Rite of Lichdom

9th-level necromancy (ritual)

• Casting Time: 7 days
• Range: Self
• Components: V, S, M (gemstones worth 8000 gp and a mixture of rare bloods and poisons worth 8000gp, which you must consume)
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Classes: Wizard

As part of the casting of this spell, you create a phylactery out of the gemstones and brew the rare bloods and poisons into a lethal potion. As part of the casting of this spell, you create a phylactery out of the gemstones and brew the rare bloods and poisons into a lethal potion.

To complete the spell, you must drink the potion and die by it, after which you will raise as undead. The undead tag is added to your original nature, and you are treated as undead for the purpose of spells and effects. After reviving, you become a lich, and your soul is stored in your phylactery, ready to be stowed away.

If you die as a lich, you will resurrect after 1d10 days, appearing in the unoccupied space closest to your phylactery. If your phylactery is destroyed while you are still alive, you can spend a week and gems worth 8000 gp to create another. If you are ever dead while your phylactery is destroyed, you can't be revived without a wish spell. If your phylactery is ever in danger, you will know of it through divination magic.

As a lich, you gain the following benefits

• You don't need to breath, eat, sleep, or drink, though you still can. You also automatically succeed on Constitution saving throws against extreme cold and heat between -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
• While you have 0 hit points and are dying, you are vulnerable to radiant damage and are stunned instead of unconscious.
• You can read, write, speak, and understand Abyssal.
• While you are not wearing armor or a shield, your base AC becomes 14 + your Dexterity modifier.
• You are resistant to cold, lightning, and necrotic damage .
• You are immune to poison damage, as well as bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks.
• You have advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.
• You can't be charmed, exhausted, frightened, paralyzed, or poisoned.
• You gain truesight with a range of 120 feet.
• You gain Legendary Resistance; if you fail a saving throw, you can choose to succeed instead. You can do this three times. You regain all uses after you complete a long rest.
• With unlimited range, you can cast the clairvoyance spell on your phylactery as an action without material components or spending a spell slot.
• All necromancy wizard spells are added to your spellbook, and they don't count against your list of prepared spells. For each necromancy spell already in your spellbook, you can add a spell from any other school instead.

Additionally, You can use your action to perform one of the following abilities.

Frightening Gaze. You focus your gaze into a creature you can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed a Wisdom saving throw or be affected as though by the fear spell. After an creature successfully saves or this effect ends for it, it cannot be affected by this for 24 hours.

Paralyzing Touch. You make a melee spell attack against a creature you can see within 5 feet of you. On hit, the target takes 2d6 cold damage. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Flying Skull

Created from the remains of dead wizards, flying skulls and flameskulls are commonly found perusing a lich's lair or the grounds of a necromancer cult. Though usually green, their flames can actually shine in any color. Like flameskulls, flying skulls keep themselves afloat by sheer anger alone.

Pyromaniacs. Flying skulls know only fire-related spells. In the dark, they'll provide a much needed source of light and can circumvent resistance against non-magical weapon attacks.

Skeletal Mage

Small undead, neutral evil

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• Armor Class 13
• Hit Points 18 (5d6)
• Speed 25 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (-1)	12 (+1)	11 (+0)	12 (+1)	13 (+1)	16 (+3)

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• Skills Arcana +3
• Damage Immunities poison
• Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
• Senses darkvision 120 Ft, passive Perception 11
• Languages those known in life
• Challenge 1/4

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Undead Familiar. A familiar in this creature's form assumes the nature of undead.

Spellcasting. The skeletal mage's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

• Cantrip (at will): eldritch blast, message, mending

Actions

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d4) slashing damage.

Eldritch Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +4 to hit, range 120 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d10) force damage.

Bog Mummy

Unwitting, inexperienced travelers may easily fall victim to bogs and marshes. Those that do are embalmed in its acidic waters, and hidden from sight by tall grasses. If untouched long enough, it will rise, becoming a bog mummy. They rarely walk too far before falling victim again to hags and crones, only to be used for concoctions or stew.

Ice Specter

Medium undead, chaotic evil

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• Armor Class 13
• Hit Points 44 (8d8+8)
• Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
1 (-5)	13 (+1)	16 (+3)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	16 (+3)

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• Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
• Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
• Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
• Languages understands those known in life
• Challenge 4

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Frigid Aura. The specter projects a freezing aura with a 10-foot radius. Creatures without immunity or resistance to cold damage treat the space within the aura as difficult terrain.

When the specter receives radiant damage, the aura is disabled until the end of the specter's next turn.

Incorporeal Movement. The specter can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the specter has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Actions

Life Drain. Melee Spell Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

Frigid Howl (Recharge 5-6). The specter unleashes freezing wind in a 20-foot cone originating from itself. Each creature in the area must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) cold damage on a failed save and half damage on a successful one.

Conscript Skeletons

2nd level necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Components: V, S, M
• Duration: 8 hours

When you cast this spell, you animate up to 3 piles of bones within 60 feet into skeletons (1 skeleton per pile). You control them as with the animate dead spell. They remain under your control for 1 minute or until you cast this spell again. Once they die or your control over them is lost, they disintegrate into ash and cannot be used for necromancy again. You can repeat the cast until the end of the duration without having to spend another spell slot.

When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can animate 1 additional pile of bones for each spell slot level above the 2nd.

Curse of Withering

1st-level necromancy

• Casting time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Components: V, S, M
• Duration: Instantaneous

You target a creature and bestow upon it a curse. It must succeed a Charisma saving throw or it becomes cursed, receiving 2d8 Necrotic damage and its maximum health is reduced by the amount of damage taken. On a success, it receives half damage without becoming cursed.

A cursed target cannot benefit from a short or long rest. When the cursed target is reduced to 0 hit points or fewer without dying, it does not fall unconscious, but it still must make death saving throws until stabilized. If it dies by exhaustion or its hit points remain below 1 for 2d4 consecutive hours, it becomes a Witherling. If this occurs within 120 feet of you, you control it as if by the animate dead spell.

When you cast this with a 2nd level spell slot or higher, the initial damage is increased by 1d8 for each spell slot level above the 1st.