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Level9Drow β Undead, Litch
#fantasy #litch #necromancer #necromancy #undead #wizard #dungeons_and_dragons
Published: 2012-04-19 00:35:21 +0000 UTC; Views: 8378; Favourites: 150; Downloads: 0
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This is a litch. When an evil wizard, warlock, necromancer wants immortality this is a possible venue for him, becoming undead. Litches, and mummies, are the most powerful undead, able to best even vampires and only equaled by vampire Lords. And why not? They are wizards capable of powerful magic. They control more hellish might and undead evil than any other undead. They can CREATE some of the other undead, like zombies and ghouls. Can curse you to become a wrath or wight. They can drain life force, cast necrotic spells, melt your eyes, turn you brain to maggots, who knows, their WIZZARDS! But worst of all about litches, is that they're geniuses and often plot and affect politics of nations, immortal they can plan and wait over centuries and are so, so coldly patient.Litches put their soul into a phylactery, an item, container, etc...that can contain their soul. They keep it safe and hidden, as hidden as a genius can hide things. And the only true way to kill them is to destroy their phylactery; otherwise they come back, even when defeated. I imagine there is a distance they can be from their phylactery to make it fair for the players and also a time limit it takes them to come back for the same fairness. But other than that, there arenβt very many worse things than litches in a fantasy world.
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Comments: 27
if i were to choose one of your creatures, to be it would be this.
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Extreme power, immortality and you get to keep your mind, soul (in a little jar) and who you are. Win situation, if you ask me, minus the flesh.Β
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who needs flesh when you have MAAAAGIIIIIIC
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or a wraith. as long as its undead and powerful im in! Β
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This... Is one of the best Liches I have seen in all of my gaming career!
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Yikes. These guys scare the living crap outta me. We used to have a DM once who loved them. To a point that he'd make one of them his favourite and it'd be almost impossible to kill.
There's hardly anything worse than having to figure out how to defeat an immortal, undead, evil genius. You'll always end up as the inferior idiot.
That picture is made of pure, steaming win. It oozes so much evil, I think it's left a mark on my pc's screen....
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Boy, if I wanted to be immortal, I would NOT want to be a litch/lich! O_o: Not because of the power or anything, it's all mostly vanity reasons!XD I'd like to be able to look at myself in the mirror and say: "Rawwrrr! Jake...You. Are. WORTH IT! *mwuah*" ROFL!!!^_^ I know, I'm terrible!XD
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please tell me that's its original face on that book.
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That;s not his face. But it's a real face.
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i know exactly how you beat a litch and make him want to die for real. remove his jaw, take his head, seperate torso from hips, remove the hands and feet, sever the limbs at the joints, put each individual piece into a box with holy properties, and bury each pieces created in multiple locations miles apart.
litches have a Much harder time in my mythos. while all but immortal, they have no physical enhancements. fighting mortals are easy; a litch can match elven rulers in magic. however immortals are harder if not impossible; for the litch's body is extremely frail and no physical advantages, and of course must be near their phylactery.
the biggest problem for a litch is that the entities of my world can sense the litch from miles around, even if not all act on it. they create a very noticeable void in the world, a space of figurative, souless ice.
worse is if someone manages to destroy the phylactery. for you end up in the void between existence, being pulled in all direction, like horses connected to your soul attempting to rend it apart. however, they soul is indestructible. in other words eternal pain, taken away from the cycle of life and death. for even the tortures of hell are only temporary. this is eternal, without redemption, without change, with nothing but void.
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Well, I would imagine a litch would unbind the forces that bound him to the undead corpse and use whatever process he would to recreate himself. I wouldn't make it that easy for the players confronting him, otherwise if a litch was this vulnerable he would never even bother with a phylactery, seeing how it is obviously more of a burden and liability than a boon. They are geniuses, after all.
