As far as enemies and NPCs go, Liches are a lot of fun. However, I
generally liked having neutral versions of typically evil types of
characters. I also found myself wondering what lich so old that it
was considered old by lich standards would look like. The below was
what occurred as a result.
Backstory
The players found this lich in a completely sealed underground
laboratory where the lich was working away on its unlife's work. At
the time they were quite low level (level 3 if I recall correctly)
and naturally were quite concerned about running into one so early.
They were noticed and were surprised that the lich was pretty relaxed
about the situation (though obviously it could have easily just
killed them all with a fireball if it wanted). Over the course of
their campaign, they would often consult with this character.
The overall story (which I present here rather vaguely to allow for
easy modification to fit your game) is that a very knowledgeable
wizard worked on a number of knowledgeable pursuits in order to
benefit the lives of normal people. However, it was quickly apparent
to the wizard that the wizard's peers had different ideas of where to
focus their time (a possibility is that they considered the work
impossible to accomplish). Knowing this and growing older, the wizard
underwent the process to become a lich and in undeath continued to
work on its work. When a particular milestone was reached that could
benefit the world at large, the lich would find a method to make sure
it reached the right hands to spread (often by teleportation).
Personality
“I have all the time in the world; I can spare a few moments.”
While a large amount of people purse undeath in the hopes of living
longer and out of fear of death, this is not the case for this lich
in particular. It was a desire to continue to study and investigate
magic and the world in general that lead this character to undeath.
As an extension of this, they will choose their work over their own
undeath without a second thought. It will also avoid direct combat
unless its work is threatened. Being old and understanding the
possibility of accidents and setbacks, it keeps backup caches of its
work. Naturally, it can't back up everything as
In general, this lich is obsessive and can focus on a problem for
weeks at a time. However, it is also willing to talk and is generally
quite friendly. Getting help is a bit trickier and the work will be
chosen over matters of grave importance if possible. If, however, the
work it is doing is ever threatened the lich will help without a
second thought. It is also generally willing to help as long as it
doesn't have to go too far out of its way, even without benefit to
itself (if it has an item or scrolls it can easily replace, it will
give it away without a second thought). Naturally, being undead and
nearly 10,000 years old, it is extremely patient.
Lair
This lich also wishes to preserve works that would otherwise be lost.
Many items, paintings, books and even notes from people that
interested the lich are kept and preserved. Within the lich's lair,
time seems to stand still and dust is absent. Fancy, well made
carpets cover the floors and much of the space on the walls is
covered by paintings it has collected, the colours of which are
almost as crisp as the day they were painted. If asked, the lich is
happy to share the history of the items.
Uses
If a high level caster is needed for scrolls and other magical
things, this lich makes for a good choice that will probably be
different than most mentors and helpers they've dealt with. An option
is to also have its life's and undeath's work somehow linked with the
main goal of the campaign. It can also act as an antagonist, though
it won't actively try to hurt the players unless they try to actually
destroy the notes and work done to that point. If subtle influence
needs to be exerted on a kingdom or a leader, it also provides as a
good ally for the members of the party due to its long history and
experience in doing so (though up until this point it was mainly to
have its research found and used).
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