What Makes a Lich... and What D&D Often Misses
Some monsters are born in darkness, but a Lich? A Lich chooses. In Dungeons & Dragons, the Lich is often seen as the ultimate end-game boss, a skeletal archmage with a high CR and legendary stat block. But when we strip away the D10s and the spell slots, we find a monster built on a singular, terrifying human truth: the refusal to accept an ending. From the pulp-fiction roots of Gardner Fox to the ancient Slavic tales of Koshchei the Deathless, the Lich represents the moment where the fear of death outweighs the value of humanity. In this video, we trace the evolution of the Lich and explore why their "immortality" is actually a masterclass in tragedy. 📚 Further Reading / Notes: Frazer, James George, Sir. The Golden Bough: a Study In Comparative Religion. Vol. II. London: Macmillan, 1890. pp. 296-326. [1] Thompson, Stith (1977). The Folktale. University of California Press. p. 35. ISBN 0-520-03537-2 Johns, Andreas (16 January 2010). "The Image of Koshchei Bessmertnyi in East Slavic Folklore". Folklorica. 5 (1). doi:10.17161/folklorica.v5i1.3647 I discuss and reference a bunch of media in the vid, so those are worth checking out! I particularly encourage folks to check out Daggerfall, at least in so much as watching some lore vids or something (I understand the dated mechanics in the game can be hard for folks). The Manimarco x Underking storyline is just incredible, and I lowkey spoiled it here but... oopsie! 🧙♂️ Connect with Wiz & Pippy! 📷 Instagram:@wizandpippyadventures 🦋 Bluesky: wizandpippy.bsky.social 📺 Twitch: twitch.tv/wizandpippy 💖 Patreon: patreon.com/Wiz_and_Pippy 🌐 All links: linktr.ee/WizAndPippy ⏱️ Chapters @TODO
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