A Master Lich is an undead creature from the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1]
Overview[]
A master lich resembles a standard lich except that its creation, beyond the standard incantations and potions, also involves promises made to dark, extradimensional powers. An undead creature becomes a master lich until such time as it must pay the price of the promises it made to the dark powers.[1]
Description[]
A master lich resembles a normal lich in many ways, save that its flesh is desiccated, rather than decayed, and its skin is pulled tight like leather over its skull and bones. It retains a lich's deep-set, black eye sockets, with burning white pinpoints of light dancing deep within their recesses.[1]
Behavior[]
A master lich will occasionally fixate on a particular place, event, or person, and will endeavour to the best of its ability to gain absolute control over that place, event, or person. This preoccupation can become an overriding obsession, eventually negating all other interests or concerns.[1]
Combat[]
A master lich will not enter into direct combat unless it has no other choice or unless its target is helpless and easy to slay. If it chooses to avoid physical combat, it will use its ability to animate dead to create an army of undead skeletons and zombies to fight in its stead.
The undead are under the master lich's full control, and all their actions can be controlled by the lich. The master lich can see through what remains of their eyes and hear through the remnants of their ears. Any living creature killed by or through the master lich's hand can be reanimated as undead.
In addition to retaining access to all its abilities from when it was alive, a master lich can also paralyze opponents with its touch for up to 24 minutes.
A master lich cannot be affected by enchantment/charm or necromantic spells, including those that allow others to control undead. It is also unaffected by polymorph, poison, cold, insanity, and electricity magic. A master lich can be turned as per a normal lich, except when it is on its home ground; at this point the lich becomes significantly more difficult to turn.
Unlike normal liches, the mere appearance of a master lich does not cause fear, and it can be harmed by normal weapons. A master lich regenerates all damage inflicted upon its body, and continues to do so even if its body is destroyed and its component parts dispersed.
A master lich can animate any dead creature: long-dead creatures become skeletons, humanoids become zombies, and all other large creatures become monster zombies.[1]
Society[]
Unlike other liches, who generally prefer a solitary existence, master liches revel in ruling over a society of undead of their own creation. They command their skeletons and zombies, who obey without question, and impose their will on other undead through the force of their personality or through threats if need be. Any lesser undead may be commanded by a master lich, except for liches, archliches, and demiliches. Vampires and other sentient undead are treated as uneasy allies at best.[1]
Destroying a Master lich[]
A master lich exists, in part, because it has eluded some dark bargain; as a consequence it often seeks protection in numbers, especially against those who would bring it to its final death. Due to its undead nature and its ability to regenerate from catastrophic injury, a master lich is difficult to kill permanently. In fact, to bring a master lich to its one true death requires either of two events occur: a dark power must show up to collect the lich's immortal spirit in payment, or if the lich is captured and dragged to a power's home plane. A master lich fears the dark powers that helped create it more than anything else in the universe, for they are the ones who will prove to be its undoing.[1]
Notable Master liches[]
- The Fool controlled legions of undead onboard the Spelljammer, including a horde of zombie rats who acted as his spies.[2]
Appendix[]
External Links[]
- Master lich article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Jeff Grubb, The Legend of Spelljammer, The Grand Tour, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Lich, Master entry, page 62
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, The Legend of Spelljammer, Captains and Ships, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Personalities of the Spelljammer chapter, pages 44-46