Arcane Formula for a Lich (Magical Liquid)

To become a lich, a wizard or wizard/priest must attain at least the 18th-level of experience as a wizard. A candidate for lichdom must have access to the spells magic jar, enchant an item, and trap the soul. Nulathoe's ninemen, a 5th-level wizard spell that serves to preserve corpses against decay, keeping them as strong and supple as in life, is also required.
The procedure for attaining lichdom is ruined if the candidate dies at any point during the process. Even if successful resurrection follows, the workings must be started anew. The procedure involves the preparation of a magical phylactery and a potion. Most candidates prepare the potion first and arrange for an apprentice or ally to raise them if ingestion of the potion proves fatal. Preparation of the phylactery is so expensive that most candidates do not wish to waste all the effort of its preparation by dying after it is completed but before they are prepared for lichdom.
The nine ingredients of the potion are as follows:
* Arsenic (2 drops of the purest distillate).
* Belladonna (1 drop of the purest distillate).
* Blood (1 quart of blood from a dead Pegasus foal, killed by wyvern venom).
* Blood (1 quart from a dead demihuman slain by a phase spider).
* Blood (1 quart from a vampire or a being infected with vampirism).
* Heart (the intact heart of a humanoid killed by poisoning, a mixture of arsenic and belladonna must be used).
* Reproductive glands (from seven giant moths, dead for less than 10 days, ground together).
* Venom (1 pint or more, drawn from a phase spider less than 30 days prior)
* Venom (I pint or more, drawn from a wyvern less than 60
The ingredients are mixed in the order given, by the light of a full moon, and must be drunk within seven days after they combine into a sparkling black liquid that gleams with a bluish radiance. All of the potion must be drunk by the candidate, and within six rounds produces an effect as follows (roll percentile dice):
Roll 	Effect
01-10	All body hair falls out, but potion is ineffective (the candidate knows this). Another potion must be prepared if lichdom is desired.
11-40	Candidate falls into a coma for 1d6-1 days, is physically helpless and immobile, mentally unreachable. Upon waking, potion works: the candidate knows this.
41-70	Potion works, but candidate is feebleminded. Any failed attempt to cure the candidate's condition is 20% likely to slay the candidate.
71-90	Potion works, but candidate is paralyzed for 2d6+2 days (no saving throw, despite curative magic). There is a 30% chance for permanent loss of 1d6 Dexterity points.
91-96	Potion works, but candidate is permanently:01-33 - Deaf34-66 - Dumb67-00 - BlindThe lost sense can only be regained by a wish or limited wish.
97-00	Death of the candidate. Potion does not work.
The successfully prepared candidate for lichdom can exist for an indefinite number of years before becoming a lich. Lichdom is not achieved at death unless preparation of his or her phylactery is complete. A success fully prepared candidate may appear somewhat paler of skin than before imbibing the potion, but cannot be mentally or magically detected by others as ready for lichdom. The candidate, however, is always aware of readiness for lichdom, even if charmed, insane, or memory loss occurs. (A charmed candidate can never be made to reveal the location of the phylactery - although he or she could be compelled to identify what the phylactery is, if it is shown.)
The phylactery may take any form-it may be a pendant, gauntlet, scepter, helm, crown, ring, or even a lump of stone. It must be of inorganic material, must be solid and of high-quality workmanship if made by humans and cannot be an item having other spells or magical properties in it. It may be decorated or carved in any fashion.
Enchant an item is cast on the phylactery (this is one of the rare cases in which this spell can be cast on unworked material), a process requiring continual handling of the phylactery for a long time. The phylactery must successfully make its saving throw as noted in the spell description. It must be completely enchanted within nine days (not the 24 hours normally allowed by the spell). Note that the “additional spell” times given in the enchant an item spell description are required.
When the phylactery is made ready for enchantment, the candidate must cast trap the soul on it. Percentile dice are rolled; the spell has a 50% chance or working, plus 6% per level of the candidate (or caster, if it is another being) over 11th level. The phylactery glows with a flickering, blue-green faerie fire radiance for one round if it is successfully receptive for the candidate's essence.
The candidate then must cast Nulathoe's ninemen on the phylactery, and within one turn of doing so, cast magic jar on it and enter it with his or her life force. No victim is required for this use of the magic jar spell. Upon entering the phylactery, the candidate instantly loses one experience level along with its commensurate spells and hit points. The essence and lost hit points remain in the phylactery, which becomes AC 0 and maintains those hit points from now on. The candidate is now a lichnee, and must return to his or her own body to rest for 1d6+1 days. The ordeal of becoming a lichnee is so traumatic that the candidate forgets any memorized spells of the top three levels available, and cannot regain any spells of those levels until the rest period is completed. (Candidates usually resume a life of adventuring to regain the lost level.)
The next time the lichnee candidate dies, despite the manner or planar location of death, or barriers of any sort between corpse and phylactery, the candidate's life force goes into the phylactery. For it to emerge again, there must be a recently dead (less than 30 days) corpse within 90' of the phylactery. The corpse may be that of any creature, and must fail a saving throw vs. spell to be possessed. If it makes it's saving throw, it never receives the lich. If the creature had 3 Hit Dice or fewer in life, it saves us a 0-level fighter.
If it had 3+1 Hit Dice or greater in life, it saves as if it were alive, with the following alignment modifiers:
: LG, CG, NG: +0
: LN, CN, N: -3
: LE: -4
: NE: -5
: CE: -6
The candidate's own corpse, if within range, is at -10, and may have been dead for any length of time. The lichnee may attempt to enter its own corpse once per week until it succeeds. (A phylactery too well hidden might never offer the lichnee a corpse to enter. Many lichnee commit suicide to save themselves such troubles.) When the lichnee enters its own corpse, it rises in 1d4 turns as a full lich, with all memorized spells and all undead abilities described in the Monstrous Manual accessory.
Category:Encyclopedia Magica Magic Items
Category:Magic Items
Category:Arcane Formulae