Lich, Variant (5e Class)

The Lich

You’ve done it. You have reached the peak of magic power. Whether by rituals and studies, a freak accident, or horrible transformation, you have become a Lich. But no matter how you made it, you still need to learn about your new body and powers.

Playing a Lich

As a Canon Lich, you are already far more powerful than any regular mortal, only being rivaled by other adventurers and the enemies you face. But being a low-level Lich means you have to be cautious. You are vulnerable and easily killed if caught out on your own. No matter the situation or circumstances, a good Lich will plan and review his situation, coming up the best and most beneficial plan for every encounter. There are restrictions to being a Lich, however, such restrictions are:

• You can’t be of Good nature.

• In favor of becoming immortal you put your soul into a phylactery and your body died in process, you gain no racial benefits. Unless your DM states otherwise.

• You cannot be healed by normal healing magic due to your undead nature, though you can gain temporary hit points and use hit dice during a short rest. In addition, whenever you would receive Necrotic damage, you instead heal half of an amount of hit points equal to the damage you would have received

• If your phylactery gets destroyed you die and your body turns to ash.

Creating a Lich

Quick Build

You can make a Lich quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution or Dexterity for your armor class. Second, choose the Sage background. Third, take a Staff and a scholar's pack.

Class Features

As a Lich you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Lich level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Lich level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: none
Weapons: Simple Weapons
Tools: Disguise Kit
Saving Throws: Intelligence and Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Athletics, Deception, Intimidation, History, Religion, Medicine

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a spellbook and unfinished phylactery or (b) {{{item1b}}}
• (a) one simple weapon or (b) any martial weapon if proficient
• (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 1d6x10 gp in funds.

Table: The Lich

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
				1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+2	Arcane Recovery, Unholy Covenant, Phylactery	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	Undead Domination	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	Traits of the Undead	3	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	4	4	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	Greater Phylactery, Undead Domination	4	4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	Traits of the Undead, Unholy Covenant	4	4	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	—	4	4	3	3	1	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	—	4	4	3	3	3	1	—	—	—	—
10th	+4	Traits of the Undead, Unholy Covenant, Paralyzing Touch	5	4	3	3	3	2	—	—	—	—
11th	+4	Undead Domination	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	—	—	—
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	—	—	—
13th	+5	—	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	—	—
14th	+5	Unholy Covenant, Undead Domination	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	—	—
15th	+5	—	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	—
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	—
17th	+6	Master Resistance	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	1
18th	+6	—	5	4	3	3	3	3	1	1	1	1
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	3	2	1	1	1
20th	+6	Absolute Lichdom	5	4	3	3	3	3	2	2	1	1

Spellcasting

As a Lich, your knack for magic and casting spells, combined with your new powers, allows you to cast your spells without needing a spell book. Although, you can keep a book if you wish. You can copy spells down for the same cost as you would in a Wizard’s spell book, although to learn the spell you will need to study it and memorize it during a long rest. You gain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

Preparing and Casting Spells

You prepare the list of Lich spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of Lich spells equal to your Intelligence modifier + your Lich level (minimum of one spell) at the end of each long rest. You may cast those spells until the end of your next long rest, when you choose new spells to prepare.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your main spellcasting ability for your Lich spells, as you have spent your time practicing spells and learning as much as you could before the rituals. You use your Intelligence modifier whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Lich spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast a Lich spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your book. You don’t need to have the spell prepared.

Arcane Recovery

You have learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your Spellbook. Once per day when you finish a Short Rest, you can choose expended Spell Slots to recover. The Spell Slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than your Lich level, and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.

For example, if you’re a 4th-level Lich, you can recover up to four levels worth of Spell Slots. You can recover either two 2nd-level spell slot or four 1st-level Spell Slots.

Unholy Covenant

At 1st level, you can choose between your three Unholy Covenants; the Dark Mage, the Ethereal Knight, or the Gravewalker. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Traits of the Undead

Through your extensive research of the arcane arts and ability to create a phylactery, you have reached a new peak of the Undead. You are dead, but because of the ritual, you have transcended past that of normal undead. It is visible on your body, usually with pale skin and a body mostly comprised of just skin and bones. You gain advantages and disadvantages due to this phenomenon.

