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A while back I was involved with a discussion here about the possibilities of Non-Evil Liches. There were a number of ideas bandied about, but it was put forth that a non-evil lich wouldn't really be a lich anymore, and would in fact have to be some completely different type of creature. I was inspired to toy with that idea for a bit, and came up with an interesting variant.
So - submitted, for your approval/criticism:
Reliquant
The reliquant is a figure or legend and awe. The pinnacle of self-sacrifice and piety, the reliquant is a spellcaster whose extreme devotion to serving the greater good has allowed his soul to persist beyond the death of his body in order to continue doing good works. While many envy the idea of such immortality, the path of becoming a reliquant is only open to those who are willing to endure the strictest asceticism and practice total abnegation of the self. The process involves extreme fasting, renouncing all worldly posessions and earthly pleasures, and attracting a devoted following who draw inspiration from the potential reliquant's example.
To have any hope of becoming a reliquant, a character must spend years or decades pursuing an agenda of giving all they can in the service of others: going naked so that others may be clothed, going hungry so that others may eat, breaking his own body so that others may live. At the same time, the character must be a relentless force for the greater good: performing miracles, doing mighty deeds, and otherwise protecting others from evil.
Eventually, if he stays true to his principles, he may attract Supplicants: a fanatical following who are inspired by his example, study his teachngs, and record his deeds. These supplicants must then bear witness as the potential reliquant makes the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life in a heroic fashion to save others. If they are sufficiently moved by his final actions, they will then construct a reliquary where the character's soul will come to rest, and one of the supplicants will willingly give up it's body so that the reliquant may once more rise to walk the world, doing good and helping others.
The Reliquant's Reliquary
An integral part of becoming a reliquant is the creation of the reliquary in which the character's soul comes to rest. The only way to get rid of a reliquant for sure is to destroy its reliquary. Unless its reliquary is located and destroyed, a reliquant can return after it is killed (see Creating a Reliquant, below).
A reliquant may not construct its own reliquary, but through selfless deeds it must attract followers who become inspired to do so. The reliquary is crafted by using the Craft Wondrous Item feat. The reliquary will not work unless the reliquant interred in it is able to cast spells and has a caster level of 11th or higher. The reliquary costs 120,000 gp to create and has a caster level equal to that of the reliquant at the time of creation.
The most common form of reliquary is a sealed wooden or stone box containing bones or personal items from the original body of the reliquant. The box is small or medium and has 40 hit points, hardness 20, and a break DC of 40.
Other forms of reliquaries can exist, such as statues, shrines, or similar items.
Creating a Reliquant
“Reliquant” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature), provided it sacrifices its own life in service to the greater good and its followers create the required reliquary. A reliquant retains all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
CR: Base Creature +3
Alignment: Any Good
Type: The creature's type changes to Outsider. Do not recalculate BAB, saves, or skill ranks.
Senses: A reliquant gains True Seeing 60' at will.
Armor Class: A reliquant has a +5 natural armor bonus or the base creature's natural armor bonus, whichever is better.
Hit Dice: Change all of the creature's racial Hit Dice to d10s. All Hit Dice derived from class levels remain unchanged.
Defensive Abilities: A reliquant gains DR 15/evil and magic, and immunity to fire, acid, and all charms, enchantments, or other mind-affecting spells or effects. The reliquant also gains the following defensive abilities:
Sacrificial Remorse (Su): When a reliquant is destroyed, its spirit immediately retreats to its reliquary, which is generally in a heavily guarded and revered shrine surrounded by followers and supplicants. Within 1 week, one of the reliquant's supplicants will be overcome with holy fervor and give up their body for the reliquant's use. They will refuse food and water, falling into soporific meditation, ultimately dying as their body magically transforms into a new body for the reliquant. If any of the creatures who previously destroyed the reliquant's body comes within 100 feet of the reliquary during this time, they will be overcome with a profound remorse and must make a Will save with a DC of 10 + the reliquant's Hit Dice + the reliquant's Cha modifier or else they too will fall on their knees and become a supplicant, eventually starving themselves to death in pennance for their act and giving up their body for the reliquant's use.
