Ancient lich

Version 0.14: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

ancient lich L
HP	87-132
HD	27
XP	7501
Speed	10
AC	20
EV	10
Will	Immune
Attack1	20 (touch: drain experience)
Resistances	rF+, rC++, rElec, rPois+++, rN+++, rTorm, rRot+++, rDrown, rWater
Vulnerabilities	Holy, Holy wrath
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	High
Uses	Open doors
Holiness	Undead
Size	Medium
Type	lich, lich
Flags	Actual spells Evil See invisible Speaks Spellcaster

A lich who, having existed for countless centuries, has grown almost unimaginably powerful through the study of dark magic.

Useful Info

Ancient liches are extremely powerful undead casters with a wide array of resistances and access to several extremely powerful attack spells. They can deal ridiculous amounts of damage at medium range (player death in one or two hits is not unheard of) and can summon devastatingly powerful greater demons. If you are not confident in your skills, escape is strongly advised. Ancient liches can be found rarely in the Abyss, the Crypt, the Tomb, and the Realm of Zot, and are a common sight in the orb chamber of Zot:5.

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1	Bolt of Cold (3d37)
Slot2	Paralyse (50% success rate when MR=72)
Slot3	Summon Greater Demon
Slot4	Animate Dead
Slot5	Iron Shot (3d44)
Slot6	Teleport Self

Spell set II
Slot1	Bolt of Draining (3d33)
Slot2	Slow (50% success rate when MR=72)
Slot3	Invisibility
Slot4	Throw Icicle (3d37)
Slot5	Lehudib's Crystal Spear (3d48)
Slot6	Invisibility

Spell set III
Slot1	Bolt of Fire (3d37)
Slot2	Confuse (50% success rate when MR=72)
Slot3	Haste
Slot4	Bolt of Draining (3d33)
Slot5	Summon Greater Demon
Slot6	Banishment (50% success rate when MR=72)

Spell set IV
Slot1	Iskenderun's Mystic Blast (3d30)
Slot2	Bolt of Cold (3d37)
Slot3	Invisibility
Slot4	Animate Dead
Slot5	Orb of Destruction (9d20)
Slot6	Invisibility

Tips & Tricks

First and foremost, understand that ancient liches are some of the most powerful casters in the game. When dealing with them, don't worry too much about conserving resources; if burning a consumable or two will greatly ease the battle, do so. A character with Haste and Deflect Missiles, for example, will have a much easier time than a character relying on their skills alone. Berserking is chancey, as ancient liches often generate in places where you don't want to be attracting a lot of attention, but the boost to HP and damage can make a huge difference.

As liches resist most elemental damage, combat casters should rely on pure Conjurations and Earth Magic (although Lee's Rapid Deconstruction, sadly, cannot target them, and their AC is high enough to minimize its shrapnel damage). Necromancy specialists can deal brutal amounts of damage with Dispel Undead, though even that will take several castings to get the job done. Nearly all Hexes are useless against their infinite magic resistance, so don't bother, even if you have a scroll of vulnerability lying around.

Melee fighters should use holy wrath- or antimagic-branded weapons to take them out quickly, and should use corners or scrolls of blinking to get into melee range as quickly as possible; wasting turns rushing into the fray will result in you getting pounded by brutal attack spells or having various top-tier demons summoned to the fight. Once you get close to them, casting Silence or reading a scroll of silence will disable the vast majority of their abilities. Their melee attacks might not be insignificant, but they're a good deal safer than most of their attack spells.

Of course, since it's unlikely that you'll be able to take them out without taking a single hit, being able to survive their spells is advisable. Two ranks of fire and cold resistance should largely negate their Bolt spells, while high AC/EV/SH and Repel Missiles/Deflect Missiles will help reduce across the board and especially against their Earth Magic. Negative energy resistance will cut their Bolts of Draining down significantly, as well as the danger of their melee attacks. A large HP pool (200+) is very helpful for surviving those lucky Iron Shots and Lehudib's Crystal Spears, so characters with less than that should be cautious about those possibilities. Don't underestimate the power of their Orbs of Destruction. Outrunning them simply doesn't work; use blinking, human shields, or anything else necessary to avoid letting them hit you, especially if the lich managed to cast it at medium or long range. Finally, be very concerned if they manage to summon a tier-1 demon to the battlefield, as torment and hellfire can tear through most characters with frightening speed. If you have Aura of Abjuration, cast it before the fight. If not, consider how quickly you can kill the caster, as all of its summons will vanish upon its death. If you don't think you can manage it quickly, strongly consider the viability of your escape options.

As with wizards and other casters with multiple spell sets, you can observe what a lich is casting to decipher its entire spell list. For example, a lich that casts Iron Shot or Bolt of Fire also knows Summon Greater Demon.