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Lich Redemption?
- Thread starter gamecat
- Start date
thedungeondelver
Adventurer
gamecat said:
SILENCE!
I'm thinking catch him with a rod of resurrection, then slap a helm of alignment change on him. You're not going to convince a mighty, undead cleric/magic-user to just quit being bad.
That's what I'd do, but that's just me.
Edit: Ah, I'm sorry...you said quest ideas.
Okay, put the Rod and the Helm in the possession of another big-bad, or heck big-good-guy who doesn't want the items to be just sort of floating around out there (a ki-rin, or maybe a Solar). The party has to journey to where the item is and if they can't convince the holder they have to try and finagle it out some other way. One lawful good (or otherwise good) party against another good and powerful creature could open up some great roleplay and combat opportunities...!
Slife
First Post
thedungeondelver said:
Yeah, the Helm of Opposite Alignment is the way to go (Don't bother with the mind bondage spell from the BoED. It's worthless.). Make sure it's crafted with an alignment restriction, so it can't be used against you (and, additionally, costs less)
After he's been forcibly reformed, a properly worded wish (perhaps with a miracle in addition) could return him to the living...
KrazyHades
First Post
Or you could take it another direction and not FORCE the lich to change alignment. Perhaps the lich is evil for a reason (albeit twisted over time) instead of just a desire for power or eternal life for their own sake. Here's a sample scenario:
The ancient Kingdom A was once a prosperous, just, and orderly place. One man, the leader of the National Wizard Corps, was completely dedicated to protecting the kingdom with everything he had, and had total loyalty to the King and to the people of the land. But lo and behold, a neighboring nation, Kingdom B, was rising in power and desired the rich lands of Kingdom A, and so they sent their armies to take it. As Kingdom A was falling apart, the leader of the National Wizard Corps saw that there was no hope of saving Kingdom A, but perhaps he could extract revenge on Kingdom B. He became a lich in order to gain the time and power to destroy Kingdom B, which survives to this day. He wishes to see Kingdom A, which has long been forgotten, remembered as the beautiful land it once was. Perhaps if the characters, through convincing of officials, raising of money through quests for Kingdom B, and gaining necessary materials by taking them from the lairs of evil creatures, will be able to construct a glorious monument to Kingdom A which mourn's A's destruction and shows the world B's sadness for its past sins, the lich will see that Kingdom B is no longer the ravening, power hungry place it once was, and becomes a Lawful Good aligned lich who works for Kingdom B as the head of B's National Wizard Corps. The lich now has loyalty to Kingdom B because he has seen that he may protect good, hardworking, and prosperous people through the strength of his magic once more.
How's THAT for a plot?
The ancient Kingdom A was once a prosperous, just, and orderly place. One man, the leader of the National Wizard Corps, was completely dedicated to protecting the kingdom with everything he had, and had total loyalty to the King and to the people of the land. But lo and behold, a neighboring nation, Kingdom B, was rising in power and desired the rich lands of Kingdom A, and so they sent their armies to take it. As Kingdom A was falling apart, the leader of the National Wizard Corps saw that there was no hope of saving Kingdom A, but perhaps he could extract revenge on Kingdom B. He became a lich in order to gain the time and power to destroy Kingdom B, which survives to this day. He wishes to see Kingdom A, which has long been forgotten, remembered as the beautiful land it once was. Perhaps if the characters, through convincing of officials, raising of money through quests for Kingdom B, and gaining necessary materials by taking them from the lairs of evil creatures, will be able to construct a glorious monument to Kingdom A which mourn's A's destruction and shows the world B's sadness for its past sins, the lich will see that Kingdom B is no longer the ravening, power hungry place it once was, and becomes a Lawful Good aligned lich who works for Kingdom B as the head of B's National Wizard Corps. The lich now has loyalty to Kingdom B because he has seen that he may protect good, hardworking, and prosperous people through the strength of his magic once more.
