I'm assuming its the same as Vampire. You gain huge stat bonus's, can't die, and are in general Very powerful. IDK what they said the downside of Lich is, or even what they're thinking about, but for vampire, they can't use abilities in the sun, and will take a heavy DOT while in the sun. They also must sustain on stealing others souls.
Also a side effect of having your soul ripped out of you is that when your body dies you do not have access to your soul and it's skill ramps during your next character creation.
Every decision will have it's consequences, inmortality could not be the best way (skill ramps, for example, allow you to refine a soul live after live) and avoiding the natural order will generate enemies (some light orders will hunt you down).
Looing like a corpse probably won't get you the best deals at the local market either..
Demon to some, angel to others.
They werent specific, but the devs did say that being a lich does require the lich to do 'evil' things to stay alive. Also, a lich DOES age and their body CAN be killed. The lich will just come back at their phalactory though. Destroying the phalactory destroys the lich. Another draw back is because your soul is no in your body any skill gains you have will not be transferred as skill ramps if you are destroyed and have to start again. Speaking of, Im not sure you get to re-use a soul that has been put in phalactory. Its possible that if you become a lich, and your phalactory is destroyed then it destroys the soul entirely. So that so will not return to the Akashic Records and can never be used again.
With risk comes great rewards... As I love the sound of a vampire, I also may be looking to be a lich.. could make the game unique even more than it is.. Besides.. who doesn't want to be a raid boss?
Friend code: 172B2A
I think a Lich's soul can be re-used, at least it has been stated that it does return to the Akashic Records which would suggest it can be reused:
"At that point, as their soul is no longer connected to their body, it's permadeath, and their soul returns to the Akashic Records." [Source]
Thanks, I hadnt read that in a while. So that is one negative off, but there are still plenty more.
Still better than vampire probably. At least easier to get past unnoticed i think
http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/p795/SilDarklight/Chronicles%20of%20Elyria/Forum/Sigs/Luccheno%20600x100altzpsuev3knqe.jpg
The issue it finding the knowledge to become one, i am assuming it is in a ancient tome and in a very lost dialect and have to have a expert translate "adding more risk of someone else learning it" or you might have to find a willing Lich to teach you and most will probably just kill you :P
One of the negative points of both Vampires and Liches is that once your soul isn't in your body anymore, any skill you learn won't be remember by your soul and carry over to your next life.
For example, if you were a journeyman carpenter when you are turn into a vampire and then you keep practising the craft and become master, when you are killed 300 years later and you reuse your soul to create a new character his ramp up skill on carpentry will go only till journeman, not master.
Also something to note is that making an entire dungeon under your house is unlikely to not be noticed by the people you are employing to make you traps and blueprints for your basement.
A wise Lich would execute anyone involved in it's construction, leaving the secrets only with him! Mwahahaha!
Hahaha, yeah I guess he would, though how smart do we think the average Lich(thanks for the correction @Maygus...) will be ;)
