Lich

Undead · Medium

Lich
The Three Living and the Three Dead: dead kings rise to warn three riders, Flemish illumination by the Master of the Dresden Prayer Book, c. 1480–85 · Master of the Dresden Prayer Book, The Three Living and the Three Dead, illumination, c. 1480–85, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

A wizard who traded life for undeath to keep studying forever, hidden in a fortified lair with its soul locked in a vessel elsewhere. Destroying its body is only half the work; the vessel must be found and broken.

Danger
Deadly
How it is met
Alone, day and night
Challenge
21
SRD 5.2.1 stat blocks
Lich
Pathfinder Second Edition
Lich (level 12, Monster Core)

Hear it

Where it is met

Also: Crypt, Dungeon, Fortress, Ruin

Gives

Lich Dust

Stat blocks (D&D 5e)

Lich

Medium Undead (Wizard), Neutral Evil

AC 20 · Initiative +17 (27)

HP 315 (42d8 + 126)

Speed 30 ft.

StrDexConIntWisCha
11 (+0), save +016 (+3), save +1016 (+3), save +1021 (+5), save +1214 (+2), save +916 (+3), save +3

Skills Arcana +19, History +12, Insight +9, Perception +9

Resistances Cold, Lightning

Immunities Necrotic, Poison; Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned

Gear Component Pouch

Senses Truesight 120 ft.; Passive Perception 19

Languages All

CR 21 (XP 33,000, or 41,000 in lair; PB +7)

Traits

Legendary Resistance (4/Day, or 5/Day in Lair). If the lich fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Spirit Jar. If destroyed, the lich reforms in 1d10 days if it has a spirit jar, reviving with all its Hit Points. The new body appears in an unoccupied space within the lich’s lair.

Actions

Multiattack. The lich makes three attacks, using Eldritch Burst or Paralyzing Touch in any combination.

Eldritch Burst. Melee or Ranged Attack Roll: +12, reach 5 ft. or range 120 ft. Hit: 31 (4d12 + 5) Force damage.

Paralyzing Touch. Melee Attack Roll: +12, reach 5 ft. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) Cold damage, and the target has the Paralyzed condition until the start of the lich’s next turn.

Spellcasting. The lich casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 20):
At Will: Detect Magic, Detect Thoughts, Dispel Magic, Fireball (level 5 version), Invisibility, Lightning Bolt (level 5 version), Mage Hand, Prestidigitation
2/Day Each: Animate Dead, Dimension Door, Plane Shift
1/Day Each: Chain Lightning, Finger of Death, Power Word Kill, Scrying

Reactions

Protective Magic. The lich casts Counterspell or Shield in response to the spell’s trigger, using the same spellcasting ability as Spellcasting.

Legendary Actions

Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature’s turn, the lich can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The lich regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.

Deathly Teleport. The lich teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see, and each creature within 10 feet of the space it left takes 11 (2d10) Necrotic damage.

Disrupt Life. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 20, each creature that isn’t an Undead in a 20-foot Emanation originating from the lich. Failure: 31 (9d6) Necrotic damage. Success: Half damage. Failure or Success: The lich can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.

Frightening Gaze. The lich casts Fear, using the same spellcasting ability as Spellcasting. The lich can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Mages

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 ("SRD 5.2.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

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