npc

Kel Thuz The Whispering Lich

Kel'Thuz the Whispering Lich

CR 23

Medium undead, Neutral Evil

Reveal Stat Block

Armor Class

Hit Points

225

Speed

30 ft.

str

dex

con

int

wis

cha

Saving Throws CON +12, INT +15, WIS +11, CHA +13

Skills Arcana +23, History +15, Insight +11, Perception +11

Damage Resistances coldlightningnecrotic

Damage Immunities poisonbludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Condition Immunities charmedexhaustionfrightenedparalyzedpoisoned

Senses Truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 21

Languages CommonDraconicElvishInfernal

Legendary Resistance (3/Day).If Kel'Thuz fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Whispering Presence.Any creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of Kel'Thuz must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or take 14 (4d6) psychic damage and have disadvantage on attack rolls until the start of its next turn.

Rejuvenation.If he has a phylactery, a destroyed lich gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of the phylactery.

Actions

Paralyzing Touch.Melee Spell Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 14 (4d6) cold damage. The target must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute.

Abyssal Command (Recharge 5-6).Kel'Thuz summons 2d6 Skeletons or 2d4 Ghouls in unoccupied spaces within 60 feet. They act on his initiative.

Spellcasting.Kel'Thuz is a 20th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 23, +15 to hit with spell attacks). He has spells such as 'Power Word Kill', 'Time Stop', and 'Cloudkill'.

Legendary Actions

Chilling Whisper.Kel'Thuz targets one creature within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or take 21 (6d6) psychic damage and be unable to take reactions until the end of its next turn.

Command Undead (Costs 2 Actions).Kel'Thuz targets up to three undead creatures he can see within 60 feet. Each target can use its reaction to make one melee attack.

Cast Cantrip.Kel'Thuz casts a cantrip.

Kel'Thuz the Whispering Lich

Identity: Remnant of the Age of Ruin, Arch-Necromancer Location: The Necropolis of Oros (Mana Wastes)

Kel'Thuz is a name whispered in fear across Aethervale, a remnant of a time before the dragons went into hiding. Once a powerful human archmage who sought to transcend the limits of mortality, he achieved a twisted form of lichdom during the catastrophic Age of Ruin. Bound beneath the crumbling ruins of the Necropolis of Oros in the heart of the Mana Wastes, his physical form is a desiccated husk, but his consciousness is vast and malevolent, reaching out through dreams and shadows.

Kel'Thuz seeks to "cleanse" Aethervale of both the hidden dragons and the "lesser races," believing that the world must be returned to a state of pure, cold stasis—an eternal winter of the soul. He is the master of the Abyssal Fleet, the skeleton-crewed ships that haunt the Boundary Ocean, and he constantly manipulates adventurers and desperate nobles with promises of power and immortality. He is a master of necromancy and shadow-magic, able to drain the life from entire regions to fuel his dark rituals.

Plot Hooks:

The Dream-Call: One of the party members begins receiving seductive, terrifying dreams from Kel'Thuz, offering them their heart's desire in exchange for "releasing" him from his subterranean prison.
The Lich's Phylactery: The party discovers that a common copper coin they've been carrying is actually a fragment of Kel'Thuz's phylactery. They must find a way to destroy it without allowing the Lich's essence to consume them.
The Necropolis Expedition: A group of Kigum scholars is planning an expedition to the Necropolis of Oros to study ancient magic. Elara the Wise hires the party to act as guards, suspecting that the "scholars" are actually cultists intending to awaken Kel'Thuz.