• You can’t be of Good nature.
• You cannot be Aged, even by magical means, due to your undead nature. In addition you are immune to necrotic damage, but still heal normally as if you were still alive.
• If your hit points drop to 0, you do make death saving throws as normal. If your hit points drop to 0 from Radiant damage or by using Holy water you gain 1 failed death save.
• As an Undead, you start off with 60 feet of Darkvision.
• As an Undead, you are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition. You are immune to any disease. You do not require food, air, or sleep. You require a 4 hour period of light activity to regain your spell slots, during which you regain the same benefits as a long rest.
• You are instantly recognized as an undead. You gain proficiency in Intimidation. However, you are bound to be treated poorly for being a known as undead, and if your undead status lowers someone's trust, you roll Persuasion checks towards them at a disadvantage. You still can use magic or other means to hide.

You gain more benefits from this feature on 6th level, and again at 10th level.

Phylactery

Starting a level 1 you become an undead who uses an unfinished phylactery, with the following advantages and disadvantages

• Your Phylactery is unstable and you have to obtain souls to charge phylactery and keep yourself alive. You start with 1d10 + 5 charges inside. Each charge will last for a day, if your Phylactery run out of charges you die and your body turn to ash. To improve it you have some work to do.
• To charge your phylactery you need life force of another humanoid, you need to perform ritual to sacrifice living humanoid while you having short rest or long rest. One humanoid life force is enough to give you one charge.
• When you fall to 0 HP, you do get saving throws. However, your soul gets stored in your phylactery. If you stabilize you move back to your body. If you die you are trapped in your phylactery.
• Your phylactery is not powered enough to bring you back on its own. A spellcaster skilled in necromancy can help you take a new body. It has to be living humanoid killed in a 10 minute ritual. While you are dead your phylactery will still be using charges to keep your soul inside.
• Other methods of revival are not possible since your soul is trapped in phylactery
• Your phylactery functions as an Arcane Focus, you can not use a different focus until lvl 5
• Your phylactery is an object with an armor class equal to your Lich level plus your Intelligence modifier, and total hit points equal to 5 times your Lich level plus 2 times your Intelligence modifier. Any lost hit points may be regained by using souls of humanoids in a 4 hour ritual, of which the phylactery then regains hit points equal to 3 times the total souls sacrificed to it. For the purposes of saving throws against effects, your phylactery uses the statistics of your character. But if you are dead or unconscious it fails any saving throws.

Undead Domination

Your natural control over Undead grants you many bonuses. At 2nd level, you can make any Undead that you can see within 60 feet of you roll a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell Save DC or fall under your complete control for 1 hour.

Undead with an Intelligence above 8 have advantage on their saving throw and any Undead with an Intelligence above 12 are immune to this effect. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier.

This feature is stronger at 5th level and again at 11th and 14th level.

Your natural control over Undead grants you many bonuses. At 5th level, you can make any Undead that you can see within 60 feet of you roll a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell Save DC or fall under your complete control for 24 hours.

Undead with an Intelligence above 8 have advantage on their saving throw and any Undead with an Intelligence above 12 are immune to this effect. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Your natural control over Undead grants you many bonuses. At 11th level, you can use magic to bring undead under your control, even those created by other magic users you can see within 60 feet of you roll a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell Save DC or fall under your complete control for 24 hours.

Undead with an Intelligence above 8 have advantage on their saving throw and any Undead with an Intelligence above 12 are immune to this effect. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Starting at 14th level, you can use magic to bring undead under your control, even those created by other magic users. As an action, you can choose one undead that you can see within 60 feet of you. That creature must make a Charisma saving throw against your wizard spell save DC. If it succeeds, you can’t use this feature on it again. If it fails, it becomes friendly to you and obeys your commands until you use this feature again.

Intelligent undead are harder to control in this way. If the target has an Intelligence of 8 or higher, it has advantage on the saving throw. If it fails the saving throw and has an Intelligence of 12 or higher, it can repeat the saving throw at the end of every 24 hours until it succeeds and breaks free.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Greater Phylactery

At level 5th, you may improve your phylactery to be more efficient. In addition to that you can use different spellcasting focus. Choose one of the following: Blood Phylactery or Soul Phylactery

