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From: tim@unc.UUCP (Tim Maroney)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: defeating a lich
Message-ID: <6012@unc.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 15-Oct-83 23:55:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.6012
Posted: Sat Oct 15 23:55:53 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Oct-83 08:16:07 EDT
References: utah-cs.1980
Lines: 39

Stanley Shebs has asked for a justification of my assertion that no one
beats a well-played lich.  His contention is that a lich is just another
monster, which can be beaten by sufficiently powerful magic.  Well, you may
be right, but I'm not considering the case of a special-purpose inteligent
sword coupled with a heavy-duty magic absorber like a Rod of Absorption.
However, even in that case, the lich would stand a good chance.

The reason is very simple.  You don't mess around with 18th level spell
casters, and most liches have trashed enough being to be at least 20th
level.  (Don't forget to give your monsters experience if they are human, by
the way.)  Why don't you mess with 18th level spell casters?  The answer is
simple: Mind Block (cast daily), Limited Wish, Power Word (stun or kill),
Meteor Swarm, and a variety of illusion and recuperative spells that will
keep you fighting shadows for quite a while.

The lich has the added advantage of not aging.  Therefore, casting a Limited
Wish is just not a decision that takes much thought, since there is no side
effect.  Wishes are still incapacitating for a brief period, just like
normal, but that wouldn't keep me from casting a few spiffy ones if I were a
lich.  The old two-Wish combination is a winner -- use one wish so that the
other wish will trigger and resurrect you after the next time you die.  Of
course, it would have to be worded carefully, but for a lich this is not a
problem.  Another goodie is magic resistance.  And did I mention that the
treasure type for liches in the MM is ludicrous?  A lich would have made
himself some of the finest magic items, and would probably be quite wealthy
besides.

Another goodie is Clone, with a Wish that the clone be forever subservient
to the lich.   Who could be a better servant?

In short, if the magic is used as effectively as something as smart as a
lich would use it, there is no way you will send that sucker to the real
death.  On the other hand, if the lich is run as "just another monster", no
doubt the PC party can triumph, but it is no victory to beat an ill-played
foe.
___________
Tim Maroney
duke!unc!tim (USENET), tim.unc@udel-relay (ARPA)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill