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{{Greyhawk Deity|fgcolor=#fff|
{{Deity
image=[[Image:Vecna00.jpg]]|
|image       = [[File:Vecna02.jpg]]
caption=Vecna, the Whispered One, as depicted on the cover of ''Open Grave'' (2009).|
|caption     = Vecna, as he appears on the cover of [[Die Vecna Die!]], art by Paul Bonner
bgcolor=#000|
|name        =
fgcolor=#fff|
|alt_spelling =  
name=Vecna|
|titles      = The Arch-Lich, the Chained God, the Maimed God, Master of the Spider Throne, the Whispered One, the Dying King, the Lord of the Rotted Tower, the Undying King
title=The Arch-Lich, the Chained God, the Maimed God, Master of the Spider Throne, the Whispered One, the Dying King, the Lord of the Rotted Tower, the Undying King|
|home         = Prime Material ([[Oerth]])
home=[[Prime Material Plane]] (originally [[Oerth]])|
|rank        = Lesser
power=Lesser|
|gender       = Male
gender=Male|
|class       = Wizard
class=Wizard|
|alignment   = Neutral Evil
alignment=Neutral Evil|
|portfolio   = Destructive and Evil Secrets, Magic, Hidden Knowledge, Intrigue
portfolio=Destructive and Evil Secrets, Magic, Hidden Knowledge, Intrigue|
|domains     = (Destiny),{{csb|races of destiny|163}} Evil, Knowledge, Magic, (Planning){{csb|Complete Warrior|115}}, (Pride){{cite dragon|323|65}}, (Tyranny){{csb|Complete Warrior|115}}
domains=Evil, Knowledge, Madness, Magic, Planning, Tyranny|
|alt_name    =  
alias=|
|super       = None
super=none|
}}
}}
'''Vecna''', once a powerful human wizard who became a lich, is the god of Destructive and Evil Secrets, Magic, Hidden Knowledge, and Intrigue. Notably, Vecna is missing both his left eye and left hand. Vecna's holy symbol is an eye in the palm of a left hand.
 
'''Vecna''', pronounced /VEK-na/,{{cite dragon|93|30|Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd|note=[[Frank Mentzer]]}} has been named as one of the greatest villains in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game.<ref>{{cite journal| last = Bulmahn|first=Jason|authorlink=Jason Bulmahn|first2=James|last2=Jacobs|authorlink2=James Jacobs|author3=Mike McArtor |first4=Erik|last4=Mona|authorlink4=Erik Mona |first5=F. Wesley|last5=Schneider|authorlink5=F. Wesley Schneider |author6=Todd Stewart |author7=Jeremy Walker | title = 1d20 Villains: D&D's Most Wanted; Preferably Dead| journal = [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]| volume = 32(4)| issue = 359| pages = 54–69| publisher = Pazio | date = September 2007 }}</ref><ref name="TOR">{{cite web|last=Callahan|first=Tim|title=Advanced Readings in D&D: Jack Vance|work=TOR.com|publisher=Tor Books|accessdate=3 October 2013|url=http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/07/advanced-readings-in-dad-jack-vance}}</ref>
 
Originally from the ''[[World of Greyhawk]]'',{{csb|The Vecna Dossier ''(2022)'' |note=DnD Beyond esclusive.}} Vecna  was described as a powerful wizard who became a lich.<ref name = "TOR"/> He was eventually destroyed, and his left hand and left eye were the only parts of his body to survive. Even after he achieved godhood<ref name="TOR" />—being a member of the third edition's [[Category:Deities|default pantheon]] of ''D&D'' gods (the pantheon of [[Oerth]])<ref name = "PHB">[[Jonathan Tweet|Tweet, Jonathan]], [[Monte Cook|Cook, Monte]], [[Skip Williams|Williams, Skip]]. ''Player's Handbook'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2000)</ref>—he is still described as missing both his left eye and left hand. Vecna's holy symbol is an eye in the palm of a left hand.
 
Vecna's "right hand man" and then ultimately his betrayer is [[Kas the Bloody-Handed]], a vampire whose sword, the [[Sword of Kas]], is also an artifact.


==Description==
==Description==
Vecna is usually depicted as a powerful lich missing his left [[Hand of Vecna|hand]] and [[Eye of Vecna|eye]]. Sometimes he is depicted with withered, mummified flesh; other times he is depicted as a being of bare bone, with not a trace of skin remaining.
Vecna is usually depicted as a powerful magician resembling a desiccated corpse missing his left [[Hand of Vecna|hand]] and [[Eye of Vecna|eye]]. A constant theme in the adventures in which the character appears is Vecna's never-ending quest for power, ending, should he succeed, with Vecna as the only deity in existence.


==Relationships==
==History==
Vecna has few allies, and countless enemies. His greatest, and perhaps only true ally is the mysterious entity known as the [[Mok'slyk|Serpent]]. The famed cambion lich [[Acererak]] once served Vecna, but the current status of their relationship is unknown. Among Vecna's staunchest foes are [[Kas the Bloody-Handed|Kas]], [[Iuz]], and the [[Circle of Eight]]. The [[Lady of Pain]] once opposed him indirectly, through a party of adventurers.
Vecna was born as a human, centuries ago as a member of the untouchable caste in the [[Flan]] city of [[Fleeth]] on [[Oerth]]. He was initially trained by his mother, [[Mazzel]], in the art of magic, before she was burnt at the stake by the government of Fleeth for practicing witchcraft<ref group=note name=dossier>This is presented slightly differently in fifth edition in ''The Vecna Dossier'' (2022).  The reference to witchcraft is avoided, as is burning at the stake.  "An order of wizards exiled Vecna’s mother into the wastes for practicing the forbidden art of necromancy.Vecna's mother, [[Mazzel]] is depicted in ''Vecna: Hand of the Revenant'' animating the dead.(p.43-44})</ref> According to [[Uhas of Neheli]] in the [[Chronicle of Secret Times]],{{csb|VHotR||note=IFC Introduction}} this was due to direct tutelage by [[Mok'slyk]] the Serpent, believed to be the personification of arcane magic itself.  However, see minor differences in this lore in ''[[Vecna#The Vecna Dossier|The Vecna Dossier]]'' below.
 
Nearly one thousand years after his birth, Vecna, now a lich and ruler of a great and terrible empire (in the [[Sheldomar Valley]], centered near the modern-day [[Rushmoors]]), laid siege to the city of Fleeth with an army of arcane spellcasters and undead. Vecna was nearly slain in this battle by clerics channeling the power of [[Pholtus]], the god of light. The clerics unleashed a great burst of light, which hit Vecna primarily on his left side. Vecna was rescued and brought to safety by one of his wizard generals, a cambion named [[Acererak]] (who would one day himself become a mighty demilich).
 
Vecna eventually recovered. On the verge of conquering Fleeth, the officials of the city came before him to beg for mercy. They offered up the entire city and her wealth if only Vecna would spare the lives of her citizens. When Vecna was not satisfied, the officials offered their own lives. Vecna gave one of their number, Artau, and his family, over to his lieutenant, [[Kas the Bloody-Handed|Kas]], who spent the entire day torturing and murdering them before the other officials. Still unsatisfied, Vecna slaughtered all within the city, and had their heads stacked before the officials, with those of their family members prominent. Vecna then granted his mercy, granting the officials leave to depart and promising them his protection for the rest of their lives.


Vecna is opposed by the [[Old Faith]] and the [[Silent Ones]].
At his empire's height, Vecna was betrayed and destroyed by his most trusted lieutenant, a vampire called [[Kas the Bloody-Handed]], using a magical sword that Vecna himself had crafted for him, now known as the [[Sword of Kas]]. Only his left hand and his eye survived the battle, perhaps because of the previous events in Fleeth.


Among Vecna's most notable servants are [[Gusten the Blood-Fiend]], Sir [[Loran]], and the death knight calling himself Kas the Bloody-Handed.
Vecna did not stay gone forever, and rose as a demigod of magic and secrets in the world of [[Greyhawk]]. In [[581 CY]], his cult helped set events in motion that would have granted him the power of a greater god, but the plan was ultimately foiled. After these events, Vecna ended up imprisoned in the demiplane of [[Ravenloft]], but broke free again later, emerging with the power of a greater god, after absorbing the power of [[Iuz]].  He then broke free into the city of [[Planescape|Sigil]], where he came perilously close to rearranging all existence to his whims.  (Vecna's multiverse-shattering campaign in Sigil is used as an in-universe way to explain the differences between the Second and third editions of ''Dungeons & Dragons.'') When Vecna was ejected from Sigil by a party of adventurers, Iuz was freed and Vecna returned to Oerth greatly reduced in power, though still a lesser god.


==Realm==
In the events of the [[Living Greyhawk]] campaign setting, Vecna's machinations allowed him to reappear on the prime material plane and retake his place in the Oerth pantheon.
Vecna has many secret strongholds in far-off regions of the [[Prime Material Plane]]. There, the souls of those who worshipped the Whispered One in life continue to serve him in death.


For a millennium or more, Vecna kept a prison in the [[Quasielemental Plane of Ash]] known as [[Citadel Cavitius]]. It was there that Kas and others who displeased the Maimed God were incarcerated.
=== The Vecna Dossier ===
In ''The Vecna Dossier'' (June 2022), an exclusive on DnDBeyond.com, Vecna's history is somewhat abridged and amended for fifth edition. 
{{quoted text|An order of wizards exiled Vecna’s mother into the wastes for practicing the forbidden art of necromancy. The order bound her orphaned son into servitude and employed him as first a bootblack, then a scribe. Vecna spent the better part of his childhood secretly educating himself in his masters’ arts, stealing into their library of magical treatises each night after midnight. It was during these intense study sessions that he first heard a soothing voice in his head, a whisper from another world that promised him revenge if he would only yield to the hatred that was festering in his heart. Once Vecna learned all he could from his masters and their books, he massacred them.|{{csb|The Vecna Dossier ''(2022)'' |note=DnD Beyond esclusive.}}}}


==Dogma==
The order is wizards rather than the clerics in the original.  Reference to witchcraft is avoided, as is burning at the stake, using necromancy and exile, instead. Vecna does not escape those who exiled/executed [[Mazzel|his mother]].  Instead, he is forced to serve them.  Later, when still mortal and young, he "heard a soothing voice in his head, a whisper from another world", which seems to be a reference to the influence of [[Mok'slyk|the Serpent]] in his learning, which parallels the original. When he massacres the order who exiled his mother, it is long before he became a lich and even before he had his own empire, and he takes out his ire upon the wizards themselves rather than returning 900 years later to enact revenge upon their descendants.
Vecna and his faithful believe in the power of secrets and their ultimate ability to destroy anyone, no matter how powerful. Vecna hopes one day to destroy every other deity in existence, leaving himself the sole ruler of creation.


