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Various works of fantasy fiction, such as [[Clark Ashton Smith]]'s "[[The Empire of the Necromancers]]" ([[1932 in literature|1932]]), had used ''lich'' as a general term for any corpse, animated or inanimate, before the term's specific use in fantasy role-playing games. The more recent use of the term ''[[Lich (Dungeons & Dragons)|lich]]'' for a specific type of undead creature originates from the 1976 ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' [[role-playing game]] booklet ''[[Greyhawk (supplement)|Greyhawk]]'', written by [[Gary Gygax]] and [[Robert J. Kuntz|Rob Kuntz]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gygax |first=Gary |title=Grewhawk |publisher=TSR Rules |year=1976 |pages=35 |quote="LICHES: These skeletal monsters are of magical origin, each Lich formerly being a very powerful Magic-User or Magic-User/Cleric in life, and are now alive only by means of great spells and will because of being in some way disturbed."}}</ref>
Often such a creature is the result of a willful transformation, as a powerful [[Magician (paranormal)|wizard]] skilled in [[necromancy]] who seeks eternal life uses rare substances in a magical ritual to become undead. Unlike [[zombie]]s, which are often depicted as mindless, liches are [[wikt:sapient|sapient]] [[revenant]]s, retaining their previous intelligence and magical abilities. Liches are often depicted as holding power over lesser
A lich's most often depicted distinguishing feature from other undead in fantasy fiction is the method of achieving immortality; liches give up their souls to form "soul-artifacts" (called a "soul gem", "[[Phylactery (Dungeons & Dragons)|phylactery]]" or "[[horcrux]]" in other fantasy works), the source of their magic and immortality. Many liches take precautions to hide and/or safeguard one or more soul-artifacts that anchor a part of a Lich's soul to the material world. If the corporeal body of a lich is killed, that portion of the lich's soul that had remained in the body does not pass on to the next world, but will rather exist in a non-corporeal form capable of being resurrected in the near future. However, if all of the lich's soul-artifacts are destroyed, then the lich's only anchor in the material world would be the corporeal body, whereupon destruction will cause permanent death.
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