Baelnorn Lich

Baelnorn liches, often simply called baelnorns, are elven

spellcasters who have chosen the path of undeath so that
they may continue to serve their clan past the natural
lifetime of an elf. Bound to the material plane, baelnorn
unswervingly protect their clan and it's holdings for
centuries. Unlike the corrupted bodies of liches, Baelnorn
do not project an aura of fear, and can often exist within elf
society without seeming out of place to newcomers. In
truth, the baelnorn were all capable of as much action and
activity as a live elf, though their personal attitudes and
motivations (and the social unease over the continued
public presence of a baelnorn) limited them to particular
activities.
The divine magic which allows their undead existence
also maintains their appearance. Often baelnorn will
appear much as they did in life, appearing as an elven elder
to all but the most observant. Some hoowever, may notice
their shriveled and wrinkled skin turning slightly
translucent over time. Some of the oldest baelnorn seemed
to have little more than the hint of body, hair, and skin
around their skeletons. Unlike liches, this was the extent
of their degeneration, and they did not fall into loose piles
of bones. Because of this, a baelnorn will never fall to the
status of a demilich, with no souls required to maintain
itself there is no risk of falling so far.
The decision to choose the path of a baelnorn is not
one done lightly, and is never done without a purpose.
Some choose to identify baelnorns by their purpose,
their motivations which can be loosely defined as one
of three roles. There are the watchnorns, lurking
observers and lesser guardians of public places or
family lands. There are the lorenorns, those that
choose to act as tutors educating the next generation
of wizards, librarians of ancient texts and lore, or merely
students perfecting an art beyond their normal span of
years. Finally there are the wardnorns, powerful guardians
of crypts and other secret places or as the sole protector of Powered by the Divine. Unlike a lich which requires
particularly dangerous or powerful items. souls to maintain it's body and consciousness, the baelnorn
The method of becoming a baelnorn was a High Magic uses the power of the gods to maintain it's undeath. Free
or divine ritual. Baelnorns did not need to use phylacteries, from the necrotic energies that the rituals involved in
as their undeath was gifted to them by the Seldarine, in sacrificing souls invoke, the baelnorn can maintain a slower
particular by Sehanine Moonbow, the fey aspect of Selûne. rate of physical change. This is also the source of their
Usually she has no tolerance for those who practice in the greater mental and magical facilities which are maintained
black arts of necromancy, however she does tolerate careful in their new state, avoiding the insanity and scheming that
experimentation in white necromancy, and it is said that liches will often degenrate into.
she vigilantly oversees the creation of baelnorn as a Theurge. With a combination of arcane magic from the
necessary, if undesirable, practice. baelnorn's study and the divine powers granted to it by the
The choice to embrace undeath was allowed and rituals to maintain the undead form, a baelnorn is able to
considered only on rare occasions, when a clan or combine and master both forms of magics, even going so
settlement had need of lorekeepers or defenders beyond far as to learn magics from any discipline of magic with
the norm. Even if an elf truly wanted to become a baelnorn time.
for their clan's benefit, the Coronal, the High Mages, and Undead Nature. A lich doesn't require air, food, drink, or
the elders of the particular clan had to all be of one mind to sleep.
allow this sacrifice to be made. To the surprise of some
elves, these transformations occurred only a few times over A Baelnorn Lich's Lair
five millennia at the will of the Seldarine. A baelnorn lich chooses its lair when it commits to a life of
An Existence of Duty. Ideologically opposed to the path undeath. This is usually wherever it has chosen to protect,
of an evil lich which is focused only on its own ambition the home of their clan, an ancestral home or the location of
and isolated in solitude away from the affairs of civilisation, a powerful or dangerous artifact.
the baelnorn instead is bound in service to its clan, A lich encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 22
choosing to live in service beyond death to protect the (41,000 XP).
families and clans it knew in life.

