His whispers echo through the ages of D&D lore, promising forbidden knowledge and untold riches. His thirst for power was so great that even death couldn’t contain it. Let’s look back at the evolution of Vecna through each edition of D&D and understand who he is today.
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Original D&D: The First Glimpse of Evil (1976)
To truly answer the question, “Who is Vecna?”, we trace his world-dominating legacy all the way back to the original Dungeons & Dragons supplement, Eldritch Wizardry, published in 1976. This early text established him as a powerful wizard who delved into very dark magic in his pursuit of eternal life, eventually becoming a lich. Beyond this, Eldritch Wizardry tells us very little about Vecna’s backstory, leaving us with only two mysterious artifacts:
- The Hand of Vecna: Described as a dried, shriveled, and blackened hand, it’s rumored to be the sole remnant of an ancient lich so powerful he imbued his hand with wondrous, horrible powers, enabling it to survive beyond his undead body.
- The Eye of Vecna: This artifact also survived, glittering “much in the same manner as the eye of a feline.” If placed into your own empty socket, it grafts itself and grants remarkable powers. Gross, but powerful!
AD&D 1st & 2nd Editions: A Glimmer of Lore (1979-1990)
The Hand and Eye of Vecna reappeared in the 1979 Dungeon Masters Guide, but little new lore was added until the AD&D 2nd Edition DMG in 1989. Here, the artifacts gained more sinister properties. The Hand could eventually convince its user they are Vecna, and removal required cutting off your own arm. My favorite twist? The Hand knows when its user will die and simply stops working!
Under the description for the Hand, we get a single, ominous sentence about Vecna: “Little is known of this being, except that he eventually met his doom in some awesome conflagration, or at least that his physical body was destroyed.”
But the story of Vecna truly moved from myth to reality with Vecna Lives!, a Greyhawk adventure released in 1990. This module pitted players against the whispered one himself, now a demigod of unbelievable power. The Hand and Eye granted even greater powers, but also signaled that Vecna was still active. Using certain artifact powers, an individual risked being taken over as they followed Vecna’s evil agenda.
Vecna Lives! finally offered a backstory, answering the question “Who is Vecna?”:
He’s described as a figure shrouded in myth, from a time lost before empires. Rumor claims he was the mightiest wizard on Oerth (the home of Greyhawk), ruling a forgotten nation from a black tower. He was cruel, ambitious, using villages for experiments and destroying cities. It’s unclear how he achieved immortality—perhaps by imprisoning death itself, or as a curse, or by becoming the greatest of liches.
His right-hand man, Kas the Bloody-Handed (who wielded an evil magic sword Vecna gave him), was influenced by the sword to betray his master. In a final, cataclysmic battle, Vecna’s tower crumbled, leaving only his Hand and Eye. Despite his apparent destruction, Vecna’s cult and power continued to grow. He seeks ultimate dominion, aiming to become a god and reclaim his artifacts, hidden from him by the gods. Assuming the party won in Vecna Lives!, he was banished to the demiplane of Ravenloft.
D&D 3rd & 3.5 Editions: Who Is Vecna?! (2000-2008)
The story of Vecna continues in 2000 with the module Die, Vecna, Die! This adventure takes players from Greyhawk to Ravenloft to Planescape, depicting Vecna’s bid to become a god. The module famously ends by stating that the profound changes Vecna wrought on the multiverse “do not occur immediately, but instead are revealed during the subsequent months. However, one thing remains clear: nothing will ever be the same again.” Sounds like a clever way to transition to a new edition!
Indeed, the 2000 Player’s Handbook lists Vecna as a Lesser Deity. He appears in other materials like the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, but the most complete description is in the 2002 Deities and Demigods. Here, the “Maimed Lord” is part of the core pantheon, ascended from mortal king to lich, forever shrouded in secrecy and intrigue, missing his left hand and eye—reminders of his confrontation with Kas.
