Ancient lich

Version 0.16: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

ancient lich L
HP	83-132
HD	27
XP	7854
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	Evil See invisible Speaks

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 deadly attack spells. They can deal ridiculous amounts of damage or summon devastatingly powerful allies, though their spell sets are entirely randomized. 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
Slot1	random	none
Slot2	random	none
Slot3	random	none
Slot4	random	none
Slot5	random	none
Slot6	random	none

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 wield holy wrath- or antimagic-branded weapons if they are available, and should lure them around corners or use 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 dangerous summons join the fight. Once you get close to the lich, 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.

Throwing nets are very useful against ancient liches. Hitting one at the edge of your line of sight with one guarantees it won't be able to follow you for several turns, allowing a fairly safe escape. Hitting one in melee range will make it vulnerable to stabbing attempts, allowing Short Blades specialists to make very short work of them.

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. Don't go after them while wounded, apply any useful buffs you may have available (Repel Missiles, Deflect Missiles, Haste, etc.) and if your character has any significant holes in their resistances, consider chugging a potion of resistance; it may be wasteful, but taking 100+ damage in a single turn stings.

As always, remember that killing a summoner destroys all its summons. If you are confident you can finish off an ancient lich before its summoned Fiend buddies can finish off you, go for it. If you aren't confident of that, consider what safe escape routes you have available.

Spell Mechanics

Lich spell sets are determined as follows:

Primary Spell - Ancient liches get one or two of the following:

• Corrosive Bolt
• Lehudib's Crystal Spear
• Orb of Destruction
• Summon Greater Demon.

Buff Spell - They also receive one of these:

• Banishment
• Haste
• Invisibility

Secondary Spells - All remaining spell slots are filled with randomly selected items from the following:

• Agony
• Battlesphere
• Bolt of Cold
• Bolt of Draining
• Bolt of Fire
• Confuse
• Fireball
• Haunt
• Iron Shot
• Iskenderun's Mystic Blast
• Lee's Rapid Deconstruction
• Lightning Bolt
• Malign Gateway
• Paralyse
• Petrify
• Poison Arrow
• Spellforged Servitor (only a possibility if it knows a [[Conjurations spell)
• Simulacrum
• Sleep
• Slow
• Summon Horrible Things
• Throw Icicle

History

Prior to 0.16, ancient liches would generate with one of four predetermined spell sets.