Master Lich's are completely avoidable

[Tendrath]

Took my lv. 14 troll healer, born in candle, gravedigging in the Dwarven graveyard just to see what I could find. It's usually not lethal, as any low level troll can usually pound on anything he meets, but a master lich paralysed me to death. It was the second master lich, and the first one fell so quickly I figured I could handle another one. I was, of course, wrong. I even had an amulet of free action in my kit, but forgot about it until it was too late.

[Tendrath]

This character had cleared darkforge at lv 12 with no hitches, mostly because he had a sickle of penetration, red dragon-hide gauntlets, and a ring of fire resistance, and was well on his way to clearing the pyramid and delving the dwarven halls. Note to self: don't take stupid risks, especially with the best character you've had in years.