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lulzapalooza 01-05-08, 11:20 PM

Epoch, Burned Lich of Legend Medium Undead Hitdice:13d12 (78) Inititive: +6 Speed: 30 Armor Class: 36 (10 Natural, 8 Armor, 2 Enhancement, 2 Deflection, 2 Dodge, 1 shield, 1 Dex), FF 32, T 15 Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+14 Attack: Touch Attack +18 (1d8+5 Negative Energy), +2 Spellstoring Longsword + 20 (1d8+9), +3 Spiked Armor +21 (1d6+10) Full Attack: +2 Spellstoring Longsword +18/+15/+12/+9/+6/+3(1d8+9), +3 Spiked Armor +19/+13/+7 (1d6+10) or touch attack +18/+12 (1d8+5 negative energy) Face/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft Special Attacks: Burning Blood, Paralyzing Touch Special Qualities: Turn Resistance +4, DR/15 Bludgeoning and magic, Immune to Cold, Electricity, polymorph (though he can use polymorph on himself), and mind effecting attacks, Regeneration 5, Undead Traits Saves: Fort +11, Ref +6, Will +11 Abilities: Str 24, Dex 23, Con --, Wis 12, Int 20, Cha 16 Skills: Knowledge (History) +20, Knowledge (Arcane) +20, Bluff 18, Concentration 18, Spellcraft 20, Use Magic Device 18, Spot 24, Listen 24, Hide +5, Move Silently +5, Search +9, Sense Motive +11, Feats: Two Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Defense, Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Still Spell, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Create Wondrous Object, Scribe Scroll, Improved Trip, Iron Will, Combat Casting Challenge Rating: 18 Treasure: +2 Fullplate, +2 Spellstoring Longsword, +3 Armor Spikes, +2 Ring of Protection, +2 Boots of Dodge, Wand of Mirror Image, Brooch of Shielding, 57,720 GP Alignment: Chaotic Evil “Clad in heavy iron spiked armor embossed with runes representing death and suffering from head to toe, this daunting figure is surely grinning like a bleached skull as he draws a longsword crackling with malicious energy from a scabbard at his side. The visual stench of decay and burnt flesh erupts from under his bleak helmet as he croaks a threat, ‘death shall offer no relief, mortal, fear what is to come.’” In places where those dying of disease and wounds incurable are allowed to fester without hope, they speak of a voice offering what horrible comfort it can by whispering to the doomed men and women. It tells them that soon death will leave the world, and that there shall be no more fear of the injustice that is present in the dying breath, or the wrongness that is carried on by the living in their memories of the dead. One such person who heard that voice tell of its hatred of death took it upon himself to become a champion in the crusade against death, and became a lich. Stories tell of The Burned Lich of Legend being damned to die at the stake in his mortal form for horrible crimes against the gods and the natural order, but when they burned him, he merely laughed as the flames consumed his body completely, yelling that he was beyond death, and that he would soon show the world the way to abandon the god’s horrible designs of mortality. He had previously bound his soul to a phylactery, and become a lich, without his captors knowing. The Burned Lich adopted the name Epoch and began his mad scheme to destroy the multiverse, destroying death along with life, and thus, in his mind, ending the suffering of the world’s inhabitants. Epoch is quite insane, though brilliant, and he believes he has the moral high ground when challenged by those who don’t want to see the end of reality. Fire, though greatly influencing his power, is also a great weakness and fear of Epoch's. He sees fire as a symbol of life, which often is snuffed before it cunsumes its fill, both something to be feared and admired, Epoch fills his lair with murals and sculpures of a fiery landscape, but keeps the real thing as far from him as possible. Epoch was once human, and looks much like he did in life, except that instead of a bright eyed youth with curly blonde hair and a charming smile he’s a decaying and badly burnt corpse, without hair, milky eyes, and black teeth lodge in his head by shriveling gums concealed by paper thin lips. He wears heavy black iron armor with large spikes down the left arm and gauntlet. Epoch’s phylactery, a simple wooden music box, and his spell book are concealed in a Secret Chest, and every day he prepares spells he listens to the music box as he studies. Epoch can never be destroyed unless the music box, given to him by his mother hundreds of years ago, is destroyed first. Because his designs are so nihilistic, Epoch has trouble finding intelligent followers. Even mercenaries and devils refuse to help him once they learn of his plans, which spell the end of their days as well. Mostly he relies on undead, constructs and other unintelligent minions to aid him, but he has a few loyal followers, including those sick of suffering under the banner of gods and overlords that continue to pile on the injustice. Epoch offers kindness to those that are unaccustomed to it, and he is seen as a patron of the homeless and criminals in the lands he has visited. Often, he will glamour himself as a still living nobleman and attend social functions, sometimes disguising himself as a person with an invitation he had to kidnap to get into balls and dinner parties. He can be perfectly kind, generous and polite, but the truth is that he is a cold, calculating monster driven by insane urges to preempt his guaranteed sentence in hell. Epoch often says outlandish things