Green Lich
Green lichs are an interesting and rare type of lich that is formed from the spirit of an archdruid who devoted their lives to a forest. The deepest desire of a green lich is to protect its forest and all of those that reside within it. Wise and resolute, they are protectors of the forest. Nothing more, nothing less.
A green lich is a gaunt and skeletal humanoid with withered flesh stretched tight across its bones. Its eyes succumbed to decay long ago, but points of light burn in its empty sockets. It is often adorned in simple robes of earthen tones. They often have vines or twigs affixed to them to give them a little more adornment, but true to their past druidic lives, they care little for material wealth.
Fey Secrets. Becoming a green lich is not an a decision to take lightly, and the process is kept secret. Druids that decide to take up lichdom must make deals with powerful fey entities or gods in order to do so. Most turn to Titania or Oberon whose power and blessing they have given to many druids whom have taken up the mantle of eternal protectors of the forest.
A green lich is created by a ritual involving the magic of nature. During the ritual the ritual the soul of the druid is bound to the forest of their choosing, thus preventing it from travelingto the Outer Planes after death. Usually the forest chosen by the druid has some personal value to it, whether it be the forest that it grew up in, or the forest where they first trained, etc. They must have some sort of attachment to the chosen forest in order for the ritual to bind their soul.
Once the forest has been chosen and the ritual complete, the druid drinks a concoction made from the various berries and other fruits found throughout the forest and finally nightlock all mixed together. The druid then succumbs to the nightlock and falls over dead, then rises as a green lich as its soul is bound to the forest, where it forever remains.
Natural Preservation. Unlike their arcane counterparts, a green lich does not need to collect souls into a phylactery in order to preserve themselves. Their souls are bound to the forest themselves. Thus, in order to maintain themselves, they must maintain the forest. The healthier and stronger the forest is, the stronger the green lich. However, if the forest were to become weak and unhealthy, the green lich may become a green demilich.
Death and Restoration. When a lich's body is broken by accident or assault, the will and mind of the lich drains from it, leaving only a lifeless corpse behind. Within days, a new body reforms in the center of the forest that it is bound to, coalescing out of various branches and roots from nearby plants. The only way to destroy a green lich is to destroy the forest and doing so can be a challenge. The forest is protected by powerful magic from the green lich, so destroying the forest that a green lich presides in is a challenge in and of itself. Often times it involves powerful ritual magic or powerful magic items in order remove the protective enchantments on the forest. From there it typically takes burning the forest down. Even then, the forest has the ability to regrow, making the entire process rather difficult.
Lonely Existence. The life of a green lich is a lonely one. A green lich rarely associates itself with the world outside of its forest. Once in awhile, it may leave the forest to deal with outsiders who may be threatening the forest, but such is a rare case. Given the lonely existence, a green lich interacts
with few creatures outside of those that live in its forest. Often times the green lich even awakens some of the plants to give it more company.
Collectors of Nature A green lich holds to its old druidic ways and cares little for money and magic items. It cares only about nature. Thus, unlike arcane lichs they do not care to collect magic items. However, they enjoy collecting nature and knowledge of such. Their lairs are often riddled in various different types of plants and wildlife and books on such. There are often various concoctions and potions they have created simply from the nature they find around them.
A Green Lich's Lair
A green lich makes its lair in the forest of which it is bound to. The lair is often immensely overgrown with plant life and it is filled with various beasts and fey and plants that are there helping the green lich protect its lair. They may even riddle it with various traps to help protect their lair.
A green lich encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 23 (50,000 XP).
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the green lich can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the green lich can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- The lich rolls a d8 and regains a spell slot of that level or lower. If it has no spent spell slots of that level or lower, nothing happens.
- The lich targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. A thick vine springs out of the ground and the lich must make an melee spell attack, +12 to hit. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be restrained until a successful check or the vines take 15 points of damage. The vines are vulnerable to fire. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
- The green lich calls forth sprites that live within the forest. These sprites appear and attack one creature that the lich can see within 60 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 52 (15d6) slashing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. The sprites then disappear.
Regional Effects
The forest containing the green lich's lair is warped by the druidic magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- All plant life within this forest grow stronger and more vibrantly. Fruit bearing plants yield twice as much fruit as it normally would. Trees grow taller and stronger.
- All creatures that reside within the forest grow larger and stronger. Their lifespan is doubled
- Tiny beasts such as rodents and birds that are normally unable to speak gain the magical ability to speak and understand Sylvan while within the forest. These creatures speak well of the lich, but can't divulge its whereabouts.
Green Lich
Medium fey, any neutral alignment
- Armor Class 17 (Natural Armor)
- Hit Points 135 (18d8+54)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 11 (+0) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 16 (+3)
- Saving Throws Con +10, Int +9, Wis +12
- Skills Arcana +18, Nature +18, History +12, Animal Handling +9, Insight+9, Perception +9
- Damage Resistances Cold, Lightning
- Damage Immunities Poison; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing From Nonmagical Attacks
- Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned
- Senses Truesight 120 Ft., passive Perception 19
- Languages Common, Druidic Plus Up To Four Other Languages
- Challenge 22
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the lich fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Rejuvenation. If the forest that the green lich is sworn to still stands, a destroyed lich gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears at the center of the forest.
Spellcasting. The green lich is an 18th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit with spell attacks). The green lich has the following druid spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, poison spray, thorn whip
1st level (4 slots): charm person, detect magic, entangle, thunderwave
2nd level (3 slots): earthbind, heat metal, hold person, moonbeam
3rd level (3 slots): call lightning, dispel magic, erupting earth, water wall
4th level (3 slots): conjure woodland beings, polymorph
5h level (3 slots): conjure elemental, wrath of nature
6th level (1 slot): heal, wall of thorns
7th level (1 slot): fire storm, whirlwind
8th level (1 slot): control weather, earthquake
9th level (1 slot): shapechange
Turn Resistance The green lich has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns fey.
Change Shape (2/day). The lich magically polymorphs into a beast or elemental with a challenge rating of 11 or less, and can remain in this form for up to 9 hours. The green lich can choose whether its equipment falls to the ground, melds with its new form, or is worn by the new form. The green lich reverts to its true form using a bonus action on its turn. While in a new form, the green lich retains its game statistics and ability to speak, but its AC, movement modes, Strength, and Dexterity are replaced by those of the new form, and it gains any special senses, proficiencies, traits, actions, and reactions (except class features, legendary actions, and lair actions) that the new form has but that it lacks. It can cast its spells with verbal or somatic components in its new form. The new form;s attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunity to nonmagical attacks.
Actions
Poisonous Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 21 (6d6) poison damage. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving th row or be poisoned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Legendary Actions
The green lich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The green lich regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Cantrip. The lich casts a cantrip.
Poisonous Touch (Costs 2 Actions). The green lich uses its Poisonous Touch.
Captivating Gaze (Costs 2 Actions). The green lich fixes its gaze on one creature it can see within 10 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened for 1 minute. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the green lich's gaze for the next 24 hours.
Entangling Thorns (Costs 3 Actions). As a reaction, the green lich targets a creature it can see, thorns burst from the ground it stands on, attempting to foil the targets attack. The target must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw. On a fail, the creature is restrained until the start of its next turn and it takes 4d4 piercing damage. On a success, the target takes 4d4 piercing damage.
Absorb Life (Costs 3 Actions). Each living creature within 20 feet of the green lich must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw against this magic, taking 16 (4d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The green lich heal an amount equal to damage dealt this way.