Lich A lich is a powerful undead sorcerer who possesses tremendous magical power . During his mortal life as the warchief of the orc ish Horde of Draenor , Ner ' zhul commanded a number of orcish warlocks , shamans , and even some of Gul ' dan ' s death knights . When these wicked sorcerers were captured by Kil ' jaeden and the Burning Legion after the destruction of Draenor , they were transformed into twisted aberrations of their former selves . Ner ' zhul became the Lich King at this time . The sorcerers ' new , undead bodies , though immortal , were bound to the iron will of Ner ' zhul . Since the liches showed unswerving loyalty to their master , Ner ' zhul granted them control over the furious elements of the cold north . Now , the liches wield frost magic along with their own considerable necromantic spells . Other liches are former humans and important members of the Cult of the Damned ( Kel ' Thuzad is one such example ) . Service to the Scourge . Liches are among the most powerful spellcasters and allies of the undead Scourge , serving their master with evil intent and great power . Often , they command armies as generals , surrogates for the Lich King himself . They are deeply entwined with the cold power of the grave . As a rule , these creatures are power - hungry , devious , and vicious . They utilize their great intellect and dark powers not only to serve the Lich King , but also to defeat each other in subtle political machinations , gaining strength and renown from each opponent ' s death . A lich resembles a skeleton with a chill blue glow emanating from within its bones . Liches often dress in flowing robes . These creatures are fond of pageantry and deception ; they will often dress in the robes of a king or priest and expect their followers to call them by powerful - sounding names . Sometimes , they claim extraordinary powers granted directly from Ner ' zhul himself , acting as though Ner ' zhul were a god and they were his chosen priests or prophets . Instead of walking on the ground as mortals do , liches float above it on frosty mist . A lich floats from 6 - 12 inches above the ground . Liches cannot trigger pressure plates or similar traps , nor do they leave footprints . Most difficult terrain does not inhibit liches , and they can cross calm water and other liquids with this ability . This movement is otherwise similar to normal movement , so liches can still fall down pits , for instance . Typically , the Lich King elevates only necromancers to lichdom , but rumors speak of the occasional mage , shaman , or Death Knight who also attains this status . Some tales imply that a spellcaster with enough personal and magical strength can willingly turn himself into a lich , but these reports are unsubstantiated . Some powerful necromancers can temporarily transform themselves into a lich . Following the defeat of the Burning Legion at Mount Hyjal and the weakening of the Lich King ' s hold over the Scourge , a few liches , such as Ras Splinterspine and Morbent Fell , chose to serve the Burning Legion and sided with the dreadlord Balnazzar during the uprising of Sylvanas Windrunner . Every lich has a physical amulet , phylactery , that contains its soul . As long as a lich ' s phylactery remains intact and undamaged , the lich will eventually regenerate its body and return to undeath . " It ' s unclear if the mechanics of phylacteries are common knowledge ; if they aren ' t , then liches thought dead may still return . " A lesser type of lich may be known as a lichling . Although , lichlings may just be minions or spawn of liches . Many Highborne Lichling s — who are wraith s — can be found in Azshara . Rogue Liches . The rogue liches walk Kalimdor with no intention of raising an army as when they were under the command of the Legion . Even a single undead draws attention ; putting together a large group will surely get the local populace upset . Instead , these liches harbor a single , driving goal ; revenge . They seek out those who helped bring about their downfall , first destroying all that they held dear and then bringing ultimate retribution upon the target . Human lich . Human necromancers are the most likely candidates for liches . Chilling mist billows from this skeletal figure . It floats in a cloud of mist , and black robes flow from its evil form . These liches are evil , cunning and loyal to the Lich King . They serve as generals of armies and as advisors to other powerful members of the Scourge . These liches are somewhat inexperienced and probably new to undead existence , but they are filled with power and arrogance . Liches prefer to have hordes of undead minions surrounding them . These lesser undead creatures protect the lich while he casts spells from a distance . Liches have no qualms about fleeing if the situation warrants . Notable . Other liches . Abrakkar the Wretched , Ordin Frostbane , Kali ' naj Dethknell , Din Frostfire , Naze the Eternal , Calis Wraithson , Coldreaver , Cho ' Nammoth , Kryptikk Soulslayer , Rak Coldskull , Venim Iceblade , Alandil Lieng , Ra ' Sal . Note . " Lich " is an acquired template in the Warcraft RPG and World of Warcraft RPG .