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but how would he itneract with the world them? he has no body, no meidum to use his powers.
and no, litches are not geniuses, but fools. they risk somethign worse than dying because of their choice; to cease existing period. would rather go to hell for my minor sins than have my existence compeltely voided.
my reasons; the greatest fools in all the world are those who know the most.
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You can't have a low IQ and be a Wizzard. Mages are always knowledgeable sages, evil or good. I'm not saying you can't be a genius and a fool, but there are foolish geniuses.
No one with a low IQ learns magic, let alone high advanced magic to turn into a litch. my point is that anyone with an average IQ or higher would see the phylactery as a liablity and useless IF they could be taken apart and kept. However, If my soul is in a phylactery then I can leave control of the corpse I was inhabiting. no amount of dismemberment can keep my soul there, becaus...it isn't there, it's, and was always, in my phylactery and I am merely controling this corpse remotely. I would just cease control of these useless parts stuffed into boxes. Residing in, and always was, my phylactery I would do whatever it is that litches do to make new bodies as a disembodies soul in a phylactery. I don't know how they do it but that's what litches do, they come back with a new "them" corpse. Maybe without magic items or gear, I admit, but better than being destroyed. I have decades to accuire more magic items.
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that is another questio i have about litches. how does no being notice it? kind of twisting the universe around, in exactly yhe same way you said would destroy reality i might add, defying death, which is as unbreakable as the laws of the universe, being one of them, and no angels or good beigns notice it? god, it be like not noticing a hurricane going on. how does come they are not killed the moment they are created? how does that work out?
angel 1- hey, i sense a litch making itself down town.
angel2- so?
angel1- ummm, we are the embodiment of good and stuff? and litches are really, really evil? so shouldn't we fly out and break it phylactery and the like before it can raise the dead, or something?
angel2- ah, screw that. vampire diaries is almost on.
angel1- oh, cool!
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Why don't angels do stuff for all sorts of evil, for that matter? Evil dragons, evil ariors, evil orcs, republicans, Anne Colter, etc...
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that is my problem with traditional setting for fantasy creatures. make it black and white, the question of why white is off watching vampire diaries is a constant (democrats are just as evil don't forget, lol).
source of why i don't go pointing fingers and shouting evil in my mythos. when their is gray, you can say there is some black in the white and some white in the black easily. gray is much more interesting. it could make the argument that; hey, the angels are beings too, and also, they are so devoted they would attack evil humans too. then could be said, not all demons are evil, in fact most aide humanity by keeping the damned in hell; might even say we confuse those demons with ones that actually harm us.
but i don't go with that whole all magical beings is evil shit. cringes, prepares to point fingers, and realizes there are far too many to mention. nor that whole reversal nonsense; hey, you guys are wrong, demons are good and angels evil. cringes harder. and if i go on with more examples my muscle will snap with the tension of my cringing again.
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Black and white is how all the epic fantasy has been able to move forward in a storyline and be epic. Tolkien did this with his stories, Souron was CLEARLY the bad guy and evil, orcs were all nasty and no one felt bad killing them, Elves were CLEARLY noble and good, there was a little politics in there as well, but mostly with humans because i think we are the gray, like the Steart of Gondor, Borimir, etc...
But this was an iconic epic story loved and hailed as a literary masterpiece. If fantasy is too gray yhen nothing is celar and no one knows who the antagonist and protagonist and whats right and wtrong and bleh...no one cares to read it anymore becaue i have no hero to attatched to no one to hate, no clearly defined lines, it just is too confusing, for fantasy. works great in mysteries and crime storiies and modern settings, because we are famiar with the times and the poitics of the time are contraversial and intriguing. Heck even renaisance fils like The Borgers, and The tudors can be gray because it is real events and real politics.
