich mad, hence evil, as he accidentaly blocked access to a certain field  of magic / ability.  (No 7th, 8th or 9th level spells for you!  You're magically castrated.  Nothing worse than knowing that something exists, but being denied)Surely a real 'lich' would guard his lich secrets quite well.  Would prefer to stay away from civilisation.  If the word got out, every wizard would be seeking his library.  If found its probably the required complete reference, bar one secret which only he knows.The obvious trap is the lack of instruction, and hence destruction to any wizard seeking the Manual of Lichdom.  It would be an obvious trap to any wizard, so, even the 'complete' reference might seem too good to be true ensuring that 'only those who have nothing to loose' would seek lichdom.  hence, more evil lich's than good lichs....-Tim</blockquote>

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