So a wizard became a lich - HOW DOES HE HEAL!?!

[Malignor]

I looked around and I can't find any wizard spell that can heal an undead creature... including his lich-ey self!

What's a necromancer to do?

[ElyasRavenwood]

Invest skill ranks in UMD and buy a wand of Inflict light wounds.

[Adam B. 135]

Infernal healing?

[Deadmanwalking]

Check the 'Damage' entry under Lich. They can heal themselves an unlimited amount, actually. It's at 1d8+1/2 HD per turn and takes a Full Round action but it definitely works for out-of-combat healing.

[Tomos]

Malignor wrote:

I looked around and I can't find any wizard spell that can heal an undead creature... including his lich-ey self!

What's a necromancer to do?

Hire/Enslave a negative energy Cleric to follow him around at all times.

Dominate Person if necessary, but the glory of serving a lich master is probably enough.
Just don't let them get carried away with plans of their own...

Harm is probably a better go-to spell for self-repairs. The UMD check to activate it is pretty dang high though.

Potions of Inflict Critical Wounds.

Custom magic items.

Independent Research (CRB)
or
Research a new spell (Ultimate Campaign)

[Simon Legrande]

How does a non-lich wizard heal himself? A lich would do the opposite, no?

[Propsken]

I was going to say "he touches himself" and watch the carnage, but darnit, DMW, why are you always so darn fast on the ball? :D

[PathlessBeth]

Propsken wrote:

I was going to say "he touches himself" and watch the carnage, but darnit, DMW, why are you always so darn fast on the ball? :D

With Power. What kind of power? Doesn't matter as much as you think. Right now, Power takes the form of a +8 racial bonus to perception checks granted by the lich template, which allows DMW to get a surprise round and post before you.

[Deadmanwalking]

Heh. I like to think I'm way nicer than Xykon. But sure, let's go with that answer, or something like it. :)

[Nearyn]

I don't believe it is spelled out anywhere that intelligent undead do not heal naturally. So I guess your lich thingie could remain inactive for around 8 hours of time each day to let his form knit back together ever so slightly?

-Nearyn

[Imbicatus]

You could destroy your body and let your phylactery regenerate it.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

137ben wrote:

Propsken wrote:

I was going to say "he touches himself" and watch the carnage, but darnit, DMW, why are you always so darn fast on the ball? :D

With Power. What kind of power? Doesn't matter as much as you think. Right now, Power takes the form of a +8 racial bonus to perception checks granted by the lich template, which allows DMW to get a surprise round and post before you.

Bonus points for you, Sir Ben.

[Propsken]

Agreed. Bonus points for ben indeed. And a cookie.
Also, I think Nearyn might be on to something - I remember something like that too in the undead traits - but it's not clearly worded. Open to interpretation, I guess - especially with the fast healing example.
Imbicatus, that's rather... pragmatic. Slooooooow, but pragmatic.

[Nipin]

The lich has several options.

• Use her melee touch attack once per round to heal herself for 1d8 +1/2 HD negative energy.
  
• Use UMD to activate a wand or scroll of inflict wounds.
  
• Purchase (or murder-steal) a potion of inflict wounds.
  
• Hire, Dominate, or use Leadership to get a divine caster cohort who can heal her.
  
• Use limited wish or wish.
  
• Summon an outsider who can cast inflict wounds (or other negative energy damage spells).
  
• Plane shift to a plane with the negative-dominant energy trait.
  

There are surely other methods, but these are probably the most common routes. The melee touch attack should cover most needs. Consumables or limited wish or even wish should cover more dire circumstance. If the lich is planning to do any serious campaigning for evil then she will likely find an evil or neutral divine caster who can use negative energy to heal her. Alternatively, she could just set up a contingency that plane shift's her to the plane of negative energy and chill in the constant healing until she is ready to go back to campaigning for her own evil ends.

[LazarX]

There's also the usual long term healing over time. Rest and get 1 pt per HD per day. Liches unlike adventurers are not' assumed to be spending every day in combat.

[Ravingdork]

When it comes to healing options, the lich actually has more than your typical wizard...

[TriOmegaZero]

Almost every lich I have encountered has been researching some negative energy phenomena, probably partly because of this question.

[Artanthos]

Ravingdork wrote:

When it comes to healing options, the lich actually has more than your typical wizard...

