Lich Liches are a powerful type of undead creature . They are mages that have prolonged their lifespan through the use of necromancy and black magic , turning them into powerful immortal beings . Origins . The first Lich ever created was the Altmer mage Mannimarco , a member of the Psijic Order , who delved into the dark arts of magic . It was not long until Vanus Galerion , a fellow student of the order , discovered Mannimarco ' s activities , and the latter was cast out from the institute . During the great battle between Galerion ' s army and the Order of the Black Worm , Mannimarco transformed himself into the first ever Lich , making him immortal . Creation . In , a Lich is a mage who seeks immortality , using powerful magics to expand their lives . One mage named Celedaen attempts to surpass death by using the Sands of Resolve , an hourglass that must remain on his person until the transformation is completed . In , it is mentioned that the process of becoming a Lich involves draining the life force of someone and transferring it back to the Lich ' s body . The Dragon Priest s of Skyrim managed to do this by making their servants give their energy to them . However , this is not always the case , as the Dragon Priest Hevnoraak managed to get some of his life force back by transferring blood into his body . In it is said that to become a Lich , one must force their body into death and beyond . The next part of becoming a Lich is having great necromantic knowledge in the dark arts . Then the soon to be Lich must steal souls from their vessels as painfully as possible , as the higher measure of pain and torment from the sacrifices the purer the ascent to Lichdom . Finally a powerful relic either evil or good that can be perverted , has to be used as a focus point for casting the spell used to take souls from their owners . the more powerful the relic , the more powerful the soul rending . Powers and abilities . Liches are some of the most powerful undead as they are able to cast vast amounts of spells such as destruction magic , and are able to summon undead such as skeleton s and zombie s . They apparently can resist magical attacks , and therefore are not to be trifled with ; extreme caution should be taken when fighting with one . Liches can see those that are invisible , and have an immunity to all weapons besides Mithril and silver , although they are able to be killed by fire . Additionally , they are able to regenerate health when wounded . Physical appearance . Physically , Liches appear to have decaying skin and bodies . They generally wear robes with a helm and shoulder plates , an amulet , and carry a staff that they use for combat . Another form of Lich is the Nether Lich , which have a transparent , ghost - like form ; they are weaker than regular Liches , however . Behavior . During combat , Liches prefer to distance themselves from their foe , and frequently use destruction magics such as Flames and Sparks to kill their enemies . They often summon undead such as skeletons to fight for them , while they stay in the background , casting various destruction spells . Also , a Lich apparently becomes hungry from time to time . Because of this , a wandering lost spirit of a child may be a Lich in disguise .