and often lies for the sake of recieving attention, and will often switch from persona to persona several times at the same party. Combat: Epoch uses his mobility to full advantage. He is difficult to hit in melee, but touch attacks bypass much of his defenses, and is only defense against magic is his Casting Defense ability, which is minimal, and doesn’t aid against wands and other spell activation items. He’ll lean heavily on his Wand of Mirror Image and usually starts combat by creating replicas of himself. He focuses on battle field control, with spells that aid in mobility and concealing his movements. Before an attack he will try to cast a spell on his +2 longsword of spell storing if it is empty, which always starts combat with a Contagion spell stored. Epoch speaks Common, Elven, Sylvan, Draconic, Ignan and Infernal. Epoch’s natural weapons are treated as magical and evil for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. Casting Defense(Ex): Epoch is entitled to a spellcraft check to determine the school of spell being cast when targeted by an arcane spell crafter’s spell, if he is successful, as a free action, he can attempt to counter the spell cast with one of his prepared spells. Arcane spell failure applies as normal on spells with somatic components. Arcane Return(Su): All of Epoch’s possessions are marked with an Arcane Mark personal to Epoch, and when Epoch says the command word, as a free action, the item disappears into the ethereal plane, flies through the ethereal plane and returns in his possession within three rounds. Epoch may apply his Arcane Mark on any object that stays in his possession for up to one year. Erase removes the mark as normal. Binding Fire(Su): When Epoch is reduced to 0 hp his body explodes, dealing 3d6 fire damage to everyone within 30-feet, reflex save (DC 18) half. Fear Aura (Su): Creatures of 5 HD or less within 30-feet must succeed on a Will save (DC 20) or be affected as though by a fear spell cast by a level twelve sorcerer. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again for 24 hours. Burning Blood (Su): Each time Epoch is dealt damage with a slashing or piercing weapons, his fiery blood sprays out in a 5-foot cone, dealing 1d4 points of fire damage to all within range (no saving throw). Epoch cannot be harmed by his own blood. Fierce Haste (Su): Epoch has the supernatural speed of fire and is unnaturally quick. He can take an extra partial action each round. This effect can be depressed by dispel magic, but Epoch can reactivate it as a free action. Paralyzing Touch (Su): Any living creature touched by Epoch’s touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 20) or be permanently paralyzed. Remove Paralysis or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim. The effect can’t be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by the touch attack seems dead, but a DC 20 spot check or a DC 15 heal check reveals the victim is still alive. Lich’s Phylactery(Su): Epoch has a phylactery, a wooden music box, which he conceals in a Secret Chest, It needs to be destroyed before he can be permanently done away with. If Epoch is reduced to 0 hit points and destroyed, he reforms within 1d10 days with full hit points unless the phylactery is destroyed in that time. Spells: Epoch Ennui can cast spells as a tenth level wizard. Arcane Spell Failure applies normaly to spells with Somatic Components, spells without Somatic Components are marked with (*), spells prepared with Still Spell metamagic feat marked with (**). Spells prepared 0 level/ Flare* x 4 (DC 15), 1st/ True Strike* x6, 2nd/ Blindness/Deafness* x2 (DC 17), Expeditious Retreat**, Ray of Enfeeblement** (DC 17), Enlarge Person**, 3rd level/ Displacement*, Suggestion* (DC 18), Invisibility**, See Invisibility**, 4th level/ Dimension Door*, Shout x2 (DC 19), Hold Person** (DC 19) 5th level/ Solid Fog**, Wall of Ice**, Black Tentacles**. How Epoch Can Be Used in Your Game: Epoch is the classic insane lich, complete with insane motives and insane quirks. He's selfish and hides behind self-rightousness, and he holds ever so lightly onto good intentions so that he both seems human enough to relate to and monstrously evil enough to be hated and killed without moral drawback. He offers abnormal roleplaying opritunities with low diplomacy and high bluff with an egotistical bend. In combat he offers a chalenge that can stretch for several turns, forcing the players to use magic and items not always useful, and allows spell casters and front line combatants room to shine, without inflicting too much damage and still remaining a threat. Clerics will love his susceptibility to touch attacks and turn undead, but rogues will have a harder time because as undead he is immune to sneak attack damage. For an extra interesting fight consider staging the conflict inside a swarm of locust or other distracting insects, even though vermin are technically immune to mind effecting effects, the aura of fear Epoch has would create a bubble of safety within 30-feet of him, making the players stay close to him and follow him as he moves about the battlefield. As a mobility fighter, using lots of low CR mooks as obstacles for the players would emphasize Epoch's talents without particuraly hampering the party. Also, don't overlook his Regeneration ability and his negative energy touch attack, which heals his undead self 1d8+5 points of damage as a standard action, and he can use it twice as a full round action!