Thinking of fantasy role playing games I make demons and angels clear cut, though sometimes masked, like Archons are self reiteous, intolerant and cold, but this is because most my players hate the Vatican and Evangelical Christianity so this concept is easy for them to grasp and understand, and they hate the Archons even more than the demons, at least the demons are honest. But for the most part I fallow simple logic in regards to good guys and bad guys and power levels. I would never make it so that a demon lord who would give copious amounts of experience and treasure to be bested by a low levgel character, it ruins the consistency and continuity of the game. so when thinking about my choices with my Monster Manual and how I paint my creaturs think of it within the context of an RPG game. But I agree with you, if it was a normal novel then, yes, power levels arent so clear and a lucky weakling could exploit some right moment and right curcumstance and kill a demon lord, in a novel, not in a game. Players have to earn power, not fall upon it.
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i personally belief that, while classic black and white is, gray is far more interesting. why i am rather intrigued by the witcher series. it is more itnersting when someone has more agendas than just kill the bad guy, and when you have to deal with unscrupulous persons, and keep an eye out to avoid treachery. and when the protagonist is dark too, you can more relate to him i nsome ways and be wary of him atthe same time; he is not superman, he will kill. and the likes of morality does not mean the same thing to him.
i view the divine as the embodiment of the lighter side of emotion, however the light can still burn. intolerance is to be expected by a species who does not cut corners when it comes to sin. i make most of my monsters as something that can be related too yet dangeorus to approach. angels might be a bit more dangerous than demons in fact. demons will stalk and torment, and angels get right to the point...... and often seem unaware the evil human being does not hold up as strongly agaisnt blasts of fire and lightning as a rvial or a demon would. total overkill.
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Well see that's the thing, then, under the idea of "gray is best" then I have to rule out All Drizzt novels, All of Tolkein, All of Biran Lumely, all of the wheel of time, all of Rovert E.Howard, All of Lovecraft. No one is saying there can't be other issues and intrigue, but the bad guy is clearly the evil and the opponent of the protagonist. Good guys can be dark and tormented, but if they're too dark then now o0ne cares for them as a hero and would rather move on to another character.
Again I want to stress that "Gray" works great in modern stories taking place with modern times and modern politics, but for fantassy things have to be iconic or it becomes too convoluted and suffers like the crappy writing from Anime and manga.
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in my opinion in manga, some might just bond Too strongly with fantasy. fate, good guys always win, that kind of thing. however some do so intentionally, and that i can like. however the likes of bleach and naruto.......gags for a few moments. but the likes of fairy tail, it knows what it is, and revels in it. it told us the very first chapter that it is over the top, humorous, yet had a darker tone underneath. naruto and bleach started out good, but went out of control with the pwoers in the first fifgty or so chapters. fairy tail did not fool anyone; the character natsu blew up half a shipping port to beat the guys he was fighting. fairy tail's characters are rather simplistic but delightfulyl so in it. many of them have sad or dark backstories, ranging from aprental abandonment, factors of a strange, mysterious fate that makes us want to know what it is, death of loved ones, betrayal, bad life experiences, nad sometimes a combo of one of the other. mixed up with blatant fanservice and over the top but entertaining action, it is blunt and proud to be so, and it works.
the likes of naruto and bleach though...... bleach is so obviously forced right now and naruto just is not very good. don't klnow why these are so popular. i stopped liking it the moment three guys summoned super powerful, godzilla esque animas from out of there ass....... and they are all crazy, and not in a good way either.
one piece is also a honestly blunt story, if more convulated as time goes on. the main character beats the shit out of peopel by stretching and is an idiot, but he is an honest, likable fool with a simple goal. as it goes on, you discover his desire is fueled by his childish dreams, dreams that became permanently cemented into his reality when he swore to continue the dream when one of his closest friends died. you learn this like five hundred chapters in though.
another reason it works is that you don't know what will happen yet. the author made this world where nearly anythign can and will happen. more so, there are plenty of mysteries going on in the background, and the author made a certian character a defined bridge of the main characters being caught up in ancient conflicts and threats.