Another tenet of Vecna's faith is the doctrine of a secret evil within every being, no matter how virtuous. This seed of evil, Vecna teaches, can and should be exploited by those able to identify it.
Even though these differences are significant, there are still direct parallels in the lore from each version, and they don't change the outcome of becoming a lich and then demigod. The changes are more tweaks to the story and not a substantial change to Vecna's lore.


Vecna's followers never reveal all that they know.
==Relationships==
Vecna has few allies, and countless enemies. In second and third editions, his greatest and perhaps only true ally is the mysterious entity known as the [[Mok'slyk|Serpent]]. In fourth edition, the Open Grave book introduces Osterneth, the Bronze Lich, as the mightiest servant of Vecna. The famed [[Cambion|cambion]] lich, [[Acererak]], once served Vecna, but the status of their relationship is unknown.  


===Scriptures===
Among Vecna's staunchest foes are [[Kas the Bloody-Handed|Kas]], [[Iuz]], [[Saint Cuthbert]], the [[Lady of Pain]], [[Pholtus]], and the [[Circle of Eight]]. He is also opposed by the [[Old Faith]] and the [[Silent Ones]].
Being a secretive cult, there are no real collections of Vecnan teachings. However, copies of the ''[[Book of Vile Darkness]]'' are highly prized by the cult for Vecna's role in that work's development, as are copies of the ''Tome of the Stilled Tongue''.
 
In fourth edition, Vecna's main foes in the realm of death and undeath are [[Kas the Bloody-Handed|Kas]], [[Orcus]] and the [[Raven Queen]] (though he would rather she rule the dead than Orcus). Among the gods, [[Ioun]] is something of Vecna's antithesis, for she would share with the world all the knowledge he would keep secret.


Although not actually penned by him, ''The Book of Keeping'' (a book of yugoloth summoning) is heavily linked with the cult of Vecna, as the cultists have the only known copies that are free of the intentional errors introduced into the book by the fiends that wrote the volume as a trap for would-be summoners.
==Dogma==


==Worshipers==
===Scriptures===
[[Image:Vecna cleric01.jpg|203px|thumb|right|A priestess of Vecna, as depicted in ''[[Dragon mag|Dragon]] #348 (2006). Art by Andrew Hou.]]
Being a secretive cult, there are no real collections of Vecnan teachings. However, copies of the ''[[Book of Vile Darkness]]'' are highly prized by the cult for Vecna's role in that work's development. The ''Open Grave'' book offers the "Scroll of Mauthereign", which offers a twisted version of Vecna's history and tells his followers that committing evil acts is holy and righteous.
Vecna's cult is very secretive, and cells have been uncovered, at various points in history, in [[Diamond Lake]], [[Greyhawk City|Greyhawk]], [[Saltmarsh]], and [[Verbobonc]]. Temples to Vecna have also been reported in the [[Pomarj]] town of [[Highport]] and [[Erelhei-Cinlu]], the debased city at the heart of the [[Vault of the Drow]].


===Clergy===
==Worshippers==
Clerics of Vecna often don't realize which god they're serving when they're first initiated. Many are deluded into believing they belong to an obscure sect of [[Boccob]] or [[Wee Jas]]. The truth is not revealed to them until they show their willingness to do anything in the pursuit of knowledge and power.
Vecna's cult is very secretive, and cells have been uncovered, at various points in history, in [[Diamond Lake]], [[Greyhawk]], and [[Verbobonc]]. Temples to Vecna have also been reported in the [[Pomarj]] town of [[Highport]] and [[Erelhei-Cinlu]], the debased city at the heart of the [[Vault of the Drow]].


===Hierarchy===
===Hierarchy===
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Next is the Heart of Vecna, the high priest of the cult. The last known Heart of Vecna was [[Diraq Malcinex]] of [[Ket]], who was slain by adventurers in 581 CY.
Next is the Heart of Vecna, the high priest of the cult. The last known Heart of Vecna was [[Diraq Malcinex]] of [[Ket]], who was slain by adventurers in 581 CY.


Immediately below the Heart of Vecna are two bizarre monsters known as the Hand and the Eye. The [[Eye of Vecna (monster)|Eye of Vecna]] creature appears as a slender humanoid with an eyeball for a head, whereas the [[Hand of Vecna (monster)|Hand of Vecna]] appears as a stocky humanoid with a huge left hand where its head should be.
Immediately below the Heart of Vecna are two bizarre monsters known as the Hand and the Eye. The [[Eye of Vecna]] creature appears as a slender humanoid with an eyeball for a head, whereas the [[Hand of Vecna]] appears as a stocky humanoid with a huge left hand where its head should be.
 
Individual congregations are known as organs. Each organ is led by a Thought of Vecna. Lesser priests are known as Memories of Vecna.


Individual congregations are known as Organs. Each Organ is led by a Thought of Vecna. Lesser priests are known as Memories of Vecna.
Lay members of the cult consist of the Teeth, Fingers, Blood, and Spawn of Vecna. The Teeth of Vecna are made up of [[Category:Wizards|wizards]], and specialize in arcane spellcasting and crafting magical items for the cult. The Fingers of Vecna consist mainly of [[:Category:Rogues|rogues]] or [[:Category:Thieves|thieves]], who engage in various forms of subterfuge. The Blood of Vecna are mainly [[:Category:Fighters|warriors]] charged with protection and enforcement of the cult and its goals. The Spawn of Vecna are the lowest in the cult hierarchy, and consist of the common people who honor the Lich Lord.


Lay members of the cult consist of the Teeth, Fingers, Blood, and Spawn of Vecna. The Teeth of Vecna are made up of wizards, and specialize in arcane spellcasting and crafting magical items for the cult. The Fingers of Vecna consist mainly of thieves, who engage in various forms of subterfuge. The Blood of Vecna are mainly warriors charged with protection and enforcement of the cult and its goals. The Spawn of Vecna are the lowest in the cult hierarchy, and consist of the common people who honor the Lich Lord.
In fourth edition, ''Open Grave'' describes the leader of the cult of Vecna being a lich named [[Mauthereign]]. Even when Osterneth, the Bronze Lich, is Vecna's mightiest servant, her position is not revealed among his files.


===Other Vecnan organizations===
===Other Vecnan organizations===
Other Vecnan organizations are known to exist outside of the mainstream cult, and some may have similar or identical names. Relations between these groups and the mainstream cult may vary. Known examples are the Eyes of Vecna (a cult of undeath consisting mainly of rogues), the Fingers of Vecna (Vecna's personal guard), and the [[Ebon Triad]] (a heretical cult seeking to merge Vecna, [[Hextor]], and [[Erythnul]] into a single entity).
Other Vecnan organizations are known to exist outside of the mainstream cult, and some may have similar or identical names. Relations between these groups and the mainstream cult may vary. Known examples are the Eyes of Vecna (a cult of undeath consisting mainly of rogues), the Fingers of Vecna (Vecna's personal guard), and the [[Ebon Triad]] (a heretical cult seeking to merge Vecna, [[Hextor]], and [[Erythnul]] into a single entity).


==Artifacts and relics==
In fourth edition, a secret group known as the Keepers of the Forbidden Lore is devoted to Vecna. Unlike most Vecna worshippers, the Keepers reject most of the nasty and evil rituals and beliefs associated with the god; they worship him as the God of Secrets, and believe that there is some knowledge too evil for the world to know. They instead hunt down secrets and information they deem to be too dangerous for the world at large and keep it secret in the name of Vecna. This puts them in opposition to mainstream followers of Vecna who regard the Keepers as heretics, and makes them enemies of Ioun and her followers, who believe all knowledge should be available for everybody and the moral obligations on how to use it rest on the shoulders of the individuals involved.
[[Image:Hand of Vecna01.jpg|251px|thumb|right|The ''[[Hand of Vecna|Hand]]'' and ''[[Eye of Vecna]]'', as depicted on the cover of ''[[Vecna Lives!]]'' (1990).]]
 
A number of artifacts, relics, and other magical items are associated with Vecna.
==Artifacts==
[[File:Vecna Lives!01.jpg|thumb|The Hand and Eye of Vecna, as shown on the cover of ''[[Vecna Lives!]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1990)]]


===''Hand'' and ''Eye of Vecna''===
===''Hand'' and ''Eye of Vecna''===
:''See main articles: [[Hand of Vecna]] and [[Eye of Vecna]].''
Vecna's left hand and eye of Vecna's original "mortal" lich form, which have never been replaced in his later more powerful incarnations, are now high-valued and very dangerous magical artifacts.<ref name="GDR"/> To use the powers of the Hand of Vecna or the Eye of Vecna one is required to cut off one's own corresponding body part and affix Vecna's in its place. The Hand of Vecna is considered a classic artifact in Dungeons & Dragons.<ref name="GDR"/>  These artifacts were introduced in the third supplement to the original D&D rules, ''[[Eldritch Wizardry]]''.  They went on to appear in all subsequent D&D editions.  They are considered classic items in D&D, with Mordicai Knode of [[Tor.com]] commenting "We all agree that the ''Hand and Eye of Vecna'' are the best artifacts, right?"<ref>http://www.tor.com/2013/05/23/adad-the-old-firm/</ref>
Vecna's left hand and eye of his original "mortal" lich form, which have never been replaced in his later more powerful incarnations, are now high-valued and very dangerous magical artifacts. To use the powers of the ''[[Hand of Vecna]]'' or the ''[[Eye of Vecna]]'' one is required to remove one's own corresponding body part and affix Vecna's in its place.


===''Sword of Kas''===
===''Sword of Kas''===
Vecna created the ''[[Sword of Kas]]'' for his greatest servant, which contains a "portion of his consciousness."  
Vecna created the ''[[Sword of Kas]]'' for his greatest servant, which contains a "portion of his consciousness."
 
This interpretation is relatively recent. As per the 1st edition ''Dungeon Master's Guide'', Vecna only procured this most powerful sword for his chief lieutenant. Similarly, depending on edition and source, its appearance has varied, from a short sword to a wavy bladed two hander. However, it is undoubtable that the ''Sword'' is inextricably tied to Vecna's relics.
 
===Other artifacts and relics===
A number of Vecna's other body parts are presented as minor artifacts in ''Die Vecna Die!'', including the ''First Digit'' (right thumb), ''Second Digit'' (right index finger), ''Third Digit'' (right middle finger), ''Last Digit'' (right pinky finger), ''Incisors'' (a pair of inapproprietly named fang-like canines), ''Molar'', ''Scalp'', ''Skin'', ''Heart'', ''Foot'' (left), and ''Right Eye''. These artifacts are collectively known as the ''[[Fragments of Vecna]]''.
 
The ''[[Compendium Maleficarum]]'' is a book of spells, doctrines, and secrets crafted entirely from bone (even the pages) and penned in blood, that is on par with the ''Fragments of Vecna''.


