Sorcerous Lich

The desert world's counterpart to the lich, this creature sought undeath to outlast its mortal frame and gained terrible powers for it. It is a gaunt, withered human with gray skin stretched thin, still clad as it liked in life, its eyes lit by green fire.

Undeath raises its Strength, Dexterity and Constitution to 20, giving +5 hit points per die and the right to reroll 1s. Its frigid touch deals 1d10 damage and paralyzes anyone failing a save vs. paralyzation. For attack rolls, wizard, psionicist and templar liches use 1d8; warriors use 1d10. Living beings within 60 feet must save vs. spell or run in fear for 5d4 rounds, though those of 8th level or 8 Hit Dice are unaffected.

It ignores death, insanity, enfeeblement, sleep, charm and polymorph spells, as well as cold and electricity, and can be struck only by +1 or better weapons or by creatures of 6 or more Hit Dice. It retains all skills and lore, so wizards and templars keep casting and warriors keep weapon specialization, and it carries gear suited to its calling, such as enchanted arms for warriors and rings and wands for wizards.

A former wild talent gains the following powers, and a former psionicist may recompute power scores using its new ability scores. Telepathy: psionic blast, mind link, domination, ejection; contact, send thoughts, life detection, awe, ego whip, id insinuation, psionic crush. Psychokinesis: telekinesis; levitation, stasis field, control winds, control body. Psychoportation: teleport; dimension walk, dimensional door, time/space anchor. Clairsentience: detection; spirit sense, psionic sense.

Rarely met, these liches hide in shadowed places and let other undead and living servants carry out their schemes.

Having traded life for power against the natural order, a sorcerous lich has no place among the living. Beyond a valley of ash and fire it is usually a lone mage. Within a sealed island city there, the world's dragon-tyrant grants undeath to exceptionally capable, loyal and efficient servants.