Game background | |
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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 |
Home plane | Prime Material (Oerth) |
Power level | lesser |
Alignment | Neutral Evil |
Portfolio | Destructive and Evil Secrets, Magic, Hidden Knowledge, Intrigue |
Domains | Evil, Knowledge, Magic |
Superior | none |
Design details |
The fictional character Vecna (/ˈvɛk nɑː/ VEK-nah) has been named as one of the greatest villains in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.
Originally from the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, Vecna was described as a powerful wizard who became a lich. 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—being a member of the third edition's default pantheon of D&D gods (the pantheon of Oerth)—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.
In the third supplement to the original Dungeons & Dragons rules (1974-1976) , Eldritch Wizardry,Brian Blume invented two artifacts he called the Hand and Eye of Vecna. 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, the fantasy author whose "fire-and-forget" magic system is used in Dungeons & Dragons.