The ''[[Tome of Shared Secrets]]'' is an illustrated bestiary of relic status, with the ability to impart knowledge of dark and evil creatures at the cost of a portion the user's life force.  
This interpretation is relatively recent. As per the first edition ''Dungeon Master's Guide'', Vecna only procured this most powerful sword for his chief lieutenant. Similarly, depending on edition and source, its appearance has varied, from a short sword to a wavy bladed two hander. However, it is undoubtable that the ''Sword'' is inextricably tied to Vecna's relics.


The ''[[Rod of the Whispered One]]'', while not nearly so powerful as the ''Sword of Kas'', is another item Vecna crafted to connect himself with his highest lieutenants.
===Other artifacts===
A number of Vecna's other body parts are presented as minor artifacts in ''Die Vecna Die!'', including the ''First Digit'' (right thumb), ''Second Digit'' (right index finger), ''Third Digit'' (right middle finger), ''Last Digit'' (right pinky finger), ''Incisors'' (a pair of inappropriately named fang-like canines), ''Molar'', ''Scalp'', ''Skin'', ''Heart'', ''Foot'' (left), and ''Right Eye''. These artifacts are collectively known in D&D third edition as the ''Fragments of Vecna''. The ''Compendium Maleficarum'' is a book of spells, doctrines, and secrets crafted entirely from bone (even the pages) and penned in blood, that is on par with the ''Fragments of Vecna''. The ''Tome of Shared Secrets'' is an illustrated bestiary of relic status, with the ability to impart knowledge of dark and evil creatures at the cost of a portion the user's life force. The ''Rod of the Whispered One'', while not nearly so powerful as the ''Sword of Kas'', is another item Vecna crafted to connect himself with his highest lieutenants. The final issue of Dragon Magazine, issue #359, featured rules for the "Left Ear of Vecna" as a minor artifact. It grants the owner magical bonuses to hearing and resisting sonic attacks, spell-like abilities to inflict deafness, grant clairaudience and create sonic blasts, and enables them to understand any spoken language. A lich known as Osterneth possesses the "Heart of Vecna" according to the ''Open Grave'' sourcebook.


===''Head of Vecna''===
===''Head of Vecna''===
The ''Head of Vecna'' was a hoax that one adventuring party played on another in a campaign run by dungeon master Mark Steuer.  One of the groups tricked the other into going on a quest for the ''Head of Vecna'', a hoax artifact that was supposedly similar to his ''Hand'' and ''Eye'', but was simply an ordinary severed head. The hoax takes advantage of the fact that the ''Eye'' and ''Hand'' require a person to remove their own eye or hand and replace it with the artifact to function. The characters involved in the story reasoned that they needed to decapitate themselves to gain the powers of the Head of Vecna, and several of the group actually fought to determine whose head should be cut off.  After the third character died, the joke was revealed.
The ''Head of Vecna'' was a hoax that one adventuring party played on another in a campaign run by Mark Steuer.  One of the groups tricked the other into going on a quest for the ''Head of Vecna'', a hoax artifact that was supposedly similar to his ''Hand'' and ''Eye'', but was simply an ordinary severed head. The hoax takes advantage of the fact that the ''Eye'' and ''Hand'' require a person to remove their own eye or hand and replace it with the artifact to function. The characters involved in the story reasoned that they needed to decapitate themselves to gain the powers of the Head of Vecna, and several members of the group actually fought over which character would get to have his head cut off and replaced.  After the third character died, the joke was revealed.<ref>[http://www.sjgames.com/ill/1996/ill-dec96.html ''Daily Illuminator'', December 6, 1996]</ref>


A full account of the story can be read [http://www.blindpanic.com/humor/vecna.htm here].
The ''Head of Vecna'' was later mentioned by Morte, a floating skull in ''[[wikipedia:Planescape: Torment|Planescape: Torment]]'', when discussing his lack of a body, made a canonical appearance in the 2000 AD&D campaign ''[[Die Vecna Die!]]'', and was the subject of a short adventure on the Wizards of the Coast website in 2007.<ref>[http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20070401a The Head of Vecna: A D&D Adventure for Characters Levels 1–12]</ref>


Bizarrely enough, the ''Head of Vecna'' makes a canonical appearance in ''[[Die Vecna Die!]]''.
Familiarity with the ''Head of Vecna'' was cited as an example characteristic of an avid role-playing gamer by writer [[wikipedia:David M. Ewalt|David M. Ewalt]].<ref name=ODaM>{{cite book | first=David M. | last=Ewalt | authorlink= David M. Ewalt | year=2013 | title= Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It | publisher=Scribner | page=1 | isbn=978-1-4516-4052-6 }}</ref>


===Other magic items===
==Writings==
A number of other magic items of non-artifact status are associated with Vecna, including:
Vecna penned a tome known as ''Ordinary Necromancy'',{{cite dragon|82|59}} though there are no known details about the tome.


*The ''Pearl of Secrets'': An intelligent, black ''pearl of power'' that claims to have been created by Vecna himself. (A&EG3E.142)
He is also rumored to have made significant additions to the ''[[Book of Vile Darkness]]'', or that he authored the original Book entirely, with others later adding to it.{{csb|DMG5e|222}}


==History==
Although not actually penned by him, ''the Book of Keeping'' (a book of [[Yugoloth]] summoning) is heavily linked with the cult of Vecna, as the cultists have the only known copies that are free of the intentional errors introduced into the book by the fiends that wrote the volume as a trap for would-be summoners.
[[Image:Vecna13.jpg|280px|thumb|right|Vecna, as depicted by Wayne Reynolds on the cover of ''[[Dragon mag|Dragon]]'' #348 (2006).]]
Vecna was born as a human, centuries ago as a member of the untouchable caste in the [[Flan]] city of [[Fleeth]] on [[Oerth]]. He was initially trained by his mother, [[Mazell]], in the arts of magic, before she was executed by the government of Fleeth for practicing witchcraft. Vowing revenge, Vecna eventually assumed a mastery of the dark arts achieved by no mortal before or since. Some say this achievement was due to direct tutelage by Mok'slyk [[the Serpent]], believed to be the personification of arcane magic itself.


At some point during his long life and unlife, Vecna undertook arduous researches into the nature of life itself in a hidden temple buried in the mines near what is now [[Diamond Lake]]; the site of this laboratory is now known as the [[Dark Cathedral]].  
==Publishing history==
In the third supplement to the original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' rules (1974-1976) , ''[[Eldritch Wizardry]]'',<ref>{{cite book |last=Gygax |first=Gary  |authorlink=Gary Gygax |coauthors=Brian Blume |title=D&D Supplement IV: Eldritch Wizardry ||isbn= |oclc= |location= |publisher=TSR |year=1976 |page= |pages=43–44 |nopp= |at= |quote=}}</ref> [[Brian Blume]] invented two artifacts he called the [[Hand of Vecna|Hand]] and [[Eye of Vecna]].<ref>''Gygax: "Brian blume ''(sic)'' was the creator of the Eye and Hand of Vecna, and nary a detail of those items did he ever reveal to me—beyond what appeared in print."''{{cite web  | title = Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part I, Page 13)  | publisher = EN World  | date = September 16, 2002  | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/22566-q-gary-gygax-part-i-13.html#post371202 | accessdate =August 28, 2009}}</ref> These were supposedly the only remnants of an evil [[lich (Dungeons & Dragons)|lich]], Vecna, who had been destroyed long ago. The name Vecna was an anagram of Vance, the surname of [[wikipedia:Jack Vance|Jack Vance]],<ref name = "TOR"/><ref>[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4alum/20090121 D&D Alumni: Open Grave]</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_anagrams.html |title=Gygax's Greyhawk Anagrams, Puns, and Homages |publisher=Greyhawkonline.com |accessdate=June 12, 2009}}</ref> the fantasy author whose "fire-and-forget" magic system is used in ''Dungeons & Dragons''.<ref>{{cite web | last = Rogers | first = Simon | authorlink = Simon Rogers | title = Remembering Jack Vance | publisher = Pelgrane Press | date = 2013-05-13 | url = http://www.pelgranepress.com/?p=11669 | accessdate = 2013-10-05}}</ref>


Some nine hundred years after his birth, Vecna, now a lich and ruler of the [[Occluded Empire of Vecna]], a great and terrible empire (in the [[Sheldomar Valley]], centered near the modern-day [[Rushmoors]]) of the [[Flanaess]], laid siege to the city of Fleeth with an army of arcane spellcasters and undead ([[VHotR]]). Legend has it that Vecna was nearly slain in this battle by clerics channeling the power of [[Pholtus]], the god of light. The clerics unleashed a great burst of light, which hit Vecna primarily on his left side. Vecna was rescued and brought to safety by one of his wizard generals, a cambion named Acererak (who would one day himself become a mighty demilich).
The Hand and Eye of Vecna were also mentioned in the 1979 ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' 1e (1977–1988), on page 124.<ref>{{Cite book| last = Gygax | first = Gary  | author-link = Gary Gygax  | title = Dungeon Masters Guide  | place = Lake Geneva WI | publisher = TSR  | year = 1979 |}}</ref> During the "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" years, Vecna was regarded only as a legend or myth, a long-destroyed legendary lich of great power, only able to threaten player characters who dared to use his Hand and Eye.


Vecna eventually recovered. On the verge of conquering Fleeth, certain citizens of the city came before him to beg for mercy. They offered up the entire city and her wealth if only Vecna would spare the lives of her citizens. When Vecna was not satisfied, the officials offered their own lives. Vecna gave one of their number, Artau, and his family, over to his lieutenant, [[Kas the Bloody-Handed|Kas]], who spent the entire day torturing and murdering them before the other officials. Still unsatisfied, Vecna slaughtered all within the city, and had their heads stacked before the officials, with those of their family members prominent. Vecna then granted his mercy, granting the officials leave to depart, and promising them his protection for the rest of their lives.
Ten years later, in second edition ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (1989), Vecna's history was expanded under the description of his Hand and Eye. This information was further developed in 1993's ''[[Book of Artifacts]]''. With the release of the adventure ''[[Vecna Lives!]]'' in 1990, written in support of ''[[The City of Greyhawk]]'' boxed set, Vecna finally appeared in person, re-imagined as a demigod, and the chief antagonist of the adventure. At the end of the adventure—presuming the players defeat Vecna—he is transported to the ''[[Ravenloft]]'' campaign setting.<ref>[[David "Zeb" Cook|Cook, David]]. ''[[Vecna Lives!]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1990)</ref> However, it was not until 1998 that there was a Ravenloft-centered follow-through, ''[[Vecna Reborn]]''.<ref>[[Cook, Monte]].''[[Vecna Reborn]]'' (TSR, 1998)</ref> In 2000, [[Wizards of the Coast]] released the last adventure to be written for D&D's second edition rules, ''[[Die Vecna Die!]]'', a three-part adventure tying Greyhawk to the [[Ravenloft]] and [[Planescape]] campaign settings. In this adventure, Vecna was given the rank of a lesser god.<ref>[[Bruce Cordell|Cordell, Bruce]], and [[Steve Miller]]. ''[[Die Vecna Die!]]'' (TSR, 2000)</ref> ''Die Vecna Die!'' set up the transition between the second and third editions of D&D.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://diehardgamefan.com/2013/05/27/the-top-ten-advanced-dungeons-dragons-second-edition-releases-id-like-to-see-on-dndclassics-com/  |chapter=5. Die Vecna Die! |title=The Top Ten Advanced Dungeons & Dragons second edition Releases I’d Like To See on DNDClassics.com |author=Alex Lucard |date=May 27, 2013 |publisher=Die Hard Game Fan}}</ref> According to Shannon Appelcline, the adventure "touched upon the oldest locales and the most ancient myths of the ''D&D'' game" by playing the Eye and Hand of Vecna against the cambion demigod [[Iuz]].<ref name="designers">{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7|page=284}}</ref>


