Lich Boss Revamp

[Eragar]

So for my homebrew campaign that's closing up one of the recurring villians is a lich. The problem is that the last time the players fought him they finished the fight within a few rounds. Looking over my notes afterward I realized that I had given him almost no buffs, and his d6 hit die just couldn't deal with four melee beating on him.

So my question is this: what spells would any high level wizard who's been around for a long time have permanency'd on himself (including spells that aren't viable RAW, but would be good choices), and what magic items would he be wearing?

[lucky7]

Darkvision, true seeing. Maybe whatever's intelligence, if you can do that. Mage Armor, same.

[Eragar]

Totally forgot about true seeing, thanks for pointing that one out to me.

[Kayerloth]

What level of caster/character?

For my high level Wizard/Archmage/Loremaster (a 3.5 character) he had Arcane Sight, See Invisibility and Darkvision plus Telepathic Bond with one other individual made Permanent. He also typically had a number of spells with durations that would have would equal or exceed 24 hours duration particularly if Extended:

Non-detection, Detect Scrying, Prying Eyes/Greater Prying Eyes, Overland Flight, Moment of Prescience, Mind Blank and Contingency. He also usually carried either Mages Private Sanctum+Secure Shelter or Mages Magnificent Mansion which once cast last hours/level.

His home defense/spells included Teleportation Circles and several keyed Phase Doors and at least one Permanent Prismatic Sphere (obviously dependent on his level).

If I had something like a phalactery to protect it would likely be Sequestered at minimum (and probably in a room whose only access was via either Teleportation Circle or a Phase Door)

[hoku]

Go for a diablo ending, for each player that had a hand in defeating the lich is embedded with a piece of the phalactery when it is destroyed.

[Artanthos]

A high level caster should always have Mind Blank active.

If a level 20 Conjurer, Summon Monster IX would have a permanent duration. Keep a pack of elder negative energy elementals on hand.

Confront the group with several simulacrums, encourage to expend limited resources before encountering the real boss.

Never have the BBEG standing alone in a room. Always have lackeys that can run interference. Consider a number of high AC skeletal champion fighters with feats developed for battlefield control.

[Hawktitan]

Any chance you'd want to rebuild him as a sorcerer? I've always thought a Dragon Disiple Sorcerer turned lich would be scary as hell. You'd certainly buff up with HP with cha to HP and some d12 hd.

Make him good at melee and spells.

I could post a build if you wanted.

[MrRed]

Spells:
Kayerloths list mentions all the basics. I want to re-emphasize moment of prescience. It can be kept permanently on (hours/clvl duraiton) and can boost your initiative. So start the fight, cast time stop, profit. Permanent symbols are wonderful decorations. If you want to be particualr nasty let the Lich have his own demiplane.

Magic items:
Just check out the wizard guiders. Typical choices: stat booters in particualr intelligence and charisma. Cloak of resistance. A dimensino door item to counter grappels. Cheap ion stones. Metamagic rods. Give him a ring of counterspell (dispel magic or greater dispel magic) to prevent de-buffing. Also dont forget minions like golems etc.

[Kayerloth]

MrRed wrote:

Spells:

Kayerloths list mentions all the basics. I want to re-emphasize moment of prescience. It can be kept permanently on (hours/clvl duraiton) and can boost your initiative. So start the fight, cast time stop, profit. Permanent symbols are wonderful decorations. If you want to be particualr nasty let the Lich have his own demiplane.

Magic items:
Just check out the wizard guiders. Typical choices: stat booters in particualr intelligence and charisma. Cloak of resistance. A dimensino door item to counter grappels. Cheap ion stones. Metamagic rods. Give him a ring of counterspell (dispel magic or greater dispel magic) to prevent de-buffing. Also dont forget minions like golems etc.

Your the DM but the Moment bonus may not apply to initiative - (any single attack roll, combat maneuver check, opposed ability or skill check, or saving throw) but coupled with Foresight might give you a better idea if and when you need to use it vs whatever. I often carried a memorized Moment which could be used to replace the active one if I felt I needed it. Greater Spell Immunity could negate a several spells the party is fond of using vs undead (particularly since he is a recurring villain and presumably familiar with their favored tactics). Evasion and Freedom of Movement are a couple of potent abilities to have available on any high level character as items or other means (even via Limited Wish if need be).