Everliving: A reliquant has fast healing (10)
Melee Attack: A reliquant has a touch attack that it can use once per round as a natural weapon. This attack deals no damage but can have one of several effects (see below). A reliquant will never arm itself with a weapon and will not use any natural weapons or attacks it possesed in life.
Damage: A reliquant's touch attack is infused with positive energy and restores 1d8 hit point to living creatires + 1 point of damage per 2 Hit Dice possessed by the reliquant. As positive energy, this touch can be used to deal damage to undead creatures.
Special Attacks: A reliquant gains the special attacks described below. Save DCs are equal to 10 + 1/2 reliquant's HD + reliquant's Cha modifier unless otherwise noted.
Holy Aura (Su): Evil Creatures of less than 6 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at the reliquant must succeed on a Will save or become frightened. Creatures with 6 HD or more must succeed at a Will save or be Shaken for a number of rounds equal to the reliquant's Hit Dice. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same reliquant's aura for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Touch of Grace (Su): Any non-evil living creature a reliquant hits with its touch attack must succeed on a Will save or permanenty fall into a profound state of meditation and prayer similar to endless sleep. Any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim (see the bestow curse spell description, with a DC equal to the lich's save DC). The effect cannot be dispelled except by the reliquant. The subject does not age and appears to be in a state of suspended animation.
Any evil living creature a reliquant hits with its touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save or be permanently turned to stone. Stone to Flesh or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim (see the bestow curse spell description, with a DC equal to the lich's save DC). The effect cannot be dispelled.
Any undead creature a reliquant hits with its touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save or be utterly and immediately destroyed.
Abilities: Con +2, Wis +2, Cha +2.
Skills: Reliquants have a +8 racial bonus on Perception, Sense Motive, and Intimidate checks. A reliquant always treats Climb, Fly, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge(planes), Perception, Sense Motive, and Spellcraft as class skills. Otherwise, skills are the same as the base creature.
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I like the idea of this. Although I would suggest a different means of it's Reliquary. I would say that a tool or object that the being used for good and self sacrifice takes in the beings soul. Be a tree where the creature performed countless good deeds, a medicine box it used to save people and it labored with endlessly, or something of that manner. It feels less good and more self pursuing to have an object built for it.
TL/DR: find where is says race, write Lich. Find where is says Alignment, write Good... done.
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What good is a 'Good lich' who can't be a paladin?
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Pretty cool concept and workable character template! A few issues with the regeneration bit though:
1) Confusing usage of both "spirit" and "soul" as if separate things, or something. Is the soul remotely controlling a puppet body like a lich? Is half the soul interred? ARE the spirit and soul different things? If so please explain, etc.
Good call! Need to replace "spirit" with soul in all instances.
2) Supplicants coming within range during regen pass a check blah blah or else they starve and give up their bodies. Okay, cool. But, doesn't the thing already have a new body? Does it have 2 now? If 7 such people walked in range during this time, does it now have 8 bodies? It seems like instead of "gives up its body" it should be something more like "is added to the pool/group of supplicants and is ELIGIBLE to give up its body when relevant" or whatever.
Yeah, this is a bit muddled. The idea originally was that if a PC or group of PCs destroy a reliquant, immediately they'd be all be cursed by remorse and anyone who failed the Will save would seek out the reliquary and give up it's body in penitence. That was before the idea of a Reliquant requiring supplicants was in the picture though. Probably simpler to just say that if you fail the Will save you become a supplicant and let the GM handle the rest.
3) Who are "the creatures who previously destroyed the reliquant's body"? Anybody who did damage? Anybody within 173 feet? If important rules are based on this distinction, it needs defining.
Again, that's written with an eye towards a group of PCs destroying an NPC supplicant, so it's in the purview of the GM, I think. Obviously if 5 PCs battle a reliquant and they destroy it together, they should all feel the remorse.