so i think manga works when it is honest with itself that it is jut there for entertainment, nad if the story draws you in, it is beyond its original intentions. one that Does work for sure is Berserk. now that is fucking GRAY MORALITY TO THE MAX. the main character, while badass, in udneniably a deadly, partially homicidal being, despite his good tendencies; once used a child as bait. there are a thosuand and one mysteries slowly being answered about berserk's world, each one enthralling. the characters are well made, either deep or simple they are deep or simple for a reason; from the little ragabond to the high born woman struggling with her own psychosis and the fact that she has learned the mosnters of stories are real and dangerous. and there seems to be no defined god either, and darkness controls the threads of fate. yet.......even with all of that, you see glimmers beyond that. entities that are not monsters. and that the true monsters actually come from man itself. now that is deep.
i think berserk is a good example that the gray morality can lead to deeper stories. however, like you said, the black and white is rather easier to follow and less mature. yet, when it comes ot characters, i definantly see the gray characters more efficient than black or white. they can be likable like the white, yet at the same time their better suited to fight the black characters, for they do not shirk to hesitate where a white character might. and black main chracters....... okay, those are just shit. recently found a manga hwere the main character is as black as they come, and is by no menas going to suffer for it. perhaps that is more realistic, but ot be honet it is boring, and few people want that level of realism. it is, by personal opinion, shit and i will not share its name.
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Well let's make something clear here. When I say clearly defined black and white this doesnt mean that there can't be intrigue or "off" characters. Anti-heros are fine, dark past, dark methods, but their intent is clear. And gray characters can exist so long as they are moderated, I think instantly og Golem from LotR. But what I mean by fantasy being black and white is the sortyline. What the intent for the bad guy, what the intent of the good guys, and the overall gaols. There still can be sbtly shifts withing the context of the storyline. But generally keeping most thing black and white gives consistancy for the reader, it doesn't muddy the world up with no clear goals, defined lines and the overall storyline suffers and the attention span of the readers dqindels as they constantly try to find a direction in the story or a main character, who's the protagonist and who is the antagonist.
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don't see those weaknesses in witcher though. every man is a bastard, every man has their own reaons to either aide or deter you, and sometimes your allies are worse villains than your enemies. the wticher 2 game shows this strongly. at some point you have to either aide a relentless, results over costs rebel with intent to disrupt the entire region, or an apathetic peace keepr who specilized in torturing and killing the same race as the rebel, and has hundreds of innocent lives on his hands. in the end it seems you literally have to choose the lesser of two evil men as your ally. is the peacekeeper more useful or the rebel?
it depends really how to present your world. my world seems okay at first glance, but look under the surface you find centuries worth of hate, malice, and violence churning. or it could be that it seems bleak and hopeless, and that theme changes as the hero shows his power and makes life easier for the innocent. however if you just blatantly turn one to the other for no reason; suddenly the hero rapes someone or the villain sacrafices himself for no reason, and the such, you fial.
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Yea I can see that. Like Bladerunner. It really depends on the world.
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tries to burn name of that last manga out of mind but fails .CURSES!
but to fairy tail's credit, nothign is normally laid in the lap of main characters. each battle is a powerful struggle. and the power o friendship thing in it, un like sailor moon, seems to be an Actual Force inuniverse. it makes them drive forward headlong against powerful enemies to protect the honor and lives of their friends. it also seems to actually amplify their powers as well. however it is not entirely unrealistic; energy if finite, and when they run out they need to take a break. it is also not unrealistic that some enemies some of the characters cannot overcome becuase of their own abilities (screams at naruto for blatantly bypassing that!!!!!). also some of their greater enemies also had only a farce power. one guy seemed unstoppable, but that was becuase he was using some kind of mystical generator to give himself more energy.
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.............. for some reason that sounded somewhat deranged after reading it myself. think i am a little crazy tonight.
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sorry for the bit o crazy back there. now for a cupcake.
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