At his empire's height, Vecna was betrayed and destroyed by his most trusted lieutenant, a human vampire called [[Kas the Bloody-Handed]], using a magical sword that Vecna himself had crafted for him, now known as the [[Sword of Kas]]. Only his left hand and his eye survived the battle, perhaps because of the previous events in Fleeth.
[[Wizards of the Coast]] continued the character's theme of ascending godhood in D&D 3e (2000–2002) with the ''Player's Handbook'' (2000) listing him as a Lesser deity.<ref name = "PHB"/> third edition further raised Vecna's profile in the game, making him a member of the game's "core pantheon". Vecna's alignment was changed from Lawful Evil to Neutral Evil in third edition, and no in-game explanation has surfaced. Vecna's role in the third edition Greyhawk setting was defined in the ''[[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]]'' (2000).<ref>[[Holian, Gary]], [[Erik Mona]], [[Sean K Reynolds]], and [[Frederick Weining]]. ''[[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2000)</ref> Vecna is detailed in ''[[Deities and Demigods]]'' (2002).<ref>[[Rich Redman|Redman, Rich]], [[Skip Williams]], and [[James Wyatt|James Wyatt]]. ''[[Deities and Demigods]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)</ref>


Vecna did not stay gone forever, and returned to Oerth as a demigod of magic and secrets. In 581 [[Common Year|CY]], his cult helped set events in motion that would have granted him the power of a greater god, but the plan was ultimately foiled. In 586 CY, Vecna ended up imprisoned in the demiplane of [[Ravenloft]], but broke free in 591, emerging with the power of a greater god after absorbing the power of [[Iuz]]. Vecna then entered the city of [[Sigil]], where he came perilously close to rearranging all existence to his whims. When Vecna was ejected from Sigil by a party of adventurers, Iuz was freed and Vecna returned to Oerth greatly reduced in power, though still a lesser god.
Vecna appears in the revised ''Player's Handbook'' (2003) for D&D 3.5e (2003–2008).<ref>[[Jonathan Tweet|Tweet, Jonathan]], [[Monte Cook|Cook, Monte]], [[Skip Williams|Williams, Skip]]. ''Player's Handbook'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2003)</ref> His priesthood is detailed for this edition in ''[[Complete Divine]]'' (2004).<ref>Noonan, David. ''[[Complete Divine]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2004)</ref> Vecna was one of the deities featured in ''[[Libris Mortis]]'' (2004).<ref>[[Andy Collins|Collins, Andy]] and [[Bruce Cordell|Bruce R Cordell]]. ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2004)</ref> Vecna and his priesthood were expanded upon in ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #348, in the "Core Beliefs" column.


==Writings==
Vecna appears as one of the deities described in the 2008 ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' for fourth edition. He is primarily the god of secrets.<ref>James Wyatt. ''[[Dungeon Masters Guide]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2008).</ref> The Hand of Vecna has also made its return for this edition of the game.<ref name="GDR">{{cite web|last=Baichtal|first=John|title=GeekDad Review: D&D fourth edition (part 3 of 3)|url=https://www.wired.com/geekdad/2008/09/geekdad-review-13/|publisher=Wired|accessdate=3 October 2013}}</ref> Vecna is given a set of statistics in ''Open Grave'' (2008). Vecna is the name of Wizards of the Coasts' server that hosts and handles the new online character builder tool.<ref>{{cite web|last=Norman|first=Ian|title=DDI Online Character Builder API|url=http://buccaneersguild.com/ddi-online-character-builder-api/|publisher=The Buccaneers Guild|accessdate=3 October 2013}}</ref>
At some point in his history, Vecna penned a tome known as ''Ordinary Necromancy'', as well as another work named ''[[Vecna's Ineffable Variorum]]''. He is also rumored to have made significant additions to the ''[[Book of Vile Darkness]]''. The ''[[Nethertome of Trask]]'' is ascribed to him, though this provenance is considered highly dubious.


Another literary relic of Vecna is the ''Tome of the Stilled Tongue'', a spellbook that contains instructions for mental exercises that increase the potency of the practitioner's spellcasting. Five copies are known to exist, each with the severed tongue of a treacherous Vecna cultist nailed to the cover.
In the fifth edition ''Dungeon Master's Guide'', released in 2014, Vecna appears as a member of the "Dawn War Pantheon", which is mostly derived from the fourth edition pantheon.  He is also included in the ''Player's Handbook'' as one of the deities of Greyhawk. In both, he is listed as the god of evil secrets.  Additionally, both his hand and eye are listed as artifacts.


==Creative origins==
In June 2022, Wizards of the Coast released the ''[[Vecna Dossier]]'' as a digital exclusive on [[D&D Beyond]]. This included background information and a fifth Edition statblock for Vecna in the updated style of the edition. This iteration is of Vecna as an archlich before his ascension to godhood.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-09 |title=D&D Players Can Now Battle Vecna With Free D&D Beyond Update |url=https://screenrant.com/dnd-beyond-update-vecna-dossier-dungeons-dragons-free/ |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=Screen Rant |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619105402/https://screenrant.com/dnd-beyond-update-vecna-dossier-dungeons-dragons-free/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 9, 2022 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Unleashes Vecna for First Time in 5E |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-vecna-statblock-dndbeyond-stranger-things-season-4/ |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en |archive-date=2022-06-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610183039/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-vecna-statblock-dndbeyond-stranger-things-season-4/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Vecna's Dossier video">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPHBGIwcPsc |title=How Powerful Is Vecna? Vecna's Dossier and Statblock in D&D |date=June 9, 2022 |type=[[YouTube]] |publisher=[[Dungeons & Dragons]] |access-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609191538/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPHBGIwcPsc |url-status=live }}</ref>
Vecna was created by [[Brian Blume]] for the original ''D&D'' supplement ''[[Eldritch Wizardry]]'' in 1976. The name Vecna is an anagram of the surname of Jack Vance, the fantasy author whose "fire-and-forget" magic system is the default magic system used in ''Dungeons & Dragons''.


==Publishing history==
Vecna is the main villain of the adventure ''[[Vecna: Eve of Ruin]]'', released in May 2024.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Hoffer |first=Christian |date=December 1, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Announces Two New Books for 2024 |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-new-rulebooks-2024-announcement-vecna-core-rulebooks/ |access-date=December 4, 2023 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en |archive-date=December 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202063159/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-new-rulebooks-2024-announcement-vecna-core-rulebooks/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=2024-05-07 |title=In Vecna: Eve of Ruin, D&D's final 5th edition adventure, you will stack bodies |url=https://www.polygon.com/24148046/dnd-dungeons-dragons-vecna-eve-of-ruin-review |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Branwyn |first=Gareth |date=June 3, 2024 |title=D&D's latest module, "Vecna: Eve of Ruin," and the trouble with high-level adventures |url=https://boingboing.net/2024/06/03/dds-latest-module-vecna-eve-of-ruin-and-the-trouble-with-high-level-adventures.html |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=[[Boing Boing]]}}</ref> This adventure also launches a new storyline that will "play out over a five year period, with other adventures bringing back more classic D&D villains".<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=March 28, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Reveals Vecna as Villain of 50th Anniversary Campaign |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-vecna-50th-anniversary-red-wizards-venger/ |access-date=March 28, 2023 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en |archive-date=March 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328175441/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-vecna-50th-anniversary-red-wizards-venger/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Vecna is first mentioned in the ''Eldritch Wizardry'' (1976) supplement for the original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game. His first mention in an ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' product was in 1979's ''Dungeon Master's Guide''. During this time, Vecna was regarded only as a long-destroyed legendary lich of great power, able to threaten player characters only through the presence of his two existing artifacts, the ''Hand'' and ''Eye of Vecna''. However, with the release of the adventure ''[[Vecna Lives!]]'' in 1990, it was revealed that Vecna was now a demigod, and the chief antagonist of the module. At the end of the adventure, presuming the players defeat Vecna, he is transported to the ''Ravenloft'' campaign setting. Two more Vecna-centered modules followed, 1998's ''[[Vecna Reborn]]'', set in ''Ravenloft'', and 2000's ''[[Die Vecna Die!]]'', which spanned the ''Greyhawk'', ''Ravenloft'', and ''Planescape'' settings. A constant theme in all three of these adventures is Vecna's never-ending quest for power, ending, should he succeed, with Vecna as the only greater deity in existence. After ''Die Vecna Die!'' it seems he is partially successful, as his first Third Edition appearance, the ''Player's Handbook'' (2000), lists Vecna as a lesser deity. Some fans of the game have also speculated that the events of ''Die Vecna Die!'' serve as an in-game explanation of the changes from Second to Third Edition[http://www.enworld.org/printthread.php?t=41559&page=2&pp=40][http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=4751111&postcount=10][http://www.gamebanshee.com/forums/printthread.php?t=20574], just as ''[[Fate of Istus]]'' did the same for the transition from First to Second Edition.