Vecna embodies the manipulation of secrets and the pursuit of forbidden knowledge. His followers, typically wizards, sorcerers, and conspirators, adhere to his dogma of uncovering darkness and exploiting it for power. His clergy operate in isolated cells, engaging in subversion and seduction, and relentlessly seek the Hand and Eye of Vecna. Of course, he plots the downfall of other gods to dominate the world. He also appeared in the 2003 FBX for 3.5e, Complete Divine (2004), Libris Mortis (2004), and Dragon Magazine #384.
D&D 4th Edition: Gods and Vampire Lords (2008-2014)
In D&D 4th Edition, Vecna returns, still separated from his Hand and Eye. He’s primarily the God of Secrets. Not much changes until 2008 with Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead. Here, Vecna cultists are busy weaving intricate plots and schemes to further his ambitions, still tirelessly seeking his Hand and Eye.
What’s new is that his followers also seek the Sword of Kas. We now know that Kas, his traitorous lieutenant, is a powerful vampire lord. It’s confirmed he didn’t just drop a tower on his boss; in a bid to become a god in Vecna’s place, Kas used the sword Vecna gave him to sever his left hand and gouge out his left eye. Both Kas and Vecna survived, and now each seeks the destruction of the other. According to Open Grave, the Sword of Kas offers great power, but its wielders end up betraying what they love most. Cool.
D&D 5th Edition: Mainstream Villany (2014-Present)
In the 2014 5th Edition Player’s Handbook, Vecna appears in a list of Greyhawk deities. He’s mentioned in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide as a possible guide for the Arcana Cleric domain or a Warlock patron of the Undying. In the Dungeon Master’s Guide, he’s listed among Dawn War deities. His Hand and Eye are in the list of artifacts with new abilities, and we get more glimpses into his story.
Then, of course, Vecna famously entered the Exandria setting via Critical Role when Joe Manganiello’s character, Arkhan, stole his Hand. Arkhan was later added to Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus (2019), and more details on Arkhan’s fight with Vecna were in Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount (2020).
In 2022, Wizards of the Coast released The Vecna Dossier, giving us an official 5e stat block. And, on May 21st, 2024, came Vecna: Eve of Ruin, a massive adventure taking players across the planes of existence and all the way to level 20.
With all these sources, here’s the tale of Vecna as it stands today:
Who Is Vecna?
Vecna was born in obscurity on Oerth. His mother, a hedge witch, was exiled for necromancy, and her son was bound to servitude. He secretly educated himself in magic from his overlords’ library. During these studies, a seductive voice promised him vengeance and power, setting him on a dark path. Fueled by this voice and his own ambition, Vecna conquered vast lands using dark magic, becoming one of the most formidable wizards of his time. He ruled a kingdom from an obsidian tower, using terror and subjugation. He became a lich through a ritual (possibly taught by Orcus) or his own forbidden necromantic arts.
One world wasn’t enough. Vecna stretched his evil influence across the planes, residing in a citadel between the planes of earth and fire. At some point (likely before his lichdom), he appointed Kas the Bloody-Handed, a fallen paladin, as his trusted lieutenant, rewarding him with a magic blade that would be his downfall: the Sword of Kas.
Kas served faithfully, but whether influenced by the intelligent sword or the same voice that led Vecna to evil, Kas eventually betrayed him. He used his sword to sever the archlich’s hand and put out his eye in a battle that reportedly left Vecna’s Tower a heap of ash. Vecna’s essence endured, his spirit transcending worlds and ages as he sought to reclaim what was lost and ascend to godhood.
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Vecna’s influence now looms across the multiverse. Vile creatures of his creation lurk in the shadows, and his bodily artifacts enact his ambitions. His name strikes fear into the hearts of mortals and gods alike. His followers are fanatically loyal, and his enemies (chief among them his former lieutenant, Kas) are consumed by boundless hatred. And he, the Whispered One, is back in Vecna: Eve of Ruin.
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