Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fanged Fremont 01-20-06, 07:15 PM	Hello everyone reading this. I am currently designing a campaign and I need a little bit of help with a lich who will be a main antaginist. I need help in figuring out what to do with his phylactery. I couold do the usual thing, such as: Place his phylactery in a dome buried thousands of feet underground and surrounded by a thich shell of magically treated adamantium. Inside this shell the lich could easily teleport in or out, it is very familiar to him, or he could have a hidden tunnel leading to it and use phase door to gain access; however, it would be safer for his phylactery by teleporting. And of course, inside the dome he could have the usual defences: permanent symbols of all kinds all over the walls, and dozens of constructs and undead of many types inside etc., etc. However, I would prefer him to be a unique lich, I want him to protect his phylactery in an unusual way, my players will be expecting something like the above. So if anyone can chime in with some unique ways to protect a phylactery, that would be great. Also, he will be at least a 15th level Gestalt Wizard/Cleric with 100 attribute points to distribute with everything starting at zero with each raising of an attribute by one point costing only one point. He will also have triple standard wealth for a character of his level. And he will probably have some prestige classes in place of actual cleric or wizard levels. I am still deciding his race and any actual help building him will also be appreciated.
WCH 01-20-06, 07:27 PM	I remember one person posted the idea of a hollowed out gargantuan zombie dragon circling the South Pole at an altitude of 10,000 feet. It has a room fashioned in its gut, full of all the furnishings the lich needs, including the phylactery. Two dread wraiths circle with the zombie dragon and protect it against anyone who finds it.
vassalich 01-20-06, 07:28 PM	Make the phylactery look like an ordinary piece of jewelry and put it in his treasure room. As for those stats, you do want the PCs to be able to win eventually, right?
Argon_Asimov 01-20-06, 07:37 PM	Man, I hope my players don't read this... My lich is haunted by the death of his youngest daughter (he sold his soul to an evil god to aquire his lich powers in a bid to save her, but was unsuccesful). He has cast a permanent gentle reposte in her bedroom; he instilled so much magical power in this spell, in order to insure that it would be sustained throughout the years, that the whole room "glows" necromancy. He is patently insane, and reads to his dead daughter every night, also, he sets her favorite music box playing before he leaves (it plays "ashes, ashes"). All throughout his fortress, he has the usual diversionary phylacteries, each enchanted with magical traps. His real phylactry, is, of course, his daughter's music box. The magical aura of the phylactry is masked not only by several layers of anti-divination magic, but by the ambient field of the room itself. The players would have to be pretty savvy, I think, to check the music box, but its still in the realm of the believable. Remember, you aren't trying to "beat" your players, you're trying to provide an interesting follow-up to the huge confrontation with the lich, and perhaps an opportunity for the villian to pop up unexpectedly later on.
Fanged Fremont 01-21-06, 01:22 AM	Yes vassalich, I do plan on having my characters eventually win, once they reach epic level if they play smart and if they are able to actually corner him in a fight. If they eventually become too powerful before they reach him, like level 25, well villians can level up as well. However, he is not a DMPC. He is using the same stat build that my players got to use, I run tough power campaigns. Argon that is brilliant. I now realize that I need to work on my npc's back history and personality before I worry about statistics. Thanks a lot for posting that with the possibility that your players might read it. Thanks for taking the risk to help, and please don't feel compelled to possibly ruin a great story line just to help me, but just brilliant ideas man. WCH that is an interesting idea, but just a little off the wall. But very funny and injunitive.
RedWizard 01-21-06, 01:36 AM	Place his phylactery in plain sight. Have it as the centerpiece for the center of a major religion. One that is constantly guarded by zealots who are not aware of what it's true purpose is. Much like Mecca, have it as the central piece of a temple that is visited by thousands of pilgrims a day. There is always the possibility of the god in question being miffed but liches are ingenious in their methods and if this one is meant for epic level characters then the lich should be of equal ability.
Kalanth 01-21-06, 01:49 AM	The best phylactery I have encountered before was in a magical weapon. We come across this magical scimatar, a weapon in which my cleric was focused in using, and I get all giddy and excited. Sure, we checked it out for magical properties, and it glowed all nice for us indicating that powers were contained within. We got it identified as well, and the shopkeeper told us that the sword was a +2 Scimitar of Magic Jar. Here I am, bouncing up and down thinking, "Way cool! Such a nice spell tucked into a sword!? I love it!" As we run around and get into combat I go to use the magic jar effect, but nothing happens. I am dissapointed, but figure that the spell was a charges type of thing, and it had been drained dry. We eventually encoutnered the Lich and did battle with the runt (halfling lich, quite evil, but certainly short) and kill him off. As smart as heroes can be at times, we decided to rest right then and there, taking naps in the liches chamber. As we slumbered the Lich found his way back into the sword, and slowly seeped his soul into me. After substantial failed checks, and some creative liberties on lich powers and possesion (I liked the idea, so I was cool with it), the lich remanifested itself inside of my clerics body a few weeks latter. Battle ensued, and the lich, myself, and the sword lay in ruins. Ahhh, how I loved that game! :) A weapon is a solid idea, or something truly mundane, like a backpack or a suit of normal armor. Creative license, that is all that matters. :)
spectralphoenix 01-21-06, 02:36 AM	If you are planning for the lich to be killed at ultra high levels, remember that PC's will have access to divination magic. Legend Lore, Commune, or Contact Other Plane can make even really well hidden phylacteries vulnerable. How about this: the lich creates and commands an undead doppelganger (probably a vampire, but anything that keeps its shapechange ability is fine), surgically implants the phylactery into the creature without its knowledge, then assassinates and replaces the ruler of a distant city. Preferably, he'll use a city that is far outside his normal sphere of influence so he won't need to worry about tipping his hand by using the impersonator for other purposes. The PC's face the double problem of finding the phylactery's location and then killing a high ranking ruler. If that isn't difficult enough, he also has a permanent Telepathic Bond with the doppelganger and a Instant Summons spell on the phylactery. If the Doppelganger dies, the lich knows instantly and the phylactery is no longer "in its possession" and can be summoned.
grelna 01-21-06, 03:16 AM	Well, how about having his phylactery implanted in a powerful golem or construct of some sort, and allowing the lich to use the phylactery to control the golem if he is defeated (with full spellcasting ability, of course)? Or, another option, let the lich have a roomful of stasis clones or constructs and put the phylactery in the room. As soon as one falls or is disabled, the lich switches to a new body. Make the phylactery out of something totally fireproof and have it guarded by some uber-elementals deep inside an active volcano. Make the lich a demilich and use every suggestion that has been put forward thus far to account for all of its multiple phylacteries. :cool:
Fixxxer 01-21-06, 03:49 AM	Man, I hope my players don't read this... This is perhaps the best lich phylactery story I've ever heard. I'm extremely impressed. Fanged Fremont, there was a similar thread a few weeks ago that turned up several off-the-wall ideas. One idea that seemed off the wall at first but gradually grew on me was to have a jeweled crown out in plain sight on top of a pedestal. There are spells in place that keep dust from settling and a few that are designed to keep meddling hands from settling (damage-dealing spells). After defeating the lick, the party finds the obvious crown and destroys it, thinking they've won. Later, when the lich shows up again, they hunt him down and defeat him again, destroying the new crown. After he pops up again, they're going to start wondering what the hell is going on...though one has to wonder if any of them notice that each crown is resting on the same pedestal. :D