Summon One Bad A$$ Evil SOB to Your 5E D&D Games

June 10, 2022

Dungeons & Dragons/ Game Master Tips/ Monsters

The time of Vecna is nigh! One of the most iconic Dungeons & Dragons villains of all time is experiencing a renaissance of late thanks in no small part to the immense popularity of Netflix’s Stranger Things season four, which follows the series’ tradition of borrowing from D&D’s rich monster lore to name each season’s primary antagonist. Hot of the heels of the show’s mid-season break (the second half drops July 1 at midnight) Wizards of the Coast released the Vecna Dossier, a supplement detailing the legacy and statistics of the Undying King. Let’s get into it.

Embrace the lore and spurn the light

“I have but one warning before I leave you to your awakening. Resist not the truths I and perhaps others record here. Open your mind and heart to the knowledge contained on these pages. Only then will you understand and receive the wisdom darkness can provide…Embrace the lore and spurn the light, and you too shall ever after walk in darkness.” – Vecna as quoted in 3.5 D&D’s Book of Vile Darkness

The Vecna Dossier contains a brief history of the Whispered One including his connection to one of the most evil artifacts in D&D history. According to the dossier, “On that very night, the voice urged him to record his every foul thought and dream, and he started to pen his Book of Vile Darkness.” The lore portion of the supplement sticks to Vecna’s original beginnings as an entity from the world of Oerth, which is the planet where the original D&D Greyhawk setting takes place.

I’m not scholar of Vecna lore with bona fides but the high points of his history look pretty much the same as I recall from the past.

Claiming the Vecna Dossier unlocks the contents of the promotional supplement for use with D&D Beyond, including the supplement in digital format in the game compendium and in the searchable listings, character builder, encounters, and digital sheet. The Vecna Dossier is available until June 16, 2022. Click the image above to claim yours.

“Most believe the lich-god Vecna authored the Book of Vile Darkness. He recorded in its pages every diseased idea, every unhinged thought, and every example of blackest magic he came across or devised. Vecna covered every vile topic he could, making the book a gruesome catalog of all mortal wrongs.” — from the 5E D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide

The remainder of the supplement contains a stat block representing the awesome magical might of Vecna the Archlich, a challenge rating 26 lawful evil undead wizard. I’m surprised he’s not neutral evil but whatever. At any rate the stat block boasts some devastating features. We just wrapped up our Friday meeting and we gushed about the stat block for most of the time. We’ll be discussing Vecna as the main topic for our next Monday Live Chat at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel if you’re curious what we think about this iconic D&D villain.

The stat block includes some nifty features like a workaround to answer players’ questions regarding special weapons NPCs often wield, a versatile Multiattack action, a bonus action sure to make fighting Vecna quite challenging and the ability to take three reactions per round with two incredibly impactful options.

Did I mention the sidebar suggesting Vecna may call upon any abilities of the Book of Vile Darkness on top of everything else? Because that’s another thing for adventurers to dread.

The Vecna Dossier is available until June 16, 2022.

*Featured image — Bear witness to the archlich Vecna’s necromantic magic with the Vecna Dossier available at no cost with your D&D Beyond account. Check it out here. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast]