The past week's EOTD and this past weekend's AOTW featured an ongoing saga with a lich named Malechor. I hope at least some of you enjoyed the saga. Starting tomorrow (Mon) we'll get back to the standard format, but, for now, I'm posting everything I wrote up about the ambitious lich for any of you interested. If you'd like to use this big bad evil guy in your own settings, go right ahead. Just let me know how your PCs do.
Malechor
by Reverend Dungeon MasterLich
Alignment: Chaotic
Class: Magic-User (28th Level)
Sphere: Entropy (Aspiring)
Stats
Armor Class: -2
Hit Dice: 18 (90 HP)
THAC0: 7
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: 1 touch or spell
Damage: 1d10 (paralyzing touch) or by spell
Special Abilities:
Immunity to sleep, charm, and hold spells
Undead immunities (cold, poison, etc.)
Fear Aura: Creatures within 20' must save vs. Spells or flee for 2d6 rounds
Regenerates in 1d10 days unless his phylactery is destroyed
Spellcasting: Casts as an 18th-level Magic-User
Saving Throws:
Death Ray/Poison: 3
Magic Wands: 4
Paralysis/Petrify: 4
Breath Attack: 4
Spells: 3
Treasure Type: H (includes ancient scrolls and enchanted relics)
Alignment: Chaotic
Morale: 11
The Eye of Glantri
Malechor’s soul is bound to The Eye of Glantri (his phylactery), a massive white diamond the size of a human fist. Once the pride of the Kingdom of Glantri, the gem was a symbol of purity, wisdom, and magical mastery. Centuries ago, it was displayed in the Tower of Arcana, where it served as a focus for magical experimentation and civic pride. However, during the great Mage Wars, the Eye was stolen by Malechor, who corrupted it into his phylactery.
Effects of the Eye of Glantri:
Soulbound Phylactery: Malechor cannot be permanently destroyed while the Eye exists. His essence will regenerate in 1d10 days unless the Eye is destroyed.
Mana Surge: The Eye amplifies the potency of Malechor’s spells. Once per round, he can cast two spells simultaneously, though one must be of 6th level or lower.
Hypnotic Radiance: Creatures within 20' of the Eye must save vs. Spells or become entranced, unable to take action for 1d4 rounds.
Cursed Reflection: Anyone who gazes directly into the Eye for more than a round must save vs. Death Ray or suffer 2d6 psychic damage and a permanent -1 penalty to Wisdom.
Destroying the Eye: The Eye of Glantri can only be destroyed by subjecting it to the light of a Daylight spell cast by a Cleric of 15th level or higher while it is submerged in holy water. Upon destruction, the gem shatters into blinding fragments, dealing 10d6 damage to all within 30' (save vs. Breath for half).
Malechor’s Dark Legacy
Born Malechor Drazniv, this master wizard began as a promising student at the Great School of Magic in Glantri. His insatiable hunger for power led him to betray his teachers during the Mage Wars, stealing the fabled Eye of Glantri in a desperate bid to ascend to lichdom. Using forbidden necromantic rites, he infused the gem with his own life essence, transforming it into the source of his immortality.
Malechor’s betrayal cursed the Eye, turning it into a tool of destruction and subjugation. With its power, he raised legions of undead to conquer Glantri’s neighboring lands. Though he was defeated by a coalition of wizards and clerics, Malechor escaped, retreating to the ruins of Sulescu Manor. From his hidden sanctum, he has spent centuries plotting his revenge, waiting for the right moment to reclaim what he sees as his rightful dominion.
Prepared Spells
Level 1 (4 spells):
Magic Missile: Reliable, long-range damage.
Shield: Defense against ranged and magic attacks.
Charm Person: Manipulate enemies or influence NPCs.
Detect Magic: Identify magical auras and items.
Level 2 (4 spells):
Web: Immobilize enemies in a large area.
Mirror Image: Create illusory duplicates for defense.
Invisibility: Hide himself or an ally.
Levitate: Ascend or descend effortlessly.
Level 3 (4 spells):
Fireball: Massive area-of-effect damage.
Lightning Bolt: High-damage line attack.
Haste: Boost allies’ speed and attacks.
Dispel Magic: Remove magical effects or barriers.
Level 4 (4 spells):
Ice Storm: Area effect with cold and bludgeoning damage.
Wall of Fire: Control the battlefield and deal persistent damage.
Polymorph Other: Transform enemies into harmless creatures.
Dimension Door: Teleport short distances.
Level 5 (3 spells):
Cloudkill: Summon a deadly, moving poison cloud.
Animate Dead: Create skeletons or zombies from corpses.
Wall of Stone: Create permanent barriers or structures.
Level 6 (2 spells):
Death Spell: Instantly kill weaker creatures in an area.