While overall I agree with Artanthos about Mind Blank keep in mind this is a Lich the only thing a Mind Blank really does is prevent/block divination usage against him. Not a small thing but he already is immune to mind effecting stuff and there are many ways to deal with Divination particularly when fighting on your home turf other than using a relatively valuable 8th level spell slot (if that's not the case that's among the first things the Lich should be looking to do ... a change of venue)

[Touc]

Contingency with a dimension door/teleport is a must. If it's had time to scry on foes, it'll know their combat preferences and take steps to gear itself accordingly. Play 'em smart.

[Undone]

Give me the level I'll write you up one savage lich boss. Presuming it's pre level 17. If he's got 9th level magic the only thing holding him back from slaughtering the PC's is bond villain stupidity.

If I had a lich BBEG I'd start by determining his phylacraphy to be in an extra dimensional space inside a permenant mages magnificent mansion. Personally mine would be a log burning on the fire which was immune to fire damage. Even noticing it once you made it in would be a DC 40 check.

Some things to ask about the lich.

What is his personality? Does he taunt the PC's mercilessly and comically
Ala Xykon from OotS or Aku from samuri jack

Or is he deadly serious? Ala Anton Chigurh from no country for old men. Or the Lich from adventure time (Not funny goes for the kill instantly, successfully kills multiple heros.)

If it's the former give him so many buffs that it looks like the world is going to end. Make hitting him nigh impossible, give him saves in the 20's and roll with it. He'll treat combat as a joke and insult them while blasting them with dazing fireballs and nonchalantly conversing while chain lighting electrocutes them. Give him raw power as a sorcerer but make him wield it inefficiently.

If it's the later make him a wizard. A true threat to the party. Let him reset his entire spell list after his first defeat tailored to the party and as soon as the party goes to sleep have him cast several demonic summons along side some trivial undead which will only be there to provide bodies greater teleport to the sleeping party and make them fend off the summons. If they succeed have him cowardly leave before they destroy him (Or stay if he can't escape, he'll reform in 1d10 days).

[I Hate Nickelback]

I once made an ancient umbral dragon lich for a game I ran. He was the final boss. Man was he absolutely awesome. He had all the spells like cat's grace (etc) permenant on him. True seeing was there too. Greater magic fang was there for his natural attacks. He was a total boss (pun very much intended).

[GeneticDrift]

freedom of movement
greater invisibility
fly
contingency

[Eragar]

Undone wrote:

Give me the level I'll write you up one savage lich boss.

I am interested to see this if/when you have the time Undone. 16th level wizard. If it makes a difference, here are his base attributes:

STR: 14
DEX: 14
INT: 41 (including items. 30 without.)
WIS: 16
CHA: 24

[Undone]

Eragar wrote:

Undone wrote:

Give me the level I'll write you up one savage lich boss.

I am interested to see this if/when you have the time Undone. 16th level wizard. If it makes a difference, here are his base attributes:

STR: 14
DEX: 14
INT: 41 (including items. 30 without.)
WIS: 16
CHA: 24

Note, I explicitly avoided a few spells (Simulacrum) because I find them cheesy and stupid.

However I didn't shy away from powerful spells.

Spoiler:

STR: 14
DEX: 14
INT: 41 (including items. 30 without.)
WIS: 16
CHA: 24
Wealth 315,000 + Whatever you've already given him. BBEG's should be connected.

