It's designed for encounters of a minimum CR of 12, ideally higher. I want something fit for encounters of a CR between 7 and 10, with a caster level requirement of either 5 or 6 to become one. What power reductions would the template need to do this, and how much should the phylactery cost? I think the DR needs to be dropped to 10 and the touch attack to 1d6 damage, but beyond that I just don't know.
It's a matter of fluff. What makes a lich a lich fits what I have in mind for the BBEG. Skeletal Champion doesn't, especially since the BBEG uses Gentle Repose to avoid looking like she's undead. However, I don't want to run a higher level campaign, so a vanilla lich would be too much for the party to handle.
If you have the Bestiary 2, you'd probably get a lot of mileage out of the Juju Zombie template. Don't let the slightly silly name throw you off - it's a decent template and very nice for spellcasters.
For that matter, there's another superb evil-spellcaster template in the same volume - the Worm that Walks. Even more brutal in some ways, particularly if the PCs mistake it for undead at first...
I like the Juju Zombie, but I'm using it for lower level threats in the campaign, not the BBEG. Juju Zombies don't suck, but the way a lich is created and why is necessary to the BBEG.
Spoiler for Kingmaker:Kingmaker 3 has a lich that is weaker than normal, with a template for it.
I don't have any adventure paths. Is it in one of the SRDs?
...the BBEG uses Gentle Repose to avoid looking like she's undead...A classic dodge first attributed, I believe, to Szass Tam. But that also lets out my suggestion of a Worm that Walks: they're nearly as hard to disguise as skeletal undead. Darn.
I don't know who that is. The idea was suggested to me on Giant in the Playground when discussing a vanilla lich.
Take the lich template, apply it to your bad guy. You are done. The only requirement is that the lich can craft it's phylactery, but you can hand-wave that yourself. Reduce the DR to something more reasonable, like maybe 10. Blundgeoning and magic is a tough one to overcome since bladed weapons are much more popular and mechanically better. Don't worry about the damage of the touch attack, because it will be much lower because it is based on HD.
Talynonyx already called it. If you feel you need to, reduce the DR. Otherwise just go with it. Use the template as is. No changes. It isn't actually that powerful.
Spoiler for Kingmaker:Kingmaker 3 has a lich that is weaker than normal, with a template for it.
A spoiler would have been nice. Now I know a lich is in store for my wizard as we are starting Book 3 on Sunday.
I don't have any adventure paths. Is it in one of the SRDs?Spoiler for Kingmaker:Kingmaker 3 has a lich that is weaker than normal, with a template for it.
They have not put it on the site yet, but I do have it.
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