Invisible Stalker: Summon an assassin bound to do his bidding.
Level 7 (1 spell):
Anti-Magic Shell: Render an area immune to magic effects.
Level 8 (1 spell):
Symbol: Malechor carves a Symbol of Death into the floor or walls of his lair, set to trigger when intruders cross it. It can instantly kill weaker opponents who fail their save
Level 9 (1 spell):
Wish: Ultimate spell to reshape reality to his will.
Combat Tactics
Defensive Setup: Malechor uses Mirror Image, Shield, and Wall of Fire to protect himself while summoning undead.
Overwhelming Force: His strategy revolves around controlling the battlefield with area spells like Cloudkill and Fireball to weaken the party.
Targeting the Weak: Malechor uses Finger of Death to eliminate healers and spellcasters quickly, forcing the party into disarray.
Last Stand: If cornered, Malechor retreats to the Eye of Glantri, relying on its Hypnotic Radiance to incapacitate attackers while he teleports to safety.
The Blood Ruby and Sulescu Manor
Years ago, Malechor seeded the Blood Ruby, a lesser artifact, within Sulescu Manor, knowing its corruption would attract vampires and other undead. The vampires used the Ruby to cement their dominance, unaware they were pawns in Malechor’s scheme to gather energy for his own resurrection.
Adventurers discovered the Ruby during an assault on Sulescu Manor, battling through the vampire nest to claim it. After a fierce struggle, they set the manor ablaze, fleeing into the night with the artifact. The Ruby whispered to them, feeding on their fears and ambitions, and lured them into confrontation with Malechor.
Realizing the adventurers intended to use the Ruby against him, Malechor destroyed it himself, severing its connection to the vampires and preventing it from being weaponized. Though the Ruby's destruction weakened him temporarily, it served his larger purpose: to draw attention away from the true source of his power, the Eye of Glantri.
Malechor’s Involvement with Orcus
Background
Centuries ago, Malechor was a gifted necromancer from the dark corners of Glantri, a city steeped in magical ambition and hubris. Consumed by his hunger for power, Malechor sought to transcend mortality, culminating in his transformation into a lich. His obsession with the secrets of undeath led him to the forbidden tomes of Orcus, the Prince of the Undead, whose malevolent influence seeped into Malechor’s every spell and thought.
For decades, Malechor worshipped Orcus as the ultimate source of power. His dark rituals were offerings to the Demon Prince, whose favor granted him dominion over legions of undead. Yet, as Malechor’s mastery grew, so did his arrogance. The lich began to resent his subservience, believing Orcus’s power could be usurped and wielded by a mortal, one with the intellect and ambition to surpass even the Immortals.
Malechor’s rebellion began with the Eye of Glantri, a colossal diamond once worshipped as a relic of life and creation. Long ago. Malechor claimed the Eye. Now, the diamond thrums with its own dark sentience, a power Malechor believes he can harness to replace Orcus as the Prince of the Undead.
Malechor’s Current Goals
1. Mastery Over the Eye of Glantri
Malechor has spent decades studying the Eye, uncovering fragments of its secrets. The artifact is a wellspring of necromantic power, capable of binding souls and animating entire armies of undead. However, Malechor has not yet unlocked its full potential. He believes the Eye holds the key to creating a rift into Orcus’s Abyssal plane, allowing Malechor to directly challenge him.
2. Usurpation of Orcus
Malechor seeks to overthrow Orcus and take his place as the immortal Prince of the Undead. He views Orcus as a brutish tyrant whose reliance on chaos and destruction makes him unworthy of true power. Malechor’s ambition is to reshape the undead hierarchy into a cold, orderly dominion ruled by his intellect and strategy.
3. Amassing an Undead Army
To challenge Orcus, Malechor requires an army capable of storming the Abyss. He has been raising the dead across the Known World, binding them with magic amplified by the Eye of Glantri. Each soul devoured by the Eye strengthens Malechor’s connection to it—and weakens Orcus’s grip on his domain.
Conflict with Orcus
Orcus is aware of Malechor’s betrayal. The Demon Prince, furious at the theft of the Eye of Glantri, has begun sending demons and undead servants to destroy Malechor. Orcus’s influence seeps into Malechor’s rituals, corrupting them or causing them to fail at critical moments. However, Orcus underestimates Malechor’s cunning.
Malechor views these attacks as a test of his resolve, even leveraging Orcus’s minions to grow stronger. In his mind, each victory against Orcus’s agents proves his superiority. Yet, Malechor knows he is racing against time. If Orcus discovers how Malechor severed the Eye’s connection, the Demon Prince may unleash his full wrath, shattering the lich’s carefully laid plans.
Malechor’s obsession with surpassing Orcus makes him a uniquely dangerous adversary. His intellect and ambition set him apart from other undead villains.