Dwandek
Level 17Attacks
Abilities
Trigger A creature casts a spell Dwandek has prepared.
Effect Dwandek expends a prepared spell to counter the triggering creature's casting of that same spell. Dwandek loses his spell slot as if he had cast the triggering spell. Dwandek then attempts to counteract the triggering spell.
When a lich is destroyed, its soul immediately transfers to its Soul Cage . A lich can be permanently destroyed only if its soul cage is found and destroyed.
Frequency once per day
Trigger Dwandek attempts a save against an arcane spell but hasn't rolled yet
Effect Dwandek automatically succeeds at his save against the triggering spell.
30 feet. The lich is surrounded by an aura of death, drawing forth souls to be consumed by the lich's constant hunger.
Living creatures in the emanation take a -2 status penalty to saves against fear and death effects. In addition, any creature that starts its turn in the area gains the Doomed 1 condition unless it succeeds at a DC 35 will save against the lich's spell DC-4.
Effect: Void Shroud
Frequency once per day
Effect Dwandek taps into his Soul Cage's power to cast any arcane spell up to 9th rank, even if the spell being cast is not one of the lich's prepared spells.
The lich's soul cage doesn't need to be present for the lich to use this ability.
A creature damaged by the lich's hand Strike must succeed at a DC 38 fortitude save.
The creature becomes Paralyzed for 1 round on a failure. On a critical failure, the creature is paralyzed permanently, falls Prone, and seems dead. A DC 25 medicine check reveals the victim is alive.
If a reaction would disrupt Dwandek's spellcasting action, Dwandek attempts a DC 12 flat. On a success, the action isn't disrupted.
A wizard whose insatiable desire for arcane power eclipsed their mortal life, the lich is a truly devious and versatile spellcaster.
To gain more time to complete their goals, some desperate spellcasters pursue immortality by embracing undeath. After long years of research and the creation of a special container called a soul cage , a spellcaster takes the final step by imbibing a deadly concoction or casting dreadful incantations that transform them into a lich. While most undertake this drastic plan to continue their work or fulfill some long-term plan, others become liches because they fear death or to fulfill some malevolent purpose, such as long-sworn revenge. Regardless, the result is permanent and carries with it the potential to alter history-both that of those who transform themselves and of the countless mortals that will inevitably suffer as a result of a lich's new power.
After its metamorphosis, a lich often finds some quiet place to dwell, typically protected by a variety of guardians and traps, for two primary purposes. First, a lich requires solitude in order to plan its elaborate schemes, and second, few mortals (if any) deign to interact with these legendarily corrupt necromancers. One reason begets the other, as the self-imposed isolation of a lich often drives the lich insane, further solidifying its separation from civilization. The longer a lich lives, the more meticulous a planner it becomes, secreting itself within a labyrinth of deadly puzzles, misdirection, and monsters. A lich's servants and guardians are absolutely loyal, either due to their nature (such as constructs or other undead) or as a result of compulsion using powerful magic. Many liches go mad, in time, and the nature of a lich's lair is a good indicator of the undead's current mental state.
For all the protections it arrays around itself, a lich will go to greater lengths to guard its soul cage , as it knows that the destruction of this magical container spells doom for the lich. A lich is notoriously difficult to bargain with, though the threat of damaging its soul cage is a sure way to gain the upper hand in such a negotiation.