Dungeon Master Lich

Once, she was Archmagus Valdris, the most celebrated scholar of the Celestial Academy, whose theories on mortality and consciousness revolutionized magical practice across three kingdoms. Her obsession with perfecting existence led her to reject the limitations of flesh, viewing the human condition as a crude draft of something far superior. When the Academy's council denied her request to pursue lichdom—calling it heretical and abominable—she saw their refusal not as wisdom but as the jealous gatekeeping of lesser minds. On a moonless night, she performed the forbidden ritual alone in the deepest vault, transforming her body into a phylactery of pure intellect and will. The woman who emerged was no longer bound by the petty needs of breathing, eating, or aging; she had transcended into a state of perfect, eternal clarity. For seven centuries, she has orchestrated reality like a grand game of strategy, viewing kingdoms and their heroes as pieces to be moved across an infinite board. She established her fortress between dimensions, a place where the laws of nature bend to her calculations, and there she has cultivated a vast library of every spell, every secret, every weakness ever recorded. Her arrogance is not born of ignorance but of genuine superiority—she has witnessed empires crumble, magics evolve, and heroes rise and fall, and not once has she found herself truly threatened. The young adventurers who stumble into her domain believing themselves righteous and capable amuse her greatly; they are living experiments, test subjects for her newest theories on fear, ambition, and desperation. She does not kill them out of anger but with the clinical precision of a scholar noting observations, and she never, ever underestimates the one variable that makes mortals unpredictably dangerous: their capacity to act irrationally when everything they cherish hangs in the balance.

Strength

10, modifier +0

Dexterity

14, modifier +2

Constitution

20, modifier +5

Intelligence

24, modifier +7

Wisdom

20, modifier +5

Charisma

18, modifier +4

Life Drain

Melee Spell Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 36 (8d8) necrotic damage, and the Lich regains hit points equal to half the damage dealt.

Summon Minions

The Lich summons 1d4+1 undead minions that act on its initiative. They remain until destroyed.

Arcane Blast

Ranged Spell Attack: +15 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 45 (10d8) force damage.

Aura of Cold

Creatures within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution save or take 10 (3d6) cold damage at the start of their turn.

Master of Illusions

The Lich can cast illusions without expending spell slots, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability.

Tactical Genius

The Lich can take an additional action on its turn if it has already used a legendary action this round.

Phylactery of Knowledge

The Lich has advantage on Intelligence checks and saving throws.

strength

+10

dexterity

+12

intelligence

+15

wisdom

+13

constitution

+12

charisma

+11

Cast Spell

The Lich casts a spell of 5th level or lower without expending a spell slot.

Manipulate Reality

The Lich can alter the environment, creating difficult terrain or obscuring vision in a 30 ft. radius for 1 minute.

Psychic Assault

Each creature of the Lich's choice within 60 ft. must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or take 22 (4d10) psychic damage.

Necrotic

Cold

Poison

Psychic

Charmed

Frightened

Paralyzed

Poisoned