How's THAT for a plot?
pawsplay
Hero
What motivates someone to become a lich? I can imagine questing to rescue the soul of a lich's Padme, who has been waiting for their once paramour to see the light... perhaps a resurrection is possible, or perhaps the PCs simply need to deliver a message of hope to the lich.
Another thought: Perhaps the lich was once a scholar... the PCs need the lich's aid to avert a catastrophe. The lich comes to realize that his knowledge is valuable because of the good it can do.
Perhaps the lich once feared death. Now, the PCs must show the lich that all he once cared for his dried up and blown away, yet life continues. They quest for ruined stones from the tower he once studied at, the crown of a fallen king he once supported or slew, locks of hair from his own great-great-great-great-great-nephew, a captured demilich who has lost his mind and powers, a portal to a place in Limbo where the edges of the plane give way to pure Chaos, etc.
Another thought: Perhaps the lich was once a scholar... the PCs need the lich's aid to avert a catastrophe. The lich comes to realize that his knowledge is valuable because of the good it can do.
Perhaps the lich once feared death. Now, the PCs must show the lich that all he once cared for his dried up and blown away, yet life continues. They quest for ruined stones from the tower he once studied at, the crown of a fallen king he once supported or slew, locks of hair from his own great-great-great-great-great-nephew, a captured demilich who has lost his mind and powers, a portal to a place in Limbo where the edges of the plane give way to pure Chaos, etc.
Goblyn
Explorer
gamecat said:
There are ways to redeem undead as well as ways to redeem evil presented in different books(Book of Exalted Deeds? I don't own it, but I think there are rules for such in there.) Simply present the task to your players. Even if nobody in your group(including you) owns the book, they may very well find a way. Many minds in unison, and all that.
gamecat
Explorer
Well, the scenario lies as such:
The world (referred to by it's inhabitants as The Land) is split in two: a swirling vortex of negative energy at the north pole, and a similar font of positive energy at the south.
The PHB races live in the south, all living in a theocracy run by the Azarean church. The north, as you might guess, has a strong, strong undead presence. In the equatorial regions, tribes of nomadic steamtech-using lizard folk wander about, carving their way through the undead and making their lives.
Ten such tribes all worship dragons.
My idea was to dracolich each tribal dragon, and task the party with redeeming said dragons and gaining the respect of the tribes.
The world (referred to by it's inhabitants as The Land) is split in two: a swirling vortex of negative energy at the north pole, and a similar font of positive energy at the south.
The PHB races live in the south, all living in a theocracy run by the Azarean church. The north, as you might guess, has a strong, strong undead presence. In the equatorial regions, tribes of nomadic steamtech-using lizard folk wander about, carving their way through the undead and making their lives.
Ten such tribes all worship dragons.
My idea was to dracolich each tribal dragon, and task the party with redeeming said dragons and gaining the respect of the tribes.
Land Outcast
Explorer
Well...
The young sorceress had seen her daughter die at the hands of a Night Hag, she saw how the girl's soul was harvested while young Melissa was unable to move, stiched to her own bead by the Hag's foul magic. She might have been unable to move, but her eyes betrayed her terror, and more horrible it was then as her soul abandoned the shell and left those bright green eyes of a dusty gray.
Her wrath was terrible, she knew it was from a diabolist, those able to have the fiends to their bidding. But she didn't know who.
Her ire lashed out at everyone in the region who dabbled in arcane lore, they died by the dozen. The process shattered something inside her, some say it was her sanity, some say it was her heart.
When there was noone else left she kept looking for her daughter's soul, even her husband fell under the spells once he told her to just leave it and carry on, two years after the happening.
She had failed to search somewhere, those harnessing the arcane aren't the only ones in contact with fiends. The Priest of the town, an elderly man, kind with the less fortunate, he delivered them of their suffering, he delivered their souls to a Night Hag. Night Hag who was in need of a young soul with arcane power for one of her experiments. Night Hag who was pointed at the sorceress' home.
He wasn't the only one the Hag frequented to harvest souls, he told the sorceress so...
"She *cough* melded her essence *wheez* with your daughter's, there is your daughter, now let m..." The shrine was obliterated, but the sorceress remained there for days and days in meditation. Then she left.