Wizard 16 LE Lich
Hit points 201 (6 first HD, 4 x15 = 60 for reast HD, 16x7=117 +16 toughness)
AC 25 (4 Mage armor cast each day, 4 Sheild (Permenant), 5 Natural, 2 dexterity)
Touch 20 Flatfoot 23
Saves (+8 protection from spells 1500)
Fort +22 or +15 (5 base 8 prot spells +2 heroism +7 cha if it still works like 3.5)
Ref +17 (5 base 8 prot spells item +2 dex +2 heroism)
Will +23 (10 base 8 prot spells +3 wis +2 heroism)
Skills as desired perception is +19 (Max ranks + wisdom)
DR: 15/Bludgeoning and magic
Channel resistance +4

Fear Aura (Su): Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at the lich must

succeed on a Will save or become frightened. Creatures with 5 HD or more must succeed at a

Will save DC25 (18+Charisma mod) or be shaken for a number of rounds equal to the lich's Hit

Dice. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same lich's aura for

24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Paralyzing Touch (Su): Any living creature a lich hits with its touch attack must succeed on a

Fortitude save DC25 or be permanently paralyzed. Remove paralysis 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. Anyone paralyzed by a lich seems dead, though

a DC 20 Perception check or a DC 15 Heal check reveals that the victim is still alive.

Focused school conjuration (Could be necromancy for flavor but I'm unsure it's needed since

you can just let him travel around and command undead.) Ban evocation and enchantment.

Traits: Magical lineage true strike, Reactionary
Feats:
1: Improved initative
H: SF Conjuration
3: GSF Conjuration
5: Dazing spell
5: Quicken spell
7: SF Abjuration
9: GSF Abjuration
10: Extend spell
11: Heighten spell
13: Dimensional agility
15: Toughness
15: Spell mastery: Acid fog

All spells with duration 10 min/level are precast on him or allies.

Contigent spell: Spell turning (If targeted by a spell auto cast and deflect the spell)
Spells prepared
1st level 9 spells: Mage armor, Alarm, Feather fall, Vanish, True strike, Color spray,

Silent image, Protection from good, Protection from chaos
2nd level spell 9 spells: See invisibility, Detect thoughts, Resist energy x4, protection from

arrows, Blur, Mirror image
3rd level spell 9 spells: Stinking cloud, Magic circle against good, Magic circle against

chaos, Arcane Sight, Heroism (2 spots), Haste, Slow, Resinous skin
4th level spell 8 spells: Stoneskin, Black Tentacles, Greater invisibility, Scrying, Quickened

true strike, Nondetection communal, Dimension Door, Dimensional anchor
5th level spell 8 spells: Baleful polymorph (ant), Magic jar, Wall of stone,Telekinisis,

Passwall, Overland flight, Transmute rock to mud, Prying eyes
6th level spell 6 spells: Globe of Invulnerability, Dazing acid cloud, Antimagic Field, True

seeing, Planar Binding-12 HD earth elemental hides in the ground and grapples the first to

approach him.
7th level spell 6 spells: Mages magnificent mansion, Summon monster 7, Greater teleport,

Reverse gravity, Spell turning, Limited wish (Spell effects only)
8th level spell 4 spells: Maze, Create greater undead, Mind blank, Protection from spells

Items of note
Bonded Greater quicken rod 85,000 gold crafted (Used to recall Maze typically)
Ring of freedom of movement 40,000 gold
Ring of blinking (Always used before combat) 27,000 gold
+ Whatever else you want to add

Tactics
He should have so many buffs on him spells are largely ineffective. His first round is to quickened maze the biggest threat that has no recourse to it (Probably the fighter). Followed by splitting the group with one of his many wall spells. His earth elemental attempts to grapple the caster. After that he casts dazing acid cloud (He should have high resistance to acid) and quickened black tentacles. He then casts quickened SM 7 and greater teleports the spell effects and his elemental to finish them off.

Tactics V2
He casts quickened baleful polymorph on the worst will save character. He casts maze on the caster and the elemental emerges from the rock below. He then casts quickened SM7 and Transmute rock to mud. If anyone gets close he casts quickened AMF and does two touch attacks forcing a fort save or permenant paralization. Keep in mind no weapon can bypass his DR when he has AMF up as no weapon is magic (and cloak of resistances get turned off so -5 saves to most players)

[Touc]

Inspired from a baddie in Kingmaker, a lich-based enemy could use his touch attack to heal himself, so hit and run is a very viable option. Nothing more than a huge groan if the enemy comes back fully healed. Obviously certain spells can foil it, but if they don't have 'em, the lich may make mince meat of them.