Green Lich (3.5e Template)
Green Lich, Leshen or Leshy
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A mortal who bound their soul to the land, becoming immortal in order to protect it.
The Green Lich, also called a Hyleoroi or Wood Haunt, is a druid or sometimes ranger who has become one with the natural world and acts as its immortal guardian. Unlike Lichs who embody death, Green Liches are beings of life and renewal. Like their undead kin Green Liches are immortal and nigh impossible to destroy, if slain they reanimate shortly after. Additionally, the process of becoming a Green Lich is not evil, though it does require the will to protect nature at all costs.
Depending on their nature, environment and temperament, Green Liches can range from beautiful to terrifying. Some may appear beautiful like dryads while others may appear more bestial. From a distance Green Liches appear normal but up close they have a wild appearance, with skin seemingly made of bark, and a hole where their heart should be. In its place is a tangled briar where their heart has been removed and replaced with a Briarheart, a valuable source of infinite life. Vines run out of this hole and along the Wood Haunt's along their body like sinew, and they may be host to various fungi, plants, and insects with the many hollows within their new body.
Creating a Green Lich, Leshen or Leshy
This is an acquired template which can be added to any living corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature), provided it can create the required phylactery. A lich retains all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
The process of becoming a green lich is a difficult one. They must create a phylactery out of a tree, and perform a special ritual communing with nature for 24 hours. At the end of the ritual they submit themselves to the mercy of nature, which summons roots from their phylactery tree to drag the caster underground to be judged. If they are judged as a friend of nature (typically by having levels in druid or ranger) they return changed with a new beating briarheart, else they have to dig themselves out coughing and sputtering.
A lich has all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to plant. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
Hit Dice: Increase creature's racial hit dice to Hit Dice to d8s.
Armor Class: A green lich has a +5 natural armor bonus or the base creature’s natural armor bonus, whichever is better.
Attack: A green lich has a touch attack that it can use once per round. If the base creature can use weapons, the green lich retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A green lich fighting without weapons uses either its touch attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A green lich armed with a weapon uses its touch or a weapon, as it desires.
Full Attack: A green lich fighting without weapons uses either its touch attack (see above) or its natural weapons (if it has any). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack along with a touch as a natural secondary attack, provided it has a way to make that attack (either a free hand or a natural weapon that it can use as a secondary attack).
Damage: A lich without natural weapons has a touch attack that causes plants to bloom on the target and drain their vitality for nutrition. This attack deals 1d4/2 levels to living creatures; a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 lich’s HD + lich’s Wis modifier) halves the damage. A lich with natural weapons can use its touch attack or its natural weaponry, as it prefers. If it chooses the latter, it deals 1d4/2 levels extra damage on one natural weapon attack.
Special Attacks: A lich retains all the base creature’s special attacks and gains those described below. Save DCs are equal to 10 + 1/2 lich’s HD + lich’s Wis modifier unless otherwise noted.
Savage Aura (Su): Green liches are preceded by an aura of primal power that enemies of nature are compelled to flee from. Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at the lich must succeed on a Will save or be affected as though by a fear spell from a sorcerer of the lich’s level. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same lich’s aura for 24 hours.
Blossoming Touch (Su): Any living creature a lich hits with its touch attack must succeed on a Will save or be Nauseated for 2d4+Wis rounds as their flesh is consumed before their eyes. Remove Disease or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim (see the bestow curse spell description).
Spells: A green lich can cast any spells it could cast before gaining the template.
Special Qualities: A green lich retains all the base creature’s special qualities and gains those described below.
Fast Healing (Su): While in direct sunlight or in the vicinity of sunlight generated by a Daylight spell, a green lich gains fast healing equal to 1/2 its Con bonus (minimum 1).
Tongues of the Earth (Su): A green lich is continually under the effects of speak with plants and speak with animals
Damage Reduction (Su): A green lich's body is tough, giving the creature damage reduction 15/slashing and magic. Its natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Immunities (Ex): As plants, green liches have immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, and critical hits.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +2, Con +4 , Wis +2
Skills: Liches have a +6 racial bonus on Handle Animal, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Spot, and Survival checks. Otherwise same as the base creature.
Organization: Solitary or with animal companion(s)
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature + 2.
Treasure: Standard coins; double goods; double items.
Alignment: Any neutral.
Advancement: By character class.
Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +4
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