She discovered a way to make herself completly immune to the Hag's powers, not even bypassable by great arcanists or fiends, she would never need to sleep, and any mental intrusion would be blocked by negative enery... and even better, she could carry on with her search of those who deliver souls to the hag, for eternity if it was necessary. But the mad passion for vengance remained in her young dead husk, to this time all those she has found she has been unable to question, she kills them at sight.
See also post #10
The young sorceress had seen her daughter die at the hands of a Night Hag, she saw how the girl's soul was harvested while young Melissa was unable to move, stiched to her own bead by the Hag's foul magic. She might have been unable to move, but her eyes betrayed her terror, and more horrible it was then as her soul abandoned the shell and left those bright green eyes of a dusty gray.
Her wrath was terrible, she knew it was from a diabolist, those able to have the fiends to their bidding. But she didn't know who.
Her ire lashed out at everyone in the region who dabbled in arcane lore, they died by the dozen. The process shattered something inside her, some say it was her sanity, some say it was her heart.
When there was noone else left she kept looking for her daughter's soul, even her husband fell under the spells once he told her to just leave it and carry on, two years after the happening.
She had failed to search somewhere, those harnessing the arcane aren't the only ones in contact with fiends. The Priest of the town, an elderly man, kind with the less fortunate, he delivered them of their suffering, he delivered their souls to a Night Hag. Night Hag who was in need of a young soul with arcane power for one of her experiments. Night Hag who was pointed at the sorceress' home.
He wasn't the only one the Hag frequented to harvest souls, he told the sorceress so...
"She *cough* melded her essence *wheez* with your daughter's, there is your daughter, now let m..." The shrine was obliterated, but the sorceress remained there for days and days in meditation. Then she left.
She discovered a way to make herself completly immune to the Hag's powers, not even bypassable by great arcanists or fiends, she would never need to sleep, and any mental intrusion would be blocked by negative enery... and even better, she could carry on with her search of those who deliver souls to the hag, for eternity if it was necessary. But the mad passion for vengance remained in her young dead husk, to this time all those she has found she has been unable to question, she kills them at sight.
See also post #10
Last edited:
RainOfSteel
Explorer
Redeem a lich?
1 -- Use an appropriate artifact.
2 -- Use an Epic spell (or 10th or higher level spell). I would require a major league component to go with it. A hundred thousand gp worth, at least.
3 -- Get a god with an applicable portfolio to do it.
1 -- Use an appropriate artifact.
2 -- Use an Epic spell (or 10th or higher level spell). I would require a major league component to go with it. A hundred thousand gp worth, at least.
3 -- Get a god with an applicable portfolio to do it.
Land Outcast
Explorer
Why must they do it?
She is going againt the church (harvesters are corrupted members from the church). She is killing seemingly random priests, but strikes over some time (she needs first to make research on who are in touch with the hag, but with time it has become "those who might be in contact with the hag").
Why shouldn't they just destroy her?
The church has found -through commune- there is a way to redeem her, and wants to go that way. (Besides, her phalactery is held by the bones of her husband in her hometown, a locket with her daughter's image)
Redeem her: Recover her daughter's soul and she will be appeased.
Recover her daughter's soul: Get the hag and separate their essences.
Therefore: Once the essence returns to the locket, the sorceress will return to living. But the sorceress will have to account for many killings...
She is going againt the church (harvesters are corrupted members from the church). She is killing seemingly random priests, but strikes over some time (she needs first to make research on who are in touch with the hag, but with time it has become "those who might be in contact with the hag").
Why shouldn't they just destroy her?
The church has found -through commune- there is a way to redeem her, and wants to go that way. (Besides, her phalactery is held by the bones of her husband in her hometown, a locket with her daughter's image)
Redeem her: Recover her daughter's soul and she will be appeased.
Recover her daughter's soul: Get the hag and separate their essences.
Therefore: Once the essence returns to the locket, the sorceress will return to living. But the sorceress will have to account for many killings...
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