The lich

 

the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. [1 Corinthians 15:26]

 

although they are commonly known as liches (from the middle english lich, or corpse), the lich heralds back to the age of the pharoahs, when powerful egyptian necromancers and alchemists combined magick and thanatology to render themselves immortal.

 

liches are created through a major necromantic ritual, allowing the mage to re-animate and possess his own body once it has died (the mage becomes a demon, after a fashion). becoming a lich requires 3 things: a major charge, knowledge of the ritual used to become a lich, and successful completion of the ritual. if successfully cast, the necromancer becomes a lich, with all the advantages and repercussions that accompany such a dread state.

 

liches may spend charges to enter a trance where they will be oblivious to the passage of time and its ill effects (both mental and physical). during the trance the lich will not deteriorate (though it can be destroyed) and it will cease gaining charges through time's passing (see advantages below). the length of time spent in this trance differs according to the type of charge used: minor charge = one year, sig. charge = one century, major charge = one millenium.

 

advantages

 

liches cannot die by normal means. the only way to kill a lich is to completely destroy the lich's body (through fire or other extreme methods). epideromancy will not affect liches, nor will most blast spells (like entropomancy or pornomancy).

 

if a lich loses a limb (or that limb is otherwise incapacitated), it can simply sew or pin the limb (or the limb from another corpse) back on, with no loss of ability. liches may even be decapitated without suffering permanent damage (both head and body retain ability in this state).

 

liches feel no pain and are not affected by drugs or poisons. they don't age, they don't get sick and they have no need for air or physical sustenance.

 

liches are able to gain charges simply by existing. having crossed over, death becomes an intellectual curiousity rather than an obsession. instead, liches draw their power from the passage of time. a lich gains a minor charge every day, a significant charge every year and a major charge every century. if there are any surviving liches from ancient egypt, they may be the most powerful creatures on the planet. most importantly, liches have no taboo and cannot lose their charges gained from time. liches may also gain charges as per the necromancy spell (the necromancy taboo still applies to these charges and they may be lost so keep track of them separately). liches retain all the charges that they had when they became undead.

 

disadvantages

 

anyone who witnesses a lich must make a stress-2 check against the unnatural (even fresh liches have an unnatural, waxy appearance and an even more unnatural aura). particularly gruesome examples of the undead might merit a more difficult check (this makes it rather difficult for liches to find human servants -- most rely on zombies to carry out their will).

 

as it had already crossed over, the lich may not gain major charges from anything other than the passage of time.

 

for every year that passes, the lich must make a stress check against self. the first year is a stress-1 check, the second year is stress-2, and so on. after a decade (stress-10), the Lich continues to make stress-10 checks (until it becomes hardened or insane).

although decomposition is slowed almost to a halt, it still happens...every year that passes, the lich must make a body roll -- a failure will cause the lich to lose one point of body, permanently (these can never be regained short of using a major charge). if the lich's environment is consistently dry (desert or tundra), the check may be made only once every ten years (or more if the body was preserved in some way). extremely wet climates will necessitate monthly or even weekly checks (there are no liches in seattle...). once the lich's body drops below 30, it will begin to show signs of physical deterioration. liches that drop to 10 body points or below will become physically incapacitated (what a great way to spend eternity!).

 

Return