Ancient lich

ancient lich L
HP	83 - 131
HD	27
XP	11670
Speed	10
AC	20
EV	10
Will	504
Attack1	20 (touch: drain experience)
Resistances	rPois+, rC+, rElec, rF+, rN+, rRot, rTorm
Vulnerabilities	Holy
Habitat	land
Intelligence	High
Uses	Open doors
Holiness	Undead
Size	Medium
Type	lich, lich
Flags	Spellcaster Actual spells See invisible Evil Speaks

A lich who has grown mighty over countless years.

Useful Info

Ancient liches are extremely powerful undead casters with resistance to fire and poison, and near immunity to cold, electricity, and negative energy. They can deal ridiculous amounts of damage at very long range (player death in one or two hits is not unheard of) and can summon hordes of greater demons. If you are not confident in your skills, escape is strongly advised. Ancient liches can be found in certain vaults of the Dungeon and most later branches, and are a common sight in the orb chamber of the Realm of Zot.

Spells (4 possible sets):

• Summon Greater Demon, Iron Shot (3d44), Bolt of Cold (3d37), Paralyze, Animate Dead, Teleport Self
• Lehudib's Crystal Spear (3d48), Bolt of Draining (3d30), Throw Frost (3d13), Animate Dead, Summon Undead
• Banishment, Summon Greater Demon, Bolt of Fire (3d37), Bolt of Draining (3d30), Confuse, Haste
• Orb of Destruction (8d19), Bolt of Cold (3d37), Iskenderun's Mystic Blast (3d30), Invisibility, Animate Dead

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1	Bolt of Cold (3d37)
Slot2	Paralyse
Slot3	Summon Greater Demon
Slot4	Animate Dead
Slot5	Iron Shot (3d44)
Slot6	Teleport Self

Spell set II
Slot1	Bolt of Draining (3d30)
Slot2	Animate Dead
Slot3	Summon Undead
Slot4	Throw Frost (3d13)
Slot5	Lehudib's Crystal Spear (3d48)
Slot6	Summon Undead

Spell set III
Slot1	Bolt of Fire (3d37)
Slot2	Confuse
Slot3	Haste
Slot4	Bolt of Draining (3d30)
Slot5	Summon Greater Demon
Slot6	Banishment

Spell set IV
Slot1	Iskenderun's Mystic Blast (3d30)
Slot2	Bolt of Cold (3d37)
Slot3	Invisibility
Slot4	Animate Dead
Slot5	Orb of Destruction (8d20)
Slot6	Invisibility

Tips & Tricks

Ancient liches are vulnerable to Dispel Undead, weapons of holy wrath, the Shining One's Cleansing Flame, and Silence, but be prepared to escape quickly if they start summoning or hit you with a Crystal Spear. Their melee attacks are draining branded a la wraiths and wights, but don't do much damage, so Silence renders them mostly harmless as long as it lasts.

Ancient liches are a somewhat deceptive trap for those using Hexes other than Silence. While not actually immune to magic, without a scroll of vulnerability no spell that needs to pass a magic resistance check will work. Even with their MR halved by a scroll of vulnerability, a Hex cast at a full 200 power has less than a 20% chance of affecting them. They are, for all intents and purposes, immune to magic.

Those without 200+ HP should keep their distance (at least 6 squares to avoid Iron Shot, 7 for Bolt of Draining/Bolt of Fire, and 8 for Bolt of Cold) and use their longest range attacks. Mass Abjuration is very effective to get rid of the summons, provided you have it. Haste is also useful.

If you're a melee-focused character with no choice in the matter, try to get into melee as quickly as possible. A scroll of blinking can get you into killing range without getting hammered by half a dozen lethal spells, life protection can make the actual fight less painful, and berserking will help you cut them down in half the time.