Third Edition further raised Vecna's profile in the game, making him a member of the game's "core pantheon." It is interesting to note that Vecna's alignment was changed from Lawful Evil to Neutral Evil in Third Edition, and no in-game explanation has surfaced.
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Vecna00.jpg|
Vecna01.jpg|
Vecna03.jpg|
Vecna04.jpg|Holy Symbol of Vecna, PHB 3e
Vecna05.jpg|Vecna, Deities and Demigods, 3e
Vecna06.jpg|
Vecna07.jpg|
Vecna08.jpg|Holy Symbol, Denis Cramer
Vecna09.jpg|
Vecna10.jpg|
Vecna11.jpg|Holy Symbol of Vecna
Vecna12.jpg|
Vecna13.jpg|Vecna, Art by Wayne Reynolds, [[dragmag|Dragon]]#348
Vecna14.jpg|Vecna, [[Spellfire]]#30
</gallery>


==Vecna in other media==
==In other media==
*The ''Robe of Vecna'' appears as a powerful Mage-only suit of armour in the computer role-playing game ''Baldur's Gate II'', as well as in ''Neverwinter Nights''.
* In the 1999 CRPG ''[[wikipedia:Planescape:Torment|Planescape:Torment]]'', Fall-From-Grace (a puritan succubus) asks Morte (a disembodied floating skull) "What are you?", to which Morte replies "Me? I'm the head of Vecna."  A similar conversation between the two involves Morte saying "It's a long story involving the head of Vecna. I don't want to talk about it." Grace responds with an amused "That was you?" Also in the same game, the ''Eye of Vecna'' is a rare item dropped by greater [[glabrezu]].<ref>{{cite video game | title = [[Planescape: Torment]] | developer = [[Black Isle Studios]] | publisher = [[Interplay Entertainment]] | date = December 12, 1999 | platform = | version = }}</ref>
* In ''[[wikipedia:Slash'EM|Slash'EM]]'', the ''Hand of Vecna'' is a very useful artifact, gained after killing Vecna himself in the Chaotic Quest.<ref>{{cite video game | title = [Slash'EM Vampire] | developer = Slash'EM development team | publisher = | date = December 30, 2006 | platform = | version = 0.0.7E7F3}}</ref> Vecna himself is one of the more difficult foes in the game.
* In [[wikipedia:Critical Role|Critical Role]], Vecna is the main villain in the last arc of the first campaign. He is also included in the associated Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://greenroninstore.com/products/critical-role-tal-dorei-campaign-setting|title=Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting (5E)|website=greenroninstore.com|language=en|access-date=2018-02-26}}</ref> though he is called "The Whispered One" due to copyright constraints.{{cn|date=February 2018}}
* Mexican heavy metal  band "Vecna", created by Diego Del Pozzo and José Suarez Cañal in 1989, took their name from the "Demilich" of Dungeons & Dragons.<ref>[https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Vecna/3540403493 Heavy Metal Archive</ref><ref>https://www.facebook.com/VecnaMetalBand/about Vecna band on Facebook]</ref>


*In the 1999 CRPG ''Planescape: Torment'', Fall-From-Grace (a puritan succubus) asks Morte (a disembodied floating skull) "What are you?", to which Morte replies "Me? I'm the head of Vecna." A similar conversation between the two involves Morte saying "It's a long story involving the head of Vecna. I don't want to talk about it." Grace responds with an amused "That was you?" Also in the same game, the ''Eye of Vecna'' is a rare item dropped by greater glabrezu.
==External links==
* Weiss, Samuel. [http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=506 "Grand Sheldomar Timeline, Part I."]
* Weiss, Samuel. [http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=733 "The Yaheetes and Tyrus: The Wars Against the Hand and the Eye in the Sheldomar."]
* Weiss, Samuel, and Gary Holian. [http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=398 "The Hand and Eye of Vecna."]
* Living Greyhawk Journal no. 3 – "Gods of Oerth"


*In ''Slash'EM'', the ''Hand of Vecna'' is a very useful artifact, gained after killing Vecna himself in the Chaotic Quest.
== References ==
 
=== Notes ===
*In the roguelike game ''Angband'', Vecna makes an appearance as one of the most powerful unique monsters in the game.
<references group="note" />
 
=== Citations ===
*Vecna, as well as his lieutenant Kas, appear in a ''Nodwick'' strip published in ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' magazine that parodied the Vecna series of modules.
<references />
 
=== Bibliography ===
==Gallery==
[[Image:Vecna09.jpg]]
[[File:Vecna14.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna12.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna03.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna01.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna02.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna12.JPG]]
[[Image:Vecna05.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna07.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna06.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna10.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna08.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna04.jpg]]
[[Image:Vecna11.jpg]]
 
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*Heard, Bruce. "Spells Between the Covers." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #82. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1984.
*Heard, Bruce. "Spells Between the Covers." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #82. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1984.
*[[Holian, Gary]]. "The Kingdom of Keoland." ''[[Living Greyhawk Journal]]'' #1. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000. Available online:[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=lg/lgmp/20030515]
*[[Holian, Gary]]. "The Kingdom of Keoland." ''[[Living Greyhawk Journal]]'' #1. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000. Available online:[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=lg/lgmp/20030515]
*-----. "Silent Sorcery: The [[Silent Ones]] of Keoland." ''[[Living Greyhawk Journal]]'' #4. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001
:———. "Silent Sorcery: The [[Silent Ones]] of Keoland." ''[[Living Greyhawk Journal]]'' #4. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001
 
*[[Gary Holian|Holian, Gary]], [[Erik Mona]], [[Sean K. Reynolds]], and [[Frederick Weining]]. ''[[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
*[[Gary Holian|Holian, Gary]], [[Erik Mona]], [[Sean K. Reynolds]], and [[Frederick Weining]]. ''[[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
*[[Mike Mearls|Mearls, Mike]]. "[[The Three Faces of Evil]]." Dungeon #125. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.
*[[Mike Mearls|Mearls, Mike]]. "[[The Three Faces of Evil]]." Dungeon #125. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.
*[[Miller, Steve]].  "The Secret Library of Vecna."  ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #272.  Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
*[[Miller, Steve]].  "The Secret Library of Vecna."  ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #272.  Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
 
*[[Erik Mona|Mona, Erik]]. "[[Ancient History: Vecna's Realm]]." Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, unpublished. Available online:[http://www.www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=220]
*[[Erik Mona|Mona, Erik]]. "[[Ancient History: Vecna's Realm]]." Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, unpublished. Available online:[http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=220]
 
*[[Moore, Roger E]]. ''[[The Adventure Begins]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
*[[Moore, Roger E]]. ''[[The Adventure Begins]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
*[[Robert S. Mullin|Mullin, Robert S]]. "Arcane Lore: Greyhawk Grimoires II." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #241. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1997.
*[[Robert S. Mullin|Mullin, Robert S]]. "Arcane Lore: Greyhawk Grimoires II." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #241. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1997.
*-----. "Campaign Classics: Three Greyhawk Grimoires." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #225. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
:———. "Campaign Classics: Three Greyhawk Grimoires." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #225. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
 
*[[Niles, Douglas]], and [[Carl Sargent]]. ''[[The City of Greyhawk]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
*[[Niles, Douglas]], and [[Carl Sargent]]. ''[[The City of Greyhawk]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
*[[Noonan, David]]. ''Complete Divine''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004.
*[[Noonan, David]]. ''Complete Divine''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004.
*-----. ''Monster Manual V''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
:———. ''Monster Manual V''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
 
*Redman, Rich, [[Skip Williams]], and [[James Wyatt]]. ''Deities and Demigods''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2002.
*Redman, Rich, [[Skip Williams]], and [[James Wyatt]]. ''Deities and Demigods''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2002.
*[[Reynolds, Sean K.]] and [[Chris Pramas]]. ''[[Slavers]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
*[[Reynolds, Sean K.]] and [[Chris Pramas]]. ''[[Slavers]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
*[[Reynolds, Sean K.]], and [[Samuel D. Weiss]]. "[[Core Beliefs]]: Vecna." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #348. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
*[[Reynolds, Sean K.]], and [[Samuel D. Weiss]]. "[[Core Beliefs]]: Vecna." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #348. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
 
* [[Carl Sargent|Sargent, Carl]]. ''[[Ivid the Undying]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995. Published online. [https://greyhawkonline.com/download/16370/?tmstv=1727302323 PDF by William Allman with maps].  Original RTF archived:[http://web.archive.org/web/20081218001449/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Wizards.com]. WGR7 or WGRx
*[[Carl Sargent|Sargent, Carl]]. ''[[From the Ashes]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
:———. ''[[Ivid the Undying]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, unpublished. Available online: [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads]
*-----. ''[[Ivid the Undying]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, unpublished. Available online: [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads]
 
*Thorsson, Modi, and Kevin McCann. ''[[Vecna: Hand of the Revenant]]''. Lakewood, CO: Iron Hammer Graphics, 2002.
*Thorsson, Modi, and Kevin McCann. ''[[Vecna: Hand of the Revenant]]''. Lakewood, CO: Iron Hammer Graphics, 2002.
*[[Tweet, Johnathan]], [[Monte Cook]], and [[Skip Williams]]. ''Player's Handbook''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
*[[Tweet, Johnathan]], [[Monte Cook]], and [[Skip Williams]]. ''Player's Handbook''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
*-----. ''Player's Handbook Core Rulebook I v.3.5''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003.
:———. ''Player's Handbook Core Rulebook I v.3.5''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003.
 
*Wiese, Robert. "The Head of Vecna." Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007. Available online: [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20070401a]
*Wiese, Robert. "The Head of Vecna." Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007. Available online: [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20070401a]
 
{{index}}
==External links==
*[http://pages.sbcglobal.net/zimriel/RPG/Hellbound/cavitian.html Cavitian: The tongue of Vecna].
 
*[http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=824 "The Forgotten History of the Southern Lorridges: Vecna, the Mara, and Ashardalon" at ''Canonfire!''].
*[http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=506 "Grand Sheldomar Timeline, Part I" at ''Canonfire!''].
*[http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=398 "The Hand and Eye of Vecna" at ''Canonfire!''].
*[http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=761 "The Pre-Cataclysm Era in the Sheldomar" at ''Canonfire!''].
*[http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=733 "The Yaheetes and Tyrus: The Wars Against the Hand and the Eye in the Sheldomar" at ''Canonfire!''].
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vecna Vecna at Wikipedia].




[[Category:Characters of the Demiplane of Dread]]
[[Category:Characters of the Demiplane of Dread]]
[[Category:Characters of Ravenloft]]
[[Category:Ravenloft]]
[[Category:Characters of the Quasi-Elemental Planes]]
[[Category:Characters of the Quasi-Elemental Planes]]
[[Category:Characters of the Sheldomar Valley]]
[[Category:Characters of the Sheldomar Valley]]
[[Category:Flan deities]]
[[Category:Flan deities]]
[[Category:Gods of knowledge]]
[[Category:Deities of knowledge]]
[[Category:Gods of magic]]
[[Category:Deities of magic]]
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[[Category:Deities]]
[[Category:Deities of undeath]]
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[[Ctegory:Liches]]
[[Category:Wizards]]
[[Category:Wizards]]
[[Category:Necromancers]]

Latest revision as of 11:32, 22 July 2025

Greyhawk Divinity
Vecna
Vecna, as he appears on the cover of Die Vecna Die!, art by Paul Bonner
Names and titles
Title(s):The Arch-Lich, the Chained God, the Maimed God, Master of the Spider Throne, the Whispered One, the Dying King, the Lord of the Rotted Tower, the Undying King
General information
Portfolio:Destructive and Evil Secrets, Magic, Hidden Knowledge, Intrigue
Home:Prime Material (Oerth)
Alignment:Neutral Evil
Gender:Male
Class:Wizard
Superior:None
Rules items
Domains:(Destiny),[1] Evil, Knowledge, Magic, (Planning)[2], (Pride)[3], (Tyranny)[2]
Divine rank:Lesser

Vecna, pronounced /VEK-na/,[4] has been named as one of the greatest villains in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.[5][6]

Originally from the World of Greyhawk,[7] Vecna was described as a powerful wizard who became a lich.[6] He was eventually destroyed, and his left hand and left eye were the only parts of his body to survive. Even after he achieved godhood[6]—being a member of the third edition's of D&D gods (the pantheon of Oerth)[8]—he is still described as missing both his left eye and left hand. Vecna's holy symbol is an eye in the palm of a left hand.