4) Should probably change "within one week" to "1d8 days" or something, and also specify the amount of time for the second phase of the process (the new guy dying)
Good point. Maybe the process begins 1d8 days later and takes another 1d8 days (or maybe 1d8 days plus the Con modifier of the supplicant, if it's a PC).
But they cannot wield weapons, nor can they deal damage with their touch according to your template.
Dot
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But they cannot wield weapons, nor can they deal damage with their touch according to your template.
True, but as a Reliquant the Paladin would spend most of its time granting mercies and healing people, etc. It can turn evil creatures to stone and destroy undead still, it just does it without traditional combat. Liches are classically spellcasters rather than fighters, and I kind of wanted to keep this in the same vein. The idea of a reliquant picking up a sword seemed wrong to me, but I suppose a case could be made.
Here's the real question: Why?
You're already a lich, what do you care what other people think of you, you'll outlive those plebes.
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There are several things in here that strike me as ironic.
The one who spent so much time and energy protecting others has to take a life to continue on... true the life was offered up in sacrifice, but the accepting of the sacrifice would be truly out of character.
Where would a group so devoted to the denial of earthly possessions and wealth come up with 120,000 GP to build a reliquary? If they came up with 120,000 GP would they not build an orphanage (or some other adequately good thing) instead?
The reliquary cost is just a function of this being a re-write of the Lich. I agree that it should probably be significantly reduced or just obviated. You pay for your reliquary with a lifetime of service, I guess? :)
As for the sacrifice, the Reliquant becomes and outsider and thus loses its humanity (just like the Lich) so I can see it accepting the sacrifice in order to continue its obsessive work, and I actually kind of like the slightly creepy vibe of the relationship between Supplicant and Reliquant - it's a "good" entity, but that doesn't make it a "tame" entity? That's one way of looking at it anyway.
Here's the real question: Why?
You're already a lich, what do you care what other people think of you, you'll outlive those plebes.The whole point is you're not a selfish person... This logic only is valid for completely selfish people interested in nothing other than their own gain.
(Although also in addition to that you need supplicants to regenerate, notice)
I would still say who cares about people who call you evil for being a lich or a alignment system that is codified in stupid ways and not codified when codifying would be smart; if you want to spend your endless years living as a lich who helps people, why do you care about alignment especially when alignment is a meta-game mechanic?
Is this a place to put our ideas for non-evil Lich-like creations?
I have this idea of a clockwork version of the Lich.. when destroyed, your "device" creates a new clockwork entity imbued with your soul. Not actually a Lich, not undead, so doesn't touch on alignment.
Its not meta when certain spells actually do more damage if you've been kicking orphans.
As far as this template, this is more along the lines of the monk's capstone- someone has been good enough that they have 'ascended' beyond normal mortality. When they perish, someone else willingly plays host to the spirit so the good work may continue through them
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The alignment system has a lot of unused potential, I think. Like Crimeo says, I think a lot of people have the causation backwards. Alighment should be DEscriptive rather than PROscriptive. It isn't a strait-jacket determining behavior, but a shorthand for describing likely behavior.
I actually have a book in the Paizo store on the subject, which offers a lot of ideas for handling alignment and using it to inspire more role-play.
Getting back on topic, does anyone have any more ideas for how to make the template more workable/fun? I'm considering using it in an upcoming game.
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Tammy doesn't dot.
Its not meta when certain spells actually do more damage if you've been kicking orphans.
As far as this template, this is more along the lines of the monk's capstone- someone has been good enough that they have 'ascended' beyond normal mortality. When they perish, someone else willingly plays host to the spirit so the good work may continue through them
Why would a good lich be kicking orphans, you don't become evil when you become a lich, you just become undead (that technically never died) but your character doesn't change because he is still intelligent undead. Its still a meta because in a good undead lich shouldn't be targeted/singled out by a spell that targets evil, just because he is undead.
The alignment system has a lot of unused potential, I think. Like Crimeo says, I think a lot of people have the causation backwards. Alighment should be DEscriptive rather than PROscriptive. It isn't a strait-jacket determining behavior, but a shorthand for describing likely behavior.