Blood Phylactery

• Your phylactery is powered by blood. It requires 10 pints of blood from any living creature to fill it with 2 charges. Blood from a creatures with magical origins or innate spell-casting, (elves, dragonborn, etc...) charge your phylactery with 3 charges instead.
• Powering your phylactery requires you to perform a ritual during a short or long rest where you dip your phylactery into the required blood. You cannot use less than the required amount. But you can use more.
• You can drain the blood from a creature by placing the phylactery on a restrained, paralyzed, or incapacitated creature's chest. Creature have to make a Constitution save against your DC or becomes paralyzed and loses a pint of blood per minute. It can roll a new save on start of it's turn to stop being paralyzed. Creature dies if you drain all its blood.
• You can use your Phylactery Charges to heal yourself, as an bonus action expending two charges to heal you for 1d8 + CON + INT

Soul Phylactery

• When you kill humanoid creature with spell from necromancy School, you can use your reaction to trap it in to your phylactery to gain 3 charges. Creatures with magical origins or innate spell-casting, (elves, dragonborn, etc...) charge your phylactery with 4 charges instead.
• You can also perform ritual while you do short or long rest and kill how many humanoids you like to charge your phylactery but no more then 10 on short rest and no more then 80 on long rest. If you do it as a part of a ritual you store additional charge for any humanoid you kill.
• You can use 10 charges to give yourself advantage for one saving throw.
• You can use charges of certain humanoids to gain one of these benefits:

Elves and Fey – If you use an Elf or Fey creature, you can gain their beauty and skills. You no longer appear to rot and you can walk around freely without concern of being spotted out. Creatures trying to disconcert you from others as a Lich must either use magic, such as detect Undead, or get close enough to tell your pulse with a Perception check against your DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier. You also gain proficiency in Persuasion checks and if you already have proficiency in Persuasion you gain expertise in it.

Orcs and Giants – using an Orc or a Giant gives you immense physical power. If you use their soul, you gain proficiency in Athletics, expertise if you already are proficient in Athletics. You now can lift, drag, push, and carry weight as if you were one size larger.

Dragons or Dragonborns - using an Dragon or Dragonborn soul you gain proficiency in constitution saving throw if you already have it you gain expertise instead. In addition to that you gain ability to use dragon breath. The power of this dragon breath depending on what soul you use. You can have only have one benefit active at a time. Using a soul to gain different benefit and the duration on the previous one. Each benefit last for 24 hours.

(GM and player should take notes on what souls you gather and use)

Traits of the Undead

At 6th level, you now have advantage against being Charmed and Frightened and on your Wisdom Saving Throws against Turn Undead, as you’re harder to crack. You get this feature again at 10th level when you gain immune to exhaustion and you also gain resistant to being paralyzed.

Paralyzing Touch

At 10th level, you can make a melee attack spell on a creature, doing 3d6 Necrotic damage on a successful hit. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be Paralyzed for 1 minute, repeating its saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. You can use this feature up to a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier. You regain all uses of this feature after a long rest.

Traits of the Undead

At 10th level you are now immune to exhaustion and you gain resistance to being paralyzed.

Master Resistance

Number of souls your body taken empowered your body and it becomes resilient. Starting at 17th level, you now have resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing damage from non-magical or non-silvered weapons

Absolute Lichdom

You have now reached the peak of Lichdom, becoming a True Lich indeed. At 20th level, your Intelligence knows no bounds and increases by 4 to a maximum of 24. Your pupils will now always have a small, (choose color) glow to them.

You need only one phylactery charge per month.

Your resistances to being Charmed, Frightened, and Paralyzed have now become immunities.

You gain one Legendary Resistance 1/long rest. If the Lich fails its saving throw it can choose to succeed.

You hunger for knowledge and power, you would sacrifice anyone's life to get what you want. (you add this perk to your personality flaws)

Dark Mage

The Dark Mage is a powerful spell-caster, utilizing and maximizing the use of all their spells. Once you take this Archetype you will be one of the most powerful casters in the known realms.

Necrotic Savant

At 1st level, your attachment to necrotic energy allows you to control it easily. Any spell you cast from the school of necromancy add your spellcasting ability modifier to damage rolls. You can use 2 phylactery charges to give a target disadvantage on its saving throw against a 1st level spell from school of necromancy you cast. You can use this feature on stronger spells but each level above 1st costs you 2 more charges.

Piercing Spells

At 6th level, your spell’s power increases, allowing you to ignore resistances to necrotic damage. Creature Immune to necrotic damage slightly glow for you and you can expend 4 phylactery charges to ignore that immunity for one turn.