Vecna's "right hand man" and then ultimately his betrayer is Kas the Bloody-Handed, a vampire whose sword, the Sword of Kas, is also an artifact.

Description

Vecna is usually depicted as a powerful magician resembling a desiccated corpse missing his left hand and eye. A constant theme in the adventures in which the character appears is Vecna's never-ending quest for power, ending, should he succeed, with Vecna as the only deity in existence.

History

Vecna was born as a human, centuries ago as a member of the untouchable caste in the Flan city of Fleeth on Oerth. He was initially trained by his mother, Mazzel, in the art of magic, before she was burnt at the stake by the government of Fleeth for practicing witchcraft[note 1] According to Uhas of Neheli in the Chronicle of Secret Times,[9] this was due to direct tutelage by Mok'slyk the Serpent, believed to be the personification of arcane magic itself. However, see minor differences in this lore in The Vecna Dossier below.

Nearly one thousand years after his birth, Vecna, now a lich and ruler of a great and terrible empire (in the Sheldomar Valley, centered near the modern-day Rushmoors), laid siege to the city of Fleeth with an army of arcane spellcasters and undead. Vecna was nearly slain in this battle by clerics channeling the power of Pholtus, the god of light. The clerics unleashed a great burst of light, which hit Vecna primarily on his left side. Vecna was rescued and brought to safety by one of his wizard generals, a cambion named Acererak (who would one day himself become a mighty demilich).

Vecna eventually recovered. On the verge of conquering Fleeth, the officials of the city came before him to beg for mercy. They offered up the entire city and her wealth if only Vecna would spare the lives of her citizens. When Vecna was not satisfied, the officials offered their own lives. Vecna gave one of their number, Artau, and his family, over to his lieutenant, Kas, who spent the entire day torturing and murdering them before the other officials. Still unsatisfied, Vecna slaughtered all within the city, and had their heads stacked before the officials, with those of their family members prominent. Vecna then granted his mercy, granting the officials leave to depart and promising them his protection for the rest of their lives.

At his empire's height, Vecna was betrayed and destroyed by his most trusted lieutenant, a vampire called Kas the Bloody-Handed, using a magical sword that Vecna himself had crafted for him, now known as the Sword of Kas. Only his left hand and his eye survived the battle, perhaps because of the previous events in Fleeth.

Vecna did not stay gone forever, and rose as a demigod of magic and secrets in the world of Greyhawk. In 581 CY, his cult helped set events in motion that would have granted him the power of a greater god, but the plan was ultimately foiled. After these events, Vecna ended up imprisoned in the demiplane of Ravenloft, but broke free again later, emerging with the power of a greater god, after absorbing the power of Iuz. He then broke free into the city of Sigil, where he came perilously close to rearranging all existence to his whims. (Vecna's multiverse-shattering campaign in Sigil is used as an in-universe way to explain the differences between the Second and third editions of Dungeons & Dragons.) When Vecna was ejected from Sigil by a party of adventurers, Iuz was freed and Vecna returned to Oerth greatly reduced in power, though still a lesser god.

In the events of the Living Greyhawk campaign setting, Vecna's machinations allowed him to reappear on the prime material plane and retake his place in the Oerth pantheon.

The Vecna Dossier

In The Vecna Dossier (June 2022), an exclusive on DnDBeyond.com, Vecna's history is somewhat abridged and amended for fifth edition.

"An order of wizards exiled Vecna’s mother into the wastes for practicing the forbidden art of necromancy. The order bound her orphaned son into servitude and employed him as first a bootblack, then a scribe. Vecna spent the better part of his childhood secretly educating himself in his masters’ arts, stealing into their library of magical treatises each night after midnight. It was during these intense study sessions that he first heard a soothing voice in his head, a whisper from another world that promised him revenge if he would only yield to the hatred that was festering in his heart. Once Vecna learned all he could from his masters and their books, he massacred them."[7]

The order is wizards rather than the clerics in the original. Reference to witchcraft is avoided, as is burning at the stake, using necromancy and exile, instead. Vecna does not escape those who exiled/executed his mother. Instead, he is forced to serve them. Later, when still mortal and young, he "heard a soothing voice in his head, a whisper from another world", which seems to be a reference to the influence of the Serpent in his learning, which parallels the original. When he massacres the order who exiled his mother, it is long before he became a lich and even before he had his own empire, and he takes out his ire upon the wizards themselves rather than returning 900 years later to enact revenge upon their descendants.

Even though these differences are significant, there are still direct parallels in the lore from each version, and they don't change the outcome of becoming a lich and then demigod. The changes are more tweaks to the story and not a substantial change to Vecna's lore.

Relationships

Vecna has few allies, and countless enemies. In second and third editions, his greatest and perhaps only true ally is the mysterious entity known as the Serpent. In fourth edition, the Open Grave book introduces Osterneth, the Bronze Lich, as the mightiest servant of Vecna. The famed cambion lich, Acererak, once served Vecna, but the status of their relationship is unknown.

Among Vecna's staunchest foes are Kas, Iuz, Saint Cuthbert, the Lady of Pain, Pholtus, and the Circle of Eight. He is also opposed by the Old Faith and the Silent Ones.

In fourth edition, Vecna's main foes in the realm of death and undeath are Kas, Orcus and the Raven Queen (though he would rather she rule the dead than Orcus). Among the gods, Ioun is something of Vecna's antithesis, for she would share with the world all the knowledge he would keep secret.

Dogma

Scriptures

Being a secretive cult, there are no real collections of Vecnan teachings. However, copies of the Book of Vile Darkness are highly prized by the cult for Vecna's role in that work's development. The Open Grave book offers the "Scroll of Mauthereign", which offers a twisted version of Vecna's history and tells his followers that committing evil acts is holy and righteous.

Worshippers

Vecna's cult is very secretive, and cells have been uncovered, at various points in history, in Diamond Lake, Greyhawk, and Verbobonc. Temples to Vecna have also been reported in the Pomarj town of Highport and Erelhei-Cinlu, the debased city at the heart of the Vault of the Drow.

Hierarchy

Each position in Vecna's cult is named for a certain body part. At the top is Vecna himself, followed by the Voice of Vecna, which can only be filled by Vecna's manifestation.

Next is the Heart of Vecna, the high priest of the cult. The last known Heart of Vecna was Diraq Malcinex of Ket, who was slain by adventurers in 581 CY.

Immediately below the Heart of Vecna are two bizarre monsters known as the Hand and the Eye. The Eye of Vecna creature appears as a slender humanoid with an eyeball for a head, whereas the Hand of Vecna appears as a stocky humanoid with a huge left hand where its head should be.

Individual congregations are known as organs. Each organ is led by a Thought of Vecna. Lesser priests are known as Memories of Vecna.

Lay members of the cult consist of the Teeth, Fingers, Blood, and Spawn of Vecna. The Teeth of Vecna are made up of , and specialize in arcane spellcasting and crafting magical items for the cult. The Fingers of Vecna consist mainly of rogues or thieves, who engage in various forms of subterfuge. The Blood of Vecna are mainly warriors charged with protection and enforcement of the cult and its goals. The Spawn of Vecna are the lowest in the cult hierarchy, and consist of the common people who honor the Lich Lord.

In fourth edition, Open Grave describes the leader of the cult of Vecna being a lich named Mauthereign. Even when Osterneth, the Bronze Lich, is Vecna's mightiest servant, her position is not revealed among his files.

Other Vecnan organizations

Other Vecnan organizations are known to exist outside of the mainstream cult, and some may have similar or identical names. Relations between these groups and the mainstream cult may vary. Known examples are the Eyes of Vecna (a cult of undeath consisting mainly of rogues), the Fingers of Vecna (Vecna's personal guard), and the Ebon Triad (a heretical cult seeking to merge Vecna, Hextor, and Erythnul into a single entity).

In fourth edition, a secret group known as the Keepers of the Forbidden Lore is devoted to Vecna. Unlike most Vecna worshippers, the Keepers reject most of the nasty and evil rituals and beliefs associated with the god; they worship him as the God of Secrets, and believe that there is some knowledge too evil for the world to know. They instead hunt down secrets and information they deem to be too dangerous for the world at large and keep it secret in the name of Vecna. This puts them in opposition to mainstream followers of Vecna who regard the Keepers as heretics, and makes them enemies of Ioun and her followers, who believe all knowledge should be available for everybody and the moral obligations on how to use it rest on the shoulders of the individuals involved.

Artifacts

The Hand and Eye of Vecna, as shown on the cover of Vecna Lives! (TSR, 1990)

Hand and Eye of Vecna

Vecna's left hand and eye of Vecna's original "mortal" lich form, which have never been replaced in his later more powerful incarnations, are now high-valued and very dangerous magical artifacts.[10] To use the powers of the Hand of Vecna or the Eye of Vecna one is required to cut off one's own corresponding body part and affix Vecna's in its place. The Hand of Vecna is considered a classic artifact in Dungeons & Dragons.[10] These artifacts were introduced in the third supplement to the original D&D rules, Eldritch Wizardry. They went on to appear in all subsequent D&D editions. They are considered classic items in D&D, with Mordicai Knode of Tor.com commenting "We all agree that the Hand and Eye of Vecna are the best artifacts, right?"[11]

Sword of Kas

Vecna created the Sword of Kas for his greatest servant, which contains a "portion of his consciousness."

This interpretation is relatively recent. As per the first edition Dungeon Master's Guide, Vecna only procured this most powerful sword for his chief lieutenant. Similarly, depending on edition and source, its appearance has varied, from a short sword to a wavy bladed two hander. However, it is undoubtable that the Sword is inextricably tied to Vecna's relics.

Other artifacts

A number of Vecna's other body parts are presented as minor artifacts in Die Vecna Die!, including the First Digit (right thumb), Second Digit (right index finger), Third Digit (right middle finger), Last Digit (right pinky finger), Incisors (a pair of inappropriately named fang-like canines), Molar, Scalp, Skin, Heart, Foot (left), and Right Eye. These artifacts are collectively known in D&D third edition as the Fragments of Vecna. The Compendium Maleficarum is a book of spells, doctrines, and secrets crafted entirely from bone (even the pages) and penned in blood, that is on par with the Fragments of Vecna. The Tome of Shared Secrets is an illustrated bestiary of relic status, with the ability to impart knowledge of dark and evil creatures at the cost of a portion the user's life force. The Rod of the Whispered One, while not nearly so powerful as the Sword of Kas, is another item Vecna crafted to connect himself with his highest lieutenants. The final issue of Dragon Magazine, issue #359, featured rules for the "Left Ear of Vecna" as a minor artifact. It grants the owner magical bonuses to hearing and resisting sonic attacks, spell-like abilities to inflict deafness, grant clairaudience and create sonic blasts, and enables them to understand any spoken language. A lich known as Osterneth possesses the "Heart of Vecna" according to the Open Grave sourcebook.

