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You have to destroy an undead before life can be restored to the body, but it is possible within rules.
You can resurrect someone killed by a death effect or someone who has been turned into an undead creature and then destroyed.
The spell to resurrect someone without a body is True Resurrection.
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You couldn't true resurrect a lich while his phylactery is intact - his soul is housed within it and would 'protect' it from resurrection. Even if not, he could just refuse.
If you destroyed the phylactery (and the lich), it would work as long as he wasn't older than the limit of true resurrection (10 years/level, so 170 years minimum).
Yes, but my thought is that the distinction may come in having it be a WILLING transformation, it says "has been turned undead" in my mind that is an unwilling transformation by another, like when a skeleton is raised. It's more f a philisophical question than a rules one.
You can be turned dead by voluntary or involuntary means. Even from a non-rules perspective I don't see why it could not work if you wanted to return to life.
As an example you could allow your vampire friend to turn you. That counts as willing to me, and you would be more perma-destroyed than if you were turned against your will.
Maybe after living as a vampire you really hate it, just as much as if you had been forced to be one.
EDIT: wow, I got ninja'd. Presume this post comes after Majuba's
Now there's a solid question: does the time spent as a lich count against the time limit of resurrection?
Once, if I recall, this same question was sent to Wizards and/or Dragon Magazine (or maybe Dungeon) and the answer was... convoluted and evasive.
Actually, yeah, now I remember it was on the FAQ on Wizard's website.
Anyway, I would tend to think it does, but that was a different edition/game, so I couldn't say for sure (and after reading the answer, I still couldn't say for sure).
IF the lich counts as dead, though, Gentle Repose would be super-handy for them (and, personally, as a lich, I'd carry a little charm that made that constant on me at all times).
Anyway, akolbi, let's talk more to the question that you're
To answer your question more succinctly, "Yes."
That answer is both pat and misleading, however. A more accurate answer would be, "It depends".
While the lich voluntarily became undead, rarely is it because, "Man, I so want to be undead!" (though there certainly are those who look at it that way), as there are plenty of other ways of becoming undead that are easier and more pleasant.
Rather, it's usually because they need to be undead (or think they do) for some reason or another, most often to live past their lifespan (though I'd personally prefer a reincarnation cycle to undeath, with a little polymorph any object to fix any unpleasant elements) and/or acquire a certain amount of power.
In any event, while some liches would be unwilling (and thus the spell would fail) due to their having willingly undergone the process in the first place, I'd guess that many liches, if not most, would likely jump at the chance to be alive again.
And while they are corrupted by lichdom, they're not corrupted any more than Vampires, Ghouls, and Bodaks, all of whom could be willing participants and still might come back anyway.
While it's a philosophical question, the rules answers still apply:
* is he willing?
* is he within the time limit?
* is there anything else preventing it?
If the answer to the first two questions is "yes", and the last is "no", than you've got a raised lich.
As for whether or not a given lich will be willing... only they could tell. And the "anything else" is a vague enough question that could come from all sorts of different angles ranging from Urgathoa, to Pharasma, to some sort of pact they made to become a lich in the first place.
Liches are individuals with their own individual reasons for doing what they did. Thus there's not going to be a singular answer for all liches.
Also, would their personallity change, not being undead any longer?
Necroing because this is also an interesting question.
My take is, "Yes, but maybe not right away." Much like anyone who ages, a lich would have to get used to their new now-mortal form. Having a very high DR/magical bludgeoning means that, unless they get on the wrong side of one of their magically-reinforced bookcases, they don't really need to worry about much of anything "hurting". It would likely take quite some time to get used to normal "sensation" again, much less "pain"; not to mention the temptation they'd undergo for quite some time to "return" to lichdom... after all, they've done it once before, right? Also, how long would it take before they could trust themselves to touch living creatures without causing the flesh to wither?
But again, all of this depends on the lich and their personality, how they looked at undeath before hand, and how they adapted or adjusted to it mentally thereafter. Did they revel in their undead state? Prefer it? Did they simply accept it for what it was? Did they subconsciously enjoy the benefits, even if they thought that they didn't?
All of these questions (and even more, many of which I couldn't think of) would inform the lich's ultimate personality as a living-again creature (and the actions they would take while alive). It's all very interesting to think about what an individual might think and feel and behave.
This is a neat thread!
Necroing a thread about undead? Win?
Heh, nice. :)
Yes. the Lich's body is not alive so it's time as a lich still counts towards the limit of any spell.
See, that's how I'd rule it, but some people might not, so, you know...
It's not supposed to be an easy condition to reverse given how much work and deeds was put into becoming one. Wizards embrace lichdom for it's particular form of immortality. If you don't find the phylactory, even destruction is only a temporary setback.
And you'd very rarely find a lich that would welcome any reversion to mortality. Rememember for the general part these are evil depraved, egotistic meaglomaniacs.
They would certainly resist being returned to a vulnerable, MORTAL, state.
I agree for the most part. But there would likely be certain liches that would be different and certain situations in which many wouldn't turn down the option. Specifically, if their phylactery was destroyed, because they'd otherwise suddenly be in an extremely difficult situation. Especially if they've grown in power since they became a lich and with the immortality disco-
(and ignore the buisness about the arcane Immortality discovery, that's a player vanity, not a character choice)
... uh, what? Why? Creatures in the game world share the same rules. There's no reason to remove that option from them.
The main benefit of the lich is that it's available as early as 11th level, and the immortality granted by the phylactery. Secondary benefits include the nice little attacks and undead qualities.
If the phylactery is destroyed and a lich is offered resurrection, or they're offered a different kind of immortality, it's quite possible that they would accept readily.
Again, it all depends on the personality of the creature involved.
And you'd very rarely find a lich that would welcome any reversion to mortality. Rememember for the general part these are evil depraved, egotistic meaglomaniacs. They would certainly resist being returned to a vulnerable, MORTAL, state.
Given that they are now dead (since that's a necessary prereq to being resurrected) I'd think anyone who embraced lichdom would prefer to be alive again in a mortal body (and thus able to become liches again) than be dead forever.
The real question is, why would you want to resurrect a lich? Presumably you destroyed them for a reason, and if you res them, they'll still be the same person who embraced lichdom and needed to be destroyed.
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I had a lich NPC who had Contingency/True Res cast on himself in the event that he was destroyed at a time he didn't have a Phylactory.
The Res site was underground, only accessable by teleportation or incorporeality, had a replacement spellbook, some basic gear and a fully ready to go liching ritual waiting for him.
The players were very upset when they finally killed the unkillable lich, and he still didn't stay dead.
You assume it's a good priest doing the resurection. He could be resurected for evil reasons just as easily or even easier.