• He touches himself
  
• Infernal Healing
  
• Summoned Creatures (Negative Energy Elementals come to mind.)
  
• UMD
  

[Ravingdork]

Artanthos wrote:

Negative Energy Elementals come to mind.

Elsewise known to orc-kind as MURDER ELEMENTALS!!!

[Theconiel]

Take 1 level of cleric. Then you won't need UMD for wands of Inflict Wounds, because they will be on your spell list.

[Disciple of Sakura]

There's the old 3.5 Lord of the Uttercold feat, that makes half the damage from [cold] spells negative energy damage. Assuming the Lich resists the cold damage, he heals the spell otherwise - handy for dropping fireballs centered on him to hurt the melee opponents while healing himself...

[TOZ]

Or just be a cleric or anti paladin lich. It's not limited to wizards and sorcerers after all...

Disciple of Sakura wrote:

There's the old 3.5 Lord of the Uttercold feat, that makes half the damage from [cold] spells negative energy damage. Assuming the Lich resists the cold damage, he heals the spell otherwise - handy for dropping fireballs centered on him to hurt the melee opponents while healing himself...

Handy thing about that...

Defensive Abilities wrote:

A lich gains channel resistance +4, DR 15/bludgeoning and magic, and immunity to cold and electricity (in addition to those granted by its undead traits).

[Natrim]

Also? Finger of Death is a necromancy spell, and if memory serves, deals negative energy... Regardless, any spell that is typically an offensive one that deals negative energy can be turned around for healing for the lich. Ennervation for some quick temporary health points as an example.

Or you could really just abuse some alternate racial traits -Samsaran? Can gain spells from another class's list... So here's a Samsaran wizard with Harm from the Witch list (Or heal from the alchemist list if not planning for undead). Or such a samsaran traded a scroll to the lich... Lots of twinkery available.

Then again, our table's assumption is that 'only a clever character lives past 10th level' to begin with, so YMMV on how far to take that route.

[Jeraa]

Natrim wrote:

Also? Finger of Death is a necromancy spell, and if memory serves, deals negative energy... Regardless, any spell that is typically an offensive one that deals negative energy can be turned around for healing for the lich. Ennervation for some quick temporary health points as an example.

As an undead creature, the lich is automatically immune to any effect that allows a fortitude save, unless it works on objects. That rules out Finger of Death. Which is also a [Death] effect, and all undead are also immune to those. That would include immunity to any beneficial effects from the spells.

(Also, Finger of Death deals untyped damage, not negative energy damage.)

[Rocky Williams 530]

He, being an intelligent undead, heals normally as does a living creature. Other than that, there are a ton of magical options others above me have listed.

[Natrim]

See what I get for not bothering to check. :) Still any spell that does negative energy damage could be utilized for healing for a Lich.

*Blink* When did Finger of Death become untyped damage...eh. *shrug*

[taldanrebel2187]

These come to mind:

-Infernal Healing / Greater (fast healing can affect undead, as it isnt specified that FH = positive energy)
-UMD on a wand of inflict X
-Ring of Regeneration. If you can afford it
-Enervation as a temporary HP thing
-Wiz School Power: Healing Grace (Su) if DM is generous heh
-At higher levels: Hellfire Ray on yourself
-Lich template!

"Damage: A lich's touch attack uses negative energy to deal 1d8 points of damage to living creatures + 1 point of damage per 2 Hit Dice possessed by the lich. As negative energy, this damage can be used to heal undead creatures. A lich can take a full-round action to infuse itself with this energy, healing damage as if it had used its touch attack against itself."

TL;DR: Touch yourself.

[Craig Bonham 141]

Some 3pp feats that change energy damage into negative energy damage I believe.

[Jeraa]

Natrim wrote:

See what I get for not bothering to check. :) Still any spell that does negative energy damage could be utilized for healing for a Lich.

*Blink* When did Finger of Death become untyped damage...eh. *shrug*

In Pathfinder, its always been untyped damage. Pre-Pathfinder, the spell didn't do damage - it was a Save or Die. Well, it did do (untyped) damage on a successful save.

[Smite Makes Right]

Apart from false life to avoid taking damage, it looks like the healing from wizard spells starts 7th level spells. Giant Form I and Plant Form II.

[Tels]

Wizards can heal themselves from level 1 with the spell Infernal Healing.