Head of Vecna

The Head of Vecna was a hoax that one adventuring party played on another in a campaign run by Mark Steuer. One of the groups tricked the other into going on a quest for the Head of Vecna, a hoax artifact that was supposedly similar to his Hand and Eye, but was simply an ordinary severed head. The hoax takes advantage of the fact that the Eye and Hand require a person to remove their own eye or hand and replace it with the artifact to function. The characters involved in the story reasoned that they needed to decapitate themselves to gain the powers of the Head of Vecna, and several members of the group actually fought over which character would get to have his head cut off and replaced. After the third character died, the joke was revealed.[12]

The Head of Vecna was later mentioned by Morte, a floating skull in Planescape: Torment, when discussing his lack of a body, made a canonical appearance in the 2000 AD&D campaign Die Vecna Die!, and was the subject of a short adventure on the Wizards of the Coast website in 2007.[13]

Familiarity with the Head of Vecna was cited as an example characteristic of an avid role-playing gamer by writer David M. Ewalt.[14]

Writings

Vecna penned a tome known as Ordinary Necromancy,[15] though there are no known details about the tome.

He is also rumored to have made significant additions to the Book of Vile Darkness, or that he authored the original Book entirely, with others later adding to it.[16]

Although not actually penned by him, the Book of Keeping (a book of Yugoloth summoning) is heavily linked with the cult of Vecna, as the cultists have the only known copies that are free of the intentional errors introduced into the book by the fiends that wrote the volume as a trap for would-be summoners.

Publishing history

In the third supplement to the original Dungeons & Dragons rules (1974-1976) , Eldritch Wizardry,[17] Brian Blume invented two artifacts he called the Hand and Eye of Vecna.[18] These were supposedly the only remnants of an evil lich, Vecna, who had been destroyed long ago. The name Vecna was an anagram of Vance, the surname of Jack Vance,[6][19][20] the fantasy author whose "fire-and-forget" magic system is used in Dungeons & Dragons.[21]

The Hand and Eye of Vecna were also mentioned in the 1979 Dungeon Master's Guide 1e (1977–1988), on page 124.[22] During the "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" years, Vecna was regarded only as a legend or myth, a long-destroyed legendary lich of great power, only able to threaten player characters who dared to use his Hand and Eye.

Ten years later, in second edition Dungeon Master's Guide (1989), Vecna's history was expanded under the description of his Hand and Eye. This information was further developed in 1993's Book of Artifacts. With the release of the adventure Vecna Lives! in 1990, written in support of The City of Greyhawk boxed set, Vecna finally appeared in person, re-imagined as a demigod, and the chief antagonist of the adventure. At the end of the adventure—presuming the players defeat Vecna—he is transported to the Ravenloft campaign setting.[23] However, it was not until 1998 that there was a Ravenloft-centered follow-through, Vecna Reborn.[24] In 2000, Wizards of the Coast released the last adventure to be written for D&D's second edition rules, Die Vecna Die!, a three-part adventure tying Greyhawk to the Ravenloft and Planescape campaign settings. In this adventure, Vecna was given the rank of a lesser god.[25] Die Vecna Die! set up the transition between the second and third editions of D&D.[26] According to Shannon Appelcline, the adventure "touched upon the oldest locales and the most ancient myths of the D&D game" by playing the Eye and Hand of Vecna against the cambion demigod Iuz.[27]

Wizards of the Coast continued the character's theme of ascending godhood in D&D 3e (2000–2002) with the Player's Handbook (2000) listing him as a Lesser deity.[8] third edition further raised Vecna's profile in the game, making him a member of the game's "core pantheon". Vecna's alignment was changed from Lawful Evil to Neutral Evil in third edition, and no in-game explanation has surfaced. Vecna's role in the third edition Greyhawk setting was defined in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000).[28] Vecna is detailed in Deities and Demigods (2002).[29]

Vecna appears in the revised Player's Handbook (2003) for D&D 3.5e (2003–2008).[30] His priesthood is detailed for this edition in Complete Divine (2004).[31] Vecna was one of the deities featured in Libris Mortis (2004).[32] Vecna and his priesthood were expanded upon in Dragon #348, in the "Core Beliefs" column.

Vecna appears as one of the deities described in the 2008 Dungeon Master's Guide for fourth edition. He is primarily the god of secrets.[33] The Hand of Vecna has also made its return for this edition of the game.[10] Vecna is given a set of statistics in Open Grave (2008). Vecna is the name of Wizards of the Coasts' server that hosts and handles the new online character builder tool.[34]

In the fifth edition Dungeon Master's Guide, released in 2014, Vecna appears as a member of the "Dawn War Pantheon", which is mostly derived from the fourth edition pantheon. He is also included in the Player's Handbook as one of the deities of Greyhawk. In both, he is listed as the god of evil secrets. Additionally, both his hand and eye are listed as artifacts.

In June 2022, Wizards of the Coast released the Vecna Dossier as a digital exclusive on D&D Beyond. This included background information and a fifth Edition statblock for Vecna in the updated style of the edition. This iteration is of Vecna as an archlich before his ascension to godhood.[35][36][37]

Vecna is the main villain of the adventure Vecna: Eve of Ruin, released in May 2024.[38][39][40] This adventure also launches a new storyline that will "play out over a five year period, with other adventures bringing back more classic D&D villains".[41]

In other media

  • In the 1999 CRPG Planescape:Torment, Fall-From-Grace (a puritan succubus) asks Morte (a disembodied floating skull) "What are you?", to which Morte replies "Me? I'm the head of Vecna." A similar conversation between the two involves Morte saying "It's a long story involving the head of Vecna. I don't want to talk about it." Grace responds with an amused "That was you?" Also in the same game, the Eye of Vecna is a rare item dropped by greater glabrezu.[42]
  • In Slash'EM, the Hand of Vecna is a very useful artifact, gained after killing Vecna himself in the Chaotic Quest.[43] Vecna himself is one of the more difficult foes in the game.
  • In Critical Role, Vecna is the main villain in the last arc of the first campaign. He is also included in the associated Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting,[44] though he is called "The Whispered One" due to copyright constraints.[citation needed]
  • Mexican heavy metal band "Vecna", created by Diego Del Pozzo and José Suarez Cañal in 1989, took their name from the "Demilich" of Dungeons & Dragons.[45][46]

References

Notes

  1. This is presented slightly differently in fifth edition in The Vecna Dossier (2022). The reference to witchcraft is avoided, as is burning at the stake. "An order of wizards exiled Vecna’s mother into the wastes for practicing the forbidden art of necromancy." Vecna's mother, Mazzel is depicted in Vecna: Hand of the Revenant animating the dead.(p.43-44})

Citations

  1. races of destiny, p.163.
  2. a b Complete Warrior (2003), p.115.
  3. Dragon #323 (Sep 2004), p.65.
  4. "Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd".  Dragon #93 (Jan 1985), p.30. Frank Mentzer
  5. Bulmahn, Jason (September 2007). "1d20 Villains: D&D's Most Wanted; Preferably Dead". Dragon 32(4) (359): 54–69. Pazio.
  6. a b c d Callahan, Tim. Advanced Readings in D&D: Jack Vance. TOR.com. Tor Books. Retrieved on 3 October 2013.
  7. a b The Vecna Dossier (2022) , DnD Beyond esclusive..
  8. a b Tweet, Jonathan, Cook, Monte, Williams, Skip. Player's Handbook (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
  9. Vecna: Hand of the Revenant (2002), IFC Introduction.
  10. a b c Baichtal, John. GeekDad Review: D&D fourth edition (part 3 of 3). Wired. Retrieved on 3 October 2013.
  11. http://www.tor.com/2013/05/23/adad-the-old-firm/
  12. Daily Illuminator, December 6, 1996
  13. The Head of Vecna: A D&D Adventure for Characters Levels 1–12
  14. Ewalt, David M. (2013) Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It, Scribner, p. 1 ISBN: 978-1-4516-4052-6.
  15. Dragon #82 (Feb 1984), p.59.
  16. Dungeon Master's Guide (2014), p.222.
  17. Gygax, Gary; Brian Blume (1976) D&D Supplement IV: Eldritch Wizardry, TSR, pp. 43–44
  18. Gygax: "Brian blume (sic) was the creator of the Eye and Hand of Vecna, and nary a detail of those items did he ever reveal to me—beyond what appeared in print."Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part I, Page 13). EN World , September 16, 2002. Retrieved on August 28, 2009.
  19. D&D Alumni: Open Grave
  20. Gygax's Greyhawk Anagrams, Puns, and Homages. Greyhawkonline.com. Retrieved on June 12, 2009.
  21. Rogers, Simon. Remembering Jack Vance. Pelgrane Press, 2013-05-13. Retrieved on 2013-10-05.
  22. Gygax, Gary (1979) Dungeon Masters Guide, TSR
  23. Cook, David. Vecna Lives! (TSR, 1990)
  24. Cook, Monte.Vecna Reborn (TSR, 1998)
  25. Cordell, Bruce, and Steve Miller. Die Vecna Die! (TSR, 2000)
  26. Alex Lucard. The Top Ten Advanced Dungeons & Dragons second edition Releases I’d Like To See on DNDClassics.com. Die Hard Game Fan, May 27, 2013.
  27. Shannon Appelcline (2011) Designers & Dragons, Mongoose Publishing, p. 284 ISBN: 978-1-907702-58-7.
  28. Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
  29. Redman, Rich, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Deities and Demigods (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)
  30. Tweet, Jonathan, Cook, Monte, Williams, Skip. Player's Handbook (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)
  31. Noonan, David. Complete Divine (Wizards of the Coast, 2004)
  32. Collins, Andy and Bruce R Cordell. (Wizards of the Coast, 2004)
  33. James Wyatt. Dungeon Masters Guide (Wizards of the Coast, 2008).
  34. Norman, Ian. DDI Online Character Builder API. The Buccaneers Guild. Retrieved on 3 October 2013.
  35. D&D Players Can Now Battle Vecna With Free D&D Beyond Update (in en-US). Screen Rant , 2022-06-09.
  36. Dungeons & Dragons Unleashes Vecna for First Time in 5E (in en). ComicBook.com , June 9, 2022.
  37. How Powerful Is Vecna? Vecna's Dossier and Statblock in D&D (YouTube). Dungeons & Dragons. June 9, 2022. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  38. Hoffer, Christian. Dungeons & Dragons Announces Two New Books for 2024 (in en). ComicBook.com.
  39. Hall, Charlie. In Vecna: Eve of Ruin, D&D's final 5th edition adventure, you will stack bodies (in en-US). Polygon.
  40. Branwyn, Gareth. D&D's latest module, "Vecna: Eve of Ruin," and the trouble with high-level adventures. Boing Boing.
  41. Dungeons & Dragons Reveals Vecna as Villain of 50th Anniversary Campaign (in en). ComicBook.com , March 28, 2023.
  42. Black Isle Studios (December 12, 1999) Planescape: Torment, Interplay Entertainment
  43. Slash'EM development team (December 30, 2006) [Slash'EM Vampire] (0.0.7E7F3rd ed.)
  44. Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting (5E) (in en). greenroninstore.com.
  45. [https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Vecna/3540403493 Heavy Metal Archive
  46. https://www.facebook.com/VecnaMetalBand/about Vecna band on Facebook]

