Ascent to Lichdom Features

Necromancy Savant

Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a necromancy spell into your spellbook is halved.

Sap Vitality

At second level, you learn how to control the flow of life at a fundamental level. As an action, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet. On a hit, the creature takes 1d8 points of cold damage.

At 6th level, this damage increases to 2d8, and the creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or become incapacitated for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

At 10th level, this damage increases to 3d8, and on a failed save the creature is stunned instead of incapacitated.

Finally, at 14th level, on a failed save, the creature is paralyzed instead of stunned.

Undead Thralls

At 6th level, you add the Animate Dead spell to your spellbook if it is not there already. When you cast Animate Dead, you can target one additional corpse or pile of bones, creating another zombie or skeleton, as appropriate.

Whenever you create an undead using a necromancy spell, it has additional benefits:

The creature's hit point maximum is increased by an amount equal to your wizard level. The creature adds your proficiency bonus to its weapon damage rolls.

Frightening Gaze

At 10th level, your icy glare instills the fear of death in the living. As an action, you can stare into the very being of another creature within 10 feet of you. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or become frightened for 1 minute. It can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns. If a target's save is successful, it is immune for 24 hours.

The Secret to Eternity

By 14th level, you've finally learned how to become a lich. With ten days of work and 10,000 gp worth of materials, you can create a phylactery and attune your soul to it.

The next time you die, you will reform next to your phylactery in 1d10 days as a lich.

As a lich, your type becomes undead and you become immune to poison damage, as well as exhaustion and the charmed, frightened, paralyzed, and poisoned conditions. Additionally, you become resistant to cold, lightning, and poison damage.

If you are killed, you will reform within 5 feet of your phylactery at the cost of one soul stored within the phylactery. If no soul is within the phylactery upon your death, you are trapped in there until another is fed to it, upon which your body will be restored with 1d10 days. You may only have your soul attuned to one phylactery at a time.

If your phylactery is destroyed all the souls inside are released. If you are killed without a phylactery, you die but you can be restored to life (not as a lich) with the true resurrection spell.

New Spell