Difference between revisions of "Lich"
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Two liches are generated on the first floor of [[Vecna's Domain]] at level creation, and four guard Vecna's room within his lair on the third floor. Vecna's presence in the dungeon prevents the genocide of liches; once he is destroyed, they can be subjected to genocide as normal. | Two liches are generated on the first floor of [[Vecna's Domain]] at level creation, and four guard Vecna's room within his lair on the third floor. Vecna's presence in the dungeon prevents the genocide of liches; once he is destroyed, they can be subjected to genocide as normal. | ||
| − | Liches are much more dangerous compared to vanilla ''[[NetHack]]'', since they have access to several new monster spells - this also makes them much better pets and polyforms, with full access to their repertoire of monster spells when fighting other monsters. Sunsword now has a chance of instakilling any liches it hits; [[The Sword of Kas]] is an [[artifact]] [[gemstone]] [[two-handed]] sword that deals double damage versus liches. | + | Liches are much more dangerous compared to vanilla ''[[NetHack]]'', since they have access to several new monster spells - this also makes them much better pets and polyforms, with full access to their repertoire of monster spells when fighting other monsters. Sunsword now has a chance of instakilling any liches it hits; [[The Sword of Kas]] is an [[artifact]] [[gemstone]] [[two-handed]] sword that deals double damage versus {{white|L}}, including liches. |
==Encyclopedia entry== | ==Encyclopedia entry== | ||
Revision as of 17:55, 30 October 2023
L lich 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 14 |
| Attacks |
Touch 1d10 cold, Spell-casting |
| Base level | 11 |
| Base experience | 269 |
| Speed | 6 |
| Base AC | 0 |
| Base MR | 30 |
| Alignment | -9 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 1200 |
| Nutritional value | 100 |
| Size | Medium |
| Resistances | Cold, Sleep, Poison |
| Resistances conveyed |
Cold |
|
A lich:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line1514 |
A lich, L, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. It is the most basic member of the lich monster class, and ideally the first of them that you will encounter.
Liches are breathless, poisonous, and have enhanced regeneration and infravision, along with resistance to cold, sleep and poison like most undead. A lich has a cold touch attack and the ability to cast mage monster spells.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.
Liches that are not cancelled can now raise monsters killed by them as zombies of the corresponding type; if they have one, they will be raised 5-20 turns after they are initially killed. This also applies to you if you are polymorphed into a lich. They will also grudge living monsters that can be turned into zombies.
Monsters with digestion attacks can gain intrinsics from swallowing monsters whole, making it possible for them to gain cold resistance from a lich that is digested.Contents
Generation
Randomly-generated liches are always hostile, and never leave a corpse when killed - if killed by any method that ordinarily leaves a corpse, a message is printed about their body crumbling to dust.[1] A lich can grow up into a demilich.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.
A lich may appear in the central chamber of the mausoleum themed room.Strategy
Magic resistance makes fighting against liches much more bearable, since it protects you against destroy armor and drain strength, and weakens the impact of the curse items spell some higher-level liches may have. It is possible for a lich to be generated with a high enough level to cast summon nasties; however, this will not happen unless you encounter one while at a much higher experience level than normal.
Liches are thankfully quite slow even after casting haste self on themselves, which boosts them to a paltry 8 speed at most - this makes it much easier to outrun liches so you can then whittle them down from range and/ or let a strong pet take care of them; a pet with cold resistance is completely immune to damage from a lich, since they cannot normally cast spells against other monsters. Stoning, disintegration and digestion will also take care of a lich in short order.
The lich monster class is often a target for genocide, particularly from a blessed scroll of genocide - if you are using other source of genocide, target the stronger liches first and work your way down to the base lich.
History
The lich first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
Origin
Liches are powerful spellcasters, often magicians or kings, who seek to defy death by magical means. They are depicted as being clearly cadaverous, bodies desiccated or completely skeletal, with glowing lights in place of their eyes.
Lich means "corpse" or "body" in several Germanic languages (compare e.g. Dutch lichaam and German Leiche), and survives in Modern English in the word "lichgate" (or "lych-gate", etc.), a covered entranceway to a churchyard.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, liches need a +2 or better weapon to be hit, and hit monsters as a +2 weapon themselves.
Standard liches may appear among the random L generated in the Chaotic Quest. A lich occupies the easternmost room within The Lost Tomb.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, liches serve as the second quest monster for the Binder quest, making up 14% of the monster randomly generated in the branch. Two hostile liches are also generated on the upper filler level(s) at level creation.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, players killed by any type of lich will arise as a revenant instead of a ghost in bones files.
Two liches are generated on the first floor of Vecna's Domain at level creation, and four guard Vecna's room within his lair on the third floor. Vecna's presence in the dungeon prevents the genocide of liches; once he is destroyed, they can be subjected to genocide as normal.
Liches are much more dangerous compared to vanilla NetHack, since they have access to several new monster spells - this also makes them much better pets and polyforms, with full access to their repertoire of monster spells when fighting other monsters. Sunsword now has a chance of instakilling any liches it hits; The Sword of Kas is an artifact gemstone two-handed sword that deals double damage versus L, including liches.
Encyclopedia entry
But on its heels ere the sunset faded, there came a second apparition, striding with incredible strides and halting when it loomed almost upon me in the red twilight-the monstrous mummy of some ancient king still crowned with untarnished gold but turning to my gaze a visage that more than time or the worm had wasted. Broken swathings flapped about the skeleton legs, and above the crown that was set with sapphires and orange rubies, a black something swayed and nodded horribly; but, for an instant, I did not dream what it was. Then, in its middle, two oblique and scarlet eyes opened and glowed like hellish coals, and two ophidian fangs glittered in an ape-like mouth. A squat, furless, shapeless head on a neck of disproportionate extent leaned unspeakably down and whispered in the mummy's ear. Then, with one stride, the titanic lich took half the distance between us, and from out the folds of the tattered sere-cloth a gaunt arm arose, and fleshless, taloned fingers laden with glowering gems, reached out and fumbled for my throat . . .
