Lich

Version 0.15: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

lich L
HP	64-103
HD	20
XP	2756
Speed	10
AC	10
EV	10
Will	Immune
Attack1	15 (touch: drain experience)
Resistances	rC++, 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 powerful wizard who has learned to cheat death itself, a lich is a skeletal, desiccated corpse kept intact by a mighty exercise of dark magic. This undead creature is quite powerful and is best avoided by all but the most skilled.

Useful Info

Liches are extremely powerful casters, some of the nastiest creatures in the game. They can summon demons, haste themselves, and fire off extremely lethal Conjurations. They're capable of killing a reasonably powerful character in one shot, if you're unlucky. They can be found in the deeper portions of the Dungeon, the Vaults, the Abyss, Pandemonium, the Hells, and the Realm of Zot.

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1	Bolt of Cold (3d29)
Slot2	Paralyse (50% success rate when MR=62)
Slot3	Summon Greater Demon
Slot4	Animate Dead
Slot5	Iron Shot (3d34)
Slot6	Teleport Self

Spell set II
Slot1	Bolt of Fire (3d29)
Slot2	Confuse (50% success rate when MR=62)
Slot3	Haste
Slot4	Bolt of Draining (3d27)
Slot5	Summon Greater Demon
Slot6	Banishment (50% success rate when MR=62)

Spell set III
Slot1	Corrosive Bolt (3d23)
Slot2	Slow (50% success rate when MR=62)
Slot3	Invisibility
Slot4	Throw Icicle (3d29)
Slot5	Lehudib's Crystal Spear (3d40)
Slot6	Invisibility

Spell set IV
Slot1	Iskenderun's Mystic Blast (3d24)
Slot2	Bolt of Cold (3d29)
Slot3	Invisibility
Slot4	Animate Dead
Slot5	Orb of Destruction (9d17)
Slot6	Invisibility

Tips & Tricks

• Melee fighters should use corners to lure them next to you, or a scroll of blinking to get into range immediately.
• Their HP and defenses are low enough that a strong offense can defeat one in two or three hits. Weapons of Holy wrath, and Dispel Undead can speed this up even more.
• Silence limits the lich to using its melee attack. While this does have a draining effect, it is still preferable to a lich that can cast spells.
• Spellcasters should keep their distance (6+ tiles to avoid Bolt of Iron, 7+ to avoid Bolt of Draining and Bolt of Fire, and 8+ to avoid Bolt of Cold), haste themselves, use their longest range spells, and possibly use Abjuration to get rid of any summons.
• Want to know what kinds of destruction you can expect from the lich you're facing? Watch the first spell it casts and use that to rule out spell sets that don't apply. For example, a lich that casts Iskenderun's Mystic Blast will also know Orb of Destruction, but not Lehudib's Crystal Spear.
• Throwing nets are very useful against 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.

History

In 0.16, liches will have randomized spell sets.