I actually have a book in the Paizo store on the subject, which offers a lot of ideas for handling alignment and using it to inspire more role-play.
Getting back on topic, does anyone have any more ideas for how to make the template more workable/fun? I'm considering using it in an upcoming game.
It is descriptive, but hardly anyone plays it that way: go and read the D20pfsrd alignment page and tell me that isn't saying to be descriptive. The inspiration for playing an alignment is having the GM track it in the background based on intention of actions and have the character play the player.
As far as your lich, I would make it so that any evil creature has to make the same will save as someone who killed the Reliquant except failure makes them suffer 10 points of untyped energy damage per round until the confess sins against the religion (the creature knows whatever infraction they made if they did not before); give him improved unarmed as a bonus feat and give him the option to suppress/reactivate the healing effect as a swift; and make it so that class HD go up by one step to 12 since it seems more like paladins and the like that don't have racial HD would try to achieve this.
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The lore is really awesome. I love that the phylactery anlagoue is a holy shrine where the creatures mortal coil is laid to rest. It's like if a canonized saint becomes a badarse angel. I agree with the decision that a non-evil lich is not a lich anymore.
However, the mechanics do need work. It definitely should be a native outsider since the creature still has some version of mortal coil.
A Paladin shouldn't necessarily become a good Lich, by the way, they should probably become a good Graveknight.
Or you could just make a deal with a non-evil god of Death.
I have that covered with Reapers
ReaperPrestige class. Must be a spirit to start.
Role. They can return to life, but only to collect people who should be dead. 10 kills and they get to bring back one person. It can be themselves, or someone else. Like Specter, from DC comics.
Alignment: Not chaotic, but they may change when the offer is made.
Hit Dice: D8
Level 1: Death Touch(constantly on, Dc 10+Cha bonus + level or hit dice), Patron(Outsider with death portfolio), Astral Cloak, Death Scythe(Cold iron weapon that Death touches on a crit)
Level 2: Extra combat feat. Death Scythe becomes +1 to hit and damage.
Level 3: Extra combat feat. Death Scythe becomes +2 to hit and damage.
Level 4: Extra combat feat. Death Scythe becomes +3 to hit and damage.
Level 5: Extra combat feat. Death Scythe becomes +4 to hit and damage.
Level 6: Extra combat feat. Death Scythe becomes +5 to hit and damage.
Patron: Could be a high level angel of death, Inevitable, or Prince of Hell. If the reaper has any spell caster levels, they can teach them any spells from the necromancy school or domain spells from death, law, or the other alignment axis.
Astral Cloak: It allows the wearer to travel to the game world, persist there, and come back. If they hand it to anyone they snap back to the land of the dead, but anyone who wears it can travel to the Land of the Dead, similarly. Snapping back causes one round stunning like Dimension Door.
When they achieve life, they can still turn into their Reaper form when necessary.
While wearing the Astral Cloak, all attacks are ghost touch.
Combat Feat-Rip the soul.
Someone with the ghost touch quality on any kind of weapon can (on a crit)reach into a spirit, grab or spear the divine inspiration, and pull it out. Once it's removed, it goes back to the gods, and the spirit is destroyed. The shreds can become part of an Illip or something, but only a True Res. or the open grave ritual has a chance of bringing the personality back together.
Prereqs. Ghost touch and it only works on an intangible spirit, on a crit. Gassious form is vulnerable too.
Normal. Ghosts keep coming back till their issues are resolved, normally.
Edit:Especially since what you have only covers Good characters and not Neutral ones.
Lets just say the Reliquary can be anything that is worth at least that, and has contact with some remains. Thus it could be an orphanage or hospital with the founders bones in a wall behind a plaque. It could also be an ornate holy symbol buried with the person.
A normal litch is powered by negative energy. It constantly struggles with the need to kill, like zombies and skeletons. In normal Glorion, zombies cannot be set to building houses or searching areas.
This topic is a much better option.