Bibliography

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  • Brown, Anne. Player's Guide. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
  • Cagle, Eric, Jesse Decker, Jeff Quick, and James Wyatt. Arms and Equipment Guide. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003.
  • Carroll, Bart, and Steve Winter. "Open Grave: D&D Alumni." Wizards of the Coast. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2009.
  • Collins, Andy, and Bruce R. Cordell. Libris Mortis. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004.
  • Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:[1]
  • Conners, William H., and Steve Miller. Domains of Dread. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1997.
  • Cook, David. Book of Artifacts. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.
———. Dungeon Master's Guide. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
———. Vecna Lives!. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1990.
———. Vecna Reborn. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
———. Dungeon Master's Guide Core Rulebook II v.3.5. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
———. "Silent Sorcery: The Silent Ones of Keoland." Living Greyhawk Journal #4. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001
———. "Campaign Classics: Three Greyhawk Grimoires." Dragon #225. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
———. Monster Manual V. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
———. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, unpublished. Available online: [5]
———. Player's Handbook Core Rulebook I v.3.5. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003.
  • Wiese, Robert. "The Head of Vecna." Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007. Available online: [6]

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Betrayal, The (Vecna) Verbal communication Dragon magazine #348 25
Book of Keeping (Vecna) Item Book, Dragon magazine #348 20
Bracers of Vecna Item Reference SEE Vecna, Bracers of
Cavitius (Vecna's Realm) Planar Plane/Dimension, Dragon magazine #348 32
Cavitius (Vecna's Realm) Planar Plane/Dimension, Vecna Reborn 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 19, 20, 27, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 51, 54, 56, 61, 62, 64
Challenge of Secrets (Vecna) Calendar Dragon magazine #348 25
Making, The (Vecna) Calendar Dragon magazine #348 25
May Vecna take you Verbal communication Curse, Dragon magazine #272 52
Mockery of the Betrayer (Vecna) Calendar Dragon magazine #348 24, 25
Ordinary Necromansy By Vecna Item Book, Dragon magazine #082 59
Sacred Chant (Vecna) Verbal communication Philosophy/Belief, Dragon magazine #348 23, 24
Secrets Never Die (Vecna) Verbal communication Philosophy/Belief, Dragon magazine #348 24
Skeletal Hand (LVL3) (Vecna) Spell Spell (Cleric), Dragon magazine #348 28
Summon Monster II (LVL2) (Vecna) Spell Spell (Cleric), Dragon magazine #348 31
Summon Monster III (LVL3) (Vecna) Spell Spell (Cleric), Dragon magazine #348 31
Summon Monster IV (LVL4) (Vecna) Spell Spell (Cleric), Dragon magazine #348 31
Summon Monster IX (LVL9) (Vecna) Spell Spell (Cleric), Dragon magazine #348 31
Summon Monster V (LVL5) (Vecna) Spell Spell (Cleric), Dragon magazine #348 31
Summon Monster VI (LVL6) (Vecna) Spell Spell (Cleric), Dragon magazine #348 31
Summon Monster VII (LVL7) (Vecna) Spell Spell (Cleric), Dragon magazine #348 31
Summon Monster VIII (LVL8) (Vecna) Spell Spell (Cleric), Dragon magazine #348 31
Tamed God, The (Vecna) Verbal communication Philosophy/Belief, Dragon magazine #348 25, 26
Torture (LVL4) (Vecna) Spell Spell (Cleric), Dragon magazine #348 28
Vecna Reborn Adventure Adventure - Dragon magazine #272 54
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Bastion of Faith 42
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, The City of Greyhawk: Folks, Feuds and Factions 80
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Deities & Demigods, D&D 3.0e 58, 94-96, 214
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition 161
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D 4e (Premium Edition) 160, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Defenders of the Faith, D&D 3.0e 28, 37, 48, 78, 79, 80, 92
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Defenders of the Faith: Web Enhancement (3e) 2, 3
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dragon magazine #082 59
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dragon magazine #188 37, 32
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dragon magazine #225 49, 50, 51, 53
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dragon magazine #241 75
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dragon magazine #272 52-57
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dragon magazine #292 68, 71, 72
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dragon magazine #294 77, 92
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dragon magazine #298 77
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dragon magazine #299 101, 103
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dragon magazine #348 18-33
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Dungeon magazine #114 35
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Die, Vecna, Die! DVD
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Eldritch Wizardry 41, 43, 44
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, From the Ashes: Campaign Book 38
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, D&D 5e 220, 222
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Ivid the Undying 157
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e 5
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 13, 15, 50, 51, 58, 64, 104, 131, 133, 173, 180, 186
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Living Greyhawk Journal #0 6
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Living Greyhawk Journal #2 19
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Living Greyhawk Journal #3 18
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Living Greyhawk Journal #4 12, 13, 16
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Player's Guide to Greyhawk 18-21, 23, 26, 27, 36
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Player's Handbook, D&D 3.5e (Premium Edition) 32, 106, 108, 186, 187, 188, 284
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Slavers, AD&D 2e 10, 17, 18, 90, 95
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, The Adventure Begins 2, 3, 65, 98
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, The Adventure Begins: Adventure Maps 5
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, LT3 The Doomgrinder 7
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Vecna Reborn
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, Vecna Reborn All
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, WGA4 Vecna Lives!
Vecna, Ascended Deity Arch-Lich, Chained God, Dying King, Maimed Lord, Master of the Spidered Throne, Whispered One, Worshipped by: Human, WGR2 Treasures of Greyhawk 32, 39
Vecna, Bracers of Item Artifact, The City of Greyhawk: Folks, Feuds and Factions 80
Vecna, Bracers of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #299 101
Vecna, Clutch of Building Religious building, Vecna Reborn 5, 6, 13
Vecna, Cult of People Group Cult, Dragon magazine #348 20, 22, 23, 24, 26, 28, 30
Vecna, Cult of People Group Cult, Dungeon magazine #114 20, 27, 36
Vecna, Cult of People Group Cult, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, D&D 5e 220, 222
Vecna, Cult of People Group Cult, Living Greyhawk Journal #4 16
Vecna, Cult of People Group Cult, The Adventure Begins 62, 119
Vecna, Cult of People Group Cult, Vecna Reborn 6, 36
Vecna, Cult of People Group Cult, WGA4 Vecna Lives! 24-29, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 42, 43, 74, 76 , 77, 82
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Book of Artifacts, AD&D 2e 35, 36
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition 124, 157
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D 3.5e 281
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D 4e (Premium Edition) 164, 165, 166-168, 169, 204
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D 5e 224-225
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #292 72
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #294 92
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #299 101, 102
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #348 23
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #351 42
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Encyclopedia Magica - Volume II 460, 461, 575
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Eldritch Wizardry 44
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e 5
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 104, 186
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Living Greyhawk Journal #4 16
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space 38
Vecna, Eye of Item Artifact, 1992 TSR Trading Cards - Gold Set 405
Vecna, Fingers of People Group Vecna Reborn 8, 9, 45
Vecna, Fingers of People Group WGA4 Vecna Lives! 18, 19
Vecna, Fragments of Item Dragon magazine #348 26
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus, D&D 5e 110, 111, 113, 128, 149, 214
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Book of Artifacts, AD&D 2e 35, 36
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition 124, 157, 158
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Dungeon Masters Guide (Revised), AD&D 2e (Premium Edition) 124, 126
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D 3.5e 281
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D 4e (Premium Edition) 164, 167, 168, 169
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D 5e 224-225
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #292 72
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #294 92
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #299 101, 102
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #348 23
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #351 42
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Encyclopedia Magica - Volume II 563-565
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Eldritch Wizardry 43, 44
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e 5
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 104, 186
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, Living Greyhawk Journal #4 16
Vecna, Hand of Item Artifact, 1992 TSR Trading Cards - Gold Set 406
Vecna, Shrine of (Cairn Hills) Building Shrine, Dungeon magazine #114 20, 35
Vecna, Temple of (Cavitius) Building Temple, Vecna Reborn 9, 43, 44, 45
Vecna, Temple of (Erelhei-Cinlu) Building Temple, Dragon magazine #298 77
Vecna, Temple of (Highport) Building Temple, Slavers, AD&D 2e 90, 95
Vecna, Temple of (Map) Building Temple, Dragon magazine #348 25
Vecna, the lich Non-player character Lich, The City of Greyhawk: Folks, Feuds and Factions 80
Vecna, the lich Non-player character Lich, Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition 161
Vecna, the lich Non-player character Lich, Dungeon Master's Guide II, D&D 3.5e 120, 127, 148, 281, 282
Vecna, the lich Non-player character Lich, Dragon magazine #082 59
Vecna, the lich Non-player character Lich, Dragon magazine #306 95
Vecna, the lich Non-player character Lich, Dragon magazine #358 30
Vecna, the lich Non-player character Lich, Eldritch Wizardry 41, 43, 44
Vecnas Ineffable Variorum Item Book, Dragon magazine #225 49, 50, 51
WGA4 Vecna Lives Adventure Located in: Kron hills, Dragon magazine #185 62
WGA4 Vecna Lives Adventure Located in: Kron hills, Dragon magazine #188 32
WGA4 Vecna Lives Adventure Located in: Kron hills, Dragon magazine #225 49
WGA4 Vecna Lives Adventure Located in: Kron hills, Dragon magazine #230 8
WGA4 Vecna Lives Adventure Located in: Kron hills, From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess 73
WGA4 Vecna Lives Adventure Located in: Kron hills, Living Greyhawk Journal #0 6
WGA4 Vecna Lives Adventure Located in: Kron hills, Return of the Eight 5, 23, 57, 58
WGA4 Vecna Lives Adventure Located in: Kron hills, Vecna Reborn 2
WGA4 Vecna Lives Adventure Located in: Kron hills, WGR2 Treasures of Greyhawk 32
WGA5 Die, Vecna, Die! Adventure Located in: Dry Steppes, Dragon magazine #272 54
Whisper of Fear, A (Vecna) Verbal communication Philosophy/Belief, Dragon magazine #348 26

Ctegory:Liches