Life Transference

At 10th level, when you are targeted by healing spell (harming undead) or when you heal yourself by necrotic energy. You may target one ally you can see no more then 60 ft. away from you and transfer that healing energy to them.

Enhanced Savant

At 14th level, your knack for necromancy has increased tremendously. You can now deal the full damage of any of your spells from the school of necromancy. You can use this feature on any spells from the school of necromancy that may require other creatures to make saving throws. You must finish a long rest before using this feature again.

Ethereal Knight

After testing out your newfound powers and finding them weak, you have decided to pick up a sword in favor of using the Lich's natural strength and aura to intimidate your foes.

Bonus Proficiencies

At 1st level, you gain proficiency with Light Armor and Medium armor and three Martial weapons of your choice.

Undying Presence

At 1st level, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier + your Lich level when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee weapon.

Extra Attack

At 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Horrifying Aura

At 10th level, you gain a 30 foot radius of unholy energy that frightens creatures that can see you. Any creature that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against DC equal to 8 + STR + your proficiency bonus, or flee in terror. You can use this feature once and regain its use after taking a short rest or long rest.

Death Warden

At 14th level, you can choose one of the three options listed below:

• Life Drain - Attacks made with a melee weapon deal extra 1d8 necrotic damage. Also, a creature's hit point maximum is reduced by the necrotic damage you deal and your current & maximum hit points are increased by that amount. You lose any extra hit points when you finish short rest or long rest.
• Ethereal Passage - Attacks made with a melee weapon deal extra 1d8 force damage. And, as a bonus action you can teleport to free space next to any enemy you see up to 20 feet away from you. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier.
• Chilling Strike - Attacks made with a melee weapon deal extra 1d8 cold damage, when you hit a creature with a weapon it must succeed on CON save against your spell save DC or become frozen until the end of your next turn. This does not affect creatures with a size greater than Large. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Grave Walker

You have read and studied the Lich's natural powers for years, and have decided to use its ties to necrotic energy to create, revive, and raise the Undead to make your own army.

Bonus Proficiencies

At 1st level, you gain proficiency with Light armor.

Graveyard Shift

At 1st Level, you know the location of any humanoid corpse or Undead within 60 feet of you. You have ability to reanimate any Beast or Monstrosity to up to CR 1/4 GM have the creature game statistics. In addition to that you can learn any spell from School of Necromancy.

Improved Cadavers

At 6th, you gain these benefits:

• You can cast Animate Dead as a ritual spell.
• Created Undead from any spell you cast gain hit points equal to your Lich level
• Created Undead from any spell you cast add half of your proficiency bonus rounded down to their attack rolls and full proficiency bonus to damage rolls
• You add Speak to Dead and Animate Dead spell to your spellbook if it is not already there.

Defense of the Grave

At 10th level, you have a veil of protection against Undead creatures. When an Undead creature attempts to attack you with a damaging attack of any kind, it must first make a Wisdom saving throw or the Undead does nothing and the attack is wasted. On a successful save, the attack's damage is halved against you.

Tide of Flesh and Bone

At 14th level, as an action you can expend a 7th level spell slot or 30 Phylactery Charges to cast a concentration spell which creates up to 30 Undead, Zombies or Skeletons being your choice or the DM's based on your surroundings. This feature lasts up to 10 minutes or until your concentration ends. Undead you created with this spell then die. Undead created by this feature gain Improved Cadavers benefits and additional + 2 to attack and damage rolls.

The Lich Spell List

You can learn all of the spells on the basic Wizard spell list.

You can cast spells as a full caster, able to go to 9th level and can use the spell slot table from the Wizard's base class.

Losing your Lichdom

There are two ways you can lose your status as a Lich: Either by being killed in battle and willingly revived with a Revive spell, or through a Wish. When this happens, you lose all of your levels in the Lich class as you are wholly alive again. However, if your phylactery is still intact, becoming a lich is easy again; all that requires is for you to die, and have your corpse be animated through an Animate Dead spell. Doing so will turn you back into a lich instead of its original effect. Should you be revived and your phylactery destroyed, you must perform a full lich ritual to regain your status.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the The Lich class, you must meet these prerequisites: Intelligence 13 and Wisdom 13. You must be within the class restrictions listed at the top of the class page.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the The Lich class, you gain the following proficiencies:Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws, light armor, simple weapons, shortswords

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