Lich:Software/Front ends

Lich:Software/Front ends is a third party script and is not maintained by Simutronics. Simutronics is not responsible for the accuracy of the information presented on this page, nor is it liable for issues stemming from the use of the application on players' personal devices.

Lich is not a front end itself. It sits between the game and a front end (the program that shows you the game), and adds scripting to whichever front end you use. This page lists the front ends that work with Lich and how to set each one up after Lich is installed.

Install Lich first with the installation guide for your computer.

Which front end?

Front end	Made by	Windows	macOS	Linux	Notes
Saga	Simutronics (official)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Current official front end, in beta. Recommended for new players. Can start Lich for you.
Wrayth	Simutronics (official)	Yes	Parallels only	—	Previous official Windows front end.
The Wizard	Simutronics (official)	Yes	Parallels only	—	The original Windows front end.
Avalon	Simutronics (official)	—	Yes	—	Older official Mac front end.
Profanity	Third-party	—	Yes	Yes	Runs in a terminal. Needs Lich.
Warlock	Third-party	Yes	Yes	Yes	Open source graphical front end.
Lichborne	Third-party (Elanthia-Online)	Yes	Apple Silicon	Yes (x64)	Open source; GemStone IV and DragonRealms. Finds your Lich for you, and can attach to a Lich that is already running.
Hydra	Third-party	Yes	Apple Silicon	Yes (x64)	In beta; GemStone IV only. Plays all your characters in one program and starts Lich for each one. Also on iPhone and iPad (without Lich).

"Parallels only" means running Windows in a virtual machine on the Mac; see Windows in Parallels.

Saga

Saga is the official Simutronics front end for GemStone IV and DragonRealms, currently in beta. It has its own login screen, so you do not need the Simutronics launcher, and it works with Lich. The Saga page covers its features, settings and importing your Wrayth settings; this section covers installing it and using it with Lich.

Install Saga

Go to the Saga info page and download the build for your system, then follow the steps for it below. Afterwards, log in to the game from inside Saga once, without Lich, to make sure Saga itself works.

Windows

1. Download the Windows installer (x64, or ARM64 for ARM computers) and run it.
2. The builds are not code-signed during the beta, so Windows SmartScreen may warn you the first time. Click More info, then Run anyway.

macOS

1. Choose the Apple Silicon build for M1 and later Macs, or Intel for older Macs. (Apple menu → About This Mac shows which you have.)
2. Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag Saga into your Applications folder.
3. Start Saga from Applications. The Mac builds are not signed during the beta, so macOS may refuse to open it the first time. If so, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to the Saga message.
4. The Mac build does not update itself yet. Check the Saga info page now and then, and download the newest version the same way.

Linux

Saga for Linux is a single AppImage file (x86_64). On a Chromebook, first move the downloaded file into the Linux files folder with the Files app so Linux can see it. Then put it where Lich looks for Saga, make it runnable, and start it:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/Saga
sudo mv ~/Downloads/Saga-*.AppImage /opt/Saga/saga
sudo chmod +x /opt/Saga/saga
/opt/Saga/saga

On a Chromebook use ~/Saga-*.AppImage in place of ~/Downloads/Saga-*.AppImage.

If Saga will not start and mentions FUSE or libfuse.so.2, install FUSE 2 and try again:

• Debian, Ubuntu and Chromebook: sudo apt-get install libfuse2 (on Debian 13 and newer, libfuse2t64)
• Arch: sudo pacman -S fuse2
• Fedora: sudo dnf install fuse-libs

Use Saga with Lich

Saga can start Lich for you (Lich 5.19 or newer):

1. Log in with Saga normally, then choose File → Enable Login with Lich.
2. Choose File → Return to login.
3. Click Connect, then Via Lich, and point it to your Lich folder: usually Desktop\Lich5 on Windows, ~/Desktop/Lich5 on macOS, or ~/Lich5 on Linux.
4. macOS and Linux: if Saga asks where Ruby is, or Lich will not start, run rbenv which ruby in a terminal and give Saga the path it prints (it ends in .rbenv/versions/4.0.9/bin/ruby). On a Mac, apps started from Finder cannot see the Ruby that rbenv set up in Terminal, so this step is often needed there.
5. Log in. The game starts in Saga with Lich running.

You can also start from the Lich login window instead: select your character, choose Saga as the front end, and click Play. Lich detects an installed Saga automatically: on Windows and macOS since Lich 5.20, and on Linux since Lich 5.24. Lich opens Saga, and Saga logs in with its own saved login, so make sure Saga has saved your account, and quit Saga before you do this.

