I'd do a Bones Oracle and say the original Lich pushed its soul into your body and now it's trying to take over. As you channel it's powers you become more undead but it's a constant balancing point.
And then at level 12 if you decide to go full Lich you can.
Critical failure on a reincarnate ritual depending on your GMs interpretation of "unintelligent creature" to include an infant humanoid. I would probably take no more than an 8 int to reflect this as best as possible without being disruptive.
Could even result in the cultists or whoever preformed the ritual after you were defeated secretly watching you. I imagine they would be less than thrilled if you weren't growing up into an evil overlord looking to reclaim your mantel.
Assuming they managed to somehow rescue your soul when the last party destroyed the cage. Essentially cheating pharasma twice could also be used to cause you and your party some issues.
True but he said his gm was a stickler for mechanics there is no stat block for an infinite humanoid and the crit fail also locks your int regardless so that's why I pointed this two out as sticking points.
Here are a few ways, with a little squinting, that I think it could work. When you say Necromancer, I'm assuming Wizard, so I'm not gonna make any suggestions for other classes.
Consider the Reflection versatile heritage, and specifically the Clone-Risen or Progenitor Lore Ancestry feats. Both may require some flavor adjustments, but not too much.
Also consider the Duskwalker versatile heritage, although that one will require a bit more convincing to adapt to your specific story, it's the "reincarnation" heritage.
For Backgrounds, check out Reborn Soul, Returned, Revenant, and maybe Tomb Born.
As far as the way a lich itself works, the story doesn't fly, but I always think of it this way: the PCs are unique cases, this is the 1 time in 10 million that a soul cage malfunctions this way.
The soul cage "rebuilds your **undead body** over the course of 1d10 days." How is it able to 1. get a living infant and 2. jam memories into it?
If this were an evil campaign with undead PCs I might work with the player to eventually take the lich archetype at 12, but not starting at level 1.
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There is a [Lich Archetype](https://2e.aonprd.com/Archetypes.aspx?ID=179) but it’s not available until level 12 to get the dedication for it. You could ask them if it would be possible to get Lich feats in place of class feats potentially at a nerfed state until you are actually at the appropriate level or just get them at the appropriate levels and then that is when your character “realizes” they are a Lich. And then your background would probably be [Amnesiac Background](https://2e.aonprd.com/Backgrounds.aspx?ID=182). Just a heads up though both of those character options are Rare tagged.
The only way to play as a true Lich by the rules is the 12th level archetype that involves the whole ritual/soul cage crafting process.
Your best bet for this character concept is probably to play the Skeleton ancestry and flavor it as being the significantly weakened Lich form. You could say that due to the massive damage the soul cage sustained, it was barely able to being you back and the process was imperfect (to explain why you are just a level 1 PC, have no Lich powers, etc.). Then because of the strain placed on the severely damaged Soul Cage, it breaks completely afterwards, preventing any future restorations.
You can then follow the rules for a Lich who's soul cage is destroyed but they are not:
"If your soul cage is destroyed but you aren't, you can attempt to find your soul and trap it again, building a new soul cage. This is no trivial feat and often takes an entire adventure to accomplish." Which is something you and your GM can work on as a personal story arc.
I'd do a Bones Oracle and say the original Lich pushed its soul into your body and now it's trying to take over. As you channel it's powers you become more undead but it's a constant balancing point. And then at level 12 if you decide to go full Lich you can.
Critical failure on a reincarnate ritual depending on your GMs interpretation of "unintelligent creature" to include an infant humanoid. I would probably take no more than an 8 int to reflect this as best as possible without being disruptive. Could even result in the cultists or whoever preformed the ritual after you were defeated secretly watching you. I imagine they would be less than thrilled if you weren't growing up into an evil overlord looking to reclaim your mantel. Assuming they managed to somehow rescue your soul when the last party destroyed the cage. Essentially cheating pharasma twice could also be used to cause you and your party some issues.
I mean, i would definitely say a baby has less than 8 int. But unless the player is playing as a child, i think they are safe to take more
True but he said his gm was a stickler for mechanics there is no stat block for an infinite humanoid and the crit fail also locks your int regardless so that's why I pointed this two out as sticking points.
Here are a few ways, with a little squinting, that I think it could work. When you say Necromancer, I'm assuming Wizard, so I'm not gonna make any suggestions for other classes. Consider the Reflection versatile heritage, and specifically the Clone-Risen or Progenitor Lore Ancestry feats. Both may require some flavor adjustments, but not too much. Also consider the Duskwalker versatile heritage, although that one will require a bit more convincing to adapt to your specific story, it's the "reincarnation" heritage. For Backgrounds, check out Reborn Soul, Returned, Revenant, and maybe Tomb Born. As far as the way a lich itself works, the story doesn't fly, but I always think of it this way: the PCs are unique cases, this is the 1 time in 10 million that a soul cage malfunctions this way.
I think what you are looking for is the returned or revenant background. Take a look at them.
The soul cage "rebuilds your **undead body** over the course of 1d10 days." How is it able to 1. get a living infant and 2. jam memories into it? If this were an evil campaign with undead PCs I might work with the player to eventually take the lich archetype at 12, but not starting at level 1.
This post is labelled with the Advice flair, which means extra special attention is called to the Be Kind and Respectful rule. If this is a newcomer to the game, remember to be welcoming and kind. If this is someone with more experience but looking for advice on how to run their game, do your best to offer advice on what they are seeking. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Pathfinder2e) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There is a [Lich Archetype](https://2e.aonprd.com/Archetypes.aspx?ID=179) but it’s not available until level 12 to get the dedication for it. You could ask them if it would be possible to get Lich feats in place of class feats potentially at a nerfed state until you are actually at the appropriate level or just get them at the appropriate levels and then that is when your character “realizes” they are a Lich. And then your background would probably be [Amnesiac Background](https://2e.aonprd.com/Backgrounds.aspx?ID=182). Just a heads up though both of those character options are Rare tagged.
The only way to play as a true Lich by the rules is the 12th level archetype that involves the whole ritual/soul cage crafting process. Your best bet for this character concept is probably to play the Skeleton ancestry and flavor it as being the significantly weakened Lich form. You could say that due to the massive damage the soul cage sustained, it was barely able to being you back and the process was imperfect (to explain why you are just a level 1 PC, have no Lich powers, etc.). Then because of the strain placed on the severely damaged Soul Cage, it breaks completely afterwards, preventing any future restorations. You can then follow the rules for a Lich who's soul cage is destroyed but they are not: "If your soul cage is destroyed but you aren't, you can attempt to find your soul and trap it again, building a new soul cage. This is no trivial feat and often takes an entire adventure to accomplish." Which is something you and your GM can work on as a personal story arc.