Created by
u/EmpireofAzad
Artwork: Baelnorn by WotC.
Lair Actions The lich can see through this projec- tion and into the
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the lich can Ethereal Plane as well, can hear and speak through it, and
take a lair action to cause one of the following magical even cast spells through it. The link between the lich and
effects; the lich can't use the same effect two turns in a row: the projection transcends physical and all known magical
barriers, and can even cross between the Material and the
The lich rolls a d8 and regains a spell slot of that level or Ethereal planes. The projection is AC 20, has a fly speed of
lower. If it has no spent spell slots of that level or lower, 20 feet, and has the hit points of the lich, but it cannot carry
then nothing happens. solid objects and it has none of the lich’s special attacks or
The lich targets up to four creatures it can see within 30 qualities. If the projection takes damage, the lich takes half
feet of it. A crackling cord of blue energy tethers the lich the damage (rounded down); the projection vanishes if it
to the target. Whenever the lich is healed, each creature loses all its hit points. It cannot be turned or magically
receives half of the hit points (rounded down), that the dispelled. A projection can push against or move small
lich received. This tether lasts until initiative count 20 things, so it may push its finger through sand or ashes to
on the next round or until the lich or the target is no write a message, or turn a page of an open book, but it
longer in the lich's lair. cannot carry things. The lich can have only one projection
For up to 1 hour, the lich sends a likeness of itself up to in operation at a time.
one mile from the lich’s actual location.

Baelnorn Lich Cantrips (at will): mage hand, prestidigitation,

   ray of frost, resistance
Medium undead (elf), any good alignment
1st level (4 slots): bane, detect magic, magic missile,
Armor Class 17 (natural armour)    shield, protection from evil and good
Hit Points 135 (18d8 + 54) 2nd level (3 slots): detect thought, invisibility, Melf's
Speed 30 ft.    acid arrow, mirror image, prayer of healing
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, counterspell,
   daylight, dispel magic, fireball
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 4th level (3 slots): blight, guardian of faith, zone
   of truth
11 (+0) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 20 (+5) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, mass cure wounds,
   scrying
Saving Throws Con +10, Int +12, Wis +9 6th level (1 slot): disintegrate, globe of
Skills Arcana +18, History +12, Insight +9,    invulnerability, heal
Perception +9 7th level (1 slot): divine word, finger of death
Damage Resistances cold, lightning, necrotic 8th level (1 slot): dominate monster, holy aura
Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning, piercing, 9th level (1 slot): power word kill
and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, Turn Immunity. The lich has immunity against any
frightened, paralyzed, poisoned effect that turns undead.
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages Common, Elven plus up to five other Actions
languages Paralyzing Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit,
Challenge 21 (33,000 XP) reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) cold damage.
The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the lich fails a saving saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target
throw, it can choose to succeed instead. can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its
turns, ending the effect on a success.
Clone. If it has a clone prepared, a destroyed lich's
soul is transfered to the clone, provided that the soul Legendary Actions
is free and willing to return. The clone is physically
identical to the original and has the same personality, The lich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from
memories, and abilities, but none of the original's the options below. Only one legendary action option
equipment. The original creature's physical remains, can be used at a time and only at the end of another
if they still exist, become inert and can't thereafter be creature's turn. The lich regains spent legendary
restored to life, since the creature's soul is actions at the start of its turn.
elsewhere.
Bolster. the lich bolsters all nonhostile creatures
Magic Resistance. The archlich has advantage on within 120 feet of it until the end of its next turn.
saving throws against spells and other magical Bolstered creatures can't be charmed or frightened,
effects. and they gain advantage on ability checks and saving
Spellcasting. The lich is an 18th-level spellcaster. Its throws until the end of the lich's next turn.
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 20, Cantrip. The lich casts a cantrip.
+12 to hit with spell attacks). The lich has the
following spells prepared: Paralyzing Touch (Costs 2 Actions). The lich uses its
Paralyzing Touch.
Heal Self (Costs 3 Actions). The lich magically regains
26 (5d8 + 3) hit points.

Created by
u/EmpireofAzad