If Lich still will not connect, see Login with Lich on the Saga page.

Wrayth

Wrayth is the previous official Windows front end. Install it with the Simutronics launcher from the play.net website, and log in once without Lich. Then start Lich, select your character, choose Wrayth as the front end, and click Play.

The first time you run Lich on a character, Wrayth's inventory windows disappear. Type set inv on to turn them back on; the Lich FAQ explains why.

The Wizard

The Wizard is the original Windows front end. It is set up the same way as Wrayth: install it, log in once without Lich, then choose Wizard as the front end in the Lich login window.

Avalon

Avalon is the older official Mac front end. Install it from the Avalon info page, then:

1. Start Lich (see Start Lich in the macOS guide).
2. Enter your login information and click Connect.
3. Select your character, choose the Avalon front end, and click Play.

Profanity

Profanity is a terminal-based front end for Linux and macOS that runs through Lich. The gems it needs (such as curses) were installed by the bundle install step of your Lich installation. Download Profanity:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/elanthia-online/ProfanityFE.git

See the Profanity page for logging in, configuration and layouts.

Warlock

Warlock is an open source front end for Windows, macOS and Linux that works with Lich.

1. Download it from the Warlock website.
2. Set up Lich in Warlock by following Warlock's Lich support guide.

Lichborne

Lichborne is a free, open source game client for GemStone IV and DragonRealms from the Elanthia-Online team, who also maintain Lich. It runs on Windows, Apple Silicon Macs and Linux (x64), and it can import highlights and macros from Wrayth, Genie and Frostbite.

Install Lichborne: download it from the Lichborne releases page, using the file for your system, and follow the install steps:

• Windows: run the file ending in -setup.exe. If SmartScreen warns you, click More info, then Run anyway.
• macOS: open the file ending in -mac-arm64.dmg and drag Lichborne into Applications. Then run xattr -cr /Applications/Lichborne.app once in Terminal; without it, macOS says the app "is damaged and can't be opened".
• Linux: download Lichborne.AppImage, make it runnable with chmod +x Lichborne.AppImage, and start it. If it will not start, install FUSE 2 (see Install Saga above).

After the first install, Lichborne updates itself.

Use Lichborne with Lich:

1. On the Lichborne launcher, open Lich Setup and click Auto-detect to find your Lich folder. (On macOS and Linux, Lichborne also needs the Ruby your Lich guide installed.)
2. Click + Add account, sign in and pick your game. Lichborne makes a tile for each of your characters.
3. Click a character to play.

Lichborne can also attach to a Lich that is already running, so closing Lichborne does not log your character out. See the Lichborne User Guide for this and everything else.

Hydra

Hydra is a GemStone IV client, currently in beta, that plays all of your characters at once in one program. Each character can have its own window, or none, and keeps playing in the background. Another computer or a phone on your home network can show the same characters in a web browser, and the separate HydraFE app plays on an iPhone or iPad. Hydra runs on Windows, Apple Silicon Macs and Linux (x64, with glibc 2.39 or newer, such as Ubuntu 24.04 and later).

Install Hydra: download the file for your system from the Hydra releases page. The beta builds are not signed yet, so your system warns you the first time; each step below says how to let it run. Hydra keeps its settings and logs in data and logs folders next to itself (on a Mac, in ~/Library/Application Support/Hydra).

• Windows: extract hydra-windows-x86_64.zip into a folder of your own, such as Documents\Hydra (not Program Files, which Hydra cannot write to), and double-click hydra.exe. If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.
• macOS: open hydra-macos.dmg and drag Hydra into Applications. Then run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Hydra.app once in Terminal, and open Hydra from Applications.
• Linux: unpack hydra-linux-x86_64.tar.gz into a folder of its own and start it there:

mkdir -p ~/Hydra
cd ~/Hydra
tar -xzf ~/Downloads/hydra-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
./hydra

• iPhone and iPad: HydraFE is available through TestFlight.

Use Hydra with Lich: Hydra starts your own Lich behind each character you turn it on for, and keeps the game connection itself, so Lich never sees your password. In a character's play window, type:

1. .lich folder followed by your Lich folder, once, for example .lich folder C:\Lich5. This applies to every character.
2. .lich on to start Lich for that character now and every time it logs in. (.lich off turns it off again.)

Lines starting with ; go to Lich, and lines starting with . are Hydra's own commands. Lich does not run in HydraFE on a phone. See the Hydra guide for more.